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So we have decided to take a week long family trip to San Diego (DH 44, DS 8, myself 42, DM 72, DF 72, DSis 36, DBiL 34). I am the only one who has been to the area (and that was in 1984!!!) We're a group with some diverse interests , and we won't necessarily tour together all of the time. I'm open for any feedback/suggestions on places to stay, things to do, etc. We have a train fanatic, baseball fan, rock hound. We definately want to go to the beach and the zoo. We're thinking ofstaying at Homewood Suites and DS wants to check out Legoland. What can you tell me?
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We'll be there for a long weekend in mid-Feb. In case I forget to come back here and respond again, feel free to PM me for my thoughts when I get back.
DD is barely 9, so we're definately doing the zoo, SeaWorld and Legoland. DH and I wish we had more time because there's more to see than we'll be able to take in.
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Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 02-02-2009 at 09:53 AM..
We loved the zoo while we were there. Other things we also enjoyed were:
Harbour tour - this was one of the highlights for us. We took the two hour one that takes you to both the north and south of the harbour.
Balbao Park - this is well worth seeing, as the architecture there is superb.
Seaport Village - it's a nice place to visit and wander round
The USS Midway - a fascinating place to visit and there was a great deal to see there.
Old Town State Park - again, really interesting and there was more to it than we imagined.
Hotel del Coronado - we stayed there, but it's worth a visit, as it's full of history and is a beautiful resort.
We stayed in La Jolla when we visited San Diego in 2005. While it was a nice enough town, I'd have much preferred staying in San Diego itself as it would have been much more convenient. As far as things to do/see goes, here's what we liked:
- San Diego Sea World (of course )
- The Navy Pier (not sure if that's what it's called)
- The Hotel del Corona (beautiful!!!)
Also, we took a daytrip to Tijuana - so tacky, but still fun!
Legoland - I would not plan on your entire group going there unless you can get some really cheap tickets. IMO, there's not enough there for adults to justify the high ticket cost if you don't have a kid of your own.
If you go during baseball season, be sure to check out a Padres game. We got some cheap tickets (military discount)for a day game and had a great time!
Balboa Park - cool place, and they have a lot of different museums. Used to be, each Tuesday, one or more of them had free admission; it rotated each week as to which ones. Don't know if they still do that or not.
The zoo was great, as was the Wild Animal Park. You can buy a combo ticket for that, or check into the City Pass. San Diego City Pass & Skip the Line Tickets If you get that Go San Diego Card that starts at 59.99, that includes express entry at the SD Model Railroad museum for your train fan!
The beaches are nice, but don't plan on going in the water IMO. On the south side, you have to worry aobut pollution. Also, the water is cold!!!! We went the week of 4th of July, and I couldn't make it past my ankles!
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Lisa
Last edited by Straitlover; 02-04-2009 at 11:59 AM..
The beaches are nice, but don't plan on going in the water IMO. On the south side, you have to worry aobut pollution. Also, the water is cold!!!! We went the week of 4th of July, and I couldn't make it past my ankles!
Hmmm....hadn't thought about pollution. Is that a big problem with many So.Cal. beaches? As for water temps......cold is relative . I'm a New England girl and the ocean here isn't exactly warm either. Anyone out there who can give a comparision?
Thanks all for the info ! I've got some great tips and I found some more on the DL forum (and why didn't I think of that in the first place )
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We got back last week. Just had 3 days in San Diego, so I envy you your full week. We had as much on our "if-we-were-here-longer" list than we actually saw.
Our two cents worth:
San Diego Zoo: Loved it! Definately spring for the "best value ticket" that includes the bus options. It's a big zoo in a valley, so lots of walking and hills. The busses take the edge off. We were there all day and didn't see it all. If we'd stayed longer, we would have done the two day tickets (I think you have 5 days to use the second admission)- they were only about $5 more per person, so a good deal.
SeaWorld: I'm biased -- I love Sea World parks. But if you've been to the one in Orlando recently, this one isn't enough different to justify going again.
Legoland: I'm torn on this one. We went because it was the thing DD9 most wanted to do. She really enjoyed it, and the rides are cute and well themed. But they are slooooow. They market themselves to the under-10 crowd, so if your 8 year old is a big thrill rider, he may be disappointed. That said, the Mini-world, and other Lego creations throughout the park are amazing. I took tons of pictures -- probably as many as in our 3 days at Disneyland. And DD took a Mindware class that was really cool. No extra charge, but they fill up quickly, so go sign up ASAP when you enter the park. On the one hand, it's an expense the grandparents could probably skip -- on the other hand, it's small, fairly level, and easily navigated, so would be a good park for that generation. As to entrance fees, we all joined the Lego "Brickmaster" club since one of the perks is a complimentary admission. We'll donate the extra block sets to Toys for Tots.
Boy, I have neglected this post. I guess my very near WDW trip is distracting me! Carolyn, thanks for your feedback. DS is a member of the Brickmaster club and we have his "free admission" ticket. Can adults who join get a free admission too? Sea World is a dilemna for me. Have not been to any Sea World yet. Good to know that we should plan on 2 days at the Zoo.
Just a note....DBIL got us tickets to a Padres game when they went on sale last Sat. (?) Funny anecdote....he at first suggested we get "all you can eat" seats . Apparently you can have all you can eat at the concession stands. We opted instead for Toyota pavillion seats that come with a $20 per ticket concession/merchandise credit. Very interesting choices at Petco Park!
To answer your questions -- yes, adult Brickmaster members get free admission too. In fact, it was the lady on the Brickmaster hotline who suggested memberships for each of us. (Online wouldn't let me order 2 at a time so I did it by phone -- shipping was cheaper.)
You may only need 1 1/2 days at the zoo, but the option to do the second day is so worth it. There are a lot of other museums in that part of town. I don't remember exact names, but I'm sure a web search would find them. Some, like the science and history museums (you know, the kind of museum in every big city) had some interesting special exhibits there or arriving soon. We picked up a brochure on a Leonardo daVinci exhibit we would have loved, but it wasn't there yet.
For something a little different, our family really enjoyed Cabrillo National Park and Monument. We are big fans and try to be big supporters of all the National Parks. The views from here were lovely. The website is Cabrillo National Monument (U.S. National Park Service).
We are also big fans of Homewood Suites. My DS and his GF came home for a visit over spring break and went to one of his sister collegiate horse shows while he was here so he flew back from Providence early this morning. We decided to stay near the airport and like I said, love Homewood Suites. The were overbooked and did not ahve the 2 bdrm suite I booked so they gave us 2 one bedrooms for 20% less than the two beroom, gave me HH bonus points and waived the pet fee. So 4 of us stayed for $100. with breakfast.
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My DH and I will be there for the first time in January. I am sooo looking forward to it! Thanks for posting this, as I am taking notes for our trip, too.
There are a lot of other museums in that part of town. I don't remember exact names, but I'm sure a web search would find them. Some, like the science and history museums (you know, the kind of museum in every big city) had some interesting special exhibits there or arriving soon. We picked up a brochure on a Leonardo daVinci exhibit we would have loved, but it wasn't there yet.
That's Balboa Park.
I could easily spend 2 weeks in Balboa Park ALONE and probably not see absolutely everything . . . and I grew up in San Diego. If you decide to do anything in Balboa Park . . . pick and choose carefully!
You definitely need to do the zoo. Plan on 2 days, but we honestly can get through it in one. I think it all depends on how you tour. We found that getting the Best Value ticket with the ability to use the bus helped a lot. The express bus picks up and drops off at a few points around the zoo . . . you can look around at the animals in the area then go back to the bus stop and ride to the next. If you do choose to go ahead and get the Multi-Day ticket, the good thing is that it is only $5 more for adults and $4 more for kids than the single day ticket (single days = $35/adult and $26/kids . . . multi-day = $40/adults and $30/kids)!
They also have a ticket combo option for the Zoo, Wild Animal Park and Sea World . . . unlimited entry to all 3 places for 5 consecutive days for $115/adult and $92/kids. That option would save you a bit of money if you are doing all 3 . . . Sea World admission is $65 all by itself!
We have some posts regarding San Diego atractions and ideas as well as links to those attractions over in the DL: Southern California Attractions forum that might help as well.
The Corvette Diner is a lot of fun! (I wrote about it in my TR, which is linked in my signature, if you're interested in photos & more information on the restaurant)
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, and we won't necessarily tour together all of the time. I'm open for any feedback/suggestions on places to stay, things to do, etc. We have a train fanatic, baseball fan, rock hound. We definately want to go to the beach and the zoo. We're thinking ofstaying at Homewood Suites and DS wants to check out Legoland. What can you tell me? 
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! I've got some great tips and I found some more on the DL forum (and why didn't I think of that in the first place 
)
. Apparently you can have all you can eat at the concession stands. We opted instead for Toyota pavillion seats that come with a $20 per ticket concession/merchandise credit. Very interesting choices at Petco Park!
If you decide to do anything in Balboa Park . . . pick and choose carefully! 
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