Departing Flight in San Diego

[tarheelmjfan]

Would you take a 10:30pm flight from San Diego to Charlotte, NC? DH & I have never taken a flight this late, but it's the only direct flight I can find. Is there anything to do with our luggage from around 9am, until the flight. What's the positives & negatives to taking this flight? I really appreciate your input, because I'm really clueless about red eye flights. TIA

 

[marjie8230]

Why do you need to "do something" with your bags? Also, what time does your flight get in and how long are you on your plane? If you can sleep on the plane you should be ok.

I live in San Diego. Are you visiting or a local?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Why do you need to "do something" with your bags? Also, what time does your flight get in and how long are you on your plane? If you can sleep on the plane you should be ok.

I live in San Diego. Are you visiting or a local?

Sorry, I should have provided more details. I really am clueless about this. We live in the suburbs of Tampa, FL, but are flying round-trip from Charlotte, NC to SD. My sisters live in NC, & we're taking our DS & 4-legged baby girl up there to stay, while we're away. (Yes, I'm one of those dreaded, over protective mothers. ) We're taking a 10 night cruise, & are planning to spend 2 nights pre-cruise in SD. This would mean luggage for 12 nights, which includes formal gowns, tuxes, etc. In other words, we'll have 6 suitcases. The flight leaves SD at 10:15 pm, & lasts 4 hrs. & 16 minutes.

It's great that there's SD natives posting here. I'll be back to post another thread requesting info. on things to do, as soon as our flight is booked.

 

[Straitlover]

I took a Saturday 10 PM flight out from SD to Raleigh via Vegas (abt a 1 hr layover). I was staying w/ friends so I didn't have to worry about luggage, but as far as I remember, no there is nowhere you could check your luggage. You might want to see if any of the hotels near the airport offer day rooms (a discounted rate for a partial day) or see if you could just check your luggage w/ their bell services. The airport is right in the middle of town, so it would be really easy to get from a hotel to the airport.

That flight worked out great for me. I normally would have left on a Sunday 8-9 AM flight getting back home around 5 PM. Taking that flight I only gave up sleeping time in SD and landed at RDU around 6:30 AM Sunday so I had the whole day to unpack and recover from the trip before going back to work. I slept most of the way from Vegas to RDU.

 

[marjie8230]

A few great things to do are the zoo (obviously) or the San Diego wild animal park (way better than the zoo if you have a car rental.) Also, go to lunch in la jolla. One of my favorite places is the terrace at Georges at the cove. This restaurant has 3 areas, the restaurant (very expensive), the bar and the terrace. The terrace is fairly reasonably priced for the caliber of food and has an awesome ambiance. It is a terrace with a total view of the water. Very pretty and if the weather is nice such a pleasant experience. Also this area has many upscale shops and galleries and is just a block away from the beach / park. You can walk along the cliff edge, go down the stairs to the small beaches that dot the sidewalk or sit on a park bench with a fabulous carmel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Yummy)

Another cool thing to do is go down these eirie stairs in what used to be the shell shop to watch the incoming water from inside a sea cave. Ask around at the shops or restaurants and they will direct you to the building. I don't think it is a shell shop anymore but it may be some other store... I have snorkeled in these sea caves and it was pretty strange and scary because you get tossed around on the sharp rocks. I have also gone down the steps and it is really neat. Can't do this in too many places. Years ago the charge was $2, I'm sure it $5 now but still pretty cool.

I hope you love your trip to San Diego, but don't decide to move here because us natives are getting outnumbered by transplants.

Regarding what to do with your luggage, you may ask your hotel to hold them for you prior to your flight. I know that when I've arrived to a hotel prior to check in the concierge was able to hold the bags in the back and then they were placed in the room when it was available. I'm sure they could do this on your way out as well. There may be a fee, but I doubt it.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I took a Saturday 10 PM flight out from SD to Raleigh via Vegas (abt a 1 hr layover). I was staying w/ friends so I didn't have to worry about luggage, but as far as I remember, no there is nowhere you could check your luggage. You might want to see if any of the hotels near the airport offer day rooms (a discounted rate for a partial day) or see if you could just check your luggage w/ their bell services. The airport is right in the middle of town, so it would be really easy to get from a hotel to the airport.

That flight worked out great for me. I normally would have left on a Sunday 8-9 AM flight getting back home around 5 PM. Taking that flight I only gave up sleeping time in SD and landed at RDU around 6:30 AM Sunday so I had the whole day to unpack and recover from the trip before going back to work. I slept most of the way from Vegas to RDU.

Thanks for the info. We went ahead & booked it! After our flight, we'll be flying into Charlotte, NC, then going to pick up our DS & at my sisters. We have to leave straight from there, & drive home to Tampa. DH has to work the next day. He was the one who wanted the red eye flight. Since he does all the driving I do a lot of sleeping , it works for me.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

A few great things to do are the zoo (obviously) or the San Diego wild animal park (way better than the zoo if you have a car rental.) Also, go to lunch in la jolla. One of my favorite places is the terrace at Georges at the cove. This restaurant has 3 areas, the restaurant (very expensive), the bar and the terrace. The terrace is fairly reasonably priced for the caliber of food and has an awesome ambiance. It is a terrace with a total view of the water. Very pretty and if the weather is nice such a pleasant experience. Also this area has many upscale shops and galleries and is just a block away from the beach / park. You can walk along the cliff edge, go down the stairs to the small beaches that dot the sidewalk or sit on a park bench with a fabulous carmel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Yummy)

Another cool thing to do is go down these eirie stairs in what used to be the shell shop to watch the incoming water from inside a sea cave. Ask around at the shops or restaurants and they will direct you to the building. I don't think it is a shell shop anymore but it may be some other store... I have snorkeled in these sea caves and it was pretty strange and scary because you get tossed around on the sharp rocks. I have also gone down the steps and it is really neat. Can't do this in too many places. Years ago the charge was $2, I'm sure it $5 now but still pretty cool.

I hope you love your trip to San Diego, but don't decide to move here because us natives are getting outnumbered by transplants.

Regarding what to do with your luggage, you may ask your hotel to hold them for you prior to your flight. I know that when I've arrived to a hotel prior to check in the concierge was able to hold the bags in the back and then they were placed in the room when it was available. I'm sure they could do this on your way out as well. There may be a fee, but I doubt it.

Thanks for the touring info. Our family's not into animals, so zoos, etc. aren't our thing. However, we're all about good food. La Jolla sounds like a must for us. DH would love going into that cave. Is it in La Jolla also? How far would a cab ride be from the Marriott Hotel & Marina to La Jolla? It depends on whether we go pre-cruise or post, if we'll have a rental car or not. Should we eat lunch or dinner at the restaurant you recommended, & do we need to make reservations?


Suggestions for other places to visit would be wonderful. We're not really interested in things like amusement parks, etc. (We live in Theme Park Central.) We're looking for things that are unique to SD. Things similar to your La Jolla suggestion would be perfect. Also, any other suggestions for "must do" restaurants? We'll be there 1 full day/ 2 nights prior to our cruise, then a full day on the day we fly home.

We've decided to rent a car on our last day. We may not use it for anything else, but we'll at least have a place to store our luggage. Since we'll be getting off a ship, we won't have a hotel to leave it at.

Don't worry, we won't be added to your over population problem. (We have the same problem here in the winter.) I tried to talk my parents into moving to Florida from the time I was 8. They wouldn't, but I finally found a man I could sucker into it. I have no intention of moving anywhere. Thanks for all your help.

 

[marjie8230]

I would go to George's for lunch or an early supper because at night you can't see the water very well. (Remember to go the terrace because the regular restaurant can be vVERY expensive - in my opinion.) They do bring out those outdoor gas heaters but it can still be pretty chilly. My suggestion is lunch, then walk around the shops and the seacave, then get a sweet treat at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory then go to the water or park benchs overlooking the water and eat it. If you get a caramel apple (rip-off of $5+ but still so yummy) ask them to cut it up for you. DH and I usually split one and splurge on the fancier ones with the nuts, chocolate, m&m's etc...

From the hotel, I'm not sure what it will run you for a cab but the concierge should be able to tell you. You could even call them to find out if it would be worth it to rent a car instead (sometimes rates are pretty cheap for cars). One thing to remember is that parking can be hard to find in La Jolla but just go to an outlying part of the village and you should be fine.

Other areas which will be pretty accessible to you will be Seaport Village (shopping, restaurants on the water in front of the water - but not as nice as La Jolla which is an elite seaside community.), and the Gaslamp Quarter (blocks of restaurants, bars, shops... San Diego's nightlife area.)

Since you'll only be here for a few days, that should get you started. I would post a request for info from all San Diego residents. I'm sure you'll get a lot of other suggestions.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I would go to George's for lunch or an early supper because at night you can't see the water very well. (Remember to go the terrace because the regular restaurant can be vVERY expensive - in my opinion.) They do bring out those outdoor gas heaters but it can still be pretty chilly. My suggestion is lunch, then walk around the shops and the seacave, then get a sweet treat at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory then go to the water or park benchs overlooking the water and eat it. If you get a caramel apple (rip-off of $5+ but still so yummy) ask them to cut it up for you. DH and I usually split one and splurge on the fancier ones with the nuts, chocolate, m&m's etc...

From the hotel, I'm not sure what it will run you for a cab but the concierge should be able to tell you. You could even call them to find out if it would be worth it to rent a car instead (sometimes rates are pretty cheap for cars). One thing to remember is that parking can be hard to find in La Jolla but just go to an outlying part of the village and you should be fine.

Other areas which will be pretty accessible to you will be Seaport Village (shopping, restaurants on the water in front of the water - but not as nice as La Jolla which is an elite seaside community.), and the Gaslamp Quarter (blocks of restaurants, bars, shops... San Diego's nightlife area.)

Since you'll only be here for a few days, that should get you started. I would post a request for info from all San Diego residents. I'm sure you'll get a lot of other suggestions.

Thanks again for all your help. I'll start a new thread for touring & dining, hoping others will reply also.

We'll most definitely spend a day in LJ. It's sounds exactly like the type of place we enjoy. I'm really looking forward to going there.

 

[JoyG]

We had a problem flying IN to San Diego late at night. The airport closes at 11 or 12....all the shops shut down and all the car rental places close too (which are all located off site and use shuttles) unless you've called them ahead to say you're flight has been delayed.

I had a late flight from Chicago to San Diego. We had a rental car lined up but our flight was delayed and the rental car company closed. Since I was on the plane, I couldn't call to tell them that we'd be arriving 15 minutes after their closing time.

So have a backup plan if your arriving late in San Diego!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We had a problem flying IN to San Diego late at night. The airport closes at 11 or 12....all the shops shut down and all the car rental places close too (which are all located off site and use shuttles) unless you've called them ahead to say you're flight has been delayed.

I had a late flight from Chicago to San Diego. We had a rental car lined up but our flight was delayed and the rental car company closed. Since I was on the plane, I couldn't call to tell them that we'd be arriving 15 minutes after their closing time.

So have a backup plan if your arriving late in San Diego!

Thanks for the warning. Our flight doesn't arrive that late. We're supposed to land at 7:33pm, but being East Coasters it will be like 10:33 for us. Our return flight is at 10:30 pm, but we should be to the airport in plenty of time to drop off the car. I am really surprised that the airport & shops close that early though.