Getting around San Diego without rental car

[HMANSION LOVER]

We are planning a trip to San Diego and Anaheim. We are flying into San Diego on March 24th. Going to the Zoo on the 25th and then early AM on 26th taking AMTRAK (children are really looking forward to the Pacific Surfliner)up to Anaheim to go to Disney Land for 4 days then back to San Diego For one day to enjoy Mission Beach before we fly home on the 31st. We are staying at a motel on Hotel Circle South. We are trying something new. We want to try and get away without renting a car. How easy is it to get around San Diego using public transportation or shuttles. Obviously we know we can get a shuttle to and from the Airport but we wonder about the rest. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[smokeyblue]

I hate to be a naysayer, but you could probably rent a car for your entire stay for the price of train tickets. Yes, you will have to pay for parking and gas, but than again, you will be paying for cabs, shuttles and busses.

 

[ImDMous]

Hmmm, I don't know how practical that is. San Diego has a bit of a half-"donkeyed" public transport system. We like to brag about all the light rail, trolleys and buses, but when you actually try to get somewhere it's just not that useful. If we want to get somewhere we usually have to drive half way to get to a trolly hub or take three times longer than it would to drive.

I would definitely look up lines and schedules before hand in case it just isn't possible to get where you want to go in a reasonable amount of time.

Cabs are obviously always an option, but then it might come out to be as much as a rental.

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

Hmmm, I don't know how practical that is. San Diego has a bit of a half-"donkeyed" public transport system. We like to brag about all the light rail, trolleys and buses, but when you actually try to get somewhere it's just not that useful. If we want to get somewhere we usually have to drive half way to get to a trolly hub or take three times longer than it would to drive.

I would definitely look up lines and schedules before hand in case it just isn't possible to get where you want to go in a reasonable amount of time.

Cabs are obviously always an option, but then it might come out to be as much as a rental.

Thank you for your honesty lol! I've done some math and with rail travel (coupons for kids to travel 1/2 price) shuttle to from airport there is still alot of money left before we hit the 230-250 dollers it would cost to rent a car. Not to mention once we arrive at DLR we won't use the car for four days which means we will pay average 240 for 3 days use of a car. I would hate giving money to a car rental company for days I am not using the car if all it takes is a little work on my part.

 

[sonnyjane]

Thank you for your honesty lol! I've done some math and with rail travel (coupons for kids to travel 1/2 price) shuttle to from airport there is still alot of money left before we hit the 230-250 dollers it would cost to rent a car. Not to mention once we arrive at DLR we won't use the car for four days which means we will pay average 240 for 3 days use of a car. I would hate giving money to a car rental company for days I am not using the car if all it takes is a little work on my part.

Cabs will really be your best way to get around in SD, and you could be looking at $30 each way per cab ride. Does your hotel have a shuttle from the airport? If not, that's $25-$30 from the airport to the hotel, same to the zoo, same BACK from the zoo, cab to the train station, cab FROM the train station, cab to Sea World, cab BACK from Sea World, and cab to the airport. That puts you darn near close the cost of renting the car. But call your hotel first and see if they offer shuttles to the airport and to local attractions like the zoo and SW. If they DO, the you'll be golden. If NOT, I'd really rent a car.

 

[furb & dez]

As another poster mentioned, San Diego is really not that easy to get around if you don't have a car. I think you would save you and your family a lot of frustration by renting one.

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

Cabs will really be your best way to get around in SD, and you could be looking at $30 each way per cab ride. Does your hotel have a shuttle from the airport? If not, that's $25-$30 from the airport to the hotel, same to the zoo, same BACK from the zoo, cab to the train station, cab FROM the train station, cab to Sea World, cab BACK from Sea World, and cab to the airport. That puts you darn near close the cost of renting the car. But call your hotel first and see if they offer shuttles to the airport and to local attractions like the zoo and SW. If they DO, the you'll be golden. If NOT, I'd really rent a car.

You do make a salient point, I will check with the hotel before I commit to a plan. Thank you for your insight.

 

[sonnyjane]

You do make a salient point, I will check with the hotel before I commit to a plan. Thank you for your insight.

No problem! I live about a mile from Hotel Circle and frequently use cabs to go to the airport so I know all too well the cost of cabs in this town!

 

[bcla]

Thank you for your honesty lol! I've done some math and with rail travel (coupons for kids to travel 1/2 price) shuttle to from airport there is still alot of money left before we hit the 230-250 dollers it would cost to rent a car. Not to mention once we arrive at DLR we won't use the car for four days which means we will pay average 240 for 3 days use of a car. I would hate giving money to a car rental company for days I am not using the car if all it takes is a little work on my part.

You can always keep on looking. I started off at $153 with Avis/Priceline, then found another one at $125 with Enterprise/Priceline. My final rate was $87 a week at SNA directly through Enterprise. I didn't rent use up the whole week, but it still averaged out to $17/day for what would have been a 5 day rental. My final total was less than $107 after all fees, although SNA's fees are ridiculously low compared to other airports.

Personally I wouldn't risk it. There's always the possibility of public transportation completely missing in action due to all sorts of issues, including breakdowns or lack of personnel. I certainly wouldn't rely on taking a bus to SeaWorld unless it was a charter (like GrayLine from Anaheim to Seaworld).

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

There is a bus that does the Hotel Circle loop...it originates at the Old Town, Transit Center. From Old Town, you can catch a trolley to downtown where you would transfer to the number 7 bus to the zoo at either Americas Plaza or City College Transit Center. A day pass for unlimited rides is $5.00 per person. It's doable if you look at it as an adventure, but might be easier and cheaper to take a cab.