san diego hotel recommendations? san diego sightseeing suggestions?

[disneyholic family]

DH and i will be on the Disney Wonder next October, sailing out of San Diego.
This is the FIRST TIME we're cruising just the two of us

We'll have 3 days in San Diego before the cruise (arriving on Thursday for a Sunday cruise).

Given that we'll be there for 3 days, i definitely want to make sure i pick the right hotel.
I'd very much appreciate recommendations - whether on what hotel to stay in or what hotel to avoid.

Also, anything that you think we should definitely do.

I figured, we'd do a halfday tour that takes us around the city to give us a lay of the land so to speak.
And of course a visit to the San Diego zoo that i've heard so much about.
AS well as the USS Midway.
then maybe a walking tour or something like that.

Anything that you can recommend?

thanks in advance!!

 

[MillauFr]

We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites across the street from the cruise terminal. Very nice.

 

[keiichiz28]

haven't done a cruise out of san diego but have been there for work several times. Hilton san diego Bayfront next to convention center was nice. it's close walk to downtown/Gaslamp quarter. looks like not far from cruise terminal. there's several hotels on hotel circle, but they're a bit away from things, not terrible if you have a car. you can reach a lot with the trolley though. things I enjoyed seeing/doing: zoo and uss midway (as mentioned), balboa park (like dozen museums), Coronado island (ferry leaves from convention center). places to eat: Gaslamp quarter, old town (pretty touristy but food was good), Coronado brewing company.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

My suggestions for things to do/see while in San Diego.

The zoo and wild animal park. The zoo for me is my special place and I can spend all day there walking around and watching the animals.
Balboa Park (which is next to the zoo) has a ton of Museums and is a nice area to just wander around and relax.
I have to 2nd the suggestion of Coronado Island. The wife loves going over there via the ferry and then just walking around the beach and going into the shops.
I enjoyed the tour of the USS Midway.
The Gaslamp area is nice and has some good restaurants same with the Old Town area (but I've not been there in years).

Psy

 

[disneyholic family]

We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites across the street from the cruise terminal. Very nice.

thanks for that - i've heard that it's nice...
and close to the terminal is certainly good..
is it safe to walk around in that area?

haven't done a cruise out of san diego but have been there for work several times. Hilton san diego Bayfront next to convention center was nice. it's close walk to downtown/Gaslamp quarter. looks like not far from cruise terminal. there's several hotels on hotel circle, but they're a bit away from things, not terrible if you have a car. you can reach a lot with the trolley though. things I enjoyed seeing/doing: zoo and uss midway (as mentioned), balboa park (like dozen museums), Coronado island (ferry leaves from convention center). places to eat: Gaslamp quarter, old town (pretty touristy but food was good), Coronado brewing company.

My suggestions for things to do/see while in San Diego.

The zoo and wild animal park. The zoo for me is my special place and I can spend all day there walking around and watching the animals.
Balboa Park (which is next to the zoo) has a ton of Museums and is a nice area to just wander around and relax.
I have to 2nd the suggestion of Coronado Island. The wife loves going over there via the ferry and then just walking around the beach and going into the shops.
I enjoyed the tour of the USS Midway.
The Gaslamp area is nice and has some good restaurants same with the Old Town area (but I've not been there in years).

Psy

thanks for all the suggestions!!!!
is san diego a safe city to walk around?
i'm really not at all familiar with it ....

.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

I've not lived in the area in 20 years, but with any city there are good and bad areas. The Gaslamp area should be safe, since you will find a lot of entertainment options and dinning. In my past experience I've never had any trouble walking around the Zoo, Balboa Park or Coronado Island.

Psy

 

[Cruising Engineer]

thanks for that - i've heard that it's nice... and close to the terminal is certainly good..is it safe to walk around in that area?

We also stayed at the Spring Hill Suites and saw the Wonder dock in the morning. Experienced no problems walking around the port area during the day. Don't know about night time.

 

[keiichiz28]

last time I went, there was more than fair share of panhandlers around Gaslamp but it is what it is, kind of expected in cities. zoo, balboa, old town and Coronado were no issues. generally anywhere they want tourists spending money will be pretty safe.

 

[GPaLarry]

We stayed in the Wyndham San Diego Bayside, within walking distance of the port terminal and Disney Wonder. Arrived day before the cruise so not much time to see the city, but there are some great restaurants nearby. Also, there is a great park next door (I know you don't have kids with you, but it might be fun to watch other people's kids and relax). When we finished the cruise we spent a day seeing SD and visited the zoo. I believe the pandas have gone back to China since our visit. When we saw them one was asleep and the other wandered on a path around his/her enclosure endlessly, totally bored and sad to see. I call them zoo zombies, which is a whole different topic for another thread. The rest of the zoo was worth seeing with lots of walking. I believe we saw the flattop a couple of bays over from our verandah when we boarded the Wonder, but did not have time to see it. Check TripAdvisor for sites to see and further advice...I always do and they might help you plan your trip. Good luck & cruise on.....

 

[disneyholic family]

We also stayed at the Spring Hill Suites and saw the Wonder dock in the morning. Experienced no problems walking around the port area during the day. Don't know about night time.

LOVE that picture!!!!
maybe for that reason alone it would be fun to stay there..
seeing the ship across the street!!

.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

LOVE that picture!!!!
maybe for that reason alone it would be fun to stay there..
seeing the ship across the street!!

The Spring Hill Suites is just over my DH's shoulder, the one with the yellow stripe. Don't know why it's attaching sideways.

 

[44Majestic]

We've visited Coronado a couple times. The island is beautiful and has an interesting history. Ubers are easy to come by. They say it is one of the safest places in US due to the fact the Navel Base the largest employer. There is a main street that runs across the island. The Hotel Del is a nice place to visit.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

last time I went, there was more than fair share of panhandlers around Gaslamp but it is what it is, kind of expected in cities. zoo, balboa, old town and Coronado were no issues. generally anywhere they want tourists spending money will be pretty safe.

Yes with the panhandlers. We had one outside our hotel. Very interesting business model, his "territory" was the group of scooters. If you wanted to rent a scooter you first had to get past him. So we walked around the area, we found his was not the only business model! Darn, sidewards again.

 

[MillauFr]

San Diego is safe. Biggest risk is the people driving the scooters on the sidewalk and aggressive motorists

 

[QuiltTeddy]

We stated at The Coronado Hotel. It was wonderful!

 

[Deb1993]

We also stayed at the Marriott with the yellow stripe. We were there for the July 4th fireworks a few years ago and watched them from the windows of our room on the 17th floor. So nice. We spent three nights in San Diego and did The Safari Park and Sea World.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

With only 3 days, I would recommend the SD Zoo over the Animal Park, as the Animal Park is a bit of a haul out of town.

In no particular order, here are some things I think are highlights in SD:

1. The zoo
2. Balboa Park as a whole. There are both free museums and others, depending on your interests. It is also fun to wander around there, and to get drinks at Panama 66 in the sculpture garden. The carousel is open weekends and is beautiful.
3. La Jolla - the Children's Cove for the sea lions, and if your party is active enough, the kayak tour of the sea caves is amazing.
4. Hiking at Torrey Pines State Park.
5. Visiting the Cabrillo National Monument. Depending on the ages and interests of your party, kids can do the junior park ranger activity, and the cliff-top hikes and tidepools are neato.
6. The Midway and Maritime Museums if you like military history.
7. https://flyingleathernecks.org/ at Miramar is overlooked but nifty.
8. Belmont Park

 

[Travel60]

I've been to SD alone for work several times and with DH for fun a couple of times. If you stay near Gaslight Quarter or Seaport Village you can walk almost everywhere including to the port, the Midway, the ferry to Coronado. Uber or taxi to the zoo - it's not far but there's a major highway in the way. Don't stay on Coronado ($$$$) but do visit.

As a lone female (north side of 60), I have never felt uneasy walking. As mentioned, there are a lot of panhandlers (warm weather year round) but just keep going past them.

Eat the fish tacos.

 

[disneylandlocal]

Does anyone know of a San Diego hotel that is close to port and offers free parking? We are driving down from LA. Thanks

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Does anyone know of a San Diego hotel that is close to port and offers free parking? We are driving down from LA. Thanks

Close to port and free parking: Pick one.