San Diego -need help!

[PrincessIM]

We are planning a visit to San Diego but I'm having trouble planning what to do. We would like to include Legoland and Sea World. Maybe San Diego Zoo. Am I missing anything else? How many days would you spend at Legoland? I'm figuring 1 day at Sea World is enough? We are planning on staying next door to Legoland - is that close to Sea World? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[PHXscuba]

Legoland is one day unless you plan to do the aquarium or water park too. Then probably two days. Sea World can be done in a day.

Sea World and Legoland are about 30 miles apart. Legoland is in Carlsbad, north of San Diego, and Sea World is near the coast in the Mission Bay area. The SD Zoo is in Balboa Park, not far southeast of Sea World. The commute is fine -- we did the reverse, staying near Sea World and going to Legoland for the day.

You didn't say what month you were coming or whether you are traveling with children and their ages. Knowing that might give us some ideas to suggest.

PHXscuba

 

[blabbermouth]

We much preferred The Zoo over Sea World. But we're from BC so we've seen seals and whales etc before. Also, we found sea world to be a bit of a concrete nightmare! It's not pretty and shaded in general, like the zoo is. The shows at sea world were neat though, try and time your stay to see as many of those as possible, a lot of them seem to show at the same time.

Never been to Legoland!

 

[Huff]

We love Seaworld and visit often. Kids love the shows. If you arrive early and closing hours are 7pm-9pm or so then you can see everything in one day. But you may not get to spend the time at the some exhibits to really enjoy them. Spring and Summers add more shows so you'd want to see both the day time as well as the night time shows as they are different. That would require more time. Also there are fireworks on on some nights, especially holidays or in summer.

I greatly prefer Seaworld over the Zoo but the Zoo is certainly one of the best in the country and well worth a visit.

Legoland is fun for small kids age 8 and under. We found kids aged 9 or above often get too bored with the attractions. They have the aquarium next door but if you are going to Seaworld this can be skipped.

Other things to do would be the San Diego Safari Park which is about 30 miles north of San Diego off I-15 near Escondido. It is well worth the visit. Its a different experience than the Zoo. Our kids loved it but I think they preferred the Zoo.

Belmont Park is a small beach side amusement park close to Sea World. Lots of fun rides right on the beach. If parking is full at the amusement parks lot then go to the park just down the road. Quick walk from there.

 

[starshine514]

Legoland - can be fun, but it really, really depends on the age/height of your kids. I would say it would be ok for kids 4-8, but younger are too small to ride anything and older might rather do something else. We spent a crowded day there (they closed at 5), and didn't get much done because of lines. I was happy I had a really good coupon; I would never pay full price for it and probably will never go again.

San Diego Zoo - very winding and lots of ups and downs. We went with my mom in a wheelchair and my hubby with a crappy rented scooter whose battery wouldn't hold a charge, so the ups and downs were an issue for us. There was so much walking! We wanted to see the panda, but didn't want to wait in the hour-long line for it. We went during Spring Break, so maybe during a time it wasn't so crowded it would be ok, but we didn't enjoy it. I might go again when my girls are much older.

Sea World - we love Sea World - we're actually AP holders there. If you go during the summer when they are open 10 am - 11 pm, then you can probably do it all. Otherwise, you'll be able to catch the major shows and a few of the exhibits (or vice versa), but you won't be able to do it all if they close at 6 pm. I like to do 1.5 - 2 days there when we go. Make sure you catch one of the Shamu shows and the new Blue Horizons show if you go (my girls love the Blue Horizons show - my DD4 was even Marina from it for Halloween) We also love the penguin exhibit and the wild arctic area (we severely miss the manatees, though). Oh, and try to be there when they open and catch the dolphin feeding (usually about 30 minutes after opening - it costs $6 extra, but is so worth it). I'm aching to try to sneak in a quick trip during spring break...

 

[PrincessIM]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions so far. I should have mentioned that we will be going in July and my kids ages are 6 and 10. We are big Disney fans and will likely try to sneak in a trip to DL during this visit too. I think we will definately visit Lego Land and Sea World but I'm trying to decide between the Wild Animal Kingdom and the zoo. We usually head to the Seattle Zoo once a year so maybe the Wild Animal Kingdom would be a better choice.

 

[PHXscuba]

The Wild Animal Park is definitely a different type of experience. They also run combo-type ticket deals if you think you want to do the zoo one day and the WAP another.

I would prepare yourself for sticker shock. San Diego's attractions and hotels are pricey, especially during the high season. If you think you'll stay a week, you might be able to find a condo that would give you a little more room for the same price or slightly cheaper, plus the ability to eat in for some of your meals.

As for other activities to go with the biggies you've planned, I'd suggest the beach (free!), the Scripps Aquarium, the aircraft carrier tour, a harbor tour, a baseball game, etc. Trip Adviser's San Diego forum has a lot of helpful people, like the DIS.

PHXscuba

 

[sonnyjane]

We usually head to the Seattle Zoo once a year so maybe the Wild Animal Kingdom would be a better choice.

It is a unique experience and they have made some positive changes there recently. I did want to let you know that the park is officially called the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, just in case you're not having success researching it. Animal Kingdom is the name of the Disney's park in Florida.

 

[momrek06]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions so far. I should have mentioned that we will be going in July and my kids ages are 6 and 10. We are big Disney fans and will likely try to sneak in a trip to DL during this visit too. I think we will definately visit Lego Land and Sea World but I'm trying to decide between the Wild Animal Kingdom and the zoo. We usually head to the Seattle Zoo once a year so maybe the Wild Animal Kingdom would be a better choice.

Oh the SD Zoo is amazing! But I find SAFARI PARK fabulous! Yes, that is the NEW name of SD Zoo's Wild Animal Park; it is more of a SAFARI so the folks at the SD Zoo have renamed it. They started talking about this to all of us here in SD in early 2010. They said it will be official in 2011.

If you have a chance to only get to one, while I absolutely love the Zoo, please try and get to Safari Park!

Legoland is in my back yard (as I live in North County) and it is a blast and your kiddos will love it.

HAVE FUN VISITING SUN DIEGO,OP!!!

 

[starshine514]

I don't think Legoland is near Sea World, but it is drivable. Also, they sell a special ticket that includes 5 days (in a row) of admission to Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and the Safari park - if you were inclined to do all 3. It's $129 on the Sea World site for an adult. http://commerce.4adventure.com/estore/scripts/skins/swc/TicketsMultiDay.aspx

I thought Costco used to sell them also (at a slight discount). I'm not seeing it on their website, but they may still sell them in the stores.