San Diego Planning Advice

[cutedisneygirly]

DH and I are planning a trip to DL in October and have HOJO booked Oct 17-21. Now we are considering taking a little time earlier in the trip for San Diego and doing either the Zoo or WAP. I went to the zoo almost 10 years ago and have never visited WAP. DH has never been to San Diego. So here is what I am thinking: Drive 8 hrs to San Diego one day and just hang around for the evening. Then visit either the Zoo or WAP the following day.

Now here are a few areas where I am stuck:
1. Should we drive down Saturday Oct 16 and visit the Zoo or WAP on Sunday? Or should we drive down Sunday and visit Monday?
2. Which would you recommend visiting? The Zoo or WAP? We have no kids, so it is just the two of us.
3. Should we drive up to Anaheim that evening or wait until the following morning? I am just thinking of the traffic. I can easily take a day off my HOJO reservation if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[JaxsonsMom]

1. Should we drive down Saturday Oct 16 and visit the Zoo or WAP on Sunday? Or should we drive down Sunday and visit Monday?

I would visit on Sunday, neither of the parks will be that crowded being in October.

2. Which would you recommend visiting? The Zoo or WAP? We have no kids, so it is just the two of us.

I would say the Zoo, you can spend the whole day at the Zoo, there is plenty to do, you will never look at a zoo the same, the have added a lot and re-done a lot since 10 years ago. If you go, make sure you don't miss the new elephant odyssey.

WAP is a unique park and a lot of fun, if you want to spend extra money and buy some of the extra tours you can make a day out of it. Please also keep in mind it is not in SD, but about 35-40 min. north.


3. Should we drive up to Anaheim that evening or wait until the following morning? I am just thinking of the traffic. I can easily take a day off my HOJO reservation if needed.

If you are driving after about 7:30, you should be fine, I think it would be better to get up there late and be able to start Disney on Monday.


If you have any questions let me know~

TB

 

[sonnyjane]

I agree with the previous poster that it doesn't matter whether you go on Sunday or Monday, as it won't be very busy at that time of year.

I would also pick the zoo over the WAP (although I am partial, as I work there ) There is a wider variety of animals and tons of new exhibits at the zoo, whereas the WAP focuses mainly on the animals of Africa.

As far as driving up that night, I would. I'm the type of person that would rather be stuck in a bit of traffic at night in order to be able to sleep in Anaheim and wake up ready to hit the parks the next morning

 

[haley's mom]

In October, it looks like the zoo is only open until about 5pm or so. That being the case, is there a scenic route that we could take back to Anaheim to avoid the traffic? Or is there "cool" places to stop along the way? How about somewhere for dinner?

We are going the week before the OP, but have the same type of questions. I think we are going to drive to SD on Sunday to do the zoo and again on Monday or Thursday to do Sea World. Both parks close early, so we are looking for some things to do instead of sitting in traffic.

 

[cutedisneygirly]

Thanks for the tips. DH agrees that driving down Saturday and going to the Zoo Sunday would be a good idea. Then we would drive up to Anaheim Sunday evening and take Monday-Wednesday at Disneyland.
I, too, would like to know if there is a fun place to kill some time around San Diego after the park closes.

Thanks again!

 

[amamax2]

I also agree with the advice given and want to add one more reason to do the zoo on Sunday: October is kids free month, so TONS of schools do field trips during the week.

I also second (third?) driving up that night to get a fresh start in the am at DL, with the caveat that traffic will be pretty bad till about 6:30. With the zoo closing at 5 pm, I would find someplace close by to eat dinner and wait it out a bit.

 

[JaxsonsMom]

There are quite a few things to do in the general area...

-You are right next to Balboa park which is nice to walk around in the evenings. You can stay in the zoo parking lot and walk over
-You are a short drive from the Gaslamp Quarter... a dinner and drinks sort or area. Alot of these are a little pricey, but a lot are very good. Depending on what is going on parking can be 10-25$.
-You are also a short drive from Seaport Village, a fun area with dining and stores - this is also a nice area to walk along the bay. You can shop the stores, walk along the bay and see the Midway (old Navy Ship). There is also a decent sea food restaurant (Anthonys) Seaport Village is free parking for 2 hrs. with validation


Its complicated to give you a route, but if you want to drive up the 5, you can get off in la jolla, oceanside, del mar.. all nice places to go and eat.

Again, Have fun!

 

[Michaella]

Great info thanks

 

[erinbharris]

DH and I are planning a trip to DL in October and have HOJO booked Oct 17-21. Now we are considering taking a little time earlier in the trip for San Diego and doing either the Zoo or WAP. I went to the zoo almost 10 years ago and have never visited WAP. DH has never been to San Diego. So here is what I am thinking: Drive 8 hrs to San Diego one day and just hang around for the evening. Then visit either the Zoo or WAP the following day.

Now here are a few areas where I am stuck:
1. Should we drive down Saturday Oct 16 and visit the Zoo or WAP on Sunday? Or should we drive down Sunday and visit Monday?
2. Which would you recommend visiting? The Zoo or WAP? We have no kids, so it is just the two of us.
3. Should we drive up to Anaheim that evening or wait until the following morning? I am just thinking of the traffic. I can easily take a day off my HOJO reservation if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

Because it's just the two of you, I'd consider using Priceline for your hotel in SD. We used it for our August trip and paid $88 a night at the Omni. I'd definitely want to be in the Gaslamp if I was there for an evening and wanted to just walk around/relax. Let me know if you want help with Priceline, it has always worked great for us!