San diego trip advice (again)

[nicurn]

Hi, based on what you guys have already said, we have added another day to the san diego part of our trip. Please advise on the planning. Thanks

We arrive thursday afternoon. (from the east coast). My husband insists that we do "something". He wants to do the zoo, but after reading all the posts about all the walking, I'm not inclined to do that after a 5hr plane ride.... Any suggestions? (we are travelling with our 8yr dd) Should we just explore the city? (how much does it cost to get into the art museum and is the degas show going to be there july 24?) Any restaurant recommendations?

My husband would like to see the wild animal park, the zoo, legoland, and seaworld. We are going to disneyland on the 28th, are any of these parks on the way? He would also like to go to knotts berry farms. At this point, are we better off getting the city pass or individual tix to things?

Are there certain things not to be missed at the zoo, seaworld, wild animal park, legoland? (are there penny presses?)

does anyone know anything about the grand pacific hotel by legoland?

Thanks for any advice, maggie

 

[Goofydiane]

The Wild Animal Park is north of San Diego, while I've never been, I see the signs for the exit at Hwy 78.

One thing to do on your first day is to go to the beach and swim in the ocean. What a nice way to relax on your first day.

Enjoy your trip,
Diane

 

[din]

You did not say if you were landing and staying in San Diego , so I am assuming that you are.

I would not recommend that you do the zoo or wild animal park after landing. For the wild animal park I would suggest that you go there right before opening. That way you can be among the first to ride the train at Wild Animal Park. By 11AM it can take about 45 mins to wait for the train.

Your DD will love Legoland. Here is a link for some coupons for Wild Animal Park and the zoo. Also other type coupons.

http://www.wildvacationsca.com/

If you had to pick between the zoo and animal park, I would recomend the animal park.

Each of these will take a day as the zoo and animal park closed by 4/5 PM. As for the museums there are amny and vary in price. Some you can do in 1 hours and some a little longer. In case you need to see what museums are the here is the link:

http://www.balboapark.org/

Sorry can't help you with the hotel. We stayed at Coronado Island.

If you are planning to drive between LA and San Diego, I would allow for extra time for traffic. If you can I would suggest that you stay at both locations.

Have fun...

 

[beavismom]

Originally posted by nicurn

Are there certain things not to be missed at the zoo, seaworld, wild animal park, legoland? (are there penny presses?)

There are penny presses at both Legoland and the Wild Animal Park. I would bet that they have them at the zoo as well since the WAP and zoo are run by the same group.

You can also buy a ticket that includes riding a bus around the zoo so you don't have to walk as much.

We spent 2 days at Legoland and could have easily spent another one since the kids were having such a good time. I would also second hitting a beach and just walking around on your first day.

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I just wanted to say that the zoo & animal park won't be closing at 5pm in July. The summer hours for the AP weren't posted, but I copied this from the zoo website (www.sandiegozoo.com):
"Nighttime Zoo starts on June 22 and continues through September 1, 2003. The gates open at 9 a.m. and remain open until 9 p.m., but guests may remain on grounds until 10 p.m"


SeaWorld also should be open til about 9 or 10pm. At SeaWorld definately go to the show Cirque de la Mer, it's in the back of the park. It is a fantastic acrobatic show, but no animals.

You must go to the Animal Park when it opens because it gets very hot there. I prefer the zoo to the AP, in case you decide to skip one of them. The AP has the 60min tram, and you can see the rhinos, gazelle etc roaming free, but you don't get very close to them. The zoo has the pandas, koalas, polar bears etc. You can ride the bus and get off and on all day at the different stops.


Have a wonderful vacation!!

 

[lority]

Magic Mountain is another park in the Disneyland area. I haven't been to Magic Mountain in years, but seen them on the Travel Channel all the time, showing the roller coasters.


Lori

 

[Matt&Sarahsmom]

I'd HIGHLY recommend going to Old Town and taking one of the trolley tours. It takes you to about eight different spots and you can get off wherever you'd like. This tour also takes you out to Coronado Island (one of my favorite places) and you can walk around the hotel and sit on the deck and enjoy the ocean. Plus, it really gives you a chance to see and hear everything San Diego has to offer. I would definitely recommend this, especially for your first day. Have fun!!