SAN DIEGO

[marcar12]

Anyone else planning a trip to San Diego this summer?

We are out-of-state and hoping to go in July. My husband and I are both vaccinated, but our kids won't be.... so we are crossing our fingers that the restrictions in CA are lifted by July so we can all just enjoy a vacation without worrying about if we will be able to get into places!

Our itinerary includes Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and La Jolla. Anyone else planning a trip... please share what you are planning to do while you are there!

We have never been to San Diego and are excited to give it a try!!!

 

[22Tink]

Anyone else planning a trip to San Diego this summer?

We are out-of-state and hoping to go in July. My husband and I are both vaccinated, but our kids won't be.... so we are crossing our fingers that the restrictions in CA are lifted by July so we can all just enjoy a vacation without worrying about if we will be able to get into places!

Our itinerary includes Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and La Jolla. Anyone else planning a trip... please share what you are planning to do while you are there!

We have never been to San Diego and are excited to give it a try!!!

We are and will be first timers as well! I'm hoping someone on the DIS has some hotel suggestions. I can plan a Disney trip with my eyes closed but I'm not familiar with San Diego at all.

We have tickets to the Zoo, Safari Park and Seaworld that will expire in December so we're hoping to use them. We should all be fully vaccinated by the end of the summer so as long as the border is fully open we hope to make the trip!

 

[Rolem]

We drop in to San Diego frequently for our outings. Usually we end up booking at the Courtyard on Hotel Cir. Nothing special about the area other than a lot of hotels, but it is close to the Zoo and Sea World. We love the Gaslamp and Little Italy for dining but Old Town works too.

 

[DLgal]

We are doing three nights in San Diego. We are semi locals. We are staying at the Residence Inn near the USS Midway. I'd recommend that, the attached Springhill Suites, the Intercontinental, or the Wyndham right there. That location is great!

 

[DL1WDW2]

It has been a while since I visited. I recommend you find hotels soon because locals love to go to Beach for weekends and will book in advance.
I think you should utilize the Amtrak and Metrolink and Coastal Trains to avoid traffic . I loved to take the Amtrak to the southern most stop
Santa Fe Train Depot and walk across train tracks (sidewalk) to get the Ferry Boat over to Coronado and visit the HoteldelCoronado.
My family lives in Encinitas and the Moonlight Beach is popular. I think it is one of the few Beaches that allow fire pits and the sunsets & moonlight are incredible.

 

[wideeyedwonder]

We have a family wide, post-COVID-vaccinations hedonism summer planned, including Disneyland (right now), WDW, Big Bear for the 4th, and capping it off with 4 nights in SD in august. SD is one of my all-time favorite cities, but then again, I love me some good beach opportunities!

 

[ChanaC]

Just commenting because I'm thinking about taking a quick trip here as well! I too want to do the Zoo, the Gaslamp district, and maybe SeaWorld (depending how the budget works out). I would love to get a hotel on the beach but they all look pretty expensive. I would love any suggestions, or at least a hotel that is more centrally located that has a good pool!

I might also take the train in from LA. I assume Uber/Lyft is a good way to get around the city? How is the public transportation? If I do it I'm debating just driving. Amtrak seems like an affordable and easy way to travel, plus I don't particularly like driving long distances through places I'm not familiar. But I worry that Ubering everywhere will quickly add up.

 

[Katiebird]

Just commenting because I'm thinking about taking a quick trip here as well! I too want to do the Zoo, the Gaslamp district, and maybe SeaWorld (depending how the budget works out). I would love to get a hotel on the beach but they all look pretty expensive. I would love any suggestions, or at least a hotel that is more centrally located that has a good pool!

I might also take the train in from LA. I assume Uber/Lyft is a good way to get around the city? How is the public transportation? If I do it I'm debating just driving. Amtrak seems like an affordable and easy way to travel, plus I don't particularly like driving long distances through places I'm not familiar. But I worry that Ubering everywhere will quickly add up.

Public transportation in SD is abysmal unless you're exactly on a transit line. Amtrak is reasonable, but do your research on where the stations are and how to get wherever else you want to go. It's not necessarily a time saver.

Uber worked well pre covid but I don’t know how it's working now. Depending on where you’re going, keep in mind that San Diego is fairly spread out.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I would love to get a hotel on the beach but they all look pretty expensive. I would love any suggestions, or at least a hotel that is more centrally located that has a good pool!

Look at La Jolla Shores Hotel for beach front. For bayfront, look at Paradise Point and San Diego Mission Bay Resort. There are also tons of beachfront condo rentals. Not sure where you find out about those, but probably Airbnb and VRBO.

I might also take the train in from LA. I assume Uber/Lyft is a good way to get around the city? How is the public transportation? If I do it I'm debating just driving.

The train from LA to SD is a really nice ride. I prefer it to driving, but I drive to save overall time.
Uber and Lyft are very easy ways to get around. Depending on where you stay, you may find that it's pretty easy to take the bus to the Zoo, Sea World and downtown SD. Overall, we're a car necessary city, but you will likely do okay with some buses and some Lyft rides if you stay in central locations. For example, if you stay at Paradise Point, you can walk to Sea World, or you can take the bus ( I think it's only one stop away).

 

[Belle83]

We went to San Diego in 2019 and visited all of those places. We stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown and it was fun to walk around near there. Walking distance to USS Midway, restaurants, etc. We had a rental car with rented car seats to get where we needed to go.

I preferred the beach at Coronado to La Jolla, for what it's worth. La Jolla is pretty but the smell :/

 

[FoodieFriend]

in 2018, after our Adventures By Disney Backstage Magic tour, we stayed in San Diego & really enjoyed it. We toured the Padres baseball field (Petco Park) & it was great! We also did a food tour by Bite San Diego which was delicious! Our favorite stop was Venissimo Cheese shop. So good! Our ABD Adventure guides also suggested we try Puebla which was a great recc & super delicious! We didn't get to do everything on our list but it was still a lot of fun & we'd visit again. We rented a car & driving around the city was easy.

 

[ktlm]

Not sure how much things will be changed and modified for this summer. We went to the area every year for several years. It is a great area!! We love the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (which FYI is no where near the zoo). I think I prefer it to the Zoo- although both are really great. Legoland was a one and done for us--- it definitely isn't Disney. But- if your kids are lego fanatics they will probably really like it- especially if you are not going to DLR on this trip. The one time we went it was right after we left Disney and moved down to the San Diego area. DH hated Legoland-- said unlike DLR it is all for little kids and nothing for adults-- that was several years ago though. There are a lot of nice beaches in the Carlsbad area (where Legoland is)- really between Carlsbad and San Diego around the 101 there are a lot of nice beaches, restaurants etc . Although we went every year for years, we never went to Seaworld. We had been to Sea World in San Antonio and our friends who lived in San Diego that we usually went most places with do not like it- and there were always a ton of other things to do. We really like the La Jolla area--- I always like seeing the seals. Coronado is a nice beach and that town is fun to wander through. Old Town is also a fun place to wander through. It has been a while since we have done one- but I always liked the Harbor boat tours in San Diego. There is a ton of stuff to do!

 

[wideeyedwonder]

Look at La Jolla Shores Hotel for beach front. For bayfront, look at Paradise Point and San Diego Mission Bay Resort.

Another vote for Paradise Point, if it is in your price range. It's pretty much on it's own island in the bay, and is surrounded by beaches. It's our "go to" for our San Diego trips for the past 15 years now (we will be there in August).

 

[Nonin]

Balboa Park has a lot of museums and interesting stuff too. Mission Beach is fun with an old school roller coaster. There is a children's museum downtown too.

 

[L1211]

Excited for your SD trip- what a great city!! If has a totally different vibe from LA albeit only a couple hours away. My oldest DD played volleyball for San Diego State and is finishing her last semester this fall (three cheers!!!). We traveled there quite frequently with move ins and attending matches. A few thoughts:
- it’s a really drivable city- much different than LA. I recommend a car. If coming from LA would consider the Coaster train - about the same amount of time but a great experience!
- check out Mission Valley hotels- you are only minutes right off I8 to Mission Beach and they are newer and cheaper. You will come in right at Belmont Park-beachfront amusement park. There is also a wonderful beach walk, restaurants and shops there too.
- Mission Valley hotels (hotel circle drive) are also right by Old Town- worth a couple of hours on your agenda and free! I would think kids would love the Old West Comes to Life park area.
- plan a hike at Sunset Cliffs. Beautiful!!
- maybe a trip over to Coronado Island - one of my favorite places! Just across the bay from downtown and the views are stunning.

You really can’t go wrong! It’s a lovely and easy city!! Enjoy!!! Please report back!!

 

[brentm77]

What is the current mask situation like in San Diego? It doesn't look there is a government mandate, but are businesses requiring them?

 

[xWilliam]

What is the current mask situation like in San Diego? It doesn't look there is a government mandate, but are businesses requiring them?

Currently live in San Diego. No mask mandate, but definitely more people masking up again.

 

[cruisehopeful]

What is the current mask situation like in San Diego? It doesn't look there is a government mandate, but are businesses requiring them?

I've been carrying my mask and asking or reading the signs before I enter places. Some places do require a mask. Masks are recommended county wide for indoors, but they are not officially required. So, it's up to the individual businesses.