SD first then DL or vice versa

[poconoboatniks]

We're on the first DCL cruise out of LA in May. After the cruise,should go to San Diego first and then to Anaheim for Disneyland or the other way around?

Any recommendations for hotels in the San Diego area? Last time we stayed in San Diego was 12 yrs ago and we stayed at the Red Lion. I think it was pretty new back then. We're looking for something clean and moderately priced.


Poconoboatniks

 

[LucyKate]

We did DL then SD - and as good as SD was, it was a bit of a let down after DL!

So I would do SD first then finish on a high with DL.

 

[poconoboatniks]

Thanks LucyKate.

Our daughter's name is Kate and she will be celebrating her birthday during the week we will be in California. Thanks for the info.

Poconoboatniks

PS I love the pictures of your trip!The kids are adorable.

 

[LucyKate]

Thank you very much! Kate is the eldest - now 9 and a half, Lucy has just turned 6 and their names make a very good handle.

To fill this out, we had a magic 5 days in Disneyland, and so perhaps anything we did after this would be a let down.

We enjoyed the SD zoo and Seaworld, but Disneyland would have been a wonderful way to finish a holiday and something to really look forward to at the end of the holiday.

 

[challada]

Howdy poco...

are you guys doing a car from the boat? I would also recommend SD first and DL second, but it will be a major drive down (good news is that it will be EARLY Sat morning so not as bad traffic).
I will search to see if we still have any zoo coupons left from our last trip down to SD. My kids liked it but it was not DL. Legoland was major let down compared to DL (I would skip it). We got our hotel in SD last summer thru hotwire and were very happy...ended up at Hilton for about $63/night.

Might be nice to do SD b/w the two mouse adventures!

 

[karylrocks]

I decided to do SD first for our trip for a couple of reasons: (1) We will be arriving on Friday night and I would rather battle weekend crowds at Seaworld and the zoo rather than Disneyland, and (2) we wanted to save the best for last! We are flying in to SD and out of Orange County, so that makes it a little easier.

 

[poconoboatniks]

Thanks to everyone. You all seem to have the same opinion concerning what to do first. I'm off to AAA to see what kind of deals I can get through them verses what I have found on the internet. We're thinking about the Holiday In Suites in Mission Bay. They have decent rates and the kids will have their own beds.

Hey Challada, we're renting a car after the cruise in San Pedro. I figure we'll use Saturday as a travel day and hit the zoo & Sea World on Mon & Tues.

Thanks again!

Pocono

 

[Redcon1]

Pocono-
Another option you might want to think about, assuming you're flying into LA, is start with DL, then drive to SD for that portion of your trip, then drive back to the DL area the day before your flight back.
The problem with saving DL till last is you might "look ahead" to your time at DL and not enjoy the things SD has to offer as much as you should.
I can see the other point tho in SD being a let-down after DL.
However, by spending one last day in Anaheim, even if you don't go to the parks, you can still spend time at Downtown Disney or the hotels and get some of that last-minute magic to take home with you.

 

[MrsMud]

Well, I'm hoping my kids won't be let down by doing DL first and then SD.
In our case, it's a matter of timing. We are flying into CA Oct. 1st but flying out Oct 9th which is Columbus Day weekend. I didn't want to be at DL during the holiday weekend, so I figured the Zoo and Seaworld would be the better choice for us. If neither end is a holiday, though, I would probably opt to save DL for last, too.

 

[challada]

We've done it both ways Mrs.Mud and found it fine either way...poco was just asking about after the cruise which to do first and my opinion was based on the fact that they will be locked on a boat w/us Disney nuts for 7 days already. You will find your kids will still love SD too!