San Diego Hotel Help Needed

Hi All..

I did a search but could not find anything relevant that was recent.

We're arriving the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving (and one day early for our cruise!) in San Diego.

We don't arrive until 5pm so we'll probably just find a spot for dinner and then head off to bed..but will want to check out of the hotel on Sunday, drop our luggage on board, then head back out to sightsee for a bit.

Once we drop our luggage on board, will it be easy for us to head back out to sightsee?

Will cabs be readily available?

We're looking for a budget hotel that offers a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the cruise terminal.

Can you please recommend a budget hotel that fits our needs!

Thanks so much.

How about the Hotel on the Bay? Across the street from the pier. I am not sure if it is a Holiday Inn? :)

Did you check out the West Coast Departures board....there's lots of stuff about San Diego.....

I'll pop over to the west coast departures board..didn't even know there one such a thing!

Thanks..

Should have mentioned that I"m looking for a FREE shuttle from the airport to hotel to cruise terminal!

The lowest priced hotel I could find last January was La Pensione Hotel,www.lapensionehotel.com/, in the Little Italy section. It was $79 per night. It is a european style hotel. Each room has a queen size bed with bath and the room is kind of small. The cab from the airport was about $10 and to the cruise terminal another $10. Even with the cost of the cab I couldn't even find another hotel that came close to this price and it was perfect for one night. Ken...

not sure if its a budget hotel but the Holiday inn is the closest...there's also an embassy suites nearby (near Seaport Village)...cabs and other transportation are readily available throughout downtown

two years ago we sailed out of San Diego, we stayed at a hotel in the Hotel Circle area (many budget hotels) we stayed at a comfort inn. Included continental breakfast. It was easy to get to the sights and restaurants.

We took a taxi to the pier (believe it was under $10) -- hotel let us park car there for entire 11 days for free. We dropped bags at pier, check in -- got all our info, cards etc. then headed into town, short walk.

Got a starbucks, some wine and lunch. So you could easily do a little sightseeing.

enjoy

If you want very inexpensive, there is the Vagabond Inn in Point Loma - but it was not a hotel I'd ever choose again to stay in - unless it has been refurbished from top to bottom. And I mean it needed new bathrooms, bathtubs, toilets, furniture, wallpaper......

We got the Hyatt right at Seaport Village for $73 on Priceline. For that price you can taxi both ways and still save $$$. :)

Holiday Inn is not cheap ($220 per night/with a view of the dock)...and the food in their restaurant was just ok and pricey! The room was a Holiday Inn room, nothing special! There's a Ruths Crisp Steak House for dinner, next to the Holiday Inn, if you prefer.

I would eat at one of the restaurants on the pier; overlooking the water and great view of the ships coming and going!

I've heard that the Embassy Suites and The Hyatt are very nice and more reasonable than the Holiday Inn.

There is public parking across the street from the terminal (within walking distance), cost is around $98 for the week. Drop off your bags and partner, drive across the street, park and you can even hire a pedi-cab to take you back to the terminal, if you prefer. Honestly, it's a very easy walk back!

Remember: Don't expect to get into the terminal before 11:30am and have your boarding pass ready! The rent-a-cops take their jobs very seriously!

Go on line to find the best deals or hotel......

The room was a Holiday Inn room, nothing special! There's a Ruths Crisp Steak House for dinner, next to the Holiday Inn, if you prefer.

 

 

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At their prices I sure hope that steak wasn't "crisp." LOL It's Ruths Chris :)

I apologize, you are correct...it is Ruths Chris Steak House (I hope that's right):o .....I've never eaten there, so I can't tell you more about them....

Hello...As a previou post reported, The Holiday Inn Bayside is right across the street from the cruise pier, which means in many instances, you can walk and bring your bags with you to the ship.

We are also doing the Mexican Riviera, but on October 28th. After months of research, there does not seem to be a concrete conclusion as to what hotel in the area is good or bad. As we all know, everyone has a different opinion, however, in many cities you find reviews that are either positive or negative. In the case of San diego hotels, there are just as many negatives, as there are positives for the same hotel.

Instead of going crazy with cabs, etc., we read that as we speak, The Holiday Inn Bayside is going through a $20 million dollar renovation. We felt that by time October gets here, the rooms and furnishings will be new, so that was good enough for us, even if it does cost more. Since we are on vacation and are paying a lot total for the trip, whats the difference if the room is an extra 60 to 80 dollars. I can tell you that the rooms at The Holiday Inn Bayside are from a low of $179 to $215 for a room high up facing the bay.

For us, being across the street from the pier, having a Ruth's Chris steakhouse outside the hotel door is very convenient. But, if this isn't in the price range you are comfortable with, I am sure there are less expensive hotels as other people have posted.

Enjoy your trip.

Regards,

Dave

while there are a number of budget hotels in the area...like at Hotel Circle...those would not get you around the cruise terminal...but like its been said, from time to time you find great deals on some of the nice hotels nearby

We are also booked on a Mexico cruise out of SD on 12-02-07. We have been on many cruises and here is what we do. First book a “back-up” room with a reasonable cancellation policy. We are booked at the Holiday Inn at $179/day. Then, the week of the cruise, I attempt to get a room thru priceline. Check with bidding for travel.com first to get an idea of what people are bidding and what they are getting. We have gotten some wonderful luxury hotels at less then we originally were going to pay . Good luck!

Judith

The Hampton Inn could fit your needs very well. They will pick you up at the airport and also deliver you to the cruise port... you could walk to the cruise port but we had so much luggage that we would have been quite a sight! If you have a room at the front of the hotel you'll be able to see your ship arrive in the morning. The hotel offers a great breakfast which is included as well - very good value for us with three teenagers. We paid $139 for 5 of us our first pre-cruise night and $119 per night for the two nights after our cruise (not sure why the price difference??)

They are within walking distance to Anthony's Fish Grotto for dinner - right next to the cruise port.... as well as Ruth Chris' Steak House.... or you could walk a little further to SeaPort Village for a few more dinner and shopping options.

We would stay here again for sure.

Jayna K

The Hampton Inn could fit your needs very well. They will pick you up at the airport and also deliver you to the cruise port... you could walk to the cruise port but we had so much luggage that we would have been quite a sight! If you have a room at the front of the hotel you'll be able to see your ship arrive in the morning. The hotel offers a great breakfast which is included as well - very good value for us with three teenagers. We paid $139 for 5 of us our first pre-cruise night and $119 per night for the two nights after our cruise (not sure why the price difference??)

 

They are within walking distance to Anthony's Fish Grotto for dinner - right next to the cruise port.... as well as Ruth Chris' Steak House.... or you could walk a little further to SeaPort Village for a few more dinner and shopping options.

 

We would stay here again for sure.

 

Jayna K

Is this the Hampton Inn next to the Railroad? If it was, how noisy was it?

Is this the Hampton Inn next to the Railroad? If it was, how noisy was it?

YES - it is practically on top of the Amtrack/city transit rail tracks AND they blow their whistle right by the hotel everytime they pass!!! - however some rooms are worse than others for sound of course. The noise wasn't bad enough to keep us from going back for another 2 nights after our cruise and we would go back again.... HOWEVER I have read other posts where people said they were up all night so I presume they were very light sleepers! I was prepared and brought earplugs but my kids and husband all slept like logs without earplugs.

Jayna K

You could try the Little Italy Inn which is nice but a mid priced hotel (B&B)

We used Priceline (with the help of biddingfortravel.com) to get the OMNI hotel for $90/nite for a 3 nite weekend. Great location, near Seaport Village for early arrivals. The cruise ship terminal is 5 minutes away. Loved the hotel. Had a wonderful dinner at the hotels bar/restaurant with reasonable prices for the surroundings.

Yippeeeeee!!!!! Trains/Planes/Ships/Automobiles.....this vacation has everything!!!!! :rolleyes:

The Holiday Inn "On the Bay" is directly across from where the ships dock. It's pretty low budget, but still decent. The hotels in San Diego aren't cheap and this particular Holiday Inn knows it has the cruise crowd, so they tend to charge more than they should IMO. You would not need a shuttle to the ship at all - just walk across the street. From the airport, there are taxis & they're abundant. It's only a 10 min. drive from the airport to this hotel.

Personally, I'd go with Priceline. You're likely to get the Marriott Marina or the Hyatt and both have terrific locations.

(I'm from the San Diego area.)

OY! So many choices!

Priceline scares me...I've heard some nitemare stories...and the non-fundable part bothers me, too...although, we do have Travelex insurance.

Has anyone stayed at the Holiday Inn Express downtown?

It seems like a central location 14th and 7th Ave.

They have a free shuttle from the airport. Does anyone know if they also offer a shuttle to the cruise terminal, Gaslamp, Horton and Seaport?

The Holiday Inn, across from the terminal is so, so over priced.....because, as you said, they know they've got the cruise crowd.

I've heard the Comfort Inn; Embassy Suites; Hyatt and Hampton Inn are all very closeby; offer free shuttle to the dock and some even offer free breakfasts; and great views of the dock.......

Hello Again Everyone...I have posted on this post before and other threads that concern San Diego hotel info. As I had mentioned before, I have never struggled so much in trying to choose a hotel than for this San Diego Cruise in October.

Currently we are booked at the over priced Holiday Inn On The Bay across from the cruise terminal pier. We got a $215 rate for a King Room/Balcony with a Bay View. I know I have plenty of time to cancel this hotel if there is a better choice. I do know they are going through a 20 million dollar renovation, so I thought that might make this Holiday Inn more attractive than it's current dirty, old, dingy state.

LADY JAG...You said you are from San Diego. Do you have any suggestions for a hotel that you would be comfortable staying at? Obviously the condition of the room and bathrooms are very important.

It does seem like all of the nice hotels downtown are at least $200 to $400 a night, unless I have missed something. I also heard the Holiday Inn Express downtown just went through some renovations too. I am wondering if that might be a less expensive alternative and if it's in a decnet area of town. Most Holiday Inn Express locations we've stayed at have been very nice for the price.

Dave