Would Welcome Recommendations For Our Stop In San Diego

I have been to San Diego several times but not as part of a cruise ship stop.

As background we will have a full day stop on a Tuesday.

We will have our two adult children and their spouses and also three grand children.

Grand children will be ages two and one half (2 of them) and 5 and on half.

I've done some research and reading but would appreciate thoughts on things we could do.

In the perfect world, it would be easier if we could do things within a one mile radius of the port but not sure

if that is doable.

I believe there is a children's museum close by but not sure what people think of that. Plus I think there is a water park.

Would appreciate any and all recommendations.

Keith

What about the San Diego Zoo or SeaWorld?

Roz

Roz, would you know how close they are to the cruise ship terminal?

Keith

Zoo

Sea World

Scripps Oceanographic Institute (La Jolla)

I doubt that any of these are within a mile of the port.

Suggest you use Google Earth if no one answers here.

They're not within walking distance (3 miles uphill to the zoo), but relatively close. Maybe get an Uber or Lyft van? I was thinking with a multi-generational family either one may be fun daytime activity.

Roz

Hi,

California has very strict rules about young children and car seats. They are required in taxis/and shared travel cars like Uber/Lyft so unless you have some you are not taking taxis.

You can walk to visit the ships on the waterfront like the USA Midway aircraft carrier or the old sailing ship at the Maritime Museum.

You can take a passenger ferry across the bay to Coronado where you could rent 4wheeled pedal vehicles that a whole family can use to pedal along the bayfront. There are lots of family friendly restaurants there too, a gorgeous beach and the historic Hotel del Coronado to visit.

You can go to the bayfront playground/water park.

You can walk to the Children's Museum.

Here is a map of the downtown area near the pier which is the one sticking out from Broadway:

https://goo.gl/maps/N1bKkcgPPQr

You can take the hop on hop off tour which goes to Balboa Park, the zoo, and Coronado +other places.

Talk to your family and see what they prefer. You don't have to spend big bucks at Sea World or the zoo if you don't want to do that.

Thank you all for the Roz and thinfool. Thinfool, yes I had already looked at a map but wanted to get input.

riffatsea, great input and what I was looking for.

We will have car seats for all three grandchildren since we need them for private transfers, etc. So no problem there.

I would just like to try to avoid car rides if possible. Two of the grandchildren have been to the San Diego zoo perviously and we have a Sea World not too far away from where the other family lives.

Our daughter had mentioned the Coronado so that might be good. Would you happen to know how often the ferry runs and also how long it takes. No worries if you don't because I will just google it.

Do you have any opinion on the children's museum and on the playground/waterpark. I saw both of those listed when I was doing the research.

Thank you and I welcome any and all input on this thread by as many people as possible.

Keith

Keith, is the playground/waterpark you're talking about the one beside City Hall? If it is, I've stayed many times at the Hampton Inn across the street, and it's definitely within walking distance of the terminal. The kids seem to have a lot of fun there. Whether it's going to entertain your family for an entire day is another thing. You could also walk down to Seaport Village along the pier.

Don't know if the kiddos would find Coronado interesting.

Roz

The ferry takes about 15min or so across the bay.

It lands at a small outdoor mall , The Ferry Landing, which has some shops and family friendly restaurants.

I agree that the little ones will only find Coronado interesting if you let them run and play at the bayside green space and sandy beach near the ferry landing or if you rent the surreys(4wheeled pedal vehicle) or if you go to the beach near the historic Hotel del Coronado.

In summer there is a bus that meets the ferries and takes you down the main street to where the Hotel del is located. The actual beach though is closer so you could take the normal city bus or a taxi from that point to the beach.

If you choose to stay on the side of the bay where the ship lands you could stroll along the bayfront looking at the ships without actually going on board. You could let the little ones play for a while at the outdoor park.

You could go to the Seaport village outdoor mall which has a carousel and sometimes outdoor entertainers.

You can decide on that day depending on your energy level and the weather.

On my trip...

• SeaWorld... check the show schedule to plan your day to get best value. Once the last show is over, the park closes.
  
• Hop on Shuttle with Duck Tour combo
  

I would get tickets for the San Diego Hop On Hop Off bus, the Old Town Trolley.

No car seats required and if goes to tons of places.

https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego

You didn't mention what time of year you will be in San Diego. If during the winter, you could all go on a whale watching trip with departures right next to the cruise ship terminal. The "water park" (actually WaterFRONT Park) which is next to the County Administration Building (not City Hall) actually just has a large fountain in which children are allowed to play. It is not a water park with slides, etc. IMO most children would tire of this within a hour or so, and of course in the winter it is going to be too cold. The Children's Museum is nice, but not sure the adults would be thrilled spending a full day there. You might consider doing different things with the adults such as visiting the USS Midway which is only about 6 blocks from the Children's Museum.

The Bob Hope Memorial is a few blocks south of the cruise dock and well worth it!

http://davidcathy.com/zenphoto/Coastal16/CoastalCruise2016_461.JPG

http://davidcathy.com/zenphoto/Coastal16/CoastalCruise2016_465.JPG

There's also a memorial to the sailor kissing the woman at the end of WWII in the same area.

http://davidcathy.com/zenphoto/Coastal16/CoastalCruise2016_458.JPG

Thank you all for the great information.

I always find these boards to be very helpful.

I think we will go with the plan to take the ferry over to Coronado assuming the weather is nice that day. We will be in San Diego in early May.

I will have a back up plan that involves several of the sites that were mentioned and depending on how long we stay at Coronado we can also visits some of the other sites in the afternoon.

Keith

The ferry runs once an hour right now, I don't remember if the schedule is more frequent in the spring/summer but here's the web site where you can check as the time nears: http://www.flagshipsd.com/cruises/coronado-ferry

May weather can be iffy in San Diego (Gray May, June Gloom, or something like that) so do have a backup plan.

Coronado is lovely. It's an easy and quick ferry ride and not a bad walk from the Coronado ferry stop to the beach if you have strollers for the youngest among you. There are large, clean facilities at the public beach, which is important with kids.

If you decide against the beach for some reason, a fun alternative is the state historic park, Old Town San Diego. It's easy to get to using the tram (board across the PCH from the cruise port at the train station), tram tickets can be bought from machines on the platform. You'd be taking the green line, getting on at Santa Fe Depot and getting off just four stops later at Old Town: https://www.sdmts.com/schedules-real-time-maps-and-routes/trolley

Old Town info:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=663

http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/

If all else fails, there's the trolley HOHO: https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego#home

I've never done it but it sure seems popular, and there is a stop near the cruise port.

Among the most fascinating sites in all of San Diego is the USS Midway but young kids would probably get bored quickly. For adults it's just steps from the cruise port - the first time we visited we spent four hours there and still didn't see everything.

(Our oldest has been stationed at NBSD for the past five years so I've spent a lot of time getting to know and love the city ... there are so many terrific options.)

erro cruiser, thank you for the additional ideas.

I am putting together a lot of options for the family with this andy everyone's input from the board.

If the weather cooperates I think our first choice will be Coronado. Even the ferry ride will be fun for the grandchildren and the nearby area sounds good.

If weather is not cooperative then we will have some of the other options including trolley and/or things like the children's museum.

We will hope for the best in terms of weather and have a plan that will accommodate good and not so good weather.

Keith

In May, you are not going to have rain, but you can certainly have "May Gray" weather (cool and overcast) anywhere near the ocean. A little cool then to swim at the beach (water will be around 55 F) too. Plan to take a sweater or light jacket with you.

Thank you Splinter.

Keith

I have been to San Diego several times but not as part of a cruise ship stop.

 

As background we will have a full day stop on a Tuesday.

 

We will have our two adult children and their spouses and also three grand children.

Grand children will be ages two and one half (2 of them) and 5 and on half.

 

I've done some research and reading but would appreciate thoughts on things we could do.

 

In the perfect world, it would be easier if we could do things within a one mile radius of the port but not sure

if that is doable.

 

I believe there is a children's museum close by but not sure what people think of that. Plus I think there is a water park.

 

Would appreciate any and all recommendations.

 

Keith

When our kids were little, we lived in the San Diego area and often went to Seaport Village for an afternoon's fun. It's less than a mile's walk south of the cruise terminal. Seaport Village is a great place for a walk along the waterfront where you can browse the interesting shops, grab a bite to eat, and ride on a wonderful carousel. On the weekends there were usually jugglers, musicians and people picnicking on the lawn or flying huge kites. We always took a walk up to see the cruise ships, then wandered farther up the shore to tour the "Star of India" sailing ship. As I indicated, it's been several years since we've been there, but there's a lot to see within walking distance from our cruise terminal, including the Children's Museum. (It would be a good idea to bring a small, portable strollers for the toddlers, but you've probably thought of those details already.)

Thank you Rami53. All of this is very helpful. We will have different plans based on weather and how everyone is doing. Yes, we will have strollers for the two 2 and 1/2 year children as we'll need them in other ports and also at Disneyland which we will be visiting before the start of the cruise. The other child will be 5 and 1/2 and he'll be fine without one. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

Keith

If anyone is a baseball fan, we did a tour of Petco Park when we were there on a cruise. We took the free bus to old town area then it was a short walk to the park. Very reasonably priced for a very good tour of the park. And one of the tour guides steered us to the W Hotel nearby (I think) that had a very nice baseball memorabilia display that was free to view (pick up a guide at the front desk).

Thank you Rami53. All of this is very helpful. We will have different plans based on weather and how everyone is doing. Yes, we will have strollers for the two 2 and 1/2 year children as we'll need them in other ports and also at Disneyland which we will be visiting before the start of the cruise. The other child will be 5 and 1/2 and he'll be fine without one. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

 

 

 

Keith

Had our stroller stolen at Disney. Security told us it was because we had emptied it out. Leave something in it.

Had our stroller stolen at Disney. Security told us it was because we had emptied it out. Leave something in it.

Thank you so much for the advice.

Keith

If anyone is a baseball fan, we did a tour of Petco Park when we were there on a cruise. We took the free bus to old town area then it was a short walk to the park.

Map: http://sandiegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DowntownMap46.jpg