How Easy Is San Diego To Navigate Without A Tour?

[flourpot]

I am going to be on the California Coastal Cruise and was looking at possible shore excursions through Princess and didn't see anything that I was in love with (I've been to the zoo twice and to Sea World before). I was thinking about just getting off the ship and wandering through downtown, but wasn't sure how "user friendly" the city is. If you've been to San Diego before (or live there), could you tell me how far the pier is from downtown (i.e. is it walkable?) and what types of things are there to see/do/places to eat in the area?

 

I searched the boards to see if I could find any info about this but didn't find anything. Any info would be appreciated.

[Coral]

There is a Hop On - Hop Off trolley about a block from where the ship docks. It is a great way to see San Diego.

[galelynn]

I am going to be on the California Coastal Cruise and was looking at possible shore excursions through Princess and didn't see anything that I was in love with (I've been to the zoo twice and to Sea World before). I was thinking about just getting off the ship and wandering through downtown, but wasn't sure how "user friendly" the city is. If you've been to San Diego before (or live there), could you tell me how far the pier is from downtown (i.e. is it walkable?) and what types of things are there to see/do/places to eat in the area?

 

I searched the boards to see if I could find any info about this but didn't find anything. Any info would be appreciated.

 

Sea Port Village is a good place to shop and eat, lots of cute shops and not to far from where the cruise ships dock. Also there is Old town San Diego, take the tram (catch it 2 blocks east of the cruise dock) lots to see there, also if you like Mexican food this is the place to go. I also believe you can catch a shuttle that will take you on a city tour. I hope this helps.

[keylimepie]

We were there for our son's Marine Corp. graduation a year or so ago and found it very easy to navigate.

 

We drove over to Coronado Island, not far from downtown and checked out the famous Hotel del Coronado and walked on the beach.

 

Downtown has plenty of cafes and shops to stroll around and visit.

 

Have a good time!

[JLC@SD]

Downtown has plenty of cafes and shops to stroll around and visit.

 

Have a good time!

 

The Gaslamp area of SD is the best area for this.

[keylimepie]

The Gaslamp area of SD is the best area for this.

 

Yes, that is the area I meant, thank you for clarifying! :)

[graphicgal]

I am going to be on the California Coastal Cruise and was looking at possible shore excursions through Princess and didn't see anything that I was in love with (I've been to the zoo twice and to Sea World before). I was thinking about just getting off the ship and wandering through downtown, but wasn't sure how "user friendly" the city is. If you've been to San Diego before (or live there), could you tell me how far the pier is from downtown (i.e. is it walkable?) and what types of things are there to see/do/places to eat in the area?

 

I searched the boards to see if I could find any info about this but didn't find anything. Any info would be appreciated.

 

There are many things you can do right on your own because the cruise ships dock right in downtown San Diego. If you want to get off the ship and walk a bit, turn right on Harbor Drive (just in front of the pier) to visit the USS Midway Museum (http://www.midway.org), Seaport Village (http://www.seaportvillage.com) and the adjacent Eembarcadero Marina Park. If you have more serious shopping on your mind, head straight ahead down Broadway to Horton Plaza shopping center (http://www.westfield.com/hortonplaza) between First and Fourth Avenue. If you have more time, you can browse shops and restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter (http://www.gaslamp.org). If you want to see a larger area, you can take the Old Town Trolley Tours (http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/), a hop-on-hop-off type of transport, which stops right in front of the cruise ship terminal and will take you to most places you would want to see like Old Town, Balboa Park and Coronado.

 

Have fun. San Diego is my hometown and I love it. If you need additional visitor info, go to http://www.sandiego.org.

[tfrcal]

There are many things you can do right on your own because the cruise ships dock right in downtown San Diego. If you want to get off the ship and walk a bit, turn right on Harbor Drive (just in front of the pier) to visit the USS Midway Museum (http://www.midway.org), Seaport Village (http://www.seaportvillage.com) and the adjacent Eembarcadero Marina Park. If you have more serious shopping on your mind, head straight ahead down Broadway to Horton Plaza shopping center (http://www.westfield.com/hortonplaza) between First and Fourth Avenue. If you have more time, you can browse shops and restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter (http://www.gaslamp.org). If you want to see a larger area, you can take the Old Town Trolley Tours (http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/), a hop-on-hop-off type of transport, which stops right in front of the cruise ship terminal and will take you to most places you would want to see like Old Town, Balboa Park and Coronado.

 

Have fun. San Diego is my hometown and I love it. If you need additional visitor info, go to http://www.sandiego.org.

 

Great information and I encourage the OP to check out the Midway, it is a neat experience especially if you have never been on a war ship before.

[srpilo]

All of the above :)

 

 

 

also.. All though small, San Diego's "little Italy" for a great meal is an easy walk from the cruise terminal too.

Srpilo

[Pamster]

Past the Midway is the Fish Market - great place for a meal. The best clam chowder and sourdough bread I've ever had. All the seafood is really good, too.

[shipsealand]

You will enjoy SD. My DW & I go down to SD from LA about once a year for many years now. Like the other posters have said there is much to do and enjoy. We usually take the Surfliner (newer Amtrek trail cars) and it is easy to walk around and many things within walking distance. Especially recommend doing the harbour cruise before your Princess Cruise to get into the mode OR after if you still want more cruising before going home.

[seacrystal]

We live in Huntington Beach which is about 75 miles north of San Diego. We love this city! We often go there just for the weekend. We stay at the Holiday Inn which overlooks the harbor area. Our favorite things are the Hop On Hop Off Trolley for transportation and most especially, the Segway tours. I originally googled San Diego Segway and came up with a video that had appeared on a local San Diego TV station and called the company. The name is Another Side of San Diego (http://anothersideofsandiegotours.com/search.html?q=segway&go=Go). They have tons of tours. Normally their Segway tours are for six people. We lucked out that day and my DH and I had our guide all to ourselves. He was a young college student and we thoroughly enjoyed him. Our tour took us to all the places we were interested in – Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, etc. Go for it - it is so much fun!:D

[2Canucks]

Love San Diego!

 

All the above suggestions are great...very easy to walk from the pier to some of these locations. We've done most of the suggestions already so we were looking for something different for our next visit in May. We decided to have Lunch at ... Kansas City Barbeque...600 West Harbor Drive...close to Seaport Village. This restaurant was used for some Top Gun scenes. (my all time favourite movie!) The piano that Goose plays...the jukebox....I can just picture them singing!! :D

 

Last Year...We did a Behind the Scenes Tour at Petco Park...Home of the San Diego Padres. Really neat tour! :cool: Got some really excellent pictures.

 

If you "Google"...Petco Park Behind the Scenes Tour the proper website page will come up with the ticket pricing and times available.

 

Lots of great things to do in San Diego...keeps us coming back for more!!

 

Pat :)

[Cruise Raider]

Great information and I encourage the OP to check out the Midway, it is a neat experience especially if you have never been on a war ship before.

 

Absolutely the best way to spend a day in San Diego. I could have actually spent a few more hours exploring the Midway. And ...it is right next to where the cruise ship docks. If you walk across the street from the pier up to the visitor's center, they used to have discount tickets for the Midway.

 

The Gaslamp also has some great restaurants -- this is also within walking distance from the ship, albiet a bit further than the Midway. The Rocking Baja is one of my favorites. Seaport Village has a lot of fun shops and good restaurants -- all with scheduled entertainment.

 

San Diego is such a great town to walk around and explore your options. If you want to go over to Coronado, they have boats or just hop on a cab -- great beach over at the Hotel Del -- kind of a neat history there, too. I think they have a resident ghost that lives over there. Just kind of interesting.

 

My favorite thing in that area is Old Town -- which is not within walking distance -- but worth a cab ride over. I think there is a bus route that takes you directly there as well.

[romnan]

I lived in San Diego for a long time and the cruise port is "downtown" you have many options as far as touring. You can use the trolley the HOHO,walk etc:)

[LynnSD]

As a SD resident I can vouch that these are all great suggestions and things we do often.

 

Another idea right on the waterfront is the Maritime Museum - half a dozen old ships of various design and purpose, plus a Russion submarine. They have a website if you want to check it out ahead of time - as do most of these places.

 

Have fun!

[tiller]

I also live in San Diego and will be on the California Coastal cruise in May. I'm going to play tourist and take the ferry to Coronado--it's been way too long since I've been there.

 

You've been to the zoo, but have you been to the rest of Balboa Park? There are several excellent museums but it's also just nice to walk around. Though that's 2 miles away so not quite walking distance.

 

By and large, downtown San Diego is easy to navigate because the streets are on a grid. I'd argue it's easier to walk than drive in because you don't have to remember which streets are one-way.

[critterchick]

There's a ferry that runs to Coronado Island right near the cruise ship terminal, maybe one pier over. Last time I went it was $6 round trip. Once you get to Coronado you can walk to some nice shops/restaurants or to the Hotel del Coronado (about a mile away, but you can also cab it).

 

Otherwise you can walk to Horton Plaza, which has Nordstrom's and lots of other stores, Seaport Village for restaurants and boutiques, plus all of the other things people have mentioned. San Diego is VERY user friendly!

[IECalCruiser]

There is a Hop On - Hop Off trolley about a block from where the ship docks. It is a great way to see San Diego.

We did the first coastal last September. If you decide on the HOHO Trolley I would suggest you consider the Princess tour. There were two trolleys waiting for the tour right at the pier and Princess only charged $1 more than purchasing a ticket when you arrive. We opted to walk along the harbor to Seaport Village for a little shopping and a snack.

 

A word of warning for anyone who chooses the Princess harbor cruise tour. You will need to walk the equivalent of 4-5 city blocks over some rough surfaces. We walked alongside part of the group and it was quite a challenge for several mobility limited people.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Coral]

We did the first coastal last September. If you decide on the HOHO Trolley I would suggest you consider the Princess tour. There were two trolleys waiting for the tour right at the pier and Princess only charged $1 more than purchasing a ticket when you arrive. We opted to walk along the harbor to Seaport Village for a little shopping and a snack.

 

A word of warning for anyone who chooses the Princess harbor cruise tour. You will need to walk the equivalent of 4-5 city blocks over some rough surfaces. We walked alongside part of the group and it was quite a challenge for several mobility limited people.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

When we did this a few years ago - Princess's tour was a trolley, not a hop on hop off trolley. I would not recommend this one unless things have changed. It was simply a city tour.

 

We did the hop on hop off one that was near the pier. We got off on several places and glad we choose the one not through the ship.

[Putterdude]

I find San Diego an easy city to walk around in, the sidewalks are clean, any landscaping is trimmed and it is a pleasant experience. That said, I remain very much a fan of the Old Town Trolley HOHO.

[Fattony]

I enjoyed the Midway, but not everyone would find it worth $18 (what I paid 2 years ago June). Old San Diego isn't far from the port, as I recall. The trolley/light rail system can take you to many places if you don't want to stay in the downtown or Gaslamp area. Seaport Village leaves me cold (a bit too kitchy). We did like our meal at the Fish Market restaurant. Not cheap, but good (there's an informal restaurant downstairs and a fancier one upstairs, but don't know if the latter is open for lunch). There are certanly many Web sites on attractions in San Diego, so you could plan in advance. I enjoyed the Scripps/UCSD aquarium in La Jolla, but it's not easy to get to by public transportation.

[Pamster]

I enjoyed the Midway, but not everyone would find it worth $18 (what I paid 2 years ago June). Old San Diego isn't far from the port, as I recall. The trolley/light rail system can take you to many places if you don't want to stay in the downtown or Gaslamp area. Seaport Village leaves me cold (a bit too kitchy). We did like our meal at the Fish Market restaurant. Not cheap, but good (there's an informal restaurant downstairs and a fancier one upstairs, but don't know if the latter is open for lunch). There are certanly many Web sites on attractions in San Diego, so you could plan in advance. I enjoyed the Scripps/UCSD aquarium in La Jolla, but it's not easy to get to by public transportation.

 

According to their website, the upstairs at the Fish Market is open for lunch.

[flourpot]

Thanks for all the ideas. The HOPO trolley sounds like it will probably be the best for us. Anyone have any favorite restaurants downtown?

[LynnSD]

The Prado in Balboa Park. Sit on the patio; try the sangria and apps....

 

If you want to go cheap and on the water and close to the ship, we like to go to Anthony's outdoor "fishette," get our food and walk around to the tables behind the restaurant to enjoy the view