San Diego port/tours/transport/hotel

[sharmorr]

Will have one full day in SD prior to boarding ship. Any tour company recommendations to see the del Coronado and USS Midway? Do we need a car to get to those places? Really looking for a small group van company - not large coach bus. Any hotel recommendations near port? Thank you for any replies.

[binkey36]

The Wyndham Bay Harbor is right across the street from the cruise terminal. It is also within walking distance to the USS Midway, Gas Lamp (or is it Light?) District, and little Italy. Coronado Hotel is across the bridge....so maybe a taxi? I can't recommend any tour companies in that area, but the hotel or Trip Advisor might be good to check for that info.

[CruiserBruce]

There are many threads on hotels in the area. If you look for one near the pier, you certainly don't need a guide or vehicle for Midway. You pay admission, and get a headset tour, or pay extra for a guided tour. Your choice. Midway is a solid 2 hours.

 

Coronado is further away, so a vehicle or tour would be required.

[SadieN]

The Wyndham Bay Harbor is right across the street from the cruise terminal. It is also within walking distance to the USS Midway, Gas Lamp (or is it Light?) District, and little Italy. Coronado Hotel is across the bridge....so maybe a taxi? I can't recommend any tour companies in that area, but the hotel or Trip Advisor might be good to check for that info.

 

The San Diego Maritime Museum is also in the area. Just look for the Tall Ship north of the Midway. Can take the ferry to Coronado.

 

http://www.sandiego.org/plan-your-trip/transportation/water.aspx#7jh25O2swS0xhJ6l.97

 

taxifarefinder.com will give you a good approximation of taxi fares.

Edited September 17, 2016 by SadieN

[WatchHill]

We were in San Diego last month and rode the HoHo Trolley, [fully narrated], doing the entire route twice in one day. Got off the trolley near the Coronado, walked around the property, and then checked out tourist shops in the area before re-boarding the trolley. The lines can be long to purchase tickets for the Midway and then having to wait in the sun to enter. We picked up tickets at a kiosk/visitors center along the waterfront, not far from the Maritime Museum. We got a discounted rate, age and military, and at the same time, also got tickets for the "seal tour boat."

We had a nice lunch at Harbor House overlooking the water; the trolley driver recommended the restaurant.

 

Darcy

[binkey36]

We were in San Diego last month and rode the HoHo Trolley, [fully narrated], doing the entire route twice in one day. Got off the trolley near the Coronado, walked around the property, and then checked out tourist shops in the area before re-boarding the trolley. The lines can be long to purchase tickets for the Midway and then having to wait in the sun to enter. We picked up tickets at a kiosk/visitors center along the waterfront, not far from the Maritime Museum. We got a discounted rate, age and military, and at the same time, also got tickets for the "seal tour boat."

We had a nice lunch at Harbor House overlooking the water; the trolley driver recommended the restaurant.

 

Darcy

 

The Fish Market, right next door to the Midway, also has very good food. We are planning to go there for dinner on our pre- cruise night in February 2017.

[suec12]

We also stayed at the Wyndham - easy walking distance to a ferry that will take you across to Coronado Island - we then walked across the island to where the hotel is (maybe two miles, lovely homes) then walked around the hotel, found a nice place for lunch, and took a public bus across the bridge and had a short walk back to the Wyndham.You could also take a public bus from the ferry landing to the hotel.....or rent a bike!

 

Next morning got up early and did the Midway before getting on the ship.

 

We had planned to stay at a different hotel but got a nice last minute rate at the Wyndham. As others noted, it is also easy walking distance to Little Italy which we found much more charming than the GasLamp district.

[sharmorr]

Thank you all for the tips - they certainly will help our planning.

[Splinter]

The Midway is easy to get to from anywhere downtown or along the Embarcadero (it is two piers south of the cruise ship pier).

 

You can take the passenger ferry (bikes allowed, no cars) from that same area to Coronado, and either rent a bike on the Embarcadero or there at the Ferry Landing to see Coronado (including the Hotel del) or take a public bus (#904, hourly) that serves as a shuttle from the Ferry Landing to the area where the Hotel is located (also my favorite beach). In the summer there is a free shuttle: https://www.coronado.ca.us/government/departments_divisions/city_manager/summer_shuttle/ but they only run May-September.

[Grant2000]

There's plenty to see in downtown San Diego and many of the attractions are located near the cruise terminal. The San Diego Trolley System is a good way to get around town.

 

http://SanDiegoUSA.ca

[xlxo]

I too will be visiting San Diego for the first time in the coming weeks. Need some hotel and tour advice for a 2.5 day stay. Main goal is SeaWorld.

 

• I hear downtown is a good choice to stay (Gaslamp? Convention Center?)
  
• some friends have recommended Old Town which is closer to SeaWorld
  
• Looking at one of the Hilton places to stay.
  
• any places to avoid? any places to avoid at night?
  
• what about tours? I hear hop on is popular, but are there escorted tours to avoid the 30 minute wait between hop on's? The SEAL tour appears to be very short at 90 minutes. http://www.sealtours.com/
  
• are there escorted tours that explore the area towards the border?
  
• is public transit the best way between Sea World and Gaslamp hotels?
  

[xlxo]

Any thoughts on this guided tour?

http://www.citytoursofsandiego.com/san-diego-city-tour.html

[mprcruiser]

Here is something else to do.

 

http://www.baydreamincruises.com/

[Splinter]

I too will be visiting San Diego for the first time in the coming weeks. Need some hotel and tour advice for a 2.5 day stay. Main goal is SeaWorld.

 

• I hear downtown is a good choice to stay (Gaslamp? Convention Center?)

Depends on what you want to do. The Marina district is close to the cruise ship terminal, and the Gaslamp Quarter.

 

[*]some friends have recommended Old Town which is closer to SeaWorld

Not aware of a Hilton property in that area. This area is only closer to SeaWorld by 2-3 miles.

 

[*]Looking at one of the Hilton places to stay.

OK.

 

[*]any places to avoid? any places to avoid at night?

Avoid anything east of the Padres stadium downtown (the East Village is an area undergoing development, but still pretty sketchy.

 

[*]what about tours? I hear hop on is popular, but are there escorted tours to avoid the 30 minute wait between hop on's? The SEAL tour appears to be very short at 90 minutes. http://www.sealtours.com/

Sure. You can find many tours through companies like Greyline if you want a group tour, but there will be wide variety of included sights, and many may not pick up at your hotel.

 

[*]are there escorted tours that explore the area towards the border?

Not sure what you would want to see in the border area. Other than an outlet mall, the Olympic Training Center, and the Tijuana River Estuary wildlife center, there is not much to see. If you are dying to visit Tijuana, you can take the San Diego Trolley (light rail) from downtown and walk across the border, then take a cab to the tourist area along Revolucion. Be sure you take your passport.

 

[*]is public transit the best way between Sea World and Gaslamp hotels?

Not easy or quick. Recommend a cab or Uber instead.

 

What do you want to do or see when you are in San Diego? It is difficult to make more specific recommendations without knowing that.

[xlxo]

An update....

 

Did SeaWord on LRT and public transit from Gaslamp. Plan your day with the show schedule to get best value (arriving before 11:30am). Kinda surprised to hear the park closes when the One Ocean show is over.

 

https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiego/Park-Info/Park-Hours/

 

Signed up for the 5 star deluxe tour. Sadly they sent me an email the tour was cancelled the day before. They wanted to me to take the afternoon tour when I needed to be at the airport for flight home. Bummer.

https://www.expedia.com/things-to-do/city-deluxe-sightseeing-tour-with-la-jolla.a169010.activity-details

 

Signed up for Hop On as backup.

• Drivers were great.
  
• Start your day at 9am to get best value. The buses stop service around 5pm or 6pm. Important if you plan to check out each neighborhood.
  
• Combination of driver narration with recorded tracks.
  
• Not fun to see a full bus, but drivers are calling dispatch for additional buses to be put on when passengers are left behind and must need to wait. Saw lots of people left behind in the early afternoon and could hear they maxed out the buses on the driver radio. I wonder if the cruise ship dump was a factor.
  
• 30 minute frequency, they convoy buses when they see passengers left behind. Very busy this Saturday.
  
• No service to Balboa stop due to Maker Faire
  
• there's combo options/discounts with SEAL and their other tours. I did the SEAL to check out the harbor. There's also a La Jolla option and Frightseeing option. http://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/san-diego/
  
• https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego#map-section
  

Edited October 2, 2016 by xlxo