San Diego Info Please!

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

We will arrive in San Diego at 2:00 PM October 16, 2009 & leave on the Carnival Spirit on the 18th. We would like to see as much of San Diego as we can within that time frame. We were interested in Sea World (open 10-7:30) or the Zoo (open 9-5) but will only have time for one of them I guess. We might try the Trolley Tour so we can see more of San Diego & the Maritime Museum. I am not sure what time it will get dark. What would you suggest doing?

[Splinter]

Since you are unlikely to be checked into your hotel before 3PM, I would recommend taking a cab to SeaWorld if you really want to see it, although you will still have to pay full fare $$$$ to get in. Although the Zoo is open until 5PM, I believe the close the gates to admissions after 4PM. It should be light until 6PM still. Another option would be to visit Old Town and have dinner there as well.

 

You might consider taking a dinner harbor cruise instead, after visiting the USS Midway the first day. You could go to the Zoo from 0900-noon the day of your cruise, then go directly to the ship (or just stop and pick up your luggage on the way) depending on where you are staying. I would not recommend the Old Town Trolley on the day of your cruise as there is too much risk of being late getting to the ship.

[lovevacadays]

I'm assuming your hotel is down by the pier area? Is so, once you get checked in on the 16th you can do what the previous poster suggested and go to Old Town which isn't too far from that area. It is pretty much an area that shows the Mexican Heritage and beginnings of San Diego. Lots of shops and good restaurants. You can also go to Seaport Village which is one of my favorite places in San Diego. It is right on a bay and very lovely. There are many shops and restaurants there. You could also go down by the pier area and tour a couple of the old ships there and eat in that area as well. There are several good seafood restaurants along the "strip" where the pier is.

 

On the 17th, which sounds like your only full day in San Diego, you mentioned both the Zoo and Seaworld. Both are great experiences. So it really depends on what you like. Seaworld, is of course, right on the bay and has all the types of shows you would expect. Dolphins, whales, sealions, an area to touch starfish, a penquin exhibit. It is quite a lovely place. The San Diego Zoo is a fabulous zoo. It is in a beautiful area and is very well maintained. There are animal shows you can see there as well. Also, it is in an area that is referred to as Balboa Park. So in that very area are also many museums. Art, history, science, History of Man, etc. There is also a nice restaurant in Balboa Park for dinner. Sorry I can't remember the name but you could google Balboa Park and see what you find.

 

If you decide to do the trolley on the 17th it is a nice experience as well. My mom and I did it a few years back and we had lived in San Diego in the 80's. We just wanted to try it for the fun of it. It was really a fun day. You can catch it by the cruise ship pier. In the different stops a trolley comes by about every 15 minutes so it is easy to reboard. It will take you to Seaport Village, over to the Hotel Del Coronado (which is a lovely Hotel with a lot of history), to the shopping area of Coronado, to the Gas Lamp District of San Diego, by the mall there, to the Zoo, to Balboa Park, and then, I think to Old Town San Diego. So, you can get off and on where you want and skip what you don't want to see.

 

Someone suggested going to the Zoo for 3 hours prior to boarding your ship on the 18th. You could do that as well. If you do that I would suggest taking the bus tour in the zoo that they offer so you get an overview of the Zoo. Otherwise, if you decide to walk the Zoo you wouldn't really get to see as much.

 

Hope you have a great time in San Diego. I lived there for 5 years and it will always be one of my favorite places.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Thanks for the info so far. San Diego is on my DH's top 10 places to visit list which is why we want to cram in all we can during our time there. We are staying at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. I love Sea World but was at the Orlando Sea World recently. Does anybody know if the shows are the same? Thanks.

[Splinter]

This is one reason I am reluctant to recommend SeaWorld to our visitors, since one park is much like another in this chain. The Zoo is unique.

 

I missed that you have a full day between your arrival and departure. So skip what I said above. Plan to do Old Town as above on your first partial day, then visit Balboa Park and the Zoo on your second day, with a plan to have dinner and maybe visit a club or two in the Gaslamp Quarter that day. The morning of your cruise is a good time to visit the Midway or Seaport Village. Have lunch at Antony's and then check into your cruise.

[lovevacadays]

I agree, if you have done Sea World in Orlando I would skip it in San Diego and go to the Zoo and check out Balboa Park if you like Museums. Agree, also, if you aren't doing the trolley either do Seaport Village your first evening and have dinner there or do it the morning of your cruise.

 

Have a lovely time in San Diego. It is truly a beautiful city.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Should we take the Trolley Tour & get off at the zoo? The zoo closes at 5:00 & the Trolley Tour at 4:00 though so we would need to leave the zoo early. We went on the Trolley Tour in Key West & enjoyed it. What is the difference in the Maritime Museum & the USS Midway? Does anyone know what time it will get dark in mid October? Also what restaraunts would you recommend? I don't like seafood but my husband does. I think he is more excited about seeing San Diego than going on the cruise! Thanks!

[Splinter]

Should we take the Trolley Tour & get off at the zoo? The zoo closes at 5:00 & the Trolley Tour at 4:00 though so we would need to leave the zoo early. We went on the Trolley Tour in Key West & enjoyed it. What is the difference in the Maritime Museum & the USS Midway? Does anyone know what time it will get dark in mid October? Also what restaraunts would you recommend? I don't like seafood but my husband does. I think he is more excited about seeing San Diego than going on the cruise! Thanks!

 

I would wait to do the Zoo until you second day. Go to Old Town or do the Midway your first 1/2 day. In Old Town, I would recommend eating at the Old Town Mexican Cafe for a fun evening.

 

The USS Midway is an aircraft carrier. You can tour much of the ship, there are docents (many who served on her when she was an active US Navy ship), and a small snack bar. The flight deck is a museum of military flying craft. The hanger bay has many exhibits about the Midway and about Navy aviation, including several flight simulators and similar experiential exhibits. It also has a spectacular view of the bay, and is right next door to The Fish Market, which is an excellent seafood restaurant.

 

The San Diego Maritime museum is a group of historic boats along the pier just north of the cruise ship pier. The centerpiece is the Star of India, the oldest iron sailing commercial vessel still afloat. She just came back from her every 10 year dry dock so is in great shape. There is also a Russian (Soviet era) submarine, an old San Francisco Bay ferry (which has many exhibits and lots of great ship models on board), and the "The Rose" which was built for the movie "Master & Commander" (with Russell Crow) which was filmed just over the border in Mexico. There is also an older luxury power cruiser which saw service in both WWI and WWII. One admission lets you visit all of these, and you can eat at Anthony's right next door (again, seafood).

 

Where are you staying? This would make it easier to recommend places to eat. Also, price ranges and anything else that would help us steer you right.

 

It is dark by 6:30PM in mid-October.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Thanks so much for the wonderful information. We are staying at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. I wish we had booked our trip to arrive a day earlier, there is so much we want to see & do. Would the Trolley Tour take us to the zoo? Is the tour interesting? I would like to see the ocean but we will be on a cruise for 8 days so I want to use our time there wisely to see all we can. Thanks.

[Drifting Happily]

The trolley tour gives you a great overview of San Diego. We took the tour in Washington DC (same company), then came home and did it in San Diego because we enjoyed it so much. (I'm a San Diego native.) The drivers are quite knowledgeable and animated. It does tend to be a full-day event. You can get off at each stop, but if you want to make the complete circuit you can't stay in any one place for more than an hour or so. It will take you to the zoo, but you won't be able to see the zoo well and finish the trolley tour. The trolley will take you over the Coronado Bridge to Coronado and the Hotel Del. You can get off there and walk along a beautiful stretch of beach, plus see the hotel which is said to be the inspiration for the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz (the type of thing they tell you on the trolley tour). Check out their website for all of the tour stops: http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/

 

As far as dining, you are close to Little Italy which has many good Italian restaurants. I like Buon Appetito, Cafe Zucchero, Zagarella's, and Indigo Grill (but Indigo isn't Italian and is eclectic). It's 4 blocks east and 2 blocks north of where you're staying. Right near Little Italy is another of my favorite restaurants, Extraordinary Desserts. It has a light menu, beer/wine, tea/coffee drinks, and fabulous desserts.

 

You're 1 mile from the Gaslamp area, which has lots of dining and nightclubbing opportunities. What to recommend there all depends on what kind of food, and how much you want to spend.

[Northshorecruisers]

We loved the Trolley tour last time we were in SD. We did it for 1 day when we had to whole day to see the city. I could have done it for 2 days - great way to get around the sites and the trolley operators were very informative. We didn't get off at Old Town since we had a day post cruise and went there them.

If you're staying at the Holiday Inn on the Bay they have a restaurant called Elephant & Castle just off the lobby. The food is a good variety and prices seem pretty standard to what we pay for similar at home. I've never had a bad meal there. Good place for a drink at night, indoor and outdoor patio seating. There's also a Ruth's Chris if you're looking for something like that. We were only at Anthony's for drinks as my husband doesn't eat seafood. He did look at the menu when we were there and said he could find things to eat if I wanted to go there (I love seafood).

The first day we arrived in SD we checked into our room at HI - I had told them we would be there around 1pm and they got us into our room right away. Otherwise they said they could store our luggage off the lobby if our room wasn't ready. We walked down to the USS Midway and took the tour. If you have physical limitations there are areas of the carrier you won't be able to visit. Some narrow stairways up and down - it is an actual aircraft carrier. After that we walked over to Seaport Village to enjoy the shops. We stopped to have a beer at a little cafe with an outdoor deck and there was a band playing in the courtyard.

San Diego is a great place to visit!

[Splinter]

What a shame to be in San Diego in the downtown area and eat at the Holiday Inn and Ruth Chris (a chain you can eat in anywhere)!!

 

I would second the Indigo Grill as one of my favorite restaurants in the south end of Little Italy (a short walk from the HI). There are many other good restaurants from low to high end pricing in Little Italy, and it is a fun place to walk.

 

For an upscale steak dinner, I would recommend Rainwater's on Kettner over Ruth Chris' any day.

 

You can also take the San Diego Trolley to the Gaslamp and eat at a lot of innovative and unique restaurants of all types, or take it the other direction to eat in Old Town. Both the Old Town Mexican Cafe (LOVE their carnitas!) and the Casa Guadalajara are great.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

There are so many things we want to do & so little time! Thanks for all the advice. When we booked we thought arriving two days early we would have plenty of time. I guess we will have to make San Diego a longer trip some time! It sounds like such a great place.

[cruisefrk]

Just a little input...

We just visited San Diego as a port stop - we took a taxi to the zoo at about $15 each way including tip. Time wise you would want to take a taxi versus public transportation - otherwise you will spend most of your time wasted getting there.

 

I have been to may Zoo's in my day and found the San Diego Zoo awesome! We went early and went straight to the back and worked our way around to the front... lines were short and the animals were abundant! The new Elephant section was fantastic - and well done.

 

I was very impressed with how happy, healthy and clean these animals were. They take great pride in their animals at this zoo. I wanted to see the Panadas the most..but by the end of the day I was most amazed with the Kola bears... they were the cutest things I have ever seen. They were all asleep in different positions - I have some amazing photos.

 

We went through as quickly as we could, still made it back to the ship in time to visit the US Midway that is next to the ship for a tour and make it back onboard about an hour before we sailed. It was a busy day but so terrific. We were in port from 8am until 6pm

 

I highly recommend the zoo to any cruisers that are reading this post. We are in our early 40s and without children and found it a nice enjoyable, relaxing day. If you appreciate seeing beautiful animals and their habitat you should like this. If your a person who is into photography - plan to spend the entire day. I have some amazing shots - I could of spent hours longer just at the lions window. He sat in all his glory about 2 feet from my camera looking at me as if to say - cheese. People can not believe the photos I have taken are real.

 

Enjoy!