Oceanside

[jarong]

My family is staying at the Oceanside Pier Resort for a few days following our trip to Disneyland. Has anyone ever stayed there? Or have any thoughts about the area?

We are a family of 5 (kids are 10, 7, 4) and this is our first time to CA.

[Peri]

Never stayed in Oceanside but have stayed in San Clemente (at a rented condo) and Carlsbad - The area is very fun and nice and you are right by Legoland - a good destination for kids in the age groups you have! Also not that far from San Diego with their zoo and Sea World. And the beach. Good beach swimming near Dana Point.

There is Plenty to do! Not sure if this really answers your question! I dont know about your specific hotel.

[PrincessInOz]

Oceanside is right near the marine's Camp Pendleton and I think the town survives from their custom. I've always thought it to be fairly safe as a result of the proximity to the Camp.
There are/were a couple of surf 'legends' that opened up stores in Oceanside; so it does attract the surfers as well.

And aside from the attractions that Peri has mentioned, the San Diego Wild Animal Park might be closer than the San Diego Zoo.
There is also the upmarket seaside town of La Jolla nearby. You might find sea lions on one of the beaches at La Jolla.
You'll be near the Mission San Luis Rey should you want to have an excursion to kill a couple of hours.

I personally like going to the town of Julian; it is an alternative to the beach. But you might already have enough to do and/or might prefer to stay nearer the seaside.

Have fun there. About the only thing that I don't like about that area is the traffic where the 5 and 78 intersect. It used to be reasonable but traffic is pretty slow around that intersection.

[ImDMous]

I'm sitting at work about 15 minutes from there.

You'll be right by the train station, so that might be something fun to add in. Amtrak has the Surfliner train that runs that route and there are also two commuter trains; The Coaster that goes (obviously) down the coast through Encinitas, Del Mar, La Jolla, down to San Diego and The Sprinter that goes inland to Escondido. Aside from the Safari Park, there isn't too much exciting east, so probably not necessary.

We don't go to Oceanside much, prefer Carlsbad or Encinitas slightly to the south, but everything is close. If you have a car, definitely drive down the Coast Highway to La Jolla, can't beat the views. Since you'll have already been to Disneyland, I don't know if you'll want more theme parks, but we have a few if that's your thing. Lots of beaches and Mexican food