Should we avoid San Diego during Comic-Con?

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I thought I was close to figuring out our travel plan for next summer, but I discovered Comic-Con would be in San Diego the same dates I had planned to be there. I know it is a large convention, but would it impact visiting the Zoo, Balboa Park and maybe Mission Beach or Coronado Beach?

My first tentative plan was:

Fly in to Southern California July 19
Spend Sunday and early Monday (20th and 21st) in Hollywood area (want to do WB studio tour which I think is only Monday-Friday)
Drive to Anaheim Monday afternoon
DLR Tuesday-Thursday - July 22nd-24th
Drive to San Diego late Thursday or early Friday (late 24th or early 25th)
Spend Friday and Saturday in San Diego to see the zoo, Balboa Park, maybe beach if we have time
Fly home Sunday, July 27th.

I just read that Comic-Con is July 24-27 next year. I wanted to go to San Diego at the end of the trip because I thought it would be more relaxing than Hollywood. But I could do this:

Fly into SoCal Saturday the 19th
Drive to San Diego and stay until Monday evening (the 21st)
DLR July 22-24 (leave Thursday night or Friday morning for Hollywood/LA area)
Friday and Saturday in Hollywood area - WB tour, Griffith Observatory, Walk of Fame, Farmer's Market, etc.
Fly home Sunday morning

Is it worth switching the order to avoid Comic-Con? Any other glaring errors that you see? This is our first SoCal trip.

Thanks very much!

 

[Epek]

It shouldn't impact the places you want to visit. ComicCon attendees are solely focused on the convention while it's happening! What it will greatly impact is hotels and restaurants in the area. Mostly from hotel circle (I-8 I think) to downtown. The hotels start filling up as early as Feb and prices are higher. If you stay further out you'll probably be okay. Maybe consider La Jolla or something.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Thanks! I was hoping it wouldn't be a big impact for the more touristy destinations. I did see that hotels are already a bit more for that part of the week than they are for earlier, but not terrible. We will book early just in case!

 

[nicolita3]

I have gone to comic con twice now. Just to let you know I have heard that if you book hotels too early before the time when comic con takes place they will cancel your reservation because they like to bump up the prices. The hotels that are near downtown and part of the shuttle route can be almost $350 a night.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I have gone to comic con twice now. Just to let you know I have heard that if you book hotels too early before the time when comic con takes place they will cancel your reservation because they like to bump up the prices. The hotels that are near downtown and part of the shuttle route can be almost $350 a night.

Really? I would be pretty unhappy if that happened! I wonder how early is too early? I would not want to be stuck without a room!

 

[sonnyjane]

Really? I would be pretty unhappy if that happened! I wonder how early is too early? I would not want to be stuck without a room!

I had never heard that about rooms being cancelled and rates adjusted. My friends that are die-hard Comic-Con fans that like to stay downtown have told me that most people book their hotel room a year in advance to make sure they get one.

I agree with the other poster who said that Comic-Con fans really do stay down for the convention - your visit to the zoo, beach, etc. should be fine.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I had never heard that about rooms being cancelled and rates adjusted. My friends that are die-hard Comic-Con fans that like to stay downtown have told me that most people book their hotel room a year in advance to make sure they get one.

I agree with the other poster who said that Comic-Con fans really do stay down for the convention - your visit to the zoo, beach, etc. should be fine.

Thanks! I guess I had better get busy deciding where to stay. Maybe not near the convention center, although DH was pretty interested when I said we might go during Comic-Con.

 

[ImDMous]

We go to Comic Con every year. I've tried booking our hotel a year out but usually the hotels will tell you they have no availability. They give all their rooms to the agency that takes care of all the hotel reservations for Con. If you are seeing availability for that time now, I would take it before they block them all out. All the hotels around the airport, Mission Valley, Old Town, and Downtown are usually all put in the pool.

As far as tourist stuff, you'll be fine. The Gaslamp District downtown will be packed but everything else should be empty. If you want a fun night to just hangout and people watch, come join us. There is always something going on in the Gaslamp: zombie walk, costume contests, special storefronts by movie companies, etc. Lots to see without actually having tickets to Comic Con.

 

[Purrkins]

Comic Con is located to the Convention Center and the blocks neighboring in the Gaslamp district. You will see no increased attendance at the zoo, seaworld, etc... You will have a hard time getting a hotel room that week, and the airport will seem busier. But avoid the Gaslamp if you don't want the crowds, or, actively seek it out as it's a pretty fun vibe and plenty of offsite and free activities that are worth checking out.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We go to Comic Con every year. I've tried booking our hotel a year out but usually the hotels will tell you they have no availability. They give all their rooms to the agency that takes care of all the hotel reservations for Con. If you are seeing availability for that time now, I would take it before they block them all out. All the hotels around the airport, Mission Valley, Old Town, and Downtown are usually all put in the pool.

As far as tourist stuff, you'll be fine. The Gaslamp District downtown will be packed but everything else should be empty. If you want a fun night to just hangout and people watch, come join us. There is always something going on in the Gaslamp: zombie walk, costume contests, special storefronts by movie companies, etc. Lots to see without actually having tickets to Comic Con.

Comic Con is located to the Convention Center and the blocks neighboring in the Gaslamp district. You will see no increased attendance at the zoo, seaworld, etc... You will have a hard time getting a hotel room that week, and the airport will seem busier. But avoid the Gaslamp if you don't want the crowds, or, actively seek it out as it's a pretty fun vibe and plenty of offsite and free activities that are worth checking out.

I guess I had better get busy figuring out where to stay!

Would the activities in the Gaslamp be family-friendly (DDs 15 and 11 when we go) or would they be adult-only? I know DH would love to check out the area!

 

[Purrkins]

I guess I had better get busy figuring out where to stay!

Would the activities in the Gaslamp be family-friendly (DDs 15 and 11 when we go) or would they be adult-only? I know DH would love to check out the area!

Well, you have the benefit of time, for a week. ComicCon 2014 dates have not been officially announced yet - they'll announce them next week - but the dates you mention are rumored to be correct. So book now, or try VRBO.

ComicCon is VERY family friendly - during the day there will be outside displays open and free to the public - last year had a collection of the Batmobiles from TV and movies on the lawn of the Hilton, a recreated set of Frankenwenie, Cartoon Network was offsite at the Children's Museum, the Walking Dead took over the stadium, various video game companies had lounges to try out upcoming games at various hotels, some cool models and props from upcoming movies were scattered around the Gaslamp, etc... It gets bigger and bigger each year.

Plus, the people. The glorious people. Saturday is the ideal day to go and people watch as that's the day of the big masquerade ball but really, any day will be fun.

That said, the Gaslamp is pretty much wall to wall bars so when the sun goes down, people get to drinking and it can become more "adult oriented" but entirely safe and incredibly well policed. For example, I will have no problem walking with my 3.5 year old son through the Gaslamp district to get back home after ComicCon at night but I would also never go to the Gaslamp at night even though I live about 5 minutes away (just not my scene).

But geeks and nerds are still geeks and nerds, even if they've been drinking. And they are good people, so nothing to be worried about. Your kids will love it. I've missed two ComicCon since 1986, so I'm obviously a fan.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I think we would enjoy ComicCon. Revolution is filmed in our area (or was last year) and Under the Dome is filmed here, and I know some of the Revolution actors were at ComicCon last year. DH would be all over the superhero stuff.

I checked for hotels and have not found much available - Expedia shows basically no availability. We don't have to be in the heart of the action, but I don't want to be too far away from everything we want to do. Is it possible to book hotels through the ComicCon site without tickets, or do you have to get tickets? I might have to extend the San Diego portion of our trip so we can go!

I have seen Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites recommended, but the Hilton calendar only goes through early July.

 

[ImDMous]

I think we would enjoy ComicCon. Revolution is filmed in our area (or was last year) and Under the Dome is filmed here, and I know some of the Revolution actors were at ComicCon last year. DH would be all over the superhero stuff.

I checked for hotels and have not found much available - Expedia shows basically no availability. We don't have to be in the heart of the action, but I don't want to be too far away from everything we want to do. Is it possible to book hotels through the ComicCon site without tickets, or do you have to get tickets? I might have to extend the San Diego portion of our trip so we can go!

I have seen Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites recommended, but the Hilton calendar only goes through early July.

Booking rooms for Comic Con is extremely frustrating and difficult even if you have tickets, I'm not sure it would be worth it if you don't. You are probably better off booking ASAP if you find any opening or just staying a little farther from the city. Hotel booking for Con usually opens in May-ish and is closes about 4 minutes after that. Then after the dust settles, a few openings happen here and there until after the no-refund day in June. Basically everything downtown is gone in minutes and the stuff in Mission Valley and Old Town takes a little while longer to fill.

Myself, DH, B-i-l, S-i-l, and two friends all got on the site to get reservations the minute it opened. I got one (not at any of the hotels I listed), F1 got one in Mission Valley and everyone else got wait-listed. Apparently I type fastest. After the mad rush when people start deciding if they really want to stay and deposits are not paid and all that, then wait-listed people are given a chance to fill in the cancellations. We ended up switching from my hotel to one closer using DH's wait-listed choice, but that wasn't until a month ago. Basically, it's a PITA, but it can be done.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You are probably better off booking ASAP if you find any opening or just staying a little farther from the city. Hotel booking for Con usually opens in May-ish and is closes about 4 minutes after that.

Any suggestions of where to stay? I initially thought I wanted to stay in Coronado, but I'm not sure how inconvenient that would be. We don't particularly need/want to be downtown, although it might be fun to go to ComicCon if we could get badges.

I mainly just want a nice place that isn't too trendy (so we don't feel weird being there with kids) and is not a 30 minute drive from everything we will want to do (and I'm not even sure what that is, yet). I would love a view of the bay and a nice pool for the kids.

I'm finding the hotel decisions for each location (San Diego, Hollywood and even Disneyland) to be the hardest part of planning - I can find tons of things we want to do!

 

[wiigirl]

I have gone to comic con twice now. Just to let you know I have heard that if you book hotels too early before the time when comic con takes place they will cancel your reservation because they like to bump up the prices. The hotels that are near downtown and part of the shuttle route can be almost $350 a night.

 

[ImDMous]

Any suggestions of where to stay? I initially thought I wanted to stay in Coronado, but I'm not sure how inconvenient that would be. We don't particularly need/want to be downtown, although it might be fun to go to ComicCon if we could get badges.

I mainly just want a nice place that isn't too trendy (so we don't feel weird being there with kids) and is not a 30 minute drive from everything we will want to do (and I'm not even sure what that is, yet). I would love a view of the bay and a nice pool for the kids.

I'm finding the hotel decisions for each location (San Diego, Hollywood and even Disneyland) to be the hardest part of planning - I can find tons of things we want to do!

Mission Bay might be a good option. It is far enough away from Comic Con that they are not part of the hotel pool, but still not very far of a drive if you want to go downtown. Two years ago they messed up our Comic Con reservation and the hotel was overbooked. They had to put us at a hotel in Mission Bay because everything else was booked. Other than the drive instead of walk we were anticipating, it was beautiful. I'm not sure of the prices since they screwed up so they paid. We stayed at Paradise Point, I've heard The Dana is really nice too. There's a Hyatt, a Hilton and a few others there. Worth a look anyway.

 

[Purrkins]

Any suggestions of where to stay? I initially thought I wanted to stay in Coronado, but I'm not sure how inconvenient that would be. We don't particularly need/want to be downtown, although it might be fun to go to ComicCon if we could get badges.

I mainly just want a nice place that isn't too trendy (so we don't feel weird being there with kids) and is not a 30 minute drive from everything we will want to do (and I'm not even sure what that is, yet). I would love a view of the bay and a nice pool for the kids.

I'm finding the hotel decisions for each location (San Diego, Hollywood and even Disneyland) to be the hardest part of planning - I can find tons of things we want to do!

Coronado would be lovely - it's always lovely there - and you can take the ferry over to downtown and walk to the Con.

Try the Pearl in Pt. Loma or Homewood Suites in Liberty Station, all close enough to Downtown (would need a car) but far enough away that you should be fine. Both have views and are in nice parts of town. Be advised that you are in the flight path of the airport but rooms are pretty soundproof.

Although they have the inventory do your best to avoid Hotel Circle. Pretty barren out there.

Mission Bay would also work.

For my money San Diego is an excellent VRBO town - some great properties to rent, often cheaper than a hotel room especially when more than 2+ in your party, plus many come fully equipped and have nice backyards/patios so you can enjoy the local quality of life after a busy day playing tourist. Nothing like firing up the grill with some fresh fish for tacos while drinking a local brew...

Many properties are available on VRBO for the dates in 2014 - neighborhoods worth checking out Downtown/Gaslamp, Little Italy, Bankers Hill, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, South Park and North Park which are all in the core of the city and about 5-10 minutes max from downtown and central to the zoo, Balboa Park, etc...

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Mission Bay might be a good option. It is far enough away from Comic Con that they are not part of the hotel pool, but still not very far of a drive if you want to go downtown. Two years ago they messed up our Comic Con reservation and the hotel was overbooked. They had to put us at a hotel in Mission Bay because everything else was booked. Other than the drive instead of walk we were anticipating, it was beautiful. I'm not sure of the prices since they screwed up so they paid. We stayed at Paradise Point, I've heard The Dana is really nice too. There's a Hyatt, a Hilton and a few others there. Worth a look anyway.

Coronado would be lovely - it's always lovely there - and you can take the ferry over to downtown and walk to the Con.

Try the Pearl in Pt. Loma or Homewood Suites in Liberty Station, all close enough to Downtown (would need a car) but far enough away that you should be fine. Both have views and are in nice parts of town. Be advised that you are in the flight path of the airport but rooms are pretty soundproof.

Although they have the inventory do your best to avoid Hotel Circle. Pretty barren out there.

Mission Bay would also work.

For my money San Diego is an excellent VRBO town - some great properties to rent, often cheaper than a hotel room especially when more than 2+ in your party, plus many come fully equipped and have nice backyards/patios so you can enjoy the local quality of life after a busy day playing tourist. Nothing like firing up the grill with some fresh fish for tacos while drinking a local brew...

Many properties are available on VRBO for the dates in 2014 - neighborhoods worth checking out Downtown/Gaslamp, Little Italy, Bankers Hill, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, South Park and North Park which are all in the core of the city and about 5-10 minutes max from downtown and central to the zoo, Balboa Park, etc...

Thank you both! So it sounds like the entire city of San Diego will not be booked, so we should be able to find a place somewhere. We will have a car since we are planning to see Hollywood, DLR and San Diego - I think it will be cheaper to keep it all week than to arrange transportation for the four of us.

I will check out VRBO as well - we just rented an apartment in Rome in June, and we were spoiled with the space and enjoyed a few days of living like a local.

 

[nicolita3]

Definitely check out vrbo I don't even bother with hotels for comic con its hard enough to get badges for the event and I pay half of what I would for a hotel at that time.