San Diego / Disneyland - How would you Structure this trip?

[vicarrieous]

Would you rather do...

4 days/3 nights in San Diego with plans for beach & zoo time followed by 5 days/4 nights in Disneyland with 3 days hoppers & staying at VGC

OR

3 days/2 nights in San Diego with plans for beach & zoo time followed by 6 days/5 nights in Disneyland with 4 day base tickets & staying at VGC

Background info if helpful: we will be flying in and out and NOT renting a car. We will take the Pacific Liner up the coast to get from San Diego to Anaheim and use ubers or private transfers to get around. We are a family of 4 traveling with two boys ages 11 & 9 so no car seat is needed.

 

[China Expat]

I think San Diego and environs would be more fun for four days as opposed to six days in Anaheim. San Diego is gorgeous with so many family fun activities!

 

[ktlm]

Probably not helpful since you are doing 7 nights, but we always do 4 nights at DLR and then 4 nights in San Diego. We fly into SNA on Saturday, hit the parks by about 1:00 or 1:30 pm that day and spend the rest of the day in the parks, do 3 full park days, then spend part of the day in the park on Wednesday and leave for the San Diego area around 2:00.

We then spend 3 full days in the San Diego area and get up and drive back to SNA on Sunday (SNA because we usually stay around Carlsbad because we have friends there - so almost in the middle between airports and we usually rent a car for the San Diego portion of the trip and it is more expensive to turn it in at a different airport. Booking the trip from 2 separate airports is about the same-- it is that rental car return at a different airport that changes the price).

Sounds like you are going to San Diego first? Have you been to San Diego before? Have you thought about renting a car for that portion of your trip and then returning it and then taking the Pacific Liner to Anaheim?

The San Diego area is really spread out, especially if you want to explore up and down the coast some. Uber could be a pain unless you have your days planned out and aren't going that many places. Also, if the San Diego Safari Park is on your list (and it is great), it is about 30 miles from San Diego itself so the uber to and from there alone could be expensive (especially with the way some of the prices are right now that we have run across in different place from June 2021- January 2022). It is much easier to drive in that area than it is in Los Angeles. Traffic really isn't that bad except if you are on the highway right around rush hour. We've had no issues driving or parking for things in that area, or in driving between Anaheim and San Diego.

You really don't need a car at Disneyland. We usually go to DLR first and uber or taxi there from SNA, and then we rent a car for the San Diego part of the trip. We used to rent a car the whole week, but it was a waste of money, especially when they raised the parking prices at DLH so much. Since we fly out of SNA, we uber from the resort to SNA to rent the car so we can bring it back to the same place. There is a rental counter (or at least there was at DLR) and we did that once too I think---- you just have to check the prices.

 

[vicarrieous]

Probably not helpful since you are doing 7 nights, but we always do 4 nights at DLR and then 4 nights in San Diego. We fly into SNA on Saturday, hit the parks by about 1:00 or 1:30 pm that day and spend the rest of the day in the parks, do 3 full park days, then spend part of the day in the park on Wednesday and leave for the San Diego area around 2:00.

We then spend 3 full days in the San Diego area and get up and drive back to SNA on Sunday (SNA because we usually stay around Carlsbad because we have friends there - so almost in the middle between airports and we usually rent a car for the San Diego portion of the trip and it is more expensive to turn it in at a different airport. Booking the trip from 2 separate airports is about the same-- it is that rental car return at a different airport that changes the price).

Sounds like you are going to San Diego first? Have you been to San Diego before? Have you thought about renting a car for that portion of your trip and then returning it and then taking the Pacific Liner to Anaheim?

The San Diego area is really spread out, especially if you want to explore up and down the coast some. Uber could be a pain unless you have your days planned out and aren't going that many places. Also, if the San Diego Safari Park is on your list (and it is great), it is about 30 miles from San Diego itself so the uber to and from there alone could be expensive (especially with the way some of the prices are right now that we have run across in different place from June 2021- January 2022). It is much easier to drive in that area than it is in Los Angeles. Traffic really isn't that bad except if you are on the highway right around rush hour. We've had no issues driving or parking for things in that area, or in driving between Anaheim and San Diego.

You really don't need a car at Disneyland. We usually go to DLR first and uber or taxi there from SNA, and then we rent a car for the San Diego part of the trip. We used to rent a car the whole week, but it was a waste of money, especially when they raised the parking prices at DLH so much. Since we fly out of SNA, we uber from the resort to SNA to rent the car so we can bring it back to the same place. There is a rental counter (or at least there was at DLR) and we did that once too I think---- you just have to check the prices.

Thanks for all your input and advice! I appreciate it.

Unfortunately we are pretty set with dates due to having a reservation on DVC points at the Grand Cali and flights with credits/miles. We can adjust one day on the front towards San Diego, but we cannot flip it to be after we got to Anaheim.

We plan to fly into San Diego and have one day at the Zoo and a morning at the beach before we take the Pacificliner up the Coast. We don't plan to explore much via car mainly due to the lack to time we have there so really trying to focus on 1 or 2 main activities. One day we plan to stay more days there, but for this trip it is either 3 or 4 days.

 

[ktlm]

How early do you think you will get in to San Diego on your arrival day? If you are thinking later in the day, I think I might do:
Arrival Day San Diego
Full Day 1- zoo
Full Day 2 - Full beach day-- or if you get tired of the beach there are other places to explore
Full Day 3--- Travel to DLR
Full Day 4 ------- DL/CA
Full Day 5---- DL/CA
Full Day 6--- DL/CA
Departure

I think the Pacific Surfliner is only about a 2 hour trip from San Diego to Anaheim and the station is only about 15 minutes from DLR---- so if you spent 2 full days in San Diego and then took the 10:00 a.m. train to Anaheim, you could probably be at the Grand by 1:00 p.m., or 1:30 at the latest, so if you wanted to get a 4 day ticket with summer hours you could still get a lot of park time that day. We do really like the flexibility we get with hoppers (although the current park reservation system and inability to hop before 1:00 p.m. was very annoying on the October trip).

 

[vicarrieous]

How early do you think you will get in to San Diego on your arrival day? If you are thinking later in the day, I think I might do:
Arrival Day San Diego
Full Day 1- zoo
Full Day 2 - Full beach day-- or if you get tired of the beach there are other places to explore
Full Day 3--- Travel to DLR
Full Day 4 ------- DL/CA
Full Day 5---- DL/CA
Full Day 6--- DL/CA
Departure

I think the Pacific Surfliner is only about a 2 hour trip from San Diego to Anaheim and the station is only about 15 minutes from DLR---- so if you spent 2 full days in San Diego and then took the 10:00 a.m. train to Anaheim, you could probably be at the Grand by 1:00 p.m., or 1:30 at the latest, so if you wanted to get a 4 day ticket with summer hours you could still get a lot of park time that day. We do really like the flexibility we get with hoppers (although the current park reservation system and inability to hop before 1:00 p.m. was very annoying on the October trip).

Right now we are looking at getting into San Diego about 3:30PM which will feel like 5:30PM for us. I figure that day will fly in, lyft to hotel, relax a bit, and then find somewhere to eat. Probably lounge at the pool or check out surroundings.

Day 2 - Zoo
Day 3 - Is either Beach day or Beach Morning and train to Anaheim (trains seem frequent so we could take a later one, but then we would struggle not having a place to change/store luggage etc if we check out by 10 or 11am)
Day 4 - DL
Day 5 - CA
Day 6 - DL
Day 7 - CA
Day 9 - Depart Early 9AM flight from SNA

I was thinking like you had posted, we could extend and stay all of day 3 in San Diego and train on Day 4 followed up with 3 day hoppers vs 4 day base tickets since our early end seemed a bit rushed. I also need to do a bit more research on where to stay in San Diego. We were hoping if we found a hotel that was close or beach front, we could enjoy the beach enough on our downtown. Hubby really only thinks we need about 2 hours of beach time and he is probably right. Which means if we find the right place, this could be Day 2 evening or Day 3 morning. I expect we will be at the Zoo when it opens probably until 3pm - ish.

 

[DLgal]

Less time in San Diego. Don't do the beach there. Take one of your Anaheim days and uber to Newport Beach instead. It's a much nicer beach. In San Diego, do the zoo, Balboa Park, the USS Midway Museum and visit Old Town for Mexican food and shopping.

If you insist on visiting a San Diego beach, go to Coronado for that.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Respectfully disagree with you DLgal. Lots of great beaches in San Diego. If you want to stay in San Diego and Uber to the beach, La Jolla shores by Scripps Pier is nice. In La Jolla proper there is less "beach" but you can rent sea kayaks there or even just go watch the sea lions. If you go down to Mission beach there is a cool old wooden roller coaster the kids would really like (plus a nice beach). You could even turn your train ride north into a beach day - any stop from San Diego up to San Juan Capistrano will put you in a classic beach town, just a short Uber ride, if not a walk to a beach. Newport is nice, but not nicer than any of those and a much bigger pain to get to. In fact, I think I'd pick Laguna or Huntington over Newport - just easier to get to and Laguna is nicer.

 

[ktlm]

I also need to do a bit more research on where to stay in San Diego. We were hoping if we found a hotel that was close or beach front, we could enjoy the beach enough on our downtown. Hubby really only thinks we need about 2 hours of beach time and he is probably right. Which means if we find the right place, this could be Day 2 evening or Day 3 morning. I expect we will be at the Zoo when it opens probably until 3pm - ish.

Well, if you want to splurge, the Hotel Del Coronado is pretty amazing, right on the beach and the beach there is big and beautiful. That is the only beach I have been to that is directly in San Diego, because we usually do our beach time farther north in the Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, LaJolla type areas. LaJolla is more wandering than beach.

 

[vicarrieous]

Well, if you want to splurge, the Hotel Del Coronado is pretty amazing, right on the beach and the beach there is big and beautiful. That is the only beach I have been to that is directly in San Diego, because we usually do our beach time farther north in the Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, LaJolla type areas. LaJolla is more wandering than beach.

My sister in law lives in Del Mar and we thought about staying near La Jolla Shores. Any thought about that?

 

[starlite_]

There are so many nice things to do around the San Diego harbor that don't need a car. Adding to the already mentioned museums I'll recommend the Maritime Museum. It's an awesome group of ships, including sails ships and submarines that you can go into. Super close to Balboa and if you like Italian food, it's right next to Little Italy.

 

[ktlm]

My sister in law lives in Del Mar and we thought about staying near La Jolla Shores. Any thought about that?

I don't think we have actually ever been to the La Jolla Shores beach-- we've been to the Scripps Aquarium nearby, and been to LaJolla Village and Children's Pool (which is not actually a place for children to swim, but rather a place to watch seals and sea lions who have taken it over) several times, and walked the tidal pools there. I bet your sister in law will know the best beaches in the area to stay near. Our friends that live in Carlsbad have taken us to different beaches all over that area from Oceanside down to Coronado- there are a ton of nice places.

If you want to be right in San Diego near the Harbor stuff, and closer to the zoo area etc. , there are hotels on Coronado Island other than the Del, where you could walk to the beach and that area has lots of fun restaurants and touristy shops as well as places where you can rent surrey bikes or normal bikes etc. (at least it did pre-covid- hopefully they all survived and are still there). Also, if you decide to spend the whole day, it would be easy to take an uber over to do a Harbor Tour or the U.S. Midway or Maritime Museum. Actually, you might even be able to walk to the Ferry Station on Coronado and then take the Ferry over - I think the pier where it goes is right over by the U.S Midway Museum and Harbor Tours where you can walk to those after you get off the ferry.

 

[foolish_mortals]

Perceptive from a San Diegan

I vote 4 days/3 nights in San Diego since that last day will be a travel day. The Surfliner is notorious for 1h+ delays. I would advise having no time dependent actives for that first Anaheim day or give yourself 3hrs leeway in case they decide to stop your train in between stations so you can’t even transfer to another train.

La Jolla Shores is a nice beach that is less crowded. It’s my personal favorite especially during a weekday but I like a quiet beach experience. Depending on when you are going it might be cloudy all day at the beach especially in the morning. The morning marine layer from April - June/early July can last into the afternoon.

There isn’t a lot of activities in La Jolla shores that will appeal to children unless they like water sports like snorkeling, kayaking, and surfing. As someone said the Children’s Pool is for sea lion watching. La Jolla shores will be expensive in Uber fares unless you are okay with public transit. There is now a new trolly line that will take you from the mall in La Jolla/UTC to Old Town and Downtown. So you could Uber to the mall and then use the trolley.

Also Del Mar and La Jolla shores are not that close to each other, especially traffic wise. If you are doing the Zoo and want to take the Surfliner I would stay downtown. You’ll be closer to the zoo and the Surfliner, and you’ll at least have the option to use the trolley.
Since your not renting a car (I still think you should but understand) Ubers/Lyfts have been pricey/unpredictable lately I would recommend minimizing costs by being the closest you can to the activities you want to do.

 

[vicarrieous]

Perceptive from a San Diegan

I vote 4 days/3 nights in San Diego since that last day will be a travel day. The Surfliner is notorious for 1h+ delays. I would advise having no time dependent actives for that first Anaheim day or give yourself 3hrs leeway in case they decide to stop your train in between stations so you can’t even transfer to another train.

La Jolla Shores is a nice beach that is less crowded. It’s my personal favorite especially during a weekday but I like a quiet beach experience. Depending on when you are going it might be cloudy all day at the beach especially in the morning. The morning marine layer from April - June/early July can last into the afternoon.

There isn’t a lot of activities in La Jolla shores that will appeal to children unless they like water sports like snorkeling, kayaking, and surfing. As someone said the Children’s Pool is for sea lion watching. La Jolla shores will be expensive in Uber fares unless you are okay with public transit. There is now a new trolly line that will take you from the mall in La Jolla/UTC to Old Town and Downtown. So you could Uber to the mall and then use the trolley.

Also Del Mar and La Jolla shores are not that close to each other, especially traffic wise. If you are doing the Zoo and want to take the Surfliner I would stay downtown. You’ll be closer to the zoo and the Surfliner, and you’ll at least have the option to use the trolley.
Since your not renting a car (I still think you should but understand) Ubers/Lyfts have been pricey/unpredictable lately I would recommend minimizing costs by being the closest you can to the activities you want to do.

Thanks for all this information! It is super helpful and helps frame things in my mind. I really appreciate it.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Perceptive from a San Diegan

I vote 4 days/3 nights in San Diego since that last day will be a travel day. The Surfliner is notorious for 1h+ delays. I would advise having no time dependent actives for that first Anaheim day or give yourself 3hrs leeway in case they decide to stop your train in between stations so you can’t even transfer to another train.

La Jolla Shores is a nice beach that is less crowded. It’s my personal favorite especially during a weekday but I like a quiet beach experience. Depending on when you are going it might be cloudy all day at the beach especially in the morning. The morning marine layer from April - June/early July can last into the afternoon.

There isn’t a lot of activities in La Jolla shores that will appeal to children unless they like water sports like snorkeling, kayaking, and surfing. As someone said the Children’s Pool is for sea lion watching. La Jolla shores will be expensive in Uber fares unless you are okay with public transit. There is now a new trolly line that will take you from the mall in La Jolla/UTC to Old Town and Downtown. So you could Uber to the mall and then use the trolley.

Also Del Mar and La Jolla shores are not that close to each other, especially traffic wise. If you are doing the Zoo and want to take the Surfliner I would stay downtown. You’ll be closer to the zoo and the Surfliner, and you’ll at least have the option to use the trolley.
Since your not renting a car (I still think you should but understand) Ubers/Lyfts have been pricey/unpredictable lately I would recommend minimizing costs by being the closest you can to the activities you want to do.

Agree with all of this including the info on the train. It happened to us; they stopped the train within a couple hundred yards of the stop we were getting off on and we were stuck there for over an hour.

 

[DLgal]

Respectfully disagree with you DLgal. Lots of great beaches in San Diego. If you want to stay in San Diego and Uber to the beach, La Jolla shores by Scripps Pier is nice. In La Jolla proper there is less "beach" but you can rent sea kayaks there or even just go watch the sea lions. If you go down to Mission beach there is a cool old wooden roller coaster the kids would really like (plus a nice beach). You could even turn your train ride north into a beach day - any stop from San Diego up to San Juan Capistrano will put you in a classic beach town, just a short Uber ride, if not a walk to a beach. Newport is nice, but not nicer than any of those and a much bigger pain to get to. In fact, I think I'd pick Laguna or Huntington over Newport - just easier to get to and Laguna is nicer.

Agree to disagree. I find La Jolla and most other beaches in San Diego too narrow. I like the wide, soft sand beaches of Newport coast myself. I also appreciate the wider expanse of shallow water in OC. It makes for safer swimming and more consistent wave action. The water in much of San Diego has a steep drop off less than 500 feet from shore along with reefs and lots of rocky coastline. Great for kayaking, scuba diving, and exploring tide pools, not so much for just typical beach swimming, boogie boarding, etc. Like I said earlier, Coronado offers a better beach experience with the wider sandy beach and southern facing shallow water.

Newport is not a pain to get to. All you have to do is take 55 all the way and find a parking spot at any of the hundreds of meters within a block of beach access. It's such a huge beach that you can choose any location within an approximately 4 mile span to park and set up shop. We go there all the time and its easy peasy. It's a bit more tricky to get to the beaches south of the Wedge, Corona del Mar and Little Corona, but those at least have a direct access parking lot that is always easy to find a spot in.