san diego vacation: lego land or sea world?

[salsah]

we are planning to go to san diego early next month. dd1 will be 3 1/2 yrs old and dd2 will be 14 mo. should we go to lego land or sea world? i ruled out the sd zoo and disney land because i don't think that dd1 will appreciate either one yet. i would also like to spend some time at the beach, coronado maybe? any suggestions?

[Piglet]

We chose Seaworld when DS1 was 5 and DS2 was 19 months. We are glad we did - Seaworld was great for everyone in our group (we went with my parents). DH and DS1 went to Legoland and they liked it, but Seaworld was the better choice as a family they felt. At Seaworld there was enough for DS2 to enjoy while sgtill being fun for the grown ups.

[mom2binsd]

If you ruled out the zoo/Disney...I think SeaWorld would be your best bet....Legoland is up north of city....quite aways in traffic and your little one won't really get much out of it and I've heard mixed review from folks...SeaWorld is more expensive than the Zoo (which was my fav when I lived there)..butthere is lots to see at SeaWorld...Coronado beach is wonderful...good for small children as it's very flat, clean, the sand is full of "gold" and the waves are gentle but the ocean is pretty chilly...check out the Seals up in LaJolla at the Children's Pool...just look for the people looking down at the water....some days its a wonderful sight!

I think your little ones would both love the zoo though..lots of animals to see closeup....the zoo is pretty hilly but doable with a stroller. Nearby Balboa Park is also a great place for walks, has an old fashioned carresol (sp?), SeaPort Village is also cute, ducks and stuff for kids to see, the large navy ships in the Bay....and the seagulls!

Enjoy the city....I sure miss it, but not the traffic or housing prices!

[egoldber]

We went to Seaworld, Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Legoland and Coronado Beach in August. :)

I would not do Legoland with kids that age. It was pretty perfect for my almost 7 year old, but there was almost nothing that my 21 month old could do.

For those ages I would do the zoo or Seaworld. Actually I would most recommend Disneyland for that age. Not sure why you think that would not be a good choice?

[MarisaSF]

of those two choices, Seaworld! :)

we love the SD zoo too and have season passes to both with kids the same age. Just got back from seaworld, actually. Love it! :) enjoy your trip!

[pinay]

I think Sea World would be great for both of your kids- there's the Bay of Play which has rides that they could both go on, plus there's a little soft play area for the younger one to safely play in. If you are planning on going during a weekday, the shows shouldn't be too busy- I'd suggest hitting up the first Shamu show of the day if you are there in time. My DD is 16 mths old and she LOVES Sea World!

Coronado is a fabulous beach for families- my only concern would be that the beach is VERY wide and if you have a lot of stuff, it's a bit of a walk through the sand. La Jolla Shores is also great for families, and if you're staying further north, Solana Beach and Moonlight Beach in Encinitas are smaller, family friendly spots to check out as well.

[salsah]

Actually I would most recommend Disneyland for that age. Not sure why you think that would not be a good choice?

i've heard that disney is better for 4 or 5 year olds (not younger than four) so i figure that it will make sense to wait a couple of years and go when dd1 is 5 or 6 and dd2 is 3 or 4 so that they can both enjoy it more.

[salsah]

sounds like sea world is more appropriate. any other suggestions? i'm a little nervous that dd1 might not enjoy sea world for the same reason that i ruled out the zoo -- she doesn't seem interested in animals. we have a couple of mini zoos in our area, one is part of a small amusement park and the other is part of a children's musuem. we go to these places frequently but dd always spends most or all of the time at the other attractions. if she does go to the zoo area, she speeds thru it maybe spending some time in the petting area. we have thought about taking her to one of the large zoos in our area but based on our experience with the small ones, we are not very motivated. i would rather do the sd zoo when she is older or when dd2 is older and at least she might enjoy it too.

well, thanks for the suggestions and keep them coming.

[hellokitty]

Maybe it was just us, but we were disappointed in SD's sea world. Years ago, there used to be a SW in OH and I loved going there. We thought the one in SD would be better than the one in OH, and it seemed like the park was not even fully functional. They have a kids section that was closed, I think that would have been the one thing my kids would have liked. The only show they enjoyed was the seal/otter show b/c it was really goofy. They didn't like the dolphin or shamu show and frankly I thought that the shamu show was really corny compared to how they used to do the show yrs ago w/o a storyline and the big screen tv. We wanted to go to legoland so bad, I think my kids would have enjoyed it, but it was closed due to the fires (last oct), so we did an extra day at WDL instead. If you can go to WDL, you should do it. Everyone in the family loved it. It's not that far from SD. We also liked wild animal park, but skipped the zoo, b/c we only had a limited # of days so couldn't do everything.

I will say that the coolest thing at SW was the tidal pool where they let you pick up the starfish. My son who was 3.5 at the time LOVES sea animals, and got such a kick out of that. Now, when we go to our local zoo, they will only let him pet the starfish with one finger and he still wants to pick it up. So, b/c my son is so crazy about sea animals, that is one reason why we were disappointed in SW, it didn't really live up to our expectations and overall was a waste of $. We probably would have better going to the children's beach and letting them explore there for free...

Oh, if you are in SD and your kids like trains. Go to balboa park and ride their miniature train. My kids LOVED that. They also loved the train museum... but they are train freaks, and I'm not a train freak, but even I thought that the train museum was pretty cool. Your baby won't be into it, but your 3.5 yr old might light it if she likes trains.

[egoldber]

If your older DD is not into animals then there is very little point in going to Seaworld.

I know that people tend to have strong opinions on this, but I really think that DL is your best bet for your interests. Your kids will be able to ride almost all the rides (except for the coaster type rides) and your 3.5 year old may be able to do many of those too depending on their height. Personally, I think Disney parks are some of the best around for having rides and attractions that almost everyone can participate in. JMO.

[salsah]

that is how we feel. in fact after talking to dh about it last night, we are thinking that maybe we shouldn't go to sd. we chose sd because dh and i like sd and there are things for kids there too. but now we are thinking that the kids will not enjoy the sd options enough to make it worth it. disney land is probably the best option for our kids but dh thinks it is a waste to take them now while they are this young, he feels that we should wait until they are 3 and 5. so while sea world or the zoo will be more age appropriate, i think that it will also be a waste. dh and i will be exhausted and the kids will be bored. we will all be happier staying at home relaxing at near by beaches and taking the kids to local amusement parks that are appropriate for their age. i think that we can reconsider sd after we take them to our local zoo and aquarium. if they like those, then we can plan a sd trip and do the zoo or sea world.

so, now i need to find another vacation destination!