San Diego Trip planning Help

[hehateme]

We are off to San Diego this weekend. It is a 5 day day trip but two of these will be spent traveling back and froth so we will have only 3 full days.
I wish we had one more days as San Diego has so many things to do.

DS1: Just turned 4 years. Just stopped taking naps.
DS2: 20 months old. Takes a nap between 1 and 3 pm. We are on CST so I am not sure what 2 hour time change will do to him.

We fly in on Saturday evening.
Staying at small house in Mission beach area

I have been reading this forum and trip adviser for a while so here is my short list.

1. Sea World and Spend time at the beach
2. Zoo and/or Safari : I wonder if doing both makes sense. Can I skip Zoo and just do Safari or if I should dedicate a full day to Zoo/Safari? If I do Safari what activities will be good for my kids? Can my kids do baloon ride
3. Scripps Aquarium/Seaport Village and/or La Jolla Cove
4. Is Ferri to cornado island worth it?

I will love some kid friendly restaurant suggestions as well.

I need help in determining when to do what.

It seems that my 20 month old can visit places for free. Is this correct?
I am a triple AAA member but the discount isn't great.
Mouse Saver has 3 in one pass $143 for adults and $113 for kids. It will cover zoo, zoo safari and Sea world.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for me.

[sariana]

With DC that age I would do just the zoo. Safari Park is farther north than your other activities, and I think it is better for older children/animal lovers. You wouldn't do both on the same day for sure. They are 40 minutes apart with no traffic (which is never).

Seaport Village is a quaint area, but I'm not sure how interested your young ones will be. They might like to see the boats all along the harbor area.

The zoo is located in Balboa Park, which has lots of other things to do. It's been a while since I was down there, so hopefully some San Diego folks will chime in with more ideas.

I don't know of any deals; we go to SeaWorld every year under their military deal.

I never have been to Scripps or LJ Cove, so I'm no help there.

Be sure to check the weather forecasts. San Diego has microclimates. It might be 70 degrees at SeaWorld (yes, even in August sometimes) and 95 at the zoo at the same time. Or not. Be prepared with light layers.

Have a great trip! We love San Diego.

[Tondi G]

Sea World discounts... I found this one in retail me not. CODE: SWCWESTWAYSSMR2013
SeaWorld: Save $15 Off Adult and $7 Off Child Single-Day Admission, Plus Receive a 2nd Visit Free, or Get an Adult Fun Card at the Kid's Fun Card Price. Limited Time Offer

They have the same price deal on their website, you have to pay online and print your tickets at home. http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld...om=Top_Callout

The AAA website offers 10% off or $7 off at the gate. for Sea World, AAA offers 10% off on tickets to the SD Zoo as well. I think the Zoo is a better bet with children your kiddos ages. The Safari park is a bit of a drive inland and will probably be HOT.

For restaurants

My kids love The Old Spaghetti Factory
http://www.osf.com/osf-locations/?pa...l_post&x=0&y=0

This place, Hash House a Go Go is supposed to be yummy for breakfast http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/location/

We absolutely loved a pizza place called Pizza Port, up in Carlsbad (near LEGOLAND) but they have a location in Ocean Beach now as well. The BBQ chicken pizza was delicious, liked the Caesar salad, the BBQ chicken wings... they brew beer (if you or hubby like it) and our kids loved the rootbeer on tap (yours may not drink root beer though). http://www.pizzaport.com/locations/p...t-ocean-beach/

If you go to Old Town, we enjoyed the food at the Old Town Mexican Café. http://www.oldtownmexcafe.com/

I found this website helpful when we took a trip to San Diego. Good advise on restaurants and activities etc. http://www.localwally.com/index.html

[pinay]

I would probably save the zoo and Sea World for weekdays since many districts are now back in session and that should cut down on crowds. I would definitely pick the zoo over the safari park- it's much closer to where you are and the weather will be much cooler. Be prepared to walk lots- it's very hilly. I would suggest getting a ticket that includes access to the express bus and the skyfari, that would save you from some of the hills. If you're at all interested in the pandas, I would probably do that as one of the first things, as the line can get long quickly. The elephant area is great, and they just opened the koala exhibit earlier this year so it's pretty cool. DD1 also really enjoys the reptile house and the children's zoo area.

We really enjoy Sea World and have passes so we don't have to cram everything in, but DD1 loves the Bay of Play area and they have a fun little area for toddlers to run around and play with foam blocks. If DD1 had her way, we would spend the whole day there . In terms of shows, they're all pretty good but our favorites are Pets Rule and the dolphin show. On busy days, the dolphin show can fill up, so make sure you line up early for that one if you want to see it. If you've got a napper on your hands, I would probably combine a beach visit with Sea World- do the beach in the morning, go back to your rental for naps and lunch, then head over to Sea World for the afternoon/evening.

Birch Aquarium is great but small, you can definitely do that in a couple if hours. I would combine it with La Jolla Cove or if you want another beach day, La Jolla Shores is great and has a wonderful playground right on the beach. Your 20 month old would be free at the aquarium, the zoo and sea world.

We love Coronado and the ferry is always fun, but there's not a ton of kid friendly stuff to do in the ferry landing area. The main strip is cool, but it's quite a long walk from where the ferry lets you off. We do like eating at Coronado Brewing Co there though, it's super kid friendly and has a relaxed, casual atmosphere.

Kid friendly restaurants- Corvette Diner is in the Liberty Station area and not too far from Mission Beach area. There's actually lots of good kid friendly options in that general area. Pt. Loma Seafood is delicious and super casual.

[hehateme]

We will have 2 strollers for our kids. We are staying very close to the Sea World so we can probably walk to it. Is there a place where we shouldn't take strollers with us? We also have Ergo baby carries.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions.

[essnce629]

I'm from San Diego. I live in LA now, but still go down to visit my mom and friends every 2 months or so.

I'd spend one day at the zoo and Balboa Park. Skip the Wild Animal Park because it's too far away and redundant and HOT right now.

The Reuban H. Fleet Science Center is also in Balboa Park and is great for kids. They have a cool toddler zone (Kid City) too.
http://www.rhfleet.org/

I'd skip Coronado-- I can't think of anything your kids would be interested in.

Definitely spend a full day at Sea World. Bring bathing suits and towels for the kids as there's water play areas. You can't walk there as it's off a busy multi-lane road with no pedestrian sidewalks. So you'll need to drive in and pay the $15 for parking. My kids always loved the Pet's Rule show too!

Legoland would be fun for your 4 year old. It's in Carlsbad which is about 30 minutes from Mission Beach. We're going there this weekend with my 4 and 10 year old. We've gone every year since DS2 was 3 months old. There's toddler areas too, water play zones, and a separate aquarium attached that you could go through in about an hour if you buy the park hopper pass. Bring bathing suits and towels for the kids as well.
http://california.legoland.com/

It's supposed to be pretty cool (high of 70 degrees) in SD all weekend and is supposed to rain on Sunday, so I personally would skip the beach since it's always cooler and overcast there.


So my 3 picks would be the zoo, Sea World, and Legoland! All three places are very stroller friendly as well.

Definitely check the weather each day though because if it ends up raining you'll have to pick something else that is indoors, like the Reuban H. Fleet Science Center or an indoor play place. My absolute favorite is Kid Ventures in Pacific Beach right off the 5 freeway and Garnet exit. We've had two of DS2's birthday parties there. BUT you can only go during the week or Sat mornings since Sat afternoons and Sun are reserved for parties.
http://www.indoorplaysandiego.com/