San Diego/ Disneyland trip questions?

[rsleleux]

My family, DH and DS5 and myself are planning a trip in May for 4nts in San Diego (well we are staying in LaJolla) and 3 nts in Disneyland! Our plan is have a rental car and visit Coronado, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo/Balboa Park and Legoland. I'm sure I have too much on my agenda already and that's why my questions are is it possible too see so much in so little time?
On the first day we plan to fly into San Diego early am and drive to Coronado Island. The next day is a Sunday and I would like to visit Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo. It will be mothers day. I am hoping to visit the zoo in the morning and then visit museums until they close then head to hotel in La Jolla. How is traffic? What kind of traffic should I expect getting to parks? The next day we are going to Legoland and I am hoping to start out at Safari Park till noon and then do Legoland until they close. I am figuring since it is a Monday it may not be as packed? Then on Tuesday, we go to Seaworld! Wednesday we will have breakfast in LaJolla and head out to Anaheim hopefully after rush hour! What would be a good time to leave La Jolla and drive to Anaheim to avoid heavy traffic since we can get there at anytime! Our only plans while in Anaheim are DL and DCA! We visit WDW every year since it is in driving distance and this is our first trip to DL! We are super excited! Also we were only able to get flights in and out of San Diego so we have to travel back down I5 on Saturday for an afternoon flight. Is traffic better on weekends? Thanks for all input! If you think it is possible or not to do 2 things like zoo/museums and safari park/ lego land? We plan to be at the parks when they open but I know I can't control traffic! Any help is appreciated!

 

[sonnyjane]

My family, DH and DS5 and myself are planning a trip in May for 4nts in San Diego (well we are staying in LaJolla) and 3 nts in Disneyland! Our plan is have a rental car and visit Coronado, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo/Balboa Park and Legoland. I'm sure I have too much on my agenda already and that's why my questions are is it possible too see so much in so little time?
On the first day we plan to fly into San Diego early am and drive to Coronado Island. The next day is a Sunday and I would like to visit Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo. It will be mothers day. I am hoping to visit the zoo in the morning and then visit museums until they close then head to hotel in La Jolla. How is traffic? What kind of traffic should I expect getting to parks? The next day we are going to Legoland and I am hoping to start out at Safari Park till noon and then do Legoland until they close. I am figuring since it is a Monday it may not be as packed? Then on Tuesday, we go to Seaworld! Wednesday we will have breakfast in LaJolla and head out to Anaheim hopefully after rush hour! What would be a good time to leave La Jolla and drive to Anaheim to avoid heavy traffic since we can get there at anytime! Our only plans while in Anaheim are DL and DCA! We visit WDW every year since it is in driving distance and this is our first trip to DL! We are super excited! Also we were only able to get flights in and out of San Diego so we have to travel back down I5 on Saturday for an afternoon flight. Is traffic better on weekends? Thanks for all input! If you think it is possible or not to do 2 things like zoo/museums and safari park/ lego land? We plan to be at the parks when they open but I know I can't control traffic! Any help is appreciated!

Alrighty!

Let's get started.

First of all, I think you're being overly ambitious. The zoo is a full-day park. The Safari Park is a full-day park or at least several hours. Legoland is definitely a full-day park. Add to that that the Safari Park and Legoland, while both in North County, are still 40 minutes apart from each other, so you'd have to include that in your timeframe. You'd be doing a rush job and missing a lot of things at all of those parks if you try to pair them with another park in the same day.

As far as your traffic on Sunday, it will be light. Weekend traffic is pretty light down here. When you leave La Jolla for Anaheim, I'd just recommend leaving around 10 to really miss traffic. Maybe grab a nice breakfast in the morning. I will make one suggestion though - if you're not set on doing both the Safari Park AND Legoland, then I would leave La Jolla in the morning and do Legoland for the full day, since it's in between La Jolla and Anaheim. Then I would drive after Legoland and arrive at Anaheim that evening. That way you're moving in the same direction without back-tracking too much, since Legoland is 40 minutes north of La Jolla.

 

[endy]

Sonnyjane is right on the money.
Safari and LL on the same day? With a 5 yr old LL is a full day to enjoy it all. We've been to both several times and spent the whole day at each. LL is way to expensive to only spend a couple of hours and miss half of it. Check LL hours as they have early closing times during the week.
From LaJolla to LL and then to Anaheim makes the most sense, no extra driving.
Instead of Safari Park have you considered Birch Aquarium? It's in LaJolla and good for a couple of hours. I love all the different types of seahorses, they have a great hands on section for kids.
What are you doing in Coronado to spend the whole day there? We've drove around a few times but never stopped anywhere. They have some beatuiful houses. Accidently turned into the base one time. Whoops, tourist with Canadian plates.
I would do your Sat, Sun at the zoo, Mon at SW, Tues Birch Aquarium, LaJolla coves to see the sea lions and tide pools (find out the tide schedules so you see the tide pools), Wed LL and Anaheim.

 

[sonnyjane]

Endy, don't forget that Legoland has an aquarium now too, so if the OP gets a "hopper" for Legoland and SeaLife, they can skip Birch, especially since they will also be visiting Sea World the day before... (that's a lot of aquatic life lol).

 

[Disneylandfan1]

I am trying to plan a San Diego/Disneyland trip as well and here's what I've learned:

Legoland is CLOSED on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the slower season, until after Memorial Day weekend. Otherwise I would have also suggested doing Legoland on your way to Anaheim, but you can't. Legoland will have to be Sun or Mon during your trip.

Seaworld has slightly longer hours on the weekends if that matters to you, so perhaps hit that park on Sunday (check the park hours). Zoo hours seem to be the same every day. However, if traffic is better on Sunday, you may want to drive to Legoland on Sunday. If your flight on Saturday arrives early enough, you could just go to the Zoo that day. If you can do the Zoo on Saturday then perhaps do 3 nights in San Diego and 4 nights in Disneyland:

Sat: Zoo and museums
Sun: Seaworld or Legoland
Mon: Seaworld or Legoland
Tues: Check out of San Diego hotel, drive to Safari Park and explore for a few hours, then head to Anaheim (I think the Safari Park is a bit out of the way, so not sure if this would work).

If you would rather stick with 4 nights in San Diego, then on Wednesday I would head directly to Anaheim after breakfast, check into your hotel, and hit the parks as soon as possible!

The possibilities with trip planning are endless.

 

[llump41]

If you do the zoo skip the safari park.

The zoo and museums may be difficult. Both close at roughly 5ish. But if you find you've finished early at the zoo try a museum or 2. The Natural History Museum is a short walk from the zoo. Depending on your parking spot, it might even be closer than your car.

 

[rsleleux]

Thanks! I did think it sounded a bit ambitious and that's why I decided to ask the experts! I can't really do any of the parks on Saturday because that is the day we are flying in and we have dinner reservations at Coronado Island, so that is why I choose to go there on that day. We really won't be there the whole day, just late afternoon and for dinner. We have purchased the San Diego Go card for 3 days once we start on Sunday we are done by Wednesday. My plan was to have breakfast and explore La Jolla at our leisure before leaving for Anaheim since the past 3 days were at the Parks! The reason I choose LegoLand on Monday is because they are closed on Tues and Wednesday and the reason I choose zoo on Sunday is to avoid rush hour traffic during week and since SeaWorld opens at 10 am, so that wasn't really an issue. I did plan to visit the zoo the majority of the day and catch a museum if possible before leaving. I did realize that the Safari park was not possible to accomplish the whole park, I figured we would go there first and just do safari run and explore one area and leave by lunch but maybe that's not a good option. I didn't realize Legoland was an all day thing, but that's why I asked before we went that route and realized we made a mistake. They were both options on the Go card and since they were in the same direction, I considered it! After posting it, I started thinking that with morning traffic we probably wouldn't make it to Safari Park when it opens anyway. Thank you all for your help! I do appreciate it!

 

[rsleleux]

Oh, I forgot to add our flight is not that early am like I posted it arrives at 11:30 am so that's not early at all! LOL I guess while I was typing I typed "early" because that was my plan for the rest of our time there!

 

[rsleleux]

Sonnyjane is right on the money.
Safari and LL on the same day? With a 5 yr old LL is a full day to enjoy it all. We've been to both several times and spent the whole day at each. LL is way to expensive to only spend a couple of hours and miss half of it. Check LL hours as they have early closing times during the week.
From LaJolla to LL and then to Anaheim makes the most sense, no extra driving.
Instead of Safari Park have you considered Birch Aquarium? It's in LaJolla and good for a couple of hours. I love all the different types of seahorses, they have a great hands on section for kids.
What are you doing in Coronado to spend the whole day there? We've drove around a few times but never stopped anywhere. They have some beatuiful houses. Accidently turned into the base one time. Whoops, tourist with Canadian plates.
I would do your Sat, Sun at the zoo, Mon at SW, Tues Birch Aquarium, LaJolla coves to see the sea lions and tide pools (find out the tide schedules so you see the tide pools), Wed LL and Anaheim.

How do I find out the tide schedules? I planned to visit the coves on Wednesday before we leave! We will have breakfast and explore La Jolla on that day!

 

[Huff]

As others have stated, zoo, safari park, legoland and sea world are all full day parks.

Zoo, if you arrive early you could go to the museums after sundown depending on how late the museums are open. Its a huge zoo, much larger than most.

Safari Park has plenty to see and do from opening till at least 3-4pm. I can't see going just for a 2 or 3 hours.

Sea World is easily a full day park. Depending on season there are 4 or 5 shows to see. In spring and summer when the park is open later there will be night versions of the sea lion and shamu shows which are quite different than day time and worth seeing. Shows, a few rides and all the exhibits make it a full day park.

 

[Huff]

Endy, don't forget that Legoland has an aquarium now too, so if the OP gets a "hopper" for Legoland and SeaLife, they can skip Birch, especially since they will also be visiting Sea World the day before... (that's a lot of aquatic life lol).

Birch for us is much more interesting than SeaLife as its a working lab with a lot of history behind it while Sea Life is more of a tourist attraction with several around the country. Theres also the aquarium at Long Beach, not far from Disneyland. But I agree, if OP is limited on time and already going to LegoLand then SeaLife would be a great alternative.

 

[llump41]

www.hribar.com/san-diego-tide-chart.html

 

[rsleleux]

www.hribar.com/san-diego-tide-chart.html

THanks!!

 

[endy]

That darn LL with it's days closed during the week. Really tho from LaJolla to LL is not much more than a half hour drive. At LL (if they still have it) my son loved eating at the sports place. It has a buffet for kids only, burgers, dogs, mac & cheese, fries, salad. You have to try the apple fries for a snack.

I love all marine life and being in land locked Alberta we don't see much. I grew up on the east coast with relatives who earned a living from the sea.
We went to Sea Life a couple of times and while it's ok especially with younger kids I prefer Birch Aquarium and Long Beach. With your ds being 5 I think that Sea Life will be just right, not too detailed and made for that age group. It will cost $9 to upgrade to do Sealife with the go card.

Now, after more than a dozen trips to SD we seem to take our time and not rush around as much. We don't do it all on one trip anymore. I'd move to SD in a flash if I could.

Great deal with the Go card. You can do lots in a short time and not worry about admission if you just want to spend a few hours at each. OK I just looked up the go card. Wow that's a lot of stuff available for 3 days definetly tough to choose what to do.
Have you checked into the city pass card? You get 3 days at Disney, SW, zoo and more. I saw it on the Costco site recently.
Also the Entertainment Book has coupons for most of these places, some are save $10 some are less. Last year it had a 2 for 1 for Long Beach, great deal when it's around $25/adult. I think the go card is likely the best deal.

I agree with the PP about Long Beach aquarium. Loved it too. And Bubba Gump's right across the street, it was our first time eating there. Funny how you can go admire and enjoy all the fish swimming around and then go to a seafood restaurant, I had a burger.

Your motel should also know when to see the tide pools or a call to Birch as they have the charts at the customer desk. Or check the chart by PP.

I miss when my ds15 was still considered a child to get the kid deals.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

Thanks! I did think it sounded a bit ambitious and that's why I decided to ask the experts! I can't really do any of the parks on Saturday because that is the day we are flying in and we have dinner reservations at Coronado Island, so that is why I choose to go there on that day. We really won't be there the whole day, just late afternoon and for dinner. We have purchased the San Diego Go card for 3 days once we start on Sunday we are done by Wednesday. My plan was to have breakfast and explore La Jolla at our leisure before leaving for Anaheim since the past 3 days were at the Parks! The reason I choose LegoLand on Monday is because they are closed on Tues and Wednesday and the reason I choose zoo on Sunday is to avoid rush hour traffic during week and since SeaWorld opens at 10 am, so that wasn't really an issue. I did plan to visit the zoo the majority of the day and catch a museum if possible before leaving. I did realize that the Safari park was not possible to accomplish the whole park, I figured we would go there first and just do safari run and explore one area and leave by lunch but maybe that's not a good option. I didn't realize Legoland was an all day thing, but that's why I asked before we went that route and realized we made a mistake. They were both options on the Go card and since they were in the same direction, I considered it! After posting it, I started thinking that with morning traffic we probably wouldn't make it to Safari Park when it opens anyway. Thank you all for your help! I do appreciate it!

From La Jolla to the Safari Park, you would be going against traffic not with it, it should take 40 to 60 minutes depending on your route.

That darn LL with it's days closed during the week. Really tho from LaJolla to LL is not much more than a half hour drive. At LL (if they still have it) my son loved eating at the sports place. It has a buffet for kids only, burgers, dogs, mac & cheese, fries, salad. You have to try the apple fries for a snack.

I love all marine life and being in land locked Alberta we don't see much. I grew up on the east coast with relatives who earned a living from the sea.
We went to Sea Life a couple of times and while it's ok especially with younger kids I prefer Birch Aquarium and Long Beach. With your ds being 5 I think that Sea Life will be just right, not too detailed and made for that age group. It will cost $9 to upgrade to do Sealife with the go card.

Now, after more than a dozen trips to SD we seem to take our time and not rush around as much. We don't do it all on one trip anymore. I'd move to SD in a flash if I could.

Great deal with the Go card. You can do lots in a short time and not worry about admission if you just want to spend a few hours at each. OK I just looked up the go card. Wow that's a lot of stuff available for 3 days definetly tough to choose what to do.
Have you checked into the city pass card? You get 3 days at Disney, SW, zoo and more. I saw it on the Costco site recently.
Also the Entertainment Book has coupons for most of these places, some are save $10 some are less. Last year it had a 2 for 1 for Long Beach, great deal when it's around $25/adult. I think the go card is likely the best deal.

I agree with the PP about Long Beach aquarium. Loved it too. And Bubba Gump's right across the street, it was our first time eating there. Funny how you can go admire and enjoy all the fish swimming around and then go to a seafood restaurant, I had a burger.

Your motel should also know when to see the tide pools or a call to Birch as they have the charts at the customer desk. Or check the chart by PP.

I miss when my ds15 was still considered a child to get the kid deals.

One thing to remember with the City Pass is that the Zoo is no longer a part of the regular pass. You have to upgrade to get the Zoo or Safari Park, and you don't get both parks, whereas with the GO Card both are included.

 

[rsleleux]

I will look into Birch Aquarium, sounds different than most and I think I would like it! We are in La Jolla so it should be easy to do! Thanks Again for all input, it is greatly appreciated! I have one more question. On the day we go to LL, it will open at 10 am so we should not experience any traffic issues going there, however if it does take a full day we will be coming home in it and I would prefer to avoid that! My question is: Is there anything in that area to do out there to pass time while waiting for traffic to pass? Even hitting a restaurant at the beach? (since my idea of hitting the Safari Park is out and even that would have us coming back in traffic)

 

[rsleleux]

I have already purchased the San Diego Go card and we purchased it through my husbands work so it was a little more discounted rate, so it definitely was the best deal for us! It has so many options and that's why I was overly ambitious to do so much! If I had to pay admission to each place, I definitely wouldn't be running in and out places after a couple of hours! I do plan on arriving at the opening of each park but I don't want to rush around and not enjoy any of it just to get my moneys worth, I've already gotten a deal with seeing the Zoo, SW and LL! If I get to see a museum then great, if not it's no biggie. We are going to the Zoo to see Pandas and Koalas, my son's school mascot is a Panda so that is a must do for us! I know the zoo will take majority of the day but I think we will be done before it closes at 5 and I'm hoping to make it to the Reuben Fleet Science museum before it closes at 6! I really do think my son will love LL. I will definitely try the apple fries! I checked out the website and it is way bigger than I thought. I expected to walk around a see what is in miniland and that's it. I had no idea! I wish I could have purchased the 5 day card through my husbands work cause there is so much to see but that wasn't an option. What time does it get dark, I hope we have some time for the beach! The birch aquarium is also on the card and we are staying in La Jolla, maybe we could get there when it opens at 9am before heading out? So much to do in San Diego with so little time! Looks like the Disney part of our trip will be the relaxing part?

 

[Camonkeygirl]

Be prepared for some construction at the Zoo. We are working on a new home for the Koalas and other Australian animals that is scheduled to last until mid 2013. Right now the Koalas are off exhibit, but they are starting work on a temporary exhibit by the polar bears, but have not heard when they will be able to have the Koalas on exhibit. Most of the other construction that is going on, should be done by May.

 

[rsleleux]

Be prepared for some construction at the Zoo. We are working on a new home for the Koalas and other Australian animals that is scheduled to last until mid 2013. Right now the Koalas are off exhibit, but they are starting work on a temporary exhibit by the polar bears, but have not heard when they will be able to have the Koalas on exhibit. Most of the other construction that is going on, should be done by May.

So the koalas are not on exhibit? I was hoping to see the koalas while we were there!

 

[rsleleux]

Thanks Camonkeygirl for preparing me!