travel day from SD to DL.....what to do?

[KyMattDisney]

Hi there...I previously posted the Legoland vs Wild Animal Park thread...but now I am thinking maybe we need a more relaxful day on Monday instead of doing another park..........reminder
Fri-arrival from NJ
Sat-Zoo/Padres
Sun-SeaWorld
Monday-travel to Anaheim in afternoon/early evening...then Tues-Sun AM Disneyland......

Instead of doing another park...what other local sights, either in SD or on the way to Anaheim...I think as part of our package we get an old trolley tour.....any other thoughts....want to try to enjoy the West Coast since this is our first trip out here!! Also...I don't know how long it would take to see all of Legoland and then get on the road without much traffic.

Thanks...

My boys ages are 10 & 6.....

 

[abby]

From S.D drive up the coast, you go past some beautiful beaches, spend a few hours there, and enjoy the sights. LAjolla (sp?) is great.

 

[psimon]

Hi there...I previously posted the Legoland vs Wild Animal Park thread...but now I am thinking maybe we need a more relaxful day on Monday instead of doing another park..........reminder
Fri-arrival from NJ
Sat-Zoo/Padres
Sun-SeaWorld
Monday-travel to Anaheim in afternoon/early evening...then Tues-Sun AM Disneyland......

Instead of doing another park...what other local sights, either in SD or on the way to Anaheim...I think as part of our package we get an old trolley tour.....any other thoughts....want to try to enjoy the West Coast since this is our first trip out here!! Also...I don't know how long it would take to see all of Legoland and then get on the road without much traffic.

Thanks...

My boys ages are 10 & 6.....

Your plans sound awfully similar to ours. We are flying in (from NJ) on a Friday. Visiting the SD Zoo on Saturday, but heading north on Sunday to spend 5 days in the Anaheim area. Flying back home on Saturday with a day to recoup.

Are you flying into SD or LA? From Philadelphia I found a much better selection of flights and prices to LAX and driving to SD than to fly into SD.

Since it appears you hare heading west much sooner than I (we are going over the Teacher's Convention week), you can do the research for me

Looking forward to hearing about your thoughts and experiences....

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[KyMattDisney]

Hi Paul from Southern Jersey...where in Southern Jersey. I am from Jackson NJ.

Anyway we are flying into San Diego from Newark and then home from Orange County back into Newark. Just seemed easier that way.

I will let you know some tips when I return. take care

Barbara, Jackson NJ

 

[Magix]

Do you like old ships? In SD, you could visit the Maritime Museum - they have the HMS Surprise from "Master & Commander" which offers a full exhibit below decks about the movie and Royal Navy life. Plus, they have a few other ships of interest. Also, the USS Midway is a short walk away and it's a museum now, too.

Or... there's a great old wooden roller coaster (The Giant Dipper) not far from Sea World, right on the beach.

Or... you could stop off at Mission San Juan Capistrano on your way up to Anaheim and get a look at one of the finest examples of California's historic missions (and the swallows are due back now).

Or... you could come all the way up, check into your hotel, and then visit shopping/dining locations like The Block of Orange or South Coast Plaza.

Or... you could take a drive from Anaheim down to the beach and visit Balboa. Dining at Ruby's on the pier is always fun.

Just a few suggestions.

 

[princesses2]

We are doing almost the exact same thing as you are. We are going to the zoo on Saturday, Legoland on Sunday, SeaWorld on Monday and relaxing day at Coronado beach on Tuesday. Then we head up to DL early Wed. morning. I also read LaJolla is beautiful.

 

[lark]

One thing that we love is the train ride up the coast. There is a train station right in Anaheim, about a $7 cab ride to the hotels near disney.

What I'm about to suggest may require a little more transactions that you're inclined to do, and some of it will depend on your car rental plans, but for the age of your children, it might be a really fun day.

From wherever you're staying, I would join up with the pacific coast highway -- the 101 -- just north of La Jolla, which is just north of San Diego. The PCH runs about 30 miles from La Jolla up to Oceanside, and there's something like a half dozen little beach towns -- each with its own personality -- up the coast. (After Oceanside, you hit an expanse of federal land -- camp pendleton -- and there's really nothing there until you approach Orange County.) It's a very fun drive, and there are great things to do all along the way. You could have a fun lunch at a hip fish taco stand, or a more refined lunch at one of the nice restaurants in Del Mar. You can hang out a little bit at the beach -- Carlsbad may be the nicest for a family -- or on the off chance you're there during racing season, you could even check out the glitz and pomp at the Del Mar racetrack.

The Pacific Surfliner train runs from the Oceanside station up to Disneyland, and it's easy to drop off a rental car from Hertz at the Oceanside station. It's a great train ride, with a few spots right over the ocean -- sit on the left side of the train. When you get to Anaheim, it's easy to get a cab to your hotel, and once in Anaheim, if you need another rental car, it's a snap to get one that you can drop off the airport.

If you've got a great weekly deal on a rental car, this might not make sense, and it does involve a few extra transactions, plus getting on a train with all your luggage. Also, since you live in the northeast corridor, trains might not be a big deal to your kids, but 6 and 10 are good ages for train rides, and this particular stretch of track is pretty nice.

Other things to consider are the museums in Balboa park or the scripps aquarium near La Jolla, although that's kind of anticlimactic after sea world.

 

[Redcon1]

Lark,
Do you know anything about the Coaster that runs from Oceanside down to San Diego?
We're staying in Carlsbad and thought about one of the days, instead of driving, taking the Coaster to Old Town. According to their website, there is a station that's called Old Town, but I'm not sure how near it actually is to the tourist stuff. Also, I couldn't find anything about child fares. Do you know if they're offered? My DS is five, so he should be able to ride for free, but my DD is seven and looks like she'll have to pay full price. Just trying to budget to see if it would be worth it for one day.
Thanks.

 

[psimon]

Hi Paul from Southern Jersey...where in Southern Jersey. I am from Jackson NJ.

Anyway we are flying into San Diego from Newark and then home from Orange County back into Newark. Just seemed easier that way.

I will let you know some tips when I return. take care

Barbara, Jackson NJ

You are correct... it would be easier..... but I found that Southwest (the cheapest from PHL) only has non-stops to LAX, and the rental cars were a little cheaper in LAX as well.

We are in Cherry Hill..... a short jaunt down the NJTPK from you!


---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[lark]

Lark,
Do you know anything about the Coaster that runs from Oceanside down to San Diego?
We're staying in Carlsbad and thought about one of the days, instead of driving, taking the Coaster to Old Town. According to their website, there is a station that's called Old Town, but I'm not sure how near it actually is to the tourist stuff. Also, I couldn't find anything about child fares. Do you know if they're offered? My DS is five, so he should be able to ride for free, but my DD is seven and looks like she'll have to pay full price. Just trying to budget to see if it would be worth it for one day.
Thanks.

The coaster is great, but I've never walked around the old town station, I've only changed trains there, so I'm not really sure if you can walk to touristy stuff. Just looking at the map, it looks like you should be able to, but it might be a dicey neighborhood. We usually stay in Carlsbad too, and we ride the coaster, but we usually just do a round trip, because the goal is the train ride not really going anywhere. (The stretch between Old Town and Sorento Valley is unbelievable. There are times when you are literally hanging right above the ocean with nothing between the train and the beach.) So we usually try to time it so that we can jump off the train at one station after going south and just jump back on going north. It's harder to do that with the new schedule than it used to be.

I do know that the old town station also is a transit center for the trolly trains, which you can transfer too and take you all over the area, so even if there's nothing you want to do near Old Town, you can easily transfer. In my experience, the trains down there are pretty timely, particularly in rush hour on work days.

You get one child 5 or under free with each adult. Over five pays full fare, I'm pretty sure. During weekdays or on baseball game days, there's usually a security/police officer at the station in Carlsbad who can give you info.

 

[almostGoofy]

Your boys might like the Birch Aqurium at the Scripps Institution. It's located in La Jolla and is associated with the University of California at San Diego. Besides the usual fishes and sharks, they also have a really nice display of sea horses which are not that common in the U.S. They're only allowed into the U.S. with a special permit. They also have an exhibt about earthquakes which includes a room you stand in for an earthquake simulation.

The aqurium is not that big so it'll only take a couple of hours to visit.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

 

[Tink33]

I don't think the station in Old Town is too far. My DD's class took a field trip on the Coaster and went to the historical park in Old Town. I will ask her about the walk and post her answer.

 

[wdw4life]

The trolley tour is a lot of fun. It lets you see a lot of different sites. Old Town State Park, Seaport Village, Horton Plaza, Coronado Island, Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, Aerospace Museum, Lindbergh Field, Naval Station San Diego, Balboa Park, El Prado, Heritage Park, Star of India, Whaley House.The nice thing about it is you can get off at any of the stops and get back on the next trolley when you are done looking around. I've enjoyed it whenever I've been down there.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Lark,
Do you know anything about the Coaster that runs from Oceanside down to San Diego?
We're staying in Carlsbad and thought about one of the days, instead of driving, taking the Coaster to Old Town. According to their website, there is a station that's called Old Town, but I'm not sure how near it actually is to the tourist stuff. Also, I couldn't find anything about child fares. Do you know if they're offered? My DS is five, so he should be able to ride for free, but my DD is seven and looks like she'll have to pay full price. Just trying to budget to see if it would be worth it for one day.
Thanks.

We have done this many times and it's very easy. The Old Town station is a very short walk under a tunnel to the Bazzar Del Mundo. We usually take an early afternoon train down and have dinner at one of the Mexican resturaunts and then catch the last train back. It's a great trip , take a deck of cards and play go fish or something on the way down.