Port of San Diego

[MoyCoy]

We booked one night before the cruise at 139 at BW and booked 125 after the cruise for 125 a night. We disembark 12/21 but to fly hm is crazy expensive  . And I only need to fly to Seattle! We chose to stay till 12/24 when prices come down. We were thinking about staying at marina BW on a Island for $95 a night.

But was not sure how convenient that would be if we did not rent a car.

So we booked the same pre stay hotel. BW Bayside for $125 a night. They will also puck us up from the port after the cruise. I have 8 year old twins and I am looking for cheap things to do . Any suggestions would be awesome.  The kids love the water and the ocean. Should I reconsider and stay on Coronado? Or just take a uber there from BW Bayside  ? I am looking forward to seeing the boat light Christmas show. I hope its walking distance from the hotel .

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

You don't need to stay on Coronado. You probably wouldn't get as big a bargain as you are at the BWP Bayside Inn. If you had a car, the BWP Island Palm is great, but a pain with out a rental car or boat.

 

There will be ice skating on the beach at the Hotel del Coronado and ice skating in Liberty Station Rady Children's Ice Rink. Hotel del Coronado will also be in spectacular Christmas mode with their Victorian theme.

 

The SD Zoo will have "Jungle Bells" going on in Dec. too. Balboa Park, where the Zoo is, has at least 15 other museums. The Spreckles Theater will have its production of The Nutcracker going on during your stay.

 

Just tons, tons, tons of events happening.

[Nymich]

What is in the area within walking distance by the Wyndham Bayside?

 

  We get in real late but then have one full day with an overnight.  

 

Best places to grab a quick light lunch and ideas for light dinner?

 

Is there a grocery store in that area ?  If so we may  go there to pick up some light snacks.    We are not going to want to eat too much because we will be out cruising Saturday with plenty to eat!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

47 minutes ago, Nymich said:

What is in the area within walking distance by the Wyndham Bayside? We get in real late but then have one full day with an overnight. Best places to grab a quick light lunch and ideas for light dinner? Is there a grocery store in that area ?  If so we may  go there to pick up some light snacks. We are not going to want to eat too much because we will be out cruising Saturday with plenty to eat!

 

Across the street is the SD Maritime Museum (ships); down the street is the USS Midway; a harbor cruise from Flagship. For dining, you are two blocks from Little Italy, with more restaurants than can be named. There is also a Rite Aid one block away with good snacks and a good wine selection. Nearest grocery store is probably Ralph's that is about 1 mile.

[Nymich]

9 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

Across the street is the SD Maritime Museum (ships); down the street is the USS Midway; a harbor cruise from Flagship. For dining, you are two blocks from Little Italy, with more restaurants than can be named. There is also a Rite Aid one block away with good snacks and a good wine selection. Nearest grocery store is probably Ralph's that is about 1 mile.

You are a great asset to this thread.  Thank You

[Splinter]

On 8/27/2019 at 8:22 PM, Nymich said:

I am responding to my own post in hopes one of the San Diego experts will let me know what you think.

I wouldn't risk it. San Diego port is notorious for long delays in disembarkation, often due to foreign nationals not following directions for clearing US Immigration on-board the ship. No one can get off until all of these passengers have cleared.  It is common to not be able to get off until after 9 or even 10AM.  In addition, TSA in San Diego is not very efficient, with not enough stations for all the passengers, so you may have to wait in line for 30 minutes or longer.  I wouldn't book a flight before noon.

[Nymich]

12 minutes ago, Splinter said:

I wouldn't risk it. San Diego port is notorious for long delays in disembarkation, often due to foreign nationals not following directions for clearing US Immigration on-board the ship. No one can get off until all of these passengers have cleared.  It is common to not be able to get off until after 9 or even 10AM.  In addition, TSA in San Diego is not very efficient, with not enough stations for all the passengers, so you may have to wait in line for 30 minutes or longer.  I wouldn't book a flight before noon.

Thanks for the great response I will book it for around 2.

[Splinter]

On 8/28/2019 at 5:41 PM, MoyCoy said:

We booked one night before the cruise at 139 at BW and booked 125 after the cruise for 125 a night. We disembark 12/21 but to fly hm is crazy expensive  . And I only need to fly to Seattle! We chose to stay till 12/24 when prices come down. We were thinking about staying at marina BW on a Island for $95 a night.

But was not sure how convenient that would be if we did not rent a car.

So we booked the same pre stay hotel. BW Bayside for $125 a night. They will also puck us up from the port after the cruise. I have 8 year old twins and I am looking for cheap things to do . Any suggestions would be awesome.  The kids love the water and the ocean. Should I reconsider and stay on Coronado? Or just take a uber there from BW Bayside  ? I am looking forward to seeing the boat light Christmas show. I hope its walking distance from the hotel .

 

 

Just keep in mind that the ocean temperature in San Diego in December will be in the 50-55F range. I don't swim much after October! There are some great beaches for the kids to play in the sand and for everyone to walk...I would recommend either Coronado Beach just north of the Hotel del Coronado, Mission Beach, or La Jolla Shores to Torrey Pines State Beach.  Daytime air temperatures that time of year also range in the 50s to low 60sF.

 

Whale watching will be in full swing in late December, and there are many different companies (often with Groupon tickets) that offer half day trips, which might interest the kids. Gray whale sightings are common, as are a lot of dolphin.

 

The San Diego Zoo is wonderful for kids any time of the year, as is the SD Zoo Safari Park (but the latter is 40 miles north of downtown, so you would need a car to get there). Of course there is also Legoland in Carlsbad, again about 30 miles north of downtown.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 8/28/2019 at 5:41 PM, MoyCoy said:

I have 8 year old twins and I am looking for cheap things to do . Any suggestions would be awesome.  

 

 

Not cheap and a little bit of a drive.  But, we took our grandkids out to the Safari Park and did the Caravan Ride out in the back area.  We got very up close and personal with the animals and even hand fed the giraffes. 

 

Cheaper and closer is the New Children's Museum in downtown.  https://thinkplaycreate.org/

 

Our's loved the carousel at Seaport Village and watching or doing the kite flying there.    

[DAllenTCY]

The original poster was inquiring about a cruise from San Diego in December 2020.

 

The Zaandam on Dec. 1st is a round trip from FLL.

 

All other sailings this month are round trip from SD.

 

There is no reason at all to suggest that "foreign nationals" will not report to CBP in a timely manner.

 

Such is the case where San Diego (or any other US port) is the first stop from East Coast to West Coast or vice versa.  On those occasions, all guests must report.  

 

Other than those few sailings, the norm is to start self disembarkation at 8 am.....and all are off by 10 am.

 

David

[SadieN]

Which dock are they using in San Diego?  The new one or the old warehouse?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

13 hours ago, SadieN said:

Which dock are they using in San Diego?  The new one or the old warehouse?

 

Near as I can tell from casual observation (driving by or from Coronado) they still use both. If I see any pattern, it seems like Princess uses the old B Street Terminal and others use the Broadway Terminal, but it also may vary dependent on how many ships are in port and is it a port call vs an end of cruise/begin the next one.

[Straughn]

On 8/25/2019 at 3:15 PM, scottca075 said:

I can't imagine anyone actually liking staying in the Gaslamp Quarter, especially when they could be on/near the water, but that is my bias. Maybe if I was a 30 year old Carnival Cruise type I'd like the GQ better.

 

My preference would be to stay across the bay at the Marriott Coronado. Coronado is quieter and very walkable.

 

Downtown the Hilton Bayfront is a good choice, so are the Homewood Suites Bayside and Hilton Garden Inn Bayside if you like the Hilton brand, but I'd prefer the Residence Inn Bayfront and SpringHill Suites Bayfront, directly across from the cruise terminal. I'd also prefer the Hotel Intercontinental San Diego to any of the Hilton brands.

What how easy is it to get transportation from the Residence Inn/Springhill Suites to the port? I don’t know exactly how close they are to the ship. Is Uber an option? Do the hotels have shuttles? I really don’t want to start my cruise by lugging suitcases.

[Nymich]

On 9/5/2019 at 11:10 AM, scottca075 said:

 

Near as I can tell from casual observation (driving by or from Coronado) they still use both. If I see any pattern, it seems like Princess uses the old B Street Terminal and others use the Broadway Terminal, but it also may vary dependent on how many ships are in port and is it a port call vs an end of cruise/begin the next one.

How far away are these two ports?   I only know of the one by the airport.   

[KeepCalmBearOn]

27 minutes ago, Straughn said:

What how easy is it to get transportation from the Residence Inn/Springhill Suites to the port?

 

Very hard. No cab/Uber wants to take you across the street. Click HERE for the map.

 

25 minutes ago, Nymich said:

How far away are these two ports?   I only know of the one by the airport.   

 

See the map above. Side by side.

[Splinter]

On 9/9/2019 at 5:26 PM, Nymich said:

How far away are these two ports?   I only know of the one by the airport.   

Same port; two piers, side by side. From the airport, about 2 miles.

[Splinter]

On 8/31/2019 at 8:32 PM, DAllenTCY said:

The original poster was inquiring about a cruise from San Diego in December 2020.

 

The Zaandam on Dec. 1st is a round trip from FLL.

 

There is no reason at all to suggest that "foreign nationals" will not report to CBP in a timely manner.

It has indeed been my experience that many foreign nationals don't heed the announcements and instructions to report to CBP onboard. Have been delayed numerous times in disembarkation in SD due to this. I have had several cruises where I was unable to get off the ship before 9:30, which would make it impossible to get a 10:30 flight.

 

Not sure what difference it makes that the cruise is a "round trip" (only if you are going back-to-back) from Florida. Because it has foreign port stops, you have to go through CBP upon disembarkation. This is true of any ship/cruise disembarking at any USA port.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Splinter

[KeepCalmBearOn]

9 hours ago, Splinter said:

Not sure what difference it makes that the cruise is a "round trip" (only if you are going back-to-back) from Florida. Because it has foreign port stops, you have to go through CBP upon disembarkation. This is true of any ship/cruise disembarking at any USA port.

 

It isn't a "round trip" (Closed Loop) cruise. There is a back to back from Fort Lauderdale to SD and then it leaves SD to go back to Fort Lauderdale.

[Splinter]

On 9/13/2019 at 6:33 PM, scottca075 said:

 

It isn't a "round trip" (Closed Loop) cruise. There is a back to back from Fort Lauderdale to SD and then it leaves SD to go back to Fort Lauderdale.

Still don't understand how you are claiming that this makes any difference when going through Immigration.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

18 minutes ago, Splinter said:

Still don't understand how you are claiming that this makes any difference when going through Immigration.

 

I am not claiming that because it isn't a Closed Loop cruise.

[Nymich]

I chose the Wyndham.  Since I am going on a cruise what is the best place near there to get a light breakfast?

[Langley Cruisers]

4 hours ago, Nymich said:

I chose the Wyndham.  Since I am going on a cruise what is the best place near there to get a light breakfast?

 

Stayed there in April (in the tower which faces the ocean - expensive but spectacular!), and will stay there again. There are several restaurants on the property, and a wonderful Starbucks in the lobby for your morning java and a muffin if that's all you want. Breakfast is available at Claim Jumpers and at the Deli onsite. Here is the website:

https://www.wyndhamsandiegobay.com/dining

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Langley Cruisers

[KeepCalmBearOn]

7 hours ago, Nymich said:

I chose the Wyndham.  Since I am going on a cruise what is the best place near there to get a light breakfast?

 

I'd walk up to Little Italy for Caffe Italia, Lofty Coffee or Harbor Breakfast. If the cruise leaves on a Sat or Sun, add in Queenstown Public House.

[Nymich]

I was wondering what the locals think of the hop on hop off?   I figured we could see some sights and then get some shopping done at the same time.

[Splinter]

On 9/15/2019 at 2:53 PM, scottca075 said:

 

I'd walk up to Little Italy for Caffe Italia, Lofty Coffee or Harbor Breakfast. If the cruise leaves on a Sat or Sun, add in Queenstown Public House.

Add the Farmer's Table to that list. Great breakfasts.