Confirmations for flights and your San Diego resort have each hit your inbox. That’s a reduction, for certain. Nonetheless, you continue to possible have some San Diego trip choices that must be made earlier than you depart.
The aim of this submit is to deal with what it’s worthwhile to take into consideration subsequent. It’s for individuals who come to us after they’ve booked flights or a resort or each. I’ve loads to say and this checklist is predicated on the questions that folks e-mail in.
If You Don’t But Have Flights or Resorts
1. Shield Your Journey
My mantra for 2025 is that everybody must test their journey insurance coverage protection. This begins together with your bank cards. And in case you have protection in your bank cards, be certain to make use of that bank card for related bookings.
Nonetheless, you’ll discover that bank card protection could be restricted and that you just may must complement it. When you have a non-refundable flight or resort reserving that you just’d like to guard, the earlier you purchase journey insurance coverage after buying your journey, generally the cheaper it’s.
Whereas it appears pointless to buy journey insurance coverage in case you have a versatile resort cancelation, mom nature could produce other plans. We needed to get exceptions for lots of people who had been inside their cancelation home windows and a few large resorts had been surprisingly tough to get this to occur.
- Hurricanes got here quick and livid and we needed to unwind a variety of resort stays within the Caribbean. Dangerous climate can have a domino impact on the airways.
- This week in San Diego was extraordinarily foggy to the place planes had been diverted and couldn’t land. Resort stays had been impacted.
- You or your children may get sick and change into unable to journey (this occurs loads).
- Life occurs and you may’t journey.
2. Determine Out How You’ll Get Round San Diego
After arriving by automobile, prepare, or airplane, take into account whether or not you’ll depend on a rental automobile, black automobile companies, or rideshare apps. Folks do all three, so which you select is determined by your itinerary and price range.
Most individuals lease vehicles. When factoring in value, do not forget that most San Diego resorts cost for parking, which could be steep even at downtown price range resorts (road parking is sort of by no means an alternate).
A number of locations supply free parking as a part of the resort payment (Bahia Resort Resort, La Jolla Seashore and Tennis Membership, and 4 Seasons Aviara come to thoughts) however count on to pay between $25-70/evening to park in a resort.
About Public Transportation in San Diego
3. Plan Your Airport Switch
This ties into the above, in fact. Many resorts can prepare airport transportation for you. A black automobile service or Uber Black can choose you up on the curb at San Diego airport.
Black automobile companies will often provide you with a selection. They’ll park and are available to satisfy you at baggage declare. Or, they’ll wait within the cellphone car parking zone. After you accumulate your baggage, you’ll go to the curb and take a look at the inexperienced zone signal. Name and textual content them with the letter on the inexperienced zone signal.
Tip: In case you’re flying American or Alaska like I do, the zones outdoors of your baggage declare are O or P.
4. Analysis What You’ll Placed on Your Itinerary
I might first mock up a tentative to-do checklist. In case you want concepts, we have now a large aggregation of issues to do in San Diego primarily based on price range, curiosity, and neighborhood that will help you analysis.
Needless to say our county is about 70 miles lengthy and a bit wider than that. There’s site visitors generally so that you’ll wish to attempt to lump actions into the a part of city you’ll be in fairly than zig zag.
Don’t overschedule. Go away room to waft. We’re a relaxed city. You might not really feel like leaving the seashore.
The explanation why I say tentative is due to #5 under.
See additionally: Prime Household-Pleasant San Diego Actions
5. Determine Whether or not You’ll Purchase a Sightseeing Move or Particular person Tickets
There’s completely NO NEED to pay gate pricing at our main San Diego sights. You’ll must crunch some numbers to resolve whether or not to save lots of extra with a sightseeing move or low cost tickets to particular person parks.
I work with distributors round city to supply unique financial savings on tickets however I actually imagine that the way you save is determined by what you wish to do. There are three sightseeing passes to select from (in my view):
- Go Metropolis San Diego
- San Diego CityPass (solely is sensible when you’re going to LEGOLAND California and/or SeaWorld San Diego)
- Balboa Park Explorer Move (for the Balboa Park museums solely)
See additionally: Go Metropolis San Diego or San Diego CityPASS — Which to Select
In case you do go together with a sightseeing move, this will likely alter your itinerary a bit as a result of it’s possible you’ll select to see included sights that you just won’t have in any other case thought-about.
See additionally: Our Listing of San Diego Tickets and Reductions
6. Make Reservations
A handful of sights require timed tickets, like LEGOLAND California. In case you bought tickets via us be sure to have a reservation. In case you purchased via LEGOLAND, then you definitely in all probability have a date particular tickets.
The opposite reservations I’d make are for a few of our larger finish eating places like those with Michelin stars corresponding to Addison. Or, something that’s waterfront just like the Marine Room.
You’ll additionally want reservations for sightseeing excursions like whale watching or harbour cruises.
7. Plan For What You’ll Have to Carry
I’ve written a information about what to pack for San Diego. An important tip is at all times to pack layers and solar safety. You may get sunburned within the winter right here, belief me.
Life is mostly a variety of athlesiure except you intend to go clubbing or to a nicer restaurant.
8. Assessment and Manage Your Journey Paperwork and Memberships
In case you’re arriving from abroad, your passport must be legitimate for six months after your journey.
One other FAQ is about varied journey packages it’s possible you’ll or could not belong to that you just may want logins or playing cards to entry (that’s when you’re not app savvy).
- Precedence Move: This will get you into the Aspire Lougne (at all times busy don’t plan on it) and Chase Sapphire Lounge
- CLEAR: We do have CLEAR in Terminal 2. I’m a member and like it. Nonetheless, Terminal 2 has two “wings” for lack of a greater method to put it. CLEAR is situated over the place you test in for Delta. In case you fly American or Alaska it’s possible you’ll wish to simply courageous TSA Precheck to keep away from an extended stroll to your gate.
- TSA Precheck: Sure, we have now it in all terminals.
- American Specific Lounge Entry: Aspire Lounge
- American Airways Admirals Membership: Aspire Lounge
Aspire Lounge offers precedence to Admirals Membership members above AMEX so know that if it’s busy.
9. Obtain Useful Apps
Listed here are some apps that may assist make your keep simpler. Seek for them in your related app retailer.
- Uber or Lyft
- Waze: To seek out out what the actual site visitors scenario is.
- Circuit: Some locations like Pacific Seashore, Downtown, Oceanside, Nationwide Metropolis, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Coronado run low value Circuit shuttles which are actually nice.
- Pronto: It is a reloadable fare card for public transportation.
- San Diego Zoo and Safari Park each have apps
- SeaWorld San Diego
- LEGOLAND California
- Balboa Park
- Opentable for restaurant reservations
- Your resort app: Hilton, Hyatt, 4 Seasons (that is one of the best app)
- SpotHero: Disclaimer that I haven’t personally used it however individuals inform me it’s an effective way to seek out parking for occasions and busy days close to the seashore and downtown. I’ve downloaded it and might see why it’s helpful.
10. Double or Triple Verify Your Confirmations
I do get frantic emails from vacationers generally who booked the incorrect dates or didn’t notice their resort was in Oceanside after they thought it was in downtown. Earlier than you go, double test every little thing particularly the placement of the place you reserved relative to your itinerary.
Have questions? Let me know.
