Confirmations for flights and your San Diego resort have each hit your inbox. That’s a aid, for positive. Nonetheless, you continue to seemingly have some San Diego trip choices that must be made earlier than you depart.
The aim of this publish is to handle what you could take into consideration subsequent. It’s for individuals who come to us after they’ve booked flights or a resort or each. I’ve rather a lot to say and this checklist relies on the questions that individuals electronic mail in.
If You Don’t But Have Flights or Inns
1. Defend Your Journey
My mantra for 2025 is that everybody must test their journey insurance coverage protection. This begins along with your bank cards. And when you’ve got protection in your bank cards, be sure to make use of that bank card for related bookings.
Nonetheless, you’ll discover that bank card protection could be restricted and that you simply would possibly have to complement it. If in case you have a non-refundable flight or resort reserving that you simply’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 when you’ve got a versatile resort cancelation, mom nature could produce other plans. We needed to get exceptions for lots of people who have been inside their cancelation home windows and a few huge resorts have been surprisingly tough to get this to occur.
- Hurricanes got here quick and livid and we needed to unwind plenty of resort stays within the Caribbean. Unhealthy climate can have a domino impact on the airways.
- This week in San Diego was extraordinarily foggy to the place planes have been diverted and couldn’t land. Lodge stays have been impacted.
- You or your children would possibly get sick and turn out to be unable to journey (this occurs rather a lot).
- Life occurs and you may’t journey.
2. Determine Out How You’ll Get Round San Diego
After arriving by automotive, prepare, or aircraft, take into account whether or not you’ll depend on a rental automotive, black automotive companies, or rideshare apps. Folks do all three, so which you select will depend on your itinerary and funds.
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 funds resorts (avenue parking is nearly by no means another).
A couple of locations provide free parking as a part of the resort price (Bahia Resort Lodge, La Jolla Seashore and Tennis Membership, and 4 Seasons Aviara come to thoughts) however anticipate 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, after all. Many resorts can prepare airport transportation for you. A black automotive service or Uber Black can decide you up on the curb at San Diego airport.
Black automotive companies will normally provide you with a selection. They’ll park and are available in to fulfill you at baggage declare. Or, they will wait within the cellular phone car parking zone. After you gather your luggage, you’ll go to the curb and have a look at the inexperienced zone signal. Name and textual content them with the letter on the inexperienced zone signal.
Tip: If you happen to’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. If you happen to want concepts, now we have an enormous aggregation of issues to do in San Diego based mostly on funds, curiosity, and neighborhood that will help you analysis.
Remember that our county is about 70 miles lengthy and a bit wider than that. There’s site visitors generally so that you’ll need to attempt to lump actions into the a part of city you’ll be in quite than zig zag.
Don’t overschedule. Go away room to glide. We’re a relaxed city. It’s possible you’ll not really feel like leaving the seashore.
The rationale why I say tentative is due to #5 beneath.
See additionally: Prime Household-Pleasant San Diego Actions
5. Determine Whether or not You’ll Purchase a Sightseeing Move or Particular person Tickets
There may be completely NO NEED to pay gate pricing at our main San Diego points of interest. You’ll have to crunch some numbers to determine 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 offer unique financial savings on tickets however I actually consider that the way you save will depend on what you need to do. There are three sightseeing passes to select from (in my view):
- Go Metropolis San Diego
- San Diego CityPass (solely is smart in case 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
If you happen to do go along with a sightseeing move, this will alter your itinerary somewhat as a result of chances are you’ll select to see included points of interest that you simply may not have in any other case thought-about.
See additionally: Our Listing of San Diego Tickets and Reductions
6. Make Reservations
A handful of points of interest require timed tickets, like LEGOLAND California. If you happen to bought tickets by means of us be sure to have a reservation. If you happen to purchased by means of 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 Must Deliver
I’ve written a information about what to pack for San Diego. Crucial 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 plenty of athlesiure except you intend to go clubbing or to a nicer restaurant.
8. Evaluation and Arrange Your Journey Paperwork and Memberships
If you happen to’re arriving from abroad, your passport must be legitimate for six months after your journey.
One other FAQ is about varied journey packages chances are you’ll or could not belong to that you simply would possibly want logins or playing cards to entry (that’s in case 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 find it irresistible. Nonetheless, Terminal 2 has two “wings” for lack of a greater approach to put it. CLEAR is situated over the place you test in for Delta. If you happen to fly American or Alaska chances are you’ll need to simply courageous TSA Precheck to keep away from a protracted stroll to your gate.
- TSA Precheck: Sure, now we have it in all terminals.
- American Specific Lounge Entry: Aspire Lounge
- American Airways Admirals Membership: Aspire Lounge
Aspire Lounge provides precedence to Admirals Membership members above AMEX so know that if it’s busy.
9. Obtain Useful Apps
Listed below are some apps that may assist make your keep simpler. Seek for them in your related app retailer.
- Uber or Lyft
- Waze: To search out out what the actual site visitors state of affairs is.
- Circuit: Some locations like Pacific Seashore, Downtown, Oceanside, Nationwide Metropolis, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Coronado run low value Circuit shuttles which can be 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 the perfect 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 may see why it’s helpful.
10. Double or Triple Test Your Confirmations
I do get frantic emails from vacationers generally who booked the flawed dates or didn’t understand their resort was in Oceanside once they thought it was in downtown. Earlier than you go, double test all the pieces particularly the situation of the place you reserved relative to your itinerary.
Have questions? Let me know.