Family Cruise Advisor

San Diego’s biggest attraction is the harbor itself, known as The Big Bay. You could design a pre- and post-cruise vacation around the Big Bay itself and have a perfectly satisfying experience — with no need to rent a car. If you’re staying a few days or more, you’ll have a good choice of hotels: No fewer than 13 line the Big Bay’s 34 miles of waterfront.

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For families, there is no better cruise port than San Diego. Only a few minutes from the cruise terminal is Balboa Park, the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Encompassing 1,200 acres, Balboa Park is second only to the Smithsonian in size and is often referred to as the “Smithsonian of the West.” The Park is home to 85 cultural institutions, including 15 museums that range from anthropology to science, from classic to contemporary art, performing arts venues, art galleries, botanical gardens and the San Diego Zoo, home to 4,000 animals representing 800 species on 100 acres. Balboa Park is the perfect destination for families.

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On a Mexican Riviera cruise from San Diego, my family and I spent one week after our cruise to discover all that this sunny Southern California city has to offer cruise passengers. True, most cruise passengers add only two nights before or after their cruises from San Diego, but friends who had been here told us that two days was not enough, so we decided to go the distance and try to see it all.

We were surprised to find such a varied destination. During our stay, we traveled from San Diego’s cosmopolitan city center to charming Coronado across the San Diego Bay, also known as the Big Bay, from beautiful Pacific coastline to true Southwestern desert — only 90 minutes away. We visited theme parks that our kids loved — LEGOLAND California and SeaWorld San Diego, and then toned the pace down at Balboa Park, with its world-famous San Diego Zoo. Moreover, we enjoyed our week of activities in San Diego’s perfect climate, with average daytime temperatures of 70F and most days sunny.

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