Date of Trip August 9 – August 14th
Flight Day
We awoke at 4 AM to arrive at the airport for a 7:05 AM flight. Who planned this vacation anyway? A huge part of the excitement of this vacation is just flying on an airplane. Our youngest doesn’t remember flying at four years old, which was four years ago. We experienced it all; checkin, security, takeoff, landing, and lost luggage. Apparently, 90% of lost luggage comes in on the next flight. Our bag went to Orange County and was returned to us in Carlsbad, California about 14 hours after landing.
San Diego
After arriving in San Diego, our plan was to hang out a bit and drive up the coast to Carlsbad, California, home of Legoland. So, we followed Dad’s plan of stopping at Busy Bee bagels in La Jolla, grabbed fresh squeezed OJ and bagels to go, and headed up to Mt. Soledad. The term Mountain is used loosely here. The view of the ocean was amazing up there. We also checked out the Easter Cross Veterans Memorial on the Hilltop.
Carlsbad, California
In Carlsbad, we stayed in the Grand Pacific Palisades which is minutes from Legoland. By the time we arrived there, we were ready for naps. The children’s pool is very cute, so we hung out there until dinner. The hotel also had an Olympic sized lap pool which was awesome for a morning workout. This was our splurge hotel, but we really didn’t have the time or energy to take advantage of all the activities offered.
Legoland
The next morning we headed for Legoland. Having an eight year old Lego enthusiast in the family, this destination has been looked forward to for a long time. We all enjoyed the park, but felt the bulk of the park was designed for children eight and under. So, we were happy to be there with an eight year old. We spent two full days experiencing Legoland. Our family favorite was the Dragon ride which we rode approximately 11 times. Other favorites included Miniland USA with Lego replicas of Washington DC, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and many other interesting destinations. We proudly found the only minature toilet in the park, but failed to find the smallest replica of a bird in the Chinatown exhibit. Other less dazzling attractions we picked as favorites were the Enchanted Walk, and the Adventure’s Club. The food was a bit pricey, but surprisingly good.
Back to San Diego
The next three nights we would stay at a less expensive hotel in Old Town San Diego. We wanted to try seafood, so we walked to Mexican at the Coyotee Cafe. The tortillas were awesome and the Mariachi Band was great. By our request, we were serenaded with “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender.
San Diego Zoo
The next day was unplanned, but the kids really wanted to check out the zoo. In San Diego, that seemed like a good plan. We have spent many, many hours in the Denver Zoo, so we weren’t sure about visiting another zoo. The San Diego Zoo really is an amazing place. With such temperate weather, the San Diego Zoo serves as a Botanical Garden, and Wildlife Refuge as well as a zoo. It was huge and somewhat overwhelming for us beginners. The double decker bus tour at the beginning of the day was so educational and helped us get an overview of the zoo which really helped. Mid day we needed a nap and a break from the heat. That night we came back to see three excellent shows which included Animal Ambassadors, Elephant Food Toss, and Splash. We interacted with two zookeepers and three animals (Serval, Binturong, and Pacarana) in the Animal Ambassadors program. The Elephant Food toss was an interesting talk about the three elephants on display while they ate. Splash, was an artist painting animals with his hands which was really neat.
Sea World
Our final tourist day was spent at Sea World. We didn’t know what to expect, but we did know we would need to spend lots of time with the penguins. Our penguin lover, really loved that. The penguin exhibit mimicked the Antarctic with dark lighting in the summer. We have approximately 50 photographs of penguins mostly the Magellanic Penguins which were on display outside in the daylight. Favorite shows were Shamu Dream, Cirque Del La Mer, and Clyde and Seamore’s Risky Rescue. Favorite exhibits were the Penguin Encounter, Manatee Rescue, and Shark Encounter.
The Ride Home
You couldn’t miss us as we dropped off our rental car, a bright blue PT Cruiser, on the final day. We checked in our luggage 8 minutes before the deadline and had little time to spare on our way to the airplane. School starts tomorrow for our sixth grader, so as the pace of life changes, we look forward to being home. But we do hope to find our way to another family vacation soon.