Monday, May 1, 2017

San Diego Family Trip - Plan For Summer EduFun With Our Must Do's Plus #Giveaway

San Diego is one of our most favorite getaway spots in SoCal!

From theme parks to the beach, there is a something for everyone, but we've never taken it low key and educational like we did this time around.
 
San Diego offers a lot of things to do!
 
 
There are always events going on down town, an air show to plan around, a sporting event, museums, concerts, sights and so much history. I looked up a lot of my what to do and where to stay info directly on Reserve Directs San Diego Specific Page!
 
San Diego gives families the opportunity to experience these things with discounts like Kids Free in October. It is super easy to plan ahead with Reserve Direct to get the most out of your visit. Unique offerings like the kids free make it that much easier to book more fun for your family.
 
Just a tip to look into for planning and saving if that's needed too, you can purchase extra needed tickets, in Reserve Direct like we did for one child's ticket needed at one point.
 
Our trip Deets...

 
We decided on low key meaning, no all day theme parks this time, but more of a relaxed no rush tour of some things we've never done before.
 
So the planning started just a few weeks prior to our Spring Break vacation. I have used Reserve Direct for booking before and really like their service and working with them. This time my experience was no different that the last, just as awesome and flawless even though I had to make changes.
 
See how easy booking is here.
 
We booked hotel and reserved our exploration edufun events. Everything was set. So ready to go... then my daughter gets a 104.6 fever and non emergency says her symptoms with high fever mean paramedics were on way.
 
Fast forward to the next day, two days before vacation, I called Reserve Direct customer service. They were not only sympathetic and wished my daughter well, they spent 25 minutes calling hotel and events to advise them of the emergency we ran into and the plea to please adjust our vacation dates.
 
Done. Everyone was amazing and we pushed back the whole stay and play 2 days to give my girl her rest. I really appreciated the extra effort the staff went to reach out to the hotel and events to help us work something out in the time of need out of no where for help.
 
So back on track to head down for our trip we planned around edufun and low key ...
 
We have wanted to take the kids Whale Watching on the Hornblower for a few years since we saw their beautiful boat in Newport. The experience you get out on the boat open ocean with the guides, Captain and Whaler expert are by far amazing educationally.
 
Also, My husband and I have wanted to do the self guided tour on the USS Midway for many years now and wanted the kids to experience some educational history while being fascinated by the ship and aircraft itself.
 
A fam fav...Seaport Village! Where do I start?!
 

A must visit each time we are in San Diego!  There is live music, food, sweets, drinks and an ocean view all around you. We never miss the fountain in the center, browsing the shops like the tile store.. our fav and of course eating water front!
 
This year while we were at Sea Port Village, the Red Bull Air Races were going on.

 
It was seriously amazing to see these races from Sea Port Village, the Flight Deck of the USS Midway and from the outdoor viewing of the Hornblower. We timed those tours right and didn't even realize it!
 
There is plenty to see, do and learn about San Diego while at Sea Port Village.

 


I really enjoyed just sitting letting my kids explore in front of me while I ate a slice of pizza...the same pizza I've been eating for years, since coming down with my parents to Sea Port.
 

 
Have you and your kiddos been on the carousel....



There is a lot of history there, ride it and you feel as if you were part of it all yourself. My kiddos rode it 3 times, yes, they loved it.  
 
 
I love traditions like this and nostalgic feeling of my heart being full while making new memories. 
See our recap video here!
 
Our Tropical Hotel Stay...

 
We chose to stay more centrally located to everything but away from the hustle and bustle of crowds.
 
Staying at Crowne Plaza Hanalei was a tropical feeling in San Diego. You can see some of the photos here and note that the scenery was beautiful. 




Our View was amazing... it looked like everyone had a nice view!



The pool was super clean and heated.




There was outdoor seating inside a gated area and outside as well so it was perfect to have a bite while relaxing with that view.



 
We really liked that they offered a breakfast buffet or the option to order off the menu. Win win for picky eater Mikey in my family and buffet lover Zoe.. ha!
 

 
There is a Ralph's and an IHOP minutes away just in case... yes we totally needed milk and wipes. No problem lol
 
Crowne Plaza was 12 minutes from both downtown where we visited Sea Port Village, USS Midway and Hornblower but, it was also 12 minutes from our favorite Pier on Shelter Island!
 

Really was easy to get everywhere we needed to with less downtown traffic.
 
We had such a great time on our Educational Fun Low Key family trip!

 
BUT... I have some hot tips and must do's for each of our two new experiences!
 
As a thank you for following along on our live fun, recap videos and your awesome reader support, Reserve Direct has given me the amazing opportunity to bring you a few giveaways!
 
I know that Mother's Day is coming up, Father's Day is after and well we just rush right into Summer break... so Good Luck to all who enter and I hope you are looking at how to schedule your EduFun and Low Key vacay or staycay for when the kids are off or you need a date weekend away!
 
Click Here For Our USS Midway Recap and Giveaway!
 
Click Here For Our Hornblower Recap and Giveaway!
 
and.... Enter below as an added bonus for a third Giveaway - Reserve Direct Wants to give three lucky winners a chance so our bonus giveaway is below... Good Luck To All! (one winner per giveaway)
 
Thank you to Reserve Direct, San Diego Tourism, Seaport Village, Hornblower, USS Midway and Crowne Plaza for assisting and or hosting us and shout out to Reserve Direct for another round of easy booking on this wonderfully edufun filled mini vacation.
 
We really enjoyed all our stops and can not wait to visit each of them again. We feel there was so much to see and do we needed just a few more hours at each place or maybe it was that each was so fascinating and fun that we just wanted to stay longer.
 
It's not often when I can say my 9yo and 5yo were able to enjoy everything we as the parents enjoyed too. It's a great time when my son, who is Aspergers autism spectrum, enjoys everything we do & walks away smiling, proud and non stop talking about it.
 
My heart is full, my kids made memories while seeing so much history and beauty and we knocked out a few of what we would consider.. Must Do's.. in San Diego!   
 
Happy May and Summer Planning,
 
 
 
Follow Along On Social Media Too - Reserve Direct Hornblower USSMidway Visit San Diego Seaport Village

 

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