Flagship Cruises Harbor Tour in San Diego, CA

On my previous San Diego trip, I saw that there were short sightseeing ship tours of the harbor. I didn’t have time on my last trip, but this time I went on the two-hour Full Bay Tour put on by Flagship Cruises. Flagship Cruises also operates the ferry that runs between Coronado and San Diego. If one doesn’t have time for a full cruise, the ferry ride offers great views of the harbor that’s much more cost- and-time-effective. I took the ferry across to San Diego to get on the yacht for the cruise. The ferry doesn’t have bathrooms or other amenities, but the ships used for the tours have food and beverages along with bathrooms. For both, there’s indoor and outdoor seating.

Departing from the San Diego Broadway Pier, my cruise started with the North Harbor, then docked to let people on and off before continuing on to the South Harbor. Both trips provided beautiful views of the water (and sometimes sea lions!), but it’s the South Harbor portion that heads over to the Coronado Bridge which is pretty impressive from underneath.

Those interested in military history will also enjoy the south portion as the cruise goes past the naval base and the many ships docked there. The narration provided was fun and informative. When some people got a little rowdy during the tour, the tour guide thankfully gave a strong reminder that others wanted to enjoy the cruise peacefully. If there’s time to do some relaxing sightseeing, the harbor tour (especially the south tour) is a nice experience.

History and Haunted Happenings Tours at Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, CA

A number of tours are offered on the island of Coronado, so I decided to experience a few during my trip. My favorites ended up being the ones offered by the Hotel del Coronado Heritage Department. The daily tours are available to all, not just guests of the hotel.

The History tour runs every day at 10am and 2pm while the Haunted Happenings tour is at 7pm with a 9pm option on Fridays and Saturdays. Both tours start near the tree that Hotel del Coronado says was the first to be electrically lit outdoors for Christmas.

The History tour guide had clearly done a lot of research. She dispelled a lot of misinformation (some of which was given on the other tours I took) about the hotel. For example, some believe Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward met on the grounds, but the guide said records indicate Simpson was not there during the Prince’s 1920 visit. The guide went into detail about the construction of the resort and how a change in plans for the railroad was very nearly a disaster for Coronado. She revealed that the fifth floor had been for the staff of guests (people traveled with their own maids) which is why the ceilings are lower and hallways are narrower. Although the tour doesn’t go to the floors with guest rooms, I had access as a guest, so I went to the fifth floor on my own. The view is amazing, but the halls are claustrophobic and the rooms are definitely smaller.

She also explained why some of the rooms (like mine) have a slightly unusual layout—the original floorplan didn’t have a bathroom for every room, so there was a redesign that converted some closets and hallways into bathrooms. And while this tour doesn’t take attendees into the guest room areas, it does grant access to areas guests wouldn’t normally get to see. Some highlights were the former hotel laundry building, the Ballroom with amazing views, and the famed Crown room (usually only open during a pricy Sunday brunch or group event) with light fixtures designed by L. Frank Baum who was a Coronado resident. The 90-minute tour also included information about the movies partially filmed there and the changes made to the hotel over the decades.

The Haunted Happenings tour is a must for anyone who likes ghost stories. Although the History tour touched on ghosts (mentioning that the fifth floor is said to be the most haunted at the resort), the Haunted tour goes in depth. Once again the guide was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly enjoyed her subject matter. I’ve been on a few haunted tours in other cities and this one was the best so far. The guide stayed grounded in facts, but also shared accounts of paranormal activity that she and her colleagues have witnessed. As she pointed out features of the Victorian building (here there’s some repetition of the History tour), the guide shared the story of Kate Morgan and a few others who have met their end at Hotel del Coronado. During the hour tour, the sun set (I took a 7pm tour) and perfectly changed the atmosphere as the guide shifted from more of a historic overview to diving deep into the mystery that surrounds Kate Morgan.

I highly recommend both tours.

Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, CA

Back in 2017 I took the Old Town Trolley Tour around San Diego and hopped off to check out the Hotel del Coronado, which I found to be absolutely gorgeous. I decided at once that I needed to make a return trip and stay right there on the beach. While the summer rates would typically be out of my price range, as luck would have it, the property joined Hilton making it possible for me to use the points I earn from having a Hilton credit card.

I arrived early Thursday morning to a stunning lobby not expecting to be able to access the Victorian King Resort View that I booked, but I received the happy news that a room was indeed ready though it wasn't the room I booked but an upgrade to one of the studio suites. My very minor annoyance at check-in was being told that, although I would keep the same room, I needed to check out/check in the next morning because I booked with a combination of points and a free night certificate. Fortunately, there wasn't a line Friday morning and the process was simple.

After receiving a map of the property, a bell desk attendant showed me to my room on the third floor. Normally I'd find this totally unnecessary as I travel light, but while the hotel hallways had fun wallpaper they weren't well-marked (I got lost a lot trying to get to the elevator) so I was glad to have someone show me the way.

The elevator is original to the 1888 building and operated by an attendant. It's cool-looking, but moves slowly so I took the stairs almost every time.

The first thing I noticed about my resort view suite (other than the security chain and low door handle) was how small the bathroom was in comparison to the walk-in closet that even had a window. I later learned on the History Tour that the original resort didn't have a bathroom for every room, so an extensive remodel was done that turned what had once been closets or hallways into bathrooms; I'm pretty sure my room's bathroom had originally been the closet. I'm a fairly small female, but I had little room between the toilet and bathtub and also found that I kept bumping my elbow against the grab bar when I took a shower. At least the hot water and pressure were impressive, especially for being an historic property. The small vanity didn't have much room for toiletries (the hotel provides two kinds of bar soap plus body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion along with a shower cap and package of cotton balls and q-tips) and the sink drain didn't fully close. There was also a hair dryer provided.

The king size bed had a nightstand with a lamp on either side as well as a small reading light. One nightstand had a clock and the other had a phone along with earplugs in the drawer. I was a bit surprised to find earplugs, but discovered that the rooms don't have much soundproofing (or maybe the guests are just a bit loud). The nightstands also have outlets built in which was handy, especially since there were no USB outlets in the room. Hotel del Coronado is undergoing an extensive renovation (which thankfully didn't disrupt my stay at all), so hopefully this will be changing soon. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows quickly went flat.

In the corner of the bedroom was the TV (on a swivel stand) on the top of the dresser which had a couple of drawers and a mini-fridge.

The bedroom had a ceiling fan/light combo that I really liked. It had a pretty design and I'm used to sleeping with a fan circulating.

Just beyond the bed was the sitting area which had a table, chair, and sofa that pulled out to a queen bed. A few magazines about the hotel and San Diego were arranged on the table.

To the side of this area was a desk/chair combo where there was bottled water and a Keurig with four pods (one tea, one decaf, and two medium roast). As I don't drink coffee, I requested more tea pods. I was told housekeeping would bring some, but I only received a single replacement the next morning.

The closet in this room was astonishingly large (I think a crib would fit) and had an iron/board, safe, and two robes. I probably would've been really excited about the terrycloth robe if I hadn't just stayed at a Kimpton with a much plusher robe. The closet had extra pillows, but no additional bedding.

As a Hilton Gold member, I received a $15 dining credit for each day of my stay. Normally this is a breakfast credit and I haven't decided which I prefer. I'm not much of a breakfast person, but I did have the brunch buffet at Sheerwater one morning and discovered that the credit wasn't enough to cover the cost. So for people who do like a large breakfast, I'm sure this change would be a disappointment.

And speaking of disappointment and Sheerwater, I ate there twice and found the service lacking each time. My water glass was filled during brunch, but that was about it. I had to flag someone and ask for the check twice before finally receiving it long after I finished eating. I also went there for dessert and the waiter forgot to bring my drink. The food and drink were good, but I couldn't understand the poor service at a 4-star resort especially since the restaurant didn't appear to be busy either time.

Fortunately, I had a much better experience at Eno, one of the other restaurants at the hotel.

I also enjoyed sorbet from Sundae's.

With the restaurants and beach, Hotel del Coronado already makes it so you wouldn't have to leave the property, but there's so much more. If your intent is shopping, there's plenty of that to be found. There's clothing, Del-themed souvenirs, and even the room toiletries available to purchase. The hotel features three pools (one is adults only and another is exclusively for spa guests), a fitness center (featuring a number of classes), and a spa/salon.

I decided that my feet needed a break, so I booked the Deep Sea Pedicure. In addition to the regular soak and polish, the Deep Sea Pedicure has a foot/leg massage and a sea weed wrap. It was already a great experience, but then I found out the pedicure is done in a massage chair.

And that's not all there is to do on site! At night there's a roast where you can make s'mores and enjoy other selected food items at your own bonfire right on the beach.

On select nights movies are shown on the beach. Tours are also available daily with one focusing on the history and the other being all about the hotel's supposed haunted happenings. I highly recommend both tours.

One thing to note is the pet-friendly property is valet only at a cost of $50/night, but does have charging stations for electric cars. There's also a $35/day resort fee that I was able to avoid by booking with points and a certificate. The hotel also gets very busy on weekends. My first day (Thursday) had crowds that I expected for a summer beach vacation, but that number exploded for the weekend. I was glad I had a room because the lines for the public bathrooms often extended into the hallways.