Family Tour of the USS MIDWAY
One of our first places on our must see list in SanDiego,Ca was the Uss Midway . The Naval Aircraft carrier is bigger then life and is located in downtown San Diego at the Navy pier.
Finding parking was not the easiest . The parking in the Uss Midway parking lot is small but very affordable ( around 10$ a day) but hard to find. Thankfully we were able to drive around the block and find an open lot to park. The cost was around 30$ for the day .
Once parked, we looked for a Starbucks to grab coffee since it was almost Tea Time . Thankfully, right on our walking path to the pier there was a Starbucks . Yay!
The walk on the waterfront is beautiful! Just walking to the Uss Midway was a treat. It felt like a warm summer day at Christmas 🎄
The cost of the Uss Midway for our family of 5 was around 115$. More then we would normally pay for a Museum but now that we have done it .. we would do it again. It was well worth the money. Just to note ..active Military and law enforcement/ firefighters are free admission ….love this!
Upon boarding the ship, you are offered an audio device to wear around your neck or to use your own device. This allows you to hear more hands on experiences as well as sounds to bring the displays alive .
Once you walk into the ship , it is a visual overload. There is so much to see! Not quite sure where to start, we did the typical right to left plan.
One of the displays that we really enjoyed upon entering was being able to hear the biography of different heroes of the Midway.
One of our favorite finds was the used bookstore hidden behind a display. There were so many unique books in here! There were used and new books and some that can only be found there so it was so hard to choose!
We then climbed stairs to explore ( you will climb LOTS of stairs) . There was something to see everywhere we went. Amazing! Even our littles were so engaged in all the displays . Something about walking through a living history museum like the Uss Midway that is so exciting . Just being there makes it all come to life!
There were so many interactive displays that our whole family was able to try . So cool!!
We then headed to pick up our Uss Midway junior pilot activity sheet for the littles to earn their pilot wings. Kelly was great in helping us get started! Tip: This should be your first stop when you enter ship.
Another thing we loved about the Midway was most of the crew were volunteers! There were so many that had served in the Navy on other ships or in some way that just taking the time to thank them for the service and hear little tidbits of what they experienced was so much more then any history book could offer. Priceless❤️
We then headed to the flight deck to do the island tour and oh my was it amazing! Definitely want to experience this if you are going to visit.
The boss and mini chairs were fun to get pics in❤️
There is so much history here as you tour. You can’t help but learn a little while having fun.
On the flight deck there were so many helicopters and planes that we were able to walk in or sit in. The littles enjoyed being able to look at their own pace and explore.
Embracing Peace ~The Kissing Statue
This was a replica of the famous Life magazine photograph in 1945 . It is quite stunning to see in person❤️
It was fun to see the NCIS room on the Uss Midway. It’s one of our favorite shows to watch the reruns of so that was pretty cool.
Our time on the Midway was Amazing! If you are in San Diego then it’s a must on your adventure plans .
Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina – San Diego
We were excited to be visiting San Diego for the first time and knew we wanted to stay close to the water and close to Sea World. The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was an easy choice since it met both of our criteria.
We arrived later in the evening to check into our room. First impression …The hotel lobby was beautiful and welcoming. They had valets out when we pulled up as well as a luggage clerk on the ready .
The foyer was beautifully decorated, clean and welcoming.
At check in , they offered to upgrade us to a tower room with a marina view for a minimal cost. We considered it but asking more questions we realized it would not meet our needs so we declined. We then went over our details of the room we booked and at this point knew something was not right. It took quite awhile while the employee tried to work it out and then went to get a manager . When they returned , we were told the room we booked was not available that it was under renovation.
The manager offered us the tower room with a king bed and sleeper sofa or they could try to get the a room we booked together while we waited. We chose to wait to get the room ready so we would have the space we had planned on. We were exhausted from traveling and had already had a full day of adventures and were ready to just relax and swim.
After about 45min-1hour we went back to see the progress and the room was still not ready . At this point we were approaching 9 at night so we took the the first option the Manager Monica had offered us . It was a Tower room and she had a rollaway bed brought in as well.
She also offered us a room credit for breakfast for our whole family for the duration of our stay . She was amazing.She stayed calm and professional and tried to make the experience a good one despite all that had happened.
Upon entering the room we were quite surprised at the amount of space ! It fit us perfectly and had plenty of room even with a rollaway being brought in. I wish we would have asked to see it earlier vs waiting. It was more then enough space , clean and had stunning views.
Finally, we were ready to head to pool and relax a bit before bed .
Waking up the next day was breathtaking! The view of the Marina and the sun rise was spectacular and one of our favorite memories overall! It’s amazing at all the beautiful colors of the sky that God paints it.
We headed down to the breakfast buffet that was included with our stay ,courtesy of the manger. The event room was clean, well lit and nicely decorated. There was an assortment of fruit, muffins , cereal, bagels, as well as eggs, potatoes ,bacon and sausage . The waitstaff were all super friendly and attended all of our drink request. At one point in the meal, they came around with little shooters of fruity mock-tails to try which the kids loved!
This was our first experience with a Hyatt Hotel .The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was conveniently located to Sea World , a beautiful hotel and had stunning views. Overall, we would love to try this hotel again under normal circumstances. At the time we traveled,many airports were shut down and guest were over extending their stay which is why there were not as many options for the other available rooms. If you are looking to stay in San Diego then we would recommend this hotel . The Manager,Monica,went above and beyond to provide great customer service.
Update:We did contact the hotel as well as Costco travel to let them know what had happened and they graciously took care of us. I value companies that take responsibility and make it right. We are looking forward to staying at another Hyatt .
Carlsbad Beach – California
Carlsbad beach is simply breathtaking 🌊
The view captured there was absolutely amazing!
There were surfers 🏄 riding the waves as the sun was setting which was so fun to watch.
The ocean was captivating as the tide started to move in and we couldn’t help but get caught by it as it came in. Such a beautiful moment ❤️ I wish we would have had a whole day here just to enjoy it .
