If you’re sailing from the San Diego cruise port, then we’d highly suggest you add at least a night in the city to your vacation. When it comes to U.S. cities that you have to visit, San Diego always ranks highly.
Situated in the perfect weather of Southern California, the city offers something for everyone. From the beach to its world-famous zoo to catching a ballgame at Petco Park and even a quick visit down to Tijuana, if you can’t have a good time in San Diego then that’s your own fault.
One of the nice things about cruising from the city is that the cruise port is located right near the heart of the city’s downtown. That means if you want to stay near your ship, you can still be in the thick of everything the town has to offer.
But if you think the reason for staying in San Diego has only to do with seeing the city, think again. We always recommend that cruise passengers arrive at least the day before their ship is to sail. This is especially true if you plan to fly into the area for your trip.
These day, it seems that between weather, mechanical delays — and even computers failing, grounding flights nationwide — there have never been more delays in air travel. Given the tight deadlines that ships have, that means if your flight is delayed and you don’t arrive to the port in time, you will miss your cruise.
If you plan your flight for the day before, you have much more time to figure out alternate arrangements should something happen to you schedule. In addition, we like have the extra time to relax instead of cruise day being a mad dash from home to the ship.
As we said, the San Diego cruise port is in the heart of it all. That means that most hotels near the port are a little pricey, however, you can find some deals.
To help you out, we’ve rounded up a list of hotels within two miles of the cruise port that are also rated “Good” or better by travel site Kayak.com. Prices are from a recent search for a Saturday night and are subject to change.
Click on each hotel name to read reviews from travelers like you on TripAdvisor.
Note: This article contains affiliate links to TripAdvisor. We earn a commission for clicks made on their website, at no charge to you.
| Hotel | Rating | Price | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyndham San Diego Bayside | Good | $169 | 0.1 miles |
| Residence Inn by Marriott | Excellent | $204 | 0.3 miles |
| Hilton Garden Inn San Diego Downtown | Excellent | $166 | 1.4 miles |
| Pacific Inn Hotel & Suites | Good | $143 | 0.5 miles |
| Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown | Excellent | $279 | 0.4 miles |
| Embassy Suites San Diego Bay Downtown | Excellent | $219 | 0.5 miles |
| Grand Hyatt San Diego | Excellent | $219 | 0.7 miles |
| The Westin San Diego | Excellent | $151 | 0.5 miles |
| Renaissance San Diego | Good | $152 | 0.6 miles |
| Best Western Plus Bayside Inn | Excellent | $200 | 0.5 miles |
| The Sofia Hotel | Excellent | $144 | 0.6 miles |
| The Bristol Hotel | Excellent | $160 | 0.7 miles |
| The Westgate Hotel | Excellent | $229 | 0.8 miles |
We don’t provide personal recommendations as we have yet to stay at any of these hotels. However, keep in mind that all of these are rated “Good” or better, based on dozens (if not hundreds) of reviews from travelers like yourself. Any of them within your price range will be good options and reasonably close to the port.
If planning to park for your cruise, visit our page on hotels with cruise parking.
More on Cruising From San Diego
Getting to the Port of San Diego — Transportation options from airports and the San Diego area to the cruise port. Everything you need to know to get to the port and start your vacation.
San Diego Cruise Parking — Parking for your cruise? We’ve got you covered with all your parking options, including costs and discounts.
