Just make sure that there are at least 2 people in the car so you can use the Carpool Lanes on the Freeways. These lanes move pretty well most times of the day.
What they all said ^^^. I’ve lived in San Diego since 1985
When is the trip, like anywhere the prices change with the seasons
The traffic in SD is a fraction of LA and even at its worst isn’t that bad. One thing you will notice is no one gives directions in terms of miles but rather time. “How far is it to Disneyland?” “two hours”
The trolley in San Diego does not go anyplace a tourist wants to go; nowhere near the airport, SeaWorld, the Zoo or the beach.
Don’t be tempted to venture into Mexico. It is now just as expensive as San Diego and with an extra 2-5 hour wait to get back over the border.
There are lots of nice hotels in downtown but they are expensive and most charge for parking; hotel circle is a good bet and there are obviously others scattered around but avoid anything south of downtown or east of Mission Valley. My friends from back east had good luck with an Airbnb in North Park.
Hollywood proper is nothing like most people think but I guess it’s worth a drive through. Don’t waste time or money on a star home tour.
As for other things to see or do, it depends on your interests.
When is this event?
If it is in the Spring, take in a ball park or two. Never been to the new Padres ball park. But, I like it.
Petco is a great place to take in a ball game. Good food, great fans, and if you root for the visiting team you’ll be rooting for the winner!
Ahahahahahahaha!
‘Rely on pub…’ Hahahahahaha!
I have no problem with LAX, but then I lived there and was used to it. It’s the getting to and from LAX that can be a pain. If you’re not actually going to L.A., I agree you should fly into SNA. It is easier to navigate than LAX, and it’s closer to Disneyland. (Just watch out for the Stukas. 
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I just visited San Diego with my family in October and we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in Kearny Mesa. I would definitely recommend that hotel, especially if you have 4+ people. I don’t know how big your family is, but this hotel had suites with two separate bedrooms plus a pull-out couch, we had 5 people and it was great. It’s more of an apartment style with a full kitchen rather than a regular hotel, it does include free on site parking, which is good since you **definitely **need a car. Getting from LA to San Diego alone is 2-3 hours.
Long before you get to Disneyland, make sure you have a clear understanding of exactly how “Fast Passes” work. Without using them in the right manner, you could spend your entire day there and only get on a handful of rides. Two hours waits on certain rides are not uncommon.
FWIW, we got Fast Passes for Space Mountain (or whatever it’s called now) as soon as we entered the park in the morning. They were already booked until the afternoon. If you want to ride Space Mountain, get to the park early, and get your Fast Passes for it first thing.
The pain of LAX is many fold. Certainly getting to and from is a problem. But I mean the 45 min on the tarmac taxiing and waiting for a gate BS. And the 45 minute waiting for baggage BS. And the absolute zoo of traffic trying to get in and out of there during busy times. Sometimes it can take over an hour to do the full loop. Plus everything is old and grimy. And it was designed and built long before the idea of security checkpoints and such so security is nightmarish congested afterthought.
Whenever I visit San Diego I always stay at the Sheraton La Jolla–I’ve been staying there since the 80s when it was the La Jolla Village Inn. It’s right off of I-5, about 15 minutes or so to the Zoo. Their onsite restaurant is good and there are lots of places to eat within walking distance including a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s supermarket with a big deli/hot food section. There are also a couple of movie theaters nearby at La Jolla Village Square and UTC. Plus the beach at La Jolla Shores is a 5-minute drive away.
Coming into this a bit late but yeah, given the destinations you listed, you really need to rent a car. It’ll be substantially easier - and probably cheaper - than using transit + uber.
Summer of 1991, I spent 3-4 months commuting to California from the East Coast and flew into / out of Orange County. Great little airport, but as others noted you won’t get the best fares. Taking off from there was pretty frightening as there were noise reduction laws in place to protect the poor rich people in Costa Mesa: the plane would go as fast as it could to get off the ground, then dramatically reduce its engine power - so you felt like you were falling. We only knew what the issue was because one time, the pilot got on the speaker and encouraged us to write to Congress to have the law repealed.
In 2002 we flew to California to do Disney etc. We actually spent the first half of the trip at Disneyland, and the second half in San Diego. We flew into LAX and returned from SD. There was no surcharge on the rental car which surprised me, I guess they get enough traffic doing similar things that they don’t need the surcharge.
Remember … if you come to visit in summer … do bring a long-sleeved shirt and some long pants … especially near the shore weather does tend to be more chilly than what Kansas people are used to this time of year … It’s the Pacific Ocean, not the Atlantic …
Rent a car get a gps or Thomas guide.
I know a guy who lives in San Diego and brags about how their nascent mass transit network means greater individual freedom because everyone owns cars instead of relying on government-controlled trains and buses. I wish I was kidding.
I’d rent a car.
Hi all,
our plans changed and we won’t be coming to southern Cali this year, but thanks for all the comments and advice. Will bookmark this thread, along with Alamo’s web-page. (I did pay attention to your comments about renting a car. 
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Just as a point of interest, our tentative plans had involved flying into LAX last Sunday … :eek: