Our FAM (short for familiarization) Trip began this morning with our flight from Salt Lake City into San Diego.  We arrived early in the afternoon and headed up 30 miles North to Carlsbad so we could experience LEGOLAND®’s newest addition—the SEA LIFE™ Aquarium where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and of course, lots of site “sea”-ing.  This incredible new aquarium is next door to LEGOLAND® and is home to hundreds of ocean and fresh water creatures.  One of our staff’s favorite attractions was the giant Lost City of Atlantis aquarium which houses sharks, rays, all types of fish and giant LEGO creations.  Families will love the aquariums with special viewing areas for both the small and tall.  There are even portals where guests can enter the exhibits without getting wet at all!  If you’re heading to San Diego, you’ll definitely want to take the quick drive to Carlsbad to experience LEGOLAND® and the new SEA LIFE™ Aquarium.  We offer discount tickets LEGOLAND® and Park Hopper Passes that include admission to both parks for the best value.  These can be purchased separately or added to any San Diego vacation package.

We then headed 20 miles south and toured the newly renovated Embassy Suites La Jolla, which sleeps up to 6 and offers a free full breakfast buffet each morning and a manager's reception hour featuring complimentary drinks and appetizers each night.  After touring La Jolla, which is a favorite spot for beaches and shopping we visited the Holiday Inn SeaWorld which offers affordable family accommodations, including suites that will sleep up to five guests, in a convenient location for San Diego visitors. 

We then checked in to the Hilton San Diego Resort, located on Mission Bay.  We’ll stay here for two nights while in San Diego.  This fabulous hotel recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation.  Its spa inspired décor, fire pits, and ideal location on a sandy beach invoke pure relaxation.

We then toured the Bahia Resort Hotel and took a dinner cruise on Mission Bay on the William D. Evans to its sister property, the Catamaran Resort Hotel.  Both resorts offer comfortable, classy accommodations on prime real estate—Mission Bay.  The Catamaran is also within walking distance to Mission Beach.  When staying at either hotel, you can take advantage of complimentary bay cruises on the Bahia Belle.  Cruises run nightly during the summer and on weekends most other times of the year.  Cruises last for 30 minutes and go back and forth between the Catamaran and Bahia.  The William D. Evans is mostly used for special events.  It was truly a lovely evening.

Keep checking our blog to keep up with us on our 2009 FAM trip to Southern California!  We’ll give you updates on what we’ve been doing as well as the latest news from our hotel and attraction partners!  After we return from the FAM, we’ll go into more detail about all of the attractions and hotels we’ve visited, so you don’t miss a minute of the fun!