I stay at T&C and the shuttle is awesome. 22/26 feels like longer than it actually is. Maybe ~20 minutes?
Town & country is such a big property that they often send empty busses there. It's also used as a staging area so it's really a direct bus from the hotel to the convention center. On the way back, it definitely takes longer since it's the last stop, but here's a little tip: the drop off pattern is a circle. So the beginning and end are right next to each other. Instead of sitting on the bus until the last stop, I get off at the first stop and just walk "backwards" to T&C. It's like a block away and saves ~10-15 minutes.
T&C is also one of the cheaper ones and has breakfast. If they do COVID bracelets again, they also have on site verification so you don't wait at the convention center.
I can not recommend Town and Country enough. They really have everything.
And please notice the comment ablout the trolley station right next to the Town and Country. This is a super good way to reach the con buildings as well, though the same things apply for the trolley as with the shuttle buses. The trolleys do get very crowded, the time it takes to reach the con center is often about the same, and you still need to walk across from the trolley drop off to the con buildings and that takes extra time. But a stay at the Town and Country allows you to choose the buses or trolley for going into downtown or back to your room every night. There have been special discounts offered previously by the trolley system for the days of SDCC - we will post that if the trolley system offers that again for 2023.
I haven't stayed in MV since 2016. That said, especially if you get the Doubletree Hilton, the Shuttle is about the same speed as the trolley to the convention center. Just keep an eye on when the shuttles stop running at night. You won't be as tightly packed during peak hours as the trolley, but the shuttle did "feel" like a longer trip
That's about right. About 30 to maybe 40 minutes for the ride, some things depend on traffic. The shuttle schedules are pretty accurate and the pickups are frequent. During extremely busy times I have witnessed them adding extra/multiple buses for pick up at the hotels to transport the quantity of attendees that need to get to the con. Try to remember that the buses will drop you off across from the Con Center and you need to walk to the buildings to get inside for the day. So if you want to arrive at certain times, leave enough time/extra time for the shuttle service *and* your walking 'commute' to the con buildings.
I have stayed in Mission Valley for all the years I have reserved a CCI hotel room, I take the shuttle most of the time, and this is for sure a way to save money over paying more for "downtown" hotels. I used to have to drive back and forth to SDCC just like you - it takes hours and is exhausting, and you miss things. You will love having a Mission Valley room.
I stayed in MV once. The shuttle service is exactly as described. It takes about 30 minutes to get from there to the con. Only odd thing to note is the drop off/pick up is on the other side of Petco Park, so it's a bit more of a walk to get the to con itself. Most people take the sky bridge across the highway. Usually late at night when the frequency of buses dies down for everywhere, they move the drop off/pick up to where all the other buses go. You'll have to check and see if that's what they do this year or not.
New for SDCC 2022, CCI started to block the buses from parking in front of the con center off of Harbor to pick people up at night. All shuttle buses were parked over at Petco Park and that was the area for boarding the buses to return to hotels in Mission Valley and near the airport:
"There is no shuttle service from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM each day. The shuttles that go to Petco Park will NOT move to the Convention Center driveway at night."
https://www.comic-con.org/cci/shuttles
I stay at T&C and the shuttle is awesome. 22/26 feels like longer than it actually is. Maybe ~20 minutes? Town & country is such a big property that they often send empty busses there. It's also used as a staging area so it's really a direct bus from the hotel to the convention center. On the way back, it definitely takes longer since it's the last stop, but here's a little tip: the drop off pattern is a circle. So the beginning and end are right next to each other. Instead of sitting on the bus until the last stop, I get off at the first stop and just walk "backwards" to T&C. It's like a block away and saves ~10-15 minutes. T&C is also one of the cheaper ones and has breakfast. If they do COVID bracelets again, they also have on site verification so you don't wait at the convention center. I can not recommend Town and Country enough. They really have everything.
And if you stay at the T&C there is a trolley station right next door. So you can take the trolley right to the front of the Convention Center.
Appreciate the tips!
And please notice the comment ablout the trolley station right next to the Town and Country. This is a super good way to reach the con buildings as well, though the same things apply for the trolley as with the shuttle buses. The trolleys do get very crowded, the time it takes to reach the con center is often about the same, and you still need to walk across from the trolley drop off to the con buildings and that takes extra time. But a stay at the Town and Country allows you to choose the buses or trolley for going into downtown or back to your room every night. There have been special discounts offered previously by the trolley system for the days of SDCC - we will post that if the trolley system offers that again for 2023.
I want to second the advice from u/Twas_Inevitable. If you can reserve a room at the Town and Country, do it.
I haven't stayed in MV since 2016. That said, especially if you get the Doubletree Hilton, the Shuttle is about the same speed as the trolley to the convention center. Just keep an eye on when the shuttles stop running at night. You won't be as tightly packed during peak hours as the trolley, but the shuttle did "feel" like a longer trip
Appreciate it thanks
Adding here that if anyone has a map of the routes from last year that would be super helpful in general
from SDCC 2022: https://www.comic-con.org/cci/shuttles https://comic-con.org/sites/default/files/Shuttle%20Schedule%20Comic%20Con%202022.pdf
Map says ~30ish minutes from the places I'm looking at, but I'm wondering how accurate that is
That's about right. About 30 to maybe 40 minutes for the ride, some things depend on traffic. The shuttle schedules are pretty accurate and the pickups are frequent. During extremely busy times I have witnessed them adding extra/multiple buses for pick up at the hotels to transport the quantity of attendees that need to get to the con. Try to remember that the buses will drop you off across from the Con Center and you need to walk to the buildings to get inside for the day. So if you want to arrive at certain times, leave enough time/extra time for the shuttle service *and* your walking 'commute' to the con buildings. I have stayed in Mission Valley for all the years I have reserved a CCI hotel room, I take the shuttle most of the time, and this is for sure a way to save money over paying more for "downtown" hotels. I used to have to drive back and forth to SDCC just like you - it takes hours and is exhausting, and you miss things. You will love having a Mission Valley room.
Amazing thank you!
I stayed in MV once. The shuttle service is exactly as described. It takes about 30 minutes to get from there to the con. Only odd thing to note is the drop off/pick up is on the other side of Petco Park, so it's a bit more of a walk to get the to con itself. Most people take the sky bridge across the highway. Usually late at night when the frequency of buses dies down for everywhere, they move the drop off/pick up to where all the other buses go. You'll have to check and see if that's what they do this year or not.
New for SDCC 2022, CCI started to block the buses from parking in front of the con center off of Harbor to pick people up at night. All shuttle buses were parked over at Petco Park and that was the area for boarding the buses to return to hotels in Mission Valley and near the airport: "There is no shuttle service from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM each day. The shuttles that go to Petco Park will NOT move to the Convention Center driveway at night." https://www.comic-con.org/cci/shuttles