This is a mixed review, so I’ve outlined pros and cons below to help others make an informed decision! My wedding (July 2024) was the best day of my life, but I wouldn't choose to stay at this hotel again. If I were to do things over, I’d certainly select this venue but book accommodations elsewhere for better service. PROS: The Marina Garden at The Dana is the most beautiful outdoor reception venue I visited in San Diego. Other waterfront hotels charge more and lack water views, but the Marina Garden offers stunning sunset views, creating the perfect picture opportunity. The grounds were lush, and the white roses were in full bloom—a magical backdrop! The venue comes packed with amenities I appreciated. The chiavari chairs were lovely, eliminating the need to rent tables, dishes, linens, and more. Cocktail hour was beautifully set up, meaning I didn’t have to arrange for rentals for those items either. Christina personalized many elements for our wedding, making it special! The catering staff was excellent; guests loved our Polynesian buffet and raved about the ginger beef. Honestly, I believe it was the best wedding food I've encountered. That said, there was a notable issue with some staff being unkind to the groom and bridal party, which was surprising for such an expensive event. The day proceeded without a hitch—nothing ran late, the passed appetizers were delicious, and guests enjoyed the drinks, which were generously poured compared to what's typical at weddings. As for the restrooms, although they were portables, they were less of a hassle than I expected! Lines only formed once at a transitional period, and lobby restrooms were available as an option. The location of The Dana is fantastic, conveniently situated near attractions in San Diego, so guests don’t need to stay there, making travel access easy, unlike other waterfront options in La Jolla or North County. In terms of cost, The Dana is competitively priced against similar venues, delivering significant value! CONS: We chose to have our ceremony overlooking the bay on the Sunset Lawn. If the ceremony is your priority, I wouldn't recommend this venue. The reception area far exceeds expectations, but there was trash littering the property, including behind guest seating, which was disappointing. Additionally, we noticed many people using the public space for gatherings and parties; my husband and I had to request that people relocate to shoot portraits on the water. When we visited before the wedding, Christina advised us that she would set up to secure our area, but she wasn’t available the day of the wedding. The staff who were there did not execute her plan, which caused accessibility issues we’d worked to avoid; I wish we had known Christina wasn't in attendance so that I could have had friends stake out positions to avoid the chaos. There were a lot of challenges with the hotel itself; not all rooms have been updated, and the legacy rooms fell short of expectation. Some staff were outright rude to my families, who spent thousands at the venue, with instances where the staff seemed inexperienced. The room block created numerous issues leading up to the wedding; I would’ve been better off booking without it, as it ended up being less expensive to do so just a week before. There was also misinformation regarding USD family discounts; Christina led us to believe we could utilize them alongside our booked block but changed that once we had paid the deposit. If I had a chance to do this again, I would arrange for a room block at any other hotel for my guests. I won't stay here again with all the setbacks we faced regarding customer service, especially considering the high price for a summer wedding weekend. A particularly large factor in adding stress was the bridal suite not being ready when needed; we were led to believe it would be prepped early. Instead, the cleaning staff worked on the other wedding guest rooms first, delaying our suite's readiness until after my rehearsal had begun. Consequently, we had to prepare in my parents' room and later transfer everything to our bridal suite around 10 pm the night before my wedding. If communication had been clearer that our suite wouldn’t be available early, we could have coordinated better. It's perplexing that the bridal suite wasn’t prioritized given our scheduled events.