San Diego Zoo questions

[redsox721]

We are planning on going to the zoo on a Saturday in May during our first visit to Southern California.

How many hours should we plan on it taking to do/see everything at the zoo? What time should we plan to get there in the morning? Should we go right to the pandas or see them later in the day? Any other advice on the zoo would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[PHXscuba]

May is still off-season so it hopefully won't be too crowded or hot.

We were there at opening and went right to see the pandas (watch where you're going -- the maps are hard to read). They were easy to see and we could take our time, especially since there were only about three families in there with us at the time.

They limit the number of people in there at any time and if you're in there when it's busy, they edge you slowly through in a Disney-esque switchback. We went back by about 1 p.m. and the line to get in was long. If pandas are a priority, I would do this first!

I think we (with 4 animal-loving kids ages 3-12) spent about 6 hours total at the zoo. After the pandas we did the bus tour (worth the extra $, especially since you can find coupons online that bring the cost down to the regular ticket) rode the skyway to the pandas and walked down by way of hippos, tigers, etc. We then had lunch and walked around to see the koalas and some others.

There's a lot of up and down hills, so take the bus tour early and figure out what you want to walk to later.

PHXscuba

 

[allgrownup]

My San Diego zoo question....We purchased transportation/zoo entrance tickets from Anaheim to the zoo from Grayline Sightseeing.
Has anyone else done this? My question is Does anyone know if the zoo entrance ticket is one that includes unlimited use of Guided Bus Tour, Express Bus, and Skyfari Aerial Tram?
I did ask the tour company and got "We provide the basic admission ticket. If the basic admission tickets includes all those other attraction then yes." as an answer.
Hoping for anecdotal information
Thanks!

 

[Padrepride]

My San Diego zoo question....We purchased transportation/zoo entrance tickets from Anaheim to the zoo from Grayline Sightseeing.
Has anyone else done this? My question is Does anyone know if the zoo entrance ticket is one that includes unlimited use of Guided Bus Tour, Express Bus, and Skyfari Aerial Tram?
I did ask the tour company and got "We provide the basic admission ticket. If the basic admission tickets includes all those other attraction then yes." as an answer.
Hoping for anecdotal information
Thanks!

I don't believe that the basic admission ticket includes the tramway and I know it definitely doesn't not include either of the bus tours. In response to the other questions, plan to spend most of the day at the zoo if you want to see mostly everything. I personally think it's rather tough to see everything at the zoo in one day unless you're physically fit and have a game plan before going. The zoo is rather huge and is very, very hilly. Going on the buses is a great idea despite the cost. The pandas always have huge lines but they aren't on display throughout zoo hours. Count on waiting about a half hour to see the pandas. Also, get to the zoo early as most of the animals are very active in the early morning and then go napping during the late morning hours. Have fun!!