San Diego Zoo

[Brumeiser]

I hear discounted tickets are hard to find. I found a 6 dollar savings on the tickets if I prepurchased them. Or my wife was wondering will we find any when we are down in San Diego? Thanks

 

[emily94]

I agree that they are hard to find! I think the $6 off is a good deal you could always call the concierge at your hotel and ask if they know of any discounts.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

Six dollars off is pretty good deal. Most of the discounts I see are for 4 or 5 dollars or 10% off. The other added benefit for pre purchasing your tickets is that you won't have to wait in very long lines at the ticket windows

 

[disneyfanatick]

Even with a $6 discount the fee to enter is $42 being from the East Coast high prices don't normally effect me but what is the zoo offering for this extremely high entrance fee?

The last zoo we visited, in a major city it was free and if you wanted to see the shows they were a la carte. We didn't see any animals we went early in the morning to avoid any heat issues, most of the tigers and lions stayed way up on the hill in the shade.

We are planning a trip in November dd and Dni are young adults who are animal lovers just can's see shelling out over a $150 for our party to play look for the animals hiding in the bushes.

So the question I guess should be does the San Diego zoo guarantee the animals will all be out and about?

Sorry to sound cynical- could the East Coast thing.

 

[jasy]

No zoo will guarantee that the animals will be out and about.

Is the price worth it? Only you can decide that.

For our family it is, the San Diego zoo is amazing, unlike probably any other zoo you may have ever been to. I'm going on a solo trip at the end of Feb and I'll be renting a car just to drive down and see the polar bears, galapagos tortoises and komodo dragons (my favourite animals).

If you haven't already I would suggest checking out their website:

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org

$6 off admission is a great deal if you can find it. I would also suggest purchasing tickets online in advance and skipping the line ups at the ticket booth.

 

[grnflash]

Hi. There are only a couple other zoos in the US that are the caliber of the SD Zoo (haven't been yet but the Henry Doorly Zoo in Neb comes to mind.) It's really not comparable to most any zoo out there. It's like comparing Disneyland to Six Flags or even Knotts. Sure, they all have roller coasters, but....

November is a nice time to visit temperature-wise and cooler temps definitely increase animal activity. There's still no guarantee for animal viewing - but you know that already.

**Also, the SD Zoo is sorta like Disneyland ticketwise. It's so popular and in a class unto itself that it just doesn't need to offer much in the way of discounting. It's unlikely you will find a better deal.

 

[eduk8r26]

If you go in October, kids get in free at the zoo, Safari Park and Sea World, too, I think.

 

[Rebekkap]

I'm wondering how exactly anyone thinks a zoo could guarantee the animals would be out and about?! Electric shocks? Tiny cages where they can't hide? Whatever way I can think of involves extreme animal cruelty.

The San Diego zoo is hands down the best zoo I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot around the world. Well worth the entrance fee (which is contributing to animal conservation and breeding programs).

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm wondering how exactly anyone thinks a zoo could guarantee the animals would be out and about?! Electric shocks? Tiny cages where they can't hide? Whatever way I can think of involves extreme animal cruelty.

The San Diego zoo is hands down the best zoo I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot around the world. Well worth the entrance fee (which is contributing to animal conservation and breeding programs).

I agree! No way you could guarantee animal sightings without forcing animals to do things they didn't want to.

Go early and you'll likely see animals feeding or moving around. Go later and you'll likely see animals sleeping for their midday naps. That's their behavior. If you want to see animals prancing around I suppose you could go to a circus, but I certainly don't condone that.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

One thing to keep in mind, most of the free Zoos are supported by local, state or federal governments.

The San Diego Zoo is a nonprofit Zoo, with little to no support from the government. All proceeds go back into either the Zoo, the Safari Park (Sister Facility 30 miles North of Downtown S.D.) or the many research projects around the Globe

 

[Iowajes]

When my husband and I went, we found that it was less expensive to get an annual pass than to buy day tickets.
The two-adult membership is $125 (kids are $50, a single adult is $108).
A two visit pass is $86 per adult, so we saved $47 on entry to the zoo and wild animal park. Plus there were some discounts that came with it, free parking at the animal park, and you get a magazine all year long.

Edit: Never mind - looks like they changed the annual pass to resident only. A non-resident pass is expensive.

 

[kitayama]

One thing to keep in mind, most of the free Zoos are supported by local, state or federal governments.

The San Diego Zoo is a nonprofit Zoo, with little to no support from the government. All proceeds go back into either the Zoo, the Safari Park (Sister Facility 30 miles North of Downtown S.D.) or the many research projects around the Globe

Speaking of the Safari Park... GO THERE!!!

I love the Zoo. It is massive and extremely impressive... I only go there a couple of times a year...
I go to the Safari Park far more often. There is something about the Safari Park that feels almost Disney-like to me. I jokingly call it the Animal Kingdom when I am there with my family.