Seaworld or San Diego Zoo?

[purplecolourz]

Hi everyone. We are going to California next month and we only have one day of the weekend to go to either San Diego Zoo or Seaworld. I would like your opinion, which would you choose from the two and why do you like it? If you've been to both a comparison would be great too. My daughters are 6 and 2 years old and their enjoyment is a big factor. We have a rented car so going there won't be a problem.

I appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks.

 

[disneyaddict4]

I say seaworld. My husband used to work there so I took the kids there all the time. So much to do and see, even though we went once a week there was always something the kids enjoyed. At the zoo you run the risk of animals just sleeping in their cages.. not many shows or interactive things unlike seaworld. Its definitely much more expensive than the zoo butdefinitely lots to do. Even just going into bay of play (kids area) all day is fun

 

[sonnyjane]

I always feel weird giving advice about this since a lot of people on the boards know that I work at the zoo, but I promise I'm not TOO biased lol!

For your family, with kids that age, I would definitely say the zoo. The zoo is first of all less expensive. That's a plus. Second, on a weekend day, crowds at the zoo will be better than crowds at Sea World. The zoo is primarily for SEEING animals, Sea World is primarily for seeing shows and riding rides. Your kids are too small for the thrill rides at Sea World. The zoo is much, much better if you're looking for somewhere to go where you can move at your own pace. Sea World, if you want to catch the shows, requires you to be a bit more regimented - getting to the stadiums 20-30 minutes before each show if you want a great spot, and then you have to shuffle off to catch the next show.

If you had two days, I'd definitely recommend seeing both, but with only one day, I'd say the zoo is a better bet.

 

[danaesacto]

hands down, the zoo

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

If I had to choose one or the other I would do the zoo.

 

[julm26]

We will be in California for about 7 days in April, we have lots planned out. But only 2 days in San Diego. We chose the Zoo over Sea World. Wish we could do the Safari Park also but I don't think its doable. We have an DD8

 

[LoveMyTwoGIrls]

We do Sea World EVERY time we are in Cali. My kids (5 and 3) LOVE it. You get to pet dolphins and my kids love the shows (and the little sesame street play area). We usually split it up into 2 days, but we have passes.

We have 2 great zoos here, so while I like the San Diego zoo, 1x a year or every other year is enough for us.

 

[Zbugz]

Definitely the zoo. SeaWorld was a letdown after being to the zoo. So much was closed when we were there, and it just seems contrived in comparison. The zoo is one of the best in the world, IMO, and is cheaper than SeaWorld by a long shot, IIRC.

 

[purplecolourz]

We will be in California for about 7 days in April, we have lots planned out. But only 2 days in San Diego. We chose the Zoo over Sea World. Wish we could do the Safari Park also but I don't think its doable. We have an DD8

Yes the Safari Park also looks interesting, I wish we have more time.

 

[purplecolourz]

Thank you so much for all your comments, I'm really trying to squeeze in another day to spend in San Diego so we can visit both places. If I have to choose though I guess I will pick the zoo. But I really also like Seaworld, seeing killer whales would be fun.

Fingers crossed we can go to both.

 

[alyssa810]

I'm going to say the Zoo as well! We are hitting the safari park on our next trip, but we did SW and the zoo on our last trip (before DL of course LOL). If you have the time, both are cool; our DS is a huge animal lover and it was his first time at SW, and he calls san diego zoo was "the biggest zoo." We also did SW first though...I'd suggest the same.

 

[WINTER]

We went to So Cal last summer for our first visit. Loved it. We went to the Zoo and it was great. We spent all day there. We are going again this year but instead of the zoo, we are going to Sea World. We have been many times to Orlando. I would say it wouldn't matter which you choose - both will be great days. Flip a coin!

 

[purplecolourz]

We went to So Cal last summer for our first visit. Loved it. We went to the Zoo and it was great. We spent all day there. We are going again this year but instead of the zoo, we are going to Sea World. We have been many times to Orlando. I would say it wouldn't matter which you choose - both will be great days. Flip a coin!

The flip a coin idea sounds good to me, it's so hard to choose between the two lol.

 

[massachusettsdad]

For me, the San Diego Zoo is a great zoo, but there are zoos everywhere. When we go to San Diego I think it's amazing to see killer whales and the rest of Sea World.

When I've visited the San Diego Zoo after Sea World I thought it was a little boring because there aren't as many shows.

Something about the pacing of Sea World has worked well for us across 4 visits with the kids to San Diego and Orlando. You explore the park, see a couple exhibits, get a snack, watch a show and repeat until you're tired.

We've got 2 boys who are 8 and 5 now and we've enjoyed each visit with them since they were 4 and 2.

 

[gunka]

For your daughters ages I would say Sea World. The Zoo is amazing for looking at and seeing all kinds of animals. Sea World has more of an attraction feel to it. I would see if you can check Sea World's schedule as mentioned in a PP sometimes during the off-season some rides/shows/attractions are closed. Check out both websites with your daughters and let them help with the decision. Good Luck.

 

[joelybelly]

We do Sea World EVERY time we are in Cali. My kids (5 and 3) LOVE it. You get to pet dolphins and my kids love the shows (and the little sesame street play area). We usually split it up into 2 days, but we have passes.

We have 2 great zoos here, so while I like the San Diego zoo, 1x a year or every other year is enough for us.

Did you pay extra to pet the dolphins or was it before a show? thank you

 

[Purrkins]

Zoo.