Suggestions please - - What days to visit SD Zoo, SD Safari Park, Balboa Park, and SW

[redsoxfan808]

We will be visiting San Diego in late September/early October and will have Saturday through Tuesday to visit these attractions. Since we arrive in San Diego late Friday night we are planning to visit Balboa Park on Saturday as we will likely sleep in that first day. Any suggestions for days to visit the other parks? Should we avoid the SD Zoo on Sunday due to its popularity and higher crowds on a weekend? Should we visit the SD Safari Park on Sunday? Visit SD Zoo and Sea World on Monday and Tuesday?

Any other suggestions on things to do in San Diego? This is a family vacation and we'll have our 10 and 12 year old boys with us.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[skiingfast]

Each of these places are busier on weekends and each have some rides to wait for, a few shows and some walk through exhibits. So you are really only worrying about the wait for a handful to couple of rides. You wait for shows to cycle one way or the other and walk through the walk through stuff shuffling slowly as always.

I would do it like that. Sunday Safari Park. Monday Zoo, it may be a little boring after the Safari Park, but you can walk to the Harbor. For the boys touring the aircraft carrier USS Midway may be good. Sort of splitting the Zoo day if needed. Then Seaworld which has couple thrill rides to finish the trip with.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

I would also suggest looking at the San Diego Go Card - http://www.smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours/_d_Sdo-p1.html?pass=Sdo_prod_go

It covers 49 attractions in Southern Ca - including the Zoo, Safari Park and most of the museums in Balboa Park, along with Sea World (if you buy the longer passes) Legoland and the Midway. The only problem is that you have to have the card redeemed, so you do not get to skip the lines.

Zoo and Safari Park hours are 9 - 5 at this time of the year, Balboa Park museums are usually open from about 10 - 4 or 5 (check the website for that museum as they do vary). Sea World's hours should be about 10 - 6 if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong.

 

[llump41]

I might suggest SW on a weekend. Hours are extended which will give you a little more bang for the buck. The zoo hours typically off-summer are the same 7 days a week.

 

[rsleleux]

We used San Diego go card for our trip in May and it was perfect for us! we went to Zoo on Sunday because we had to go to Legoland on Monday (was only opened on that day when we went) we went to Seaworld on Tuesday! We did so many other things with the card and saved a bunch of money! We saw the museums after we finished the zoo.

We went to the zoo on a Sunday and was there at park opening and went straight to see the Pandas, then hoped on a bus tour then saw the exhibits that were a must for us! We were at the zoo for 5 hours and we stayed at Balboa Park until the last museum closed! It was a long, exhausting but amazing day! I loved the zoo and Balboa Park! There was so much to see, we needed a 2nd day there!

 

[redsoxfan808]

Thank you all for the insights and suggestions! Anyone else have other thoughts? We are planning to stay at the Hotel del Coronado. (If I can afford it!) Forgot to add that we'll be heading to Disneyland after our visit to San Diego.