Planning a trip to San Diego

[IluvKingLouis]

This will be our first time there. It'll be me, DH and DD6.75.

If we only have time to do either the Zoo or the Wild Animal Park, which would you choose.

We really want to do LegoLand, but Egads(!) it is pricey. I think a trip to DL would be a lot less but DH is Disney'ed out.

Any suggestions would be great!
thanks!

 

[PHXscuba]

Yes, Legoland regular admission prices can be high. There are often "buy the adult/get the kid in free" coupons that are floating around this board or at restaurants (if you know people in So Cal have them check).

The zoo and wild animal park are very different experiences. For us going to the zoo was about seeing some animals we hadn't seen at any local zoos -- pandas, koalas, hippos. The wild animal park is more of a guided safai experience and different than most zoos.

Your daughter might also enjoy a harbor tour, the museums in Balboa Park near the zoo, tide pools, etc. I found TripAdvisor's San Diego boards to be really helpful when we planned our trip last fall.

Also, check both the California/West board and the So California board here. I see stuff about San Diego on both boards.

PHXscuba

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Thank you for your help! I think we are now leaning towards Legoland and their adjoining Aquarium. Found some good prices through Costco. I will check out the Marina stuff too. We're coming from Colorado, so anything that includes the ocean is pretty cool.

 

[amjt660]

I have been to SD four times and I would choose the Zoo over the Animal Park. As mentioned above to see the different types of animals than your regular zoo

Have fun

 

[snickerboo]

We just got back from SD and went to the zoo but not WAP. We absolutely loved the zoo but we are definitely animal people. The front desk at our hotel gave us a coupon for $8 off each Best Value Admission. Maybe that's something your hotel will have? I thought Costco had zoo deals too? When are you going? They just had a promotion of kids free with and adult ticket. Keep an eye on their website for deals. We found a deal on the SeaWorld website of free child with and adult ticket for Subway customers (aren't we all Subway customers? LOL) That turned out to be a very good deal. You can see the seals and sea lions at Children's Beach in LaJolla for free if you have a rental car. Also, there's the Birch Scripps Aquarium. We didn't go to that because we went to the aquarium in Long Beach. There's Belmont Park where they have rides on the beach, and Mission Bay Beach which is just a beautiful beach area. There are lots of SD things to do that aren't super-pricey.

Have fun. We just loved San Diego and wish we could have stayed longer.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Thank you everyone for your responses and all the great info.

We had planned to go to San Diego second week in October, but the we all came down with H1N1. I hope we make it in the spring, or perhaps next fall.

Thanks again for sharing