Wild Animal Park (SD) with small kids?

[camouseketeer]

For those of you have been to the WAP with small children (mine are 4, 2), would you recommend it? We are going to SD in early May. We have a citypass and can go to the zoo or WAP. My kids don't like to walk long distances and we have a zoo in our area. Obviously it is not as great as SD's, but I thought the WAP would be a different experience. Howeverm, after reading several posts about the WAP, I'm worried that the tram ride will be long and the animals will be too far away.

My plan is to go first thing in the morning and only if the weather is not too hot. I think my kids would stay attentive if there were animals to see.

Any opinions? Should I rethink the zoo?

Thanks so much!

 

[victorandbellasmom]

With young kids, I would rethink the zoo. We did both the zoo and WAP last Oct. My kids (they were 4 and 7) enjoyed the zoo mainlybecause of the Pandas and the skytram. We have a good local zoo here so the kids were really only interested in animals ours didn't have. It is hilly and I'm not sure if the city pass comes with the bus tour, but i would recommend it. At the WAP my ds and dh did the safari caravan tour and had the best experience. It was the highlight of my dh's trip. Dd and i took the train around during their tour and we both actually started falling asleep. We were probably on the 2nd train ride that morning. The weather was really warm and the lull of the train was very rhythmic. The animals were further away than a typical zoo, but it was pretty neat to see them interacting in more of a natural environment. With any animal exhibit, seeing them are often hit and miss. The kids had to strain their necks or stand on our laps to see the aniamls. We saw lots of giraffes, rhinos, goats. We ended up having lunch after the train and went exploring through their other exhibits. With such young kids, I'm thinking the zoo might be your better bet. We're waiting for dd to turn 6 so that she could do the the photo caravan tour dh and ds did at WAP before we go again.

 

[Califgirl]

It is a lot of walking at either the Zoo or the WAP. The Zoo is very hilly, but the WAP has long stretches of walking. You will definitely want both kids in a stroller, or you might end up carrying them. I love them both, but be prepared for lots and lots of walking.

 

[undertheradar]

For "upclose" viewing, the Zoo is the choice. For a calmer, more relaxed visit, the WAP is a great choice. The zoo is very hilly and unless you take the bus tour, you will not want to do all of the walking. There is lots to do at either one, but young children would enjoy the open space at WAP. My youngest was 4 when we became members 3 years ago.

 

[GreenGirl8]

If you are worried about the long train tour, it will be shorter when you go. The WAP is shutting down part of their monorail to start consturction on a new system that will actually be amazing once it is done!

 

[camouseketeer]

Where is the walking part in the WAP? If you take the train, where would we have extensive walking?

RE: the bus at the zoo, do you see animals while on the bus or does it just take you to various part of the zoo?

I've read the suggestion of taking the bus to the top of the hills and walking back down. Is that doable with small children (we would have a stroller)?

My goal is a new experience for the girls but one that is not too stressful for any of us. We'll be doing the zoo or WAP the first day of our citypass vacation and don't want to be too exhausted when we're done!

Thanks for you help!

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Where is the walking part in the WAP? If you take the train, where would we have extensive walking?
There are other exhibits that aren't seen through the train ride. Here's a link to the map http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/wap_map.html

RE: the bus at the zoo, do you see animals while on the bus or does it just take you to various part of the zoo?
Yes, you do see lost of animals. In fact you'll be able to see a large portion of the animals. The bus tour also gives you an all day pass to use their bus system.

I've read the suggestion of taking the bus to the top of the hills and walking back down. Is that doable with small children (we would have a stroller)?

I think it's possible. We actually walked down to the pandas and up to the polar bears and took the air tram back to the front. I'm assuimng so long as your strollers are folded you can bring it on the bus. Not sure though.

 

[GreenGirl8]

I would say that overall, the WAP will be less walking than the zoo and a bit more relaxing. I find the shows at the WAP more entertaining as well. Don't miss the bird show!

 

[CACruisin']

Regardless of which park you do, you will do lots of walking and want to have a stroller. I believe both parks rent double strollers if you don't want to bring your own.

Yes, I have taken my own stroller on the zoo bus tour many times. The zoo strollers would not go on the bus though. If you have your own stroller, I would recommend getting the bus pass that allows you to get on and off and different stops. it is worth the extra $ for the hills alone. You do see the animals with the other bus tour, but for little kids, it could be a boring "lotsa talkin'".

Until a few weeks ago, I would have said the zoo was a better choice for younger kids based on my experiences with my older children. However, I had a fantastic day at the WAP with my youngest (DD2). At the new lion camp exhibit we were within FEET of 6 lions. It was great! DD fed leaves to a giraffe at the Heart of Africa exhibit. We walked over to see the elephants too. We could have spent hours just watching them. She had a great time, and we will be going back soon. We did not do the monorail tram this time. It is just too long for little ones, and the animals are too far away for the little ones to really see them well. With the monorail, you are just stuck if your child has to go potty or wants to get out (with the accompanying tantrum!)

 

[Disneyluvr]

So is there plenty to do there. my kids are 9 & 12 and we want to do the WAP, Zoo and Sea World. Is the WAP different enough from the Zoo to do both and not get bored? Looking on the site is seems that most things at WAP are not included and are an extra charge. Grrr, I hate when they do that, you already paid a hefty admission, everything should be included

 

[GreenGirl8]

I think there is enough to do at the WAP. I have gone several times and have just paid admission. There really isn't much to pay for unless you want to do something super special. You can see everything, but must pay to feed the animals in some areas. Makes sense, the zoo and WAP are non-profit and they also need to keep some sort of limit on the amount of food the animals get...supply and demand!

 

[mclopezzz]

The kids would love the shows at the Wild Animal Park. The bird show is fascinating and the kids could sit right up front. The trainers have animals called Critter Encounters throughout the day and you can also feed the lorikeets. There is less walking and it truly is a LOT more relaxing than the zoo.

 

[mhuber92211]

I got Married at the WAP so I can offer some suggestions. I think that young children tend to enjoy the Zoo more because it is more "animal" friendly. WAP is to watch the animals in their own habitats and learn more about the characteristics of the animals. The WAP has a TON of walking. The paths are way to hilly for the young ones and they won't be able to keep up all day. After the tram (always take it near the end of the day, the animals are more alive then) the trek through the Africa exhibt is long and its the furthest away from the entrance. The WAP is one of the best places to visit in So Cal but be prepared for some excerise and some one of a kind experiences. Feeding the Giraffes in my Tux was a very fun moment for me!