San Diego Zoo excursion

[patterson3]

Has anyone done the San Diego Zoo excursion offered by Princess? Did you have an adequate amount of time at the park? Is the San Diego Safari part of the Zoo or is it a seperate park? If seperate which park would you recommend?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[TucsonRick]

I booked the Princess excursion and later found that the zoo is only about 4 miles from the pier and can be accessed by city bus. I cancelled the Princess tour. The Princess tour is 5 hours at the zoo.

[CruiserBruce]

The Safari is a distinctly different location, about 30 or so minutes further away. It however, is the better park, IMHO. Been to the Zoo, the Safari and Sea World in the last year. I would rank the Safari highest, but all are pretty neat places.

[Fattony]

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/ has links to each park. You can an idea of the distance between the two by looking at Google Maps or Mapquest. Google says 31 miles from one to the other. The main zoo is relatively easy to get to by public transportation. Try the trip planner at http://www.sdcommute.com/ The two parks are quite different.

 

At the zoo, you walk around or pay for a guided tour using a tram, as I recall. The zoo is made up of many, many different exhibits. It's a great place to learn a lot about different animals. There's a real effort made to present the animals in at least a semblance of their natural habitats. How long you spend at each exhibit is obviously up to you; I took a tour with a friend who was a zoo association member and so got free passes; afterwards we walked around. Lots of educational programs there. And the setting, in Balboa Park, is nice (there are a few museums in the park, as well, in case the zoo doesn't hold your interest long enough).

 

I haven't been to the safari park, which used to be called the Wild Animal Park, for a few years. It's up near Escondido. You ride in a tram (or, for more money, a safari truck for a more close-up view; they didn't have those when I last went) and view animals roaming more or less free, to simulate an African wild game park (though carnivores and prey are, I believe, separated, since many visitors may not want a brutally realistic experience, despite what can be viewed nightly on TV shows, such as those of National Geographic). Web sites says the tram tour is 25 minutes long, but I believe there are also exhibits, etc. (and I seem to recall one could take the tram more than once). If you've been to a park in Africa, it would seem pretty tame, but if you have not, it's interesting. It would be tough, if not impossible, to get to by public transportation.

 

I prefer the zoo, especially in the heat of summer, but they're both good.

[SadieN]

When are you going? The Safari Park is horribly hot in the summer.

[CruiserBruce]

When are you going? The Safari Park is horribly hot in the summer.

 

Not many cruise ships call in San Diego during the summer.

[patterson3]

When are you going? The Safari Park is horribly hot in the summer.

 

Next April.

[bill_the_traffic_guy]

Has anyone done the San Diego Zoo excursion offered by Princess? Did you have an adequate amount of time at the park? Is the San Diego Safari part of the Zoo or is it a seperate park? If seperate which park would you recommend?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

There is so much to see / do in SD. If you have the ability and time I would suggest renting a car. Enterprise will actually drop you at the pier if you call the local airport location.

 

The zoo is awesome...my wife and I were just there in October and the tram is a great way to see and get around the park. I don't remember there being a fee for the tram but I have been wrong before. We have never been to the Safari park but have heard that it is a great experience. Take the Sago tour if you go there...have heard great things about it.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

The San Diego Zoo is 2.4 miles, so walkable by theoretically fit people or 4 miles if you use a cab.

 

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is 34 miles away and I would not go there unless I had my own car so I could control when I got there and left.

 

Both are great and completely different. Going to the San Diego Zoo gives you a lot of flexibility on if you decide to just see a few exhibits. The Zoo is in Balboa Park that has a dozen or more great museums and the adjoining Banker's Hill and Hillcrest neighborhoods have great restaurants. You are also close to good shopping areas and other attractions. Not much in Escondido, but you are closer to some casinos.