Monterey Zoo

[ckb104]

I am curious about the best/easiest/cheapest way to get from the cruise terminal in Monterey to the Monterey Zoo (which is actually in Salinas) about 20 miles away.  

Have you been to the zoo?  Is it worth it?  I saw that they have an elephant encounter that looked fun.  Any first-hand knowledge of that would be great, too.

Thanks! 

[trophy_23]

Not sure about the Zoo but the Aquarium is world renowned.  We walked to the Aquarium when we were there last year, easy walk as long as you don’t have any mobility issues.

[flyrobinfly]

I have been to the Monterey Zoo and actually overnighted there, which I highly recommend if you can do it...an elephant delivered our breakfast in the morning! The zoo itself is not huge but you can get really close to the animals and there will not be crowds the way there is at a larger place. So if you like a more intimate, low key experience, it's worth it.

 

For a port day, if you can sign up for an animal encounter it is enjoyable. We did an elephant feeding as well as a large cat feeding. There are several other experiences depending on what is available the day you go. I've attached a couple photos for you to see.

[ckb104]

Thanks, FlyRobinFly!  I think it would be completely worth it if I got to touch an elephant.  😃  

[flyrobinfly]

We did the PM bedtime snack in their heated elephant barn. Everyone got carrots to give their favorite elephants. Butch, the male you see in the photo, actually crooked his trunk to say "more" to people who didn't give him enough carrots in his opinion! Afterwards, we had the opportunity to touch the tusks of one of the females.

 

They do have during the day a couple different elephant encounters, including one where you help give them their bath. You are free to take as many photos and video as you wish, also. 

 

I found another photo showing some folks getting right up close to meet the elephants. You can barely see their legs but they're there. :)

[Smokeyham]

In Monterey your tender will drop you off at Fisherman's Wharf.  An option would be an Uber or similar to the Monterey Zoo.  I looked at the Uber website and it was quoting ~$20 to ~50 (depending on the size of the vehicle).  

I would check out their website, since you need to be on a guided tour and it looks like they offer them at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.  If you ship is offering this as a shore excursion then they may have been able to set up a separate tour.

 

We did an overnight stay at the facility (not as part of a cruise), which was really good fun, but if I only had one day in Monterey I would probably do something more local such as the Monterey Aquarium.