San Diego Zoo in two weeks; any tips?

[Camonkeygirl]

You can see the baby and Mom here - http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/

Glad you had a great time.

[Kauai4life]

That is just precious, thanks for posting it.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We took the guided double decker bus tour right at the start, then decided which animals/areas we would go back to. The Zoo property is very, very hilly so you need to save your energy for the things you really care about seeing! We also enjoyed the sky ride, but do that early as the lines get long, especially at the station that is closer to the entrance.

Also, our hotel had discount coupons that I think saved $5 per person. The Zoo is great, but it is expensive---adult tickets are $42 per person! Food is also very expensive.

Our favorites were the meerkats---very few zoos have them and I could stay and watch these adorable little things all day long!

[Camonkeygirl]

Originally Posted by sunsetbeachgal

We took the guided double decker bus tour right at the start, then decided which animals/areas we would go back to. The Zoo property is very, very hilly so you need to save your energy for the things you really care about seeing! We also enjoyed the sky ride, but do that early as the lines get long, especially at the station that is closer to the entrance.

Also, our hotel had discount coupons that I think saved $5 per person. The Zoo is great, but it is expensive---adult tickets are $42 per person! Food is also very expensive.

Our favorites were the meerkats---very few zoos have them and I could stay and watch these adorable little things all day long!

It is expensive, but as a not for profit park, all of the money goes back into the Zoo and it's sister facility - The Safari Park, or into one of our many research projects going on in 31 countries.

Our Meerkats had a part in the "Lion King" movies. Disney artists came to the Zoo and Safari Park for drawings of Pumba, Timon and the Gnu running.

[marvel]

sorry to hijack the thread, but have many done the backstage tour where you feed the rhino's? It looks amazing, just wondering if it really is that good.

[sonnyjane]

Originally Posted by marvel

sorry to hijack the thread, but have many done the backstage tour where you feed the rhino's? It looks amazing, just wondering if it really is that good.

I currently work for the bird show at the zoo, but prior to that, I worked for Backstage Pass for a few months. It's a great bang for your buck. If you compare it to Sea World where you pay $200 for 20 minutes of animal time, BSP for 90 minutes at $99 is a steal! You get to feed rhinos, get your picture with a cheetah, and then there are many other possible animals that you might see. The rhinos and cheetah are basically guaranteed, then you will meet about 6 or 7 more including any combination of the following: flamingos, kangaroo, binturong, clouded leopards, servals, zebra, donkey, ground hornbill, artic wolf, redtail hawk, blue and gold macaw, kookaburra, tamandua, or porcupine. Some animals you get to feed, some animals you get to pet, and some you just get to admire from afar, but all in all it's a pretty great experience. I definitely recommend it! And if you have ANY questions during the presentation, by all means ask the host. They are there to make sure you learn every last fact that you want about the animals that they are sharing with you!

There are professional photographers taking pictures throughout the experience and I highly recommend getting their pro shots. You can take your own pictures, but the pros can get into areas that guests can't. I think the entire CD of shots is $40 or so, so not bad at all!

[marvel]

Thank you very much, it sounds fantastic. Just patting a Rhino would be worth it, although I would like to pat the Cheetah as well !!

Although I could do without the kangaroo and koala, have plenty of them over here.

[sonnyjane]

Originally Posted by marvel

Thank you very much, it sounds fantastic. Just patting a Rhino would be worth it, although I would like to pat the Cheetah as well !!

Although I could do without the kangaroo and koala, have plenty of them over here.

Ha. While I'm sure many people would like to pat the cheetah, there are really strict USDA regulations about just how close you can get. If you book BSP, for the cheetah photo there has to be a trainer in between you and the cat during the photo. Some people get disappointed about that, but it's a legal requirement at the zoo so don't take it personally.

[marvel]

Fully understand that patting the cheetah would be dangerous, even so sounds like a great deal.

[owensamo]

We did the Backstage Pass tour on July 4th and it was one of the hi lights of our trip! We also did a penguin encounter and a Beluga encounter at Sea World - but the Zoo tour was far more experience for the money! We got to feed flamingos, see a bunch of animals, pet and feed the rhinos - it was all very cool.

We also got the CD of all the photos at the end - and the photographer didn't just take pictures of the people. She also took a lot of animal shots that were included as well - and I knew they weren't stock photos because I saw her taking pictures of a flamingo's feet! That shot turned out really well, too! Her photos were amazing - and I didn't feel bad for not taking more of my own pictures of the animals!

I do highly recommend this tour. I believe it comes with the bus tour included that day - you can double-check at the check-in desk.

[sonnyjane]

Originally Posted by owensamo

I do highly recommend this tour. I believe it comes with the bus tour included that day - you can double-check at the check-in desk.

Actually the bus tour, Express Bus, and Skyfari are included with all general admission tickets! Backstage Pass lanyards ARE supposed to allow you to cut in line when getting on the Express Bus though.