Pintxos

Hi, we are doing a 4-day trip to San Diego very impromptu. Which card or deal is best for access to SeaWorld, Legoland, and the Zoo? There are so many websites and deals and so little time that I am a bit at a loss. Help? Thanks!

Tomsd

Not sure about Legoland but there is a card good for the Zoo, and it's "sister" - Safari Park/formerly Wild Animal Park and Seaworld for $149 - and I think it is good for 7 days?

Actually - I just googled and there is a card good for about everything - "Go San Diego Card" - for $209.

So do some googling and then determine what you want to do/pay, etc.

lwjm

The Go San Diego card can be purchased through the Smart Destinations website. It can be bought for 3-, 5-, or 7-day validity. I have bought this card for two different trips to San Diego and there are versions for other cities, too. I have used it in Chicago and NYC. It is activated when it is first used and then is good for whatever duration you purchase. There are both children's and adult's cards. The San Diego card is good for the zoo, the safari park, Sea World, Legoland, harbor cruises, a number of the museums in Balboa Park, some restaurant discounts, etc. Once you decide what you want to see, then check the regular admission prices on-line and compare those with the cost of the card to see if it is a savings. I like the card in that you don't have to carry a lot of cash around and it is less of a loss if it is lost or stolen than would be true of your credit card. It also allows you at some locations to go to the head of the line. Sometimes Smart Destinations will have sales on the cards so you can buy them for even less. Then you do save quite a bit over the regular admission prices.

mah1980

Before you go to Sea World, you may want to watch or read about the excellent documentary, Blackfish, which chronicles the park's terrible safety record. I loved Sea World before I watched it, but I will never go again after learning more about the company's barbaric practices.

Tomsd

We still love Seaworld - and before the Blackfish dummies possibly suceed in getting it shut down- go to see the great Orca show.

The safety record is NOT terrible.

DebitNM

"Blackfish dummies"?

Gads, I can't imagine how anyone with any degree of compassion could think that what SeaWorld did/does is ok.

From capture to the forced confinement to only be allowed out for a few minutes a day to being forced to be a sperm donor...it goes on and on.

"The safety record is NOT terrible" GMAFB

Loss of even one human life is bad, but repeats committed by the same poor captive whale is heinous. But wait, that's a legal term...or is it a moral term? I guess we'd need a lawyer for that.

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...ler-whales.cfm

Tomsd

Debit - please go preach to somebody else - perhaps in New Mexico? - and don't try to make legal distinctions as you fail miserably.

Simply stated - if you believe everything in Blackfish - you are naive.

Many many people enjoy the Orca shows and come away with a much greater appreciation of what it means to protect Orcas in the wild (or did you even watch that part of the presentation?)- plus Seaworld does a lot for sealife preservation and study.

DebitNM

If you believe nothing in Blackfish, you are clueless.

Tomsd

So far - I have not read anyone commenting on the many injured marine animals that SeaWorld rehabilitates and returns to the wild - or the Millions of dollars they contribute/spend on Marine research.

I would also hope that those who have so ardently posted their views supporting "Blackfish" are also aware of other opinions about the movie - as noted here and by CNN and former SeaWorld Trainers who dispute what was "represented" in the movie.

"All of the falsehoods and misleading techniques in Blackfish are employed in the service of the film’s obvious bias, one that is best revealed near the end of Blackfish by a neuroscientist with no known expertise in killer whales. She claims that all killer whales in captivity are “emotionally destroyed,” and “ticking time bombs.” These are not the words of science, and indeed, there is not a shred of scientific support for them. Rather, they are the words of animal rights activists whose agenda the film’s many falsehoods were designed to advance. They reveal “Blackfish” not as an objective documentary, but as propaganda. "

http://seaworld.com/en/truth/truth-about-blackfish/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/opinio...h-controversy/

http://behindthethrills.com/2014/01/...oversial-film/

Pintxos

Yikes, I haven't been reading the thread because I was actually traveling to San Diego. We ended up paying the retail prices. I did fee the Go San Diego card, but I wasn't sure I could commit to 3 days. SeaWorld, despite the controversy, was my favorite. I can see the reasons why there may be issues, even though I have not seen the documentary. The tourist industry is brutal on the workers. The prices are exorbitant but they go to pay the corporate shareholders or private owners, primarily.

Nevertheless, I admit, it was fun. I am not sure I would do it again but after 20 years in this country, it was worth 4 days. We went to Legoland (talk about corporate exploitation) and SeaWorld and didn't make to other attractions because we have friends in the area and spend some time with them instead on the beach and at their pools and houses..

Pintxos

Thank you all for your contributions to this thread!

Tomsd

Pintxos - thanks for the trip report and glad you had a good time. Spending time at the beach and at pools at friends houses can't be beat, eh?

Pintxos

I loved California. I have not been in 10 years and am already planning to go back. San Diego was beautiful and I have left much to be explored further. Wonderful place to visit.

nanabee

Pintxos
Our best attraction hands down is The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park (also part of the zoo but in a different location) so I'm sorry you didn't get the opportunity to go there. Plus the zoo has the distinction of actually saving animals and bringing back animals from near extinction. (The California Condor is one example).

spirobulldog

Our favorite was the Safari Park/Wild Animal Park(not sure what it's called now)

Tomsd

Sprio - it's part of the SD Zoo now - and renamed Safari Park - formerly Wild Animal Park. A favorite of ours too.

spirobulldog

It's always been a part of the zoo. It's not located by the zoo though. I just wasn't sure what the correct name for it was now.