How long and far from Disneyland to SeaWorld or San Diego Zoo??

[happymomof5]

I need to know how long it takes to get from Disneyland to SeaWorld or the San Diego Zoo, and also how far in miles?? I can't find it anywhere this afternoon! We are still trying to decide which to do! Also, if we go to the zoo, should we plan on the Wild Life Park too, or just the zoo??


Thanks a million, billion, zillion!!

 

[FanOfStitch]

If you go to mapquest.com it will give you specific directions, however, it does say that it takes 1 1/2 hours to get from Disney to Sea World. 90 miles. I am also taking a day trip to Sea World while were there but I am going to give myself at least 2 hours for the trip. I've heard alot about the traffic in CA.

 

[LuvTigger]

Ditto what FanOfStitch said. From my experiences, it usually takes about 1 1/2 hours. However, last year we ran into some unexpected traffic going into San Diego, and this was mid-morning on a weekday.

The Zoo and Animal Park are quite different, but I think I would just do one, rather than both. I like the Animal Park, but given a choice, I would rather go to the Zoo. I'm not really sure why I like the Zoo more, I guess I prefer the atmosphere and there are more animals there. The Animal Park is more interactive and the animals are more in their natural environments, but sometimes they can be difficult to spot.

 

[msteddom]

I would allow 2 hours. I eould choose the zoo over the Wild Animal Park too. The Zoo is much easier to get to, you can see more animals close up, and there is much more shade. The Wild Animal Park is wonderful, but it is very spead out and a good deal of it is only viewable by tram. It is also blisteringly hot in the summer.


Melissa

 

[singingpixie]

My grandparents live in San Diego, and we used to do all the San Diego sights as well as Disneyland whenever I went out there. Since I haven't really been since I was old enough to give an accurate estimate of the time, I'm gonna go with everyone else- 1 1/2 to 2 hrs depending on traffic. I'm planning a trip next march and thats what I was figuring on. As for the sights you mentioned-
Sea World was arguably my favorite part of going to San Diego as a child, possibly more than Disneyland (shocking, I know). In any case, it's a very different experience and I think definitely worth it.
The San Diego Zoo is another really worthwhile experience, better than any other zoo I've been to. Unless your group is all big on hiking, I would do the deluxe ticket that includes the double-decker bus (one of my earliest memories of going as a child) and the skyfari. Both are interesting vantagepoints, and after you do the Bus circuit you can just return to what you want to see more of, instead of traveling the whole park on foot.
The Wild Animal park is also great, and very different from the zoo, but if you have to pick I'd pick the zoo. The zoo offers closer looks at animals, while the animal park gives you the chance to see many animals all together in a realistic habitat. It's really nicely done. One thing to note is that the wild animal park is about 45 mins north of san diego in escondido (sp?) which could either be a plus or a minus. Sea World is in Mission Bay Park (in San Diego but on the north side) and the Zoo is right in the middle of Balboa Park, San Diego's city park. Good luck! -Meg

 

[batraylover]

I live in San Diego, and we made the trip to Disneyland in less than an hour and a half, but that was early morning before morning rush hour 6-9 am, and before lunch rush hour 11am-1pm. Evening rush hour is 5-7pm. Traffic can be a nightmare during those times.

Sea World is definately worth the trip. As for San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park, Wild Animal Park is closer to Disneyland, but I prefer the San Diego Zoo. The Wild Animal Park features massive enclosures and the animals are in settings that look like natural habitats. The only problem is that the enclosures are so large, it can be difficult to spot the animals. When we went we saw the large animals, rhinos, hippos, giraffe's, and elephants, and we saw a lot of deer, antelopes, deer family. The oddest thing about the wild animal park is that many of the enclosures had animals that are local animals, that had made their way into the enclosures. Its pretty dissappointing when you live in San Diego, to watch San Diego native deers, bunnies, etc eat in an enclosure, and the tour guide on the bus even pointed out that they were locals ducking in for a visit.

The San Diego Zoo has a good number of animals, and they are more in zoo like habitats where you can actually find the animals in them. They also have an excellent children's zoo that even adults enjoy. Where you can brush goats, see baby animals (like the nursey with the diaper wearing monkeys), and other fun things. The zoo also has some shows, like the Sea Lion show and an Elephant show (not sure if that still exists though). I can't remember which park, zoo or wild animal park, but one of them just added a bird show. The only perks of the Wild Animal park over the zoo is that you can feed giraffe's and birds at the Wild Animal park. Both parks are a lot of walking. The wild animal park can be really uncomfortable during summer months as it is in the desert. In addition, the Wild Animal park has shorter park hours then the zoo.