Universal Studios & San Diego Advice

[sleepybear]

My family and I are planning a trip to San Diego and Universal Studios. I haven't been to either since I was 7, and my husband and have never. What should we expect in terms of crowds and seeing everything. We're thinking of skipping SeaWorld (we only really want to go to the zoo) but we found the 2 park pass for Universal and SeaWorld for $99/each. Is that a good deal?
Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[DisneyRoyalty]

I think that's a pretty good price, since it's about $60.00 or more for Sea World alone, and you can see the world famous Shamu! I personally think Sea World is more fun than the Zoo, but it depends on what you want to see.

[drb]

Originally Posted by DisneyRoyalty

I personally think Sea World is more fun than the Zoo, but it depends on what you want to see.

And Sea World's free booze is always a plus...

If you can do it, try to fit both Sea World and the Zoo into your trip. It's not just Shamu, dolphins and sea lions at Sea World, you've also got beluga whales, clydesdales, eels, flamingos, manatees, penguins, polar bears, otters, puffins, rays, sharks, starfish, tropical fish, turtles, walruses, and a bunch of other critters. Plus rides and other neat stuff, and better food, in my experience, than the zoo. Even if you don't see a single animal show, you can still have a full, fun day. (But do go to the zoo to see the pandas, if nothing else).

Other things to do in San Diego: If you like museums of any kind, there's a whole complex of dozens of different museums in Balboa Park. Science, Natural History, Art, Anthropology, Model Trains, Cultural, Aviation, Automotive, History, Photography, Japanese Gardens, and even a copy of Shakespeare's Old Globe Theater are right near the Zoo, as is a carousel where you grab for the brass ring.

You can tour an actual U.S. aircraft carrier, or a Russian submarine. Or take a harbor cruise and see the huge U.S. Naval presence in the area (more aircraft carriers, US submarines, etc.), plus a whole bunch of sea lions sunning themselves on floating platforms.

If you go into the San Diego Gaslamp District, do NOT park at Horton Plaza. Sure, you've got an hour or two free with validation, but if you dawdle while shopping and stroll around the area, or take in both dinner and a movie, you can wind up having to pay up to $75 dollars for an afternoon's parking! And it's easy to miss the parking rates on the way in. Eep. (They stuck us for $60 for six hours' parking, with validation.)

As for Universal Studios Hollywood, if you haven't been since you were a kid, depending on your age, you may find that nearly everything you remember has changed. Not that that's always (or even usually) a bad thing, but just be warned that you probably don't know where the tram tour loading area is now, for example, so don't count on your memory to tell you what's where.

And leave some time to check out Universal CityWalk.

[k_peek_2000]

When at Universal Studios. DEFINITELY don't start welding anything!