Experience a wonderful Southern California getaway the entire family will enjoy! We offer the best vacations for families at an affordable cost. This incredible Hotel & San Diego Zoo discount mini-family vacation tour package includes discounted San Diego Zoo tickets for 2 adults. This is HotGetaways best San Diego Zoo Packages!

You and your family will stay at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort & Hotel in Carlsbad, California overlooking the Pacific Ocean in a hotel guest room, located adjacent to LEGOLAND® California Resort.

This discounted San Diego Zoo family vacation package is offered at a special reduced rate as our way of expressing thanks to you for allowing us to introduce you to the benefits and luxury of timeshare ownership at Grand Pacific MarBrisa, A Hilton Grand Vacations Club Affiliated Resort. During your stay, you will be asked to attend a two-hour private tour of the resort property.

Prepare yourself for an entirely new way of experiencing the San Diego Zoo! The most elaborate and ambitious animal habitat in our history is now open, ushering in a new era. Joan B. Kroc's Monkey Trails and Forest Tales is the naturalistic home to more than 30 species of African and Asian birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, some of the world's most exotic and endangered wildlife. You can enjoy a three-dimensional journey into the depths of a tropical forest and a new understanding of the diversity and interconnectedness of life on Earth.

The San Diego Zoo has had a love affair with giant pandas ever since two of the black-and-white bears came to visit in 1987. After years of red tape and tons of application paperwork, the Zoo and China agreed on a 12-year research loan of two giant pandas, Bai Yun and Shi Shi. A brand-new exhibit area was built for our panda guests, which has since been expanded and renovated and is now called the Giant Panda Research Station. Although we currently have four giant pandas, our facility can comfortably house up to six!

Janey, the San Diego Zoo's smart and artistic Bornean orangutan, has launched into the Internet world of My Space! Her profile includes blogs, images, video, and her favorite music. We're hoping Janey's profile on MySpace.com will help spread the word about great ape conservation. If you (or your children) have a MySpace page, be sure to make Janey your friend, and spread the word! Check out Janey's profile at www.myspace.com/janeyape

At first thought, a polar bear in sunny San Diego seems curiously out of place. But with the San Diego Zoo's Polar Bear Plunge, you'll discover that polar bears are right at home, where every day is an Arctic summer day.

This exhibit brings the Arctic tundra south to San Diego, with Siberian reindeer, Pallas' cats, northern birds, and native plants, along with polar bears. The focal point of the exhibit is, naturally, the Plunge. From the underwater viewing room you can see how agile and playful the polar bears really are. In fact, they're known to swim right up to the glass to check out all the humans on display.
Outdoor viewing

Continue your jungle trek, either from Monkey Trails or Ituri Forest, to Tiger River. Here's you'll stroll along a riverbed pathway that leads to a tiger's lair, a crocodilian pool, a fishing cat's den, and a marsh complete with cattails, fallen trees, and wafting mists. Enjoy the cooling shade from towering palms, coral and orchid trees, ferns, figs, bamboos, and gingers.

Sea Lion Show - It Began with a Roar: This show spotlights animals that can be found around the globe and, as always, features our charismatic California sea lions. Show schedule: Daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Wegeforth Bowl, with additional shows during the summer and school holidays.

The Wild Ones - Legends & Lore: Delve into the legend and lore of both predators and prey from around the world and witness the mystery of their natural behaviors. You may even get a chance to participate! Daily: Noon and 2 p.m. at Hunte Amphitheater, with additional shows during the summer and school holidays.

Dr. Zoolittle Show: Join our physician of fun, Dr. Zoolittle, in the Children's Zoo for this interactive and hilarious show. Daily during summer, weekends, and school holidays.

Guided Bus Tour: Enjoy a 35-minute tour on a double-decked bus covering about 75 percent of the San Diego Zoo. Your bus tour ticket also includes use of the Express Bus, double- or single-decked buses with green signs on the sides that allow guests to hop on and off at five different stops throughout the Zoo. The Express buses pass by the stops every 20 minutes or less and provide transportation around the Zoo. Bus Tour tickets are included in the Best Value Admission price; they are not included in the General Admission price but may be purchased for $10 per adult, $7 per child ages 3 to 11. Members pay $8.50 per adult, $5 per child.

Carlsbad's Grand Pacific Palisades Resort & Hotel is a world-class hotel and timeshare resort with magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and seasonal Carlsbad Flower Fields. With luxurious furnishings and a complete array of resort amenities, this Carlsbad hotel offers a family vacation experience everyone will enjoy. Whether for business or leisure travel, we have accommodations to suit your needs, including space for wedding receptions!

Grand Pacific Palisades is located next to LEGOLAND® California Resort, close to Carlsbad beaches, one block from the brand new golf course The Crossings at Carlsbad and an easy drive to SeaWorld San Diego, the World-Famous San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We look forward to having you visit soon!

Hotel accommodations at Grand Pacific Palisades are luxurious and well planned for a comfortable stay for your business trip or vacation getaway. Our rooms capture the essence of style and comfort. With complete entertainment centers and data ports, they also come equipped with what you need to stay connected. Choose a standard hotel room with one king or two double beds; both have amenities designed for work or unwinding with either a balcony or patio.

• Room Service – offered by our onsite restaurant
• Karl Strauss Brewery & Restaurant
• Entertainment Centers with 27" TV
• DVD Player & Audio System
• Central Heating and Air Conditioning
• Non-smoking Rooms
• Outside Balcony or Patio with Table & Chairs

• Wireless Internet Access
• Olympic-sized Adult Pool Over Looking the Pacific Ocean
• Children's Pool with Interactive Water Park
• Fitness and Activity Center
• Video Game Room
• Karl Strauss Brewery and Restaurant

Things to do: LEGOLAND® California Resort SeaWorld San Diego San Diego Zoo San Diego Wild Animal Park Click for more

Weather: Carlsbad Weather Forecast, CA (92008)

ENTCO Wild Earth Safari Ride: Players of all ages can take a breathtaking safari through the plains of Africa. Your mission: to explore the wild as rookie photojournalists and to capture on film the essence and beauty of the natural world around you. Two guests per ride (photographer and driver), dynamically and interactively navigate the stunning landscapes of Africa on a quest for that "perfect picture." The guide, Ron N. Wilde, will give you various assignments to fulfill throughout your safari. As a guest in Wild Earth, you'll feel the acceleration and terrain in your vehicle as you try to keep up with a herd of zebras. You might even have an encounter with a few species that aren't so happy to see you. This 3-minute ride is $6 per player. Wild Earth Safari Ride is located across from the Zoo's Reptile House.

Skyfari Aerial Tram: Take an airborne shortcut over the treetops to the other end of the Zoo and enjoy spectacular views of the Zoo, its animal and plant collection, and surrounding Balboa Park (children under 8 must be accompanied by adults). 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. daily, longer hours during the summer season. Adult/child is $3 each way; members ride free.

Balboa Park Miniature Railroad: All aboard! The Balboa Park Miniature Railroad is now operated by the San Diego Zoo. The train pulls out of the station for 3-minute rides around a portion of Balboa Park. Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily during the summer, and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and school holidays. The train station is just east of the Zoo’s exit. Train tickets are $1.75 for ages 1 and up; under age 1 is free. For safety reasons, ages 5 and under must ride with a paying adult.