I really enjoyed myself and glad for all they do there for the preservation of ocean life. Keep in mind parking will come at a premium with many all day spots nearby for $15. There is also a coffee bar where one can buy coffee or espresso drinks for under $5. They have a large cafe with excellent choices for grabbing lunch at a reasonable cost. There are a couple of places where one is allowed to reach in to touch and feel the animals. Some exhibits made me wish I was a little kid because I was much too tall to fit in some of these. ![]() Many special exhibits are designed especially for kids to play with and adventure around in. This is a great place for little children. ![]() I took the time to sit in on one of the free 15 min videos presented in their auditorium. The Kelp forest and otters are the two main attractions. There are several exhibits throughout the whole area encompassing 3 floors. I found myself wondering if this is what other, big zoos, like the Oakland Zoo or San Francisco Zoo, looked like when they first started out.Ī beautiful aquarium with majestic views of Monterey Bay. Yes, it's a small zoo, but you definitely get what you pay for. They plan to add giraffes in the near future. There also aren't huge crowds, or at least there aren't right now, on a Tuesday in February, so you never have to wait your turn to get up close and personal with the animals. The animals have bigger enclosures than they used to, and unlike many other zoos, you can really see the animals moving around, drinking from pools, eating, and checking you out. After all, why get so nervous over a simple question? I will definitely be checking my credit card balance to make sure they didn't overcharge me. It was hard to enjoy our day at the zoo after that, and her defensiveness actually ended up making me feel more suspicious. I could feel myself getting upset, so all I said was, "Your tone isn't necessary." She proceeded to argue with me about that, too! Finally I had to back away. I felt like she had decided I was a "problem customer". She continued blabbing about how they had charged me when I first booked, which wasn't even what I was asking about! It was completely insane. I tried to ask the woman with long brown hair behind the counter in the gift shop (where they do all their transactions) about this, trying to make sure I hadn't been charged twice, and she immediately got defensive, interrupted me over and over again, and not answering my question or even listening to what it was! I tried to say that usually businesses have you sign something saying they are giving you a refund before they have you sign a new total, but she wouldn't even let me get my words out. For our family, on a teacher's salary, this is a lot of money. Later I realized I'd signed one bill for $400 and another for $500! Not just an extra $100. Well, when they had me sign the next bill, it was for $500. I figured they'd charge us $100 for it later. There was an error on our first bill, and they had me sign my signature for $400 when we first arrived, which was $100 less than it should have been, because we added the Crunch Time activity. The other thing is, and I hate to mention this, but the staff is not always polite. After our morning activity, we were told to "head back into the gift shop" with no indication that the activity was over, so we were just kind of left waiting. ![]() The communication could have been better. There were only a couple of things that really could have made our visit better. It was pretty cold on Monday evening, and I was worried at first, but the heater and the heated mattress pads kept us warm. It really completed the feeling of being on safari. ![]() I appreciated her message of conservation, too I'll be checking the labels on our food staples at home and stop buying products with palm oil, so I am not supporting deforestation and the loss of these beautiful creatures' habitat.īack at The Bears' Den (#7), we were treated to quite a view! And what a wonderful sunset. The zookeeper (can't remember her name) had an infectious enthusiasm, and she was so funny, she kept us laughing, learning, and also safe. The only caveat was that the key to the door didn't lock from the outside, so we ended up bringing our valuables to the car for Crunch Time, which was amazing. A couple of years later, my daughter, now 4, is really into animals, and she got some gift money for her birthday and Christmas, so I figured we'd try it! We stayed in The Bears' Den, which was really fun. This zoo has really grown by leaps and bounds! My daughter and I came here a couple years ago with her daycare, and after hearing about Safari Quest, their rustic bed and breakfast where you can stay overnight and hear the sounds of the animals, I really wanted to try it with my family.
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