For ambitious travelers, Go San Diego card can offer good value

Are you the kind of traveler who charts a vacation itinerary like a law student might strategize her semester’s course load? Do you consider an afternoon by the pool to be time wasted, preferring to check off items on an attraction-packed list that keeps adults occupied and/or kids happy (and contently and suitably exhausted come night)? Then you may be the ideal candidate for a Go City Card — a pass that gains you admission to select attractions in one of 13 U.S. destinations or in Toronto, Canada.

The Go San Diego Card caught my eye with its offering of entry to more than 50 attractions, including the San Diego Zoo, Legoland and Balboa Park museums. A pass valid for one day costs $65 for an adult, $50 for a child. But multiple-day passes offer far more value: two days for $95/$80 adult/child; three days for $113/$94; five days for $149/$117; and seven days for $180/$135. (The three/five/seven-day pass prices reflect a 10% discount currently available through an online sale.)

Deal or no deal? Well, it depends on how many attractions you can, and want to, visit during your San Diego stay. Getting value out of a one-day pass seems like it would be hard work. Taking in the zoo (typically $35 per adult, $26 per child) and a one-hour whale-watching cruise ($30/$15) would pay for the pass for an adult and nearly so for a child, but would you really have energy beyond those activities to do more? If so, and you took advantage of at least another attraction, as well as possibly one of the dining discounts offered in the pass, you could eek some value from it.

A three-day pass seems more worthwhile. Let’s say, like many tourists, you spend one day at the zoo and another day at Legoland California ($63/$53). Maybe, on your third day, you’ll get back to nature with a trip to the Wild Animal Park ($35/$26). With just those three things you’d save about $20 per adult by taking the Go Pass route. But again, you ambitious tourists could probably save even more, by fitting in, perhaps, a one-hour harbor cruise, a look into the San Diego Museum of Man and other Balboa Park museums (since you’ll be right next-door, at the zoo, anyway) and some meals outside of attraction grounds. Draw up your itinerary and see what fits.

Note: The aforementioned rates do not include shipping, which costs $5.50 per order for standard shipping (allow 10 business days). Or you can opt to pick up your passes at a select location in your destination city; a $4 voucher-redemption fee would be charged.

Contact: Smart Destinations, (800) 887-9103

—Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: In Carlsbad, the Legoland Lego technic coaster. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 8:56 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Deals, Family & Kids, News, Tips & Advice, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San DIego, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.