San Diego is a City of fine Culture, Breathtaking Beauty, fantastic weather, and great food. It is also a City Rammed with incredible attractions and things to see and do. For anyone Visiting the City and planning on doing a few of these attractions, the costs can really rack up. You are left spending far too much or missing out on things to simply save money. One solution to this is an Attractions Pass.
In our Go City San Diego Pass Review, We take a look at one such pass, The Go City San Diego Pass. We take a look at what attractions are included and which are worth your time. We will take a look at some Costed examples and help you decide if the San Deigo Go Pass is right for you and ultimately ask if the Go City San Diego Pass is Worth it?
- Product: Go City San Diego Pass – All-Inclusive (Previously Go San Diego Pass)
- Price: $92- $294
- Price Child: $84 – $259 (Child 3-12yrs)
- Where to Buy: GoCity.com
- Number Of Attractions: 41+ Top Attractions
- Time Limit: 1,2,3,5 or 7 days unlimited (Consecutive Days)
- Expiry: 2 Years or 90 Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Rating: 4.7/5
- Attractions Included – 41 Top Attractions
- Unlimited All-Inclusive Attractions:
- What is the Go City San Diego Pass?
- How does the Go City San Diego Pass Work?
- How much does the Go San Diego Pass Cost?
- Is the Go City San Diego Pass Right for Me?
- Go City San Diego Pass Attractions
- Booking Attractions
- Sea World San Diego 1 Day Ticket ($99.99)
- San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park ($65.00)
- LEGOLAND California – $108.28
- San Diego Speed Boat Adventures ($89.45)
- USS Midway Museum ($26.00)
- Bike, Snorkel, Kayak, Surfboard, and/or Stand-Up Paddleboard Rentals (up to $49.00) + Other OUTDOOR Activities!
- Belmont Park Play And Ride Pass ($56.00)
- Hornblower Whale Watching Cruise – Summer or Winter ($50-65.00)
- Museums of Balboa Park ($10-$24.95 Each)
- Knotts Berry Farm – $99
- Is the Go City San Diego Pass Worth It?
- Example Go San Diego Pass Itineraries
- 2-Day Pass Itinerary
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Breakdown
- 3-Day Pass Itinerary
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Breakdown
- 5-Day Pass Itinerary
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Breakdown
- Advantages
- Inspiration
- Planning
- Budgeting
- Less Hassle
- What We don’t like!
- Alternatives?
- Conclusion.
Attractions Included – 41 Top Attractions
Unlimited All-Inclusive Attractions:
- Sea World San Diego 1 Day Ticket ($99.99)
- San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
- Speed Boat Adventures ($70)
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park ($65)
- Legoland California ($108)
- USS Midway Museum ($26.00)
- Bike, Snorkel, Kayak, and/or Stand-Up Paddleboard Rentals (up to $39)
- Belmont Park Play and Ride Pass ($56.00)
- Hornblower Whale Watching Cruise – Summer or Winter ($50)
- San Diego Harbor Cruise – $33
- San Diego Natural History Museum – $19.99
- Air and Space Museum- $22.50
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps- $25
- and Many more…
In A Nutshell
- Price
- Ease of Use
- Attractions
A Very Comprehensive pass that covers most of San Diego’s best sights and attractions and things to do. With so much on offer in San Diego seeing a doing everything can quickly add up to a big bill but with the Go Card you know exactly how much you need to spend and won’t miss out on any of the Cities big attractions due to your finances. Easy to use and with instant delivery the Go San Diego card has a lot going for it. Wit a few downsides that we take a look at int the article.
What is the Go City San Diego Pass?
The Go City San Diego Pass is an All-Inclusive attraction pass that allows you to visit as many attractions, from a list of 41 of San Diego’s best attractions during a set number of days. Your choice of 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 Consecutive days. The Pass used to feature Premium attractions but these have been integrated into the Pass as regular options.
How does the Go City San Diego Pass Work?
The Go City San Diego Pass is what is known as a Digital Pass. This is a code that is emailed to you after purchase. This can be printed out, used directly on your phone, or as part of the Go City App. Either way, it is a QR code that is simply scanned at each attraction and grants you access. It is a great system and couldn’t be simpler.
Upon First Use the pass is activated. And you then have the number of days purchased to use the pass at as many attractions as you like. It is important to note that days are Calendar Days not 24 hour periods, so it’s important to activate EARLY in the day, otherwise, you lose most of that day.
Days are also Consecutive, So if you activate a 3 Day Pass on Monday you then have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to use the pass.
There are a few attractions that require reservations so make sure you check the details of each desired attraction to see how to use the pass. This is likely to increase as social Distanceing means more and more locations require tied bookings.
The Go City App is available from the Play Store or the Apple Store and your pass can be added to the App making it simple to use right from your phone. The app has a built-in guide, giving valuable information on the Attractions available. It is an Offline app so you do not need a phone Signal or Data so you won’t get stuck unable to access your pass.
How much does the Go San Diego Pass Cost?
- 1 Day Pass: $109.00 – Adult $99.00 Child $109/99 per day
- 2 Day Pass: $169.00 – Adult $159.00 Child $84.50/79.50 per day
- 3 Day Pass: $216.00 – Adult $209.00 Child $72/69.50 per day
- 5 Day Pass: $319.00 – Adult $289.00 Child $63.80/57.80 per day
- 7 Day Pass: $379.00 – Adult $339.00 Child $54/48 per day
Is the Go City San Diego Pass Right for Me?
For some people, a pass is not the right option. San Diego has a large number of free and beautiful attractions and you can happily visit the City just to experience the wonderful coast, the Fantastic parks, and the fantastic dining scene. For these people, a pass is not the best choice.
Likewise, some people just want to see the sights and attractions at a very relaxed pace. Due to the All-Inclusive nature of the pass and the Consecutive days, this can mean The San Diego Pass is a little much. You do need to pack things in to get the best of the pass. With a 3 day pass you need to do a lot of attractions every day to make the pass pay and even with the 5 and 7 day passes, where the price per day drops, you still need to do at least one thing each day to make it pay, this leaves less time for hitting the beach, or just exploring the area.
Note – The Go San Diego Pass has just launched the Explorer Pass option for this pass. This is a far better option for those looking for a more relaxed trip and who are just looking to save money on a few attractions. We are working on the Full Review now, but essentially this option means you choose the number of attractions and visit them at your leisure. You can Save $100’s and see the best of San Diego. There is no Sea World on this pass but the rest are still there including a few others, including the Patriot Jet Boat and Jet Ski Rental! – Check Out the San Diego Explorer Pass here
However, If you are planning on visiting the Attractions listed, or after reading the list, several have really jumped out at you, then the cost savings are hard to ignore, and as we will see later there are some other big advantages of how the pass works. Especially for people who are not really sure what they want to do when visiting the City.
So really The Most important aspect of any pass is the Attractions available, Are they what you want to do? Are they good value and will Visiting them improve your trip? With this in mind, we take a look and see what the best attractions are. But as a pre-amble, there really are some absolute AAA attractions on the Pass. These really are the things we head to San Diego for, lets’s take a look but the line-up is pretty exciting!
Go City San Diego Pass Attractions
With over 41 Attractions available on the pass we can’t check out them all, but we take a look at our favorites and some of the most popular below. The Pass has a huge selection of things to do in San Diego and many are right on top of our Must-Do List.
Booking Attractions
Due to Coronavirus Restrictions, some attractions will require pre-booking. This is really easy to do, simply use your Pass-Code to book via the attraction you with to Visit. This does take away a little of the spontaneity of your trip but that is just one of the downsides of post covid Travel. As restrictions wind down this is less of an issue.
Remember – Using your Pass to Book a Ticket does NOT activate the Pass, only when you arrive and Scan the Pass on the day does it count as an activation!
Sea World San Diego 1 Day Ticket ($99.99)
Sea World is one of San Diego’s top attractions and we find most people are wanting to Visit the Sea Park on their trips to San Diego. Once the Jewel in the SoCals Theme Park Crown the park has become somewhat tarnished of late. Serious Questions have been raised about keeping Orca in Captivity.
The Park has made large strides to improve welfare and diversified quite a lot. Its Orca are now not the Star of the show and the park is more of an ocean-based theme park. They have opened rides at a frightening rate and there are now several really top-grade thrill rides operating in the Park. The latest ride being The Emporer Dive-Coaster by B&M a 143 feet vertical plunge into 4 inversions, it’s a bit of a beast. There is also the Electric Eel, Manta, Journey to Atlantis, Shipwreck Rapids, and the disappointing Tidal Twister.
On top of these, there is a large number of really good Animal attractions. The Aquarium line-up itself is really good and there are some great exhibits, there are also Dolphin and Sealion shows and of course, the Orca Shows are still present. These have transformed into a more educational presentation and the Whales look very healthy and happy.
There is still the Morality question of whether you want to support a park that keeps Orca captive and we understand both sides (especially after visiting Iceland and seeing the complex issues surrounding releasing Mammals back into the Wild!). We take an in-depth look at that in our review below
Check out our FULL SeaWorld San Diego Guide here
If you want to Skip Sea World the Pass is Still of great Value or you could consider The Explorer Pass which has most of the other attractions on it too.
San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
Often rated as the best Zoo in the world, and always in the top 3, This is one of San Diego’s best attractions. And it’s great to see it on the Pass. The Zoo is packed with incredible animals all in authentic natural enclosures. The 650+ animal species on display range from tiny beetles, lizards, and spiders to Giant Pandas, Tigers, Lions Elephants, and Giraffes. It’s an incredible collection.
While it’s great to Marvel at the animals it’s also good to know that the San Diego Zoo is a world leader in conservation. The Zoo is not just here to show you these spectacular animals but its main goal is to preserve and maintain both wild and captive stocks of the animals. Unfortunately, without the efforts of the Zoo along with other organizations, we could genuinely lose some of these creatures from the world.
The San Diego Zoo had a hand in the Rescue and recovery plan of the California Condor that would have been lost without the efforts of the Zoo, They are also part of the worldwide efforts to Save the Giant Panda, and the re-population of the California Sea Otters, This list goes on and on.
This really is one of our favorite attractions in the City, and beyond, and an absolute MUST-SEE!
San Diego Zoo Safari Park ($65.00)
This Much Larger park houses its animals in larger more open natural settings. This allows you the chance to “Safari” through the enclosures to see the creatures behaving as they would in the wild. This is both a blessing and a curse. As if the animal naturally wants to sit behind a tree out of sight it will! But in other cases, the animals will approach and get very close.
The Safari Park would be a fantastic attraction on its own but combined with the Zoo it’s hard to want a lot more from an animal park. To Visit Both would cost over $100, but you get both included on the pass.
LEGOLAND California – $108.28
Legoland is back open for everyone, in or out of state, and is one of the top attractions for families visiting the San Diego Area. Both Big and Small Kids love Lego and LEGOLAND features an array of fun Family-Friendly Lego Themed rides along with hundreds of unique lego creations.
It is worth noting LEGOLAND is a good hour drive up the Coast on the I-5 and not actually in Sand Diego Proper. We do not see it as a full day’s attraction though and most people only spend 4-6 hours there so you could fit something in later, or upgrade to the Water-Park or Sealife center while there for a small fee.
San Diego Speed Boat Adventures ($89.45)
This 90min guided tour of the San Diego Bay is a real thrill. Unlike a lot of boat tours, the difference here is YOU are the Driver! The Boats are very simple to drive so don’t worry, you just open the throttle and go, then just steer and follow the boat in front. While the boats a pretty quick there is no requirement to hammer it full throttle!
Cruising the bay in this manner is a really fun experience and you get to see a lot of the bay in a very short time as you speed past the San Diego Skyline and the huge Ships and Aircraft carriers of the Navel BAse on North Island.
At only 90mins this attraction should only take a couple of hours of your day leaving you free to hit some other attractions whereas Sea World could take one or more whole days out of your pass.
USS Midway Museum ($26.00)
What to do with multi-million dollar aircraft carriers when they reach the end of their service, with some a simple trip to the scrap yard will do, others that have accrued so much history and importance that scrapping them would be criminal, you moor them up in a city and turn them into a museum! The USS Midway is one such ship!
Built Right after WW2 it was the US Navy’s lead ship for nearly half a century and served in both Vietnam and the Gulf War, before being replaced by the newer, bigger Nimitz class Carriers. Now moored on the spectacular San Diego Harborfront she serves as a living museum to the US Navy’s recent past. Its Deck and Hangor are filled with War Birds from the WW2 era, such as the F4U Corsair through to recently decommissioned aircraft such as the F-14 Tomcat (Top Gun) and F/A 18 Hornet.
The Midway Museum is a very highly rated attraction often topping lists for military museums and the best things to do in San Diego. It is definitely worth visiting but only if you have an interest in military history, even if it’s only very mild.
Bike, Snorkel, Kayak, Surfboard, and/or Stand-Up Paddleboard Rentals (up to $49.00) + Other OUTDOOR Activities!
San Diego is almost custom-designed for watersports, the calm protected bays are perfect for paddleboarding and Kayaking, whereas the wilder Pacific coastline is perfect for surfing, and more experienced Kayaking. The rugged coastline around La Jolla is great for snorkeling, although it is pretty different from what you would find at a tropical destination, The life is varied and spectacular, leopard sharks, rockfish, Garibaldi, even rays Guitarfish, and Sea lions.
The Coastline is flat with many long paved paths allowing the perfect leisurely place to go for a bike ride and explore a lot more of the coast than you could from walking.
There are a few options for rentals from “Bike and Kyack Tours” included with the pass, at both their Coronado and La Jolla locations so you are sure to find something to suit.
La Jolla –
- Kayak: 90-minute rental (minimum 2 Go Card customers per kayak)
- Snorkel: Full-day rental (package includes mask, snorkel, and fins)
- Full-Day – Bike Rental
- Stand-Up Paddle Board: 90-minute rental
- Full day rental of a surfboard
Coronado –
- Tandem Kayak: 90-minute rental (two Passes are required per tandem (two-person) kayak rental. Passes may be an adult and/or child Pass combinations)
- Full-Day – Bike Rental
- Stand-Up Paddle Board: 90-minute rental
San Diego Harbor –
- Kayak: 90-minute rental (minimum 2 Go Card customers per kayak)
Due to Covid Restrictions, The Go San Diego has added loads of cool outdoor activities, and these keep getting added, there is Electric Scooter Rental, San Diego Pier Fishing, Hiking Tours plus all the water sports listed above. Right now San Diego is perfect for a Covid Safe Out-door Adventure Trip!
Belmont Park Play And Ride Pass ($56.00)
We love Belmont Park, It is an old-school seaside Amusement park that is packed with nostalgia and fun. It’s far from the high-tech modern theme parks of today but harks back to the America of old. The All-Access pass is fantastic and lets you do most of the top rides and attractions.
We like to do this as an evening activity, which is great as it allows you full use of the pass all day but then you can head to the Park to make use of the evening too! Although the pass is only valid until 5:30! That is the final time you can exchange for the all-access, once you have the All-Access pass you are good to go until close (8-10 pm). So just make sure you get there before 5:30. You can then come and go as you please and ride whatever you like. It is not just rides included, you get mini-golf, Lazer Tag, High Ropes, wall climbing, and a Zipline!
This is an absolute must-do for Families, You will have to drag them away, in the end, there is So much for them to do at the Park!
Hornblower Whale Watching Cruise – Summer or Winter ($50-65.00)
There are two Whale watching seasons in San Diego, Summer, and winter. The Summer season focuses on finding the incredible Blue Whale, while Winter is on the migrating Gray Whales, which are mightly impressive, even though they are not quite “blue whale awesome”. The Winter season runs Mid December through April and the Summer season is July-August.
If you are there for the Whale season then we highly recommend heading out for your chance to see the Whales, seeing Blues can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If not then there is also a pleasant Bay Cruise by Hornblower on the list so you can still get out and see the wildlife and the City from the ocean, even if the whales are missing.
Museums of Balboa Park ($10-$24.95 Each)
We haven’t included a single museum in this review as there is a whole load of them included on the pass, most of which are located in Balboa Park, You can easily check out all of these in a day or maybe just a select few that interest you in an afternoon. We adore Balboa park and it’s great to have a pass in your pocket which means you can simply nip into most of the museums that are dotted around whenever you like. The entry fees are very reasonable for each but having a pass means you don’t need to consider it just head on in and see what you think!
- San Diego Air and Space Museum – $22.50
- San Diego Natural History Museum – $19.95
- The Fleet Science Centre (IMAX) – $21.95
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps – $24.95
- San Diego Automotive Museum – $12.00
- San Diego Museum of US – $13.00
- Japanese Friendship Garden – $12.00
- Model Railroad Museum – $12.50
- The New Children’s Museum – $15.00
- San Diego Museum of Art – $15.00
- Living Coast Discovery Center – $18.00
- + MORE…
Knotts Berry Farm – $99
We are leaving this till last as it really is not a San Diego Attraction! However, we can’t ignore it as it really is a fantastic Themepark and it’s great to see it on the pass. The park sits forming in Los Angels but still, it’s only a 1.5-hour drive (in decent traffic?). It would be best used BEFORE during down to San Diego maybe as part of a road trip down the coast.
If you can squeeze it into your itinerary it is a simply fantastic park, some consider it the best on the west coast. This is maybe a little bit of an oversell rooted in nostalgia, but it is a GREAT park.
Is the Go City San Diego Pass Worth It?
As you can see there is a whole heap of really good attractions included on the pass and it can actually be an issue of fitting enough in rather than finding things to interest you, which can be an issue on some passes. As such we think the purchase price is really good value. But we want to take a look at some costed examples to show how you can realistically plan your days. There are only so many hours in a day and it is very easy to plan FAR too much. Some attractions on the list are really full-day attractions and even if you do get them done early you could be just too tired to bother with anything else. We are also going to compare it to the Explore Pass too, this way you can see if that is better value.
Example Go San Diego Pass Itineraries
2-Day Pass Itinerary
No premiums mean the purchase price is low per day but you only have the basic attractions to choose from.
Day 1
Start the Day off on the Water with the really fun Speed Boat Adventure. Then head over to the Zoo in the afternoon. San Diego Zoo is located in Balboa Park so it’s well worth a walk around after the zoo.
- San Diego Speed Boat Adventures ($89)
- San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
- Balboa Park (Free)
Day 2
Today we hed over to the Habour in the Morning before checking out the stunningly beautiful La Jolla area in the afternoon. Start off on the beautiful Harbor Cruise by Hornblower (or consider Whale Watching if in Season). Then take a look at the Midway Museum. Grab lunch either by the harbor or head on over to La Jolla’s amazing restaurants before seeing the bay from the water. There are a host of watersports-based options here you could choose to do! We just chase the Kyack as an example! Also, Consider Coronado for the water sports if the surf is heavy at La-Jolla.
- Hornblower Harbor Cruise ($28)
- USS Midway Museum ($33)
- La Jolla Kyack Rental ($39) (requires two cards)
Breakdown
- Total Cost: $ 256
- Cost of All-Inclusive Pass: $ 169 – Saving $87
- 5 Attraction Explorer Pass: $ 139 – Saving $117
As you can see the Explorer pass is the winner here, saving an extra $30 over the All-inclusive. However, we have kept this very light, extra attractions could be added to the All-Inclusive at no extra cost, you could hire a bike to explore LA Jolla or rent some snorkel gear. This would all cost the same on the All-inclusive but you would need to pay for more attractions on the Explorer, it’s a fine balance. The flip side is you could spread these attractions out over a longer period on the Explorer at no extra cost, or do more of the higher-priced options that you just couldn’t fit into the two days
Either way $87-$117 is some big savings and you will see many of San Diego’s best sights and attractions all in 2 Days
3-Day Pass Itinerary
With the 3-day pass, you get longer to explore and the price per day drops so you don’t need to cram everything in. Again we are keeping this itinerary super light, partly to show just how easy it is to get value from the pass but also to keep the Explorer pass in the Mix.
Day 1
For Day one we start Easy. We have put San Diego Safari Park, but that is only to keep the Explorer Pass in. Sea World would be the obvious choice here which would be even better value, but this is not included on the Explorer. In the evening we head to the Belmont Pier for some fun by the seashore! This is a push on the All-Inclusive, as you may be tired from the Safri Park, but works great on the explorer!
- San Diego Safari Park ($65)
- Belmont Park Ride and Play ($56)
Day 2
Day two is a repeat of the 2-day pass itinerary
- San Diego Speed Boat Adventures ($89)
- San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
- Balboa Park (Free)
Day 3
and again on day three
- Hornblower Harbor Cruise ($33)
- USS Midway Museum ($26)
- La Jolla Kyack Rental ($39) (requires two cards)
Breakdown
- Total Cost: $375
- Cost of All-Inclusive Card: $ 216 – Saving $159
- 7 Attraction Explorer Pass: $ 149 – Saving $226
As you can see there are huge savings even from this ultra-light Itinerary, We have limited the activities to 7 to keep the explorer pass in but you could easily add more and make the All-inclusive even better value. Again you can stretch the Explorer out over a longer period too.
5-Day Pass Itinerary
With a five-day pass, you can take your time a bit more as the Price per day drops significantly. Currently, you will probably run out of things to do on a 5-day pass, but the buy price is so cheap you are going to save a lot of money regardless.
Really the 7 attractions the explorer pass offers are no longer an option here, you can easily use the explorer and spread it out over 5 days but it’s not going to cover half of what is listed in our 5-day itinerary.
Day 1
- San Diego Speed Boat Adventures ($89)
- San Diego Zoo ($67.00)
- Balboa Park (Free)
Day 2
Unlike the 3-day pass, you are less pressured to cram as much in so you can spend a good day at sea world really taking things in.
- Sea World ($99)
Day 3
- Hornblower Harbor Cruise ($33)
- USS Midway Museum ($26)
Day 4
With the extra days, you can head early to La Jolla to enjoy the breathtaking coastline, and head out in a kayak or paddleboard. Then explore the beaches and Coves on a Bike armed with Snorkeling gear.
- La Jolla Kyack Rental ($39) (requires two cards)
- La Jolla full-day bike rental Rental ($45)
- La Jolla Snorkel Gear Rental ($29)
Day 5
- San Diego Safari Park ($65)
- Belmont Park Ride and Play ($56)
Breakdown
- Total Cost: $ 548
- Cost of Card: $ 319
- Total Saving: $ 229!
- 52% Saving
That is some serious savings and we have barely tried to pack anything in this is just a relaxed and easy sightseeing itinerary.
While Sea-World is defiantly overpriced at $99, with different online ticket prices varying hugely. It will still set you back a good chunk of cash and having it on the pass saves money along with time and convenience.
This 5-day lineup is packed with great outdoor activities and as things open up more and more will become available. It really makes us so happy normality is starting to creep back in!
Of Course, these are some serious savings, but amazingly we can save you even MORE! Check out our discount code below and see if you can save another 10% on the purchase price.
We think based on Price alone the Go Pass is definitely worth it. You are saving some seriously big sums of cash and this will just get better as things open up. However, there are other reasons for choosing a pass and we look at these below.
Advantages
On top of these Savings, the Pass has a few really tangible benefits on top of this. Which we will look at below before highlighting the Drawbacks, as always there are negatives to everything.
Inspiration
We often find people rarely know what is on offer when visiting a new City, Sure you are probably aware of Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, but there are many other attractions you may have had no idea about. The San Diego Go Pass can help open up plenty of new and exciting opportunities you just might not have been aware of? Often some of our favorite things are stuff we have done on passes that we really wouldn’t have done without the pass.
We really didn’t know you can do the Speedboat tours were an option in San Diego and we loved blasting around the harbor in our very own boat!
Planning
We always think it is important to have a plan when visiting a City. So many try and wing it and see how it goes. Their logic is they want to be spontaneous and authentic. The reality is they are being lazy and disorganized and will probably just wander about doing nothing!
The San Diego Pass really helps overcome that. Having the Pass help you plan out exactly what it is you want to do each day. You can lump attractions that are close together naturally into one day so you get to see the best of the City with minimum effort. It’s not a case of rigidly planning everything, it’s more organic, You plan to do a Whale watching trip but see the USS Midway Museum is right next door, It just makes sense to kill both birds with one stone!
Budgeting
Costs on Trips add up, Food, Hotels, souvenirs, etc it can all lead to empty wallets or thumping great credit card bills when you get home. By purchasing a Pass you know exactly what you will spend on attractions. You can also pay for the pass beforehand so it doesn’t come out of your holiday funds. There is nothing worse than missing out on something because you have spent all your money, With a Pass, you get to do everything you want to do.
Less Hassle
The Pass is a very simple concept, you scan the QR Code at each attraction and you are in. There are other ways to save money on San Diego Attractions. Shopping around, finding deals, or looking for coupons, you could save at least part of the savings the Go Pass Provides, but it’s a lot of hassle, and it’s not really necessary when you can just buy the pass and be done with it.
While these advantages don’t really add up to making the pass worthwhile on their own, they are of course on top of the pretty substantial savings we have already highlighted.
What We don’t like!
The Fact the Pass is for consecutive days is disappointing. We like to relax and enjoy the beach and parks some days but with Consecutive days you need to use the pass every day to get the most out of it. We much prefer the non-consecutive day Passes that Leisure Pass Group offers in other cities. This is less of an issue on the longer passes, 5 or 7-day as the price per day reduces.
Some of the listed prices are a bit ambitious too, booking online or looking for deals can snag you some of the savings without buying a pass, you would be hard-pressed to match the savings on offer and it would also be much more complicated than just buying the pass and getting the savings all at once, but some of the headline prices are a touch misleading.
The Sea World Attraction may divide some people. It is still debatable if Orca should be in captivity at all, and while we credit Sea World for ending this practice, in the long run, the issue of what to do with the animals in the meantime is a contentious one! We feel Sea World is doing what they can and a total worldwide boycott could do more harm than good to the Orca’s in captivity, who knows what would happen to the animals should Sea World go bust?
While we are happy to return to Sea World following their changes, we know others will not be happy until Orcas are no longer kept in captivity, while it may not be possible to free every Orca they could allow the remaining animals to live out their lives in Sea pens or just not be used for public display, it’s a complicated issue.
The way the pass works and the addition of the Explorer Pass means there is no need to visit Seaworld if you feel against it and you can still get GREAT value out of the pass. Our first two itineraries do not include it on purpose.
Almost every top attraction in San Diego is included on the Pass and as such, it can be really hard to decide what to do, the natural reaction is to try and do it all! This can be a mistake as you may just tire yourself out or rush around one attraction and fully take it in. It seems odd to say the pass just has too many top attractions and this is a downside, but in reality, you need a 7-day pass to see all the City has to offer, but often people are here for a short time than that.
We really had a hard time planning out our itineraries as you are almost forced to miss out on some things just as you will not have enough time in the day to pack it all in.
Alternatives?
We don’t know of any other Attraction passes for San Diego, However, some attractions here are covered by the Go Los Angeles Pass. This is a great pass for the Los Angeles area. It covers some really top attractions. It also has a few of the top San Diego Attractions so it can be used if you are having a split base trip. It also offers our preferred NON-consecutive day format so you don’t lose days if you just chill by the pool or just do something else!
Check out our full review here, the below San Diego Attractions are included on the LA Go Pass
- San Diego Zoo, or
- Legoland California
There is also the Go California Explorer Pass which offers only the high-end Headline attractions of L.A, San Francisco, and San Diego, Check out our review of that pass here.
Conclusion.
We think the Go San Diego Pass is a really great value pass. The List of attractions is its standout feature, it just includes just about everything we would want to do when visiting the City. The only thing we would like to see is maybe a Brewery Tour, but apart from that, it covers most things from our TOP San Diego Attractions list, plus quite a few other still really worthwhile attractions.
The Price point means it can save you a large sum of money assuming you are going to visit the attractions listed and can turn a trip to San Diego into a really Memorable trip. We love the digital format and the Go City App. The Pass is just so simple to use and allows a lot of flexibility in your trip.
We do think it’s a shame the Pass needs to be used on Non-Consecutive days as all your attraction days have to be lumped together and there is less time for just enjoying the breathtaking beauty of America’s Finest City. However, it is still manageable and with the longer passes the cost per day being so much lower does help offset this a little as you can do less per day and still get good value. You will also get to take in most of the cities beauty during the attractions so even if you spend ALL your time at attractions you should still get a deep appreciation of the City.