Dublin Zoo

tororosso

Hi there, Just back from Dublin Zoo yesterday! Throngs of buggies aside was utterly shocked at the cost of entry....€15!! It was my first time there although I have been to both Rome and Helsinki zoo before and never remember it being that price to get in! What added insult to injury was the fact that they had guides (tiny booklets really) to the zoo at the kiosk and when I asked the girl do they not come included with the entry she says "No they cost an additional €2.50"!!!!!WTF!! Anyway the zoo itself was highly disappointing and involved more walking around than actually seeing anything!

Shazforgrub

I would have thought that was pretty reasonable to get in, considering you get the whole day out of it. You'd pay the bones of a tenner to go to the cinema and thats only 1-2 hours of entertainment

godtabh

I was at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and thought it was good value

bladespin

Little more than the cost of a cinema ticket but a pinch if there's a family.

The maps and booklets should be free, sponsorship maybe???

wyndham

Not a bad price really tbh. You have to remember that your money goes to the animals, breeding and conservation programmes. I wouldn't begrudge them it. They are not for profit.

dudara

I was in Washington Zoo just before Christmas. Entry was free, but they charged a fair amount for parking - which they said would go towards maintenance, upkeep etc of the zoo.

bcirl03

It's a bit pricey but a great day out, kids love it.

The annual family ticket @ €160.00 can be good value if you use it a couple of times.

If your looking for a cheaper day out with animals \ playground etc try Newbridge House in Donabate - http://www.dublintourist.com/details/newbridge_house.shtml - playground is free and brand new, farm is €10 euro for a family and takes a good 90 mins to get around. highly recommend it. They also have places to BBQ

Davidth88

I am the first to complain about rip-offs , but Dublin Zoo doesn't come in there in my opinion.

Yes there is quite a bit of walking involved , but there are plenty of small playgrounds , and toilets etc.

In my opinion a good day out for the family ( sorry OP I disagree with you )

Morlar

I would be with the OP on that €15 euro is excessive.

Add on the cost of a brochure and the mangey overpriced food they do there it is taking the piss.

I dont care what the cinema costs in comparison.

For what is on show it is too high a price. A fairer price would be €7-8 in my opinion.

Sonic_exyouth

London Zoo = £18.50
http://www.zsl.org/shop/tickets/london-zoo-tickets/

Toronga (Sydney) Zoo = $41.00 (€22.82)
http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan-your-visit.aspx

Don't think it's too shabby

Morlar

Sonic_exyouth wrote: »

London Zoo = £18.50
http://www.zsl.org/shop/tickets/london-zoo-tickets/

Toronga (Sydney) Zoo = $41.00 (€22.82)
http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan-your-visit.aspx

Don't think it's too shabby

I have been to Taronga zoo - there is no comparison between Dublin zoo and Taronga zoo. That would be like comparing a goldfish to a great white.

There will ALWAYS be somewhere else more expensive on the planet for any given item, whatever it be taxis, utility bills whatever.

Just because you can find somewhere else where we dont quite pip the post on excessive charges does not mean that Ireland is therefore value for money.

That attitude of 'you know compared to the most expensive we arent so bad' is rubbish.

PS isnt the taronga zoo price for a 2 day pass ? Which you would probably need to get to see it all properly.

Davidth88

The reason why I thanked Sonic_exyouth's post was because I had just dropped onto the London Zoo site to do exactly as they did.

Dublin zoo is not a bad comparison with London Zoo , of course it doesn't have the range of exhibits , but its pretty good.

The new section ( african plains ) is wonderful.

The food no doubt is expensive , however we always bring our own, and maybe buy a cup of tea at the most.

It's a good family day out , I wouldn't hesitate going there again.

pieye

The food is god awful and cost so much you swear it had been created by grinding up some of the rarer displays... but the entry price is reasonable, especially when you consider they have to recoup the operating costs of days it's pissing.

darc

tororosso wrote: »

Hi there, Just back from Dublin Zoo yesterday! Throngs of buggies aside was utterly shocked at the cost of entry....€15!! It was my first time there although I have been to both Rome and Helsinki zoo before and never remember it being that price to get in! What added insult to injury was the fact that they had guides (tiny booklets really) to the zoo at the kiosk and when I asked the girl do they not come included with the entry she says "No they cost an additional €2.50"!!!!!WTF!! Anyway the zoo itself was highly disappointing and involved more walking around than actually seeing anything!

Obviously the animals are fed scraps and when they get ill, they're put down rather than given proper care by vets.:rolleyes: Because food & vets cost money as do zoo staff, public liability insurance, maintenance, light & heat etc etc. - No income = no money = no Zoo

Its €43.50 for a day pass for a family of 4 at an excellent facility on the outskirts of the city. It is a not for profit organisation so there is no possible way it can be regarded as a rip off as there is no profiteering involved.

IMHO, at €43.50 it is EXCELLENT value for a family day out.

P.S. =- Chester Zoo = £55 stg family admission & £16.45 for an adult

The family annual pass also gives admission to Fota Zoo & Chester Zoo!

Sonic_exyouth

tororosso wrote: »

Hi there, Just back from Dublin Zoo yesterday! Throngs of buggies aside was utterly shocked at the cost of entry....€15!! It was my first time there although I have been to both Rome and Helsinki zoo before and never remember it being that price to get in! What added insult to injury was the fact that they had guides (tiny booklets really) to the zoo at the kiosk and when I asked the girl do they not come included with the entry she says "No they cost an additional €2.50"!!!!!WTF!! Anyway the zoo itself was highly disappointing and involved more walking around than actually seeing anything!

OK,

Aside from the Price, which is comparatively reasonably competitive with other Zoos, your issues seems to be...

01. There were a "Throng" of Buggies

I don't know why thats an issue worth mentioning at all.

02. The Zoo Guide costs an extra €2.50.

This is fairly standard fair. They normally, perhaps not in your case, give out a leaflet that is basic map of the park and includes the feeding times. If they didn't have any for you, there is an unmissable map just after the entrance which also gives the feeding times.

03. The zoo itself was highly disappointing and involved more walking around than actually seeing anything.

"Don't worry honey, daddy will fix that broken animal"
Did you go to any of the feeding times? Or the info talks? There are plenty of things to do there, and of course animals to see. What did you want to see?

For what its worth, I find the Zoo is a great place to bring girls.

Morlar

For what you get the Dublin zoo price is a rip-off.

In the Taronga zoo example quoted above - that is a 2 day pass. Each day they have lectures and displays and exhibitions, ie lectures in the round with birds of prey displays or whatever, audience interaction and informative and worthwhile lectures. They put some thought and effort into presenting this information ina friendly and interesting way. They are pro-active in enhancing the overall experience.

Dublin zoo has a fraction of the exhibits and even disregarding the amount of animals on display it simply does not compare in terms of service, amenities or food and so on. The dublin zoo displays & enclosures are also quite poorly designed in comparison to others. The 'farmyard animal' part of it is particularly pathetic. The guts of €50 for 3 people is too high it for what is provided in what should be a showcase european capital-city zoo.

pikachucheeks

I think 15 euro is a bit steep - but if you're going to be there for a whole day, maybe it's not so bad...

I think they should include the price of the little booklet in with that, just so it's not such a pain in the ... wallet

seagull

I asked last time we were at the zoo, and they stopped giving away the little leaflets because of a litter problem with the number that were just dropped around the zoo.

Guy:Incognito

seagull wrote: »

I asked last time we were at the zoo, and they stopped giving away the little leaflets because of a litter problem with the number that were just dropped around the zoo.

Charging €15 in obviously doesnt bring in a better class of punter.

legend73

I'm with the OP, took the family a couple of months back, half of the enclosures were empty, animals were inside. I'm from Melbourne so I was very dissapointed with the Zoo overall.

But like I said to the misses at the time, we'll consider it a donation so they hopefully improve the enclosures and conditions for the animals and make it more accessible to view them.

eddiej

Just back from edinbrugh zoo £12.60 sterling for adult entry. Zoo there would be avery good comparison to Dublin in terms of exhibits no. of animals etc. So dont think Dub is bad value. As an aside not enough to see well then why dont we stuff all the animals and leave them out for view oh ye thats the museum. A zoo has to strike a very difficult balance between having animals on display and not having them for show if you know what I mean either way dont think Dub Zoo is bad value.