Dublin Zoo ticket €17

Adoolan85

Was thinking about bringing toddler daughter on her first trip to the Zoo this weekend.

Well.....

To my astonishment I see and adult ticket is now €17 :eek: and child is €12.20.

My question is, are you provided with your own monkey butler to bring home with you at this price?

Never mind the water charges, surely this blatant act of extortion should have been a key campaign issue.

Crazy stuff.

Confucius say

That's just how much Zoos are these days. I remember the one in Regent's park in London was some outrageous price, €17 probably isn't that bad.

afatbollix

Its alot of animals to feed. The African plains area is the best zoo attraction around.

ProudDUB

Ticket prices at the Zoo should have been an election issue?

Are you taking the piss?

mansize

€17 for a day's entertainment ain't bad imho

Adoolan85

ProudDUB wrote: »

Ticket prices at the Zoo should have been an election issue?

Are you taking the piss?

Yeah I'm deadly serious.

I'd have it up there with the bald patch of grass in my back garden and the sun glaring in my eyes when I drive home from work in the evenings.

All pressing matters for my local TD I would imagine.

Cop on would ya.

garhjw

Adoolan85 wrote: »

Add your reply here.
Yeah I'm deadly serious.

I'd have it up there with the bald patch of grass in my back garden and the sun glaring in my eyes when I drive home from work in the evenings.

All pressing matters for my local TD I would imagine.

Cop on would ya.

what would you expect to pay for such an amenity? i think Dublin Zoo provides great value for money.

Adoolan85

what would you expect to pay for such an amenity? i think Dublin Zoo provides great value for money.[/quote]

Fair enough, that seems to be the consensus so far.

€50 for 2 adults and a child to go the zoo seems over the top to me.

But maybe I'm wrong.

Thepoet85

Seems reasonable to me. I'd imagine there are serious running costs there, and as others said, it'd not dear for a full days entertainment.

You'd easily spend that going to the cinema or a soccer match. And I don't think €17 would last long in the pub.

jimmii

Edinburgh is £17 for adults and £12.50 for kids but given its $1m a year for the pandas it's not surprising I guess.

odyssey06

There used to be 10% off for pre-booking tickets online but that seems to be gone.

The annual family pass for €175 is good value if you think you'll be visiting the Zoo a few times during the year... but yeah, once off visit prices are a bit steep. If the price is deterring visitors from coming, then it is self-defeating. The Zoo has pretty much the same outlays whether it has 1000 or 2000 visitors.

Patser

€170 a year for a family ticket - 4 adults or substitute 2 kids per adult place - is worth it if you're near Dublin. Allows you drift in any weekend or day off, straight past queues and not really care if you're leaving again after 2 or 3 hours.

paddyh117

all kids under 3 are free

As others have said the Zoo is a fantastic amenity and is well worth the admission price

AGC

Thepoet85 wrote: »

You'd easily spend that going to the cinema or a soccer match. And I don't think €17 would last long in the pub.

No you wouldn't. Go to an Odeon on a Wednesday €5 a head.

Soccer match, most grounds about €15 with cheaper for students and generally €5 for under 12's.

mansize

That's a reduced rate price for the cinema the usual adult ticket is €12-15

mansize

There you go under 3's are free!

AGC

mansize wrote: »

That's a reduced rate price for the cinema the usual adult ticket is €12-15

Lighthouse cinema €9

Adoolan85

mansize wrote: »

There you go under 3's are free!

Have a 6 year old as well, so that's were the 2 adults and 1 child comes from.

In fairness the family pass for the year does sound like good value.

Not sure we would use it enough though.

January

AGC wrote: »

No you wouldn't. Go to an Odeon on a Wednesday €5 a head.

Soccer match, most grounds about €15 with cheaper for students and generally €5 for under 12's.

Yes but all those things are time limited, usually under 2hrs for both. For your admission to the zoo you can stay all day, bring a picnic, there are playgrounds for the kids, the information centre, African plains is amazing. You could easily spend a day exploring all the animals and learning about them. My kids love it, and I've 3 to pay for now but we still do it because it's worth it.

AGC

January wrote: »

Yes but all those things are time limited, usually under 2hrs for both. For your admission to the zoo you can stay all day, bring a picnic, there are playgrounds for the kids, the information centre, African plains is amazing. You could easily spend a day exploring all the animals and learning about them. My kids love it, and I've 3 to pay for now but we still do it because it's worth it.

I agree, I would be a regular with family and have the family pass for the Zoo and get great value out of it.

I was disagreeing with the poster saying you would easily spend it at the cinema or a match, which you wouldn't.

uch

To be fair the Adult price has only gone up €2 in the last 10 - 12 years too, so they're not hiking it regularly

ProudDUB

AGC wrote: »

I agree, I would be a regular with family and have the family pass for the Zoo and get great value out of it.

I was disagreeing with the poster saying you would easily spend it at the cinema or a match, which you wouldn't.

Does the family pass run for the calendar year of 2016, or does it run for 12 months after you buy it?

January

ProudDUB wrote: »

Does the family pass run for the calendar year of 2016, or does it run for 12 months after you buy it?

12 months after you buy it.

cgcsb

Adoolan85 wrote: »

Was thinking about bringing toddler daughter on her first trip to the Zoo this weekend.

Well.....

To my astonishment I see and adult ticket is now €17 :eek: and child is €12.20.

My question is, are you provided with your own monkey butler to bring home with you at this price?

Never mind the water charges, surely this blatant act of extortion should have been a key campaign issue.

Crazy stuff.

Is this a joke?

Patser

You get a quarterly Zoo magazine with a poster mailed to you with annual pass too, goes down great if you put your kid's name on it and she gets post from the animals in the zoo.

AlanG

It is expensive but you get a full day out from it and the place can not be cheap to run. I personally think it is one of the best value attractions in Dublin. If you want something cheaper go to the botanic gardens which are free and also pretty good for kids.

Thepoet85

AGC wrote:

No you wouldn't. Go to an Odeon on a Wednesday €5 a head.

AGC wrote:

Soccer match, most grounds about €15 with cheaper for students and generally €5 for under 12's.

Well maybe the zoo will open on a Wednesday night and offer it for a fiver a head.


It's not that expensive in my eyes.

FreudianSlippers

€17 is quite reasonable, I clicked on this thread thinking it was a bargain alert in all honestly. I would have expected to pay €25 or so for an adult ticket.


BTW, extortion is the criminal appropriation of monies through coercion. The Dublin Zoo is hardly engaging in extortion no matter how much they charge.

Edward Hopper

52 euro for for my family to get in to Dublin Zoo. When I'm over in the UK, a zoo, even a small local zoo would cost at least 60 sterling, medium size zoo about 80 pounds and a well known zoo over a hundred pounds.

Very surprised how cheap Dublin Zoo is actually.

themandan6611

I reckon we throw the OP into the lions den (we can chip together and pay his entrance fee)

themandan6611

themandan6611 wrote: »

I reckon we throw the OP into the lions den (we can chip together and pay his entrance fee)

Lions are unbelievably lazy, especially if they're well fed - the Amur tigers would be a better bet.

Sundew

I'm always amazed how people wouldn't blink twice at spending the same amount in a pub!
O.P: if you live in Dublin would you not consider getting the zoo pass?
We have had it for the last 4 years...best money ever spent. 5/6 visits recoup the fee, your money is going to the upkeep of the zoo ( they have made some splendid improvements over the last few years!) and you can pop in when ever you feel like it. You also get the free mags for the kids! We regularly just pop in for an hour and you are not tied to staying there just to get your " value" for money. It's great not having to queue on busy days! We often go in for the last hour if in the Phoenix Park or for feeding time. Think we know all zookeepers by name now :-) I would say we visited about 20 times last year! We certainly get our value for money.

If you have only one child under 3 you could buy the individual pass. You get two passes for named adults . If only one of you go , you can bring a guest for free!

Op just editing this as I just saw your previous reply after writing this! As I said 5/6 visits will recoup your money. You really should consider it for one year and see how you get on. If you don't use all the visits at the very least your money is going to a good cause. It's one of the best amenities in Dublin for kids!

eviltwin

Sundew wrote: »

I'm always amazed how people wouldn't blink twice at spending the same amount in a pub!
O.P: if you live in Dublin would you not consider getting the zoo pass?
We have had it for the last 4 years...best money ever spent. 5/6 visits recoup the fee, your money is going to the upkeep of the zoo ( they have made some splendid improvements over the last few years!) and you can pop in when ever you feel like it. You also get the free mags for the kids! We regularly just pop in for an hour and you are not tied to staying there just to get your " value" for money. It's great not having to queue on busy days! We often go in for the last hour if in the Phoenix Park or for feeding time. Think we know all zookeepers by name now :-) I would say we visited about 20 times last year! We certainly get our value for money.

If you have only one child under 3 you could buy the individual pass. You get two passes for named adults . If only one of you go , you can bring a guest for free!

Agree with this, I have the pass and it's excellent value for money. Even if you don't the daily rate is still good value. You would easily spend the entire day there.

Sundew

eviltwin wrote: »

Agree with this, I have the pass and it's excellent value for money. Even if you don't the daily rate is still good value. You would easily spend the entire day there.

Ha! Ha! My husband and little one usually end up dragging me out!

O.P: if you get the pass you also get free entry to Fota Island Wildlife Zoo & Chester Zoo ( not that we have availed of that!)
As I said sometimes paying the cash at the turnstile puts you under pressure to spend the whole day there, but with the pass you can nip in and out whenever you want. As you can see like some of the previous posters I am a huge fan of the pass. My little one just thinks it's her local park at this stage...little does she know! ;-)

Edward Hopper

Sundew wrote: »

Ha! Ha! My husband and little one usually end up dragging me out!

O.P: if you get the pass you also get free entry to Fota Island Wildlife Zoo & Chester Zoo ( not that we have availed of that!)
As I said sometimes paying the cash at the turnstile puts you under pressure to spend the whole day there, but with the pass you can nip in and out whenever you want. As you can see like some of the previous posters I am a huge fan of the pass. My little one just thinks it's her local park at this stage...little does she know! ;-)

Chester isn't included anymore, you do get access for once off visit to Paignton Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Twycross Zoo & Colchester Zoo. (Source: email from Dublin Zoo) Its great for me because Twycross isn't far from where I visit in UK and often visit Essex, so Colchester is good for me too. A visit to Dublin and one to Twycross takes a big chunk out of the cost of the yearly pass straight away.

Fota is as many times as you like.

So I think I'm definitely going to invest once payday comes around again.

Sundew

Edward Hopper wrote: »

Chester isn't included anymore, you do get access for once off visit to Paignton Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Twycross Zoo & Colchester Zoo. (Source: email from Dublin Zoo) Its great for me because Twycross isn't far from where I visit in UK and often visit Essex, so Colchester is good for me too. A visit to Dublin and one to Twycross takes a big chunk out of the cost of the yearly pass straight away.

So I think I'm definitely going to invest once payday comes around again.

Hadn't realized that. I'm crap for reading paperwork and emails. Don't have to renew until June so happy out at the mo! Might nip over tomorrow as I need my squirrel monkey fix :-)

edbrez

€14 for the wax museum and you'd last longer inside Kim Kardasian.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

London Zoo Adult regular entry is €31..... so €17 ain't bad

retalivity

Cycling in the park earlier and the queue to get in to the zoo was out onto the main road. A lot of people do not seem to have the same issue with price as the op...

loyatemu

if you have any Tesco clubcard points you can use them towards the zoo:
http://www.tesco.ie/clubcard/deals/DublinZoo.aspx

uck51js9zml2yt

The zoo are now doing family tickets and reduced prices for the unemployed and their families (with proof).

I have the annual pass for 175 which is great value for my family. Means we can go up for a few hours and not feel we have to be there for the day to get "value"

How Strange

2 families can buy 1 family pass so that's €85-90 a year. If you visit a minimum of twice in 12 months then you've gotten value from it. You can bring 3 adults and 3-4 children on that and the 2 families can use it at the same time.

We gotten it with a friend for the last 3 years and it's great value. We'd often go for a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday.

However, if you're paying €55 for a family day out then it's actually very good value as you could go in at 11 and be busy right up to 5pm. Bring a picnic and happy days!

Bluezar

The zoo is great value - I must go back again soon

AtomicHorror

It's a brilliant Zoo as well, they've done a lot of work on it to bring up the standard of the enclosures and general layout of the place- and there's more work ongoing. There's even a half-decent Costa Coffee in there now. It's really great way to spend a day.

The annual pass is great value- you can justify dropping in for an hour or two without feeling like you have to get your money's worth in every single trip. You can have up to 4 adults in if your child is under 3, so that's great for grandparents or another couple with small kids.

screamer

I agree OP it's expensive and it's overcrowded and overrated. Hence I don't bother with it but for anyone who thinks it's great value that's their opinion.

Dodge

screamer wrote: »

I agree OP it's expensive and it's overcrowded and overrated. Hence I don't bother with it but for anyone who thinks it's great value that's their opinion.

If you don't bother with it how do you know it's overcrowded and overrated?


Was there last week with our little one (on a Sunday). No real crowds at all. Loads of room, loads to see and do. I'd bet you won't get a better family day out for under €50 anywhere else.

We've been before (maybe once a year) but the sea lion show was new and great entertainment for 15 minutes or so. Added bonus of knackering our daughter out with 4 hours of walking too

AtomicHorror

screamer wrote: »

I agree OP it's expensive and it's overcrowded and overrated. Hence I don't bother with it but for anyone who thinks it's great value that's their opinion.

When was the last time you bothered with it, out of interest? I've never found it to be overrated, quite the opposite really.

As to crowded- at peak time, yes. Same as anywhere. Pick a better time, or else expect crowds.

Sundew

screamer wrote: »

I agree OP it's expensive and it's overcrowded and overrated. Hence I don't bother with it but for anyone who thinks it's great value that's their opinion.

Have you ever been there on a nice sunny Tuesday morning( just after opening, or on a "soft" drizzly day ( kids still in school) or a crisp Winters morning?
You normally have the place all to yourself!
Even though I have the pass, I usually avoid the place on bank holidays. If I do decide to go in on a nice day over a Summer weekend I am there for when the gates open and I leave before the mobs arrive around 12. Also going in around 4 is excellent as everybody is leaving! Normally I do avoid popular times/ days.
If people pay to go in on a day that everybody else has decided to go in as well, then yes it is terribly uncomfortable, you can't see the animals and you end up being muscled out of your spot whilst observing an animal. I don't go in on days like that.
For all the days that the zoo is overcrowded...there are many days and times when there is hardly anybody in there....just the keepers and a handful of visitors! You have to do your homework and regular visitors
would know the days/ times to avoid.
My only one gripe with the zoo and I have communicated this to them is the food in the restaurant.

Dodge

To be fair, the "peak sunny bank holiday" crowd isn't restricted to the zoo. Pretty much every family spot/event has a bigger crowd. No real science there

polydactyl

Just got my FOTA individual pass as toddler under three. It has no ID photo on it so For all the regulars does anyone know if I need to bring photo ID with me too or just the pass when we go to Dublin zoo.

polydactyl

Just got my FOTA individual pass as toddler under three. It has no ID photo on it so For all the regulars does anyone know if I need to bring photo ID with me too or just the pass when we go to Dublin zoo.