Our group loves Sea World. They have awesome shows and really nice exhibits. Plus, they have a few rides, if you are into that sort of thing. The SD Zoo was not a great fit for our group because of the terrain (up/down/up/down) and our group mobility (wheelchair, ECV and stroller). It didn't help that it was really crowded when we went, either... Sea World is really a much more relaxing day for us. I get why people say that it's a half-day park, but when we go, we typically stay in the San Diego area for a week and do three days at Sea World. If you go around the holidays, they really decorate the park and have a neat snow play area that my kids love. That being said, we went to the Safari Park last year and really enjoyed it. My parents would go to the Safari Park again, but they won't go to the SD zoo again.