12 Best Black Friday San Diego Annual Pass Deals 2025

Note: Scroll to the first entry for which LEGOLAND Pass to buy! Link to buy LEGOLAND Annual Passes.

Every year LEGOLAND, Seaworld, Sesame Place, and many other places else put out amazing Black Friday deals for their season passes. This is a great time to either get one yourself or send the link to Grandma and Grandpa for a gift card as a Christmas wish, because you know your kids don’t need more toys!

In my opinion, if you have kids and you live in San Diego, these passes will actually SAVE you money in the long run, especially with the incredible Black Friday savings. Why? Because you don’t have to find (potentially expensive) entertainment every time you want to go out and do something. As a stay-at-home mom, my annual passes keep me from browsing and spending money at various stores like Target and Walmart just to have something to do. In almost all cases, if you plan on visiting the place more than once a year, you should upgrade to the pass.

Many of these locations have seasonal events, festivals, and other things for pass holders throughout the year (check out my Instagram to stay up to date on those!). We like to choose 1-2 passes each year and rotate through them, although we never let our zoo pass expire!

These are our favorite annual passes to have in San Diego. Please note, I will be updating both here and my Instagram page with the 2025 Black Friday deals as they become available. I have also included all other annual passes that do not generally participate in Black Friday but are still a good value.

LEGOLAND Park

Black Friday / Cyber Monday Deal: 

For 2025 the deal is: $120 off any annual pass purchase, up to 50% off tickets or hotel stays for a single day. Click here to access the deal.

Note that the one-day tickets can be used starting Nov 18. Annual passes are good from the date of purchase. This is a limited time deal!

I get a small commission from LEGOLAND if you use this link to purchase, or any other link on my website so if you find this info helpful, I would greatly appreciate your use of the affiliate link. Thank you! I also have tons of LEGOLAND guides throughout my website to help you navigate the park.

Which Pass To Get: Alright we are all switched up with the addition of GUEST PASSES this year. It’s TBD exactly how the Bring a Friend passes work, but what we know is Elite gets four guest passes and Platinum gets two.

Let’s do some theme park math. Working through this with a family of four, with the Black Friday Deal, 3 Elite passes with 12 guest passes comes in at the best deal at $675. This includes Brick or Treat and NO blackout dates. You can easily bring another person with those guest passes. This would be my top choice for a family of four. There are other perks like dining discounts and free parking that bumps this into the top spot for me. This depends on what the rules around the Bring a Friend policy are. They will release more info on that soon.

Another option would be 3 Gold passes and 1 Platinum Pass coming in at $706. This is slightly more expensive than the $675 price point and you do not get Brick or Treat with this deal.

For blockout dates, the Platinum Pass has seven (only Brick or Treat days are blocked out). The Gold Pass is blocked out on all major holidays, spring break, and summer weekends. Not a great time to be at LEGOLAND with crowds, so you might be okay with those dates blocked out.

Remember that parking is $35 per car. It is not included with Gold, but is included with Platinum and Elite. Premium parking is not necessary, the parking lot isn’t huge.

I do not recommend the Silver pass as doesn’t give access to the water park or aquarium. Both are completely worth it and take a good half day to do on their own. Given a regular day at LEGOLAND is $119, the annual pass is a good deal and pays for itself in two visits. Here is the page comparing all the annual passes!

About their Christmas Event: Their Christmas event is super cute! Make sure you don’t miss the giant LEGO tree and the LEGO wreath over by the waterpark entrance. They also have super cute shows. My favorite was the Jingle Jamboree. Sit close for a HUGE snowfall at the end! You can also meet LEGO Santa and a LEGO Snowman. The Mint Marching band is also cute, they do a whole toy solider routine. 

The crowds weren’t bad at all. I assume it will be the same throughout December. Wait times were kind of high in the middle of the day, but toward the evening everything cleared out. We used the middle of the day for the interactive LEGO features and playgrounds. Make sure to stop for churros by the Pirate ride! Book a spot at the LEGOLAND Hotel or LEGOLAND Castle Hotel for extra fun! Hotel guests get early admission an hour before park opening.

The tree will be up through the whole holiday season, but the shows are only on these select dates. This event is included for passholders (no extra charge like Brick-or-Treat).

Here are the dates for this year!

November 22-30

December 6-7, 13-31

January 1-4

Firework Dates: December 6, 13, 20-31

More info on Christmas event.

Belmont Park in Mission Beach

Black Friday Deal: Grab an annual pass for $100 (reg $139)!

Click here for tickets. They also have a gifting option, makes a great Christmas present.

Belmont Park is such a fun seaside amusement park! It’s less crowded than the other theme parks and more budget-friendly as it is free to enter. You have the option to pay per ride or get their unlimited wristband for $60 for adults or $55 for kids. The annual pass is $100 so it easily pays for itself in two visits.

The wristband covers not only the rides but a large ropes course, laser tag, ziplining, mini-golf, and a whole host of other fun activities. You can easily spend multiple days here, doing 1-2 things each time you come. Pair it with a visit to the nearby Bonita Cove Park and a sunset on the beach!

Belmont Park has a series of festivals throughout the year. Their Christmas light display is particularly wonderful as is the spring Belmont in Bloom. We love the Beach House restaurant nearby for kid-friendly dining.

More Info Here

The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

The Deal: Unfortunately the zoo annual passes rarely have Black Friday deals, but if they do I will be the first to let you know! This is one of the top San Diego attractions for visitors and San Diego County residents alike. 

Which Pass To Get: The children’s pass (ages 3-17) is $76 with no blackout dates. Easy choice. The adult pass is more complicated. You can choose from a San Diego Resident ($99) or San Diego Resident Premium ($134). The main difference is one is a weekday pass and the other is a weekend pass.

The next level up Wildlife Protector ($149) and Wildlife Protector Premium ($174) includes parking at the Safari Park (normally $20). There is free parking at the Balboa Park Zoo. The Premium pass includes weekends and holidays and both have a few guest passes and 50% off coupons.

Also note that your pass purchases fund wildlife protection and research. There’s your justification for getting a zoo pass, you’re welcome.

We usually get the kids the regular passes and then upgrade me to The Wildlife Protector. I then use the guest passes for the days my husband wants to join us so he can get free admission.

See all the offers here!

About the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park: One of the main draws for San Diego is The San Diego Zoo! If you’re wondering if this zoo is worth the hype, it is. With 3500 animals representing 650 species, this zoo has the most variety of any zoo in North America! They recently opened a new exhibit called Adventure Basecamp. It’s a portion of the zoo just for kids with an interactive play structure and splash pad. We also love the Skyfari Tram and bus tour here.

About The Safari Park: The San Diego Zoo has the Safari Park beat for variety of animals and plants. They are both owned by the same company and an annual pass will get you into both.

I personally prefer The Safari Park because:

1. The nature! The San Diego Zoo is in Balboa Park which is in the middle of the city. The Safari Park is located in the Escondido hills and the remote setting is absolutely gorgeous.
2. The animal experiences! The Safari Park has tons of up close animal experiences. My favorite is the kangaroo exhibit.
3. The crowds. The SD Zoo is always more crowded because it’s more famous. Every time I’ve visited the Safari Park I feel like we get the animals all to ourselves especially when we get there in the morning.
4. The rides! The Safari Park Africa Tram is AMAZING. It’s included with admission and you get to drive right by the animal enclosures.

SeaWorld in Mission Bay

Black Friday Sale: The 2025 Black Friday deal for SeaWorld San Diego Annual Passes is $75 for Fun Cards (annual pass with some blackout dates) or buy one single day ticket get one free! See all Black Friday Deals. 

Which Annual Pass To Get: Ok buckle up this one is complicated. Basically, the Silver Pass is the full annual pass and best deal at $120 for the year with parking included. HOWEVER if you live down south, you can bundle SeaWorld and Sesame Place because they are owned by the same parent company. This will cost you $199, but it’s currently discounted to $179 for Black Friday.

Then there’s the 2025 Fun Cards at $75. This does not include parking and the website states there are a few blockout dates.

Also note that if you are a teacher or you have a preschooler (ages 3-5) you can get a preschool fun card for FREE at the beginning of the year every year. The info for that is right here.

Also don’t forget about the all-day dining day at SeaWorld. It’s $50/adult and $25 per kid and you can eat a full meal every 90 minutes. Yes you read that right. If you’re eating more than one meal at SeaWorld it’s a completely worthwhile upgrade because the food is expensive. See that upgrade here.

About SeaWorld: SeaWorld is wonderful because it works for a range of ages. Older kids will love the giant roller coasters. Younger kids will love the Rescue Jr area. All ages will love the animal shows and learning more about animals!

Our favorite area for kids here is the brand new Rescue Jr. area to the right of the entrance. They have some playgrounds and cute shows and kid rides! We also love the feeder fish at the front and the manta ray touch tank by the manta roller coaster.

There’s also the option for additional amazing animal encounters. We got to meet a beluga whale named Klondike. It was unforgettable for the kids. This is an extra charge but it’s great for a special day for the kids!

During December they have their cute Christmas celebration and it’s free for annual passholders!

Sesame Place San Diego

Black Friday Deal: Sesame Place: $117/person. Can bundle with SeaWorld for $179 for both. More info here.

They closed Sesame Place abruptly in September this year to switch to a spring summer only operating schedule. So if you get these passes be aware they are summer only.

About Sesame Place: Sesame Place is essentially a waterpark with some dry rides and Sesame themed shows. During the month of December they have a really cute Christmas party called A Very Furry Christmas. If you’re visiting during December, the water rides will be closed. I also thought their Halloween Spooktacular was really cute!

Here are my tips for visiting during the rest of the year:

1. You (the adult) are going to want your swimsuit.
2. Flip flops are fine instead of tennis shoes; it’s not that big.
3. They’ve put a Sesame Street overlay on a lot of the Aquatica (water park that used to be here) rides meaning there are big slides for older kids too!
4. Life jacket rentals are free. Some rides require life jackets for kids of certain heights. You can also bring your own floatie but it MUST be marine approved. They check to make sure at security.
5. Food was sub par and overpriced ($16 for a mediocre hamburger). Bring snacks in for the kids and go eat somewhere else after.
6. The character meet and greets were great! Don’t miss Elmo in the room near the merry-go-round at the entrance.
7. I recommend starting with the dry rides (they are all little kid carnival type rides) and then changing everyone into swimsuits.

Balboa Park Explorer

The rest of the passes on this list rarely do Black Friday deals but I will be on the lookout just in case! The Balboa Park Explorer is one of my favorites. At $259 per FAMILY (that is 2 adult and up to 4 children) it will pay for itself in just two museum visits for larger families. The ability to just pop in and out of museums without worrying about staying all day is key for enjoying them with little kids. We usually pair it with a ride on the green tram and a picnic in Balboa Park and it’s a great day. Buy Family Pass Here.

It does NOT included The Comic Con Museum (not that great for kids IMO) or The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. Here are the museums currently included:

1. Fleet Science Center
2. The Natural History Museum
3. The Model Railroad Museum
4. The Air & Space Museum
5. The Automobile Museum
6. The Museum of US
7. The San Diego Museum of Art
8. Timken Museum of Art
9. The Japanese Friendship Garden (amazing cherry blossom festival in March!)
10. Mingei International Museum

Full List Here

The New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego

You will love visiting The New Children’s Museum! Nestled in the heart of downtown San Diego, it’s a place that everybody who comes to the area loves. It has a unique blend of experiences that combine art, play, and just being a kid and moving their bodies! They also offer many fun events throughout the year. The downtown location allows for lots of opportunities to expand on the outing before or after visiting.

They also just opened a brand new fenced park next door! I wrote a whole blog on visiting and where to park, that’s here: 10 Things To Know Before Visiting The New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego

The memberships are either $150/two people, $250/4 people or $350/six people.

See all options here.

The San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas

True to form, San Diego takes a regular botanic garden and makes it awesome for kids. Grab a scavenger hunt when you come in to make sure you don’t miss anything. We especially loved the pollinator’s garden. Your children can look for bees and listen for birds. The docents had a handout where the kids could count the pollinators and do “research.”

M-F they have free art projects in the Children’s Garden. We loved painting on the big canvasses and the giant chalkboard. Up past the old parking lot, you will find a second Children’s Garden with a train and sensory bins. They also have an amazing Christmas event called Lightscape that is worth checking out. This is a place we go with the grandparents a lot. Both grandparents and kids love plants!

The garden is open Wed-Sun 10-5. Check their website for exact hours. Address: 300 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Their passes are $105 for two adults + (grand)kids under 18. They also have dual passes for just two people for $95. Both options give you a few guest passes for anyone who may want to come with you!

See all options here!

The Children’s Museum of Discovery in Escondido

The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum (SDCDM) in Escondido is a hidden gem. It’s amazing for babies, crawlers, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary school age kids AND parents. It offers space for children to play and learn yet it’s small enough that it’s easy to supervise your children as they explore freely. I love that I can interact with my children as they learn through OR sit back and chat with a friend as we both observe our kids.

I actually have a whole post about this museum including info on parking, see that here: 7 Tips for Visiting The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido

Their annual pass is a great deal at $105 / 2 people, $160 / 4 people, or $215 / 6 people. I also appreciated they didn’t hand me an annual pass card for me to lose. They save your name in their system and all you have to do is show your ID to get in.

More info here

Birch Aquarium in La Jolla

This sweet little aquarium is high up on the cliffs above La Jolla. The aquarium isn’t huge so it’s easy access to see everything here in a few hours. You enter in the middle of the aquarium. There are two halls displaying fish on either side. Walk directly through the entry and you’ll reach the touch pool. The lunch area, leopard sharks, and seahorse exhibit are to the left. Turtles, jellies, and kelp forest to the right.

The touch pool at the back of the aquarium overlooks the rolling waves of La Jolla Shores. We loved touching the sting ray here! The shark tank is at the end of the aquarium outside. The tank is raised so you can see the sharks super clearly. My kids were mesmerized watching the leopard sharks swim about! This is also a good place for lunch.

Make sure you spend some time enjoying the view over La Jolla. All the fences are glass so it’s easy to find a spot to sit and soak it all in.

Passes are $249/two adults + four children. You also have the option to not name family members on your pass so you can take whoever you want. There is free general parking. They also have exclusive events for passholders throughout the year.

More info here

The Plunge San Diego

Black Friday Deal: 10 day pass for $75 (normally $250). More info here.

Right next to Belmont Park is the oldest public pool in San Diego. It’s housed in a beautiful art deco building with huge glass windows. The water is nice and warm. Though they change up their displays for the season, the water temperature is generally a warm 84 degrees. The best part though is their huge play structure! They recently updated their obstacle course and it’s so much fun. I saw lots of adults zooming around right next to the kids.

Tip: you can order beachside food from Beach House next door. They have a waiter that goes around and it’s the same prices (no delivery fee or anything).

Their prices are about $15 per person per hour. They also have Toddler Time most mornings 9-10 where tickets are discounted. If you have younger kids I highly recommend going during Toddler Time as the bigger kids can be rough on the water play equipment.

The annual pass price is $55/person or $120 for a family of four. The pool is heated so you can swim year-round.

More info here

Allow me to introduce myself…

My name is Camille! I am a San Diego stay-at-home mom who is never ever at home. I share a lot of fun things to do around San Diego including parks, restaurants, LEGOLAND, the zoo etc.

My goal with my Instagram account and blog is to make any mom feel prepared for any outing with her kids so that she doesn’t have to stay home unless she wants to. Getting out with my kids was key for me in finding my way as a mom so I try to pay it forward by sharing what we do to help other moms in a similar situation. Read more about my story here.

Thanks so much for reading!

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