Chester Zoo Reviews 

Zoo keeper for the day

This was an environmentally friendly birthday present for me and it was the best pressie ever!

I chose the Twilight section as I wanted to see lots of different smaller animals.

The Twilight team were so welcoming and enthusiastic to have me on board. I never felt like a spare part or a nuisance. Totally felt like one of them from feeding the animals to sharing breaks & the yummy lunch (which I expected to be a packed lunch) of chilli and rice with the delicious hot chocolate that was recommended to me!

I started in the bat 🦇 cave and was amazed when the keeper (Matt?) told me all about them and their habits. I had lots of questions; knowing nothing about bats which he was happy to answer. Then we prepared their food and put it in the runners for them to enjoy. Helping to clean up with the others. A new found respect was learned about these creatures.

There is a surprise in the bat cave at the end of the day which I loved!
What an experience but no spoilers 😜

Then off to feed sliced apple to the Capybara (Cappies) they were unusual and I learned about them too. One was very shy and wouldn’t come close but one did and it was lovely.

Then off to have tea break with the interns and keepers who were all chatting to me and I was hearing about the moving of some animals to another zoo and how they would do it. Really feeling included and part of the team.

Quick visit to the ant eaters who were having a lie in!

Next stop Brian & Gwen the Visayan warty pigs to feed and then on the foot bridge in the zoo to throw fresh broccoli for the other group of pigs.

Next stop making fresh fruit and veg kebabs for the Prevost squirrels.

Onto one of many favourite activities hand feeding the tree Kangaroos; Maudsby & Mummy,
Beautiful gentle creatures with so much personality. Could’ve stayed in their enclosure all day.

Then fabulous hour long hot lunch sat with the lovely interns hearing about their interests and telling me all they’d learned at the zoo so far. A welcome break. It’s non stop!
Onto the cloud rat enclosure to put food out and hear all about them.
Then over to the conservation part of the zoo to see where animals are kept and waiting to go into the display part of the zoo. Got to meet the fascinating mole-rats amongst many others. Mole rats are resistant to cancer and live a long time. Loved hearing all about them and the plans for the Africa section just being build and the animals that will be in there.

Quick visit to say hello to the elephants and then off to the Meerkat enclosure to meet them all and feed them locusts and mealworms. They were all around my feet and really quirky funny animals.

Quick walk past the rhinos back to the bat cave for my surprise and then ready for home.
Gosh it was 5pm already!
Walked to the entrance to leave with Matt and given a goody bag with cup, note book & pen, power bank, certificate and key ring all with “Keeper for the day” on which I use with pride.

This day was made all the more enjoyable when I heard that the money raised goes into a fund so that the hard working keepers at the zoo can go to see their animals in different parts of the world to learn and share what they know.
Chester Zoo - thank you!

Amazing magical day at the zoo, the ground staff were all helpful and knowledgeable. I took my two children to the zoo but unfortunately the BIRTHDAY GIRL and her sister had COVID. I thought it irresponsible to take 2 children with COVID to a place packed with other children. I explained my predicament to the gate staff and that i would like to change the date of the already purchased two children's tickets, The gate staff lady, was polite and courteous and assured me that this would be fine, and that upon exiting, I should seek out a staff member. I thought nothing more of it and we had a wonderful time at the zoo.
When we were leaving the zoo we sought out a staff member as we were advised, who couldn't immediately help us, but did say it should be fine and signposted us to Customer Experiences. I again explained the situation and was subsequently signposted to another department, which i think was Customer Services. By this point my two young children were getting tired and wanting to leave. I assured them that it wouldn't be long now. We made our way to Customer Services and it was CLOSED!! Why we were told to go somewhere that was closed im baffled by!!! I decided to try the retail shop and luckily found a store manager/assistant who when i explained my situation that the BIRTHDAY girl and her sister had COVID and that we weren't getting anywhere, he immediately understood and was friendly and helpful, he tried his best to find the Customer Services staff, but was unsuccessful, he assured me that it should all be fine and he would "Sort it" and he asked his colleague to take my details, which again was done in a friendly polite manner.
THE PROBLEM> I received a call from GUEST SERVICES a couple of days later from Sandra who i explained my situation of not wanting to take 2 children with COVID into the Zoo, and could she switch the dates as id been told by her staff it would be fine, she refused and told me to contact the 3rd party vendor, her customer service skills from the get go were very abrupt and curt she was unaccommodating and quite disagreeable. I explained as i thought perhaps she had not been fully informed that her staff at various points had assured me that i could change the dates, for the two children's tickets who had COVID, she became angered, dismissive and peeved by this. She then lectured me in a patronising manner that I had been given incorrect information by certain staff members and not all staff are briefed on all policy. I explained that it was unfair to penalise me for multiple staff members giving me incorrect information and that had i been given the correct information, I would have offered the tickets to other children, rather than wasting them, she seemed exasperated and riled by this. As a means to resolve the situation I suggested what i thought was a generous and very fair compromise if she was unwilling to change the dates for both children, would she change it for at least the Birthday girl, who let me just remind you has COVID, or offer a complimentary ticket as a gesture of goodwill for their misinformation and mistakes, she dismissed this idea and kept telling me to contact the 3rd party, she didn't offer any other suggestion or goodwill, in fact she became increasingly ill natured, unamenable and exasperated and basically told me that she was ending the call and hung up. I couldn't believe it.
I left Chester Zoo feeling we had a magical day out, however after the conversation with Sandra from The Admissions Team, this feeling has been erased and I'm left feeling saddened, dejected, distressed by my deplorable treatment. This lady Sandra needs training.

The zoo itself is amazing!
However…they are running a promotion that says ‘if you book in September then you get a visit free before December 15th!
We tried this, however the website crashed, I rang and was told to pay at the gate, which we did.
But because of that and no fault of our own, the offer only applies to online bookings and we don’t get a free day. At over £100 for 3 adults and a baby, plus another £100 spent in the zoo, this seems incredibly unfair and on the basis we thought we would get to enjoy 2 days, not 1, a very expensive day out!

We visited Chester zoo today and had a fantastic time as usual. Apart that is from one experience. We stopped by June's cafe at lunch time to eat our picnic and to allow the children to play on the park area. Once we had eaten my daughter went in to get everyone an ice-cream. About 15 minutes later because it was so hot I went in with the children to get them a slush. While waiting in the queue I noticed that someone had dropped their ice cream in the center of the floor. When it was our turn, I ordered and then while I was paying the children went to leave to go back to the play area. It was on my mind to mention to the staff member about the dropped ice cream. Before I could, I heard a commotion behind me. Our 4 year old had slipped on the ice cream and fallen and his slush had split down the front of his tea shirt. He was very upset and while I was cleaning him up and comforting him I commented to the staff member that it should have been cleaned up. She offered no words of apology or any sympathy for what had happened. I am disgusted by the whole situation. It was a health and safety hazard that had not been dealt with. It was lucky it was a small child who wasn't badly hurt instead of an adult who could have been seriously hurt. When I got back to my daughter she told me that the ice cream had been there on the floor when she had gone in. So it had been there for at least 15-20 minutes. As his tea shirt was soaked we had to take it off him and he spent the rest of the day bear topped. How could that have been left like that for so long? A series breach of health and safety rules and the staff should face action for such a serious failure.

Very disappointed experience in Chester zoo today having in mind how expensive entrance, with very poor customer service at the food counter with teenagers who has an attitude for getting what customers asking , rude , rolling eyes and just lazy . Won’t be going there again .

I am disabled went to front entrance of oakfeild restaurant with 2 grandchildren no ramp walked around the side found a ramp sat at a table and was told to get out because I had not come in through the front entrance what a disgrace will never set foot in Chester zoo ever again

A rather disappointing experience to our recent visit to Chester zoo. Plenty of gardens and great if you like walking, but many of the enclosures were empty, and others were so busy, it was difficult to see very much at all.
everything was over priced, so value for money was poor.
won't be going again.

Congratulations to the landscape designers. Just a huge shame they forgot that Chester Zoo is a zoo and not a hugely expensive and over commercialised park. Very very disappointing compared to zoos like Vienna

Fantastic zoo, animals are obviously well looked after and balances the need for great customer service and animal welfare

Amazing day out plenty of animals plenty of amenities only let down was the aquarium I felt it was like being in the garden centre buying fish. Amazing zoo makes up for it, well worth going and can't wait to go again.

An ok zoo experience but maybe too big and spaced apart. This meant I had to miss some of my favorite animals.

Took our daughter and 3yr old grandson to zoo, supposedly to actual see the animals.but hardly seen any animals they were all inside , he wanted to see the monkeys but didn't see 1, we also had to queue up for 50 minutes for ice lollies as they said they were short staffed well should employ more staff than when it's a bank holiday, wont ever be returning there again complete waste of money and time, it wasn't cheap either £111 for nothing very very disappointed.

I absolutely love this zoo as its a conservation zoo this is the only reason I would ever visit a zoo been lots of times and always had the best time the animals are very well looked after but they are pricing themselves out, we went yesterday evenings four adults it’s not cheap to go but the price of food was an absolute joke we got 4 very small Giros three with chicken one mushroom they came with a handful of chip and we got 3 small cokes and a small bottle of lemonade how can they justify charging £70 won’t rush to go back x

I took my kids here today from Birmingham my son was really excited to see the tiger, tiger cubs, Jaguar, and panther etc.. it’s was a waste of money hardly any animals were out you cant see them at all they were hiding away somewhere I have spend over £100 on tickets plus fuel and food just to look at green grass and trees don’t waste your money coming here total scam.

Been a few years since last went and remember it being very good.
This visit couldn’t see so many animals. I appreciate they don’t view at our command, but we DO pay to see the animals! They have built it, so it is hard to see the animals, unfortunately. I wish they would consider putting in one way viewing glass, so that can see them more easily, but also not disturb the animals!
Red panda you do not get good view, as above it and just hid under the trees every single time. Very few monkeys too. Giant otter seemed distressed and calling out on its own and was sad to see.
The islands section was dire! Saw a handful of animals (if that). No tigers out at all. The dirt mounds that they are building were more interesting. We saw no point going on the boat, as nothing to see!
Penguins and flamingos were the best ones to view.
Kiosks were very good, but they do need one near chimps/giraffes and another set of toilets. No water bottles, but had water cans which were a ridiculous price.
Not sure would go again, unfortunately.

I go to a lot of zoo's - there's probably very few in the UK I haven't visited - and Chester is absolutely outstanding. Well done for creating a fantastic customer experience whilst at the same time ensuring the animals are provided with proper, clean, and appropriate enclosures.

Absolutely fantastic day out.
Yes it can get quite expensive for tickets, but it is paying for the animals, and the great staff that work there, so totally worth it.
Speaking of the staff, everyone we met was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, we had a great chat with Holly in the fruit bat forest. Dylan in the jaguar enclosure was also very knowledgeable and taught us a few things, also all the volunteers that help there too,
The animals all look happy and healthy, with a fair few baby, young and adolescent animals.
We were even lucky enough to see the two tiger cubs.
Very happy, thank you chester zoo. See you again soon.

always a great day out!
the parks a great size and there is plenty of things to do and loads of animals to see.
we've been loads of times and always impressed.

Good family day out with grandchildren, food was a bit expensive and busy