Dine with Shamu Opinions!

[crista76]

Hi! Has anyone done the "Dine with Shamu" experience at Sea World? In October, the only seating time is at 4:15, which I think is odd ... Is it worth the $$? How is the food?
Thanks for your help!
Crista :)

[Bethanymouse]

I cant speak from personal experience but my cousins went last year and enjoyed it. The food was mediocore but the kids really enjoyed the experience.

[dfamasb]

I have been twice, the first time we loved it, the second time not so much. The tables are butted up against the pool area and are often seated with more than one group, each table seats 8 I believe. The first time we went we had the 4 seats closest to the pool and enjoyed ourselves very much. The second time we went we had the outer 4 seats and inner 4 seats were used by 4 very large women, making our view less than ideal to say the least. Also the second time it seems they had added more tables and the space between the rows of tables had become almost non-existent. People sitting next to the pool have to push past all others sitting at the table to get their food. That being said, the food was good both times (buffet) and if you are a marine mammal fanatic like I am it's worth giving it a shot.

[JPL]

I did this back in 2003 and really enjoyed it. They were running a special since it wasn't filling up and I think it was in the $30 range. It was definately the best dining value at Sea World and it was also an interesting little show with the trainers.

[tadshome]

We loved this experience in September and it was worth every $$ but it was very cramped as imo there are too many tables. Food was buffet style and very enjoyable.

[Disneydol]

I can't speak for Sea World in Orlando - or for anything recent for that matter.

But - we did this about 11 years ago at Sea World in San Antonio. It was a fun experience - we'd definitely pay to do it again.

[merlinmagic4]

We went in 2003 and really loved it. The tables were not cramped back then and we sat at a table with just the four of us. Honestly, I would not like sharing a table so I would call the customer service number to check on that if we do it again. The food was decent and the show was amazing!

[StillSimbaGirl]

We've done two different ones : Dining with Shamu twice and Backstage at Believe. At Backstage, there is no guarantee of dining with shamu - but the whale usually shows up. We've enjoyed all the experiences...you have to eat...why not do it with Shamu?

[DisnIse]

I totally agree with the previous post. Considering how much we spent on kids' meals, snacks, and our lunch on one of our trips to Sea World, Backstage at Believe was a good value for our family.
We went twice - once on January 2 (it was very very cold) and once over spring break (a perfect day). Neither day was terribly crowded at the buffet. I think one seating as at lunch, and the other was at 2 or 3 pm. For us, that late lunch worked perfectly, so we only had breakfast and then a big middle of the day meal and a late snack.
My kids (9 and 5 and 5) weren't terribly into the Backstage information, but I was. They were happy to get their little whale tail necklace and backstage pass.
I didn't think the food was bad - the choices were at least a little different from other buffets. And I don't think I've ever met a Baked Alaskan that I didn't like...

By the way, one other thing to note is that beer is included in the price of the buffet. Not that we were getting loaded or anything :ack:, but if you think that a beer at a baseball field is $6 or so, adding that into the cost of the buffet makes the value a little better.

[BriarRose]

We went last November and enjoyed it. The buffet is not spectacular, but good. When they have Shamu come out, he swims around and comes out of the water at different spots very close to you. Great for pictures!

When we were there there were two rows of tables, one by the water and one on the other side of that row. I booked the dinner several months in advance and checked in as soon as we got to the park that morning. We did get a seat by the water, and was told that they assign seating by the order you purchase tickets and call your name to be seated based on the time you check in that day. You also get to go through the buffet sooner if you check in that day as soon as possible.

The down side:
The tables were placed very close together, and the woman that I was sitting behind and I kept bumping each other. Also, Shamu did splash once and it got both rows that were in the line of fire.

All in all, we enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't do it again. At least not anytime soon.

[bkfree]

We have done the Dine with Shamu at Sea World in Orlando and had a great time.
Our kids love being up close and personal with 2 Shamus and we got some awesome pics.
We also loved the food. They have a buffet geared toward adults and one geared for kids, but you can eat at either or both , as much as you want.We thought it was very good and our party of 4 adults and 5 kids put a dent in it. The Ceasar salad was incredible and the kids loved the huge chocolate covered Shamu cookies.
This is something we will do again for sure.
We also ate at the first Dinner seating at 4:15. We had a late breakfast that day, then went to the park and skipped lunch so the early dinner time was perfect.
FYI- You can also order wine, beer or mixed drinks .

[Jasper]

We did it with our kids and just did not like it at all!! The whole thing was WAY overpriced for what you got both in terms of the kind of food as well as the quality of food. We are NOT picky eaters as our waist lines will attest to but there were several items we passed on because they were so horrible! Plus the show was difficult to see well because you were sitting on top of one another and there were always other heads blocking the view of the little ones! I say save your money and don't do it!!!