Sea World? Suggestions/tips?

[minnie-mouse]

We would like to do Sea World on our next Florida trip. Does anyone have any good tips or suggestions regarding this park? Our DDs are 5 and 8 and they aren't too big on thrill rides, it would be more of the shows that we would go to see. How long do you think is needed in this park to see a lot. I was thinking like 5-6 hours for the day? No?

[minnie04]

We love Sea World... I would just grab a map and map out what it is you want to do. The park is big and a lot of walking.
I would really recommend doing the Dolphin feeding :dolphin: and then take it from there. We used to love the shamu show, but since the trainers aren't allowed in the water anymore and they didn’t have the huge whale at the end splashing it got a little boring. They have a huge playground with smaller rides for little kids that are very nice. I would say 5-6 hours is plenty although we end up staying till closing every time

Dolphin show; awesome!!
Sea Lion show: very funny
Shamu show: ok, but a must see anyway
Shark Encounter: very cool
Artic: very cool

[yjgirl32]

I don't think 5-6 hours would be enough for me. I would also look into some of the tours they have- we have done behind the scenes and the vip tour- both are well worth the money. The VIP is a little expensive but got a seat saved for some of the shows and got to feed the dolphins and the sting rays plus got a very good lunch included. The behind the scenes tour got us feeding the sea lions and petting a penguin which was really cool. I too would look to see what they have to offer and plan from there. Good luck.

[RAIDER]

Make sure you see Pets Ahoy ,it will blow you away .They train stray animals and i just cant believe that they have managed to train cats !!!
The Clive and Seymour show are a must ,but beware of the mime artist if he picks on you ( he is hilarious ) The dolphin show is spectacular and of course Shamu .
If you get a chance try and dine at Shark reef as well ...

Have a great time :thumbsup:

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks everyone. We won't be doing any tours, just the shows and maybe some kiddie rides. I was thinking Pets Ahoy, Shamu show, dolphin show, and some of the exhibits (penguin, etc). Would there be enough time to do all of that if we got there at 9am and stayed til 4pm?

[minnie-mouse]

Does anyone know what days are best to go to Sea World to avoid big crowds? What days to avoid?

[RAIDER]

Does anyone know what days are best to go to Sea World to avoid big crowds? What days to avoid?

Best days are midweek ,stay clear of the weekend :thumbsup:

[PETE FROM NYC]

We gave up on Sea World a few years ago. We miss the tratiners no longer going into the water at the Shamu show, and that they stopped the water ski shows.
But if you do go, the free discount books available at many restaurants have discount coupons. There is also a discount for AAA members.

[Altair]

Some shows are only held once per day, so you have to plan around them.
Arrive early to catch all of the mime show at Clyde and Seymour.:thumbsup:

[JPL]

The shows are usually set up so you can start at one and work your way around to all of them in order however this can get quite boring since all you are doing is sitting around watching shows. I would suggest taking your time and see where the day takes you. Limiting yourself to a set amount of time seems silly to me because you might end up feeling rushed and missing some of the smaller gems around the park.

[minnie-mouse]

Yes, I say 9-4pm as I know that is probably how long our little ones will last before they need a break and want to go back to resort. Do you have to buy the tickets ahead of time to get a good discount? If I have AAA, do I buy the tickets online or from AAA. Also, do I have to buy the tickets for a specific day and only use them for that day?

[CynBeth]

We belong to AAA but I found the online tickets on the Sea World site were cheaper and you get a second day free. You have to go to a certain place to get your next day's tickets. The tickets are good for one year from date of purchase.

[minnie-mouse]

So you could buy the tickets a month in advance and use them whatever day you choose?

[mickeyman42]

look into buying a "fun card" ticket. its a whole year (similar to an AP, without parking inc) for something like $84. since it's what, $81 for a single day its hard to beat that deal, basically every other day of the year would be free, minus parking, after 3 trips an annual pass (which inc parking) would be a better deal.
when we go its with two kids age 9 & 4. we take the whole day 9/10-6 just to do the shows, and a few kiddie rides. its a great park, enjoy

[minnie-mouse]

Some shows are only held once per day, so you have to plan around them.
:

Which shows only usually run once a day? Do they have this info on their website?

[Altair]

Which shows only usually run once a day? Do they have this info on their website?

The schedule is posted. Do a search for "seaworld orlando show schedule". Today, for example, the Call of the Ocean show is only held once and the One Ocean show twice.

They may add shows in peak seasons.

[minnie-mouse]

Any suggestinos for dining as Sea World? We don't want to do the expensive dining like "with Shamu" etc, just some counter service for lunch. Any recommendations?

[minnie-mouse]

Does anyone know how long most of the shows at Sea World run? I am trying to plan for our visit but it only gives show times. I want to make sure we have enough time to get to the shows we want to see. Is this info listed anywhere?

[LiloLovesTheKing26]

Most of the shows are abou 30 to 40 min. The main thing I recommend is doing the dolphin feeding! It's 7$ per person and worth it! It's amazing! Also if you do it do it first thing in the morning when the park opens if not you will be in line waiting for over and or if not more. We spent about 8 hours there and still did not do and see everything. My only complaint is that the food is over priced and not good.

[kohlby]

On our last trip, my oldest was 6.5 years old. He could have easily spent two days there. My middle child was almost 4 and getting at rope drop and leaving right before dinner time was perfect for her. (However, I should probably add that we did 7 different parks over 8 days with only one break day and SW was our last park. So, I think that had something to do with the middle child not lasting as long).

Are your kids climbers? My oldest would spend hours on the giant climbing nets if we let him! He loves the shows as well.

We did decide to do dine with shamu our last SW trip. We've never done any character meals at disney or any special meals anywhere due to cost. But the Dine with Shamu was very much worth it. Our oldest still talks about it, two years later. However, that was also before the show had to be shut down so I'm not sure how the changes will effect it.

Another tip is to head right over to the dolphin feedings right when you get there. We had an amazing viewing of the dolphins and of others feeding them. We opted not to feed them - saved money and kids didn't want to- and were right up next to the dolphins anyway! My oldest does want to feed them on the next trip, so he'll be doing that.

[BigRedDad]

This was a good read. I have been trying to see how long to go there. We are taking another Orlando non-Disney trip. We were thinking of taking advantage of the Buy 4 Get 1 free at the Seaworld hotels, but that may be overkill. We would do Seaworld, Aquatica, and Universal.

[minnie-mouse]

How much is parking at Sea World? Anyone recommend one of the counter service places to dine there?

[Kenny1113]

We used to love the shamu show, but since the trainers aren't allowed in the water anymore and they didn’t have the huge whale at the end splashing it got a little boring.

:ditto:
It is a must see because those animals are just amazing, but yeah not the show it used to be. Just a splash party!

I agree I think you can cover most of the park in 5-6 hours. (We arrived at 10 and left around 3:30/4:00 and saw all the shows, rode the coasters and spent time in kiddie area on a Sat in Jan)
Avoid the helicopter tour in the wild artic, but do see the animals. The helicopter tour is like the old star tours but :sick: (I never got sick on star tours).
I agree with the others do the dolphin feeding and the stingrays too if you can get it in.
Seaworld has a decent size kiddie area with rides and a HUGE climbing gym.

Parking is somewhere between $12 -$15. I want to say $12, but we just paid $15 at busch gardens.

As far as counter service:there are several to choose from the food is ehh and $$$. It is cafeteria style where the food is already prepared and you grab what you want.

[minnie-mouse]

Does this sound doable if we arrive at 9am?

•Pelican Preserve
•Manta Aquarium
•Dolphin Cove (feed dolphins $7)
•Turtle Trek, Alligators
•Jewel of the Sea
•Pacific Pointe Reserve Exhibit (seals)
•*Clyde and Seamore show 11am,
•*One Ocean Shamu Show 12pm,
•Lunch at Spice Mill
•Dolphin Nursery
•Waterfront shops
•*Pets Ahoy show 1:45 pm

[Silvertip309]

Do not miss the dolphin show Blue Horizons. It is the best show in the park.