Annual Passes Benefits

[redoschi]

Hi!

We're going in January (3 adults and 1 teen) and will be spending 2 days at Sea World and 1 day at Busch Gardens.

Originally I'd thought about the regular 2-park passes that are good for 14 days, but thinking a bit more about it I decided that 1 Annual Pass and 3 2-park passes would be better as we would have dining and merchandise discounts and free parking.

But the Sea World website isn't that specific about all Annual Passholder's benefits so I decided to ask on the Disboards!

For those of you that have annual passes, which benefits do you know of and which do you usually use?

If I'm the passholder and I'm paying for food and merchandise, it would apply the discount to the whole bill, right?

If I get an annual pass online, could I get free parking on our first day at SW or just after I've activated it by entering a park?

Can I get discounts for special experiences such as the tiger/orangutan in Busch Gardens? Is it just for the passholder or the whole party?

 

[thxfortheadventure]

Hi!

We're going in January (3 adults and 1 teen) and will be spending 2 days at Sea World and 1 day at Busch Gardens.

Originally I'd thought about the regular 2-park passes that are good for 14 days, but thinking a bit more about it I decided that 1 Annual Pass and 3 2-park passes would be better as we would have dining and merchandise discounts and free parking.

But the Sea World website isn't that specific about all Annual Passholder's benefits so I decided to ask on the Disboards!

1. For those of you that have annual passes, which benefits do you know of and which do you usually use?

2.If I'm the passholder and I'm paying for food and merchandise, it would apply the discount to the whole bill, right?

3. If I get an annual pass online, could I get free parking on our first day at SW or just after I've activated it by entering a park?

4. Can I get discounts for special experiences such as the tiger/orangutan in Busch Gardens? Is it just for the passholder or the whole party?

1. I usually use the free parking and discounts on food and merchandise, I also used the discount on discovery cove tickets and sat in the reserved section for pass members during the fireworks.
2. Yes the discount applies to the whole bill.
3. Yes I did the same thing my first time and just showed them the piece of paper I printed off with my annual pass purchase conformation and they let me park for free.
4.Not sure about this one as I have never done any of those experiences.

 

[momto2js]

We have platinum passes for our whole family but when I purchase special "stuff" I log in with one of our passes and make one purchase. When we go to sign in we have never been asked to show the pass so I don't think you will have a problem, but use at your own risk.

We also generally sit in the special reserved seating at seaworld. I generally just show one pass for our party of 3 (me and the kids) and I have never been asked to show passes for all of us but I know others that have so YMMV.

I don't know if they offer a pass that covers just SW and BG but usually there is discount for the other park for passholders but I'm not sure how that works. I am also pretty sure that if you have a one park pass, you pay for parking at the others.

 

[redoschi]

I don't know if they offer a pass that covers just SW and BG but usually there is discount for the other park for passholders but I'm not sure how that works. I am also pretty sure that if you have a one park pass, you pay for parking at the others.

In SW's website you can purchase a pass for 1 (SW), 2 (SW/Aquatica or SW/BG), 3 (SW/Aquatica/BG) or the premium for all their theme parks.

 

[redoschi]

1. I usually use the free parking and discounts on food and merchandise, I also used the discount on discovery cove tickets and sat in the reserved section for pass members during the fireworks.
2. Yes the discount applies to the whole bill.
3. Yes I did the same thing my first time and just showed them the piece of paper I printed off with my annual pass purchase conformation and they let me park for free.
4.Not sure about this one as I have never done any of those experiences.

Great! Thanks for the answers!

Do you know if the food discount is just for counter service restaurants or if it also applies to table service like Sharks Underwater Grill?

 

[aubreysmom09]

We have platinum passes also. You get 10% all food, and if you want to do an excursion you also get a discount. We live near the Williamsburg BG, and we did the wolf encounter, and it was a bit less expensive with the pass. we also get 50% off the Christmas Town tickets.

 

[thxfortheadventure]

Great! Thanks for the answers!

Do you know if the food discount is just for counter service restaurants or if it also applies to table service like Sharks Underwater Grill?

Yes I'm pretty sure the food discount applies to all food including the sharks underwater grill, all day dining, and dine with Shamu.

 

[sweetiee]

We have used our AP for discounts at all restaurants. Even the Dine with Shamu. We use it for the drink refills too. 10% is 10%!
You also get free admission to the sky tower.
And if your are an AP holder and renew within 30 days of exp, you get $20 off your next AP. we just renewed for two years at $149.

 

[Jamie25UGA]

You also get free admission to the sky tower.

Unless they changed it after August the sky tower is free to all guests so expect a wait of at least 30 minutes They actually took away free admission to passholders about a year ago anyways and then it became free to all (not sure when, I noticed it in August).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Unless they changed it after August the sky tower is free to all guests so expect a wait of at least 30 minutes They actually took away free admission to passholders about a year ago anyways and then it became free to all (not sure when, I noticed it in August).

It was after January 2012 that it changed.....I want to say spring......but am not 100% sure.

I know it was shortly after January, because we rode the Sky Tower for free with our Quick Queue passes on our New Years week visit. Not long afterward, we read on Facebook that they were changing to offer it free to all guests as part of your regular admission.

A 30 minute wait in August? I can only imagine how long the wait will be during our Christmas trip, then. Not sure I will worry about squeezing it in. The view is great but not worth upwards of an hour.

 

[redoschi]

It was after January 2012 that it changed.....I want to say spring......but am not 100% sure.

I know it was shortly after January, because we rode the Sky Tower for free with our Quick Queue passes on our New Years week visit. Not long afterward, we read on Facebook that they were changing to offer it free to all guests as part of your regular admission.

A 30 minute wait in August? I can only imagine how long the wait will be during our Christmas trip, then. Not sure I will worry about squeezing it in. The view is great but not worth upwards of an hour.

At least, by going in January we'll probably avoid long lines for most attractions. I haven't gone up the Sky Tower since I was a kid!

 

[Jamie25UGA]

Another big problem with the Sky Tower is that it goes down a lot because of wind. They've just added another obstacle with the lines, before it was just hit or miss because of wind closing it down. Try in the morning, I've always had better luck then than in the afternoon.

 

[mom of2]

At SW they also have special discounts every month for AP holders. There is a sign set up in front of the candy store at the front of the park. One month we got the meal deal for kids price, and another month we got buy one adult meal deal get the kids free.

 

[redoschi]

Another big problem with the Sky Tower is that it goes down a lot because of wind. They've just added another obstacle with the lines, before it was just hit or miss because of wind closing it down. Try in the morning, I've always had better luck then than in the afternoon.

Thanks for the tip! I'll see if we can do it before going to lunch or earlier in the morning!

 

[bearloch]

Were fl residents now and have not been to seaworld yet but are planning to go in Jan, I was p;lanning on getting annualpass for myself and a pay for a day play all yr for my teen will that be offered in Jan or is it too soon?

thanks!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Were fl residents now and have not been to seaworld yet but are planning to go in Jan, I was p;lanning on getting annualpass for myself and a pay for a day play all yr for my teen will that be offered in Jan or is it too soon?

thanks!

I read yesterday on the FB page for another Orlando vacation planning website (which I can't name or link to here on the Disboards as I know it will be blocked) that SW has released its Fun Cards for 2013. The cost is the same as a one day admission pass but includes admission for the balance of 2012 and all of 2013. They were not on the SW website as of late yesterday but the other site said you could get them by calling SW.

Now....the FB update did indicate that the offer was for Florida residents. I am guessing they will allow them for general purchase if you ask, as I was able to purchase weekday Aquatica passes (listed on the FL residents section of the SW site) with no problems for our August trip, and we aren't even residents of the USA, let alone FL.

 

[bearloch]

Cool Thanks We are in Tampa and have done the Busch Gardens but we let them expire and now we shall do Sea world and then universal then we ill get Disney again too!

Maybe I will pick em up early and get some more use out of em!!

 

[Belle & Ariel]

It was after January 2012 that it changed.....I want to say spring......but am not 100% sure.

I know it was shortly after January, because we rode the Sky Tower for free with our Quick Queue passes on our New Years week visit. Not long afterward, we read on Facebook that they were changing to offer it free to all guests as part of your regular admission.

A 30 minute wait in August? I can only imagine how long the wait will be during our Christmas trip, then. Not sure I will worry about squeezing it in. The view is great but not worth upwards of an hour.

We were there Jan 14 and it was free to all. I know the date for sure because it was son's birthday.

 

[ktate82]

At SW they also have special discounts every month for AP holders. There is a sign set up in front of the candy store at the front of the park. One month we got the meal deal for kids price, and another month we got buy one adult meal deal get the kids free.

Is there anyway of knowing what the deal is before you go? We are wanting to do the all day dining, but I don't want to buy it if we can get it cheaper at the parks. Should we just wait? Is there a perk to buying it beforehand?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Is there anyway of knowing what the deal is before you go?

This link might help:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Passmembers