Dine with Shamu - worth it?

[ilanakan]

Has anyone done this?
It's quite pricey. Is it worth the price?

 

[Metro West]

Moving to the SeaWorld board.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Has anyone done this?
It's quite pricey. Is it worth the price?

There's actually a special offer on right now that might be helpful that offers a very good discount off of regular prices:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Dine-and-Shop/Dining/Dine-with-Shamu

Adult reservations are discounted down to $29 pp, and one child (ages 3-9) eats free. Reservations must be made before December 25, 2012 and no further discounts apply. Free child does require an online reservation.

That's a very good price, considering adult reservations are normally $49 pp, and kids are usually $24. That's a 60% savings off the regular admission cost for an adult and child combination.

 

[ilanakan]

We're planning our trip in september, so the offer isn't relecant. If only it will be extended during mid september 2013.
But still, is the experience worth it?

 

[Krystalynn]

I say YES, it is an awesome experience

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I did this yesterday for Thanksgiving - I had missed the boat on airline tickets to visit my family - so will be going next week for Thanksgiving instead and wanted to do something special.


Anyhow - I booked the 12:00pm Dine with Shamu online with an AP discount - so the price for me was $27.80. I had a great table with a good view of the pool. The food was buffet - salad, shrimp pasta salad, honeydew melon, rolls with butter, cheesy mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, turkey with gravy, roast pork with apples, squash mixed veg, for dessert strawberry shortcake, carrot cake and red velvet cake. Drinks were included - even wine or beer. There were also kid choices like mac and cheese but I didn't go to the kids section.

The food wasn't the best I've had nor the worst. I was happy and it was nice to have a good meal for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the whales close up and hearing how the trainers work with them. An added bonus - they take a souvenir photo for you and give it to you included- which is nice.

All in all for the price I paid it was worth it. The amount of food you get for the money is good - lots of choices. Was it worth $30 - only you can answer that for yourself - it was for me - as I had a good Thanksgiving dinner and something fun to do.

If I didn't do Dine with Shamu I would eat a regular meal - say $15 per person and go to the underwater viewing area at Dine with Shamu to see the whales and usually the team members there are more than happy to answer your questions about the whales and tell you stories about them.

 

[trouttigger]

Or do you tip at all?

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I didn't tip - but they do leave a tip tray out at the end for exceptional service - honestly I didn't notice anyone tipping - I was watching because I wasn't sure what to do about it and didn't have small bills - the service was good but the servers really just bring your drinks and that is about it. So I think it is a personal choice really as to if you want to leave a tip.

 

[angelmom27]

Or do you tip at all?

I think a small tip for the server is nice. Since they mostly just get your drinks. Just a little token to say thank you.

 

[rstout01]

We did DWS in October at the reduced rate for adults, with kids free. It was definitely worth it at that rate, but I would never book it at the regular rate. The food was mediocre, the picture was nice (but not with whales, like I was expecting), we couldn't see any of the Believe show, and we were not given the opportunity to ask the trainers questions. Yes, they did some tricks and told us about the whales after the Believe show, which was very cool, but I guess I went in with higher expectations. The service was very good, and we did tip.

 

[momto2js]

We also did DWS in October and I didn't think it was worth it. Most of my impression is likely because we did the dinner seating and everyone was tired and cranky by dinner time. The setup for a single adult with 2 small kids wasn't ideal. We were also unlucky to get soaked by a silly whale about 1/2 way through dinner (the water is cold). For the discounted price, maybe once but maybe not too.

 

[Jenny3]

My hubby and I did this in November (got the discounted rate); we had great seats next to the pool. The food was better than most buffets around and we did leave a tip. We also had a few beers each; great that those were included. It was fantastic to see the whales up close and the souvenir photo was our favorite of our vacation. For the two of us, it was well worth it!