Newbie with lots of questions

[ariel1025]

Hello all! We will be visiting SeaWorld/Aquatica/Universal/IOA next June. We've done SeaWorld and Aquatica once before several years back, but feel like we missed so much. I've read through several threads and the official websites, but I still have some questions for all you experienced guys to attempt to make this trip even better

We are looking at staying at one of the SeaWorld Official Hotels as it comes out to be drastically less expensive than the Universal onsite options. My first question is for those hotels that offer shuttle transportation to Universal, how does it work? Is it a scheduled shuttle just once per day or are there scheduled times throughout the day?

How does the reserved show seating work? Is it for every show at SeaWorld? Would you consider this a true valuable perk for the summer months?

We have pretty much narrowed down between Fairfield Inn & Suites, Springhill Suites or Doubletree. Would you recommend one more over the other for any specific reason(s)? Are any of these within true walking distance of SeaWorld and/or Aquatica?

Lastly, is the Behind the Scenes Rescue Tour something you would recommend taking time out of the day for? We will only be doing one day at SeaWorld.

Thank you so much for your help!!!

 

[Sarahbelle341]

I have many of the same questions and plans that you do as we are also planning a summer trip to visit the same parks. I have seen a lot of good reviews on the Residence Inn and its an official Sea World hotel as well. It looked to be cheaper than some of the other options.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

We stayed at Fairfield Inn and Suites this past September for 7 nights. Keep in mind it is offseason, so some of this may or may not apply to summer.

We loved the hotel - it was everything we expected it to be. Cheap, clean, good service. The free breakfast is very ample and has a rotation with good options - standard continental offerings, eggs, meats, biscuits and gravy, waffles, etc. All of the necessary drinks - coffee, tea, milk, juice. We never made it to the pool, but did room service one night, and it was good. There are some restaurants in the parking lot and very close to walk to - BW3, Panera, TGIFridays, etc. A CVS drug store on the corner with all essentials that we forgot to pack and much less expensive than the little convenient mart near the lobby of the hotel.

We found the shuttles to be a nice perk - others have complained. They gave us a schedule of shuttles to every park and the buses were almost to the minute of the schedule (offseason, remember). The bus does pick up at Springhill Suites, which is next door to Fairfield and maybe a 90 second walk. Why people complained about this is beyond me. There was only one shuttle to Universal in the morning and one in the afternoon. We did not use this. The shuttles for Sea World and Aquatica were every 45 minutes, both morning and afternoon. Again, the buses were prompt, so if you were not, a 45 minute wait would not be fun. I have to think they run more in the summer or they could be very crowded. There is no shuttle to Discovery Cove, you need to go to Sea World and catch that shuttle to Discovery Cove. Fairfield is close enough that you could walk in a pinch, but how the roads are laid out down there, I would not want to try. I would've spent the $15 or so on the taxis lined up at the gate waiting.

Personally, I love the reserved seating perk. First, the seats are great and are perfect for picture taking. Midway up and centered. There are a few rows roped off and an attendant stopping "stragglers" from sitting there. Second, you don't need to get there 30 minutes before the show. 10-15 minutes early is plenty of time. Keep in mind, they will take the ropes off just before the show starts, so if you come in late, you may not get the reserved seat.

On a limited quantity basis, the concierge desk at the hotel will give you Quick Queue - one time for each major attraction. I had to wait in line even in the off season to get the passes, so hopefully they have more staffing in the summer at concierge.

We did not do it - but I read reviews that the free "Behind the Scene" tour perk is not the same as the purchased tour and pretty lame. Buyer beware...

TIP: WE put the "do not disturb" sign on our door, made a mention to the front desk, and took an overnight bag to Royal Pacific for a one night stay midweek. That got us 2 days of Express Pass for our Universal days. Even though the parks were not crowded, our family has been spoiled by Express Pass, so one night at RPR was less expensive than 8 sets of Express Pass. Plus, we were able to spend a couple hours at the RPR pool, get sushi from Orchid Court, and get our "fix" for the onsite experience at Universal.

The best of both worlds and a great vacation!!! Enjoy!!!!!