Seas Aqua Tour - is it good?

[CrispImage]

We are travelling to the US in Jan (from Australia) and will be in Orlando for 12 days and planning to spend 9 at DW. This will probably be the only time we ever visit Disneyworld in our lives.

Was looking at the different things we can do and saw the Seas Aqua Tour at Epcot and wondered if anybody had done this and thought it was worth while. Oh and l couldn't see how much it cost - does anybody know this.

DH is a certified diver but is happy to do this one rather than the diving one with the children who will be 8 and 9. Both can swim fine.

I will probably just watch (this body was not designed for a swimsuit)!

K

 

[dopeynme]

Hi! DH and I did this tour in Aug and loved it. You get a short tour behind the scenes in the Seas, then orientation to the breathing apparatus. You float on top of the water (vest makes it impossible to swim down) and paddle around and see fish, rays, sharks and sea turtles. Warning: They walk you thru the Seas wearing your wetsuit (I was disappointed to learn wetsuits do not work like spanx and smooth everything out!) But once you are in the water, you stop worrying and enjoy the critters! The one turtle came right up to me! Cool! The dolphins are not in the same tank. They are adolescent males and had to be placed in their own tank because they are pranksters: spinning the sea turtles or flipping the sting rays right out of the water! You do get to walk past their tanks and see them, the manatees, too.
They give you a "free" 5x7 photo of your family, a T-shirt and pin for each person. We really enjoyed it. I think the cost was around $160 per adult. (Don't know if there is a lower price for kids).

However, the fish you see are not terribly colorful and the reefs are manmade. If your family has snorkeled in tropical waters, you may have had an equally good experience. Just saying that if you don't expect to be at WDW again for a long time, you might want to think about spending your time exploring Epcot or other WDW-unique things.
Have a great trip whatever you decide!

 

[Namsupak]

We did this tour and we loved it. We were not dive certified so we could not do the deep dive version of this tour. I agree with the PP. The DH may not enjoy this at all since I think it would be kind of light for him, since most likely he has dived in natural reefs before. Also to add, if you are just going to watch I am not sure they will let you go back stage with the rest of the family. The whole experience takes place backstage in the living seas aquarium and at the surface of the tanks. They would probably tell you just to watch from the aquarium. You may want to ask about this beforehand.

I also agree with the PP about enjoying WDW. There is so much to do at WDW I would at least try to see all the stuff you can at the 4 parks not to mention the water parks, downtown disney, and sports complex. We mainly spend time in the parks and honestly I would say you need a good 10 days to see the most of what the parks alone have to offer. Luckily, for you January should be a relatively slow time so you will be able to maneuver around WDW pretty easily. Look at the this link for more info about things beyond the parks, it has lists of the tours and such. We like to book private cruises to watch the fireworks shows. I don't know if your children are boys or girls but the girls seem to love the bibbidi bobbity boutique. Make sure to book any special dining you want as soon as you can, especially places like Cinderella's Royal Table which can book up fast.

 

[drdoyle]

We did the Aquatour as a surprise for my daughters 9th birtday in November. We had a wonderful time. It was neat seeing behind the scenes of the aquarium. Not so neat walking through the public viewing in a wet suit--as mentioned above.

My husband is also a diver and enjoyed sharing the experience of the Aquatour with our daughter. Note: She was a little nervous about how close to her the fish and rays appeared to be. It took a few minutes for her to become comfortable.

I'm not sure if Disney Visa is available in Australia, but they offer a 15 or 20% discount off of this tour.

We have family who live in Queensland and we will be taking them to Disney for the first time in April when they come to visit. Let me know if you have any tips for them after your trip.

Enjoy!