Pax
Prodigal Poster
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 142
We decided to brave the crowds at Sea World yesterday to see their fireworks display and roam around the park since we're pass holders. I figured I'd report on conditions since I couldn't find details on last year when I looked, and someone has requested info elsewhere on this forum. I figured dedicating a new thread would be easier for those possibly interested to search out next year.
First, the fine crew at the Sharks Bar said that the 3rd of July was insane. The wait for Manta had reached 2 hours that day. Probably all the tourists planning to visit Disney on the next. They said (early afternoon in a near empty bar - reported as standing room only the day before) that the fourth was really, really slow by comparison.
Ride detail is going to be sketchy since we planned to skip them all to avoid the lines. The only actual sign that caught my eye was an hour wait for Atlantis at about 6PM. At least the coasters were running right up 'til close.
The crowd started ramping up by mid-afternoon, and the park was extremely busy looking by evening. The 4:15 Allure show reached capacity a few minutes early (a theme from then on), and the 5:15 pets ahoy didn't open until 20 minutes before show time and the line was well past the "show is full if line reaches here" sign. We were twenty or thirty people behind the sign, but we got in. The gate staff in the AM and the maps all had the standard 30 minutes early line....and it was pretty poor advice.
The 8:30 Shamu Rocks show was where it started getting ugly. We got there approx. 50 minutes early and scored a couple of the last seats in the platinum seats. The normal seating was already in the "nosebleeds" and hit capacity about 30-35 minutes out.
After Rocks, we went immediately to Bayside stadium to score a fireworks seat. That was about an hour and a half early. There was NO platinum section for the display (though there usually is....disappointing). What they did have, was an apparently badly advertised reserved ($20 a seat) section comprising a third of the lower tier seats. The stadium had its capacity announcement well more than an hour before the show. The drink cart (singular) ran out of drinks and closed. People were hiking out to the arctic exhibit store or Mango Joe's for drinks. We saw one pass of a beer seller in our stand section a half hour before the show and heard a soda seller a section or two over. Plan drinks in advance
The fireworks themselves were excellent.
The egress from the park was not.
There was a people jam that took quite a while just to reach one of the side gates half way to the park entrance. I've seen wildebeest herds that were smaller, more loosely packed, and far better organized...
...and that was nothing compared to the parking lot.
It was the 4th, so I'm sure this was repeated in lots across America, but with the only traffic control apparent being the officers preventing left turns OUTSIDE the park lot (sleeping much better now
), it was a mob scene INSIDE. There were three exit lanes nearest us, and at least seven lanes of vehicles converging on them. Since someone being parked behind me in the two vehicle long spaces foiled my plan to nap until the crowd dispersed, I had the privilege of joining in on a 40 minute exercise in vehicular self defense versus aggressive micro-driving.
All in all, we had a very good day. We got to see/do all we intended, but we didn't plan to see everything. The fireworks were great, and it was fun being at a park on a major holiday.
I don't think we'll do it again.
If anyone has any questions I didn't answer, ask.
Pax
First, the fine crew at the Sharks Bar said that the 3rd of July was insane. The wait for Manta had reached 2 hours that day. Probably all the tourists planning to visit Disney on the next. They said (early afternoon in a near empty bar - reported as standing room only the day before) that the fourth was really, really slow by comparison.
Ride detail is going to be sketchy since we planned to skip them all to avoid the lines. The only actual sign that caught my eye was an hour wait for Atlantis at about 6PM. At least the coasters were running right up 'til close.
The crowd started ramping up by mid-afternoon, and the park was extremely busy looking by evening. The 4:15 Allure show reached capacity a few minutes early (a theme from then on), and the 5:15 pets ahoy didn't open until 20 minutes before show time and the line was well past the "show is full if line reaches here" sign. We were twenty or thirty people behind the sign, but we got in. The gate staff in the AM and the maps all had the standard 30 minutes early line....and it was pretty poor advice.
The 8:30 Shamu Rocks show was where it started getting ugly. We got there approx. 50 minutes early and scored a couple of the last seats in the platinum seats. The normal seating was already in the "nosebleeds" and hit capacity about 30-35 minutes out.
After Rocks, we went immediately to Bayside stadium to score a fireworks seat. That was about an hour and a half early. There was NO platinum section for the display (though there usually is....disappointing). What they did have, was an apparently badly advertised reserved ($20 a seat) section comprising a third of the lower tier seats. The stadium had its capacity announcement well more than an hour before the show. The drink cart (singular) ran out of drinks and closed. People were hiking out to the arctic exhibit store or Mango Joe's for drinks. We saw one pass of a beer seller in our stand section a half hour before the show and heard a soda seller a section or two over. Plan drinks in advance
The fireworks themselves were excellent.
The egress from the park was not.
There was a people jam that took quite a while just to reach one of the side gates half way to the park entrance. I've seen wildebeest herds that were smaller, more loosely packed, and far better organized...
...and that was nothing compared to the parking lot.
It was the 4th, so I'm sure this was repeated in lots across America, but with the only traffic control apparent being the officers preventing left turns OUTSIDE the park lot (sleeping much better now
), it was a mob scene INSIDE. There were three exit lanes nearest us, and at least seven lanes of vehicles converging on them. Since someone being parked behind me in the two vehicle long spaces foiled my plan to nap until the crowd dispersed, I had the privilege of joining in on a 40 minute exercise in vehicular self defense versus aggressive micro-driving.All in all, we had a very good day. We got to see/do all we intended, but we didn't plan to see everything. The fireworks were great, and it was fun being at a park on a major holiday.
I don't think we'll do it again.
If anyone has any questions I didn't answer, ask.
Pax
