A seaworld first timer

[jpolak]

With all of the planning for our upcoming trip to wdw I forgoot that we are also going to seaworld. So I have a couple of questions.

1. should I buy my tickets in advance? If so who would you reccommend?

2. When traveling with a toddler what things should not be missed?

3. Is there a show/attraction that should be done first?

4. Where in the park is a good place to eat (nothing crazy we are doing enough character meals at wdw)?

5. What advice do you have for a first timer?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[Gonz Of Lancashire]

Sea World is my daughters favourite park and we visit every time we get over there. The thing is you can't really plan a Sea World day out. Most of the big attractions are shows and are run on a timetable and, provided you get there in good time, you will get in. The stadiums are very large. The others are walk through attractions and never really a problem to get in to. We have never been on the big rides as the kids were too small so I don't know about the queues at those. All the food is good (better than the WDW park food IMO). If you book tickets from Seaworlds website, there are sometimes some good deals on.

It's probably the least hectic park in Orlando, and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

 

[jpolak]

I do not know what I will do with myself if I can not plan every minute of the day. I guess I will have to relax and go with the flow.

 

[RabFlmom]

I do not know what I will do with myself if I can not plan every minute of the day. I guess I will have to relax and go with the flow.

This is a park to just relax and have fun at. You can spend minutes or hours doing things. You don't want to over plan or you just might miss something in your haste to keep to the plan. Just plan out the shows you want to see and the best time to see them. Leave time to just explore and you will have so much fun.
We spend a lot of time not seeing the shows -taking time to watch and feed the sea lions, dolphins, and sting rays. Nothing compares to actually touching the dolphins and sting rays. First time I went to the park I was a young 20 something back in 1975 and I still get a kick out of feeding them. You can spend 2 minutes in an underwater viewing area for the dolphins or the whales or if you spend a half hour or more watching them swim and play you might just see some really cool things. For example: did you know that some dolphins know how to make a ring of air in the water and then play with it?

 

[tinkersmama]

The underwater dolphin veiwing area is awesome and so is the dolphin nursury. We went in May and there weren't very many babies this time though. Last year there were a ton! If you plan on doing either Kraken or Journey to Atlantis, I would say do them first thing and get them out of the way. You can probably get a show schedule ahead of time to get an idea of when you want to see what shows. A couple of do not miss besides the Shamu show is the Dolphin show, Odyessea, and Fushion. I also love Clyde and Seymore. (Who am I kidding, I love them all!) This is a park to go into and just relax. Most of the day will probably be shows!

***Don't forget the shark encounter!

 

[jwfla422]

With all of the planning for our upcoming trip to wdw I forgoot that we are also going to seaworld. So I have a couple of questions.

1. should I buy my tickets in advance? If so who would you reccommend?

2. When traveling with a toddler what things should not be missed?

3. Is there a show/attraction that should be done first?

4. Where in the park is a good place to eat (nothing crazy we are doing enough character meals at wdw)?

5. What advice do you have for a first timer?

Thanks a bunch.

As diehard DIS fans we did our first NON-Dis park trip this week, just got back today. We decided it was time to FINALLY check out SeaWorld.

To answer some of your questions, first I have to thank some of the posters on this thread regarding advice about SeaWorld.

I wasn't sure which tickets to go with so I waited until we got there however it was no problem purchasing them as we purchased them at the electronic kiosks located near the "side" entry gates (a little less people traffic there). We walked right up and it took about 5 minutes.

We did make it a point to arrive by 9-9:15 so we also go lucky with parking and weren't too far from the gate area.

I think the Shamu kiddie area would be an enjoyable place for your toddler. The Dolphin Cove is also neat but your toddler may have trouble viewing because of his/her size. You can feed the Dolphins and pet them, but you'd have to pick up your toddler and lean him/her over to enjoy this.

We saw almost all of the shows in (2) 1/2 days. Keep in mind it's real busy right now. In a month, I think it won't be quite as busy. We found that we had to get into these shows a good 1/2 hour prior to showtime which can be a long wait for a little one so you might want to bring a small distraction of some kind? The stadiums sell food, so this would be a good snack time.

I noticed there weren't many shows in the morning. Pets Ahoy, the Sea Lion Show and the first Shamu show had 1 show before 12. We made it a point to see the first Shamu show because the next show wasn't until 2:45. Pets Ahoy is a really cute show (my 8 yr old dd loved this - we had to do it twice! LOL!) and it's inside, but get there early - a 1/2 hr before to get a good seat or even a seat at all! Fills up quick!

We ate at Mama's Healthy Bites (I think it was called) and The Spice Mill. Most of their counter service food is premade but it's ok. I did notice the CS places got packed by 12 and the lines were long, but they moved. It was getting a seat inside that was tricky.

Advice- plan 2 days here so you're not going from show to show unless you plan to spend a whole day which can be a lot for a toddler especially in the August heat. Don't have "expectations". We are major DISNEY folks and although I tried not to, I had this terrible habit of comparing to Disney. The employees are different than Disney CM's. It's a beautiful, fun place to visit-but there are definitely "little" things I noticed that would have not been noticeable at Disney parks.

From a first timer to another first timer, enjoy, the shows are clever and exciting. We'll definitely go back!

BTW, we stayed at SSR for the first time this trip (and loved it)--and I was shocked how close Seaworld was. It was under a 10 minute drive going the "back" way.

 

[jpolak]

As diehard DIS fans we did our first NON-Dis park trip this week, just got back today. We decided it was time to FINALLY check out SeaWorld.

To answer some of your questions, first I have to thank some of the posters on this thread regarding advice about SeaWorld.

I wasn't sure which tickets to go with so I waited until we got there however it was no problem purchasing them as we purchased them at the electronic kiosks located near the "side" entry gates (a little less people traffic there). We walked right up and it took about 5 minutes.

We did make it a point to arrive by 9-9:15 so we also go lucky with parking and weren't too far from the gate area.

I think the Shamu kiddie area would be an enjoyable place for your toddler. The Dolphin Cove is also neat but your toddler may have trouble viewing because of his/her size. You can feed the Dolphins and pet them, but you'd have to pick up your toddler and lean him/her over to enjoy this.

We saw almost all of the shows in (2) 1/2 days. Keep in mind it's real busy right now. In a month, I think it won't be quite as busy. We found that we had to get into these shows a good 1/2 hour prior to showtime which can be a long wait for a little one so you might want to bring a small distraction of some kind? The stadiums sell food, so this would be a good snack time.

I noticed there weren't many shows in the morning. Pets Ahoy, the Sea Lion Show and the first Shamu show had 1 show before 12. We made it a point to see the first Shamu show because the next show wasn't until 2:45. Pets Ahoy is a really cute show (my 8 yr old dd loved this - we had to do it twice! LOL!) and it's inside, but get there early - a 1/2 hr before to get a good seat or even a seat at all! Fills up quick!

We ate at Mama's Healthy Bites (I think it was called) and The Spice Mill. Most of their counter service food is premade but it's ok. I did notice the CS places got packed by 12 and the lines were long, but they moved. It was getting a seat inside that was tricky.

Advice- plan 2 days here so you're not going from show to show unless you plan to spend a whole day which can be a lot for a toddler especially in the August heat. Don't have "expectations". We are major DISNEY folks and although I tried not to, I had this terrible habit of comparing to Disney. The employees are different than Disney CM's. It's a beautiful, fun place to visit-but there are definitely "little" things I noticed that would have not been noticeable at Disney parks.

From a first timer to another first timer, enjoy, the shows are clever and exciting. We'll definitely go back!

BTW, we stayed at SSR for the first time this trip (and loved it)--and I was shocked how close Seaworld was. It was under a 10 minute drive going the "back" way.

Wow. Thanks for all of the info. We are only planning one full day there so we will have to be a little pickey of what we see.

 

[riu girl]

Wow, thanks for all the info. on SeaWorld. In your post you mentioned that the employees were different at SW vs. Disney. In your opinion, in what way do they differ?

 

[FlaNative]

BTW, we stayed at SSR for the first time this trip (and loved it)--and I was shocked how close Seaworld was. It was under a 10 minute drive going the "back" way.

Most folks think WDW is south of SW, as it is several exits south of SW on I4 which runs mostly North-South thru Orlando. WDW is huge. The Main Entrances are at the south end, unless you swing in thru LBF at DTW. Look at a good map. The Magic Kingdom is NORTH of Sea World.

A hotel near DTD is almost as close to SW as it is to the AK.

As for the employee difference: A large number of SW employees are there to care, train, and protect the animals. They need qualifications for this first and foremost, and hopefully enough personality to interact with the day guests. But the ability to love and care for the animals comes first.

WDW Cast members are CAST. They can be cast close to perfect. Face characters like Snow White have to be pretty, smile, and never get upset even when a kid pukes on her shoes after too many revs in the Tea Cup. She does not handle buckets of dead fish. She does not have to know how to operate a pooper scooper. She does not need to know the difference between fresh water and salt water. Any IQ beyond that required to smile and stand still for a picture with the day guests is optional.

Unlike SW animals that need 24/7 care, at WDW the audio-animatronic robots are serviced at 3AM by computer geeks with NO personalities what so ever, but the public never meets them and the robots don't seem to notice. This is why DIS loves robots, they are more perfect than animals.

YMMV.

 

[raspberrysharpei]

I remember my first visit to SW as a child. The Sea Lion & Otter show was my favorite. I will be traveling with my sis, & her two children this year & I anticipate they will come away with the same life long memories I did. There are some packages that will allow you multiple days at either SW or Bush Gardens. We purchased tickets to Discovery Cove & received a seven day pass at SW. This will allow us to visit SW on our arrival day & departure day. SW is also a slower pace than the crowded theme parks which is really nice too. Enjoy.

 

[soloflyer]

Sea World is a great park - much more relaxed pace than Disney. The food here is quite good - better than Disney counter service food IMO. Do the two big rides first thing (Kraken and Journey to Atlantis) - they get lines later in the day. Sea World website has a show shedule for two-three weeks ahead - so check it out before you leave. The key is to plan the shows you want to see and fill in with attractions (exhibits, etc) that are in that general area of the park where you show is. Also, the best deal I found on tickets was Sea World website - type in special promo word ("PEPSI") and get 20% off the tickets and print them at home on your own printer. Very handy! My adult tickets were like 48.00 as compared to the 63.00 gate price. We will be there is August also - probably either the 14th or 21st. Have fun!!!

 

[jwfla422]

Most folks think WDW is south of SW, as it is several exits south of SW on I4 which runs mostly North-South thru Orlando. WDW is huge. The Main Entrances are at the south end, unless you swing in thru LBF at DTW. Look at a good map. The Magic Kingdom is NORTH of Sea World.

Yes, that makes sense that MK is north of SW. I don't think people realize just how spread out WDW is. We stayed at SSR, so all's we did was head out Hotel Royal Plaza Blvd, hop on 535 North to Palm Pkwy which takes you right to Central FL Pkwy and SW is right there, no need to even bother with I-4.

riu girl-as far as the difference in CM's, hopefully I won't get flamed but this was just an observance...we wouldn't get the smiles or hello's from the CM's in the stores or restaurants like we do in WDW. Now this wasn't all of the time, but I got a real attitude from an employee in guest relations at the main entrance when I asked about being reimbursed for parking since I purchased a passport that day which entitles you to free parking.

In WDW if a CM isn't sure about something they will usually "nicely" let you know..."let me check on that if you could just hold on a minute"...or something like that. BTW-I did get Shamu cash for the reimbursement which was perfectly fine but she didn't have to give me that attitude.

But, don't get me wrong I did encounter some very nice employees in some of the stores and in the guest relations INSIDE the park.

I know we're spoiled with the "DISNEY" happiness. But, when people enjoy their jobs they're usually happy and that's one thing that is so overpowering and enjoyable about WDW-it makes you happy too. I know some people have encountered some negative experiences even with WDW CM's (luckily in all of our trips we haven't)--but I'm talking about "overall".

This is just my observation. It was prominent enough to notice, that's all.

 

[isla bonita]

If you go on line to SW there is information so you can some what plan the day. Read up on what shows you child would love to see and go from there.