Advice: First Trip to Sea World San Diego

[alisen96]

Hi,

I've been scanning some of the posts but was hoping for some advice with our first trip to Sea World in San Diego. We will have our under 40" 3 year old and 9 month son with us.

So far our plan is to go to Dolphin Point first thing and feed the dolphins. From there we were going to spend as much time at Sesame Street Bay of Play as needed. We're wanting to go to the 1pm One Ocean show and the 3:30pm Blue Horizons show.

Here are my questions:

1) Best place for lunch
2) How far ahead should we be lining up before the shows? My son will be crushed if he doesn't get to see One Ocean. Best place to sit so we're no soaked but still have a good view? I'm planning on bringing ponchos for everyone just in case.
3) Any other "must do's" that may not be obvious to a newbie?
4) My husband wants to have dinner on the water in San Diego that night. Any places nearby you would recommend? I think the park closes at 7pm this night.
5) Do they do stroller parking at Sea World the same as they do at the disney parks?

Any and all advice appreciated Thanks in advance!

 

[KBF]

Hi,

I've been scanning some of the posts but was hoping for some advice with our first trip to Sea World in San Diego. We will have our under 40" 3 year old and 9 month son with us.

So far our plan is to go to Dolphin Point first thing and feed the dolphins. From there we were going to spend as much time at Sesame Street Bay of Play as needed. We're wanting to go to the 1pm One Ocean show and the 3:30pm Blue Horizons show.

Here are my questions:

1) Best place for lunch
2) How far ahead should we be lining up before the shows? My son will be crushed if he doesn't get to see One Ocean. Best place to sit so we're no soaked but still have a good view? I'm planning on bringing ponchos for everyone just in case.
3) Any other "must do's" that may not be obvious to a newbie?
4) My husband wants to have dinner on the water in San Diego that night. Any places nearby you would recommend? I think the park closes at 7pm this night.
5) Do they do stroller parking at Sea World the same as they do at the disney parks?

Any and all advice appreciated Thanks in advance!

It may take awhile for someone to respond since most people here are more familiar with the Seaworld in Orlando, but I'll try to help based off my knowledge of Seaworld Orlando. Hopefully the two parks are similar enough to give you some good answers to your questions.

1) Not familiar with any restaurants to eat at, but are you familiar with the Dine With Shamu experience? It's a dining experience that is both in Orlando and San Diego. Basically it's Lunch/Dinner while sitting next to the whale pool where you can watch the whales swim around. There is also a short presentation where the trainers come out to talk about the whales and the whales show off a few jumps and other talents. If your son is excited about the One Ocean Shamu show, he may love this experience. It will cost you extra but based off of the reviews for the one in Orlando, I'm sure the one in San Diego is worth it too. Here is some info on Dine With Shamu.

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

2) When were you planning on going? Like Seaworld Orlando, the park in San Diego has busy and slow seasons. If you're going sometime in May before Memorial day weekend, it should be slower. If it's sometime during the summer season (Memorial day weekend, Mid/Late June-Mid August) then I would recommend getting to each show about 45 minutes before show time. If it's a slower time, like the next few weeks in May, I would recommend getting there 30 minutes out for the best seat.

3) Some Of the popular "Must Dos" at Seaworld are always the animal feeding experiences. You mentioned the dolphin feedings. That is definitely a great opportunity not to be missed. At Seaworld in Orlando, you can also feed Sting Rays, Sealions and Sharks. I would inquire if Seaworld San Diego offers the same experiences. I would assume they do and I would assume it's about the same price as Seaworld Orlando. About $5-$7 for a tray of fish to feed each animal.

4) Not familiar with the San Diego area. Sorry.

5) Stroller Parking is similar in Orlando. You can line your strollers up outside each show Stadium or attraction. At the show Stadiums in Orlando, there is a special area for strollers if your child is sleeping and can't be moved out of the stroller. If the child is not asleep, they usually don't allow you to sit there or bring your stroller in.


Hope I helped a little. Hopefully someone who is more familiar with Seaworld San Diego can give you more great information about the park and area! Have a great visit!

 

[alisen96]

Thank you so much for the feedback!

On feeding the animals, do I need to book that experience ahead? I saw some "experience" opportunities on the site but they were like $69. Will it be obvious how to and easy to pay for those feedings as we go along in our day?

 

[KBF]

Thank you so much for the feedback!

On feeding the animals, do I need to book that experience ahead? I saw some "experience" opportunities on the site but they were like $69. Will it be obvious how to and easy to pay for those feedings as we go along in our day?

Nope you don't have to book the animal feedings in advance. The dolphin feedings in Orlando are usually only at certain times during the day. So it would be best to find out what times the feedings are and get there 15-20 minutes before hand to line up because it's limited on how many people are allowed in to feed at each particular time and it's first come first serve. The other animal experiences take place non stop throughout the day and all you have to do is walk up to the exhibit area and buy your tray of fish. There will usually be a designated fish buying location at each exhibit.