All day dining plan + see it all one day

[hhill]

Hello!

We are going to WDW may 2014. Never been, we wanted to do a one day visit to sea world. Is it possible to see it all? We have two girls 6 and 8, I'm ok with skipping some attractions that are not a must but in general one day would be ok?

Other question do I need to be there right when the park opens to avoid the crowd ? ( that's the advice on the disney parks ) or if we show up at 9:30am or 10 am we will still be able to see it all?

My other question is the all day dining plan, is it worth it? What can you eat and where ? Includes snacks ? Drinks all day long ? The website doesn't do a good job selling it lol

Thanks for your help.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I would say yes if you want to get most everything in you should be there at opening. The first show starts at 10 and you need to be at the theater 30 minutes prior to the show. The shows at Sea World are the best part of it. there aren't many good rides unless you are into thrill coasters. We plan our day around the show times and ride things in between when we have a break.

I can't say for sure of the meal plan is worth it or not. usually you can eat cheaper paying out of pocket. But I don't know if it includes individual snacks and drinks or if it just covers meals. Someone else might come along who knows how that works.

But with any park, if you sleep in and show up at 10 the crowds are already building up. If you are going in very off season times when crowds should typically be lower and you don't mind missing a few shows and rides then you can probably show up at 10.

I would check Travel Zoo and see if they have any deals on tickets or possibly AAA. They once had a deal where you get one daily admission plus the all day dining for 80 something dollars per person.

 

[MarciaBrady]

When I got to visit SeaWorld in September, we got there just after the park opened, and stayed till it closed at 6. We never waited longer than 30 minutes for anything all day.

Must-dos? Manta....and then Manta some more!! I LOVE that ride, a lot! Ok, and the Blue Horizons show and the Shamu show. And Antarctica and petting the stingrays and dolphins.
I made a TR for SeaWorld; the link's in my signature if you'd like more info.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

While you can hit most of the highlights in one busy day, my personal advice to first-time visitors to SeaWorld is to give it two days (or one full and one half day, at least). One of the nicest things about SeaWorld is that you can slow down and relax and enjoy the attractions at a much more leisurely pace than you can at the Disney parks. If you have only one day available to you, then by all means visit SeaWorld. But if you can squeeze in a second day, then that would be my recommendation.

We are big fans of the all day dining. It is truly unlimited.....you can get one entrée, one side or dessert, and one drink each time through the line. If you don't want all 3 (entrée, side/dessert and drink) you can get just one of the three (such as a bottle of water). Or two of the three (like orange juice and a slice of pizza). Choices are awesome (think chicken and rib BBQ platter, fettuccini alfredo, fish and chips, turkey bread bowls, wraps, salads, pizza, sandwiches, etc.), food quality is excellent, and the plan is accepted at most restaurants in the park (Sharks Underwater Grill and Dine with Shamu excluded). It even includes breakfast (served at one location only each day). So if you are planning on arriving at park opening and leaving at park close, eating 3 meals there (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus unlimited snacks and drinks between meals, then it can turn out to be a GREAT deal. There is an offer out right now for free all-day dining with a full price admission using the code "playanddine" when purchasing tickets on the website. Then I'm pretty sure you can add your second day for $10 by visiting guest services before you leave the park.

Must dos? Well, for kiddos the ages of your children, I would say the One Ocean, Blue Horizons, Clyde & Seamore, and Pets Ahoy shows would all be definite must-sees.

They will probably want to spend lots of time in Shamu's Happy Harbour, where there are an assortment of kid-centered rides. The whole family can enjoy Antarctica, the SkyTower, Turtle Trek, and Wild Arctic together (WA has a mild side if that's an issue). If there are coaster lovers in the family, Manta is incredible and Kraken is also a very good ride. Journey to Atlantis is a water flume ride which will probably appeal as long as your children won't be scared by the one sharp drop.

There's multiple opportunities for animal feedings. I am guessing they will want to do more than one, if they are like most kids . Or even big kids, like me .

Then, when you add in the aquariums, the Shark exhibit, and the other little features of the park that you will want to stop and take in (plus the family favourites you might want to do or see a second time)......you can easily fill a day or two!

 

[thr33boys]

While you can hit most of the highlights in one busy day, my personal advice to first-time visitors to SeaWorld is to give it two days (or one full and one half day, at least). One of the nicest things about SeaWorld is that you can slow down and relax and enjoy the attractions at a much more leisurely pace than you can at the Disney parks. If you have only one day available to you, then by all means visit SeaWorld. But if you can squeeze in a second day, then that would be my recommendation.

We are big fans of the all day dining. It is truly unlimited.....you can get one entrée, one side or dessert, and one drink each time through the line. If you don't want all 3 (entrée, side/dessert and drink) you can get just one of the three (such as a bottle of water). Or two of the three (like orange juice and a slice of pizza). Choices are awesome (think chicken and rib BBQ platter, fettuccini alfredo, fish and chips, turkey bread bowls, wraps, salads, pizza, sandwiches, etc.), food quality is excellent, and the plan is accepted at most restaurants in the park (Sharks Underwater Grill and Dine with Shamu excluded). It even includes breakfast (served at one location only each day). So if you are planning on arriving at park opening and leaving at park close, eating 3 meals there (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus unlimited snacks and drinks between meals, then it can turn out to be a GREAT deal. There is an offer out right now for free all-day dining with a full price admission using the code "playanddine" when purchasing tickets on the website. Then I'm pretty sure you can add your second day for $10 by visiting guest services before you leave the park.

Must dos? Well, for kiddos the ages of your children, I would say the One Ocean, Blue Horizons, Clyde & Seamore, and Pets Ahoy shows would all be definite must-sees.

They will probably want to spend lots of time in Shamu's Happy Harbour, where there are an assortment of kid-centered rides. The whole family can enjoy Antarctica, the SkyTower, Turtle Trek, and Wild Arctic together (WA has a mild side if that's an issue). If there are coaster lovers in the family, Manta is incredible and Kraken is also a very good ride. Journey to Atlantis is a water flume ride which will probably appeal as long as your children won't be scared by the one sharp drop.

There's multiple opportunities for animal feedings. I am guessing they will want to do more than one, if they are like most kids . Or even big kids, like me .

Then, when you add in the aquariums, the Shark exhibit, and the other little features of the park that you will want to stop and take in (plus the family favourites you might want to do or see a second time)......you can easily fill a day or two!

I hope OP doesn't mind if i ask a follow up question. I'm worried getting the dining plan will 'eat' up too much park time? I think the price and plan are great but if you have to wait until the park opens for breakfast and have dinner a half hour before the park closes, I think it'll be hard to not only eat three meals in such a tight timeframe but to fully experience the park as well. The park is only open from 9-6 on the day I'm planning and we only have 1 day. Do you still recommend the meal plan?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I hope OP doesn't mind if i ask a follow up question. I'm worried getting the dining plan will 'eat' up too much park time? I think the price and plan are great but if you have to wait until the park opens for breakfast and have dinner a half hour before the park closes, I think it'll be hard to not only eat three meals in such a tight timeframe but to fully experience the park as well. The park is only open from 9-6 on the day I'm planning and we only have 1 day. Do you still recommend the meal plan?

A shorter day definitely impacts the overall savings on the plan.

We drink a lot. A lot. My guys would easily go through 6 water bottles each during a 9-6 day, particularly if it happens to be a warm day that we visit, so that would be about $15 worth of water purchases on each plan right there. Even if we skipped the breakfast, we'd still end up eating at least twice while we're there, and both my fellows would go for the most expensive entrees at Voyageurs (the chicken and rib platters are their favourite). Plus add in a soft drink and a piece of their luscious chocolate cake, and we're up to about $18 for that meal I think (roughly $13 for the BBQ platter, then another $2.50 each for a soda and the dessert). Then there would still be a second meal to grab somewhere along the way (because there's no way they would survive to tell the story if I only fed them once during a full day, even if its a short one! ), plus we always enjoy a snack or two (fruit, cookies, even a pizza slice). But my boys are big fellows with big appetites....folks with little ones might not find the same value.

Most entrees are between $9 - $13 I would guess. Most snacks would be around $2 - $4. Drinks are roughly $2.50 a piece. If I were you, I would take your family's normal nutritional needs into account, figure our roughly how many times you expect they will need to replenish and rehydrate (keeping in mind that mugging around a theme park can work up quite an appetite and thirst), then crunch the numbers based on the current plan price (I can't help with the cost of the kids choices for your little ones as my kiddo has always been older when we visited, but maybe another poster can help give you an idea of those costs for comparison purposes).

 

[thr33boys]

Thanks Gina, I appreciate your feedback.

 

[hhill]

Thank you all for your help !

 

[Mommymarie]

I hope OP doesn't mind if i ask a follow up question. I'm worried getting the dining plan will 'eat' up too much park time? I think the price and plan are great but if you have to wait until the park opens for breakfast and have dinner a half hour before the park closes, I think it'll be hard to not only eat three meals in such a tight timeframe but to fully experience the park as well. The park is only open from 9-6 on the day I'm planning and we only have 1 day. Do you still recommend the meal plan?

We were in Sea World on Dec. 6 and got the meal plan for the first time. I did not find that it took away a lot of park time. The restaurants are cafeteria/food court style, so you just walk through the line and get what you want. You do not have servers that are taking orders, etc. and you do not need reservations! We were rushing to get seats for the ice skating show and literally walked through the Garden Terrace Buffet to grab a few slices of pizza and a soda for a quick dinner....we were in and out in 10-15 minutes! I also liked being able to walk through to get a snack or a drink. For example, we got seats for the Shamu show, then I walked over with my daughter for snacks while my mom saved our seats. We both got drinks, I got some cookies and she got fresh strawberries....great things to munch on during the show.

 

[sweetiee]

Remember they provide ice water for free all day. We also bought a reusable mug and refills are .99 cents. We've only done the dining plan one time when we first went and it was part of a package deal for free. When the park is busy in summer the lines are long at peak times and I was miserable waiting in line just for a drink. We now bring a stroller with our reusable mug and another cup w lid and I keep them filled when I see a short line. If your kids don't eat much, it might not be worth it to buy one for them. We usually just eat a good meal at Voyagers for about $12 w refillable drink and we are good most of the day unless it's a late night closing.

 

[alikennedy]

The meal plan is worth it for the bottled water. I did not like the 'taste' of the Florida water, and found that taste came through with the fountain drinks on the refillable mug program. My kids ate lots of the fruit as well (watermelon and strawberries).