Best advice for SeaWorld and Legoland first timers

[ChattyAshley]

Hey all! So excited for our upcoming vacay! We are huge Disneyland fans and normally do Disney hoppers for 5 days, but this time we decided to go with the CityPass through SeaWorld. We're going the weekend of and week after Thanksgiving, so Nov. 24-29 and spending two days in SeaWorld and 1 day in Legoland before finishing up at Disney. I consider myself a Disney parks pro, but a total newbie with SeaWorld and Legoland; none of us have ever been. Our party consists of myself, my husband (who is 330 lbs which has me a little worried about fitting on rides outside of Disney), my husband's parents, and my three sons ages 9, 6, 3. We have hotels booked, tickets bought, now I just need advice for how to make SeaWorld and Legoland enjoyable! Any and all tips are welcome!

 

[ExcitedMama]

FWIW I can’t imagine doing 2 days at SW. You might want to consider doing the Zoo. SW is not that big so there’s not that much to do. We easily fit in the shows and everything in one day. I can’t speak to the rides because only DS and DH did those. We did get soaked sitting in front for a dolphin show so be aware of that.

Legoland is also pretty small. Your little ones might like the aquarium. DD first went to LL pretty young and there is some cute stuff for that age. The Ninjago ride was a big open seat that all 4 of us sat in so I would think that one would be easy. There’s a boat ride that’s like IASW which should also work. There’s plenty to see walking around too or to take the little one to. Again DD and I skipped the thrill rides so I’m not sure about them. Unless you have a huge Lego lover if the park is closing really early, like 5 or 6, considering going off property for dinner. The character meal was really bad, both food wise and interaction. They don’t have the characters go to every table like Disney does. DD really wanted to see one of them and I kept asking and it took forever to get it to happen. Have you gotten reservations for a hotel? LL prices can be crazy but the hotel next door that shares a parking lot was reasonable and a great hotel. DH missed it when we stayed at LL on a different trip.

Do they have the calendars up yet? LL can have really weird hours so it would be good to know and plan. I think SW can also close pretty early so it might be worth thinking about something to do in the evening. My DS loves visiting the aircraft carrier and doing their simulation rides. The Corvette Diner was a huge hit with my kids if you want to play some games, food is just so so but it’s a fun spot.

 

[ChattyAshley]

The reason we are doing two days at SeaWorld is because the promotion we got gave us two days for the price of one. Since we'll be doing SeaWorld on the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend we figured it would be busy, and none of us have ever been there before so we want to do and see it all without feeling rushed. I doubt we'll spend open to close there both days, we have my inlaws with us and they move at a much slower pace and want to take breaks and maybe afternoon nap/swim breaks back to the hotel. Legoland on a Monday, hours are 10am-5pm which is perfect because we'll head out of the park at 5pm to find some dinner, then make our drive to Anaheim. Hotels for both places are already booked. Just looking for tips and must do/see things while in SeaWorld and Legoland, and maybe tips about how to best navigate the parks.

 

[ExcitedMama]

That makes sense @ChattyAshley. I don’t think you will have much trouble with SW. There are lots of maps to help you find your way. We enjoyed the sky view tower thing, don’t remember what it’s called, and we really enjoyed the dolphin and Orca shows. My DS really liked the coasters.

LL is very easy to navigate because it’s pretty small. Lots of little areas for kids. They had a cute show when we were there last with characters from the Lego Movie. It would be a fun place to rest too. It had interactive elements.

They are definitely not as big as DL or as necessary to plan for.

 

[Roook22]

My 2 cents on SeaWorld:
most of the SeaWorld stage shows are very close to back-to-back in timing and there are hoards of people that go to the first one, and then when it gets out, all move as a giant mob to the next one, making the possibility of getting a good seat very difficult.
I would recommend going to the first show you want to see and then skipping the second show and crowd, and then going to the 3rd show early to get a good seat. Then on the second day, go to the 2nd show early to get a good seat, and then the 4th show.
Also, they do have some all-u-can-eat programs there that can be beneficial if you have big eaters in your party. The BBQ food was really amazing at one of the restaurants and it was also very expensive. I definitely could have saved money by doing the all-u-can-eat if you do lunch and dinner in the park.
Also another tip was the rides did break down or get shut down frequently when we were there last time, but we just kept checking back and eventually got to ride everything as they would fix the issues and reopen them.

 

[Roook22]

My advice on LegoLand:
It is a pretty small park but very spread out. I always go to the left at open and ride the little kiddy coasters and cars, boats, etc and end the day on the right side of the park with the bigger kid coasters. We have always done this park in half a day, but have never done the shows. They open the park an hour early to their hotel guests, so just hang out on the left at the rope and when they let you in, all of the hotel guests will have rode everything they want in the kid area and will no longer be competition for line waits. They will have moved on further into the park.

 

[ChattyAshley]

Thank you so much Roook22! Those are awesome tips!

 

[Huff]

There is plenty to do at SW. We go a few times a year. On Nov. 24th SW will be open long hours, 9am-9pm. They do not have a show schedule released yet but perhaps they will have some night shows or fireworks. As others have said there is no need to do one show after another. Spread them out over the day. Visit the various aquariums, rides and other attractions in between. Show up 15-20 minutes prior to show start to get a good seat. For the sea lion show you'll want to be there 30 minutes prior to show start as there is a fun pre-show that starts about 15 minutes before posted show time. The stadium will thus fill earlier than expected. We love waiting until after dark to ride the sky tower and gondola and view the city lights.

If we have 2 days we sometimes will leave the park and use Uber for a short ride to Old Town San Diego for lunch then return to the park for afternoon and evening. Lots of neat shops and fun restaurants there.

Buy a refillable Seaworld tumbler, cheapest one they have. It will save you money on drinks during the day.

 

[cadien]

We've been to Legoland twice and love it. When my son was 5 and when he was 6.

There is an app you can use to check wait times. And a pass to purchase onsite that is more like Universal's than like Disney's. For getting through the lines more quickly.

My favorite food there by far is in the Ninjago section. The Garden Cafe is good too. The food places over by the driving school aren't usually as slammed as the others. Finding seating is really tough at most of the restaurants though.

I always underestimate how much time my son ends up wanting to just play. There's a play structure over by the Egyptian ride that is always full of kids. He loves it. And there are places for parents to just sit and rest all around it. And the pick-a-brick store has a big area with loose bricks to just play with and he has to be dragged away from that. It's air-conditioned and also has seating, so he doesn't get removed too quickly.

 

[starshine514]

We love Sea World and go every holiday season. It always feels so low-key compared to Disney. If you're going over two days, don't push to get all the shows in during one day. Divide them up between the two. Be sure to take time to go through the exhibits (the tranquility of aquariums can be so nice). The refillable popcorn bucket is a deal (I think it's $2.49 for popcorn refills), as is the refillable cup (we always get icees in them for the initial purchase. Soda refills are free the first day and $0.99 after). They should have Rudolph and Friends out for M&Gs then and if you littlest is an Elmo fan, they also have Sesame Street characters to meet. I also love how they decorate everywhere for the holidays - so many Christmas trees!