Best day crowd wise?

[Family Fun Mom]

I am thinking about adding a day to our Disney trip to visit Sea World. My youngest, 7, LOVES sea creatures. Sharks and whales are his ultimate favorite. It would be a shame to come all that way, from Detroit, and skip Sea World. Who knows when we'll get the chance again, right? Especially when you consider we'd be getting 4 of the tickets free thanks to the Hero Salute (hubby is military). I feel like this is a must-do.

We've never been to Sea World and I know next to nothing about it. My older two kids will be interested in the rides, they are 13 and 11, but the lil guy will mostly want to see the shows and exhibits so we'll have to make some choices. I'm sure there won't be time for everything. We're going in late August and the park closes at 7pm during the week. That seems awfully early but that's what we have to work with.

What days are busiest and which are quieter?

Is there a week day that's best crowd wise?

Any tips for this first time family?

Thanks

 

[Poohbeck]

Make sure you all have military IDs! We went to Busch Gardens Tampa in 2004and did the Hero Salute, my husband had an ID, we did not, and we got in no problem.

We did Busch Gardens in Colonial Williamsburg in VA last April 2009 and they almost did not let us in because only my husband had an ID. they gave us a real hard time and kept us waiting for a good 45 minutes. I was ready to pay, but, they let us in.

I don't know if their policy changed, but, we are going to Florida again this April and have appointments for me , DS11 and DS13 to get our military IDs.

Good luck and have fun. I am also interested in what day would be best to go to SW.

 

[kathy884]

I don't know about the best day, but definately avoid summer Saturdays -- way too busy -- lots of seaon passholders who live near by on top of out of towners. The one and only summer Saturday when I visited was much more crowded than Christmas -- 20 minute lines for bottled water and a need to get to shows a 1/2 hour before they started. We were turned away from Pets Ahoy when we were there 18 minutes before show time (only time this has ever happened to me in 20 or more Sea World visits). // Have a wonderful time. We love all the Orlando theme parks, but Sea World is our very favorite. There aren't that many thrill rides, so your family will be able to visit most of the animal exhibits and shows together. For your children who want to do the thrill rides have them do the Manta Coaster followed by the Kracken coaster first thing in the morning as lines will get longer as the day progresses, and lines in the morning are short. These are fun coasters too. The shows and animal exhibits are wonderful for all age groups.

 

[Lynndzr]

I would be interested to know if anyone has any insight on this too. We are going in December.

 

[KBF]

Monday and Tuesdays are the slowest days of the week. Mondays because locals are back at work and school, Tuesdays are considered "Check In/Out days" Which means people vacationing usually spend the day checking in or out of hotels on Tuesdays. So the park isnt as crowded. In summer, for the first time, the park is closing at 7pm in late August as opposed to its usual 10pm closing. This is due to much lower attendance numbers from last year because of a switch in school schedules as well as the economy. Because of a 7pm closing, im not sure you will get the seaworld summer that most people get. You probably wont get fireworks because its bright at 7pm and you probably wont get special event night shows like Sealions tonight and Shamu Rocks because its to early in the day for those shows. These two shows are different from the day shows. If you want all that Seaworld has to offer, I would go on Sunday. Im willing to bet that the fireworks and night shows will be offered on a Sunday, though it may be a little busier, its worth it. Because these shows and fireworks are only offered during Spring Break, Summer, and Halloween weekends in October. It will be worth it.

Some one asked about plans in December. December will be interesting this year. The park will be opened until 11pm on weekends according to the online schedule and 11pm everyday 2 weeks before Christmas. When going in December for an 11:00pm closing, you will get the usual day shows. But you will get Christmas themed shows as well. Which are obviously only offered for the Christmas season. Shows such as "Shamu Miracles" , "Clyde and Seamore's countdown to Christmas" and an ice skating show. You will also get the fireworks show "Holiday reflections" Another neat thing is the ride "Wild Arctic" which is a motion simulator of a trip in a helicopter to the Antarctic, is redone and for the season becomes the "Polar Express Experience" which is a motion simulator ride set to scenes from the Polar Express Movie. The park is decorated in Christmas decor with lights and will be sure to be a fun time for the family. If you chose to go in December on a day which is not an 11:00pm closing, you will get everything except the Christmas themed shows and fireworks. It may change this year, but last year, this was the case.

Hope you guys have fun!

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Thanks for the info, KBF. I really appreciate it. I don't expect to get the usual summer experience with such an early closing, I just want my 7 year odl the have the chance to see the orcas and sharks and the cool exhibits Sea World has. I think it will be enough to please our family

 

[KBF]

Thanks for the info, KBF. I really appreciate it. I don't expect to get the usual summer experience with such an early closing, I just want my 7 year odl the have the chance to see the orcas and sharks and the cool exhibits Sea World has. I think it will be enough to please our family

If your not expecting the usual summer experience, then I would agree to go on a day of 7pm closing.

If your son is a shark lover, let me offer some suggestions for your trip that you may want to look into. If your looking for a place to eat, try Sharks Underwater Grill. Its a sit down restaurant where you sit next to the shark exhibit tank. The food is great, the service is great. And if your son is a shark lover, he will be sure to have a blast! Here is a link to get more information.
http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=550

If you choose to eat somewhere else other than sharks, you could look into the Dine With Shamu Experience. Dine With Shamu is an all you can eat lunch buffet show. Which features a Private Killer Whale interaction following your meal. Unfortunately for the time being, Dine With Shamu has been suspended indefinitely due to the tragedy from this past February. There is no official word of when or if it will start back up again. The Seaworld website offers no information about Dine With Shamu right now because its been suspended. But it may be back up and running by the time of your visit. So if you decide you might want to make reservations, keep checking the website or call Seaworld for more information.

Another thing you may want to look into is feeding the sharks. For a fee, you can buy a package to feed 3 out of the following 4 animals. Sharks, stingrays, dolphins or sealions.

If your young son doesnt prefer intense rides, then perhaps he would be interested in Shamu's Happy Harbor. This is a childrens play area with less intense rides that he may enjoy. Its also got a huge playground. Another thing I would suggest, is riding "Manta." Manta is a flying rollercoaster that is probably the best ride I have ever been on. Manta is a pretty intense ride. However, the cool part about Manta is it features a giant aquarium that non riders can view while they wait for the rest of their family. So if your older children want to ride Manta, perhaps your young son would like to visit the Manta Aquarium which is filled with stingrays, cool fish and even an octopus while he waits for them to finish the ride.

As far as the shows go. The "Must See" shows include the Shamu Believe show, and Blue Horizons. Which is the Dolphin show. The Sealion show and the Pets show arent "Must sees" but they are two of my favorite things to see in the park. So if you have some extra time definitely try and check out those shows. Here is some info on the shows offered.
http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=462

Hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I love helping people plan their trips! lol. Let us know in the future how your trip was!