First time going to Sea World....help and/or suggestions

[brajfamily]

We are a WDW family and have never gone to any other parks. We are headed to Orlando over Easter break and are planning to try Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens. No idea what to expect from these parks. We are a family of four and love the rides. Our kids will want to do the coasters first. Any suggestions or experiences that you all want to share would be appreciated!! Or if there are threads that you can point me to that would be great too! Thanks!

 

[csjordan]

We are a WDW family and have never gone to any other parks. We are headed to Orlando over Easter break and are planning to try Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens. No idea what to expect from these parks. We are a family of four and love the rides. Our kids will want to do the coasters first. Any suggestions or experiences that you all want to share would be appreciated!! Or if there are threads that you can point me to that would be great too! Thanks!

Hi! We did this very trip this past August, add in Universal parks. If the kids like the coasters, then my advice is to head straight to Manta at Seaworld, followed by Kraken and Atlantis. That is how we usually work it. Then, we add in the animal experiences/shows (at Seaworld). Blue Horizons is a great show, as is Clyde and Seamore, Pets Ahoy, and One Ocean. At Busch Gardens, head straight for the newest coaster, Cheetah Hunt...it is so much fun. Then head over to Sheikra, Montu, and Kumba. We love them all!! Busch Gardens is building a new drop tower...looks frightening, LOL!! Not sure whether it will be open then or not. Aquatica was tons of fun. Small compared to the Disney water parks, but we enjoyed it! As with most parks, getting there early is key to experiencing everything you want to do.

Have fun!

 

[JillyBean1899]

One extra bit of advice ... arrive early for the Clyde and Seymour show (the sea lions). There's a mime that entertains the crowd before the show, and he's one of the best things in the park, and you'll probably end up going to the show more than once just to see him (although the show itself is pretty funny, the sea lions don't always stick to the script)

If you're planning on feeding the animals, get in line for that early, too. If you don't want to feed them, just see them, make note of when the feeding times are and when the shows near them end, and avoid those areas during those times.

Not sure how old your kids are, but the kid's play area at Sea World is *AWESOME*. It's got a 3 story tall rope climb play tower that is a blast, even for "adults". The kids area at Busch Gardens is fun, too, especially since you see animals as you're climbing around.

If your kids really really *REALLY* love coasters, and you have the extra cash in your budget to swing it, I'd recommend the "Roller Coaster Experience Tour" at BG. It's $70 and you get to see the coasters before the park opens and actually climb up on the platforms for some of them, learn about how they run, and get to ride them. You do have to get there early because it starts at 8AM and it's about 3 hours long, but really a lot of fun. The kids have to be at least 10 years old and over 54".

SW and BG have lots of behind the scenes tours that are really neat. I mentioned the coaster one because you said your family loves rides, but if they want to see animals behind the scenes, they have tours for that, too. Plus most of them allow you to actually touch and interact with at least one of the animals, which always makes for great memories. Depending on the tour, they can be $30-$70-ish per person.

 

[Kpskyman]

For SeaWorld, I find it best to plan ahead before going. You will not see every show, make every animal feeding time, and have time to enjoy the rest of the park in one day. Adding in the fact that you are visiting over Easter Break, when the crowds will be extremely heavy, will only add to it. Many shows have limited seating that require extra time standing in line to get in. Pick a few shows that everyone is interested in, maybe 3 total, if interested in feeding dolphins, add that as a show, because there are only certain times to feed them, it is not continuous like the rays and sea lions. I would also get the SeaWorld app for your phone, which you can get for free, and use as a reminder when certain shows are, feeding times, and a park map, as the ones they pass out at the gate are large and combursom To get the most out of coasters, try getting to the park at RD and go straight to Manta. I usually get 2 quick rides in the first half hour. Have fun and enjoy your trip

 

[jasonflk]

All I can really say is that Manta won my award of Roller Coaster of the Holiday! with Cheetah Hunt second.

Do as you would do at most parks go at rope drop do the big rides and then relax with everything else. Then look at ride wait times near the end of the day and see if it's worth doing another one or two again.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

OP, where are you staying? My best suggestion would be to secure your accomodations at one of the SW official onsite hotels. Then you would have Quick Queue (front of the line passes) for free as part of the perks of staying onsite. You would get free transportation to the parks, early entry on select dates, complimentary access to the SeaWorld Rescue Tour, and dining and shopping discounts.

There are lots of different options available, depending on your family's needs. You can check out of the official hotel partners here:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/vacations/hotels/official-partners/

 

[rowan555]

Do you happen to know if ANY of the partner hotels still offer the unlimited QQ with stay? We're doing a package, but we'll probably still buy the QQ one day so we can ride Manta a thousand times, lol. If I can get that for free from one of the hotels, I'll cancel and rebook.

 

[MarieGrace]

Ok, I'm warning you this post will be pretty long. . First, I have never been to Aquatica or Busch Gardens, so I can't offer opinion on those. For SeaWorld, I recommend staying at Best Western Lake Buena Vista. It has spacious rooms, with microwave and refrigerator, and also free parking. . It is about 5 miles from SeaWorld and Aquatica, just hop on Route 4 and take the exit for Central Florida Pkwy/SeaWorld.

SeaWorld
~~~~~~~~
Coasters
~~~~~~~
Manta- flying coaster, very smooth ride. I didn't ride, being a fraidy cat of coasters, but my roller coaster crazy sister said this is her favorite roller coaster. Nice queue line, with stingrays and fish to look at. If anyone doesn't want to ride, they can pass to time next door in the Manta Aquarium (other side of queue line). Would suggest going to this as soon as you get in, as lines can get long later. My sister was 7th in line, I believe, but maybe she didn't run fast enough.

Kraken-floor less coaster, a little more jerky. Big drop, not as bad lines as Manta.

Shamu Express-average kiddie coaster, cute cars (orcas)

Other Rides
~~~~~~~~~
TurtleTrek-360 degree 3D feature; you are supposed to be following a baby turtle in his early life. It really isn't very 3D in my opinion; some parts made me upset. Eh.

Journey to Atlantis- didn't ride this because of scary theming inside. So I can't make an opinion.

Wild Arctic- Don't ride if you get motion sickness: is a motion simulator. You are on a plane touring the arctic, does get quite a bit jerky. You see beluga whales and polar bears after.

Swishy Fishies- teacup ride. But you wouldn't believe how small those teacups are! I suggest the adults wait this out.

Ocean Commotion- fun ride, not scary at all. You turn, twist, and spin.

Antarctica:Empire of the Penguin- Awesome ride, do not miss this. You turn, twist, and bounce, while following a young penguin in his adventures. Very fun, and you get to see the penguin exhibit after. Do know that it is pretty chilly in both the ride and exhibit. Also know that lines can get long; we waited about 40 minutes mid-day.

Sky Tower- we waited in line only to be told it was temporarily down when our turn came, so can't give an opinion.

Jazzy Jellies- Also was down when we went.

Sea Carousel- Average carousel with sea animals in place of horses.

Other Attractions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dolphin Cove- open pool with the dolphins in it. You are allowed to touch and pet them if they come within reach; I did!!!! . You can also feed them fish, but that costs $7 a person. The dolphins do tend to hang out nearer the people with fish, but they are still cool and fun to see.

Stingray Lagoon- another open pool with stingrays. You can reach in and pet them, and they come in touching distance constantly. .

Pacific Point Preserve- forgot to do this.

Pelican Preserve- also forgot to do this

Shark Encounter- Also forgot.....

Manta Aquarium- aquarium on other side of Manta queue line that I mentioned earlier. Awesome place to wait if you don't want to ride, and good even otherwise too. . Stingrays, fish, starfish, coral, etc.

Jewel of the Sea Aquarium- yeah, we forgot this one, too......

you can also find flamingos pretty near the entrance inside the park,which are cool.

Shows
~~~~~~
One Ocean- AWESOME SHOW, featuring the orca whales. Arrive at least a half hour early to get decent seats. If you want to get wet, sit in the soak zone, as far forward as possible. We sat in row 7 of the soak zone, and didn't get wet at all. . But very fun show anyway!!!

Blue Horizons- Very nice show featuring dolphins, acrobatics, dives, and tropical birds! Again, arrive at least a half hour early for decent seats. It's very cool when the birds fly into the stadium right over your heads, and dolphins and acrobatics are fun too.

We couldn't catch any other shows, though.

Also just wanted to add that all SeaWorld staff we talked to or asked a question of we're very helpful. : Other than that, just have fun!!!!! . SeaWorld is an awesome park! Enjoy, and I hope this helps!!!!!

 

[MarciaBrady]

^Sis (MarieGrace), what are you talking about "7th in line" for on Manta??? I'm confused...I rode twice in row 4 and once in row 7. And I nearly walked on the first time, second time, it was a bit longer, 3rd time, around 20 minutes or so. MANTA IS AWESOME.

Kraken is NOT that jerky. It's just jerky compared to Manta, because Manta is like....hmm...sliding on glass?? Anyways, Manta's super duper smooth. Kraken has 7 inversions, which you mostly don't feel if you have your eyes closed. Personally I like going upside down, though.XD Kraken's drop isn't really that big, either...it's only 144 feet.