Help me plan my Sea World/Aquatica days

[moesy4]

We are going to Discovery Cove Friday and have the 14 day passes to Sea World and Aquatica. I know some things are closed during the week but it is obviously busier on the weekends too. Plus I am guessing towards the end of our trip we will run into some Spring Break crowds. We were planning on 2 to 3 days of both, in just short 3 to 4 hour stints. We will be there the 12th to the 20th. When would you do what and any certain time of day?

 

[Makmak]

We went to SW and Aquatica and were surprised at how much is closed. We walked all around sea world and all we got to see was the dolphin nursery for five minutes then a lady said we had to go because they were closing the area (have it on video) then I have a collection of pics with various “closed” signs. Then we walked toward flamingos and there was a dead rat with some employees gathered around so we went to the Arctic area that was closed so we went to the turtle trek amd walked through them dolphins were closed, killer whale was closed, etc and even some shops were closed. We went to guest services and asked why they were even open and were told we “should have known” to ask for a sheet of paper that tells you the windows of time that each thing is open. We were told it’s online “somewhere”. So be aware of that to avoid disappointment. Aquatica had only two restaurants open and many areas and even restrooms were closed. I think it’s a bad move to close restrooms at a water park. Luckily we are passholders to all the Busch gardens parks so didn’t have to pay. Just wanted you to be prepared and have better planning opportunity than we did. We were told more things open on weekends but I’d ask for a schedule when going in.

 

[moesy4]

Y

We went to SW and Aquatica and were surprised at how much is closed. We walked all around sea world and all we got to see was the dolphin nursery for five minutes then a lady said we had to go because they were closing the area (have it on video) then I have a collection of pics with various “closed” signs. Then we walked toward flamingos and there was a dead rat with some employees gathered around so we went to the Arctic area that was closed so we went to the turtle trek amd walked through them dolphins were closed, killer whale was closed, etc and even some shops were closed. We went to guest services and asked why they were even open and were told we “should have known” to ask for a sheet of paper that tells you the windows of time that each thing is open. We were told it’s online “somewhere”. So be aware of that to avoid disappointment. Aquatica had only two restaurants open and many areas and even restrooms were closed. I think it’s a bad move to close restrooms at a water park. Luckily we are passholders to all the Busch gardens parks so didn’t have to pay. Just wanted you to be prepared and have better planning opportunity than we did. We were told more things open on weekends but I’d ask for a schedule when going in.

Yes, I appreciate it! I had read here before or I wouldn't have realized how much was closed during the week. I think some days only 1 of the roller coasters is running and there may just be a show for each area a day. Did you notice much closed besides the restrooms at Aquatica? I know the spot on the Sea World website we can check for ride openings, but unfortunately I don't think you can check until the day of...I didn't see anything like that on the Aquatica website so I was hoping they had everything open.

 

[Makmak]

Entire areas were closed so it’s easier to say what was open: the lazy river and fast river and wave pool were open and three water slides.

 

[moesy4]

Bummer, ok, I will have to dig deeper on their website. Do you mind sharing what day of the week you visited both? Thanks!

Entire areas were closed so it’s easier to say what was open: the lazy river and fast river and wave pool were open and three water slides.

 

[Makmak]

Both were during the week and I think that’s key because more is surely open on weekends. For Aquatica as the weather warms up I believe more will be open as well. I wonder if anyone in the “here now amd just back” boards might have up to the minute info? And yes we were told sea world “prints a sheet each day” with the times so you’d get that day of.

 

[moesy4]

Both were during the week and I think that’s key because more is surely open on weekends. For Aquatica as the weather warms up I believe more will be open as well. I wonder if anyone in the “here now amd just back” boards might have up to the minute info? And yes we were told sea world “prints a sheet each day” with the times so you’d get that day of.

Thanks so much for the helpful info! I will check there too. We really have a very loose agenda so I am perfectly fine just hitting a few things up on a couple of different trips (we are trying to avoid buying much food there and just doing shorter trips) but of course we want to hit everything eventually!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I love the idea of a few hours in each park. I live in south Florida and spring breakers really started showing up this weekend and its expected to continue till the end of the month...

 

[bearzabout]

The Seaworld food festival starts this Friday. We really enjoyed this festival In the past. Download the guide and check out the menu options. Consider a punch card with many samples so you can share lots of items. I think the 15 punch pass is $75 which is an amazing deal for great dishes like Brazilian steak or lobster rolls. The event is only Friday through Sunday, and the punch card can be used on multiple visits.

Check out their free concert schedule. Concerts are on Saturdays and Sundays. Animal shows are limited. Check the daily calendar for show times and special events.

Don’t miss the aquariums and under water viewing areas. We spend hours just watching the animals. The walrus, penguins, manatees, dolphins and coral reef tank are our favorites.

The refillable cups we bought years ago still work for 99 cent refills at all their parks. Check to see what their current policy is. This has been an amazing deal considering they allow icee fills as well.

There is a lot closed, but we absolutely love the park and consider it one of our favorite places to spend a relaxing days. We visit on many days during our stays and never get tired of it.

Hand down our favorite days in Orlando are spent at Aquatica. We spend hours floating in the fast moving river called Roas Rapids. Make sure to spend at least one day there.

 

[puffkin]

The Seaworld food festival starts this Friday. We really enjoyed this festival In the past. Download the guide and check out the menu options. Consider a punch card with many samples so you can share lots of items. I think the 15 punch pass is $75 which is an amazing deal for great dishes like Brazilian steak or lobster rolls. The event is only Friday through Sunday, and the punch card can be used on multiple visits.

We are heading down next month. One thing I am confused about is the punch card. Can you just buy them anywhere at the park or must you buy in advance? We are planning to do 2 15 punch cards for our family of 4 for the day, and I can't seem to find out where to buy them.

 

[bearzabout]

In the past, we bought punch cards at kiosks selling food in the park. A few years ago, they stopped allowing annual pass holders to buy a discounted punch card at the park. We had to log on to our pass account, buy it online and print the voucher, then pick up the punch card at a specific location in the park. I guess employees were selling the discounted card to people who did not have an annual pass.

Annual pass holders get 18 punches instead of 15 at the $75 price, which is an amazing deal.

In the past, I found that serving sizes are huge and it took us days to use up a punch card. It was really fun to try new things then we went back and got our favorites a few times. We found the drinks were not a good deal since the sample cups were so much smaller than the full price beverages. The food samples were the same size whether you used the punch card or paid full price. We used our punches on food only, and used our 99 cent refillable cups for beverages.

Watch for when they cook new servings. We tried to get them to cook ours to order so they were fresh and hot. They were good about not letting cooked food sit for long and only prepared a few dishes at one time, but certain items like the scallops needed to be served hot out of the skillet.

We also went to the food festival at Busch Gardens. They had excellent concerts during festival weekends also.

Have fun!

 

[ChanaC]

If you're interested in any of the big roller coasters it might be worth going at rope drop so you can get to the front of the lines. Besides that, if you are only spending a few hours I would look at the showtimes for the shows you want to see and plan around that. Remember it's a good to get to the shows early (maybe even 20-30 minutes early during peak times) to make sure you get a good spot, especially if you want to sit in a specific section (splash zone, somewhere in the shade, etc.). Remember also it can take a while to go from one side of the park to the other. It's bigger than people realize! It could take a solid 15 minutes to get from the dolphin to the Shamu stadium.

 

[Joanna71985]

In the past, we bought punch cards at kiosks selling food in the park. A few years ago, they stopped allowing annual pass holders to buy a discounted punch card at the park. We had to log on to our pass account, buy it online and print the voucher, then pick up the punch card at a specific location in the park. I guess employees were selling the discounted card to people who did not have an annual pass.

Last year I was able to get a discount in-park on the lanyard (for all of the events)

 

[bearzabout]

Two years ago, the annual passholder festival punch card was not available to purchase in the park. On this year's website, you have to log in to even find out what the discount is. I do not currently have an annual pass. Any chance a current passholder can log in and see if it says you have to buy the discounted punch card online? I heard it gets you 18 punches for the 15 punch card price, but I can't confirm this.

 

[Missingmypooh]

We are going to Discovery Cove Friday and have the 14 day passes to Sea World and Aquatica. I know some things are closed during the week but it is obviously busier on the weekends too. Plus I am guessing towards the end of our trip we will run into some Spring Break crowds. We were planning on 2 to 3 days of both, in just short 3 to 4 hour stints. We will be there the 12th to the 20th. When would you do what and any certain time of day?

how is your trip going? We are thinking about doing a day next week, but have avoided seaworld so far because of things being closed.

are you noticing a lot of things closed?

 

[Joanna71985]

Two years ago, the annual passholder festival punch card was not available to purchase in the park. On this year's website, you have to log in to even find out what the discount is. I do not currently have an annual pass. Any chance a current passholder can log in and see if it says you have to buy the discounted punch card online? I heard it gets you 18 punches for the 15 punch card price, but I can't confirm this.

I was able to buy an 18-punch lanyard in the park on Friday

how is your trip going? We are thinking about doing a day next week, but have avoided seaworld so far because of things being closed.

are you noticing a lot of things closed?

Penguin ride, Wild Arctic, and the SkyTower are all currently closed (since June). You can still walk through and see the penguins, and animals in Wild Arctic though. Also, Dolphin Days is currently down due to stadium refurbishment

 

[moesy4]

how is your trip going? We are thinking about doing a day next week, but have avoided seaworld so far because of things being closed.

are you noticing a lot of things closed?

We haven't really noticed much being closed...with it being Spring Break it has been SO busy everywhere though. I thought we were a week before most crowds, but that was not the case. I didn't read the post about the festival starting last weekend until now...we tried to go in later Saturday night and it was insane. We walked right back out.
We went earlier this week and I think everything was open, with the exception of the Cookie Drop and another ride in the back (the website said they were up and running, not sure why they weren't?) Journey to Atlantis was also open, which we were pleasantly surprised about since last I had checked, the website had it closed with Covid.
My recommendation would be to go as early as possible...we got there just after opening but the line to get in was CRAZY long...like 45 minutes. Even so, we went straight to the back and rode Mako 3 times, Kraken twice, Infinity Falls twice, and a few rides in Sesame Street Land all basically walk on. After about 1, all of a sudden the lines jumped and we switched to animal activities.
The only other thing I would say is be aware...they really sold this all day dining and then cut off people bringing in food, so the food places were insane (at Aquatica too, although we didn't do it there). Like...25 people waiting in line for hamburgers and another 20 waiting after they got their food to pay. I tried 3 times to get lunch and finally waited 25 minutes for a pizza and the crowds were so large in the building I was having anxiety issues. Probably only half of the food booths were even open.
Other than that...we actually really liked the park. We are going to try again tomorrow, getting their well before open, and hit up all the rides first!