How Long for Seaworld?!

[Melissa<3Disney]

How long do you think it will take us to do Seaworld on a Saturday (Oct. 2nd to be exact)? The hours are 9-6 i believe, we are getting into Orlando late the night before and were thinking of getting there around 10 or 11ish. That will give us 6-7 hours in the park and then we have the Luau at 6. We will probably want to do all the rides (Manta, Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, the wild arctic, and happy harbor rides for the little ones) Also we would want to see a few of the shows and some of the exhibits.. so basically we want to accomplish most of the park in this day! I have just never been to Seaworld so I'm just not sure what to expect in the way of crowds for an October Saturday. TIA!!

 

[bookgirl2632]

When we went several years ago, we were able to do most everything in one day. Believe wasn't going on, due to the birth of a new whale, but we were able to do most of the other shows, as well as the rides and the exhibits. It was a weekday in September, however, so I don't know how much more crowded a Saturday would be.

 

[Shamurocks]

If you plan well & depending on show times, you should be able to get pretty much everything done that you want to
In terms of crowds, I've made many trips in October (although never that early), we find the crowds to be reasonable in October and they adjust the number of shows to the crowd levels so it never tends to be much of a problem.
Hope you have a lovely time

 

[kathy884]

If you don't get to see everything you'd like to or want to come again during your trip, stop at the customer service desk before leaving the park, as you can get a second day free within a seven day period, a nice deal.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

If you plan well & depending on show times, you should be able to get pretty much everything done that you want to
In terms of crowds, I've made many trips in October (although never that early), we find the crowds to be reasonable in October and they adjust the number of shows to the crowd levels so it never tends to be much of a problem.
Hope you have a lovely time

Thank you! This is the answer I was looking for!! Thanks for the advice!!

 

[DOOM1001]

If you get in the park at 11am,you won't be able to see most of the attractions in one day.There are not that many rides but Manta, Journey to Atlantis and even Wild Arctic can have long lines,for some reason Kraken which for me is the best coaster in the park rarely has a wait over 15 minutes.Also the shows are a major part of the park and the showtimes are scattered throughout the day so you will need a park map to plan what shows you will see and at what time you will see them.If you told me you will be at the parks gate at opening then yes you could probably get most of the parks attractions done,but not at 11am on a Saturday.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

If you get in the park at 11am,you won't be able to see most of the attractions in one day.There are not that many rides but Manta, Journey to Atlantis and even Wild Arctic can have long lines,for some reason Kraken which for me is the best coaster in the park rarely has a wait over 15 minutes.Also the shows are a major part of the park and the showtimes are scattered throughout the day so you will need a park map to plan what shows you will see and at what time you will see them.If you told me you will be at the parks gate at opening then yes you could probably get most of the parks attractions done,but not at 11am on a Saturday.

Thanks for the advice! I am actually hoping we get there at opening, but unfortunately this is our very first day of our vacation. We are a family of 14 staying on property at Disney. It wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that everyone is getting into Orlando really late on Friday night. Our flight comes in at 9:35pm and my parents are driving and probably won't arrive until 10 or 11ish. I'm thinking it will be okay because we have many different age groups in our party with different interests, so if we have to split up and some of us ride rides and other do shows and then meet up for a few things, I'm okay with that! I would like to be able to do everything, but it's okay if we don't. Plus i've promised everyone I won't plan every detail of the vacation! So I have to fit some relaxing in there for everyone! Boo!! Thanks again!!

 

[Shamurocks]

Thank you! This is the answer I was looking for!! Thanks for the advice!!

No problem, glad I could help

 

[NJDisney]

Anyone been there in Aug?

I was hoping to do this in one day but sounds like it might be tough.

 

[KBF]

Anyone been there in Aug?

I was hoping to do this in one day but sounds like it might be tough.

If your going at the beginning of August, the park is usually open until 10:00pm. So its possible to do everything in a day if you come at park opening.

 

[DOOM1001]

If your going at the beginning of August, the park is usually open until 10:00pm. So its possible to do everything in a day if you come at park opening.

Yes you should be able to do everything if you get there near opening time and the park is open late.I would ride the coasters,Wild Arctic and Journey to Atlantis as soon as possible before the bigger crowds show up then plan your day around the times for the shows.Also remember when the park is open late in the summer that there will likely be two different Shamu shows and two different Sea Lion shows,my favorite is the Sea Lions Tonight show which makes fun of the other shows at the park.Also in early August there should also be the nighttime show in the lake with fireworks,fountains and water screens.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Make sure you see the Sea Lion show. I so love the sea lions...I've gone to Sea World in San Antonio many many times & have seen the show so many times I know what they say & do before they do it...but still love it! Have fun!

 

[bleeps]

Here's our take:

SeaWorld schedules their shows in such a way that it is NOT physically possible to see every show in one day. What you need to do is spend time on their site and decide which show(s) you most want to see. Also, as others have hinted, with the relatively small number of rides at SW it means that the lines can be very, very long (at any time of year). SW does offer a wristband you can buy for front-of-the-line privilege -- if the rides are very important to you then you might want to consider buying these (again, details are on their web site).

We love SW, and visit every trip. The reality is that it is NOT a one-day park (in that you simply cannot do everything in one day, esp. with your late start), BUT if you pick and choose what you most want to do (and go there prepared to make adjustments), you can have one wonderful day there (and it will probably leave you wanting more). When people are responding here that you can do it in one day, they mean you can see/do the particular things you most want to do and call it a day.