Is it important to do the rides first?

[rnorwo1]

There will be 10 of us there the week of Thanksgiving, we'll probably be at SW on the Monday before. We want to do most of the rides and the shows. We are hoping to do most of it in one day, but are open to returning for a half day if we need to (we may skip a show or two, but want to see the major ones.)

Is it necessary/advisable to run first to the rides before the lines get too long? I keep hearing not to expect lines and crowds like at WDW, so I didn't know if we could just tour leisurely or should we have a plan?
Thanks!!

 

[Lynne G]

NOt sure how busy, but lines can be long at SW. We were there over Labor Day week-end, and boy the Sat. and Sun. were much more crowded than the Friday. When you first enter the park, pick up the map. It has the show times and feeding times. Use that as your guide. For the rollercoasters, yes, earlier is better. I am not sure you can fit all the shows into one day. It would be too much hasttle to go from show to show. I'd pick the ones everyone most want to see. One Ocean, Blue Horizons, and the Seamore show are excellent. My kids also liked the pet show. Feeding is also a highlight. If you want to feed the dolphins, again, I suggest earlier than later. The other feedings aren't generally as crowded, but they do have a limited window of when available and may run out if very crowded.

We liked the parks, and found 30 or so minutes before the show was still good for finding decent seats. In One Ocean's stadium, you can bring food in, so we ate our dinner while waitng for Shamu Rocks.

Have fun. It's a nice park. I am not sure we will make it a must see every year, but the shows are what we most enjoyed.

 

[DOOM1001]

The lines for the coasters,Journey to Atlantis and Wild Arctic can get long at times so if you get there early and can knock them off quickly that would be a plus,maybe giving yourself some time later in the day to do the ones you might want to do again.When you walk in pick up a park map which will have the show schedules allowing yourself to make a schedule of what time you will see what shows.It can be challenging to get all the shows in since they're scheduled at different times and you have to give yourself time to eat but I think you can do most or all of the shows in one day if you get there early,do the rides quickly and plan right.

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks, that's what we'll do!

 

[Capt_BJ]

here's a hint

get hold of the show schedule FOR YOUR DAY which may not be available b4 you get there .... examine it carefully.

The shows actually are set up to fall into a couple of natural rotations . . . If you start at A it will flow to B then to C

But if you start at C it may flow to someplace else . . .

to get the most out of the day you want to follow the planned flow - altho you feel like a lemming because you find that everyone you sat with in this show is walking with you to the next!

If you want to 'drop out of' the show rotation for a while and do other things .... that's OK but determine where to rejoin a rotation ... not nec' the same one . . the Shamu shows are the anchors of course so you work around those....and feedings.

If you try to just haphazardly jump around you will end up disappointed

We're frequent visitors since 1978 and when we take folks for a day, they are AMAZED how much we get/got to see as compared to aunt Martha who went and saw squat even tho she was there all day.

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks capt BJ! I'll keep checking for the schedules or I'll get there early that day so we can have a game plan before the gates open. I'd really like to see/do everything on our list in one day, sounds like this will help tremendously.

 

[AJA]

Yes, get a map and know where you are going! The park is spread out and you do not want to be running back and forth (that will waste LOTS of time!) don't plan on riding one of the roller coasters, then catching the whale show, then running back to Atlantis. Have your game plan before you go in. Also keep in mind, to get good seats at the big shows, especially when it's crowded, you will need to get to the show at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. I know it depends on how crowded the park is but if you plan on wandering in to the show 10 mins before start time you might be very disappointed to find the show completely full.

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks! Is it ok to have part of our group hold seats for the rest? I have a two year old who will prob sit ok during the shows, but doubtful if he'll wait 30 min and then sit for the show. Will be nice to be able to walk around with him and then sit closer to the show time.

 

[stashbin]

here's a hint

get hold of the show schedule FOR YOUR DAY which may not be available b4 you get there .... examine it carefully.The shows actually are set up to fall into a couple of natural rotations . . . If you start at A it will flow to B then to C

But if you start at C it may flow to someplace else . . .

to get the most out of the day you want to follow the planned flow - altho you feel like a lemming because you find that everyone you sat with in this show is walking with you to the next!

If you want to 'drop out of' the show rotation for a while and do other things .... that's OK but determine where to rejoin a rotation ... not nec' the same one . . the Shamu shows are the anchors of course so you work around those....and feedings.

If you try to just haphazardly jump around you will end up disappointed

We're frequent visitors since 1978 and when we take folks for a day, they are AMAZED how much we get/got to see as compared to aunt Martha who went and saw squat even tho she was there all day.

Ok so if we get there on Sunday before Thanksgiving and walk across the street to Sea World to get a park map and schedule....will it be available for the next day (Monday) so we can preplan the night before?

 

[coasterjan]

Ok so if we get there on Sunday before Thanksgiving and walk across the street to Sea World to get a park map and schedule....will it be available for the next day (Monday) so we can preplan the night before?

Their website has a calendar with park hours and show schedule (but the show schedule is only about 1-2 weeks out, not showing any showtimes for November yet).

Since I'm new, I can't post the link, but if you search for "Sea World Orlando hours" you should be able to find it.

-Coasterjan

 

[rnorwo1]

here's a hint

get hold of the show schedule FOR YOUR DAY which may not be available b4 you get there .... examine it carefully.

The shows actually are set up to fall into a couple of natural rotations . . . If you start at A it will flow to B then to C

But if you start at C it may flow to someplace else . . .

to get the most out of the day you want to follow the planned flow - altho you feel like a lemming because you find that everyone you sat with in this show is walking with you to the next!

If you want to 'drop out of' the show rotation for a while and do other things .... that's OK but determine where to rejoin a rotation ... not nec' the same one . . the Shamu shows are the anchors of course so you work around those....and feedings.

If you try to just haphazardly jump around you will end up disappointed

We're frequent visitors since 1978 and when we take folks for a day, they are AMAZED how much we get/got to see as compared to aunt Martha who went and saw squat even tho she was there all day.

There is now a schedule for 11/21, and I'm trying to look at the map to get an idea of how to get on this rotation, but it's hard to tell how far apart everything is. For example, horizons is the first show at 10, so if we start there should we backtrack a bit to go Pets Ahoy at 10:45 (Not sure if that's enough time) or should we keep heading forward and see Clyde at 11? Do you have a recommendation for the order to see each of the shows? Looks like A'Lure is the only one with only one option that day, 3:45.
Thanks!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

If you have little ones who are going to want to ride the rides in Shamu's Happy Harbor, I would suggest doing this during the first Shamu Show (Is it Allure now?). If you head over there about 15/ 20 min. before the show everyone will be heading over to the show and the Happy Harbor is fairly empty. Just don't try to go to Shamu's Happy Harbor right after a show gets out.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

If you have little ones who are going to want to ride the rides in Shamu's Happy Harbor, I would suggest doing this during the first Shamu Show (Is it Allure now?). If you head over there about 15/ 20 min. before the show everyone will be heading over to the show and the Happy Harbor is fairly empty. Just don't try to go to Shamu's Happy Harbor right after a show gets out.

I will have to remember this for our Sea World trip as I have four young children who will definitely want to spend time in the Happy Harbor area. Thank you for this tip

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks for all the tips! I've been studying the schedule and have two different plans depending on how busy that day is. Two weeks left until we're there!

 

[Wadecool]

Thanks capt BJ! I'll keep checking for the schedules or I'll get there early that day so we can have a game plan before the gates open. I'd really like to see/do everything on our list in one day, sounds like this will help tremendously.

Keep checking the SW website calendar. The schedule for the day you're going should be up around a month beforehand. As others mentioned, plan your day around the shows you want to see. Consult the SW online map when planning the show schedule to eliminate back tracking. If you think you want to feed the dolphins, do that first thing in the morning, or you my be disappointed later. Once the dolphins get full, they won't come around much.