Just booked the VIP tour for Aug 3

[Amstar]

anyone every done this tour? If so what did you think?

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

We've done the VIP Tour twice and are booking a third one for October. Obviously, we love it!

It seems they have switched out One Ocean for Pets Ahoy, so that is a bit of a bummer.

It is great not having to arrive to a show 30-40 minutes ahead of time, but some of the preshow banter is fun to watch. The seating areas are great for pictures too! Feeding the dolphins and sea lions is very fun as well. the tour guide can really make the difference if they are engaged and humorous.

The add-ons is what makes it such a great value - front of the line for the rest of the day and all day dining (get there early for breakfast).

Word of caution - SW has many great shows and you lose some flexibility between 10 am and 4 pm, so there are some shows you will not be able to see unless you come back a second day.

Just a brief overview, if you have specific questions, let me know.

Mike

 

[cmwheatley928]

We've done the VIP Tour twice and are booking a third one for October. Obviously, we love it! It seems they have switched out One Ocean for Pets Ahoy, so that is a bit of a bummer. It is great not having to arrive to a show 30-40 minutes ahead of time, but some of the preshow banter is fun to watch. The seating areas are great for pictures too! Feeding the dolphins and sea lions is very fun as well. the tour guide can really make the difference if they are engaged and humorous. The add-ons is what makes it such a great value - front of the line for the rest of the day and all day dining (get there early for breakfast). Word of caution - SW has many great shows and you lose some flexibility between 10 am and 4 pm, so there are some shows you will not be able to see unless you come back a second day. Just a brief overview, if you have specific questions, let me know. Mike

Hello I am going in October with my husband and our 5 & 8 yr old daughters. Unfortunately we are only able to visit Sea World for one day and it will be a Saturday during the Halloween Party. I am probably going to do the VIP tour but am just not sure what it is you do for 6 hours. Can you tell me exactly what the guides do/ where they take you? We are not big ride people so I dont want to spend over $300 just so we can wait beside rides while other families in our group ride rides. Thank You in advance

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

The VIP Tour does give you front of the line passes, but there is NO specific ride time as part of the six hour tour. You can take advantage of it before/after the tour.

The tour was slightly different each time, but here is the general breakdown: three shows - you get there about 10 minutes before showtime, so about two hours for the shows. 30 minute lunch break. You get to feed the dolphins, sea lions and sting rays - 15 to 20 minutes each place. Plus walking time.

It is not in that order - it really varies based on the show schedule. When the guide takes you toward the dolphin show, you will stop by dolphin feeding. When you see Clyde and Seymour, you feed the sea lions. Sometimes, we felt a bit rushed at the feedings, other times it is a little slow since there is no point in leaving the area if the show starts in 20 minutes. Our first time, I had a ton of questions for our very knowledgeable guide, maybe to the chagrin of the rest of the group. The next time, I had most of my answers already, it seemed to drag at times.

If your tour starts around 10:30, you are done around 4 to 5 pm and you have however many hours left to take advantage of front of the line or all day dining.

Keep in mind to do your due diligence on the Sea World map. It's not the largest park in the world, but you do walk a lot on the tour, and based on your fitness level, trying to hit everything else in the park between 5pm and close can make for a long day!