Multiple (But Short) Days at Sea World?

[mmbrad02]

My husband is attending a conference in Orlando in June, and we are dabbling with the idea of myself and our DD (age 7) tagging along. He is hoping to stay at the Hyatt at the Orange County convention center; we stayed there in 2011 when it was still the Peabody, also for a conference; he just likes it for convenience sake. However, it will ultimately be up to the vendor where we stay, so that is still up in the air.

That all said… when we were there in 2011, our daughter was just 15 months old. We ended up getting persuaded into a much larger rental car than I was truly comfortable driving, plus those were the days of strollers and diaper bags and the list goes on. She and I did venture out one morning to some outlet malls, but beyond that we just walked around the hotel area, pretty much bored. It wasn’t warm enough to take a baby to the pool, and ultimately it just turned into a long few days for her and me. The week was salvaged with two days at Disney when DH’s conference was over. When I think about doing another conference this year, I just want to make sure we have a better game plan, before I give up the PTO days at work and the expense for her and me to go along.

Things are very different now. Gone are the strollers, diaper bags, etc. She is much easier to go out and about with (and more fun, in the sense that she gets so excited about things!) I remembered this location being close to Sea World, and even though DD hardly even know what Sea World is, I thought we could Uber over there one day during DH’s conference (I’m thinking we would skip the rental car this time but that is also uncertain). I got on their site and see they have a Fun Card for unlimited admission in 2018, so then I considered perhaps DD and I should buy those tickets, and go for a few hours each morning or until we wilt from the heat and crowds, and then go back to our hotel to enjoy the afternoon at the pool. The conference runs Sunday-Thursday, but I think DH would finish up Wednesday. Is it crazy to consider 2-4 days at Sea World, for a short time each day? I’ve never been and I’m just trying to get opinions on – would we run out of things to do? Dare I say, would we get bored? We could just plan one day there and move on, but I thought this might help us enjoy it better in the summer heat, and also it’s more economical than paying for a “big” park or activity everyday.

Thoughts?

 

[BradChristian]

Regular Admission is $79 and the fun card is like $99... so that could be fun.

SeaWorld is a 'one day' park outside of the Christmas Season, but spreading out the day could be nice and take things slow and easy.

 

[JaxDad]

My husband is attending a conference in Orlando in June, and we are dabbling with the idea of myself and our DD (age 7) tagging along. He is hoping to stay at the Hyatt at the Orange County convention center; we stayed there in 2011 when it was still the Peabody, also for a conference; he just likes it for convenience sake. However, it will ultimately be up to the vendor where we stay, so that is still up in the air.

That all said… when we were there in 2011, our daughter was just 15 months old. We ended up getting persuaded into a much larger rental car than I was truly comfortable driving, plus those were the days of strollers and diaper bags and the list goes on. She and I did venture out one morning to some outlet malls, but beyond that we just walked around the hotel area, pretty much bored. It wasn’t warm enough to take a baby to the pool, and ultimately it just turned into a long few days for her and me. The week was salvaged with two days at Disney when DH’s conference was over. When I think about doing another conference this year, I just want to make sure we have a better game plan, before I give up the PTO days at work and the expense for her and me to go along.

Things are very different now. Gone are the strollers, diaper bags, etc. She is much easier to go out and about with (and more fun, in the sense that she gets so excited about things!) I remembered this location being close to Sea World, and even though DD hardly even know what Sea World is, I thought we could Uber over there one day during DH’s conference (I’m thinking we would skip the rental car this time but that is also uncertain). I got on their site and see they have a Fun Card for unlimited admission in 2018, so then I considered perhaps DD and I should buy those tickets, and go for a few hours each morning or until we wilt from the heat and crowds, and then go back to our hotel to enjoy the afternoon at the pool. The conference runs Sunday-Thursday, but I think DH would finish up Wednesday. Is it crazy to consider 2-4 days at Sea World, for a short time each day? I’ve never been and I’m just trying to get opinions on – would we run out of things to do? Dare I say, would we get bored? We could just plan one day there and move on, but I thought this might help us enjoy it better in the summer heat, and also it’s more economical than paying for a “big” park or activity everyday.

Thoughts?

Regular Admission is $79 and the fun card is like $99... so that could be fun.

SeaWorld is a 'one day' park outside of the Christmas Season, but spreading out the day could be nice and take things slow and easy.

If the price difference is only $20, I would definitely go for 2+ half-days. The additional day(s) will help you get in all the shows. I have always liked the idea of returning to hotel pools when on theme park vactions. However, you might consider taking her to the kids' splash area in Shamu's Happy Harbor after doing other attractions in the park instead. It's a fun area.

 

[mmbrad02]

Yep, the fun pass is only $20 more than a one day pass bought ahead of time. If you buy your one day ticket the day off, it's actually the same price. Given our travel scenario I thought it sort of made sense to do it over multiple days too. Has anyone ever used the trolley service?

 

[mjhtvchick]

Yep, the fun pass is only $20 more than a one day pass bought ahead of time. If you buy your one day ticket the day off, it's actually the same price. Given our travel scenario I thought it sort of made sense to do it over multiple days too. Has anyone ever used the trolley service?

My family relies heavily on the trolley service when we stay in this area - most recently this past September. It can be a bit of a haul if you are going from one end to the other, especially during busy times but the Hyatt is only a few stops away from Sea World, so you should be fine. Personally, I would be more comfortable on the trolley than in an Uber if it was just my daughter and I.

 

[bearzabout]

For about $175, you could get an annual pass for both Seaworld and Aquatica, their awesome water park that is close by. The cost includes parking which will save $17/day.

The water park is amazing and my favorite activity in Orlando. On hot days, it is a godsend and so much more memorable than a pool at a hotel. Their attraction Roa’s Rapids is my favorite where you float down a river in water moving about 2.5 miles per hour. It is really fun.

We like to spend a few hours in Seaworld, leave for lunch then spend the afternoon at Aquatica, or swim for a few hours early in the day and then end up at Seaworld. The park is beautiful at night. Because we mainly go for the animal encounters, our experience is different every time and we never get bored. The baby walruses are so cute.

It does tend to storm a lot on June afternoons. There is a good chance rain will affect your plans.

 

[RebeccaTexas]

I wrote this post, granted it’s meant for San Antonio SeaWorld, but you can apply the same idea to Orlando. A lot of people don’t realize that annual pass holders can buy up
To six discounted day tickets for guests. They also get free parking and 10-20% off at least on merchandise, food, and tours. It’s really worth it to do the math and see if one or two annual passes for your family could save you hundreds.
https://www.adventuresinsanantonio.com/seaworld-season-pass-money-saving-tips/

 

[4littleones]

Seaworld is a one day park... or if you just do a half day it would be a great two day park. If you are looking for 3 days of activities I would also suggest doing Aquatica. Its a bit more than your $99 plan but a three park ticket is $119.
My entire family could spend hours in Roa Rapids at Aquatica. Even if waterslides aren't your thing the Wave pool, lazy river and "fast" lazy river (Roa Rapids) are so much fun.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We did several partial days there last April and it was great. We had a package so we did Sea World and Aquatica, but we were st SeaWorld at least three days and did not run out of things to do. There are lots of fun shows, and several fun rides. Your daughter may be too young for the big coasters, but there is still plenty to do- especially if you take your time and really enjoy the beauty of the animals. (I took my ten year old on the coasters last spring and she LOVED them. Keeps asking to go back).

We saw the dolphin show twice and could have seen it three or four times. The pets show is really good, too. We dined with Shamu and just generally tried to take it all in. I think three days is a great amount of time to be able to relax, sleep in, dine slowly, and just enjoy everything there is to see and do.

 

[kj2mom]

We were there during the summer from open to close and could have used just a bit more time (we didn't get to see the Pets Ahoy show and would have loved to have done the dolphin portion but we found it too late and they were not letting anyone else do it). We definitely would not have been bored going multiple partial days, SeaWorld was my children's favorite day of our Disney week with SeaWorld thrown into the middle. We also did dining with Shamu and we loved that.