My 50th Birthday Vacation - Sea World Was the Best Day!

[aml3679]

My husband and I just returned home to chilly NH after a week in sunny Florida.

The first three days we spent at Univeral which was nice. Our fourth day we went to Sea World.

I splurged on the VIP tour because if covered all the best the park had in 7 hours and we only had 1 day there.

From the moment we stepped foot into the park, it was beautiful and peaceful. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and there was no loud noises ... aaah!

We had an hour before our tour started and walked around and had coffee and a snack and took some pictures. We wandered into a few stores that I have to say were very tastefully done compared to Univeral.

We met up with Leigh Ann who was great (she has worked at Sea World for 14 years). Very high energy and knowledgable. She told us she was going to show us the best of Sea World in 7 hours and she did not dissapoint.

The tour covered:
Front of the line access to their 3 major rides: Manta, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis
Special covered seating at 3 of their best shows with beverages
We got to feed dolphins, manta rays and sea lions
A voucher to eat in any restaurant including an entree, side dishes, desserts and beverages
Also, a chance to see other exhibits up close.
At the end of the tour she handed out animal cards for the kids, discount coupons for pictures and a voucher to come back the next day free (they also off this just before you leave the park)

We were headed off to Bradenton to visit my father-in-law the next day or we would have loved to come back another day.

If you can afford the $100 pp cost for the VIP tour it is worth it.

If not, don't miss Sea World no matter what you have heard elsewhere. It is a beautiful park where they take care of their animals and it is a peaceful oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the other Orlando attractions.

 

[KBF]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip! Hopefully you make it back soon for the new Shamu show debuting next month!

 

[gardener14]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and expressing so well how lovely the park is. Its beauty and relaxing atmoosphere is one of the reasons I love it so much too, and it's nice to hear it from others.

 

[jenseib]

Did that cost include your ticket into the park, or in addition too?

We would love to see pictures!

 

[aml3679]

Did that cost include your ticket into the park, or in addition too?

We would love to see pictures!

No, the cost of the tour is extra unfortunately. As soon as I can figure out how to upload pictures I will - this gives me a little trouble on this board.

 

[punch423]

That sounds awesome!! We are booking the Family Fun Tour when we go in July!! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures, too!

 

[aml3679]

That sounds awesome!! We are booking the Family Fun Tour when we go in July!! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures, too!

I would recommend going a second day if you can. We saw the best the park had to offer but did not get to see some other things that we would have liked to. When we go to Disney, we plan on taking a day and going to Sea World again.

 

[FormerFF]

Sea World is a lot of fun. I hadn't been to a marine mammal show in a long time, and I wasn't quite prepared for the dolphin show. It was kind of Cirque de Soleil-esque, much more theatrical than I expected. How they got those birds to fly in formation, I'll never know.

Plus. Manta is all that and a bag of chips.

 

[kathy884]

So glad you had a great time. Sea World is our family's favorite theme park. We love marine mammals and the great shows and exhibits. Throw in a few coasters, the beautiful landcaping, and a chance to feed stingrays, dolphins, and sea lions, and we're sold. We don't do extra tours or anything like that, but we do for a week stay in Orlando always go to Sea World on both our first and last day. We go to Sea World next Monday and a week from Friday (can't wait).

This also will be the third year that my son will be doing a Sea World five night overnight camp in the summer. He did the Junior High career camp in Orlando two years ago, the Junior High camp at Sea World in San Diego last summer, and will go back to Orlando in August for the high school career camp. These are so cool -- the kids get to do all the various behind the scenes tour activities, visit Sea World rescue facilities, talk to people who take care of the animals and the trainers, help prepare some of the food etc. for the animals, as well as enjoy the great park, waterpark, and some time at Discovery Cove with two overnights at the Sea World park and three nights at a local hotel. It's a wonderfully run camp. As a parent I was super impressed.

 

[punch423]

I would recommend going a second day if you can. We saw the best the park had to offer but did not get to see some other things that we would have liked to. When we go to Disney, we plan on taking a day and going to Sea World again.

We definitely are! We have the Super Grover passes so we will go until we see it all!! Thanks!! Is it July yet??