I have never been to SW and we are planning a day when we go to WDW in Aug/Sept. Right now as I'm doing our plans, it looks like the best day for us to go is Sept 1 which is a Thursday. For those of you who go often....Is Thursday a good day or is there a better/less crowded day to go? Also, any planning tips for an obsessive planner?
I don't know what day to go, although I have heard it is not a good idea to go on a weekend.
In terms of planning - it is not nearly as critical as at Disney. They main thing is to watch out for too much backtracking around the lake. Here are a few ideas:
If you want to ride the rides (Manta - super awsome, Kraken - fun, Journey to Atlantis - OK, very nice if it is hot, Wild Arctic - OK VERY similar to the old Star Tours IMO) do it first thing in the morning or buy the front of the line pass. Just like Disney - the park should be relatively quiet until 10:30 - 11 am. Oh - for Manta and Kraken, you will need to put your belongings in a locker - they are convenient and 50 cents). Manta is supposed to develop long lines, but not on the day we were there. We rode it 4 times! The other ones only once.
The other thing you should do early in the morning is the Dolphin feeding. (It is right near Manta)
Then when you get closer to the date of your trip watch for SW to post their schedule of shows and plan your day around the shows you want to see. The orca show - I can't remember what replaced Believe, the Sea Lion Show (Clyde and Seamore), and the Dolphin Show (Blue Horizon) are not to be missed. Your time of year there may be a cool night time show too. If your family likes, you can watch the Cirque-like A'lure (we skipped it so I can't give a review), or Pets Ahoy (cute, not unique but a must do for my dd) as well.
Then work in the other exhibits around the shows.
You can buy a punch card to save a little money if you plan to feed the stingrays (super fun right near the dolphins), the sea lions (near sea lion stadium), and the sharks (this was just OK - I don't think the sharks were very hungry and they are pretty far away). Watch out for the birds who will try to steal the fish! You can do these at any time when you are in that area of the park.
Then you can enjoy the marine life exhibits like a zoo. This can be slow paced, as you like it. The penguin exhibit and the wild arctic exhibit are great places to cool down in the middle of the day.
You can read my TR if you like. There are links to the seaworld day.