newestkg06
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2014
- Messages
- 516
Reading others' trip reports really helped me, so here goes mine:
So, we (me, DH, DS 7 & DS 4) went on a Monday in Sept (hours were 9-5:30) and I am very happy we did. It was not very crowded (I thought) and I think it was my second favorite park (after Magic Kingdom).
We arrived around 8:30 and had to wait outside the parking lot for quite awhile. I'm not sure why it took so long, but as soon as we parked, we got our tickets at the kiosk (you need to go to the kiosk to "get" your tickets after printing them from online) and entered. We got some pictures right outside and right inside the park and then split up so that one adult rode Manta while the other went to the Manta aquarium and then we swapped. I had hoped we would have time to make it to Antarctica before the 10AM Blue Horizons, but it would have cut it too close. Instead, we fed the sting rays (which was AWESOME!) and then headed over to Blue Horizons at around 9:50. We had no problem getting a decent seat (again, I think it was low crowds, so I wouldn't depend on that if you are going during busier times). We truly loved Blue Horizons, I think it (along with One Ocean) was better than any other show we saw (including the Disney ones). We went to Turtle Trek (and that movie was truly beautiful, my 4 yo LOVED it!) and then had to get in line for our Dolphin Encounter (11:15). This was the highlight of our day. I would STRONGLY recommend it to anyone going. We had a great trainer, and the kids got up close and personal with a dolphin and learned a lot.
We hoofed it quickly over to One Ocean (after grabbing drinks and snacks at Seafire Inn on the way) and again got decent seats for the Noon show around 11:55. One Ocean was truly breathtaking and I almost cried a few times (and I am NOT a crier!). After such a busy morning, we decided to slow down a bit and went on the kiddie rides and let the kids run around on the rope play area. This was perfect. The play area is really wonderful, but it is easy for the kids to get lost. I told my two to stay together, but my 4 yo got lost and came out crying and scared. An adult probably should have gone up with them. Still, this is a can't miss with kids. We looked at the splash pad, and thought it looked kind of sad so they didn't go in there. We then grabbed lunch at Mango Joe's which was fine.
We went to the Wild Arctic. My biggest tip is to avoid the ride. Everyone got very motion sick on this. It was really not a fun ride at all. The arctic exhibits were really great though and the theming in that area was awesome.
We went to see the sharks (and fed them!) and the sea lions (and fed them too!). The shark aquarium itself was a little disappointing. We live very close to the Mall of America that has a great SeaLife Aquarium that we have been to many times. Seaworld's shark exhibit was kind of small in comparison.
We missed the last Sealion show, and we didn't have time for Pets Ahoy. We rode the Kraken (swapping) and started to get pretty tired. The kid's shopped a bunch and were excited to get some dolphin and Shamu stuffed animals. We grabbed dinner at Voyager's Smokehouse and saw the dolphin nursery on the way out (which was right around 5:30). So, we ended up having to skip Antarctica (the lines got too long), but we have a great penguin exhibit at our local zoo, so we decided that wasn't much of a loss. We also skipped Journey to Atlantis because I was the only one who wanted to get wet. We had to skip both the Sealion and the Pets show because we just didn't have time.
I think if you truly want to see and do everything, it is a two day park. We had to miss some stuff, but I think they were compromises I'm okay with. If I were to do it again, I would go one day and try to do most of it, and then schedule one of the longer tours (like the penguin or dolphin experience) on the second day and then hit anything else we missed. I would gladly have gone back to feed the sealions and stingrays, and wouldn't mind seeing One Ocean again
We had some serious heat while we were there (real feel was 102-105 most days), but Seaworld didn't seem so hot. We had been in Hollywood Studios the day before and that felt like the surface of the sun. I think the many fans, lush vegetation, and lake with a breeze, truly helped make Seaworld feel much more comfortable. We still went through a lot of water, but I didn't feel as worn out at the end of the day.
About the Dining Deal: We got the deal where you pay full price for the tickets, but get the dining deal for free. I don't think I would do this again. When we went to Seafire Inn, they had some great looking chips and salsa but they weren't included. Instead, we grabbed strawberries, cookies, and drinks as snacks, which was fine, but I really wanted those chips I had the Mango Salad and the kids had burgers and chicken nuggets at Mango Joe's. It was good, but nothing too special. For dinner, we went to Voyager's Smokehouse, but just about everything is excluded from the plan now. Hubby had the turkey sandwich, I had ribs, and I don't remember what the kids had. The food here was good, but I was sad to not be able to get brisket. You can only grab drinks and snacks at the approved restaurants (even if they are not convenient to where you are, which kind of sucks).
I don't think we "got our money's worth" on the dining as we could have gotten $20 off our tickets instead. We would have eaten differently (gotten chips and salsa, pretzels, ice cream, etc.) and probably waited until we got back to the hotel to have dinner. Having drinks included was nice, but I think I would have just bought one of those big refillable mugs to have the same effect. I think I would have rather had the freedom to buy what we wanted at places that were nearby rather than having to trek to the 5 allowed places. If the park had been open later (like it is in the summer or around Christmas) then it is probably easier to get your money's worth. I also felt frustrated with no real snacks (just desserts and fruit) included. If you are more of a "meal" person, maybe it would work better for you. When it is hot and with so much to see and do, I prefer to just snack around as we see everything or while we watched shows. I felt like we had to force ourselves to sit down to eat because "we paid for it". I think the having to sit down also meant we didn't get to see as much as we wanted.
Hope this helps someone else.
So, we (me, DH, DS 7 & DS 4) went on a Monday in Sept (hours were 9-5:30) and I am very happy we did. It was not very crowded (I thought) and I think it was my second favorite park (after Magic Kingdom).
We arrived around 8:30 and had to wait outside the parking lot for quite awhile. I'm not sure why it took so long, but as soon as we parked, we got our tickets at the kiosk (you need to go to the kiosk to "get" your tickets after printing them from online) and entered. We got some pictures right outside and right inside the park and then split up so that one adult rode Manta while the other went to the Manta aquarium and then we swapped. I had hoped we would have time to make it to Antarctica before the 10AM Blue Horizons, but it would have cut it too close. Instead, we fed the sting rays (which was AWESOME!) and then headed over to Blue Horizons at around 9:50. We had no problem getting a decent seat (again, I think it was low crowds, so I wouldn't depend on that if you are going during busier times). We truly loved Blue Horizons, I think it (along with One Ocean) was better than any other show we saw (including the Disney ones). We went to Turtle Trek (and that movie was truly beautiful, my 4 yo LOVED it!) and then had to get in line for our Dolphin Encounter (11:15). This was the highlight of our day. I would STRONGLY recommend it to anyone going. We had a great trainer, and the kids got up close and personal with a dolphin and learned a lot.
We hoofed it quickly over to One Ocean (after grabbing drinks and snacks at Seafire Inn on the way) and again got decent seats for the Noon show around 11:55. One Ocean was truly breathtaking and I almost cried a few times (and I am NOT a crier!). After such a busy morning, we decided to slow down a bit and went on the kiddie rides and let the kids run around on the rope play area. This was perfect. The play area is really wonderful, but it is easy for the kids to get lost. I told my two to stay together, but my 4 yo got lost and came out crying and scared. An adult probably should have gone up with them. Still, this is a can't miss with kids. We looked at the splash pad, and thought it looked kind of sad so they didn't go in there. We then grabbed lunch at Mango Joe's which was fine.
We went to the Wild Arctic. My biggest tip is to avoid the ride. Everyone got very motion sick on this. It was really not a fun ride at all. The arctic exhibits were really great though and the theming in that area was awesome.
We went to see the sharks (and fed them!) and the sea lions (and fed them too!). The shark aquarium itself was a little disappointing. We live very close to the Mall of America that has a great SeaLife Aquarium that we have been to many times. Seaworld's shark exhibit was kind of small in comparison.
We missed the last Sealion show, and we didn't have time for Pets Ahoy. We rode the Kraken (swapping) and started to get pretty tired. The kid's shopped a bunch and were excited to get some dolphin and Shamu stuffed animals. We grabbed dinner at Voyager's Smokehouse and saw the dolphin nursery on the way out (which was right around 5:30). So, we ended up having to skip Antarctica (the lines got too long), but we have a great penguin exhibit at our local zoo, so we decided that wasn't much of a loss. We also skipped Journey to Atlantis because I was the only one who wanted to get wet. We had to skip both the Sealion and the Pets show because we just didn't have time.
I think if you truly want to see and do everything, it is a two day park. We had to miss some stuff, but I think they were compromises I'm okay with. If I were to do it again, I would go one day and try to do most of it, and then schedule one of the longer tours (like the penguin or dolphin experience) on the second day and then hit anything else we missed. I would gladly have gone back to feed the sealions and stingrays, and wouldn't mind seeing One Ocean again
We had some serious heat while we were there (real feel was 102-105 most days), but Seaworld didn't seem so hot. We had been in Hollywood Studios the day before and that felt like the surface of the sun. I think the many fans, lush vegetation, and lake with a breeze, truly helped make Seaworld feel much more comfortable. We still went through a lot of water, but I didn't feel as worn out at the end of the day.
About the Dining Deal: We got the deal where you pay full price for the tickets, but get the dining deal for free. I don't think I would do this again. When we went to Seafire Inn, they had some great looking chips and salsa but they weren't included. Instead, we grabbed strawberries, cookies, and drinks as snacks, which was fine, but I really wanted those chips
I had the Mango Salad and the kids had burgers and chicken nuggets at Mango Joe's. It was good, but nothing too special. For dinner, we went to Voyager's Smokehouse, but just about everything is excluded from the plan now. Hubby had the turkey sandwich, I had ribs, and I don't remember what the kids had. The food here was good, but I was sad to not be able to get brisket. You can only grab drinks and snacks at the approved restaurants (even if they are not convenient to where you are, which kind of sucks). I don't think we "got our money's worth" on the dining as we could have gotten $20 off our tickets instead. We would have eaten differently (gotten chips and salsa, pretzels, ice cream, etc.) and probably waited until we got back to the hotel to have dinner. Having drinks included was nice, but I think I would have just bought one of those big refillable mugs to have the same effect. I think I would have rather had the freedom to buy what we wanted at places that were nearby rather than having to trek to the 5 allowed places. If the park had been open later (like it is in the summer or around Christmas) then it is probably easier to get your money's worth. I also felt frustrated with no real snacks (just desserts and fruit) included. If you are more of a "meal" person, maybe it would work better for you. When it is hot and with so much to see and do, I prefer to just snack around as we see everything or while we watched shows. I felt like we had to force ourselves to sit down to eat because "we paid for it". I think the having to sit down also meant we didn't get to see as much as we wanted.
Hope this helps someone else.
. We totally agree on SeaWorld being a two day park....I am always left scratching my head when I read people say they couldn't fill a day there there.
. We were left wishing we had done the non-motion side for hours afterward. The Polar Express re-theming at Christmas time is not nearly so nauseating.
We ended up with ribs and a turkey sandwich which were both good, but I LOVE brisket....
