Hi! I have been lucky enough to help others plan their trips to Seaworld. Im very busy at the moment so I really dont have enough time to come up with your personal plan right now however, im sure if you searched the forum, you could find some of the plans that I have come up with for people. I have copy pasted the most recent plan I came up with for someone and I hope it works for you. Ive edited a few parts for you though. Also note that the Seaworld Summer schedule ends August 15th. So starting August 16th, you will not be offered some of these shows if you visit that day...................
I didnt know what exact day you planned to visit Seaworld, so I went ahead and made your visit for Wednesday August 11th or Thursday August 12th. This is because Wednesday and Thursday are slower days of the week. Know that the show schedule for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be exactly the same. On Saturday, you will add one show to the schedule and Sunday would probably be the same as Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
To start off your day I would suggest getting to the park as close to 9:00am as possible. First, head on over to the Dolphin feeding area of Seaworld. This is a great thing to do first because it is very popular and it will become more crowded as the day goes on.
Next, head on over to the 10:00am showing of the Dolphin show "Blue Horizons." This is located right next to the dolphin feeding area. Following the show, head over to "Key West at Seaworld" where you can pet and feed stingrays and see Sea turtles!
Following "Key West at Seaworld" head over to "Manta." Manta is located right next to Key west at Seaworld. Manta is a laydown rollercoaster. One of the best if Not THE BEST coaster in Orlando. It will be the first thing you see when you get into the park. My personal preference is the very first row. It will feel as if you are flying and you dont have peoples feet in your face like you would the other rows. The front row is the least intense of the rows, so it may be a better choice for your young kids if they choose to ride. The very back row is the most intense. It is like an entirely different ride in the back row as opposed to the front. This is my favorite roller coaster of all time! A cool thing about this coaster is it has a large aquarium that riders and non riders can enjoy. This is right outside the exit of the ride so if someone chooses not to ride, they could enjoy the aquarium while the others ride.
Following Manta, head over to the 12:45 showing of "Clyde and Seamore take Pirate Island" this is a funny show featuring Seaworlds Sealions, Otters and a Walrus! Following the show, you can find the Sealion exhibit right outside the stadium. For a small fee, you can actually feed the Sealions! After you finish at the Sealion exhibit, head over to the Penguin Exhibit located right next to the Sealions. From there, head over to "Journey to Atlantis" or "JTA" for short. JTA is a water coaster with a surprise ending. Similar to Splash Mountain if you have ever rode that. Its will be a nice relief from the Florida sun. JTA also has a small aquarium that riders and non riders can enjoy, Like Manta, if someone chooses not to ride, they can visit the aquarium while the others ride. Next to JTA is "Kraken." Kraken is a floorless looping rollercoaster. Following Kraken, you can find the Manatee and Alligator Exhibit next to the rides.
Following your trip to the Manatee and Alligator exhibit, take a break for something to eat. "Voyagers Smokehouse" and "Seaport Pizza" are two locations near the Manatees and Alligators. Seaport Pizza is my favorite of the two. Serving Pizza, chicken tenders and fries. It also serves fresh fruit and deserts. However, seating is outside. "Voyagers Smokehouse" offers BBQ items as well as fruits, desserts and Salads. Seating is indoors so thats a plus. I personally dont care for BBQ so I dont really eat at Voyagers. But your family may love it!
By this time, it should be around 3:00. Head over to the other side of the park to catch the 4:00 showing of the Killerwhale show "Shamu Believe" this is located on the other side of the park, so you are going to skip a few exhibits for now. Following Believe, there is "Wild Arctic" a motion simulator the makes you feel as if your in a helicopter on your way to the arctic. There is a non motion side if there are members in your family who dont care for motion simulators. Either way, following the ride you will enter the Beluga Whale, Walrus and Polar Bear exhibit. This exhibit is only accessible by riding the motion or non motion ride "Wild Arctic" Its nice and cool in there so thats also a nice relief from the heat. "Wild Arctic" is located right behind Shamu Stadium.
Next to Wild Arctic is "Shamu's Happy Harbor." This is a giant play area full of rides and games for younger kids. Since your kids are a little older than what the rides are designed for, they may not enjoy it as much. But they may love it too. If you choose not go to Shamus Happy Harbor, there is an underwater viewing area where you can view the killerwhales in between shows. This is located around the corner from Shamu Stadium. Following your visit with the whales, head back towards the Sealion Stadium. On your way, you will pass the "Animal Connections Sea Garden" this is a cool area where you could get some photo ops with animals from around the world. Following the Seagarden, head over to the shark exhibit. This is a long exhibit and features sharks, eels and poisonous fish! Its also indoors so this is also a nice relief from heat or rain.
Following the sharks, head over to the Waterfront area. Here you will find the Dolphin Nursery. Where newborn Dolphins and their moms are kept. If there is time, check out the 6:15 showing of "Pets Ahoy" this is a show featuring cats, dogs and even a few surprise guests. A cool thing about this show is all the animals were rescued from the local animal shelter. This show isnt a "Must see" like the other 3 mentioned, however it is a very cool show and a big hit with kids if you have the time to see it. The skytower is also located in the waterfront area for $3 you can ride to the top of the 400 foot tower and see all of the park and Most of Orlando. Next to the skytower is the Pearl dive where for a fee you can have a diver dive down to the bottom of a tank and pick up an oyster that your choose. Every oyser is guaranteed to have a pearl. Some pearls are unique colors and sometimes if your lucky, you get two! There are also shops located at the waterfront which is a great place to pick up a souvenir. Next to the waterfront is the Sealion stadium where you can see the 7:15 showing of "Sealions Tonight" this is obviously a different show than the day show "Clyde and Seamore take Pirate Island" instead, "Sealions Tonight" is a funny spoof about all the shows and exhibits and rides that Seaworld offers. Since its a spoof, it would bee a good idea to see the majority of the shows before seeing it, because its funny if you have seen all the shows, but hard to understand if you havent.
Following Sealions tonight, head across the bridge to Shamu Stadium for the 8:30 showing of "Shamu Rocks" This show is different from the day show, "Believe" and in my personal opinion, Shamu Rocks is a much better show than Believe. Its a show with the atmosphere of a rock and roll concert. Following the show, you have about a half hour to make your way to "Bayside Stadium" which is located right next to Shamu Stadium. Here is the best place to view the fireworks show "Refections." Following reflections would conclude your day at Seaworld.
A few quick sidenotes. Each show is no longer than 30 minutes long and no shorter than 15 minutes. With Blue Horizons being the longest at about 30 minutes and Pets Ahoy being the shortest at about 15-20 minutes. "Alure" is a show I didnt mention. This is an acrobatics show located at Nautilus theater. This isnt a "Must See" but its indoors so it could be a nice relief again from the heat or rain. Each show has covered seating, with Believe, Shamu Rocks, Blue Horizons, Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, and Sealions tonight being outdoors. Because these shows are outdoors, you run the risk of having a show cancellation or delay due to lightning. Thunderstorms are common in Florida this time of the year and can be very quick and short lived or last a few hours. The show will not be cancelled if its raining, but if there is lightning you may be out of luck. Again there is covered seating, so you are sheltered. So it may be a good idea to have a plan in place in case it thunderstorms. Pets Ahoy and Alure are indoor theaters, so weather wont be a factor and there is no cancellation for lightning. Since its summer, the park will be crowded, so plan to get to the stadium 45 minutes to an hour before the posted show time. Especially for Sealions tonight, Shamu Rocks and Relections since there is only 1 showing of each of those shows and the stadium will fill up quickly. Reflections has one showing, but you can get there right after the Shamu Rocks show and still get a good seat since most people will be at the Shamu Rocks show with your family.
Here is a show schedule for everyday in July except Saturdays:
http://www.seaworld.com/ParkHours.as...heduleID=40387
Here is Saturdays show schedule:
http://www.seaworld.com/ParkHours.as...heduleID=40390
A good idea, especially if your big on rides is "Quick Queue" It is like a disney fast pass however it costs money but its unlimited. You will get to skip the line and go to the front of the line of rides as many times as you want. I believe the cost for this is somewhere near $20 a person.
Another good idea especially if your going to be at the park all day is the "All day dining plan" You can find information about that here:
http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=750
Last, here is the park Map so you can get a better idea of the location of shows and exhibits: (Note that this map has the Clydesdale Hamlet. This has recently been replaced with the Animal Connections Seagarden. There are no more Clydesdales at the park.)
http://www.seaworld.com/orlando/parkmaps.html
Hope you and your family have a great time! Please feel free to ask any other questions if you may have them. Id love to answer them for you! Let me know how your trip went when you return! Have Fun!
Thanks so much for all the information... this will definitely help!! At least now I know which shows and attractions are a must!!!!
Thanks!!!
(BTW is the mime still at the sealion show? scared the bejeesus out of DD, then 4 and 20 years later we still tease her about it)
