Sea World/Discovery Cove HELP

[ceecee]

DD really wants to do SeaWorld so we are going to try to do that before our WDW stay. It seems that the tickets are 1 day w/free 2nd day. Is there enough to do for 2 full days at SeaWorld. Is Discovery Cove a better choice? What about Aquatica? The meal plan? Is it cheaper to get a package or hotel seperately? HELP!

 

[Free4Life11]

If you decide to only spend one day at Seaworld, use code "McDonalds2012" to get $20 off a ticket. Comes out to $61.99 for adults and $53.99 for kids.

 

[mrsklamc]

There used to be a discount on SW tix if you were a member of SWA Rapid Rewards, which is free to join. I didn't read it but Bargain Briana had a post lately about saving $10 at Sea World....

We got a code over on the Sea World/ Discovery Cove board for a deal on DC a few years ago and while it was still pricey, it was amazing and totally worth it. Remember too that the food is (or was) all included and no parking fee either.

 

[erinmomof2]

On our last trip to Orlando we only did the Sea World parks. It was one of our best vacations. We did a day at Discovery Cove and paid the $50 upgrade charge for unlimited access to Sea World, Discovery Cove, Aquatica, and Bush Gardens. We have 2 girls ages 7 and 4 and we LOVED Discovery Cove. It was hands down the best day we've ever had on vacation. I was worried my kids would be too young to appreciate it, but they loved it and still talk about it all the time. It is pricey though. For us the tickets two weeks worth of tickets ended up costing less than Disney tickets normally cost so it was worth it. We were in Orlando 2 full weeks and really thought it was a good value. For just a day or two though it is expensive. The ticket to Discovery Cove includes admission to one other park.

To answer your question about Sea World, I think there is enough to take up 2 days. There is a lot of shows and to see them all in one day would mean you were running all over the park and missing out on really seeing the animals. We usually do half the shows one day and half the next day we're there. That gives us time to feed and pet the dolphins and pet the sting rays (my kids could probably spend an entire day petting the dolphins and sting rays, it's their favorite part of the park). We also tend to linger in the Wild Artic area. The beluga whales have always been very active while we're there "singing" and playing. Sea World is one of our favorite parks.

Aquatica is okay. I personally think it's a step behind Disney's waterparks, but we did have fun there. I liked that it was never super crowded, although we were there on weekdays, it might be worse on weekends.

If you have any other questions let me know. We've been to Sea World numerous times and have been to all the other parks as well.

 

[Cindy B]

I've been to Discovery Cove twice. I haven't been in a few years (need to go back) but it used to include a 7 day Sea World ticket. Our last visit they also offered us an option for Busch Gardens- but we opted for Sea World.

You can do DC, get Sea World in and have a great time. Note, you still have to pay for Sea World parking if you use those Sea World entitlements. Discovery Cove used to sell a parking pass that was a reduced price- like $15 for a whole 7 days of Sea World parking instead of regular gate price.

So Discovery Cove: all food/drink included (they used to include beer/wine in that price- do they still?), no parking, free use of snorkle equipment, free photo (do they still do that?) and of course a capped enrollment per day.

My kids really didn't like Aquatica. Check to see if Discovery Cove offers an Aquatica option.

 

[aprilgail2]

I've been to Discovery Cove twice. I haven't been in a few years (need to go back) but it used to include a 7 day Sea World ticket. Our last visit they also offered us an option for Busch Gardens- but we opted for Sea World.

You can do DC, get Sea World in and have a great time. Note, you still have to pay for Sea World parking if you use those Sea World entitlements. Discovery Cove used to sell a parking pass that was a reduced price- like $15 for a whole 7 days of Sea World parking instead of regular gate price.

So Discovery Cove: all food/drink included (they used to include beer/wine in that price- do they still?), no parking, free use of snorkle equipment, free photo (do they still do that?) and of course a capped enrollment per day.

My kids really didn't like Aquatica. Check to see if Discovery Cove offers an Aquatica option.

Discovery Cove does come with an Aquatica option. With your Discovery Cove ticket you get 10 days pass to either Aquatica, Sea World or Bush Gardens. You can pay extra (small fee) and get tickets to all three of those parks for the 10 days instead of just one park. This will be our second time at Discovery cove this year, we love it!

 

[Cindy B]

Discovery Cove does come with an Aquatica option. With your Discovery Cove ticket you get 10 days pass to either Aquatica, Sea World or Bush Gardens. You can pay extra (small fee) and get tickets to all three of those parks for the 10 days instead of just one park. This will be our second time at Discovery cove this year, we love it!

We went for the first time in 2001 (the park was new then), and then again in 2007.

 

[momto2inKC]

I think you could easily do 2 day sat SW. It would allow you time to see/do everything without being rushed.
My kids LOVE Aquatica! No, it's not as good as the Disney water parks, but if your kids enjoy water parks, it's a good one.