Sea World on 12/31: Touring Plan? Suggestions? Help!

[Vacation Lover]

We've decided to spend the long new years weekend in Orlando and Sea World is in the plan for New Years Eve! Now I need to scramble to make a plan...do I need one?! We usually do some sort of plan for Disney (not commando, but we know what to do first, and when to get FastPasses, etc.) We plan to get there at opening, maybe take a little break at the villa (at Emerald Island) and head back to SW for the evening festivities. At this point, that's the extent of my plan...kinda scary for a planner like myself!

So, does anyone have suggestions for me? I'm totally in the dark about SW...I assume it will be crowded on New Years Eve. Isn't there some kind of fastpass-type ticket we can purchase? If so, is it worth it? What about the dining deal? That looks like a pretty reasonable price for our family (Me, DH, DS13, DD12 and DD7). What are the can't-miss rides and attractions? We love thrill rides, but would like to see some shows too. Also, has anyone done New Years Eve at Sea World? How is it?

Thanks for the help! Can't believe we're doing this trip with such little planning time...would love any and all suggestions.

 

[robot1000]

Due to the nature of seaworld, it's not really necessary to have a 'touring plan'.

Talking from experience, we went on Christmas day (arriving at the 9am opening), we managed to get on the 3 major rides, with no queues and we even managed to stay on Kraken (rode in the front and back). I presume it's going to be quiet for the first hour whatever day you arrive, so make sure you get there on time and ride Manta, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis.

The next part is just going to the shows, making sure you arrive at least 15 minutes prior, in order to get a good seat.

It's also worth going to 'Polar Express' simulator when Shamu is being shown, in order to avoid those crowds.

The Christmas shows in the evening got full half an hour before showing, so if you wish to see any of those, make sure you get there early!

Have a great time!

 

[KBF]

We've decided to spend the long new years weekend in Orlando and Sea World is in the plan for New Years Eve! Now I need to scramble to make a plan...do I need one?! We usually do some sort of plan for Disney (not commando, but we know what to do first, and when to get FastPasses, etc.) We plan to get there at opening, maybe take a little break at the villa (at Emerald Island) and head back to SW for the evening festivities. At this point, that's the extent of my plan...kinda scary for a planner like myself!

So, does anyone have suggestions for me? I'm totally in the dark about SW...I assume it will be crowded on New Years Eve. Isn't there some kind of fastpass-type ticket we can purchase? If so, is it worth it? What about the dining deal? That looks like a pretty reasonable price for our family (Me, DH, DS13, DD12 and DD7). What are the can't-miss rides and attractions? We love thrill rides, but would like to see some shows too. Also, has anyone done New Years Eve at Sea World? How is it?

Thanks for the help! Can't believe we're doing this trip with such little planning time...would love any and all suggestions.

Plan your day around show times and plan to visit exhibits around show stadiums before and after the show. For example, if you want to see a 2:15 Sealion show, plan to do exhibits around the Sealion stadium from about 1:00-2:00 and then following the show 3:00-4:00.

There is a option for unlimited front of the line access to rides called Quick Queue. There is also an all day dining deal that may be a good option for your family if you plan to stay all day. Here is some info on those options (Just click "Select" below each option for the info)....
http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Book-Online/Dont-Forget

 

[swilshire]

We were there last week and they were recommending being at the shows 30 minutes prior to the start. We missed the Pets Ahoy show our first try because we didn't get there early enough. It will probably be worse next week.

They had Christmas shows in addition to the regular ones, so it was hard to catch them all. We went multiple days and still never made it to one of them.

One day we went to six shows, which made the kids groan.

Sheila

 

[chiamarie]

As what others have said, I would recommend getting to the shows at least 30-45 minutes prior. The exception being "O Wondrous Night" it's their new holiday show, and the first showing has been filling to capacity 60-45 minutes prior to show time.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Thanks for the help. I think we're going to skip the quick queue option, but will purchase the dining deal. Looking forward to our trip!

 

[4chickadees]

I agree with what everyone said above. Be sure to take note of the times of your shows & plan accordingly. We found that we had a lot of down time between shows if we planned them too close together (i.e., not enough time to do a ride, so we were stuck just waiting for our show to begin).

Have a great time!!!