Sea World

[Missyma919]

UGH I need serious help. I feel sooooo overwhelmed. My brother is eloping to San Diego over July 4th weekend and we would like to take the kids to Seaworld since we have never been to San Diego. the problem.... its going to be packed (summer and Holiday weekend) and I have no idea what I'm doing. I am a planner and I love to plan for WDW but I have no idea where to start here.....

It will be me, hubby, and 2 daughters, age 5 and 7. What shows are not to miss? are there rides? What is most popular ie.. what should we do first because the line will be crazy long later?? How early should we get to the shows ect? Are there places to eat or can/should we take food in?

OMG i'm freaking out!!!!!! Please help if you know San Diego Sea World...

 

[Nora94]

we were just there with our kids, just turned 9 and almost 6. I would do Atlantis IMMEDIATELY upon opening. It's really the only ride besides the standard round raft type ride which won't kill you to miss.

Show wise we liked the dolphin one (soak zone IS soak not just wet), the seal one and the Shamu. We did Dine With Shamu and it was really nice. The whale was about 2 ft from my dds while they ate! And the food was pretty good too. They each got a whale cookie ($3.50 or more at other shops) and I didn't care that they didn't really even eat it, lol.

The night time seal show is SO funny, and the dolphin and shamu shows are different at night too.

The Cirque show was ok, we didn't bother with the pet show.

Hope that helps.
Nora

 

[Disneylvrforever]

For the shows, the Sea Lion & Otter Show is the MUST SEE show out of the whole entire park, the day time one and the nightime one. And then of course Shamu is the one that the majority of ppl want to see too, so those 2 are the biggies. The Sea Lion & Otter Show, Shamu, and the Dolphin Show are the ones that have a special show at night besides all the extra nightime entertainment. All the other shows are good too, but just determine how close you want to sit so you can determine how early you want to arrive to the show. The new Sesame Street 4-D movie I believe is every 15 min. It's very fun for kids and adults appreciate the air conditioning. lol.

For the rides, I'm not sure if your DDs fit up to the height requirements, but yes, Journey to Atlantas does get long lines and so does Shipwreck Rapids, but I think they might be able to ride the rapids one. Wild Arctic is fun if you like simulator rides, and even if you don't there's a non-simulator one, bc you get to see animals at the end. The lines can get long, but not as long as the other ones bc the other ones get you wet. Bay of Play just opened and I bet your DDs will have fun riding those rides and exploring the playground. I have a feeling that those lines are long (I haven't been there since that opened) bc they're new and bc there are a lot of little ones that visit Sea World.

Now for food. I've seen many ppl bring things in but I personally haven't done it. A great place for lunch is the Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Center. They have sandwiches and brawts, etc. and the Anheuser-Busch clydesdales are right nearby. Another good place if you like BBQ is the Shipwreck Reef Cafe right across from Shipwreck Rapids. Sometimes trainers come out w/ animals for a little visit. A good place for dinner if you like Italian food is Mama's Stella's Pizza Kitchen. We've also done dine w/ Shamu for dinner and that's a lot of fun too. It's a buffet for kids and adults and Shamu comes up close for pics. There are other special dining experiences that you can sign up for, but make sure you do it early bc seats fill up fast. Here's some additional info for dining: http://commerce.4adventure.com/eStore/scripts/skins/swc/DiningBookNow.aspx

Other: There are many other things to see like sharks, bat rays, manatees, etc. and some are interactive so you can touch the animals. During certain times you can buy fish for the animals and feed them too. Just don't forget about the fireworks at night! Bringing a bathing suit for the girls or an extra change of clothes would be good if they plan to get wet & don't forget the sunscreen. Hope you have fun!

 

[c4alymom]

We were not there for the night shows, but like everyone else here, we LOVED the dophin, shamu and sea lion show.

As for food, we ate at the Calypso Bay Smoke house. WE ABSOLUTELY loved this. They have BBQ ribs, chicken strips, salads, Brisket, BBQ chicken. I split a sampler plate which had BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, Brisket, fries, corn on the cob and a roll for $14.95. It was SOOOO much food. I would say try it at least once. Also, make sure you see the ray exhibit. My kids, (7 and 6) loved that they could reach in and touch the rays.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I think the Pets Rule show is outstanding, and my son and I almost always see it when we are there (which is pretty often). If you have a choice between Shamu Rocks and Believe, I would pick Shamu Rocks. Believe, IMO, is REALLY cheesy.

Check out the SeaWorld website for show times for the day you will be there so you can plan ahead.

The shark exhibit is outstanding, as is the Wild Arctic exhibit (which has a "ride", but you can skip that if the line is too long).

 

[dmfuru]

Here's some ideas, in no particular order.

The park will be busy, as you said, because it is a holiday. Get there early--try to get tickets before you arrive (some long lines can form at the ticket booth).

There is a bag check before entering the park, and this creates bottlenecks. Often you can enter thru the turnstile at he EXIT, and this line can be shorter than the others.

While you are waiting in line to enter, send someone to the front of the line where they have the park map/showtime schedule. Look over this thoroughly--it'll tell you about show times, closures, ride hours (sometimes rides open a little later than park opening times), etc.

Mission Bay usually has a nice breeze, but many shows are outside--apply sunscreen frequently!

We've eaten at most of the places at Sea World and haven't had a bad experience anywhere. I would recommend eating at off hours, as lines for food can be long and slow. During our last visit, adults could get a complimentary AB beverage at the AB Hospitality Center.

Personally I think all of the show are worth seeing. If you have pets (esp cats or dogs), the Pets Rule show will be fun. It is done well.

Sesame Street Bay of Play is fun for the kids--the rides there are slow loaders though. There is a water/splash play area which is great on a hot day. My kids like the climbers/tunnels/slide area.

The Sesame Street 4-D show WILL get you wet (more splash than other 4-D shows that I've seen).

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the Pets Rule show is outstanding, and my son and I almost always see it when we are there (which is pretty often). If you have a choice between Shamu Rocks and Believe, I would pick Shamu Rocks. Believe, IMO, is REALLY cheesy.

Check out the SeaWorld website for show times for the day you will be there so you can plan ahead.

The shark exhibit is outstanding, as is the Wild Arctic exhibit (which has a "ride", but you can skip that if the line is too long).

Oh I so agree with Pets Rule!!!!! So I have never seen the sea lion show so maybe I shouldn't be saying this, but Pets Rule is THE best show there. OK so I haven't seen the nighttime shows either. But over the dolphins and Believe, PR is the best. Love love LOVE it!

My brother and SIL live in SD and they have passports. SIL works in downtown, and brother works from home, and they have been known to have a long lunch, and go to seaworld JUST to see the Pets show. There's just something about trained cats!


Brother and SIL like to giggle at people watching Believe for the first time, but I gotta tell you, don't believe Believe's beginning. Ugh. (or the dolphin show, for that matter)


The Atlantis ride is OK, not worth a line. Wear a poncho; at the bottom there are buttons people can press (I think you have to pay a quarter to do it) to shoot water at you.


Food is expensive, do not eat at normal eating times or you'll have big lines. Kids meals come with a little lunch bucket that is cute. Budweiser beer is sold all over in plastic bottles.

The shark thing is neat, but smelly. There is something about shark tanks, probably what they feed them, it's just nasty to me. But it's still cool.


My brother has said that whenever he tries to plan ahead using the schedule online, it's always off from when he gets to the park. He's given up planning to that detail, and just does it on the fly with the map/schedule they give you.

You can't bring food into the parks.

If you order your ticket online, you can do it right before you head out. Bring the print outs, and use the scanner machines. Much faster than waiting at the ticket booths!

We've never even seen the Wild Arctic show. DS has been too short for the moving one, and they just send us into the non moving one, which seems like Soarin' without the fun seats. We just walk on through and get to the good stuff.


The arenas where you watch shows are HOT. Get waters, apply sunscreen, wear hats. HOT.


Even though I sound negative, I think, we really love the place! Last December they had a deal where you pay for one day's admission and you got the rest of '08 plus all but 4 days of '09, and that's what DS and I have. We've been 3 times so far since then, and that doesn't count other visits.


But on our first visit, we were really bummed about things, we saw the dolphin and Shamu shows and that was fine, but the day was just bleah. Then we went into the Pets show, and it turned that day right around for us, and we've loved it ever since.

 

[Stacerita]

We were just there last weekend and had a really nice time. We had a 12, a 10 and an 8 year old with us. Plus DBF's parents.

Because of a crazy morning we didn't get there as early as we would have liked. The lines for tickets were long and slow. Try to get yours ahead of time or print them out at home. That will save you time as well as using the exit to enter the park in the morning. We didn't realize that you could do that until we were almost in the park.

Journey to Atlantis was fun. You can get really wet on the ride. Ride it early. We were lucky the line was only 15mins long. It loads very slow though. And there isn't much to do in line either. The only other ride we did that day was the Artic ride. Well the kids did. The adults waited on the other side for them. They enjoyed it. We skipped the rapids ride since we didn't want to have wet undies all day. Plus the line was just crazy.

The best show we saw all day was the nighttime seal lion show. It was very entertaining and the sun was going down so it was cooler. That show was voted the best by everyone in our group. The other show that we enjoyed was Pets Rule.

We were a little dissappointed in the Shamu rocks show. It just didn't see to be like we remembered. It was nice, but nothing great. We did go to the last show so we were able to stay seated and watch the fireworks from there. That was good. And Cirque de la Mer wasn't as good as I remember either.

If you can, I would suggest you try to be at the dolfin area and the morrey eel area for feeding times. It is a great experience for the kids to be able to feed the animals. Our kids loved it.

We had a really great lunch at ShipWreck Cafe. Everyone had a yummy meal. It was park prices, but good food.

We ended up doing the Bay of Play right before we headed home. It was pretty empty by then. The kids had fun.

I would definately suggest doing Journey to Atlantis first. Then checking out the times guide ahead of time and figuring out what shows you want to see. See those shows as early as possible. Line up early to get good seats. Eat lunch at off times. It is well worth it to have a very late lunch and beat the crowds. Do the animal feedings if your kids are up to it. Then see the other exhibts once you hit the things you wanted to do.

Wear lots of sunscreen! I would also suggest putting your kids in shirts that you can spot easy. Crowds can get thick. The benchs for all the shows hurt your hiney! Mine hurt for two days after. If you can, bring a stadium cushion.

I think thats about it for my tips. We did enjoy ourselves, but probably won't go back for a while.

 

[Nora94]

just remembered one more tip - we bought our tickets online and there were lots of codes out there, so do a search for sea world discounts or sea world codes. Anyway, we printed our tickets at home, then brought them with.

Well, as I said earlier the soak zone is really WET for the dolphin show and the tickets were ruined!! They were 2 day tickets... luckily I had printed 2 copies of each so I just switched to the new ones. So, keep your tickets dry, or print 2 copies.

Also I went out to the car to get fresh socks and our sweatshirts. They stamp your hand and all you need to get back in is that hand stamp.

Nora

 

[mt mommy]

This thread is so great. We're going to SW next month!! I love all of the advice from all of you!!!

Thanks!

 

[annacali]

Not sure if it is different in SD (we have only seen Believe in SD) but we did the Shamu Rocks show in Orlando earlier this month and it was entirely too loud for my 3 and 5 year olds. They both adore SW, have been twice in SD, and once in Orlando, have sat through every show and they adore Shamu but they really did not like Shamu Rocks. I felt bad, making them wait all day to see Shamu and then they cried because it was so loud (hard rock, electric guitar type music) and it scared them. Really put a damper on the day for us. So just a warning for those of you with young children...Believe may be the better choice.

And yes...Pets Rule is wonderful. My 3 yo loves it! And we could spend hours in the Wild Arctic Exhibit. We got to see them feed the walruses which was very cool, and the animals swim so close to the glass that my daughters are just in awe. Sea World is definitely a favorite!

 

[lugnut33]

Not sure what it's like now, but a couple of years ago we did the Shamu Show picinic and it worked out really well. The food was fine. It allows you to show up and sit in a preferred seat right in the middle and just out of the splash zone. Signed up to do it again in August while we are out there.

 

[disneylandhunni]

Hey there!
I went to Sea World last year with my Husband and Daughter, 12. We had an awesome time! We showed up at Sea World before the doors opened and got in without a problem. Right away we wemt to the Atlantis ride, and that was my dd fav ride. We saw 3 shows, Shamu Rocks, Dolphin and the sea lion show. We showed up at the entrances to the shows about 10 minutes before opening and got a great seat everytime. We sat in the soak zone once, and if you don't want to get wet, dont sit there! We got lunch at one of the pizza places in the center of the park. The line was long but it was fine. My dd was actually apart of the swimming with the whales and she was allowed to go into the tank with some of the whales at seaworld, and interact with them. She was actually in the exibit with the whales! It was great, she was also allowed to feed a polar bear... I was a little nervous but she loved it. We stayed at the park until closing and went on a raft ride and got soaked. NOT FUN! But it was a great time !

 

[lugnut33]

Hey there!
I went to Sea World last year with my Husband and Daughter, 12. We had an awesome time! We showed up at Sea World before the doors opened and got in without a problem. Right away we wemt to the Atlantis ride, and that was my dd fav ride. We saw 3 shows, Shamu Rocks, Dolphin and the sea lion show. We showed up at the entrances to the shows about 10 minutes before opening and got a great seat everytime. We sat in the soak zone once, and if you don't want to get wet, dont sit there! We got lunch at one of the pizza places in the center of the park. The line was long but it was fine. My dd was actually apart of the swimming with the whales and she was allowed to go into the tank with some of the whales at seaworld, and interact with them. She was actually in the exibit with the whales! It was great, she was also allowed to feed a polar bear... I was a little nervous but she loved it. We stayed at the park until closing and went on a raft ride and got soaked. NOT FUN! But it was a great time !

Was that the Arctic Interaction Program or Trainer for a Day?