WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for your detailed report on the VIP tour!! Sounds like you had an amazing time. Makes me want to do the family fun tour even more. I just showed the details to DH and he said "book it!". I like that it allows us to interact with dolphins, penguins and sea lions! When I asked my girls if they would prefer to interact with dolphins, penguins or sea lions (because they have those individual tours too), one said dolphins, and the other one said penguins!! How do I choose?
With the family fun, you apparently get all three. I like the front of the line access for the kiddie rides too...I would imagine in July, the lines will be busy. We are not big coaster fans, so not getting the ride pass for those big rides is fine by us!
May I ask you how did you book your tour? Through the SW website? When you book, do you get your choice of time? One last, question, when did you book your tour? I wonder if I need to book well in advance or not...I highly doubt we would be as lucky as you to get the tour all to ourselves in July. Thanks so much again for your help. I am totally excited now for our trip!
I feel your excitement .... I too was very excited when making plans. It was a hard decision for us and b/c we didn't know the park we thought it would be the best decision to do the tour. We booked our tour directly through the website and entered our cc information. I changed the date 3 times over the course of the planning. I called in to make the changes. Our only available time was 11 b/c it was 7 hours and the park was open from 9-6. How old are your children?
Maybe someone else will chime in here regarding the time of season you'll be visiting to ensure you are on the right track. After being there and going through the experience I would offer this:
We arrived right at opening (similar to RD). When you first enter, meet and greet for Shamu is on a dock ... very little wait to have your picture with him and there is a photographer there to take your photo (with your camera and his). EVERYONE goes to the big rides on the left side of the park so we basically explored the right side of the park without running into anyone after we went through the penguin exhibit. We were able to ride all the rides in Happy Harbor without waiting in line. There was literally no one there and we at first thought it wasn't even open. The kids rode the Shamu coaster 3 times in a row.
We saw Beleive first and then the Dolphin show. We all enjoyed the "Dolphin show" far more than "Believe". After we told our tour guide our preference she said the Dolphin show is their #1 show. It is superior to "Believe" and I would make that a priority. I would have also preferred to see the Pets Ahoy show vs Believe (kids are 7 & 4) but there was no time for it cause we went to Clyde and Seymore, which is also a fantastic show! Just don't be late cause there is a mime that makes fun of almost anyone who walks through the gate.
The cost for the fish was 5/$20
after rereading I better clarify 5 trays with 5-8 fish in each for $20 to feed the Sealions. When we fed them we stood along a railing and threw them down. As I mentioned, most of the fish went to the birds that scoop them up long before they reach the sea lions. After our tour guide noticed us being frustrated she did move us to a roped off area but that didn't help. We did celebrate when a sealion did finally get one. The birds FLOCK to the fish and you have to shoo them away. We didn't get to interact with the sealions (from the description that your tour is I would think it is also a "feed only)".
When we fed the dolphins we each got one dish of food and were escorted in the back exit with a group of about 30 other people who did wait in line. This was a very exciting experience and although it is very busy, it is worth it. As long as you're feeding them, they'll stay, but again the birds stole fish constantly from our dishes. I imagine the fish price is the same.
The one thing we did do that was alot of fun was the sting ray feed. Besides getting very wet (they flap their bodies agaisnt the side of the pool) the kids loved it. Bring rain smocks. You actually hold the fish in an up right position between your pointer finger and middle finger and submerge your arm (between your hand and elbow) under the water. Their mouths are below them so they come up over top of your hand and suck it up like a vaccum. It is very cool. There are sinks and soap to wash afterwards at all stations that relate to feeding. For the dolphin feeding we just went into the nearby bathroom cause the line was very long at the outdoor sink.
Our children are not thrill seekers (quite the opposite) and we did the Journey to Atlantis ride. The kids loved it and wanted to do it again. The drop is pretty fun, but again wear rain smocks. We didn't get really wet, but we're told by our guide to sit in the 3rd and 4th row. If you choose to do it, balance out the weight by having your DH sit on the opposite side of you. It made a difference the second time. They do offer a photo $19.99, which is seperate cost from the cd I mentioned previously.
My DH ate @ the Spice Mill and we ate @ Seafire. Both were very good with lots and lots of options.
If you have any other questions please ask.
) to allow us plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the park after the tour. I also booked a Cabana for us at Aquatica! 
but I think the VIP tour will be nice.
)
Hope everyone has a wonderful experience.
