LuvMyEAR
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2009
- Messages
- 726
Our multigenerational group, ages 19 - 70, spent a happy day at SeaWorld. We bought our tickets through UT, and included the dining plan. Four of the group were keen to try the roller coasters, while three of us enjoyed seeing the marine life, shows and displays, landscape, Christmas decor, etc. We arrived about 30 min after opening, on Nov 10 and the park was nearly empty. It was close to noon before we encountered many other guests! Unfortunately, we were a week too early for the full Christmas event, but could still enjoy the lights and lots of holiday atmosphere.
The coaster enthusiasts rode to their hearts content.They enjoyed themselves so much that 3 of them returned later in the week for another helping of those thrills. Unfortunately, the decision to return for a second day was completely spontaneous, so they paid the full ticket price, instead of taking advantage of one of the many ways to score an incredibly discounted second day with better planning.
SeaWorld certainly offers great entertainment value for the money. The park is extremely clean, well-maintained, and no one expected any kind of fine dining from a $30 dining plan. The food was plentiful and varied enough to suit all tastes and keep our party well fueled. I could see seating being a challenge on a busier day, but while we were there, we could always find seats.
We obviously didn’t spend time in the area designed for younger guests, but I will assume they were as nicely themed and maintained as the rest of the park.
Only two somewhat negative comments about our day. We were prepared but still kind of surprised they were allowed to refuse any cash transactions. It was simple enough to purchase a prepaid credit card from the available machines, and I could see the huge advantage to the park operations of never having to worry about cash floats. The second but more impactful negative aspect was the staff. These are definitely NOT Disney CMs!!! Staff at the gate, in shops, show stadiums, and restaurants were at best disengaged and indifferent to customers. At worst, they were abrupt and distinctly unhelpful. We found we really had to request, prod, and even argue over one point.
The park attractions were definitely enough to overcome the staff shortcomings, and at the end of the day, we were actually laughing at the consistently underwhelming customer/staff interactions. It was almost like someone had flipped the Disney script and they were all playing the part, convincingly!
The coaster enthusiasts rode to their hearts content.They enjoyed themselves so much that 3 of them returned later in the week for another helping of those thrills. Unfortunately, the decision to return for a second day was completely spontaneous, so they paid the full ticket price, instead of taking advantage of one of the many ways to score an incredibly discounted second day with better planning.
SeaWorld certainly offers great entertainment value for the money. The park is extremely clean, well-maintained, and no one expected any kind of fine dining from a $30 dining plan. The food was plentiful and varied enough to suit all tastes and keep our party well fueled. I could see seating being a challenge on a busier day, but while we were there, we could always find seats.
We obviously didn’t spend time in the area designed for younger guests, but I will assume they were as nicely themed and maintained as the rest of the park.
Only two somewhat negative comments about our day. We were prepared but still kind of surprised they were allowed to refuse any cash transactions. It was simple enough to purchase a prepaid credit card from the available machines, and I could see the huge advantage to the park operations of never having to worry about cash floats. The second but more impactful negative aspect was the staff. These are definitely NOT Disney CMs!!! Staff at the gate, in shops, show stadiums, and restaurants were at best disengaged and indifferent to customers. At worst, they were abrupt and distinctly unhelpful. We found we really had to request, prod, and even argue over one point.
The park attractions were definitely enough to overcome the staff shortcomings, and at the end of the day, we were actually laughing at the consistently underwhelming customer/staff interactions. It was almost like someone had flipped the Disney script and they were all playing the part, convincingly!
