Seaworld - many questions....

[Simiesue]

Okay, we plan on spending a day there next week. I have never been to SW and not sure what to see or do. I will be with my 10 yr. old and 5 yr. old.
1- are the shows free??
2- Which show is good to see?? ( I really want to see dolphins and shamu)
3- Can the kids pet the dolphins??
4- How far is SW from Magic Kingdom?? My offsite hotel is charging $36 person round trip (yikes $36 x 4= $$$$$$$)
5- Would a taxi be cheaper (I would hope so.. lol)
6- What are thing that are considered MUST SEE.
7 - Can we buy tix at gate??
8- Where to eat while there?
Thanks so much for helping this newbie!!!!!!
I greatly appreciate it..

 

[TiffinyKC]

I am a big Seaworld cheerleader right now ...so I would love to give you my perspective on this!

1- are the shows free?? Yes!

2- Which show is good to see?? ( I really want to see dolphins and shamu) You must see Believe, this is a do not miss. Fabulous show.

3- Can the kids pet the dolphins?? There is a section of SeaWorld that is called Dolphin Cove, kids can pet the dolphins here. They also have a section at Dolphin Cove where you can feed the dolphins. It is $7 per tray and everyone who enters this area must purchase a tray. There are about 5 fish in the tray. FYI, feeding the fish to the dolphins gives you a larger probability of petting the dolphins.

4- How far is SW from Magic Kingdom?? My offsite hotel is charging $36 person round trip (yikes $36 x 4= $$$$$$$) I would say 10 miles or less. There is a bus that you can catch from Downtown Disney that stops at SeaWorld, this would be way cheaper. We rented a car, so I don't have a ton of feedback on this one.

5- Would a taxi be cheaper (I would hope so.. lol) Again, on this one I am not too sure.

6- What are thing that are considered MUST SEE. Believe, anything where you can feed the animals (dolphin, sting rays, sea lions), Blue Horizons is great.

7 - Can we buy tix at gate?? Yes! We did not, but we saw others who did.

8- Where to eat while there? If you have the budget for it I recommend the Dine With Shamu meal. It's an all you can eat buffet with all you can drink soda and beer; the food is actually pretty good. While you eat Believe is showing on a huge flat screen; once Believe is over a Killer Whale comes into the tank in front of you and there is a show to watch with trainers guiding the killer whale through various jumps and tricks. It's really cool. We've done this twice, one with a tour where the meal was included and another time that we just did. It was around $70 for my DS10 and I. Also, you get a family photo.

I hope this helps you.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

You got everything answered by PP, just wanted to add... being the time of year I'm assuming it's still short hours. We were there in Dec, it closed at 8 I think. We ate a good breakfast before going and took some snacks and water into the park with us. We were good for the day, grabbed a late dinner. The food/drinks in the park were so expensive and we were so busy anyway trying to fit it all in. We had a great time.
We also really enjoyed Clyde and Seymore (esp. the mime pre-show, get there early!), Allure, my favorite thing, I could have stayed all day since there was no crowd, I don't know what you'd call it maybe dolphin viewing. But it was like under where they did the feeding. We saw the dolphins swimming right up to the glass... I got some GREAT pictures there. It was very peaceful, for a dolphin lover it was great.

 

[Simiesue]

Thanks so much for the replys. Do I have to make reservations for Dolphin Cove? The website doesn't say what times the feedings are. Do I sign up for a specific time??? Ok, I am soooo excited. lol
Do you have to make reservations for the shows or just show up for it???

 

[livndisney]

Thanks so much for the replys. Do I have to make reservations for Dolphin Cove? The website doesn't say what times the feedings are. Do I sign up for a specific time??? Ok, I am soooo excited. lol
Do you have to make reservations for the shows or just show up for it???

You don't make reservations for shows or to feed the dolphins. Most shows suggest arriving 15-30 minutes prior to show time. The dolphin feedings times vary but are several times through out the day.

 

[DOOM1001]

$36 per person is ridiculous,a cab has to be much cheaper, also even though I've never taken it many people take a shuttle run by Mears which also has to be cheaper.I would also consider renting a car.

 

[kathy884]

We were staying at a hotel walking distance from Sea World in October for a mini stay and wanted to visit Animal Kingdom one day. My cousin gave us a ride over, and we took a cab back. The cab fare was $36 and I gave the guy a $4 tip, so it was $40 for all of us. A cab for your party would be about the same price.

You got great answers to your other questions, so I don't really have much to add. I will say, though, that all the Sea World shows are very enjoyable. Believe (the Shamu show) is a must see. Blue Horizons is the dolphin show. And Clyde and Semour is the Sea Lion show -- they have a mime before this show who is quite entertaining so we always like to get there early. These are the marine mammal shows (the headliners), so I'd make these your show priorities.

If you have time to go a second day, you can get your second day free pass to come back within seven days just by stopping at the customer service window. If you go a second day, you could fit in the Pets Ahoy show and Allure show and maybe Believe again if you want. (If we're there two days in a row, we always go to this both days.) There are two fun coasters also -- Manta and Kracken if you like thrill rides. If you like coaster do these first thing in the morning before lines get long. All the Animal Exhibits are great too.

Have a great time. We love all the world class Orlando theme parks, but Sea World is our favorite. It's the one that is a must do for us on every trip.

 

[taliategan]

If you plan on buying tickets at the gate, take your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Card (if you have one) - there is a 20% discount on tickets bought a gate with this card. Also, I belive a AAA card wil get $ 5 discount per ticket at the gate.

 

[Tab2Disney]

If you have AAA get tickets at an office before you leave home...
It'll save you $10 per ticket!
Have Fun

 

[MickeysFans]

There is also a dophin encounter 20-30 / person if you want a little more interaction. Check out the threads in it, there are also some great pix that I saw yesterday. Someone recommended going to feed dolphins immediately at 9:15 if that is your big thing. Otherwise, get to the rides before lines form.
Enjoy it!!!