We are going to SeaWorld right before Christmas. We will be in Orlando Dec 21-24. We will arrive around 1pm the first day and leave around dinner time on Christmas Eve. We will have a Busch Gardens Annual pass, so we can go to Sea World and Aquatica. Our pass is not good at Discovery Cove. I don't want to spend a lot of money at other locations this trip since we have these passes. I may want to visit downtown Disney or the Christmas decorations at one of the resorts. Other than getting a reserved seating pass, any recommendations on how we use our time? Can you tell me more about the Christmas shows? Thanks.
Looks like we will be there same time as you this year. Going to Orlando for Christmas as well this year.
Last year we were there before Christmas week, so it wasn't as crowded during the day. It definitely picked up at night for the Christmas parts. We only had a few days last year and just did Sea World,
MVMCP, and HS. As far as Sea World goes, I thought the decorations at Sea World were better than those at MK. It felt more like Christmas time to me at Sea World.
There are 4 Christmas shows:
O Wondrous Night - live nativity play, I actually didn't think I'd care for this very much, but ended up really enjoying it.
Shamu - pretty much the whale show put to Christmas music
Clyde & Seamore - similar to the regular show in how it is performed, but with a Christmas theme. I actually liked the Christmas show better than the regular show.
Winter Wonderland / Holiday Reflections fireworks afterwards - an ice skating show with the fireworks and Sea of a Trees in the background as the finale. This was my favorite, and a perfect way to end the night.
There is also the Tree of Lights show which is a TSO type show with Christmas trees placed throughout the lake changing color to music. You can see this show from a number of locations along the water, on the bridge, and from the Bayside Theater.
When we went, the shows were arranged in a back to back schedule. One ending the next starting. The only way to see all 4 Christmas shows was if you had the seating pass because you couldn't walk quickly enough between the theaters to get there before they shut the doors due to capacity. The only way in after the theater is full is if you have purchased the seating pass.
During Christmas, the event area to the right between the entrance and the Bayside Stadium is turned into a Christmas village. There are little kiosks selling Christmas trinkets and hot chocolate and s'mores. There was also a nice outdoor fire pit with seating. This was a nice area to hang out in after the last show ended and let the crowds clear out before heading for the exit.
If you only go to Sea World for the afternoon for the Christmas events, then I would go to the Polar Express ride first. Get it out of the way. You get a quick queue pass for this if you purchase the show seating, so the crowds won't matter. Then if you still have time before the first show starts, I'd go either to check out the Christmas village or Shamu's Harbor if you have kids. If you go earlier in the day and have more time, try to fit in the dolphins, turtles, and penguins, as there are no Christmas equivalents for those animals. If you arrive in the morning, do the Penguins first since this ride has the longest line all day. Really anything that is a must do for your family, I'd try to fit it in by mid afternoon because once the Christmas shows start, you don't really have much time to do anything else.
Last year doing a water park like Aquatica was out of the question, since it was about 45 degrees when we were in Orlando. Warmest day it was about 68 mid afternoon. But last year was an exceptionally cold winter for the south, so who knows this year.
We did go to DTD last year. It was pretty crowded, but still fun to walk around and look at the decorations. We made reservations at the TRex restaurant about two weeks before leaving through the restaurant not through Disney and had no problems getting a seat.
I think touring the Disney resorts would be fun. I wanted to do that last year but ran out of time. I think with your limited time I'd try to just choose a few to tour, maybe same day you do DTD that way you can park at DTD and then just take the Disney transportation around to the hotels. You could either do the Epcot hotels which are grouped together Swan, Dolphin, Yatch, Boardwalk, Beach Club. Hanging out at the boardwalk could be a fun way to end the night. Or do the hotels connected by monorail. Take a DTD bus to one of those, then the monorail to the others. Another option would be to go over to the Wilderness Lodge, see the decorations, the geyser, and the Electrical Water Pagent, maybe have dinner there. Whispering Canyon is supposed to be a lot of fun for kids. You could also go tour the campgrounds. There are tons of decorations up there and lots of activities for kids to do, although not all free.
If you have a Busch Gardens pass, have you thought about just going there one of your days? I know they also have special Christmas activities and shows, a Christmas village I think. The drive really isn't that bad for a day trip. Even if you aren't really into roller coasters, there are plenty of animals to see and other things to do. If you do like coasters, they have some great ones. I really enjoyed our time spent there this spring. We are planning on going back this summer, and I may go again at Christmas as well.