Just back & here are things that I found to be challenging w/ my DDs, 10 months & 3 yr old.
The stroller situation. I guess I'm used to retreating to a hotel during the heat of the day. When you go to Sea World, you're usually there for the day unless your hotel is very close by & even then, you'd miss quite a few shows by leaving. None of the indoor attractions or shows allow strollers so you're constantly pulling the kids in & out of the strollers. We even felt the need to pull the 3 yr old out of the stroller to see the outdoor attractions since she couldn't see from her stroller. There was one good meltdown around 2 p.m. when she should have been napping.
Shamu's Happy Harbor. A mistake for us primarily b/c of the timing. We arrived there after the 12:30 Shamu show. even though i didn't have her swim suit, I wanted her to head over to the ships where you can get wet just to cool off. She saw the slides on the climbing nets, went up the stairs, down the slides, went up the stairs again, then headed up the nets which are stories high in the air. My husband went in after her, she didn't want to leave & had to carry her out kicking & screaming. Now, they're both red-faced & over-heated. We ended up seeking refuge at the Seafire Grill just to give the kids some down time in their strollers in the A/C. We had to skip the Wild Arctic walking tour for that reason.
Otherwise, the day went fine. Arrived at 9, rode Journey to Atlantis (2 rides w/ baby swap), observed the sea lions, went to the Clyde & Seamore show at 10, shark encounter, ate at 11 at Sharks Underwater Grill, Clydesdales, Hospitality Center for free beers, Shamu show, Happy Harbor, break at Seafire, Pets Ahoy show at 3:15, saw penguins, then toured the Key West area. We fed dolphins at 4, fed sting rays at 4:30 then viewed the manatees. We peaked in at the turtles & flamingos on the way out around 5:15. It started to rain plus the kids were ready to leave. We missed the dolphin nursery & Wild Arctic but that's OK.
RE: noise. Clyde & Seamore & Shamu are outdoors but the music, clapping, & laughter (the laughter is heard moreso at the Clyde & Seamore show) tend to be loud & overstimulating. You can constantly hear the whistle throughout the Shamu show - I would think that it would be annoying if you were overly focused or tuned in to it. Ear muffs or even a walkman would be a good idea. Just taking in the visual aspect of the shows, sitting in the crowded stadiums, entering & exiting the stadiums, etc may be enough. The Pets Ahoy show is in an indoor auditorium. I didn't think that the noise was an issue b/c the crowd was considerably smaller than the stadium crowds at the other shows. Entering & exiting was more orderly. The animals were great & the show's length is less than 30 min. (i think).
any questions?
