It's me and my boyfriends first time to Orlando next September. We are dead set on doing all parks but the only one I am not 100% on is seaworld? There doesn't seem much to do there except see animals?
Anyone got any good info on seaworld to try and away me?
Thanks
Beth
You asked..........
I did one day at SeaWorld last year with my fiance. I did add a day on to our trip as not to take away from a Disney day - thank God I did that! We are trying to add one day out of Disney a trip to see the area and for our next trip we will probably try "Titanic the Exhibit". We were both very disappointed in our day at Sea World. There are quite a few thrill rides, but they are not for us. There are 2 things we wanted to do: Journey to Atlantis which was having technical issues and the Sky Tower which was closed, probably because it was a windy day.
I will be the first to admit that I am partial to Disney and did notice the difference in staff between Disney parks and Sea World - the Sea World staff didn't seem happy at all. They are all frowning the whole time, like it was a job (Yeah, I know it was). Disney cast members seem to want to be there.
We went and saw all the shows we wanted too and basically waited in between shows for the next show. We saw the dolphin show which I thought was disappointing. Then walked over to Shamu - we went to see the arctic exhibit first and were told it wasn't open yet and to come back. So we sat and waited for Shamu - this was a very good show. We enjoyed this - the only issue is that everyone was jumping into the aisles to get a better view so you had to keep popping up and down to see. The first 15 or 20 rows get soaked - we stayed towards the back.
Then we got drinks and saw some more exhibits - nothing you can't really see in any other park or zoo.
We went to Clyde and Seamus sea lion show (Take Pirate Island?) which was pretty funny - there was a mime before the show started that was picking on people coming in, that was great. Probably the best part of the day - the mime was hilarious!
We then walked through some aquarium by the exit for the sea lion pirate show - you walk through a tunnel under an aquarium which was neat, but all I could think was that Disney would have made you ride through it which would have been nice and eliminated a lot of people gathering in one spot.
Then we waited and went to the last show which was like a Cirque thing - it was pretty good - nowhere near as good as a Cirque show, but tolerable.
In summary, we can say we did Sea World, but I can't imagine we will ever be back unless I was drug and tortured by my nephew who has the power to make me do things beyond my will.
There was also quite a bit of walking between shows and waiting.
I had ordered the tickets on-line to save a bit. It was a nice touch that the park opened in the morning, they played the national anthem.
I think we spent about $150 on 2 tickets and another $40 on a round-trip shuttle. Definitely not a $200 day for us anyway.
You will definitely gets lots of differing opinions on this. Its also important to note that your question is being raised on a message board where the general loyalty lies, for the most part, with the Disney parks
.
That said, I can tell you that my family would take a SeaWorld parks vacation over a Disney vacation anyday. Or a Universal vacation over a Disney vacation. Yup, we are most definitely in the minority, but we have found lots to love about SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. We despise Epcot like the above-quoted poster dislikes SeaWorld
. You couldn't pay my fellows to return there....its just not our thing.
We love SeaWorld for the relaxe pace it offers vs. the Disney counterparts. No ADR's necessary a full six months before you travel, no touring plan needed to follow in order to enjoy the attractions at the park.....its relaxing. And enjoyable. And very go-with-the-flow. Its a day of family fun that can be unscripted and spontaneous and still fun.
We love SeaWorld for the shows. They are amazing and so well done. The left us awed and impressed and not wanting them to end.
We love SeaWorld for Quick Queue. No worrying about Fastpass return times and blah, blah, blah. Front of the line, when you want it, as many times as you want it (with the exception of the free QQ from the official hotels, which is one time per attraction). Its beautiful. And it made is wonder why there are so many Fastpass lovers at Disney
(ditto for Express Pass at Universal....its beyond awesome).
We love SeaWorld for the all-day dining. Blows Disney's counter service plan out of the water on both quality and price. Disney's plan costs $37.58 per person, per day. SW's is $35.13 with tax, and that's if you pay full price (there are opportunities to "dine free" with a ticket purchase, so in some cases, it may cost almost nothing). Disney's plan costs more and is restrictive (two meals plus one snack, and that's it). SeaWorld's, at the lesser price, is truly unlimited, includes breakfast, lunch, supper, unlimited snacking, will substitute a non-dessert item for your "side", and all the drinks you want or need. And the food is excellent. We have enjoyed everything from barbecued chicken and ribs to a turkey and mashed potato bread bowl with gravy, from chicken alfredo to pizza, to fruit, cake, muffins, salad, fries and jumbo dill pickles.
We love SeaWorld for the rides. My boys are coaster lovers, and they can't get enough of Manta. They also adore Kraken. They are adamant that Manta is the best coaster they've ever ridden, and we've been to all 4 Disney parks, both Universal parks, SW, Wisconsin Dells, and Canada's Wonderland.
We love SeaWorld for the animals. Yes, we adore Mickey Mouse, but there's something "magical" to us about Shamu. The park is full of wonderful exhibits and animal feeding opportunities that are so much fun. And it appeals much more to our "adult" family feel (we have no small kids) than the more juvenile (for lack of a better word) and princess-centric focus of the Disney parks.
We love SeaWorld because its a "something for everyone" kind of park. It appeals to ride lovers and show lovers. It offers both excitement and relaxation. Its entertaining and its educational. Grandmas will love it as much as toddlers, even if its for different reasons. Regardless of your tolerance for thrills, you will find something here that really pulls you in.
We love SeaWorld for its value. While we find Disney to be pricing itself out of a "good value" destination, we don't find that with SeaWorld. Hotels are more reasonable at SW. Dining options are more reasonably priced. Ticket discounts are readily available (2nd day free, free all-day dining, etc.). Souvenirs are more moderately priced. It just feels like we are getting a much better bang for our buck.
So yep, we would totally recommend SeaWorld. We love it there!
hugh animals always make me wonder why i always tearup not a big animal fan
