What tour do you suggest?

cantwaitvaca09

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
3,350
We will be going to SW in September 2015.

Is there a tour that is really a must do? We have never been to SW and we are there just the one day.

Also, is the All Day Dinning worth it?

Thank you for your help.
 
For a one-day, first visit to SeaWorld, I honestly wouldn't even bother with a tour. The shows, exhibits and rides will be more than enough to fill a whole day and then some. Budget for some spending money to feed the animals (super fun!). Then just enjoy an unrestricted, enjoyable, relaxing day at the park.

We love the all-day dining plan, and think its very much worth it. Plan to arrive just before park opening and have breakfast on the plan (check your park map when you arrive to see which location is serving breakfast on that particular day). You can eat as many meals as you wish, from open to close: one entree, one drink and one side (dessert, salad, fruit, etc.) each time through the line. Cold Dasani water bottles are also part of the plan, which are a godsend if its hot. Voyagers has great barbecue, and is probably our favourite restaurant of all.
 
For a one-day, first visit to SeaWorld, I honestly wouldn't even bother with a tour. The shows, exhibits and rides will be more than enough to fill a whole day and then some. Budget for some spending money to feed the animals (super fun!). Then just enjoy an unrestricted, enjoyable, relaxing day at the park.

We love the all-day dining plan, and think its very much worth it. Plan to arrive just before park opening and have breakfast on the plan (check your park map when you arrive to see which location is serving breakfast on that particular day). You can eat as many meals as you wish, from open to close: one entree, one drink and one side (dessert, salad, fruit, etc.) each time through the line. Cold Dasani water bottles are also part of the plan, which are a godsend if its hot. Voyagers has great barbecue, and is probably our favourite restaurant of all.

Thank you very much. How must is it to feed the animals?
Also, is the quick que needed? My kids are 10 & 8
 
Thank you very much. How must is it to feed the animals?
Also, is the quick que needed? My kids are 10 & 8

I think it was about $6 or $7 per person to feed the animals at each station, or you could get a combo pass that allowed you to do multiple feedings at a discount. I can't remember the details exactly as our animal feedings ended up being part of the VIP tour we won, but I think it was something like 3 feedings for $10 or $12.

For Quick Queue, its hard to say if you "need" it or not. It depends on how important the 7 feature rides are to your family (coasters Manta and Kraken, water ride Journey to Atlantis, motion simulator Wild Arctic, the new Antarctica penguins attraction, the revolving SkyTower, and Turtle Trek). And how busy the park is on the day of your visit. We always get it, but the coasters in particular are a favourite for my fellows.
 

I think it was about $6 or $7 per person to feed the animals at each station, or you could get a combo pass that allowed you to do multiple feedings at a discount. I can't remember the details exactly as our animal feedings ended up being part of the VIP tour we won, but I think it was something like 3 feedings for $10 or $12.

For Quick Queue, its hard to say if you "need" it or not. It depends on how important the 7 feature rides are to your family (coasters Manta and Kraken, water ride Journey to Atlantis, motion simulator Wild Arctic, the new Antarctica penguins attraction, the revolving SkyTower, and Turtle Trek). And how busy the park is on the day of your visit. We always get it, but the coasters in particular are a favourite for my fellows.

Our plan is to go on the Sunday of our trip to WDW. We are just in SW for the one day. None of us have ever been, my girls are 9 & 7 and I don't know if they would want to do the coasters or not. I don't know if my 7 year old would be tall enough. I know we would do the artic thing and the water ride. But not know about SW I am not sure. I want to plan so we can make the best of our day there, but I don't want to over plan. My husband is already sick of hearing about making dinning reservations for WDW as well as the fastpass reservations.
I will do the All Day the Dinning for sure.

Thank you so much for your help.
 
I agree with skipping the tours, especially for a one day visit. We did a tour on our two day visit, a very basic one, and imo, it was dragged out way too long. Too much talking and not enough animals. It was so hot and the bus was open air, not AC. Most areas in the tour we were on were not shaded. We just stood there in the hot sun. A couple times DD and I thought we'd faint from the August heat.

For us, it was definitely not worth it and I wouldn't do another tour there again during the hot months. They should at least offer you a bottle of water for the price you pay. This was just our experience. I'm sure many people enjoy the tours, but for us, once was enough.

Your kids might like the water ride Journey To Atlantis.
We really enjoyed the convenience of the all day dining. The food was just theme park food, nothing special, but worth it for the convenience, the water bottles, and the breakfast was pretty good too. :)
Have fun!
 
i would definitely skip the tours, there are enough shows to keep you entertained all day!
 
Last edited:
It depends on what you like. If you like animal interactions, they have some great tours! The beluga whale interaction is amazing. You get to sit with your feet in the water and participate in a training session. The Wild Arctic tour was really cool also. You got to touch a harbor seal, a beluga whale, and a feed a walrus. The tour is only about $59 per person. The sea lion and otter tour is cool because you get to feed a whole bucket of fish to the sea lions.
 
It depends on what you like. If you like animal interactions, they have some great tours! The beluga whale interaction is amazing. You get to sit with your feet in the water and participate in a training session. The Wild Arctic tour was really cool also. You got to touch a harbor seal, a beluga whale, and a feed a walrus. The tour is only about $59 per person. The sea lion and otter tour is cool because you get to feed a whole bucket of fish to the sea lions.

you need to be 10years or older to do the beluga interaction, not sure about the others!
 
I was thinking of maybe going to SeaWorld for a day next year in early February. I saw three tours that caught my eye and wanted to see if anyone had done them before and if I could get your thoughts on it. The Penguins up close, Behind the scenes tour and the Dolphin up close tour. The cheapest one is the behind the scene tour which is $29 and it says on that tour you can touch a shark and a penguin. So I thought I ask.
 
We have done most of the tours at SeaWorld. I do think much of what makes them special is whatever interests you however I'd say that by far, the best one we have done was the Sea Lion and Otter tour. That little Otter is just so precious...my wife and daughter were absolutely in love. Plus the massive bucket of fish was very cool and the people offering the tour were just great to talk with. I learned a lot by asking questions and speaking with the staff. Great people...I'd say the Dolphin tour was my 2nd fav...however that one I've done twice and to be honest, both times were VERY different. I believe on the first, we were able to go behind the scenes at Blue Horizon Stadium and it was very cool, the second time we didn't go there at all. Bottom line, the tours do cost more but they give you quite a bit and I find them very worth the added cost...one tip, get an annual pass and you can save quite a bit of $ on the tours, park goodies and enjoy free parking.
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top