My Tips for Sea World Orlando:
*** If you plan on spending the day in the park, purchase the meal plan! You can NOT take food or drinks into the park, so this is a must! The savings is unbelievable!
You pay 29.99 (adults) or 14.99 (children) and you can eat and drink as much as you want ALL DAY LONG! We would have probably spent $30 on water alone! Click HERE to learn more about the Sea World meal options.
*** These are things you must pack if you are traveling with the kiddos (You can rent a locker for only 50 cents!):
- Waterproof Camera (or waterproof bag for camera)
- Ponchos for when it rains or the Shamu shows (buy them outside of the park to save money)
- Sunscreen
- My 411 Wristbands Just in case your little one wanders off 
- Hats & Sunglasses
- Swim suite and swim diapers (great for the splash park)
*** When you arrive, figure out which show and exhibits you don’t want to miss and plan accordingly. Head over to the area of the park where your show is located and ride rides or visit animals near the show.
Our Family Favorites:
The Shows:
- Elmo & Abby Cadabby’s Treasure Hunt (Show) – This is a super cute show, and is a “MUST-SEE” for toddlers and preschoolers! My daughter (2) was mesmerized by her favorite TV characters!
-Pets Ahoy – This show is fun for the whole family! I love it because they give rescued animals a home and the kids love it because its full of back to back animal tricks! I would dare to say, this is one of the best animal shows in the park!
Watching an indoor show is a fun way to take a break from the scorching summer sun and is also the perfect time to re-apply that sunscreen!
- Clyde & Seamore – This show is the funniest animal show I have ever seen, and the humans aren’t half bad either I can’t remember the name of last year’s show but it was just as good as this year’s pirate theme!
I have to give Believe an honorable mention at this time. Due to the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau Sea World trainers are no longer getting into the water with the whales, and though I understand and respect their decision, I would be lying if I said it didn’t change the show completely. The show we saw this year was nothing like the show we saw last summer! It seemed as if the trainers were afraid of the whales and it was a constant reminder of the accident. I left the show kind of depressed, and even the boys (6&7) noticed the difference and were disappointed!
The Rides:
Kraken- I’m not afraid to admit it… I was terrified! John forced me onto this one, and I thanked him… when we returned safely! In my opinion Kraken is better than Manta (or maybe I should say scarier!).
Journey to Atlantis – This is the only “boat”/coaster I have ever been on, and we loved it! This one ranked #1 with the boys and was the “coolest” ride they were tall enough for!
Shamu’s Happy Harbor – This is an awesome area for kids of all ages! Babies and toddlers (as well as the big kids) enjoy the splash park, they have a coaster, mini drop zone, and lots of rides that twirl around I really recommend hitting this area twice (makes for super stoked kids). Once in the morning (when they need to cool off) and again in the evening when people are leaving. We made a stop at the harbor right before sundown and the kids got to ride everything with no more than a 3 minute wait!
Great Deals @ Sea World Orlando:
Now through December 31st you can get $5 tickets for children (3-12 years old) with the purchase of an adult ticket! LEARN MORE HERE
Here’s to Heroes- All year long military service member can get up to 4 FREE tickets to Sea World LEARN MORE HERE
- Disclaimer – I was given two media passes for the purpose of this review. My opinions are my own (that’s what makes em’ mine )
we will be going in may!! first time visit… any deals??
I will post some asap!
Thinking about how the trainers don't get into the water with the whales anymore, I wonder if that will make the whales more violent, kind of like cagged animals? I can truly understand the safety of if but it just seems sad. I'm glad you had fun at Sea World! I haven't been to Sea World in San Diego since the kids were little. I think often about going back to visit. My family is at Disneyland almost every weekend since my daughter goes to college about six miles down the street. I think Sea World is definatly a more refreshing place to visit in the summer. I can go to Disneyland and spend less than $20. We take in bottled water and I have to have my fruits and veggie's. I love Disneylands food tho, it is so yummy! I went to Magic Kingdom last year and was shocked that they serve food as Disneyland did back in the 70's and 80's. Hamburgers and microwave type pizza's. Disneyland has the best food in any park. Knott's Berry Farm has good food too! OK, that's enought, can you tell that I am bored! LOL.
Great tips, especially the locker rental. We always take advantage of that when we're there – take in stuff we may need and stash it. Saves a trip all the way out to the car, and no lugging it around the park!
Just a tip, don't stay at the Port Orleans if you're spending buckets of money. Beautiful grounds, but the rooms are dingy.
I can't wait to take my daughter to Orlando! Sea World is definitely on my long list of places to visit. I used to go there every year when I was a kid… i wonder if it's changed much. Thanks for the tips and for remembering Dawn Brancheau. I hope the rest of your visit was memorable.
I really want to plan a trip to go here soon! We have talked about sending Morgan to Sea World camp! Thanks for all the great tips!
GREAT post! We have been anxious to take our kids back to Florida and to Sea World. I appreciate you letting us know what we should bring and what the best rides are. This helps planning a trip so much easier.
Now if only we could win the Lottery so we had the $$ to go. LOL!
Nice job! It looks like you covered everything we need to know to go. Thanks for the info……..
Hi Neighbor – I am in Orlando too. LOVE the all-day eating passes! We are huge SeaWorld fans. I want to take her to the Trick or treating event it looks so fun. (I know it's summer, I am just saying that's how we will use our $5 tix!)
Yeah, that event looks like fun!
The Sea World Halloween event is FANTASTIC!! My husband and I don't even have kids, and we make it a point to go every year, hehe!
The costumed characters are fantastic, they have tons of performers, and their Trick-or-Treat area is very easy to navigate, they keep people moving so you're not standing in lines forever. Definitely check it out!!
Thanks Carissa, we may have to make another trip down this year just for that!
I hope to go there one day. We just got back from Sea World San Diego and had a great time, but the one in Orlando looks like it has alot more rides! Thanks for the great info!
Another great tip is getting tap water from the soda fountains, instead of buying bottled. My husband and I have the refillable Shamu cup (pay roughly $7 and you can get soda refills for just over a dollar) but more often than not, we just request ice water from the taps. The drinking fountains by the restrooms taste disgusting and staying hydrated by buying bottled water is far too expensive, so the tap water from any of the restaurants or kiosks is a great way to beat the heat but not your wallet.