How long does it take to do Sea World?

[sherry7]

DH, 12 year old DS, and I will be visiting Orlando in the 3rd week of September. The day our flight arrives (at 10:30 am on a Saturday), we plan on going to Sea World after we find our luggage and rental car. We're hoping to be in the park by 1:00. My understanding is that Sea World closes at 7 pm during September. Are we going to be able to see everything in this timeframe? On the day we fly home, we have a free day until around 4:00 pm. Should we spend this time at Sea World to finish seeing everything? Or will this be overkill? (I should mention that none of us have ever been to a Sea World before.) Thanks for any opinions.

 

[Winston112]

That sounds like a good idea to me, I may do that also.

 

[kellymonaghan]

It's unlikely that you'll be able to do justice to SeaWorld on that first day. The shows are the heart of SeaWorld and you may have to miss some. Then if your 12-year-old likes the thrill rides that adds another layer of complexity.

So, your idea of returning on the last day to finish up what you missed is a good one. That should let you see pretty kuch everything, maybe some favorites more than once.

 

[robvia]

Sea world is bigger than most people realize. Their previous advertising campaign said something like, 'All this in a day? No way." And they are correct.

On your afternoon visit, grab a park map as you enter and go see some shows. The rides will have a 1 hour wait so leave them. The dolphin feeding at the Key West area is also a good idea. They sell the food at 2pm, 3pm, then around 5pm. Your kid will want to feed them over and over. A tray of 4 fish is $4, buy a couple, or even three. The last Shamu show may have fireworks, so that would be a good one to see.

On your next day, get there early, do JTA and Kraken, then see any shows you missed.

I've been there two times this year, and I'm going back in July and I still haven't seen everything.

 

[FINFAN]

We spent a whole day at SW on our last trip and then the 1/2 day before our flight left(4p.m)and we still hadn't seen everything.Some time was used up on day 1 as DD was chosen by an employee to have publicity photos taken for the new arctic polar bear area that was opening...it took over 2 hours but was like a backstage tour and completely to ourselves!It was amazing to just have us tapped on the shoulder and asked if we minded giving a little of our time....DD was on cloud 9!!!!!Sorry I got off the subject , and I think it's a great way to head off from vacation...SW is a relaxing park and just makes you smile. Have a great trip!Oh yeah.. Kraken and JTA weren't there yet and try and see the Manatee exhibit...it's toward the back and many people don't care to take the time to go through it but it's really nice.

 

[cotye]

When I went last November, we were in a similar situation. Our flight arrived at around 10AM and by the time we got everythig settled (vacation home and rental car), it was almost 12PM. We went to Sea World on that first Sat since it was the only day we could squeeze it in and the park was closing at 6PM (I think). The park wasn't overly crowded. Since my group consisted of young adults, the shows didn't matter to us much. We went to SW for the express purposes of riding the coaster and JTA. I didn't care about shows at all and if I missed them it was no big deal.

The rides were not crowded at all. At most, we waited 20 mins for the front for Kraken but other than that, it was pretty much walk-on. Same with JTA.

we visited the other walk-on attractions including the Manatee exhibit. While some shows would have been good to see, it just happened that it was always way too early or too late to catch it. Oh well.

It can be done, but be prepared to sacrifice. Personally, I had no regrets, but I accomplished all my goals for SW. The shows would have been an added bonus I guess.