Opinions on Seaworld

[katallo]

Our group of 6 has decided to try Seaworld rather than a Disney Park next month. Primarily due to the new Fast Pass system. Is Seaworld a place to spend the entire day? We are hoping there are enough attractions to enjoy rides and shows during the day and perhaps something at night. They are offering a good ticket price special until May, so we thought we would give it a try.

 

[DOOM1001]

One of my favorite parks out there,you could spend multiple days at Sea World.Since you have multiple shows at different times throughout the day it's actually hard to get all the shows,rides,rollercoasters,walk through attractions in one day leaving time to eat.It's definitely doable unless it's crowded but you have to get there at opening,pick up a park map to plan your day around the shows and leaving time to do the rides.

 

[Ed J]

We have gone the last 2 years adding seaworld onto a US trip. We enjoyed a full day at Aquatica and a full day at Seaworld. It's a full day park no doubt. It also has the best roller coasters in comparison to WDW and US IMO.

The new FP+ system isn't as bad as many of the people are claiming, also IMO. we've used it 2 times so far and like it, may of the people who have negative comments about haven't even been in the park to use it yet.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Yes, you could easily spend an entire day (or 2!) at Sea World. Especially if you love watching the animals. I've spent 3-4 hours just in the underwater viewing area for the dolphins and the belugas. There are plenty of shows to see, and even a few rides thrown in.

 

[DHSbutcher]

Sure you can spend a whole day at seaworld, but would I ever choose that over a Disney park? Never ever ever ever. I am an orlando local and I will only go to seaworld if a friend has an extra free ticket. I really just don't enjoy it. So unmagical.

 

[katallo]

Yes, you could easily spend an entire day (or 2!) at Sea World. Especially if you love watching the animals. I've spent 3-4 hours just in the underwater viewing area for the dolphins and the belugas. There are plenty of shows to see, and even a few rides thrown in.

Sounds good. It will be something new and we can utilize the buy one, 1/2 price tickets!!

 

[InMemory]

We enjoy Sea World! We used the strategy of shows first and got them all in. We saved rides for the end of the day and it worked!! So hard to walk past those rides at the get go but we were able to ride with no waits in the evening hours. The kids were so thankful for the strategy as they ran on the same ride for the third time! We also liked the dining plan they offer. It's worth it and very easy to use! Have fun!

 

[DisMama5]

My family loves Seaworld, we always take a day on every trip to go offsite to Seaworld. You can easily spend a whole day there and still not do everything, you could spend 2-3, there is so much to see and do, the shows are wonderful, all the animal interactions are amazing. If you enjoy aquatic animals or even animals in general along with the ocean life, you will definitely enjoy Seaworld. They have some awesome rides, my favorite is Manta! Kracken is also an awesome coaster. My favorite is feeding the dolphins though. Enjoy, I'm sure you won't be disappointed

 

[momof2n2]

We bagged Disney World altogether for our upcoming me trip because of fast pass plus. We opted for two weeks passes for Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and aquatica. I'm really looking forward to doing something different, to be honest.

Check out the sea world board. There are so many helpful people over there.

 

[HopperFan]

Last trip was when Anheuser owned it, just DS and I - was very disappointed with so many things. This trip DD asked to go (she is 21 and never been) so we utilized the special $50 deal. I went with expectations of another disappointment. Went last week and was pleasantly surprised at all the change and improvements. So much nicer! You can easily spend a day or two there! Enjoy!!

PS It was empty!

 

[heartse]

We enjoyed our day that we spent there in December... and do plan on going back again. We spent the entire day there.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

OP, we love SeaWorld and would highly recommend it. There really is something there for everyone....amazing coasters (Manta beats any roller coaster at the Disney parks by a landslide), fabulous shows, and beautiful exhibits. Definitely enough to fill a whole day....even two (and you can add a second day to your tickets for just $10 pp by visiting a guest services booth before you leave the park).

Their all-day dining is a fabulous value at $29.99 per adult, and unlike Disney's plan, its open to everyone and truly unlimited (breakfast right through to 30 minutes before park closing). It might be something you want to consider for your visit.

The SeaWorld forum is a great resource! Come on over and chat with us there:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32

 

[meggiebeth]

We really didn't like Seaworld. Generally, it feels a lot more run down than the Disney parks and very old and tired. I felt awful seeing the poor animals in such small tanks- the stingrays for example just swam in a small pool begging for food and the poor dolphins were in such a small tank. It was similar for the manatees and alligators if I remember correctly.

Whilst the killer whale show is fun to watch and some of the moves are impressive, it is a bit like 'monkeys jumping for peanuts'.

The rides are very different to WDW, and certainly lacking in authentic theming. Manta and Kraken are great for thrill ride fans, but no more than a roller coaster. Other rides just seemed very old, run down and in need of renovation. (For example, Journey to Atlantis looked incredibly old and worn- nothing like Disney rides.) One benefit is that the queues tend to be shorter than at WDW- at least when we were there- but I'm not terribly surprised.

Honestly, if you are having to choose between Disney and Seaworld, I would choose Disney each and every time. Disney surpasses Seaworld in theming certainly- and in this aspect their rides are in a totally different league. I spent most of our time in Seaworld feeling awful for the poor animals- the tanks really were generally very small, and it did seem a bit like Seaworld was exploiting the animals. (For the record, we got free tickets to Seaworld when going to Discovery Cove, and left after half a day there. We all agreed that we would never have paid anywhere close to what a ticket would actually cost.) Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Tink575]

I love SeaWorld, I have a lot of trouble navigating and walking and my vision is very poor. When we go to SeaWorld I can see perhaps one show, but I love it.

They gave me their version of the DAS and I got to see the new penguin exhibit (the chicken version which was a little much for me), then we rested and ate and saw the dolphins on the way out. It was a wonderful day, much better than sitting home! I also love Animal Kingdom.

 

[OKWJan]

We love Sea World. It is very different than Disney, landscaping is great, the rides rock, and we enjoy the shows. It is a lot more relaxed overall and a fun place.

Sea World plays a big part in animal rescue and rehabilitation in Florida and should be recognized for that, and not just slammed for Blackfish.

 

[Victoria3]

We really didn't like Seaworld. Generally, it feels a lot more run down than the Disney parks and very old and tired. I felt awful seeing the poor animals in such small tanks- the stingrays for example just swam in a small pool begging for food and the poor dolphins were in such a small tank. It was similar for the manatees and alligators if I remember correctly.

Whilst the killer whale show is fun to watch and some of the moves are impressive, it is a bit like 'monkeys jumping for peanuts'.

The rides are very different to WDW, and certainly lacking in authentic theming. Manta and Kraken are great for thrill ride fans, but no more than a roller coaster. Other rides just seemed very old, run down and in need of renovation. (For example, Journey to Atlantis looked incredibly old and worn- nothing like Disney rides.) One benefit is that the queues tend to be shorter than at WDW- at least when we were there- but I'm not terribly surprised.

Honestly, if you are having to choose between Disney and Seaworld, I would choose Disney each and every time. Disney surpasses Seaworld in theming certainly- and in this aspect their rides are in a totally different league. I spent most of our time in Seaworld feeling awful for the poor animals- the tanks really were generally very small, and it did seem a bit like Seaworld was exploiting the animals. (For the record, we got free tickets to Seaworld when going to Discovery Cove, and left after half a day there. We all agreed that we would never have paid anywhere close to what a ticket would actually cost.) Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Do you visit Epcot? They have dolphins in their tank.

 

[TwoMisfits]

To avoid FP+ last fall, I went back to Seaworld for the 1st time in 11 years on a ticket deal...and it was great! The new shows were amazing (especially the one with the trick divers - I could just watch them all day!), the new Antarctica ride and theming area were really cool (literally), the food was good, the animals were great to see and experience, and the park was clean, pleasant, beautiful, and NOT overcrowded. For the price I paid, it was better than my previous year at Disney. It has me excited to try Aquatica, Discovery Island and Busch Gardens in future years (if you get the flagship park right, you're probably doing other stuff right...

If you can pay half of what you're paying to enter the Magic Kingdom for the day - go. You will not regret it - it's not like you can count on a ticket deal that good to come every year from any theme park.

 

[Planogirl]

Small tanks and such things are apparently OK to some if they're at the Disney parks. I never understand the double standard.

Anyway, we always enjoyed Sea World even though it has been a while. I've been wondering about how big the crowds are since the someone posted that they had a record breaking year last year.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

It's been many years, but we love Seaworld. Planning to go in 2015 (along with Universal, etc). Ranks right up there with any Disney park for me. Can't wait to see all the new attractions

 

[surferdave]

In case some of you aren't accustomed to going through the central menu, there is a helpful Sea World message board here where lots of common questions are answered. It is distinctly a vacation planning board; if you want to debate the topics of the "documentary" movie the moderators will ask you to take it to the community board.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32