Hey Howdy HAA everyone!
It’s London, and welcome back to HAA Disney: Top 10!
For this Top 10, we’re stepping outside of Walt Disney World and heading over to SeaWorld Orlando.
This was actually our first visit to SeaWorld, so I went into the day with a lot of curiosity about what the park would be like and how it would compare with some of the other major Orlando theme parks we’ve visited. Our first visit was hosted by AllGuest Services, and after spending the day exploring the park, riding nearly all of the major coasters and discovering the marine-life exhibits, I walked away with a much different impression of SeaWorld than I expected.
Before we get into the review, I want to give a quick thank-you to our partners at AllGuest Services, who provided our complementary SeaWorld Orlando admission for this experience in exchange for this review and podcast. If you’re planning a Disney trip or an Orlando vacation, you can use our code HAA to save up to $50 on eligible tickets through their website or by calling 407-648-0064 ext. 0. AllGuest Services also offers tickets and experiences beyond SeaWorld Orlando, including Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, LEGOLAND and Kennedy Space Center. Thank you to AllGuest Services for this experience and sponsoring this review!
SeaWorld surprised me.
I knew there would be marine life, animal experiences and shows, but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how much of the park is dedicated to roller coasters and thrill rides. Add in family attractions, Sesame Street Land, seasonal events, food and educational experiences, and there is quite a bit to experience.
After our first visit, I came away thinking that SeaWorld Orlando is a park that a lot of people may be sleeping on.
So, if you’re considering adding SeaWorld to your next Orlando vacation, here are 10 things I think you should know before your first visit.
1. Get There Early If the Shows Are Important to You
This is probably the biggest lesson I took away from our first visit.
We didn’t realize beforehand how much the timing of the animal presentations and shows would affect our day. Some of the experiences we wanted to see were scheduled earlier in the day, with other opportunities later on.
Because we didn’t plan our day around the show schedule, we missed some of them.
And that’s something I would definitely do differently next time.
Before your visit, take a look at the SeaWorld Orlando daily schedule and figure out which shows, animal presentations or other scheduled experiences are important to your family.
Then build the rest of your day around those times.
If the shows are high on your priority list, I would make an effort to arrive early rather than assuming you’ll be able to fit everything in whenever you get there.
That was one of our biggest first-visit lessons.
2. The Roller Coasters Are a BIG Part of SeaWorld
If you’re picturing SeaWorld as primarily an animal park with a couple of rides on the side, let me stop you right there.
The roller coasters are a major part of this park.
And they are GOOD.
We rode nearly all of the coasters during our first visit, and two of my personal favourites were Manta and Pipeline: The Surf Coaster.
SeaWorld also has attractions including Mako, Kraken and Ice Breaker, along with family-friendly rides and other experiences.
For someone who enjoys thrill rides, there is a lot here to keep you busy.
I actually think the coaster lineup is one of the things that makes SeaWorld an interesting option when you’re comparing the different theme parks around Orlando.
So if roller coasters are your thing, don’t overlook SeaWorld.
3. Don’t Skip the Animal and Walk-Through Exhibits
The roller coasters were definitely a highlight for me, but they aren’t the only reason I enjoyed SeaWorld.
I love ocean life, so I really enjoyed slowing down and exploring the animal and walk-through exhibits.
This is where I think SeaWorld offers something a little different from the other major Orlando theme parks.
You can spend part of your day flying through a roller coaster and then slow things down to look at marine life, explore an exhibit or learn more about the animals you’re seeing.
And I think it’s worth actually taking the time to do that.
Don’t feel like you have to rush from ride to ride.
Stop.
Look around.
Read some of the educational information.
Spend some time watching the animals.
For me, that combination of education, marine life and thrill rides is what made the SeaWorld experience so interesting.
4. Check What’s Happening During Your Visit
One thing I would absolutely recommend doing before your SeaWorld Orlando trip is checking the event calendar.
SeaWorld isn’t necessarily the same experience throughout the year.
Depending on when you visit, you may encounter seasonal festivals, special entertainment, holiday celebrations, food offerings and other experiences that aren’t part of a regular park day.
That means your itinerary could look very different depending on when you’re visiting.
For example, SeaWorld’s seasonal calendar includes events such as Halloween Spooktacular, Howl-O-Scream and Christmas Celebration.
So don’t just ask:
“What do we want to do at SeaWorld?”
Also ask:
“What’s happening at SeaWorld while we’re there?”
That little bit of research could change how you plan your entire day.
5. Seasonal and Holiday Entertainment Can Change Your Day
This is closely connected to the previous point, but I wanted to give it its own spot because seasonal entertainment can become a significant part of your visit.
If you’re visiting around Halloween or Christmas, for example, you may want to stay later to experience seasonal entertainment, special shows, food or other holiday offerings.
And if you’re anything like me and love a good holiday event, that can be a pretty big part of the appeal.
Instead of thinking about SeaWorld as simply a park you’ll visit from opening until whenever you’re finished with the rides, look at the full experience being offered on your specific date.
Your day might look completely different during a seasonal event than it would during a regular park day.
6. Look at All of Your Ticket Options Before You Buy
This is something I recommend for pretty much any Orlando theme park:
Don’t automatically buy the first single-day ticket you see.
Take a look at the other options.
SeaWorld is part of a larger group of attractions that includes SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove, and depending on the current offers, there can be different combinations and multi-park ticket options available.
You may also see options that include other parks within the broader SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment lineup, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Before purchasing, compare the options that are available for your trip, including:
- SeaWorld Orlando admission
- SeaWorld + Aquatica options
- Discovery Cove packages
- Multi-park tickets
- Busch Gardens-inclusive options
- Fun Cards
- Annual Pass options
- Current promotions
The right ticket will depend on how long you’re staying, how many parks you want to visit and how often you plan to return.
So take a few minutes to compare before hitting that purchase button.
7. Check for Sales and Promotions Before Buying
Here’s one of my favourite Orlando vacation rules:
Never assume the first ticket price you see is the only price available.
Theme park ticket pricing and promotions can change, and SeaWorld regularly offers different deals and packages throughout the year.
For our visit, our SeaWorld admission was hosted by AllGuest Services as part of our partnership, so we did not personally purchase our tickets.
If you’re paying for your own trip, though, I would absolutely recommend checking the current promotions before buying.
And don’t just look at the advertised single-day price.
Compare the price against the multi-park and longer-term options available for your dates.
Sometimes the value of a ticket depends less on the individual admission price and more on how you plan to use it.
8. Don’t Plan SeaWorld Exactly Like a Disney Day
As someone who spends a lot of time talking about Disney vacations, this is probably an important one for me to say:
Don’t go to SeaWorld expecting it to operate exactly like Walt Disney World.
It’s a different type of theme park.
Your day can include roller coasters, animal exhibits, shows, family attractions, food, seasonal entertainment and more.
Rather than trying to experience absolutely everything, I think it’s more helpful to decide what matters most to you.
Are you there for the coasters?
The animals?
The shows?
Sesame Street Land?
The seasonal entertainment?
The food?
Once you know your priorities, you can build your day around them.
That approach also gives you a little more freedom to enjoy the park instead of constantly feeling like you’re racing against a checklist.
9. Give Yourself Time for Sesame Street Land
Okay, this one is personal.
If you grew up loving Sesame Street, don’t skip this area.
Seeing Sesame Street Land during our visit made me ridiculously happy.
I loved Sesame Street growing up, and there was something genuinely fun about seeing that world brought to life inside a theme park.
But Sesame Street Land isn’t only about nostalgia.
It offers attractions and experiences geared toward younger guests, making it a nice change of pace from the larger thrill rides throughout the park.
So yes, I spent a good portion of our day riding roller coasters… and I also got to be a very happy Sesame Street kid again for a little while.
And honestly, I’m completely okay with that.
10. Venture Beyond Disney and Explore More of Orlando
And this is probably my biggest takeaway from our first SeaWorld visit.
Don’t be afraid to venture beyond Walt Disney World. Coming from HAA Disney, that might sound a little funny.
But I genuinely believe that an Orlando vacation doesn’t have to mean spending every single day at Disney.
SeaWorld was our first visit, and we had a really great time.
The combination of roller coasters, marine-life experiences, animal exhibits, education, family attractions and seasonal entertainment gave us plenty to enjoy.
And personally, I was surprised by just how much I liked the park.
We want to go back.
We’re also interested in experiencing more of the SeaWorld family of parks, including Aquatica and Discovery Cove.
So if you’re planning a Disney vacation and have an extra day, or you’re simply looking for something different to add to your Orlando itinerary, I’d encourage you to consider SeaWorld.
You might discover a park you didn’t realize you were going to enjoy as much as you did.
Final Thoughts: Is SeaWorld Orlando Worth Adding to Your Trip?
After our first visit, my biggest advice is pretty simple:
Know what you want to experience, check the schedule before you go and give yourself time to explore.
SeaWorld Orlando has more variety than I expected, and for us, the combination of thrill rides, marine life, education and family experiences made for a really enjoyable day.
Would I go back?
Absolutely.
And that’s probably the biggest thing I can tell you after visiting SeaWorld for the first time.
Sometimes it’s worth stepping outside of your usual vacation routine and trying something different.
You just might find a new favourite.
A huge thank you to AllGuest Services, who provided our complementary SeaWorld Orlando admission for this experience. We genuinely appreciated the opportunity to experience the park and share our first visit with the HAA community.
Until next time, keep adventuring, and remember, there’s always more magic to discover beyond the obvious places.
Have a blessed and wonderful day,
London
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