Hello!
We will be heading to Orlando in early May with our 1 and 3 year old boys for 10 days. We are staying at Disney and are really looking forward to a relaxing trip. We will have a four-day, park-hopper pass for Disney so we are planning to go every other day to a park and do the pools/boardwalk/relaxing on the days in between. :)
Here is my question...we could go to Sea World one day for just the cost of transportation (my husband is in the military and Sea World offers a one-day pass for active military and their dependents) but are having a hard time deciding how much fun it would be for our boys. They LOVE water and fish but I am guessing the shows are geared to an older audience and I'm not sure how enjoyable it would be for them to just sit & watch. The Shamu's Happy Harbor rides look fun but the website says the height restriction is 42" for most of them so our boys would be too small.
If you have been to Sea World with children this young, PLEASE share your experience. If you have any thoughts, advice that would be greatly appreciated. We do not want to spend the time/energy to get there from Disney if it won't be fun for our boys! We will ALWAYS go back to Disney (we are vacation club members) so we can go when they're older - this is not a now or never choice!
Absolutely go! There's the whale & dolphin show, Pets ahoy (don't miss this one), the sea lion & otter show, Shamu show (trainer's no longer get in the water) & the kiddie park with rides, splash park & a climbing area that your oldest along with a parent can go on. The 3 year old will enjoy.
After Dawn Brancheau was killed at SeaWorld I have been very queasy about patronizing marine parks. I have read quite a bit about how orcas used to be captured, and how many miles they swim per day in their natural habitat, etc., and I just can't reconcile Sea World in my mind anymore (and no, I'm not an enviro-nut, not that that's bad per se). I also realize that Sea World has birthed a number of calves in captivity but as I understand it (and I'm not an expert) there have been some issues there, too, with health and longevity.
To answer your question, our boys were a bit older when we first visited SW (perhaps 7 & 4)? Your boys might enjoy Aquatica more - that's SW's water park. It's very new and clean, and they have a great children's area. I'm not sure if your military pass would work there but I would certainly check.
Good luck with your decision and have a great time in Orlando!
Hi J.-
We were there in September and were not at all impressed with the park. There was a lot of construction and several shops/venues closed. If you have other options that you KNOW your boys will enjoy, I would take that route for sure. Above all, have a great time! Our four year old LOVED our vacation and still talks about it. His absolute favorite was the Animal Kingdom.
We went last March when my youngest son was 2 1/2 yrs old. He had a great time there, as well as my other older children. Your children can definitely enjoy the shows. All my children loved the shows and petting the stingrays.
We bought the one day pass and were able to come back a 2nd day free. We did the attractions and shows the 1st day and the rides the 2nd.
My vote would be for you to go. I think it would definitely be worth it.
If you have the opportunity to go there, by all means than GO! There are several things that kids that age can enjoy, and see. The happy harbor playplace has some high and a little scary climbing nets that would be much too big for your youngest, but may be ok for the older child? Even if that is not something you are comfortable with, there are many other child friendly activities like a boat they can play on and spray water on themselves and others, etc (kind of like a kiddie pool too) I believe it's called Shamu's happy harbor. Most of the shows , apart from the big shamu show and the dolphin show are great for younger children. (Even the dolphin and shamu show would most likely hold their attention though as they move fairly quickly and there is so much to see) They have cool double strollers that you can rent for a nominal fee, that also hold any bags that you have so you won't have to lug all of your things. The animal show that is put on by Jack Hannah is great, although I can't recall what it is called at this moment. It is made up of different animals who have been rescued from area dog pounds and different rescue organizations, and the animals have been taught the different "behaviors" to be in the show. It is very cool to watch. The Clkyde and Seymore show is another that your young kids will love. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to take my kids. I hope you go and enjoy yourself!
The AZUL show is hilarious for little kids. It's a slapstick funny show that my kids went crazy for. There is a whole section of rides and exhibits geared toward the littler ones. There is a Shamu coaster that you can hold your kids on - no height restriction. 1 and 3 are prefect ages. You can walk through and see sharks and snakes and frogs and penguins. Feeding the Dolphins is an amazing memory. I think you might find that they enjoy Sea World more than Disney.
We went to Sea World when my girls were 10 and 5. Can't sat we were overly impressed and we did not get our money's worth. We all wanted to get back to the hotel pool so we were only there for about 2 1/2hours and our tickets were about $240. Ugh! we cut our losses and enjoyed the day at the pool.
I think I would have been very impressed if Sea World was in New Jersey or Baltimore. I am from Philly too. But it certainly did not have the wow factor of the Disney parks. I would go simply because the tickets are free but advise you to go to that park first especially before the Magic Kingdom. Otherwise, I am afraid it will be quite a let down for the kids and adults.
Have fun!!
I was just there 3 weeks ago. My best friend works for SW (Clyde and Seymour show) and so we got in for free, also. I have a 22 month old and she has a 20 month old. We didn't see any shows b/c we knew they would not be age appropriate, but we were able to see belugas, polar bears, walruses, sea lions, dolphins, rays, sharks and tons of fish. And that in itself was awesome! You definitely can't see the large marine mammals that they have at SW here in the Philly area. They could not go on any rides, but there is a playground for kids there (not really for the 1 year old, though). If I had to pay $80 per person, I definitely would not go until he was old enough to remember and appreciate the park. But since it is free for you and your family, why not??? Have fun!
Sea world isn't my favorite park because I think it's really expensive for what you get but if you can get in for free then go!
The kids will enjoy seeing the shows. There is a lot of action during most of the shows. Over near Journey to Atlantis they have an aquarium that you stand on. The kids love to get down and see the fish up close. Like someone else said, it's much like going to the zoo for kids that age. I'm all for giving kiddies lots of experiences even if they might be a bit young for the activity. You will all have a good time and it's a pretty low-key park without tons of long lines so it will fit into your relaxing plan.
My feeling is that the entertainment at Sea World is not much different than at Disney, and probably similar to going to the zoo. Nobody ever questions taking their kids to the zoo, regardless of age. And Sea World is not that far from Disney either so how much time and energy can it take? If all it is going to cost you is the cost of transportation, I would say sure, why not?
