Sea World Tips

Hi M.,

We just got back from Sea World this past weekend! You are going to have a blast. My little guy is just a bit over 2 and he loved it. Since they are running a special for everyone to pay the kids price and then come back a second time for free we did that. The first day we got there mid-morning (I recommend getting there right at 9 when they open and to buy your tickets online before you go. The lines were CRAZY). We went ahead and paid to do the dining with Shamu experience and we were not disappointed with that. We left mid-afternoon so that our guy could get a good nap in and then we just relaxed for the rest of the day. We hung out the next day and then pushed naptime a bit for a later nap and then we returned to the park around 5:30 the next evening and spent the rest of the evening at the park. This was a great time to see some of the shows we found. It's cooler and you aren't sitting in the sun that way.
In answer to some of your other questions:
Stroller? - Yep. We took our Bob and were thankful
Snacks? - Yep, we snuck them in. Just bury them in your bag or under a towel in your stroller basket. We took snacks and drinks.
2 days? - Absolutely. Everyone will be happier.

A couple of other things: I wish that we took our harness for our guy. It would have given him more freedom without one of us hovering.
Be sure to take a towel - there are things that you may get wet with and it came in handy for us.
Extra clothes - if you see the "wet" shows you will need them.
Light coat - you will probably need this if you are there at night.
Food - Check into their dine packages. We were fine since we did the dining with Shamu and our snacks but if you are there all day this could be a great plan. No idea on what it costs but it looked like a really great idea.

Have a great time!! Also, if you want to ask any other questions please feel free to contact me.

2 moms found this helpful

We recently took a trip to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (similar to Sea World, but closer to us, its in Vallejo), we have 4 kids ages 6yrs-9mo, we took our Sit 'n' Stand Stroller as well as the Graco one that functions with or without the carseat, it was wonderful all the kids were able to ride (our boys doubled up on the back of the sit 'n' stand), and they held all the accessories we took with us, I packed snacks, I just put them under the diapers in the diaper bag, the bag was searched but they didn't say anything about snacks, and I put 3 large bottles of water in the basket of one of the strollers under a blanket, and one up top in the cup holder the guy who admitted us didn't say anything about those either... I think when you are packing kids they are a little more understanding in the snack and drink deparment because kids need to eat and drink... Our kids rode from attraction to attraction, but when we got some where that had a lot of activites close together we would usually park the strollers and let them walk from one line to the next, but the end of the day ( we were there from 1pm-10pm) the kids were so ready for sleep, all but our oldest fell asleep on the hour long drive home, and everyone (including my husband and I ) slept in the next morning..

My recomendation would be to dress them in swim type clothes for the start of the day, and pack warmer ones for the evening, before we left the park I put all the kids in PJ type clothes, made sure the girls got clean diapers, and we were able to just carry everyone in once we got home and put them straight to bed... we did decide the next time we go that we will probably spend the night, get a hotel room within walking distance of the park so that at nap time we can go lay down for naps, and we can take our time going through the park a little better...

From what I remember of Sea World (we haven't been since our 6 year old was 9-10months old) it wasn't that big and we were able to see everything we wanted in about 7 hours.. Have a blast with your kiddos! X.

Stroller....always. My daughter just turned 8 and last summer we gave up the stroller. Rarely did she sit in it,but it was great for carrying the bags, drink cups, etc.

We went to Sea World when my daughter was 5. We spent half a day and then did something else (after waiting for an hour in the blazing sun to see Shamu....Crispy Critters. Bring something to shade yourselves if you wait...towels for legs, hats,etc.)

I don't recall being able to bring in food/drink, but you might be able to do what we did as kids, who lived 8 mins from Great America, our parents packed coolers with drinks/food. We'd ride, play, show, etc. Then go out to the car for lunch. Literally drop the tailgate and eat. Mom would try to park next to a grassy end with a tree, so we could sit in the shade. She brought sodas (a major treat).

Have fun,
Stephanie

Hi M., i am the mother of four, but they are all teen agers now. i would highly suggest a stroller. there are so many people there that unless they are in a stroller the little ones would get pushed around. We happened to see this a few times there. or the parents are having to carry them along with the souvenier cups, toys, and bags too. take the stroller and let them walk every now and then. there is plenty for them to do to make them tired. we took some snacks in.....secrectly. but i want to say they didn't make us leave our waters. and if you had to we took an ice chest with some sandwiches and drinks had a quik picnic in the parking lot just don't forget to have your hands STAMPED. oh and be mindful of the splash zone......if you or the kids don't want to get SOAKED stay in the far back seats especially at night when it is cooler. Have a great trip....i hope this helps you.

Yes on the stroller, though I think you can rent them there (but not sure).

We are going next month! I have an almost 4 yr old son and a 5 month old daughter. YES YES YES take a stoller, a double one if you have it. We have the sit n stand kind, that way if my son gets tired, he can ride. I do know that the strollers are not allowed into any of the shows, so you have to park them outside of the arenas. You may not bring food inside, but I am pretty sure you can bring bottled water. You can probably bring in snacks though, such as fruit snacks, and those Gerber Puffs and such.

Sea World in Texas has strollers for the kids that you could rent. Maybe go online and check it out to see if this one does.

I agree with Shelbie B. I just got back from Sea World with my 8 yo, 5 yo, and 2 yo. We forgot our stroller, but were able to rent a double stroller!! Our 2 yo isn't a fan of the stroller, but would sit just fine if he had an older sibling next to him. It is so nice to just push them and not worry that they will get lost. We also took advantage of the second day free and it was so nice to have that second day. We did one day from 9 to 3 and the second day 10 to 1. They allow you to bring in bottled water, but we also brought in some Z bars. We saw other families who were able to bring in more snacks and I would recommend it.
Have fun!

Hi, we took in snacks and drinks and I would also suggest the stroller. It does hold as a storage and my kids who are a bit older got tired and were in and out of the stroller through out the day. I would also suggest 1 day. The park is not very big and you can get through it in one day. For us, it was one of those parks were it was nice, we had fun, but don't need to go back for a while. Hope this helps and hope you and your family have a great time.

Hi M.,

Just came back from Sea World with my 1.5 year old. I would recommend the stroller - you can "park" it outside of all of the shows although I would make sure you have all of your valuables in a bag that you can carry with you when you do park. You are just basically leaving your stroller outside with no supervison. You can get away with snacks and drinks in a bag - they do attempt to check it before you enter the park but it was a very superficial check - just a glance. One day was enough for us but I think they have a special right now that a pass for one day is good for two so there is no loss there. If your kids are into Sesame Street, Sea World is great - they have a huge Sesame Street play area so it was wonderful.

Have Fun! J.

A stroller is a must for children that age, unless you enjoy carrying around in your arms cranky tired kids all day. At the end of the day YOU will be tired and cranky!