Seeking Advice on Sea World and Disney Land

We always do 2-3 days at Disney (and never get the least bit bored!), but I can't imagine doing more than one at Sea World. It's fun and all, but there's not *that* much there, and we hit all of the shows. In fact we try to do Disney every year, or at least every other, but only do Sea World about every five years. It's neat, and the shows are fun, but certainly not enough to occupy two full days.

Disneyland and Sea World go down as our favorite trip with our kids.

I would recommend 1 day Disneyland, 1 day California Adventure (you could spend 1/2 day here and 1/2 day at pool at hotel or something like that). We then drove down the coast stopping along the way at a few of the little towns, and spent the afternoon at the beach in San Diego. We did 1 day at Sea World and 1/2 day at the San Diego Zoo (the beach the rest of the day). There is so much to do in CA, it was a great time.

Don't know if you have already booked your trip, but we did a package deal w/ Alaska Airlines and Kids flew free at the time. We flew into Orange County and out of San Diego, so we didn't have to drive back to LA. Alaska Airlines vacations arranged our tickets into the parks, our hotels, rental car and flights. It was the easiest vacation ever.

We went to both those places this summer. We were fortunate to spend five days at Disney and one at Sea World, largely due to promotional days free. This is what I learned. There is so much to do at Disneyland and California Adventures, if you add that, that more days there are better. Especially take time to consider the lines you will be standing in and the time that will take.

I do wish we would have spent one more day at Sea World, because we missed part of the park. But, that was because we watched the Shamu show twice. If you limit the number of shows you watch, we watched almost all of them, you can easily see the whole park in a day. If you do choose to focus on shows, most of you time is spent walking from one part of the park to another to get to the next show on time.

As a side note, what I loved about having extra days at Disney was we took time to do a lot of things we have never done before, like the big boats, Tom Sawyer's Island (your kids will love this), and the canoes. Good luck in your decisions.

S.

Hi there- I took my daughter to florida last year and spent 4 days at disney world and 1 day at sea world,. I wouldn't spend more than one day at sea world,it's kinda like the zoo. However disney world was so huge that in 4 days we didn't even come close to seeing everything
good luck

We did Sea World this summer and it was a big hit! I have a 4 and a 1 year old and they still nap --so we took advantage of the get two days for the price of one right now -- and we were able to go in early in the AM, see some of the park, catch the 11AM Shamu show and have lunch, look around a bit more and head back to the hotel for a nap -- go back in the afternoon, catch another show, do more of the park, caught a nighttime show and then headed home -- the next morning we were able to visit what we hadn't seen, and catch one last show and buy our souveniers! I would definitely recommend two days, their shows are part of the experience and you will want to see them! Have fun!

We did one day at Disneyland and two days at Sea World recently. We definately recommend at least two days at Disneyland. You could do one day at Sea World depending on the lines. They were not bad as we went mid week but we had a two fer ticket so did two days. This enabled us to watch all the shows and get all the rides in at a more relaxed pace. We were all so wiped out from Disneyland that we did it in two days as we didn't stay all day. We spent the evening at the ocean watching the sunset then went back to Sea World next day. The lines at Disney were ridiculous. We waited over an hour and up to 2 hours for a ride that lasted 2 minutes. We had a lot more fun at Sea World.

SeaWorld is one day....DisneyLand could be as many as 5 days! I would recommend the character breakfast at Sea World. I would also give as much time to Disneyland as you can because with Disneyland AND California Adventure, you will have so much to see and do. Have fun!!!

Hi, M.-- My family is planning the same trip and I went to talk with a travel agent yesterday. . . maybe we'll see you there! ;)
The agents told me one day at Sea World is enough for most people, Disneyland is horribly crowded the week between Christmas and New Year's, and LegoLand is highly recommended for families with young children.
If you want a special meal, I suggest the Storyteller Cafe in the Grand Californian. The buffet is really terrific and a nice break from overpriced carnival food.
We went to Disneyland two years ago and to get ready I got the software download from Ridemax.com. It was the best $15 I have ever spent! It gave us so much useful information and tips, and helped us get excited. Plus, because of the various plans I made, we did not wait longer than five minutes for anything, ever! I never had to listen to my children fuss in line once. I was so glad for RideMax. It's basically an algorithm that you plug in all the things you want to do and then whatever breaks you think you'd like to have, and it offers you a schedule that includes strategic use of FastPasses and other perks so you never wait in line. You can make lots of schedule variations if you want, to accomodate for different variables (nap time, lateness, etc.) My husband thought I was sucking the fun out of things by overplanning, but after the first day there even he was sold. We didn't waste any of our fun time together standing around looking at the map saying, "So, what do you want to do next?" It was a great way to maximize time trying it all so we still had time to go back and do our favorites again. I highly recommend looking into RideMax. Have a great trip!

The best deal we did in 2008 was the city pass. You get 3 days at Disney, 1 day at SeaWorld, 1 day at Universal Studios, and 1 day at either the Wild Animal Park or The San Diego Zoo. You can get these passes at CostCo. We love SeaWorld so we could do more than one day there, but most people seem to be satisfied with just one day.

Sea world has had a 2 days for the price of 1 this year. If you can get that for the same price, my kids loved Sea world and 2 days were great to get there early to see all the shows, rides, and play in the play area. We then spent the rest of the day at the beach both days(mission beach is close and fun). I am jealous, have a blast!

Definitely one day at Sea World..There isn’t really that much to see as the biggest part of the park are all the shows. You surely don’t need more time than that as long as you get there early, 10ish...And plan your show times accordingly. While waiting on the show, go see an exhibit. The show schedules are posted next to that event’s center and also shown on the map that they provide to you. The best shows were the Shamu one and the whale one...Be prepared to get WET if you sit in certain sections which are clearly marked as ‘Wet Zones’...Tons of fun...Soaked the heck out of my camera (me too) but luckily it still worked!!! There are a few rides in the park that are somewhat fun and are included as part of admission. We did ‘Lunch with Shamu’...It was expensive! Cute but we would not do it again...Save your money for the regular lunches and souvenirs as there are tons to choose from!

Now, as far as Disney Land, you will need more time there! The place is BIG...Well actually, HUGE!! I would say 2-3 days to get to everything and not get bored (just tired of walking). You might also want to check-out Knott’s Berry Farm while you are there if you have time since it is very close by! Have fun and enjoy your time!

Disneyland offers park hoppers so you can go from one park to the other. If you only buy passes for one and not the other you can not get in. Also purchasing online through Disney saved us a lot of money, they have seveal packages to choose from. Both offer geat rides for kids in your age range, however your 3yr. old may not be tall enough to ride some of them and they are very strict about it. We spent 4 days but could have easily spent 2 more and still not have seen everything. I have not been to Sea World for quite some time but from what I remember one day should be sufficient. Also if you don't stay on the Disney property there are several hotels in the area that offer a shuttle ride or you can drive yourself but you will be charged for parking. We also packed a lunch instead of spending $60 for fast food which really wasn't fast at all, in fact we waited in line for lunch longer than most of the rides.
We all loved it and can't wait to go back! Have Fun!

I lived in San Diego for 15 years and have been to Sea World many many times. It's awesome, but one day is plenty! With your kids the ages that they are, I think 2 days at Disney Land is perfect! They will love it!
Have a great time!!!

I recently went to Disney in May. I spent two days between the two parks and on the third day went to Knotts Berry Farm. It does have quite a few rides, shows, Camp Snoopy and isn't nearly as crowded. Plus they have a old type village where you can pan for gold, see an old school house, pick a rock have it cut and see what type of agate you get, etc. It is also less expensive. My daughter is 8 and we had a great time.

If this is the first time your kids are leaving the state, be prepared for altitude sickness. I was about 7-8 when my family did the same thing and I was sick the entire time. It might not happen but I'd check into it. Have fun!!!

Sea World is great, but it's not Disneyland. So, I recommend 2 days at Disneyland (ask how Fast Passes work with little kids), 1 day at California Adventure (if you get done earlier you can always walk over to Disneyland later because it's open later), and 1 day at SeaWorld (map out ahead of time which shows to go to and at what time because it helps to not waste time or any extra walking). If you have the time, I would also recommend a rest day in between to sleep in and go to the beach, or something else relaxing. The City Pass is great, but it was too much for me to handle with little kids. I needed a rest day. You could price compare the city pass to other prices. The Disney Store has discounted tickets too. I believe that you still have like 14 days to use the passes from the first day you use it, so they don't have to be used in consecutive days, but I would double check on that too.

Your kids are old enough to probably make it without a nap? I would definitely recommend taking a double jogger stroller for your 2 little ones though -- lots of walking and if they need a nap you can find a shadey spot and rest for an hour. You can check them at the gate at the airport, or Disneyland also has them to rent if you'd rather do that. I would also recommend a little cooler with snacks and water to hold you over between meals, etc. Take a squirt bottle if it's during the hot weather time. The bike backpacks that hold water are great too. If you go during school, the lines aren't that bad. The best time to go is in February, in my opinion, because the weather is perfect.

Have fun planning your vacation. Most of all, just have fun, no matter what you end up having time for.

Oh, I could go on for days about this. We love to travel to Southern California. My kids LOVE Sea World so they could definitely do 2 days there as well. Some kids might only be good for one day. You may want to look into the Southern California CityPass, it's a great deal. It includes one day at Sea World, one day at the San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park, three days at Disneyland, and one day at Universal Studios. You can get them online at www.citypass.com or you can get them cheaper at Costco. We did that for our first So. Cal trip and it was an awesome way to save money and see a little of everything. Have a great trip!

I think it depends somewhat on what you want to do. Are you into rides? shows? whales? the Disney characters? DH and I LOVE rides and so does our oldest (6 at the time we went, but tall enough for virtually every ride). Our youngest had trouble with all the dark rides, which seems to be about 80% of the rides at Disneyland. He was only 2 1/2 at the time though. CA Adventure is mostly about rides, and it takes a good long day to see it all, unless you want to repeat a lot or see more of the shows (we only did one), then it would take more. If you only do one day at Disneyland, you will miss a lot. That place is HUGE! We spent a full 2 days there and I don't think we did any shows - just rides.
Plan to take advantage of the parent switch pass thing. If you go to the exit of most major rides, they'll give you a fastpass so that one can stay with the kids while the other rides, then switch.

Haven't been to Sea World since I was a kid. But I would think one day would be enough unless you and/or the kids are really into that idea. Oh, and ALL of your kids will be tired. We even made my 6 year old nap on the 2nd day. We wished we had one of those double strollers - even if it was just the spot for the older child to sit down. We carried my 2 year old in the backpack some, let his brother ride the stroller, and at one point I even carried my cousin's 3 year old on my back, as she was wiped out from all the walking.

Sea World one day and at least 2 or more days at Disney. The kids can't get enough of that place! We vacationed in Orange County last year and we were in and out of Disney 7 times!!!

When we went we did 3 days at Disney, 1 at sea world, 1 at Knott's Berry farm and 1 day we just went where ever we felt like. We ended up in Tijuana, which was fun but not fantastic. I thought 1 day at Sea World was enough, but if your family really likes whales/the ocean maybe you should do two. Or I am sure there is aquarium in the area (maybe San Diego?) and I would recommend that.

M.,
We were thinking of taking our kids to Disneyland as well and a friend of ours said to get the ride pass. I don't know much about it, but he said that they got to do all of there top 10 rides in less than a day and the longest wait in line was 10 minutes. I think there may be a web link on the Disney web site. He said it was worth it and not to do Disneyland without it.

Have fun!
M.

I would recommend one day at each. Although to see everything you could easily stay two days at both, you will find that for the age of your kids and the risk of your sanity, one day is perfect. California has so much to offer, we have found with a trip like this, take it in stride. Your kids will not have the fun experience you wish if you try to do too much. Take one day for Disney, take the next day to hang out at the beach or do something mellow, take the next day for Sea World and then the next to rest or do something mellow again.

Vacation is just that, VACATION. Relax and enjoy, these places aren't going anywhere, you can experience what you missed the next time and have something to look forward to.

Have a great time!

Oh so much fun! My family and I spend every summer in California. Disney/California adventure 2-3 days a must, but Seaworld usually only a day (full busy day) Seaworld is great fun, but a much smaller park -catch the shows, see the sights- don't miss the pet show! It is amazing! So I guess my advice is spend that extra day at Disney!
Have fun! H.

Hi M.,

I just moved up from LA. My husband worked for Disney, so I've spent lots of time there.

Seaworld is more of a one day place. It has some rides, but some are for older kids. You'll mostly want to see the shows there, like Shamu and the Cirque de la Mer show, and walk around and see all the sea creatures.

But there are other fun things to do in San Diego. There's Legoland, they have a great zoo, and the beach. Considering that it can take a few hours to get from Disneyland down to San Diego, you might want to make a 2 day trip out of it, whether or not you stay at Seaworld for that time.

Disney is great, and definitely needs at least 2 days!

Good luck and have a great trip.

N.