New to SeaWorld. Can it be done in one day?

DisneyBliss7

''Ohana means family''
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
We wanted to go to Universal this summer but only have time for one day. The Universal parks seem too large for us to hit everything in just one day so we are waiting until next summer for Universal when we can stay overnight. SeaWorld seems smaller and much more manageable for just a day trip. We are only doing SeaWorld, not DC or Aquatica. Am I right that SeaWorld can be done in one day? I haven't been there since 2006. Are there rides? I would love to hear about everything there is to know about SeaWorld. Rides,shows,food etc. TIA :)
 
Always a trick question, and the short answer in my opinion is no. But, you can do a whole lot in a day! EVERYTHING is always different family to family. Sea World is doing a great job adding rides and that makes it all the more difficult to do in one day. To see all of the shows/exhibits and ride all of the rides is too much.

I know, there will be someone who comes along and says "we did it" and they are probably mostly correct.

Quite frankly, Sea World has the best roller coasters in Orlando. Although it definitely takes time out of the day, Dining with Shamu is just awesome, and the food is pretty good on that buffet.

We love the penguins, I could probably take an hour alone to watch them, they are hysterical! But, it gets cold! We also love the pet show, very well done! And, of course, the dolphins and orcas are breathtaking!

So, to back to your question, it just really depends. Will you just walk through Shark Encounter and go, "oh cool!" or will you stop and really take in the experience. Even just 15 minutes at each exhibit/aquarium adds up over the day. You can ride the penguin ride, get off look at the penguins for a minute or two and head off to the next experience. In a sense, it is similar to going to your local zoo or art museum - it may be a 90 minute experience or a 5 hour experience. Very similar when viewing the beluga whales - its a quick stop or a mesmerizing experience.

I will say this, compared to the area competition, Quick Queue is very reasonably priced as well as Signature Seating. It might be valuable to have these when you go. There are many threads on the value of all day dining, we as a family find it valuable when we are not doing Dine with Shamu, but we have learned how to use it over multiple visits.
 
Anything can be done in a day. The question you are maybe asking is can I do it all in one day? Well, the answer to the first question is yes but the answer to the second is definitely no. You will still have a great time in one day but it will likely leave you wanting more.

There are some really great coasters in Sea World. Like ridiculous coasters. There are lots of shows and experiences. And a few not so great rides - but good to do for a gag.

Definitely go for it but be prepared to prioritize your must dos so you aren't upset that the day is over and you missed stuff. We recently went for 1 day as well but we knew what we were getting into and thusly prioritized rides. One day, we will do a day of catching the shows!
 
The park is really busy on Saturdays and less busy on Sundays. Weekday attendance is lower, but I noticed that they run fewer cars on the roller coasters on slow days so the line may be short but still take a long time to get through.

Make sure to arrive when they open and hit the coasters early.
 


Always a trick question, and the short answer in my opinion is no. But, you can do a whole lot in a day! EVERYTHING is always different family to family. Sea World is doing a great job adding rides and that makes it all the more difficult to do in one day. To see all of the shows/exhibits and ride all of the rides is too much.

I know, there will be someone who comes along and says "we did it" and they are probably mostly correct.

Quite frankly, Sea World has the best roller coasters in Orlando. Although it definitely takes time out of the day, Dining with Shamu is just awesome, and the food is pretty good on that buffet.

We love the penguins, I could probably take an hour alone to watch them, they are hysterical! But, it gets cold! We also love the pet show, very well done! And, of course, the dolphins and orcas are breathtaking!

So, to back to your question, it just really depends. Will you just walk through Shark Encounter and go, "oh cool!" or will you stop and really take in the experience. Even just 15 minutes at each exhibit/aquarium adds up over the day. You can ride the penguin ride, get off look at the penguins for a minute or two and head off to the next experience. In a sense, it is similar to going to your local zoo or art museum - it may be a 90 minute experience or a 5 hour experience. Very similar when viewing the beluga whales - its a quick stop or a mesmerizing experience.

I will say this, compared to the area competition, Quick Queue is very reasonably priced as well as Signature Seating. It might be valuable to have these when you go. There are many threads on the value of all day dining, we as a family find it valuable when we are not doing Dine with Shamu, but we have learned how to use it over multiple visits.

I am contemplating the all day dining for our trip. Do you care to share what you have learned over multiple visits? This will be our first ever trip to SeaWorld, so I have no clue what to expect. Are the lunch time lines crazy like Disney--if so I don't know how much value we would get from the plan??
 
It is not Disney, but it can get busy, especially if you only eat at peak times. This is where we find it valuable:

  • We plan on doing an all day visit, including breakfast.
  • We stay "off schedule" in going through the lines - no busy times. We are there all day, no need to eat with the rest of the park.
  • We plan the shows ahead of time - we know what restaurants are near which stadium at which time, etc.
  • We take the food to go into the stadiums and eat while we watch
  • We don't always get the "full" meal - we may just get a fruit cup and a drink to watch the dolphin show for example.
  • We are a family that shares, so if we are going through a line, we may only have 2 out of 4 get food. That way, there always seems to be a wristband that is active around the time limits...

Over an entire day, we are able to stay hydrated and full. It's not really about eating 4 or 5 full meals each or about a cost-benefit analysis on if we made money on the deal, it's about always being able to get a quick bite at any time. Again, we only do the meal plan on trips that we only have one full day at Sea World - not my favorite type of touring, but the overall vacation schedule sometimes works out that way...
 
It is not Disney, but it can get busy, especially if you only eat at peak times. This is where we find it valuable:

  • We plan on doing an all day visit, including breakfast.
  • We stay "off schedule" in going through the lines - no busy times. We are there all day, no need to eat with the rest of the park.
  • We plan the shows ahead of time - we know what restaurants are near which stadium at which time, etc.
  • We take the food to go into the stadiums and eat while we watch
  • We don't always get the "full" meal - we may just get a fruit cup and a drink to watch the dolphin show for example.
  • We are a family that shares, so if we are going through a line, we may only have 2 out of 4 get food. That way, there always seems to be a wristband that is active around the time limits...

Over an entire day, we are able to stay hydrated and full. It's not really about eating 4 or 5 full meals each or about a cost-benefit analysis on if we made money on the deal, it's about always being able to get a quick bite at any time. Again, we only do the meal plan on trips that we only have one full day at Sea World - not my favorite type of touring, but the overall vacation schedule sometimes works out that way...

Thank you!! We are also a family that shares. We also tend to snack much more at theme parks instead of a heavy full meal which makes the coasters a bit much! lol Are there any snack carts that accept the plan (churros, large pretzels, fruit, etc) or do you have to wait in a full restaurant line each time you want a snack? I also like to get my junk food craving satisfied at theme parks!! Are there funnel cakes, nachos, things like that included or is the dining plan mainly focused on a quick service meal??
 


As for snack carts, they did have a buy one, get one with the dining plan, we never did that, and I think I remember reading that this perk seems to come and go. However, each time through in the participating restaurants, you get an entree, beverage, a side or dessert. That is where we took advantage of grabbing some drinks, a hot dog/pizza/etc, and fruit and desserts to split/share. The fruit always seemed to hit the spot on a hot day more than anything, and the desserts, although not always the best, did provide some sweets.

Another option, and the one we prefer - snack around on all of the yummy food you mentioned, and sit down for the buffet at Dine with Shamu. The food is very good, the "show" is better yet. It is quite an experience, and priced right in my opinion. It will take a couple of hours out of your day, but is usually our last meal on multi day Sea World vacations, a wonderful ending to a great trip. Food for thought...
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top