Seaworld- would you squeeze it in?

[mummyroo1]

We love DC and enjoy seaworld but I have learnt through experience that 3 park groups can be full on and such a lot of money. I try to limit myself to 2 park groups now. Last year just Disney and DC/SeaWorld parks, this year Universal with a touch of Disney. I always feel like too many overlapping tickets is wasteful. That said not doing DC is really tough as it was our favourite park on our first 2 visits but we did have a less good experience last year so skipping it this year is easier than it would have been normally.

[YorkshireT]

Personally, aside from a few decent coasters, found SeaWorld lacklustre in summer. A shadow of its peak, with low staffing, we even struggled to get a cup of coffee before 11. Busch Gardens though was thriving to say it’s the same group. Think the Blackfish thing hammered SeaWorld.

[HermioneFuzzle]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Personally, aside from a few decent coasters, found SeaWorld lacklustre in summer. A shadow of its peak, with low staffing, we even struggled to get a cup of coffee before 11. Busch Gardens though was thriving to say it’s the same group. Think the Blackfish thing hammered SeaWorld.

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I totally agree with the Blackfish effect. I visited Seaworld several times as a child, and whilst it was my parent's favourite as it was a bit more sedate, I just didn't get as much out of it. That said, it was packed. We have visited Loro Parque, a sister park, in Tenerife, many times. The visitor numbers don't seem to be dwindling there despite similar issues with orcas in captivity. I'm truly on the fence with this issue. My children love the sea animals aspect of Loro Parque, but I am looking really at whether the rides are worth the outlay.DC swim tickets (including SW) are £1056 for the 4 of us.
We will undoubtedly return to Tenerife and Florida, with opportunities to swim with dolphins. I am really undecided about whether to spend on Discovery Cove I suppose. I know it's worth the cost, but added to the crazy park costs and expensive flights this year, I'm not sold.
Edited to add: lack of coffee before 11am is a dealbreaker for me!

[Guest]

I would leave it, you have already paid for five weeks worth of tickets that you will only get three weeks worth use out of. I think I would only consider throwing in a SW / DC if I only had one out of Disney and Universal.

[jen10]

discovery cove is my favourite day of the holiday and as Seaworld is included in the ticket , its a win win for us

[toonarmani]

Sounds like you don’t want to but they do, have you considered buying tickets for those wanting to go and you can have a day to yourself?

You mentioned being dragged to Loro Parque, they may feel the same about some of the things you prefer to do...?

[HermioneFuzzle]

Exactly this. I don't really fancy Seaworld, and they don't especially appreciate the shopping days. I don't want DH and the kids to miss out, but the expense is a lot when we have already bought Disney and Universal tickets. My children like to do things to death, so I know we'll do some rides over and over again. I have no problem with this at all, i'm just not sure I want to add another dimension in for them to love when they'll want to return many times to Universal and Disney during the holiday.
I think it's a question of budget and time. DH and I discussed leaving the decision as late as possible before we go in July. What is the likelihood of a DC swim slot in the 1st weeks of August, if we book it in May/June?

[sha9]

I personally wouldn’t bother with SeaWorld. We haven’t bought tickets for years. The last couple of years we did the Sharks Underwater Grill dining as part of Magical Dining month but even that I doubt we’ll do again. I think with Disney and Universal tickets you’ll have more than enough to fill your time and won’t even miss it.

[Nimbus]

So, are you going to Discovery Cove anyway and are wondering whether it's also worth visiting Seaworld in addition to DC?

Or are you asking whether it's worth visiting Discovery Cove and Seaworld?

If the former, then yes it's definitely worth visiting Seaworld. You'll get tickets to visit Seaworld as part of your Discovery Cove tickets so it won't cost you anything extra. And if you are there for 3 weeks then a day at Seaworld is easy to fit in. Seaworld is certainly worth a visit and is a more laid back park than the Disney and Universal parks.

If the latter, then it depends on whether you have the money for the DC ticket. I've never been to DC so can't say whether it's worth it, but lots of people seem to think it is. And if you do choose to buy a ticket to DC then it's best to get your money's worth by visiting Seaworld as well.

[itsmeGAV]

We have planned Seaworld during our September trip this year as it's included with our Discovery Cove ultimate ticket, but to be honest we wouldn't have planned it in if we didn't have the DC tickets and we probably won't even be there for a full day... we didn't go last year and didn't miss it.

As a bonus for us though (only found out two weeks ago) we get complimentary quick queue tickets, priority entry into Seaworld and tickets to the rescue tour.. all because we're staying at Grand Vacations Hilton at Seaworld.