Monday, July 7, 2014

A Mother's survival guide to Sea World


Top ten tips every mother should know before a trip to Sea World:

1. Purchase your tickets online the day before you arrive. You will save yourself time and money. We saved $30 per ticket purchasing online. Be sure to have your confirmation email. You don't need to print it out. Just have your smartphone available with the bar-code for each ticket when you arrive. You can go straight to the gates and not have to wait in line. Yipee!

2. Download the Sea World App on your smartphone when you arrive and it will record the location of your parking space. Trust me, you'll need it. The parking lot is vast and difficult to navigate.

3. Be sure to put a wristband on your child for safety precaution. The park is big and children can get lost very easily. The Polly Klaas Foundation recommends only putting the mother & father's cell phone numbers on the wristband and not the child's name.

4. Upon arrival, you'll receive a map and show time schedule. Look over the schedule of shows and design your visit around the show times. I recommend watching the Orca whales in One Ocean, the dolphins and aerialists in Blue Horizons, the fun and playful animals in Pet's Rule, and for the air conditioning and dancing Madagascar Live! (in doors). 

5. Bring plenty of sun screen. None of the shows have shade over head. You'll be directly under the sun while waiting and for the duration of the shows. The shows last between 20-25 minutes.

6. Bring your swim suits, swim diapers, and towels. Not only will you get wet at most of the shows, but there is also a splash pad. Making pit stops at the splash pad is a nice way to cool the kids down throughout the day. If you don't want to get wet at the shows, sit more than 15-20 rows back from the water.

7. Bring your own reusable water bottles and food. The concession stands give away ice in any cup. The food at the park is approximately $15-$20 per person per meal if you decide to purchase it there. We brought sandwiches and snacks for lunch and bought our dinner at the park. We did purchase desserts at the park as well. They have the best chocolate chip cookies and ice cream cones.

8.  Be prepared to take your little ones out of their strollers a lot. They do not allow strollers in any of the shows, even if your child is asleep. They also refuse stroller entrance at some of the exhibits. For example, the sharks, turtles, penguins, and polar bears. We did sneak ours in once or twice. Shh!

9. Bring a few toys or games for entertainment. Each of the shows fill up quickly. It's important to be in your seat at least 20 minutes before it begins. The toys we brought were a lifesaver during the wait times. We did lose one of them, so perhaps bring toys from the dollar store that you don't mind replacing.

10. This is the year of giveaways. There are interns throughout the park just waiting to give away prizes. You could win a Sea World hoodie, free meal, or even a free ticket for your next visit. One of the questions they ask is if you know where all three of the Sea World parks are located. They are in: 1) San Diego, 2) Orlando, and 3) San Antonio.

Good Luck!


















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