Sea World San Diego

jensriot · May 2013

We're taking a family trip to San Diego in July. We have a rental on Mission Beach and plan to go to Sea World at least once during the week we are there. I haven't been to Sea World before, or any major park really, with kids. Any tips, must sees, must avoids you know of? I'm excited, but just not sure what to expect.

We'll have a good sized group, at least 6 adults and 5 kids, possibly 4 additional adults.

LittleFish1 · May 2013

Lurker ... have heard you can get discounted tickets through Costco

2-Step · May 2013

We did the exact same thing in February! Mission Beach rental and visited Sea World. I was iffy on going to Sea World since it's expensive and there is so much other stuff to do in San Diego, but we were really glad we did. I suggest going early, we got there around lunch and didn't have time to see everything in the park.

If you do the shows your are going to be sitting directly in the sun on bleachers, which can get really hot, so bring some cool drinks and hats etc.

We rented a BOB stroller and some gear from a really awesome baby rental company down there. Let me know if you want their info. They went out of their way to accommodate some of our last minute requests.

We brought our ergo as well as the stroller so when my 3 year old got tired we put the 1 year old in the backpack and the 3 year old napped in the stroller. We also packed a lunch to save money. It worked out great. Have fun!

shelbym · May 2013

We just went with our kids in April ( 4,2,1). Sea world is very expensive so just be prepared-if you are going for more than one day you can get a fun pass for the same price and use it any other days within the same year. My husband was expecting more of a big aquarium and was disappointed that it was more of an amusement park. The kids loved feeding the bat rays. the tide pools and the walrus. Last time they fed the sea lions and dolphins too. There are lots of shows if you need a break from walking-we saw the shamu one and camper on and the kids got a kick out of both. There is also a fun water park in the middle with little kid rides. They have a splash/spray zone where the kids can run through and get soaked.

Are you going to the zoo or Lego land? Both I would recommend higher than sea world if I had to choose. Have a great time.

lollitots · May 2013

We used to have annual passes there. Here are my recommendations: take your lunch/dinner togo and eat while waiting for the shows. This way you get the good seats and it makes it easier to kill time while waiting. Bring a few beach towels that you can throw over you/hide behind. It is more fun to sit in the splash zone but sucks to be wet, so we always just hid behind towels. Along the same line, being a change of clothes that you can leave in the car just in case someone gets totally soaked and it is making them miserable. I would think about splitting up your group and meeting for at show time for some of the bigger shows. This way you can focus on kid stuff without boring others. Pay to feed the bat rays, and do it first thing before they are full. Have fun!

Mrs.Hizzo · May 2013

We were there last September. We loved all of it, I can't think of any part that wasn't good. I also highly recommend the zoo, my kids loved it.

jensriot · May 2013

Thank you for your responses, now I'm even more excited to go! I think we'll plan a couple of days. It sounds like there's enough to do to keep us occupied for a couple trips. I love Cirque so yay for me. I totally would have forgotten the carrier. I'm so ready for this vacation, it's hard to resist getting started on packing.

We are also thinking of Logoland or the Zoo. I think between Sea World and one of those two, we'll be pretty busy.

bumpuser8448316 · May 2013

shelbym:
We just went with our kids in April ( 4,2,1). Sea world is very expensive so just be prepared-if you are going for more than one day you can get a fun pass for the same price and use it any other days within the same year. My husband was expecting more of a big aquarium and was disappointed that it was more of an amusement park. The kids loved feeding the bat rays. the tide pools and the walrus. Last time they fed the sea lions and dolphins too. There are lots of shows if you need a break from walking-we saw the shamu one and camper on and the kids got a kick out of both. There is also a fun water park in the middle with little kid rides. They have a splash/spray zone where the kids can run through and get soaked.

Are you going to the zoo or Lego land? Both I would recommend higher than sea world if I had to choose. Have a great time.

I agree, I hate Sea World. It's a lot of standing around and sitting waiting for shows to start. My 3 year old still doesn't have the patience for that and most of the shows don't hold his attention. The only one he really likes is the pets rock one. The kids play area is awesome but it's a total waste to go to sea world for a giant playground.

The San Diego Zoo is a really great zoo and I highly recommend it! Legoland is probably an hour drive from San Diego (it's in Carlsbad) but it's awesome. We just went a couple weeks ago and DS had a total blast.

bumpuser8448316 · May 2013

Teacher Clark:
We go multiple times a year. I highly recommend seeing the following shows: pets rule, dolphins show, and the sea lion show, cirque de la mer is like a water cirque de soleil if you have time. If you want to get out of the heat there is a theater that usually does a Sesame Street show. Shamu is awesome for bigger kids, but not usually enough activity for little ones. My 4YO loves the petting the starfish by the cirque de la mer stadium and petting the manta rays if its not too crowded. The bay of play is great for kids to run around. They have 2 splash pads there, one for the toddlers and one for the kids. Our favorite place to eat is the brewery, previously the anheiser Busch brewery. They have carved sandwiches and their prices are reasonable. They also don't tend to have the lines that other eateries do. There are a few rides there, you have to be at least 40 inches maybe 42 for most. Let me know if you have more questions.

Not for the rides in the kids area. DS rode all of them last year at 2.5 and this year at 2.5 and he's only 37" right now.

Sea World San Diego

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