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SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours: What to Expect

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There are several SeaWorld Orlando animal tours you can book when you visit the theme park. Last year, my mom and I booked a different one on each of our three visits. Today, I am going to tell you what to expect if you book one of these add-on experiences.

SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours

SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours

When you visit SeaWorld Orlando, several shows and animal viewing options are included with admission. However, there are also several add-on experiences you can purchase for another fee to get up-close with select animals. Depending on the event, you will either be given a time or able to select a time to do the event. Then, it’s up to you to remember it. Ha! You will also need to read on the receipt (that is emailed to you) where to go to check-in for your event.

During my three visits in 2022 I was lucky to do three different SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours: dolphin encounter, sea lions up-close, and penguins up-close.

Dolphin Encounter

On my first visit of the year, my mom and I did the dolphin encounter. This was a quick 15 minute experience wherein we learned several facts about the dolphins before getting to pet a dolphin! We also purchased photos from the park for this experience as you can’t bring any devices near the water for this one. There’s a park photographer across the water snapping pictures and it’s worth it to buy at least one, in my opinion. This experience also led my mom and I to book Discovery Cove to swim with the dolphins! So, be aware that once you do one of these, there’s the risk of wanting to do more! Ha!

Sea Lions Up-Close Tour

During our February trip, I learned that my mom likes sea lions due to their whiskers! So, for our September trip, we booked the Sea Lions Up-Close Tour. This is a longer experience, about 45 minutes. Just keep that in mind if you have a jam-packed theme park day. This tour consisted of learning lots about sea lions, feeding sea lions, and then getting to touch and take pictures with one! My mom really enjoyed this experience. I was a little intimidated as the sea lion breathed right in my face and scared me at one point. It’s worth noting that the park photographer didn’t show up until the very end of this experience, so the group simply took photos with our cell phones for each other. My advice would be to wait and see if the photographer shows up for this event before purchasing the picture package.

Penguins Up-Close Tour

On our December trip, we booked the Penguins Up-Close Tour because it felt Christmas-like to me! Plus, I really like penguins. We were also able to get this one on sale during their Black Friday sale, so it also seemed like a good deal. I will warn you that the penguin area is kept around a chilly 32 degrees. So, bring some layers to put on for this one. I loved being able to touch and take photos of the penguins. There wasn’t a park photographer for this experience, fyi. We learned so much about penguins on this tour. It was a really neat and memorable trip.

Are Animal Tour Add-Ons Worth It?

Several of the SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours can be expensive, especially when you think about it being on top of regular park admission. However, you can sometimes catch them on sale. So, keep an eye out for deals if you have time before your trip. Additionally, annual passholders get a small discount on tours. You simply need to sign into the website to see the discount. Another aspect to keep in mind is the amount of time these things take. If you have the funds and time, I highly recommend an add-on experience.

Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando Review

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Having just returned from a fabulous 5 days in Florida, I am ready to give an overview of Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando! For starters, it’s a special event held on the weekends mid-November through early January. The nice thing about this event is that it’s included with your regular park admission! So, you don’t have to pay extra to enjoy the seasonal offerings, unlike at Walt Disney World where you have to purchase tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to really enjoy the holidays at the Magic Kingdom.

Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando

Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando

Being a 2022 passholder to the park, I’ve been lucky enough to experience SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween and now Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando! Christmas is similar to the Halloween festivities, but with a holiday spin. You can expect special foods, shows, meet and greets and décor around the park! As a passholder, I also appreciated my free ornament (seen in the second photo in my Instagram post below). It’s a great way to remember this trip as it hangs on my tree.

Festive Food Offerings

One of the big things SeaWorld advertises for their Christmas Celebration is their food sampling lanyard. However, it’s not worth it if you are going for just one day or with just a couple of people. We discovered that the food booths did not open until 4 or 5 PM. So, that does not leave much time to actually use the lanyard. We tried the Doughnut Chicken Sandwich, which was a tasty blend of spicy and sweet!

Another odd thing with the food offering add-ons is the very limited availability of those events. They advertise a Sesame Street Christmas Breakfast as well as Dinner with Santa. However, neither of those events were offered on the Sunday we went. In fact, it appeared to be a mostly Saturday or late December offering. So, I can’t speak to either of those events and was disappointed to learn of their very limited days.

Meet and Greets

Another thing they advertise is the ability to meet certain special characters during Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando. You can get photos with Santa or meet Rudolph and Friends! We didn’t meet Santa. However, we did visit Rudolph and Bumble, which had a huge hiccup. They don’t post an estimated waiting time for the meet. We showed up and saw a relatively short line. We incorrectly assumed it might be as long as half an hour wait. Long story short, it took us an hour to finally meet them! Some employees apologized, but did nothing to make up for lost time or the terrible waiting experience. So, I would caution you before getting in line for this. Is it a neat experience to meet Rudolph and Bumble? Absolutely! Just make sure you’re ok giving up an hour of your park day to do it!

Holiday Entertainment

Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando has several holiday shows to enjoy. In fact, I would consider this to be its biggest strength. However, most of the shows don’t start until sundown or so. We enjoyed watching “Elmo’s Christmas Wish” during the day as it’s a cute and really short show held at various times all day long. Sea of Trees is a nighttime show held several times on the trees in the water synchronized to music. It’s a must see and easy to view.

I would say the highlight of the night for us was the Winter Wonderland on Ice show. My mom and I have watched ice skating on tv ever since I was a little girl. I surprised my mom by not telling it was an ice skating show and she was very pleased with the surprise! We loved seeing all of the different skaters and tricks. It was a lovely way to end our day at the park.

They also do a Holiday Reflections: Fireworks Finale. However, we’d been in the park for 8 hours and decided we were too tired to stay for it. I’m sure it’s a great show. However, it was just a little too late in the day for us. We also didn’t get to experience Snow Flurries at the Waterfront, but it looks cool online.

SeaWorld Christmas Celebration Overall

While I really appreciate that everything is included with regular park admission, I wish things started earlier in the day. My advice would be to sleep in and show up later in the day to fully experience Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando. Then, pay attention to the park schedule to see the shows that interest you the most. It’s a nice event with some high points and some puzzling ones. Overall though, it’s a good family event.

Discovery Cove Review and Tips

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When I went to the SeaWorld Spooktacular last month in Orlando, I also visited Discovery Cove for the first time! My mom and I were able to swim with dolphins and enjoyed our day here. Keep reading to learn my tips for visiting.

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is a tropical paradise with various marine life to interact with. Admittedly, it is an expensive experience. However, keep an eye out for special deals as they tend to run them frequently. Additionally, the further out you book your day, the cheaper it will be. I also saved money on our passes by using my SeaWorld Orlando passholder discount!

Dolphin Swim

There are a variety of add-on experiences you can do at Discovery Cove. However, the main purpose of our visit here was to do the dolphin swim. In fact, we booked our day here solely because we saw the pictures of it at SeaWorld in February. I guess that marketing worked on us. Ha!

I will say that I’m glad we arrived early (a little after 7 AM). The weather forecast was calling for some afternoon showers prior to the arrival of Hurricane Ian, so we wanted to make sure we got to do what we came for – swim with dolphins! They do have a rainy day guarantee, but we didn’t have extra days in our trip, especially with the approaching hurricane. Thankfully, we got a 8:00 AM swim time and were able to swim right away!

Swimming with dolphins is something I will never forget! My mom and I had so much fun! It was both informative and wildly fun! You learn lots about dolphins while seeing them perform neat tricks. I also realized that each dolphin has their own personality, similar to humans!

Tips

I could write several more hundred words about Discovery Cove. However, I think it would be best to sum everything up with some helpful tips:

  • Arrive early. For starters, this will allow you to get your money’s worth. However, it also ensures you will get an early time slot for any add-on experiences you booked since they assign times on a first come, first serve basis.
  • Buy the photo package. I know that it adds even more to an already expensive day. However, you are going to want those photos. Besides, you aren’t allowed to bring in any devices to the dolphin area to protect the dolphins from eating/swallowing items. Although, I would strongly encourage you to follow the photographer immediately after the swim to pick out the photos. We were told that we didn’t have to and that added some headache to retrieving our pictures later in the day. It was still possible, it just made it more complicated and time-consuming.
  • Come hungry. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with your ticket! We actually didn’t get to eat breakfast until after our swim and were really hungry by then. Then, we ate lunch just a short while later. I think a 9:00 AM swim may have been more ideal for timing, but I was relieved to have the swim over since the hurricane was approaching.
  • Walk around. There’s so much to see and do at Discovery Cove. Take a walk around and enjoy the beautiful scenery, if nothing else.
  • Bring half of what you think you need. Seriously, I packed way too much stuff for here. They supply sunscreen, swim vests/wetsuits, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and towels. You really only need a swim suit, hair brush, deodorant, sunglasses/hat/cover up, water shoes, and a change of clothes when you visit here.

I highly recommend a visit to Discovery Cove if you can afford it, especially if you are traveling with a dolphin fan! Have you been? What is your favorite thing to do here? Do you have any other tips?

Theme Park Tips for Scaredy Cats

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Before I became a frequent theme park visitor, I wasn’t sure there wasn’t anything for me to enjoy at a theme park. I definitely didn’t think my husband or mom who both get motion sickness could have fun at a theme park. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely possible! In fact, here’s a list of theme park tips for scaredy cats or people who like to travel without needing to ride the most thrilling rides.

theme park tips for scaredy cats

Theme Park Tips for Scaredy Cats

Up until a few years ago, I assumed you had to be a thrill seeker to enjoy amusement parks. However, after visiting some great ones, I now realize that theme parks can be enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age and ability! So, here are my theme park tips for scaredy cats or people who don’t want to ride the big roller coaster.

  • Experience the seasonal events. As I’ve posted previously, there’s so much to see and eat during the fall season at Dollywood. However, the same can be said about pretty much any festival at Epcot or SeaWorld Orlando. Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando is another seasonal event I highly recommend. Of course, the holidays at any amusement park are filled with special shows, décor, and food to enjoy!
  • See a show. Most amusement parks also have shows you can watch during the day. So, glance at a schedule for the day’s events at the park and catch a few! They can be a great way to escape the weather too!
  • Try out new food. Do some research before you arrive and see what food the park is famous for. For instance, you have to get the cinnamon bread at Dollywood or a Dole Whip at Disney Parks. Then, go and try as many of those foods as you can!
  • Ride a sight seeing ride. Most people can tolerate a train ride around a park (Dollywood) or on something like the People Mover at Magic Kingdom. So, be on the lookout for rides in the air to get a different view of the park. You might even spot a ride that looks less intimidating from up in the sky.
  • Do your research. I highly recommend checking out ride point of view videos on YouTube prior to going to any theme park, to get a feel for a ride and see if it might be tolerable for you or not. You can also read descriptions of rides on many parks’ websites, so if a roller coasters mentions inversions or a tall height requirement, it might not be for you.
  • Look for add-on events. Lots of parks have add-on events you can participate in for an additional cost. Often times this is not riding a ride. For instance, the Dine with Orcas at SeaWorld Orlando is an add-on event where you can eat lunch while watching a show with an orca! That is thrilling, but totally accessible to everyone! SeaWorld features tons of animal experience add-ons and Walt Disney World has several tours as well. Universal Orlando even has some free behind the scenes tours of their rides!

So, there you have my theme park tips for scaredy cats! Do you have any tips?

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween

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Back when I did the Dine with Orcas in February, I became a SeaWorld Orlando passholder. So, last week I made a return trip to attend the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event! It’s an all day event included in the price of admission on Saturdays and Sundays in September and select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October until October 31, 2022. Continue reading to see what all there is to do at this event!

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

What makes the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular event different from lots of other Halloween events is the fact that it’s included in regular park admission and it’s held during the day. So, that may make it more appealing to families. However, it can also make it more crowded and you can expect more upcharges to this event because it’s a “free” event. It also means you will have to deal with the high temperatures that a fall day in Orlando can bring.

Count von Count Spooktacular Breakfast

One fun way to begin your day is by attending the Count von Count Spooktacular breakfast! It’s an add-on event, priced at $34.99/adult and $18.99/child. However, annual pass discounts apply. My mom and I decided to book this breakfast since we needed to eat something and this seemed like a fun experience.

I will admit that the breakfast was a little confusing. You have to show your breakfast reservation to get through the park to the restaurant hosting the breakfast. Then, you will be seated at a table and shown the buffet. You can get as much as you want to eat! What wasn’t exactly clear in the registration is that this breakfast includes a meet and greet with several Sesame Street characters and a short two song dance routine from some characters at the very end. So, don’t leave until you see them dance and you get to meet Count von Count himself! Otherwise, you aren’t getting the full experience! Unfortunately, I saw a few families leave before the show and meeting Count von Count and I felt like they didn’t get their money’s worth.

I will say that the breakfast itself was pretty good. I enjoyed the French toast sticks, yogurt parfait, and biscuits with honey butter! They also had eggs, bacon, and sausage! It was easy to find something everyone enjoys.

It was really fun to meet the Sesame Street characters! Since it’s the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event, Elmo is dressed up in a skeleton costume! Super cute! Zoe also had a special dance costume on! I also absolutely adored meeting Oscar the Grouch in his trashcan! Then, you top that off by meeting Count von Count. So, if someone in your party is into Sesame Street characters, this meal is definitely worth it.

Trick or Treat Trail

What’s a Halloween event without some trick or treating? Now, this is technically another add-on for this event as you must purchase a special Halloween event bag for $3.99 (passholder discounts can be applied) in order to receive candy. However, the kids seemed to be having lots of fun. I will caution you that on the day I went, they were somewhat stingy with the candy. Meaning, they gave out 2 pieces to each person at a time. So, if you plan on returning home with a full bag of candy, it’s going to take some work!

I did like that they had signs posted stating which specific candy was being given out at each stand. That makes it easy to avoid a candy you dislike or to deal with allergies. Also, adults are also allowed to trick or treat, if you purchase the bags! I didn’t see any chocolate being given out here. This is more Smarties/Sweet Tarts types of candy.

Meet Characters

Another neat thing about SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween is the opportunity to meet unique characters! They have a Pumpkin Garden where you might even meet a Pumpkin Princess! You can also line up to meet pirates and mermaids! I thought it was a fun aquatic spin on Halloween! Lastly, you can see scarecrows at a DJ Dance Party!

I did want to note that I saw a booth for cookie decorating and crafts, but I never actually saw the booth open during our visit. I believe the cookie decorating kit costs extra, but the crafts are included. I’m not sure what either event offers since I didn’t see it going.

If you are considering a fall trip and want to experience some Halloween fun without the scares, then SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular might be for you.