Review:
Sea World San Antonio is a great place to visit this summer, but without planning, it can be expensive and exhausting! We have some ideas on stretching your hard earned dollar and making a few preparations to ensure your family enjoys everything the park has to offer.
First and foremost, saving money. The tickets alone are very expensive, however when you think of the amazing shows and what it takes to hire highly trained and educated staff for the animals as well as the upkeep and care of all of them...the price is well worth the prices. As we mentioned above, the best way to save on ticket prices is to use a coupon. A simple Google search for Sea World San Antonio Discounts or Coupons will kick back several reliable sites with online codes for making ticket purchases through the Sea World website. (We used the CODE: hatcu and received 20% off regular prices) In addition to the discounts online, we were also able to upgrade our single day pass to a two day pass for free and we were glad we did. There is entirely too much to fit into one day! We strongly recommend buying online before you go because you can print tickets online and get the best deals. Plus with printed tickets in had, you don't have to wait in line to buy, and one less line is always good!
Another good way to save money is to bring as many supplies as are allowed. Drinks, for example, are allowed. We brought 6 bottles of water and still ended up buying two more while we were there. There did not seem to be a limit as to the number of bottled water allowed, so we recommend 2-3 bottles per person. Freezing bottles the night before will help to make sure they stay cold all day long. Strollers are also allowed. Even if you have not used a stroller in many years, we suggest bringing a stroller at the very least to carry your towels, drinks or snacks. Strollers at SeaWorld run $15 - $20 and bringing your own is a great money saver! By the end of the day, even the adults will want to be pushed around in the strollers. We did not bring snacks, but saw many families pulling their own snacks from their bags. As expected, the food at the park is average in quality and high in price, so bring your own snacks! Fruit is a good idea, as would be quick snacks like crackers, lunchables or snack packs.
So now that you are prepared with drinks, snacks, strollers and printed tickets...the fun can begin. Grab a map as soon as you walk in and review the show schedule. Some shows have times later in the evening, but some do not. If you don't want to miss your favorites (ours was Shamu and the Dolphins) check out all the show times and mark the ones you want to attend and in what order. Make sure to leave about 1 hour between shows to allow plenty of time to walk from show to show. There are rides and concessions in between the show locations, so keep those in mind as well. Lines for rides are long, so plan on 1 hour per ride (possibly more on the weekends).
The best advice we can give is to get there early, especially on the day you plan to visit the Water Park. There is a limit to the number of people allowed in the Water Park at a time, so when it reached capacity, you have to wait until someone leaves to get in. This was the longest line we saw all weekend!
Overall our experience at Sea World San Antonio was excellent! The park is very clean and staff was friendly! The park even has designated smoking sections! It is great summer fun for the whole family!
