We were very surprised at the amount of thrill rides at Sea World. I always assumed it was all animal focused but they have really stepped up their theme park game over the years with some awesome attractions that my thrill-seekers loved. This trip we went together with my brother and his family.
I was actually more surprised at the lack of smaller-child focused activities. I am glad we waited until our youngest was five to visit as she enjoyed the freedom of walking from animal exhibit to animal exhibit and was old enough to be fully engaged with the animal shows as well.
We visit theme parks frequently and my niece of 9 years old struggles a lot in situations where she’s not tall enough to ride attractions that her niece can ride. We have tears and frustration at Universal! But at Sea World she was happy all day. There was a perfect balance of things for her to be able to do and enjoy!
All of the kids had an awesome time and I also really appreciated the way the park is laid out. Animal exhibits and experiences are located nearby all the major thrill rides which made it easy to take the younger ones to see animals while the older ones hopped on the rides!
HOW TO GET TO SEAWORLD
If you are flying from Amsterdam it is a 10,30 hours flight to Orlando International Airport. You can fly direct with airlines such as Lufthansa, United Airlines, Delta. And covers approximately 4530 kilometers.
But it is best to compare all flight tickets on the Skyscanner or Tix website. At Skyscanner you can easily see on the calendar which day is the cheapest to fly. Once you’ve found a date, you can also compare prices on Tix’s website. The prices and conditions can sometimes differ, so you can always compare. The conditions at Tix are often more flexible, so paying a little more also has its advantages.
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If you don’t mind driving a little longer, try Dusseldorf International airport of Brussels International airport. It often saves you a lot of money.
✈ Parking: Are you still looking for a cheap parking space at Schiphol? Then make sure you reserve your parking space online as soon as possible. It is cheaper to arrange this early in advance and you can often cancel it up to a few days before departure. Always check the conditions on the website.
SeaWorld is located just 20 minutes away from the Orlando International Airport.
✈ Rental car: We always rent our car from SunnyCars, because you are always insured here all-in and that is so nice abroad. Do you think SunnyCars is a bit too expensive and do you not necessarily have to be insured all-in? Compare rental cars on the EasyTerra website for the cheapest option. You can also check the RentalCars website. They may offer cars with an all-in insurance.
WHERE TO STAY
✈ Accommodation: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/orlando/mcosw/hoteldetail
THINGS TO DO
SeaWorld Orlando has something for everyone in the rides department.
✈ SeaWorld Tickets – Florida Theme Park Tickets | SeaWorld Orlando
SESAME STREET
If you have a smaller/shorter child you may enjoy the Sesame Street Land at SeaWorld Orlando. Personally, I was not a huge fan of the area. It is set apart from the rest of the park so it meant separating from my family or making the older kids tag along.
The lines were long and the rides were more like a local theme park-type feel. A quick spin in a circle on an outdoor ride.
RIDES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
There are other ride options that are for the entire family such as Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin which is an indoor ride that takes you on a trackless journey through Antarctica and also leads you into an awesome penguin habitat!
The Sea Carousel is also a beautiful carousel that will bring back fun childhood memories for parents and be an interactive experience for kids of all ages as well. Even my 9 year old pre-teen daugther enjoys a good carousel ride.
Turtle Trek is more of a show than an actual ride but is 360 degree theater showcase and a great spot to cool off and give little ones something to do while learning more about sea turtles.
WATER RIDES
Once your child reaches 1.10m tall more ride options become available. Including the two super-fun water rides at SeaWorld Orlando: SeaWorld Infinity Falls (a river raft ride) and Journey of Atlantis Water Coaster. On both rides you will get wet so prepare accordingly and enjoy cooling off in the Florida heat!
ROLLER COASTERS
The BEST rides at SeaWorld Orlando though? Are the roller coasters. If you love thrills, you’ll love the rollercoaster options at Sea World. 1.40M is the required height for the three main rollercoasters at the park.
Mako is Orlando’s tallest and fastest roller coaster and is the hands-down favorite ride for my thrill-seekers.
Kraken is Orlando’s only flourless steel coaster and Manta Roller Coaster is the only flying coaster of its kind in Florida.
Ice Breaker is the newest rollercoaster in SeaWorld Florida and has the steepest vertical drop in Florida!
QUICK QUEUE UNLIMITED – IS IT WORTH IT?
SeaWorld Orlando offers add-ons in addition to park admission. One of which is the Quick Queue Unlimited. This add-on is comparable to the FastPass system at Walt Disney World or the Express Pass Unlimited at Universal Studios Orlando or Universal Islands of Adventure.
Its pass allows the unlimited front-of-the-line access to the most popular attractions at SeaWorld Orlando including Mako, Manta, Kraken, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, Infinity Falls, and Journey to Atlantis.
We made the decision to purchase two of the Quick Queue Unlimited passes. One for my husband and one for my oldest daughter as they were the ones who would get the most use out of the passes so they could hop on the thrill rides without waiting.
Not only was it a perk for them not to have to wait in line, it was also beneficial to the rest of our party so we weren’t waiting as long for them to ride the rides either!
The price of the Quick Queue Unlimited pass varies by season so you have to check for the specific cost for your travel dates. However, it was a very easy pass to use and very flexible on who could use it. We could have easily traded off who got to ride with the pass.
While the pass is assigned to a particular individual in your party, SeaWorld employees do not care at all if you swap it out with each other or if the designated person is actually the one using the pass. In fact, when we left the park for the day we gifted our passes to another family to use!
TIP OF THE DAY:
When heading back to the carpark, don’t forget to register yourself at the information desk, so you are able to get the second day for free!
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