Title: Family Vacation in SeaWorld San Antonio
Preparation: 1. Do not bring any ice chests or any food, even a straw is not allowed. Water and small snacks less than 3 oz are OK. Also, no outside drinks are allowed. 2. We bought the admission tickets 8 days ago that was a flash offer, buy one get one free but they expire on 06/30/2015 and they are single day tickets. We bought two adult tickets plus two kid tickets free, and the total cost for tickets is about $155. 3. If possible, print out your tickets, it will save you time to get in. The staff can directly scan the tickets and let you in in a minute in the middle of the entrances after you passed the bag checking station. 4. Today it is very crowded here. The show audience in SHAMU theater is full around 3:20pm but the show starts at 4pm. We wanted to watch the 2:30pm show but when we came here at 2:15pm, we were told that the capacity was full and to come back at 3:15pm for the 4pm show. So if you do not want to wait in a long line, better to avoid the rush on the weekends.
General opinion: There are 3 great shows here. If you have never come here before, it's worth to visit. 1. The 1st show that we saw is held in the Beluga Stadium. It's named after beluga whales, but they do bring out the dolphins in the show. 2. The 2nd one, and in our opinion, is the best. It's called SHAMU Theater "Killer Whales: up close" and "One Ocean" show. They train the killer whales to do tricks and do the show "One Ocean" perfectly. Anybody who comes to SeaWorld San Antonio should not miss this show. After I watched this show, I felt the money we spent here was worth it. The show times are 11:00am, 2:30pm, 4:00pm, and 5:30pm. They also perform a night show called SHAMU'S Celebration: Light up the Night! It starts at 7:30pm and 9:15pm. 3. The 3rd one is the Sea Lion High show. It's a comedy show about sea lions who are going to high school. In my opinion, if you do not have time, it's OK to skip this one.
Attractions and activities: There are many attractions and activities: 1. The Rio Loco Rive Rapids Water Ride is very good. We love this most. Minimum height is 42 inches. The ride is open from 11am to 10pm. We waited in the line for 45 minutes today and got on. My son and daughter love this very much. But be prepared to get soaked for this activity. You need tower and extra clothes to change. 2. Bay of Play: kids love to play. 3. Steel eel, Great White, roller coasters, this time we did not play because in 2007 we rode in Steel eel but after the ride, one of us did not feel very well. There is also a Journey to Atlantis, a Super Splash Water Ride, seems fun but we did not have time to try this.
Dining: There are many places you can buy food but today the lines were very long. We ate lunch in the smoke house that is close to the Shamu Theater, the food is pretty good but the price is also higher than you expected if you do not have the all day dining ticket included and you have to pay each item individually.
Commute: Preferred parking is $28, the general parking is $20. Preferred parking lot is close to the entrance.
Things I wish I had known before: The lesson today we've learned is: if you have a family to come here to take vacation, better to buy a wagon that can be folded, from Costco, or Academy. You can put your water, clothes, water shoes, etc. or even young kids in it. Of course if you have a big stroller, it will be helpful to carry things along the way. Today we carried all the stuff including water bottles, clothes, shoes in bags by hand and shoulders, it is really a big burden. My husband did most of the grunt work and didn't participate many activities.
Our family liked this very much. It was very exciting and fun!
I love this very much. This is the first time I hear the real whale whistling.