Sea World San Antonio

"Great Fun & A Unique Experience For All Ages!"

I recently had the honor of visiting SeaWorld San Antonio with my husband and three year old. We had been to the park once before when our son was about one and a half and I have to say the age difference made a world of difference. We had an amazing time and didn’t run out of things to do or see.

We began our day at Sea World having Breakfast with the most popular Sesame Street characters. It was the perfect way to start the day for a couple of reasons. First, you get into the park before it opens, which means you don’t have to stand in a really long line (especially during the middle of summer). Second, the food is really good and there are quality products, like Greek yogurt and bottled juices. Third, the interaction with Elmo, Big Bird, and the rest of the gang is priceless. They visit each table and also play some games with all of the kids. While my son wasn’t too keen on seeing them up close, he enjoyed them from afar. The price for the breakfast is $24 for adults, $16 for children, and children under three are free (but do require a reservation).

We took a private tour of Sea World which gave us the inside scoop on the best way to visit the park. I would definitely recommend getting there early, it was the mantra that I kept in the back of my head and served us well.  Below is the order that we went and is a great way to fit a lot into your day.

The first thing you want to do is feed the dolphins. Each tray costs $6 or you can get three trays for about $12. This is something unique and special about SeaWorld. We visit an aquarium all the time, but never get the opportunity to get this close! This is the one thing that you need to do before anything else at the park. The dolphins have a daily allotment of food and once they have sold all the trays then that is it for the day. Every day the feeding stops at 6 p.m., but on busy days they can sell out before that time.

After the dolphins, we made our way to the Sea Lions and fed them as well (same prices for fish). They had a couple of moms that had just given birth and it was a special thing to see them with their babies. It took a while to get my child to break away from the sea lions but we finally managed and got a chance to see the penguins (they are my favorite)! It’s amazing to see that many penguins, and that many varieties, in Texas! Especially in the heat of summer. It was the first time my son had ever seen a penguin in person and he couldn’t break his eyes away from them. There is a slow moving conveyer belt that takes you through the exhibit. You have to park your stroller before getting on the conveyer belt. You can also walk along the exhibit in a walkway above the conveyer belt if you want to dawdle a bit.

After the penguins, sneak over to the education center. They bring out animals throughout the day and will allow families a chance to have their picture taken with them. One great thing about the education center is they teach visitors about responsible pet ownership. Many of the animals in the center come to them from people who decide they want an animal and then realize they can’t handle it. By telling these stories they teach people the importance of learning about animals before making them your pets.

The two shows we attended are the “One Ocean” show with Shamu, and the “Elmo and The Bookaneers” show. Both shows were great and perfect for families. The Shamu show is a pretty standard whale show with jumps and splashing. Of course a standard whale show is still pretty amazing. The Elmo show takes the Sesame Street characters on a quest to become Bookaneers, which is sort of a book pirate. It focuses on the importance of reading, which is always a great thing to emphasis with kiddos. The show is also great because the kids don’t have to sit in their chairs, they can walk right up to the stage and the characters interact with the kids.

Before leaving for the day, we stopped by the new Sesame Street Bay of Play which is fantastic for the little ones! My little guy was exhausted at that point, but we saw a bunch of families having a lot of fun both in the water and on the net climb. The Bay of Play is a new area that opened this year. It includes two splash park areas, one for older children and one for children under three. Swim diapers, swimsuits and water shoes are a must for this area. There is also an amazing net climb with tunnels branching out from the top. The tunnels scared me a little because it was a little hard to keep track of my little guy, but he navigated it just fine. The area is Sesame Street themed and characters do a small show at various times of the day and come through the crowd and mingle with the kids. We have family that visit SeaWorld and sometimes they don’t leave the Bay of Play at all, there is plenty in just this one area to spend all day.

In all, the visit was one of the best my family has ever had at any attraction in San Antonio!

Getting there early is one of the keys to having a great visit so that you don’t have to deal with so many people. Make sure you either take a stroller, or rent a stroller for about $13, this is a necessity due to the size of the park. Also, it’s a great idea to purchase a refillable cup for around $8 at the start of the day because then you get refills for $0.99 (which are good through the end of the year). They also have lockers available for rent, which is handy especially if you plan to participate in any of the water activities. You should be prepared to not be able to visit everything and see every show in one day. I love that SeaWorld offers a fun pass, so pay for one day and you can come back as many times as you’d like that year. The fun pass is the equivalent of paying for one day of admission, so it’s really a no-brainer. You do have to pay for parking each time, unless you purchase a parking pass. The cost of admission is $59.99 for adults and $49.99 for children (or you pay the same amount for the fun pass which gives you admission for the remainder of the year). Parking is $13.87 for regular parking or $18.50 for premium parking.

SeaWorld San Antonio will be a staple in our lives. It’s appropriate for just about any child over the age of two and offers plenty of activities for children (and adults) at various stages of their lives. My child hasn’t stopped talking about the visit and it’s been over a week since we went. In my mind that’s a pretty good barometer of a successful visit!

“This review is based on a complimentary visit to SeaWorld San Antonio as well as the Sesame Street Character Breakfast. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view. The opinions I express are entirely my own.”