Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to SeaWorld Orlando. Opinions shared are mine.
This year, I made a promise to my husband not to clutter up the house with tons of toys. Smaller pieces of toys tend to find their way under the couch within ten minutes of being at room temperature. Don’t worry, I’m not Scrooge—I’ll still get a toy or two for the kiddos, but this year I plan to focus more on experiences and memories. Here’s what converted me.
We just returned from a trip to Orlando, Florida and had a fantastic day at SeaWorld. See, my husband surprised me with the Orlando trip. He doesn’t get much time off work so having some much-needed family time was a huge blessing for us. Getting to go to SeaWorld was icing on the cake. Almost from the moment she could speak, my daughter has insisted that she wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. She even asked Santa for a real mermaid tail (several years in a row). Marine animals are a passion for her. She spends time drawing them, studying them, and always talking about them. I knew that this would be a lifetime memory that we would all cherish. I just didn’t realize how wonderful those memories would be! During our day, we got to visit the cool shows and attractions that SeaWorld is known for. While we were there, SeaWorld also hosted the Halloween Spectacular. It was SO. MUCH. FUN! We went to other Halloween events in Orlando parks during our trip, but I felt that SeaWorld’s Halloween Spectacular was the most child-friendly and easiest to navigate. I liked that it took place in the daytime so my kids weren’t already tired from touring all day. Plus, we could see where we were going which is always a plus! Look who greeted us at the entrance to the “Fantasea” party:
How often do you see a gigantic talking seahorse? He was so funny!! He cracked jokes and threw candy down to us while inviting us to the Halloween party.
The party was basically along a clearly-marked trail. At the entrance, kids received a treat bag and could take pictures with characters and various decor stations.
There were several candy lines that we visited along the way. They were giving out really good candy—-big packs of various types like Jelly Belly, Tootsie Roll, and so many more. The lines weren’t too long, which was nice, so my kids enjoyed stopping at each one.
If that’s not enough, there was a HUGE tent area set up with games and tables. Kids had the opportunity to do various crafts and play games. I tried to catch a picture of it so you could see, but it was just too big to capture in one picture.
Best of all, the Halloween Spectacular was included in the admission price!! What a deal for parents. To add to the fun, there were cool photo opps set up around the perimeter of the path. Lots of characters were dressed up in costume (penguins dressed up as princesses, for example). There were bubble machines along the way which my kids loved. I saw lots of benches for tired parents to catch a breath while their kids snacked on the sweets. Overall, it just added to the fun of a great day at SeaWorld.
While we were there, we also took in the Dolphins Up-Close experience. It was simply amazing. We got to communicate with several dolphins using hand gestures. We also got to touch the dolphins several times. They rolled over and let us rub their fins and bellies!! The trainers were so knowledgeable. My daughter asked lots of questions and we learned some really cool facts about the dolphins. We absolutely loved getting to participate in that experience. My daughter said it was the best day ever. That was truly some of the best money I’ve ever spent. We have memories that will last a lifetime, far longer than a plastic toy would last. They have several budget-friendly offers such as the day pass for meals. Also, kids under 3 years old got in free to the Dolphin experience which is one of the reasons I couldn’t pass it up. What a great deal!
If you’re traveling to the Orlando area, definitely check out SeaWorld Orlando. It’s something that we’ll never forget and I wish we had gone during some of our previous trips to the area. If you travel in October, don’t miss the dates that the Halloween Spectacular will take place. If you’re going over the holidays, be sure to look at their holiday events. Our day at SeaWorld was the highlight of our family trip. If you’ve visited, I’d love to hear about your experience and what you would suggest taking in on our next trip there!
Sounds like you had an amazing time. We also love Sea World. There is something there for the entire family!
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I took my grand son here one summer when we were visiting the area.
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I have always wanted to go to seaworld, and now I want to go even more!!!
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Oh my gosh, you got me so excited to go back. It’s been YEARS! Your statement about it being the best money ever spent was pretty powerful. I wanna go, I wanna go!
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Sea World is my favorite family theme park!! Glad you got to go and have fun!!
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I would so love to go!! I am 100% sure my boys would have a blast 😀
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Sounds like a great time! I cannot wait to take my kids! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds like a great time! I cannot wait to take my kids! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve always wanted to go to Seaworld – looks and sounds like a great time!
We love Sea World! There is just so much to see there! The dolphins are always my favorite.
Sounds great!
I hoep to get there one day!
thanks,
Mitch
I am so jealous. Jelly Belly is my favourite thing in the world. Those jelly beans are delicious and I love Orlando but have never been to SeaWorld! It’s top of the list next time we visit.
I haven’t been to the one in Orlando, just the one that was in Ohio. My aunt lives in Orlando and we are visiting next year and are excited to go to the Orlando Seaworld.
That does sound like a wonderful trip that the whole family could enjoy. The dolphin experience must have been really amazing!
My daughter would LOVE to go to Sea World, since she loves water and fish, I’m assuming she’d love dolphins.
I would love to take my son to sea world. He would have so much fun.
We love Sea World! It’s definitely one of the better theme parks for the littlest ones!
We’ve been to the one here in Texas but I hear the one in Orlando is so much better!
I have never been to Sea World and I know my kids would love this! It looks like you had a fun time
I’ve been to the SeaWorld in Texas many years ago. Was very fun.
How fun and what great memories! This sounds like a wonderful trip for kids and adults. Good candy, dolphins….I’m there. Hope you get many more experiences like this.
Love to go here looks like fun
Ive never heard of this. One more place to add to the list of places to go
Sometimes just taking time out and enjoying things together as a family, will make great memories for children..Even better than an expensive toy. Thanks for the review.
It is great for the whole family. So much to do and see. The experiences and memories will last you way longer than a toy you are right.
My friends took their son there years ago now and raved about it. I unfortunately have never been there. I would love to interact with the dolphins.
We went to SeaWorld Orlando in December and had an amazing time. The Penguin ride and exhibit was our favorite!
We are planning on going to the one out here in Texas this summer. We cannot wait!!
My grandkids would love the giant seahorse. My granddaughter is going through a joke phase, and I can see her telling him a few, too.
I have never been to Sea World but I would love to go. It would be a great family daily indeed. Thanks so much for sharing.
We have Sea World here in San Diego and I love visiting it. I would also like to go to Sea World Orlando
Seaworld has so much to do. It’s a colorful, fun learning experience for the whole family.
What a wonderful place to take children on vacation! Sea World is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.
My problem is that I always want to eat seafood after visiting…
Anytime I’m in Florida I want seafood I have to say. They have the best and freshest.
LET THEM go. We are cleaning the oceans.
This is where I want to go sometime. I want to take my grandkids
I went to SeaWorld as a child, but I would never go there again. I would not take my kids there. I just don’t think it is right to keep those huge animals in tiny little tanks their entire life. For what? So we can look at them and watch them do tricks? I just don’t think that is a good enough reason. SeaWorld has gotten a lot of bad press lately. I wish they would release their dolphins and whales into a sanctuary or back to the ocean if possible.
I love SeaWorld. The porpoises are my favorite.
We used to visit SeaWorld quite often when I was a child. I still have fond memories.
I’ve been to Seaworld in San Diego but not Florida.
I would love to visit Orlando again. It would make a perfect getaway.
We went to Seaworld in Orlando once when I was growing up. I absolutely loved it. It was probably the most memorable place that we visited when I was a kid. What a wonderful place!
Looks like a super nice time! Thanks for sharing.