Seaworld, California

***Background***

Before heading off on honeymoon in the States, there wasn't really a lot of the trip that we made definite plans for. However, when it came to the attractions in San Diego and LA we really struggled to decide what we wanted to do, because the choices are plentiful. My hubby is a big film fan so Universal Studios had to be on the list, not so much for the big rides but for the studio tours and behind the scenes bits ...
...prices for this we noticed that it was possible to get a 14 day flex ticket that would enable us to come and go between Universal in LA and Sea World in San Diego. We had heard that both parks took more than one day each to explore properly and this seemed a good option, as it was also cheaper than it would have been to buy separate tickets for a day's entry.

The online site we used was called Attractiontix and as tickets are sent ... more

***Background***

Before heading off on honeymoon in the States, there wasn't really a lot of the trip that we made definite plans for. However, when it came to the attractions in San Diego and LA we really struggled to decide what we wanted to do, because the choices are plentiful. My hubby is a big film fan so Universal Studios had to be on the list, not so much for the big rides but for the studio tours and behind the scenes bits that you get. Whilst on a site, checking out prices for this we noticed that it was possible to get a 14 day flex ticket that would enable us to come and go between Universal in LA and Sea World in San Diego. We had heard that both parks took more than one day each to explore properly and this seemed a good option, as it was also cheaper than it would have been to buy separate tickets for a day's entry.

The online site we used was called Attractiontix and as tickets are sent to you via email there are no postage charges or extra booking fees. The price for this ticket was £52 for unlimited 14-day access. We were only staying in San Diego for 2 nights but knew that we would be able to do most things on the first day of arrival and then pop back the next day to see anything we hadn't managed to pack in. We were staying very close to the Sea World area on the Hotel Circle section of the town so travelling from there only took about 10 minutes by car.

The other charge that you don't get told about and isn't included in your ticket is the parking fee and that is $10 per day. However, the parking facilities are good and although we had to park pretty far away the first day because we arrived around lunchtime, the second morning we were relatively close to the gates thanks to an early start.

***Arriving***

As I said we arrived at lunchtime on our first day in San Diego and found out that we were too early to check into our hotel so headed straight out to Sea World with our printed tickets. The road signs are extremely good and there is little chance of missing an exit on the many freeways because they give you plenty of notice of turn offs ahead. On arrival we parked in the car park and got out drinks and some snacks in a bag to help keep us going.

When you have flex tickets booked you have to go to a special pre-booking area, which was relatively quiet. Here we were given our passes that enabled us to get into both Sea World and Universal. This was all done quickly and we weren't even asked for our ID even though this was actually mentioned on the form.

Queuing up was also simple until we realised that they were searching bags and there were signs telling us that no food or drink were allowed to be taken inside. We weren't very happy about this as we had a couple of big bottles of juice and quite a few things to eat with us. Hubby decided at this point that he would nip back to the car with them while I sat in the sunshine. It wasn't long before he returned and after a quick bag check and our fingerprints scanned as we entered, we finally managed to get into the park. We were handed a leaflet with a map on one side and times of the shows on the other.

This leaflet helped us decide where we would go for each show and plan our day and I would recommend this otherwise you could be wandering around aimlessly missing shows. It was very busy and it was recommended that you arrive a good 15 minutes before each show started so that you could get seats easily. Most of the shows were around 20 to 25 minutes long. We were also informed that the park was open in August from 9am to 11pm and this also surprised us a little bit as we had been expecting it only to be open until 8 or 9pm. We also noticed that there were two evening shows and decided that we had to make definite plans to see them that first day.

***The Shows***

I'll go through these in no particular order because it's difficult to remember exactly which one we went to first without examining the hundreds of photos that we took that day. Conservation is very important and you are reminded of this at each of the shows as well as being told a little about the amazing animals that you are seeing. I have to say that I was in two minds about these shows because I do believe that they would be better off in the wild, but I realise that man has to step in to help breeding programs and I guess this is one way to help fund these programs.

Clyde & Seamore's Risky Rescue was a real treat. This show featured the sea lions and otter at the park and told the story of how they had to help save the USS Motley submarine before it was sent to the shipyard by a big walrus called Admiral Biggenbottom. It was extremely funny and showed the sea lions doing all sorts of tricks that we learned they would perform in the wild too. The trainers working alongside the sea lions were very funny and there were a lot of jokes that obviously weren't scripted going on too.

Pet's Rule is a show where cats, dogs, parrots and various other animals ran about and had fun. I know that a lot of people would say that this may be cruel but a lot of the animals are rescue animals and they all looked as though they were thoroughly enjoying putting on a performance for the audience. From catching frisbees to diving into water and going for a swim, the dogs seemed to love every minute and to them it was obviously a major playtime event.

Dolphin Discovery was a show with a large soak zone area, where you were warned not to sit if you had expensive cameras. As people were taking their seats, a guy appeared with a guitar and started getting the crowd to sing along and participate with him. Before the show started he sung the dolphin theme song all about getting wet in the soak zone. The trainers told us a lot about the dolphins and the pilot whales that are also on display here. They swam with them and rode on their backs before being catapulted high up in the air, as the dolphins pushed them up with their noses. This was all very breathtaking and spectacular and the dolphins seemed to really enjoy the wet part of the show where they all turned their tails and splashed them hard to make sure the soak zone lived up to it's name. This was the one show that we went to on both days because we wanted to video it and take some photos the second day. The trainers were all very Barbie style and excitable here and to be honest this did spoil it slightly although it made good comic value at the late night sea lion show, which I'll get to in a little while.

Cirque de la Mer is situated in the Bay area of the park and features a whole host of creatures from the land of Amphibia. These creatures are actually spectacular acrobats and swimmers who put on an amazing show for us. Unlike the Cirque du Soleil performers, these men and women perform on a floating platform where trapezes helped them to make stomach-wrenching dives into the Bay. As well as the serious side of it all there were a couple of comic actors too who helped make us all laugh at their exploits, as they tried to copy the professionals.

Believe is the show that most people queue up to see, as this features Shamu and his friends. Shamu is a huge killer whale and again trainers take you through a bit about these amazing animals. This show is done with a lot of music and choreography and the whales appear to dance and jump in time to the music. Again there are spectacular sights of trainers working in the water with these huge animals that can decide suddenly that they don't want to do what they are supposed to. However, it does seem like they are in control and want to perform and there are gentle moments where they would come up on the stage setting and snuggle up to a trainer. The whole Believe thing was a bit naff really as the story of a young boy sees a whale and believes that he can be a trainer one day. It's totally American but it is quite magical to see.

R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D show is one that takes you into an auditorium where you take your seat with some of those lovely looking 3D glasses. It tells the story of a lighthouse that has been haunted over the years and how a couple of children try to set free the ghosts. We really enjoyed the chance to cool off in this show, and I do mean literally. The 4D that it talks about is the gusts of wind and water that is thrown at you from vents in the various holes around your seat. The seat also judders at times too and it was extremely good fun. The 3D effects were excellent although I didn't really enjoy getting wet when the captain spluttered beer out at us.

Sea Lion's Tonight was another show featuring the cheeky sea lions and this show was all about taking the micky out of the other shows as well as some stars of television too. The trainers helped out immensely here, making us howl with laughter at the impressions of the scatty dolphin trainers and the oh so serious trainers at the Shamu show. We thoroughly enjoyed this one and if you are going to be there in the evening then this is a must see show.

The other night show featured Shamu again. This time it was done to some upbeat rock tunes, hence the title of Shamu Rocks. Impressive jumps and swimming by both whales and trainers were very similar to the earlier show but the darkness in the sky meant that they were able to put on a bit of a light show with it to highlight the whales' movements.

Riptide was also on at night although we didn't actually manage to get to see this celebration of dance and music, as it only has one show every evening.

The last show of the night came directly after the Shamu Rocks show at nearly 10pm. This was a massive fireworks display and it really did finish off the evening well.

***Other Attractions***

As well as the shows there were lots of other attractions. We tended to stay away from the rides, as the queues were just too long although we did go on the Arctic Experience, where you sit in a helicopter simulator and get to see the trip to the Arctic Station. Despite knowing that I was not really going anywhere, the bumps and tilts from under the seat combined with the view out the window meant that my heart was in my mouth a few times although we did get a few cute moments seeing baby polar bears play happily in the snow. When you disembark, you go through a walkway at your own pace where you can see beluga whales, walrus, polar bears and penguins. This area was really lovely and we sat and watched the walrus swimming underwater for quite some time before moving on. The penguin area was also very good to see as you had a split vision viewpoint that enabled you to see above and below the water. The picture at the top of this review is one of my own of the Beluga being fed by a trainer.

There are many different aquariums and talks throughout the day and you can find the times for these on your map. The one I liked most was the Manatees. These beautiful creatures look cumbersome above water but so graceful as they move effortlessly in the huge tanks provided for them. Manatees are an endangered species and breeding programs and in effect here.

My hubby is a real shark fanatic so his favourite aquarium experience was the Shark section where we could see them swimming all around us as we walked through the underground tunnel. The other thing he really enjoyed were the moray eels although I have to say that they always freak my out a bit and these was to me just looked evil. Maybe I've watched Little Mermaid too often but these real life Flotsam and Jetsam just gave me the creeps.

***Other Things To Do***

There are many different experiences that you can sign up for if you have the time and the money. You can choose to get up close and personal with Shamu at a dining experience or to get in the water with the Beluga Whales to name but a few. Unfortunately these extras were something we had to miss out on this time.

I mentioned other rides and these include the Skytower and Bayside Skyride, which cost you a little bit extra to try out. The other free rides are the Journey to Atlantis, which is a roller coaster and the Shipwreck Rapids, which looked like fun but we would have had to queue for a couple of hours for. Between the heat and the fact that there were loads of other things to do we decided against this.

***My Thoughts***

I'm always a bit wary at places that have animals doing shows. I mean they are amazing to watch but I can't help feeling that if conditions were different, that they should only be out in the wilds of the oceans. I do understand the benefits of bringing the plight of creatures here to the attention of the general public though and conservation is thrown at you a bit, as well as the entertainment side of things.

I have to say that despite my reservations I thoroughly enjoyed the day and a half we spent at Sea World. The trainers seemed to really care about the creatures they look after on a daily basis and I have to say that it would be amazing to spend time working with such beautiful and potentially dangerous beasts. The animals all looked really well cared for and there were only certain times and areas where members of the public could actually come into contact with them. Feeding sessions were one such opportunity but unfortunately we were too late to get near to one of these although we did get a chance to stroke a ray, which was pretty cool even though it did feel a bit spongy and strange.

My one gripe would be the fact that you are not allowed to take your own food or drink into the place. The sun was extremely hot and fluids had to be taken regularly. Luckily we found out that you could buy a large Shamu cup for $10 and then get refills of a number of soft drinks for $1. These made good souvenirs but also saved us loads between the two days, as the price of a normal bottle of water or soda was $2.50 and we would have went through loads of these in total. The food wasn't actually as costly as we would have thought it would be though so that wasn't quite as bad as we were expecting.

The other souvenirs were pretty good value and there were a range of cheaper items for children to take home with them. We got a little set of playing cards for our son with Shamu on the back for only a couple of dollars. There were also huge selections of clothing, soft toys and ornaments in the various stores around the park.

It's hard to say which bit I enjoyed the most, as it was all so good in different ways. The whales were amazing of course but the dolphins seemed to have a bit more personality and the sea lions were very funny. The acrobatics in the Cirque de la Mer show were magnificent to watch and the comedy involved in this show was sidesplitting at times. The Wild Arctic ride was fun and gave us a chance to see the beluga whales swim about and be fed by hand without any tricks or shows and the various aquariums showing fish and sea mammals from all over the world were a great place to learn about different species.

In summary I would have to recommend this attraction for at least one day out. We were pleased that we hadn't tried to do it all in one day as it would have just been too much and we must have spent a good 12 - 14 hours there between the 2 days, which made it excellent value for money.

***The Price***

Prices vary depending on which package you want to do but for single priced one day tickets you can expect to pay $57 for over 10s and $47 for kids aged between 3 and 9. Under 3's are free and if you book online you can take advantage of the 2 days for the price of one offer. There are other offers on so it's best to check online before you go. 

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