18 Tips For Making Your Visit To SeaWorld San Antonio With Toddlers So Much Easier

I am a mama of 4 little ones, ages ranging from 5 years old to 2 months. This is the perfect age to take kids to Disney! I mean I went when I was that little and I still remember the magic of it all. Because I remember how magical it was, my husband and I were planning on taking our kids to Disney this year. Unfortunately with what we have planned for this year there was no way we could squeeze in a Disney trip, so we decided to take our kids to the second happiest place on Earth, SeaWorld!

What is SeaWorld?

I was born in Georgia and so obviously being so close to Florida we would visit all the time. One place we visited was SeaWorld in Orlando and I remember my little brain just exploding with wonder! That is what SeaWorld is, it is wonder and amazement with a little bit of thrill at the side!

SeaWorld is half amusement park, half zoo. You have the basics of any amusement park. The roller coasters and rides with a bunch of overpriced fair foods. There is face painting, gift shops, photo booths, and character interactions. SeaWorld is themed with Sesame Street so there are Sesame Street characters and rides for kids.

As for the zoo part, obviously the theme is the ocean. You will find an assortment of fish, sea turtles, sharks, penguins, etc. What makes SeaWorld more unique though than your average day aquarium is that it has large sea animals, such as Killer Whales, Beluga Whales, and Dolphins.

On top of just looking at the animals behind glass, you get to watch them perform! Watch dolphins flip in the sky, Killer Whales breach the water, and Beluga Whales play with trainers. It is so fun to watch these animals do incredible things!

The amazing part about SeaWorld is that it is designed not only for entertainment, but also for education and awareness. This park was built to teach people about these magnificent sea creatures, but also to draw awareness of how we need to protect these animals. This is a great place for people and children to learn to love and respect the ocean and what we can personally do to make a difference.

You will find at the SeaWorld in San Antonio:

What shows do they have at SeaWorld San Antonio?

Depending on the time of year and the theme of when you go to SeaWorld San Antonio there may be other shows, but consistently there are 3 shows.

What is the age range that SeaWorld is good for?

If I am being perfectly honest, SeaWorld is for EVERY AGE!! I am being completely serious! There are rides for adults, there are rides for kids. Toddlers will love the shows, and teenagers will love the shows. You as an adult will think this place is magical just as much as your kids will! SeaWorld is for everyone!

Tips For How To Do SeaWorld San Antonio With A Toddler:

1. BUY A PASS!-

I am a mama of 4 all 5 years and younger, that means paying for me, my husband, and 2 of my kids, plus the $30 for parking was going to be horrendous! One park for one day was going to costs us about $249! As we did our research we read about the passes.

Now as a mom of 4, I love getting the best deal for my buck. This is literally how we are able to do anything! To buy 2 silver passes it costs us $279. Okay I know what you are thinking, dang that is more that $30 more that if you pay for the one ticket! Hear me out though! This silver pass allows my husband and I to go the park as often as we want and with free parking.

Not only that, my husband and I are allowed to bring 2 free guests twice a year. So twice a year we claim our 2 children that are over the age of 3 (ages 3 and under can go for free) and they get to go in for free.

We are spending more of our ticket, but we get to go more than once a year and don’t have to pay extra to get our kids in the park! I you live in Texas and would love to go to SeaWorld even just twice a year than this is the pass you need to buy!

2. Bring a stroller–

First tip to handle a toddler at SeaWorld is to bring a stroller or a wagon. Normally I hate bring a stroller because of the nuisance that it is, BUT not at SeaWorld. This place was built stroller aware! There is stroller parking at every show!

With how big this park is you will be carrying your toddler at some point in time. Their little legs will get worn out just walking 1 lap around this park! Having a stroller will save your arms and back from aching and burning the next day! Also a stroller is a place that you can stash your stuff while you are in shows. Sure you could spend money on a locker, but why do that when you can carry all of your stuff around in a stroller.

Even better than a stroller is a collapsible wagon! It is so nice not to have to strap your kid down every 5 seconds like you have to in a stroller. Also if you have more than one kid, a wagon has room for the whole crew plus room for all of your other stuff! It is a life saver!

Just make sure you have a separate bag with all of your valuables in it so every time you stop at show and park your stroller; all you have to do is grab that one small bag! There is no extra cost of bringing a stroller or wagon into the park and it will save you the pain of carrying your toddler and bag around all day long!

3. Bring a change of clothes and towel/ponchos-

Aquatica is actually a separate park from SeaWorld, but that does not mean that you will not get wet. There are plenty of places in this park that you can get pretty soaked. First, the shows. In each show there is a splash zone. This just means that if you sit closest to the tanks you will most likely get splashed during the show. The animals are jumping out of the water, splashing at the crowd, spitting water, and just throwing water all over the place. You will get drenched if you sit next to the tanks.

Second, there are water rides in the SeaWorld park! That’s right, not all water rides are in Aquatica. There are white water rapids and water roller coasters all over this park. You will get wet.

Third place that you will get wet in SeaWorld San Antonio, the kids splash pad. In the kids section there is a gigantic splash pad! There is water spraying from the ground, a giant boat splashing water, and a water fill jungle gym. Your kids are going to get wet, so be prepared and bring an extra change of clothes and some ponchos!

4. Bring water-

No outside food is allowed into this park, but you are allowed to bring water. Unless you want to spend $3 on a bottle of water every time you get thirsty or you want to pay $49.99 for the all day dining deal (which sure as heck is no deal). Stuff your stroller full of waters cause lets be for real, Texas is HOT!

5. Bring something to entertain kids while waiting for shows-

If you are smart you will get to shows at least 10-15 minutes before they start. That is 10-15 minutes of sitting on benches with toddlers. I don’t know about your kids, but my kids follow a 30 second sit still policy. So make sure you bring a phone to watch movies, a toy, or something to entertain them while they wait. Don’t underestimate the power of entertainment a fidget toy can do with a toddler!

The great part about the Sea Lion show though is that they have a preshow before the actual show begins. This helps keep the kids entertained before the show starts.

6. Plan your route before you go-

I am going to say this one again because it is so important, PLAN YOUR ROUTE BEFORE YOU GO!! If you want to see all of the shows, ride your favorite rides, and eat, then make an itinerary before you go. Download the SeaWorld app and you will get a schedule of what is going on the day that you are there. It will tell you when shows are, when feedings are, and when any other activities are happening.

There is so much to see and do that you will not get to do it all unless you plan ahead of time. Plan when you are going to see each show, when and where you are going to eat, and when you are going to go on rides. This will make your experience 100 times less stressful and you will not miss the shows!

7. Eat at Rositas Café-

If you are have kids this is literally THE place you need to eat. Let me tell you why! First off kids 3 and under eat for FREE! I had 3 that were 3 and under so this was wonderful! I only had to pay for one of my kids and the others got to eat for free. If we had eaten any where else we would have had to buy a meal for each kid.

Second reason why you need to eat here with your kids….its a buffet! After running around and riding rides all day they will be pretty hungry, so to make sure they get filled a buffet is the best solution. It is a all you can eat pizza, salad, and pasta buffet. Surprisingly it was actually pretty good too.

Another reason why we loved this place is that it was indoors and they had bench seats. I don’t know about you, but bench seats are a necessity for us when eating out with toddlers. My husband and I put the kids in against the wall and we sit on the ends of either side to keep them from getting out. That way we actually get to eat and not spend the whole time chasing our kids down! Haha!

8. Go on the rides first-

First thing you need to do when you get there is go on rides! This is the best way to avoid lines cause around noon this park is packed with people and you will be waiting in ridiculously long lines and it will be ridiculously hot. I advise going on kids rides first while they are still happy and not exhausted and grumpy. After the kiddos are tired is the best time to go to the shows cause they will sit better.

9. Get to each show at least 10-15 minutes before it starts-

I mentioned this earlier, but getting to each show 10-15 minutes before they start is a pretty big deal, especially the orca show! Getting there before the show starts ensures that you get good seats as in not in the splash zone.

10. Get there before the park opens-

If you are like me an you want to do everything SeaWorld has to offer, than get there before the park opens. We got there 30 minutes before the park opened and there was still quite the line to wait in the get in. There are 2 check stations that you have to go through to get in the park.

First is to check bags and go through scanners, kinda like an airport. Second is to present tickets to enter into the park. To summarize this it takes a while to even get into the park, so unless you want to spend your first 30 min-1 hour of your park time waiting to get in, get there early!

11. Bring a blanket-

I know this sounds odd if you are going to SeaWorld San Antonio during the 100 degree summers, but bring one! Not to help you stay warm, but to help your toddler nap! If you are sitting at a show and your toddler starts to nod off and your arms are exhausted it is really nice to spread out a blanket on the bench and let them take a nap!

We actually did this in the restaurant on the bench seats. Our 2 year old fell asleep in the stroller and we weren’t allowed to bring the stroller in, so we grabbed our kid, laid out a blanket and let him sleep while we ate!

12. Go in the off season-

Have you been to San Antonio, Texas before in the summer? It is freakin hot! I mean this is Texas we are talking about! It gets so hot. So during the summer not only are you spending an entire day out in the heat and sun. You are spending it in the heat and sun with thousands of other people around you! It is miserable.

I have been to SeaWorld San Antoinio multiple times and actually the off season is my favorite time to go! To be even more specific I love going during Christmas time. They usually have adorable themes, cute characters, and the park is almost empty! You can go on rides over and over again! The shows are longer and usually Christmas themed!

Of course a lot of the vendors are closed and the splash pad is no fun in the cold, but at least the crowds are down. Win some lose some. Least busiest times of the year seem to be November-March.

13. Don’t sit in the splash seats-

Unless you have a toddler that loves surprises of cold water getting splashed on their faces, I would not suggest sitting in the splash seats. The splash seats are the seats closest to the tanks. So of course you get the better views and you are likely to get picked to come up and get close to the animals, but you will get soaked. I am not exaggerating. Its not like a sprinkle of water, it is like sitting under a waterfall.

I have 3 toddlers and a baby, they all love water, but they will hate the shock of the cold water hitting them constantly. So don’t scar your kid from hating these shows, stay out to the splash seats!

14. Bring family/friends-

The bummer part about any amusement park with kids is that you don’t get to enjoy parts of it cause you have to take care of your kids. For instance, roller coasters. When my husband and I take our 4 kids to amusement parks or water parks, we never get to ride rides together. One of us is riding and one of us is watching kids.

If you want to really enjoy this park bring help. Invite grandma and grandpa, convince you roller coaster hating sister to come, go with family friends. This way you get to do things as well as your kids.

15. Bring ID-

I guess this isn’t advice solely for those visiting SeaWorld San Antonio with toddlers, as much as for everyone. Bring photo ID! You cannot enter the park without photo ID and they will check it.

16. Buy your tickets before going-

The process to get through the gate is pretty long. You have to first go through some metal detectors, get your bags checked, wait in another line, then get your tickets checked and ID. This takes quite some time, so to cut off some of the wait time buy your tickets before you go. There is a convenience fee for buying your tickets online, but to me that is worth it compared to standing in 3 lines just to get through the gate. If you want to though there is a kiosk there to buy tickets, but it will take you quite a while.

17. Print out your tickets-

When you purchase your tickets online you will get the barcode through your phone and you can also access it through the app. We had had some issues with the barcodes on our phone, but every time we used our paper copies we never had any issues.

18. Download the SeaWorld App before you go-

A lot of the activities in SeaWorld are dependent on you knowing where they are and what time they start. Having the app on your phone will help with both of these immensely. You will have a map of the park right there in your hand and a list of what shows there are and when they start. This will help you get the most out of your time in SeaWorld San Antonio.

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