Sea World San Antonio - Dallas,TX

I have 6 children. Something that I do to help with keeping an eye on them is have them in matching clothes (at least shirts). I also have a buddy system - team a little with an older siblling. I have a double stroller for the two littlest. Mine are 11, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 8 mos. The 11 and 6 year olds are buddies, and the 8 and 5 year olds are buddies. I also have pet pals from Walmart for any littles who decide that they do not want to follow the rules or listen. Don't listen...NO freedom.

Another thing is assign children to certain adults and tell them to stay with them. If I am out with my husband or parents, we decide at the beginning who will stay with which adult. They are not allowed to change without permission from BOTH adults (the one they want to leave, and the one they want to go with), that way no one gets lost in the shuffle.

We went recently with a 2.5 year old. We made it a point to go to all of the shows. Everything was wonderful except the indoor pirate show. That is not appropriate for small children. I think you should pick the shows that everyone wants to see together and meet up at those and then go your separate ways for other things.

My advice is don't try to do it all. Someone mentioned the park is small, but not in my opinion. My oldest was 5 when we went and it took him a while to walk everywhere. Make one aspect of the park the priority-the shows, rides or water park. My kids didn't like the water park all that much because it was so crowded and they were too little for most of it. We saw the big shows, rode some small rides and let them play in the little kids area and saw the animals. Another piece of advice is bring a small cooler with drinks because it is so hot and drinks are expensive. We finished everything in our cooler by early aftenoon and had to buy a few things. Have fun!!

Ok girl
First of all Sea World is a BIG place and you can't make everyone happy!!
Just make sure everyone has a phone or a walky talky and everyone has the ##'s. Y'all are not going to do all the samething all day long that is impossible. DON'T stress urself out that way. You need to enjoy it to.

Have a meeting place that everyone agrees on at a certain time and to meet there. (Like the before firework show) Which is out of this World!! Or Start going around the park with a group of family members and then after lunch switch. That way if u r tired of them u can be "REFRESHED" w/ the other group family members. HAHAHa!! This way everyone has a chance to see each other. AND IF IT'S ANYTHING LIKE FAMILY YOU WILL WANT TO GO HOME RIGHT AFTER THE FIRE WORKS!!
Hope this helps and have a GREAT time.

Firstly, let me just interject that JULY is no time for bringing small kids to sea world. It's just too danged hot for them. Even with the lagoon part...unless you plan on bringing a fan spritzer filled with ice water and keeping it on them continually, it's like walking through the Mojave.

Secondly, July 4th is going to be a MESS out there because it's a holiday. So be prepared for CROWDS.

Thirdly, do the waterpark FIRST! They will only hold so many at the waterpark and after they're full, they don't allow anyone else in until someone leaves...which could be eons. The waterpark is Fab for the wee ones. Better than at Hurricane Harbor because of the water levels (about 6 to 9 inches in the kids play area) but there's not allot of shade there so bring TONS of sun block.

I noticed a way for families to keep up with each other was matching tshirts. I believe a family went to Aeropostal and bought bright colored shirts, one made theirs or had them made and another simply ordered shirts off the internet so that it would be easy to spot a family member (the best shirts I saw were bright red shirts that read THING 1, THING 2, etc...so funny)

You are allowed to bring in a 6 pack cooler with you. I packed mine TIGHT with water and ice and brought a bag of extras for the day.

Renting a locker is $15 I think but you get a $5 coupon to use in the park somewhere.

Parking is $15 as well but you can get it on line for $13 sumthin which at least saves you some cash.

At Believe, sit close to the boxes that are places around the bleachers. They spray water on you periodically and will cool you and the kidlets off.

At Azul, DUCK, because the bird WILL fly close to your head. lol My daughter nearly got pegged by one.

The otter show is cute.

OH...you can rent a stroller On Line as well. I would check on line to see if they are available. They go quick. If there aren't any available on line, you WONT get one at the park when you get there.

I just got back last week and took our 3 yr old. He was exhausted by 2 and we got there at 10 that morning.

Hope this helps...

Hope you have a GREAT time!
Smiles to you and your family.

I LOVE Sea World. When we go, we go for one day. We never have trouble seeing everything we want to see in one day. Here's the key: go to their website and print out their show schedule ahead of time. The park is small, so it's not too terribly hard to get everywhere you need to be. We have always had time to see all the shows and animals before we left in one day- and we never stayed for the fireworks, so you should have plenty of time. Just get the showtimes ahead of time and plan which ones you want to see and when. It may be a little harder to get everywhere with such a large group. If you have to leave out a show- don't go see the ski show... Viva! and Shamu are the BEST!!!! Hope this helps.

I agree with the other posters. You are not going to be able to make everyone happy. If it were me I think I would just plan for my immediate family and shift things as needed to fit in the extended family.

We went online and decided which shows we HAD to see (Shamu, the Walrus/comedy show and the beluga whales/dolphins). We found out when they were scheduled and then filled in the time around those with smaller shows, the aquarium and the dolphins and the horses. The fillers we played by ear. I think by the end of the day, we saw all the shows they had to offer.

We went when my son was 2 1/2. He was not big enough to ride any of the rides - which was good, because it was hot and standing in lines would have been miserable. And we didn't think about the water park, so we were unprepared. We skipped all of that. We did arrive right as they were opening. Since things weren't really up and running yet, we used that time to play on the playground. My son loved it and later that thing was crawling with kids, so I am glad we went when it was fairly empty.

We sat in the shaded sections of the shows and stayed cool. When things got unbearably hot, we went to the beer tent. My son and a I rested and enjoyed the AC while others went and enjoyed a free beer sample. Bring a stroller or wagon. I still have NO idea what we were thinking when we decided our little man could handle all that walking. He wanted to be carried, by mama...I was 6 months preggo. I won't ever make that mistake again! lol.

As far as keeping in touch, I imagine a cell phone would be the way to go. Or you could invest in walkie talkies with long range. I think the suggestion for scheduled check ins is a great idea too...check in, meet up, make plans and take pictures. Enjoy your trip. You'll have a great time.

I would say take the 2 big shows, Azul and Shamu decide on the show you want to go to and meet for that. Then don't worry about the rest of the time. There are no ride that your children will be able to go on, and they will also not be able to go many of the water ride so in actuality, your schedule will have to be much different than those with older children.
Check the website- they have the show time schedule by day, a list of the ride by minimal height requirement etc.

We went several years ago, but my children were a lot older, 6 and 10. It is a wonderful place, but I advise you not to feel like you have to see and do everything. I was determined to see all the shows, but my kids were not. They only wanted to play in the waterpark. I had to nag and push to get them from place to place. It will be different with yours, since they are smaller. The nice thing about the shows is they all have a "show" before the show. While you are sitting and waiting for the show to start, they have some kind of entertainer interacting with the audience. You will definitely need to get to the shows early. We did about 30 minutes before, but that was a non-holiday Monday and it was not too crowded. You may need to get there much earlier. We always arranged to buy a treat for the kids to sit and eat while we waited for the show. If you have older adults that are willing to sit and hold your seats, then you might be able to take your younger ones out to walk around before the show starts.

I agree with the posts that you should not try to keep your whole group together the entire time. That would be very frustrating for everyone. Look ahead at the scheduled shows and choose a couple for everyone to meet up and see together, then go their own way in between. Blame it on your kids young age. Tell everyone that you don't believe they can keep up with the group all day.

There is a nice little kids area with a splash pad. Plan to let your kids play in that for awhile, but they may not want to leave! The advice I got was to go to the water play area in the morning and the shows in the afternoon, because most people do the opposite. I don't know if that is true or not. Definitely get there when the gate opens, as most all parks get more crowded throughout the day.

They do not let you bring in an ice chest or food, but you can go outside the park and have a picnic. There is a nice shady picnic area just outside the gate, but it will likely be very crowded on the 4th. A stroller is a definite.

We love Sea World and have been going since my daughter was 6 months old. Now she is 4 and my son is 20 months. Here are the things that I have found work best.

Pick one show that you really want to see (like Shamu) and see that first. Make sure you get to the show almost an hour early. Plan on not watching any other shows. We get the fun pass...it is $10 extra but we can go all year and that way if we see Shamu one day then we come back the next day or two and pick another show.

After you have seen the show you really want to see then walk around and just enjoy seeing everything....the sea lions in the back of sea lion stadium (they are fun to feed), the penguins, the dolphins (they are even more fun to feed), and the fish and sharks in the aquarium. There is also a great splash pad area that we go to when the kids get really hot and need to cool down.

Bring a really comfy stroller for your son. Even though he may want to walk most of the time, you WILL NEED a stroller. I have a sit and stand for my two and couldn't go without.

You are not allowed to bring food, drinks or an icechest and they will search your bags. However, every time I have been I bring water in my kids sippy cups and place them in the cup holders on the stroller. They do have water fountains so you can fill it as you need to, but don't have to buy the $10-24 drinks. I also put a cup of snacks (goldfish or something similar) in the cup holder and that way your little guy will always be happy. The meals are pricey so $30 won't go too far.

After you pay to park, you can leave and come back the same day and not pay again. Just good to know in case you would need to run across the way to McDonalds, Rudys, or Bill Millers for more food.

Not sure how much time you are spending in San Antonio, but the Zoo is a lot of fun. There is also a Children's Museum downtown that is great. Also downtown they have 5 splash pads. My kids had a blast playing in them!

Have fun!!! Your little guy will love it!

Been there - done that. Exactly the same as you. Your question has generated lots of sage advice and practical information. The only thing I have to mentioned is what I consider mission critical.

1st - choose to have fun. That is critical. Don't let any one or thing stop you from enjoying. Simply refuse to accept delivery of drama and determine that there are no problems only opportunities. At our house, we call this approach "a-no-bad-news-day". Make a pact with Hubby and agree to maintain it for the duration of your Sea World Fourth of July I Can't Believe
It's So Hot Family Fun Fiesta! You will be amazed at how much more fun you will have with your whole family. You probably have one or two extended family members who like to create tension - most families do. Let them. You don't have to respond or react. You chose to have fun. If they aren't fun, don't play with them. It's a big place and there are lots of spaces those people can go pout and sulk and churn the drama. Just let them.
2nd - remember it is about the kids and family. When your kids have had enough, call it a day. Try to shoot for 15-20 minutes before the melt down phase so the rest of the family is spared the trauma. It's easier to deal with in the parking lot anyway.