A Day of Fun at SeaWorld San Antonio

If you're looking for family attractions in San Antonio, then you have to check out Seaworld. SeaWorld offers lots of great fun, food, and entertainment for the entire family. I'll give you some tips and show you how to get the most out of a day at SeaWorld San Antonio.

the family posing at the entrance of sea world at san antonio

SeaWorld in San Antonio was kind enough to provide my family with tickets for a visit this summer. We were beyond excited, as we had been there before, but had never been with our two adopted children. In fact, they had never been to SeaWorld at all, so it was definitely an exciting trip to plan.

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Your guide to taking a family vacation at Sea World San Antonio.

We took a road trip from Houston to San Antonio. It was a very enjoyable trip with some key stops along the way. We left on a Wednesday so we could arrive in San Antonio early afternoon and be ready to spend the whole day Thursday at SeaWorld.

Prepare for the Hot Summer Days at SeaWorld San Antonio

We woke up early on Thursday, had a small snack, and put on our sunscreen. The weather was going to be a brutally hot 103 degrees so we made sure to dress in cool and comfortable clothing. Off we went!

The best, safest sunscreen for kids.
road trip from houston to san antonio

Get to the Park Early and Travel Light

My kids are old enough now, to where we don’t have to carry a lot of things with us like wipes, diapers, extra clothes, etc, so we opted to carry as little as possible. I had a tiny purse and we all had our hats to protect us from the sun. Other than that, we were all free to walk around without carrying a bunch of stuff.

We arrived at 10 am right as the park was opening, so we were able to easily get a good spot in the parking lot.

Arriving early to Sea World in San Antonio.

It helped that we had no bags with us so we were able to go through the faster line into the park. Once we were in, they took our picture as a family, gave us a claim ticket and we were free to enjoy our day.

Things to do in San Antonio.

The All Day Dining Deal Makes Sense for Large Families

My friend Laura had recommended we get the All Day Dining Deal and since we were going to be there all day, we made a stop at guest services. The way the plan works is each person can eat an entree, a side item or dessert, and a drink, as often as once every hour, all day! Considering we were going to be there all day, and my teenagers pretty much eat every hour, it was a great deal for us.

Sea World San Antonio tickets.

The older kids measured the younger ones to see which rides they would be able to get on, while we settled our dining plan.

Rides for kids at Sea World.

We each got a wristband. The smaller kids got a kid-colored band, and the rest of us got adult ones. If you purchase a child wristband, the child must order from the children’s menu wherever they eat. Seaworld San Antonio has other dining opportunities as well if you’re interested in some special experiences for your kids. You can get more details as well as their prices on the SeaWorld San Antonio website.

Sea World coupons and discounts.

There Are Lighter Summer Crowds on Weekdays

The crowd was super light, even though it was the middle of summer. It was definitely the right choice to go on a Thursday! So if you have the ability to visit the park on a weekday, I highly recommend it.

San Antonio points of interest.

There Are Plenty of Food Options at the Park

The first thing we did? Eat, of course! We decided to get our first meal out of the way. We went to Harbor Market. Most of us got one of the Asian Creation plates. The food was good. Everyone had a full tummy, and from what I saw when we checked out, it was definitely going to be a good deal for us to have gotten the All Day Dining Deal.

Where to eat at Sea World San Antonio.
Food at Sea World San Antonio.

The Best Ride to Beat the Heat

Next, we headed to the roller coasters! Our first one, to ease everyone into them, was Journey to Atlantis. You will get soaked on this ride! But believe me, with the Texas summer heat, it is a welcome refreshing adventure. My 7-year-old and 13-year old had never been on a roller coaster, and we decided this would be a perfect one for them. They loved it!

Sea World rides.
What to do in San Antonio.

It is a big drop, but they handled it like pros. This was probably my favorite ride there. Not too scary, but thrilling enough to cause excitement and get those butterflies going. If your kids are not tall enough for the roller coasters, there’s also an area of the park that has some kid rollercoasters and rides like The Shamu Express.

Having a Blast at the Dolphin Show

The “Ocean Discovery” show was starting right as we got off the ride, so we headed that way. It featured beautiful Pacific White-sided dolphins, beluga whales, and colorful macaws. The show was spectacular as expected and we all enjoyed it to the max.

Places to visit in San Antonio.
Things to see in San Antonio.

Trying Some Bigger, Scarier Coasters

On to more rollercoasters! The next step up was Wave Breaker. My little one was also tall enough to ride this one, so we all went on it. They have a test seat outside the ride so you can make sure your child fits properly.

San Antonio Texas attractions.

This ride was way more thrilling than I expected. It was a lot of fun, but it certainly brings up that heart rate! Here are some fun shots of one of my oldest getting ready to start the ride. He didn’t see it coming!

San Antonio activities Sea World.
Sea World San Antonio rides.

After the Wave Breaker, a few of us sat out while my husband took 2 of my thrill-seeking kids to The Steel Eel.

Taking a break at Sea World San Antonio.

This Steel Eel is scary! Unfortunately, the first time around, they waited in line for a while but had to leave due to the ride having some maintenance issues. They were able to ride it later in the afternoon. In my husband’s opinion, this is the scariest coaster there!

Sea World San Antonio rides.

Taking a Break for Lunch & Snacks

We then headed to Rosita’s Cafe for lunch. Rosita’s is a buffet-style restaurant with a pizza, salad, and pasta bar. We ate to our heart’s content and headed back out. The pizza was good and there were plenty of options for picky little eaters.

Dining plan Sea World San Antonio.
Dessert at Sea World San Antonio.

Throughout the day, we also got snacks and drinks at several other stations. Everywhere we stopped to get water, I asked for a couple of cups with ice and was gladly given them. This helped a lot with the heat since the bottled waters got warm pretty fast.

Treats at Sea World San Antonio.

More Thrilling Rides and Incredible Shows

Ryan and the older kids rode The Great White, which is also a little too thrilling for me. They loved it and said it was intense. After that, we headed back to Journey to Atlantis to ride it again. There was absolutely no line, so we rode it about 5 times in a row. It was awesome!

Top things to do in San Antonio
Does Sea World have rides? Of course!

We soon realized the reason why there was no line was that the “One Ocean” show was going on at the same time. So, we hurried to the show to try to catch the tail end of it but we only got to watch about 5 minutes of it.

San Antonio vacation Sea World.

The show ended, and everyone started to leave the theater. We scooted our way down to the front while everyone else left, and to our surprise, the trainers stayed out there with the orcas answering a few people’s questions and having them do some extra tricks.

Sea World Shamu.
The trainer played hide and seek with the orca after the show was over.

This was like a front-row ticket to a private show! It was awesome. We got to see them up close and take some great pictures! The kids loved it. So we ended up getting the best of both worlds. We rode the coasters with no line and we got to see the orcas up close!

Places to go in San Antonio.

Other Fun Things to Do at SeaWorld

After the show a couple of the kids really wanted to have a caricature made of them, so we stopped by the caricature booth and had a couple of portraits made. The kid that painted the portrait was young and super talented. He was extremely friendly and kept us entertained the whole time.

Things to do in San Antonio.

This artistic moment gave us some time to relax in the shade and take a break from all the walking.

Sea World San Antonio things to do.

The kids were thrilled with their portraits! You have the option to leave them there for safekeeping until close time.

Fun things to do in San Antonio.

All the Sesame Street Characters Come out for the Parade

Just as we finished the portraits, the Sesame Street Parade was happening. The parade was so much fun! We got to see our beloved Sesame Street characters up close and the music was so entertaining. We all enjoyed the parade!

Activities for kids in San Antonio.
At the end of the day, there is a character parade at Sea World San Antonio.
Things to do at Sea World San Antonio.
Fun things to do in San Antonio.

After the parade, we made a stop at Sea Star Market for a bite to eat. The market was almost sold out of everything when we got there, which was surprising. They were out of bottled water, but an employee quickly sent someone to get a few cases. We got our water soon enough, and we all had some turkey sandwiches since that was our only option.

Having Fun at the Carnival Games

After eating, we took the kids to the carnival games area. We played a few games, without much success, but had fun nonetheless.

What to do in San Antonio.
Carnival games are always fun for the kids and a great way to avoid the heat outside when visiting Sea World San Antonio.

We then headed to the Bay of Play for a while to let the littles run around. They have a splash pad so the kids can cool down. My kids opted to just run around in the huge toy structure. There is also a nice shaded park there, so we rested while the kids played.

Wrapping up Our Day at SeaWorld

Ryan and I were beat from the heat at this point.

Summer weather in San Antonio.
Temperature in San Antonio.

It was close to fireworks time, but we decided to start heading towards the exit. We were able to see some fireworks in the distance, and could tell the show was probably worthwhile.

Sea World San Antonio.

We stopped by the photo counter near the exit to purchase some pictures of us on the coasters. Those are always fun to see!

For discounted photos at Sea World, wait until the park is about to close before purchasing at the photo booth.

After each ride, we took note of the picture number so we could get all the pictures together in the end. We saved some money this way since they offer you the first picture at the set price and each additional picture at a huge discount.

We headed out of the park a little after 9. It was a day full of fun and good times!

Tips for SeaWorld San Antonio

It had been a while since my family had been to a park and a few years since our last visit to SeaWorld San Antonio. My entire family had a blast on our visit. I wanted to make sure and mention some of the things that made our visit even better. Hopefully, the tips below will help you maximize your enjoyment during your visit to SeaWorld.

Tips to get the most out of your day at SeaWorld San Antonio:

  • Go on a weekday. The crowds are so much lighter on the weekdays, even during the peak of summer.
  • Get there early. You will get a good parking spot and enjoy a full day of fun.
  • Buy the All Day Dining Deal. You’ll get your money’s worth if you plan on eating at the park all day.
  • Stick around after shows end. You’ll get an up close look at the animals and their trainers.
  • Ask for ice and cups at drink stations. This will help you beat the heat for free!
  • Wear sunscreen! The sun is beating down on you in the summer so protect your skin.
  • Wear cool clothes if going in the summer. This is a must if you want to be comfortable.
  • Keep hydrated! The heat is intense so make sure to drink up!
  • Avoid long lines at rides. If you love coasters, go at the same time one of the big shows are happening to avoid lines. This trick we learned by accident but it worked like a charm.
  • Save on park photos. When previewing your ride photos on the computer screens after each ride, make sure to snap a cell phone pic of each photo’s ID number. You can use these ID numbers to purchase all your ride photos together at the end of the day for a big discount.

If you and your family are planning a trip to SeaWorld, please feel free to ask me any questions that you have in the comments below.

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8 thoughts on “A Day of Fun at SeaWorld San Antonio”

  1. Thank you for sharing your experience! This information has helped a lot so far. I have not been to sea world nor have my kids and I’m trying to make the most of the day. My question is: Do you think it’s worth it to get the quick queue pass and/or the reserved seating? That’s a huge chunk of $ but I am willing to pay it IF it makes wait times and total experience THAT much better. I am planning to go on a weekday for sure and I’m definitely getting the all day dining.

    1. Hi Tamara! I’m glad you found the post helpful! This was a couple of years ago, so I’m not sure how the crowds are after covid, etc. Back when we went, we had no crowd issues and were able to get through lines quickly. After that experience, I would have gone again on a weekday and not gotten the quick pass and saved that money. But I just don’t know if crowds are way bigger now with everyone trying to get outside. Sorry for not being more helpful! I do hope you and your kids have a ball! Make sure to check out my other San Antonio posts, there’s a great one for places to eat with kids!

  2. Dining plans now changed!
    You now still pay $34.99 but only get an entree and side dish – no longer includes the option of a dessert and no drinks included. I wonder if its still value for money?

    1. Hi Emm! I just checked the website and it doesn’t appear the plan has changed. It’s still an entree, a side OR dessert, and a drink. If you scroll on their website (the meal plan page) down to the FAQ, there are a couple of questions that have this answer. The first asks what plans are available and the other one asks if drinks are included. From what I see, it’s still the same as when we went. You may want to call them to confirm but if it’s the same, it was definitely worth it for us! Thanks so much for stopping by!

  3. Hi- my family and I plan to visit Seaworld San Antonio in a couple weeks. We have a 3 year old and though he has tons of energy and will want to walk mostly we thought to bring the stroller for it and when he needs a break plus to help us carry around a bag and drinks. Is there a place to park strollers during the shows?

    1. Hi Michelle! How exciting that you’re going to SeaWorld soon! Yes, there is a place to park the strollers outside each show. People usually just line them up outside. You’ll want to take any valuables, but honestly, we never had a problem with anything being taken back when we had a stroller. There are so many strollers parked outside the shows, you may want to put an identifying string or ribbon on yours! I hope you and your family have a ball!! Thanks for stopping by the blog!

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