SeaWorld San Diego’s Wild Arctic
©2008 by Sea World Inc.
Sesame Street Bay of Play at SeaWorld
©2008 by Sea World Inc.
SeaWorld San Diego’s “Believe”
©2008 by Sea World Inc.
SeaWorld San Diego’s Shipwreck Rapids
©2008 by Sea World Inc.
Destination: SeaWorld & Disneyland
By Debbie Krubsack
Participants:
Four adults, four children age 8 and under, one double stroller
While our answer to high gas prices may be to vacation in Santa Clarita, I’m not suggesting we never leave the Santa Clarita Valley. Quite the contrary; our proximity to SoCal’s top destinations affords us magnificent vacations! And during off-peak times, theme parks offer Southern California residents ticket bargains.
The first thing you should know about me is that I am always budget conscious, even when staying in the most luxurious digs. In other words, I want the best experience at the best price: value.
Because we were traveling with eight people, we took advantage of every deal we could find: Marriott Rewards, free breakfast, and SoCal ticket deals. Proof that smart planning can leave some green in your pocket.
Our first stop was to Avis on Soledad Canyon Road, near the Four Corners. We absolutely needed an eight-passenger mini van. As we’re not mini van experts, we learned most mini vans hold seven passengers. Apparently it was no easy task for Jose to secure this Toyota Sienna, as it is not typically in their fleet. When we called rental car companies in Santa Clarita, most encouraged us to rent a gas-guzzling 9-passenger SUV—at nearly double the rental cost. We sincerely appreciated the exceptional customer service offered at Avis.
Day One:
SeaWorld San Diego
New in 2008: Sesame Street Attractions including a 4-D light show, a play area for families with three new rides, and opportunities to meet the characters. Designed for children five to twelve.
Here’s to the Heroes: Free Admission for any active duty, active reserve, ready reserve service member, Coast Guardsman or National Guardsman and as many as three (3) of his/her direct dependents. See Seaworld.com for more info.
The Drive: To break up our trip, we stopped for lunch in Anaheim at the never-disappointing California Pizza Kitchen and enjoyed a nice meal for about the cost of hot dogs in the park. (Food services are not available just outside of SeaWorld.)
Inside SeaWorld:
Arriving at the park about 2:30 on an April Saturday afternoon, we found the park packed with families. Once inside, we headed directly to see the Shamu Show, “Believe.” We arrived just minutes before the show, so the stadium was almost full to capacity. “Soaker seats” were still available, but having witnessed during a past visit the splash a killer whale can create, we knew to grab the scattered seats rather than sit together in the Splash Zone. The show was a hit with the kids and adults.
We strolled around enjoying the park, missing all but the Dolphin Discovery show due to the crowds. We found navigating a stroller through the World of the Sea Aquarium to be challenging. The kids loved the penguins, tortoises, and the donkey stabled along with the Clydesdales.
What we learned: Try to visit the park on a low-attendance day, if at all possible. Visit Seaworld.com for an opportunity to customize your visit to the park. You can enter details such as how often you visit the park, the experience you want (kids? interactive? educational?), and you'll receive a suggested itinerary, complete with photos! Print off a park map prior to arriving, and use the drive time from Santa Clarita to plan your visit. We missed some great attractions because we basically didn’t have any sense of direction once inside the park.
Prior to entering the park, our bags were subject to search, but we didn’t have any problem bringing in bottled water and snacks.
All in all, we had a fabulous time and it was well-worth the drive and the cost of admission.
Where to Stay:
Residence Inn Oceanside
While this very new hotel is a few minutes off the freeway, we found it was well worth the extra time getting there. It is conveniently located about midway between SeaWorld and Disney, and a two-bedroom suite was an affordable option for overnight accommodations. The four children easily fit in the living room area: the sleeper sofa pulled out to a queen bed, and a Pack-n-Play and rollaway (provided by the hotel) fit on either side of the sofa bed.
Tip: Residence Inns offer a free shopping service; you just pay for the groceries. Call ahead and ask the staff to pick up frozen pizzas and sodas, and you’ll save on dining out—and get the kids to bed early enough they can still enjoy the next day.
We chose to stop at Claim Jumper in Carlsbad, which was a mistake. The restaurant was extremely busy and the kids were melting down from the long day. By the time we made it to the hotel and checked in it was 10:00 pm.
Click for Day Two - Disney
