by Cathleene Filmore

Created on: September 16, 2010

Sea World, San Diego can be a wonderful family destination however it can also be a bit tricky to negotiate and if you do not have the best information you will end up spending more money than necessary and your stay could be unpleasant.  Planning ahead is made even more difficult as Sea World changes everything often from show times to prices. 

Purchasing Tickets 

The park is not unmanageably large so one to two days is really the most you will need to plan for.  This is where you will want to be careful when purchasing a ticket package.  Get Away Today and then when you get to the check out portion you can down grade your tickets to one or two days. If you have children then down grade to one day and it will possibly give you the children’s tickets for free depending on what special Sea World is running at that time.  

Unlike Disney, it is better not to prepay for other tickets such as meals and animal encounters because Sea World adds surcharges to everything you pre purchase.  Plan ahead if you want to do an animal encounter; these encounters run anywhere from $6 for sea lions to $45 per person for dolphin encounters.  Make sure you arrive at the park early and then stop at the reservation desk on the way in to make a reservation for an dolphin encounter.  Should you wish to swim with the dolphins this is much more expensive and sometimes you can make reservations online.  Visit the Sea World, San Diego website to review this information. 

Hotels and Transportation 

The most important thing to consider when choosing a hotel in the Sea World, San Diego area is the hotel placement and the freeway system.  Very few hotels in San Diego offer shuttle service, however if you choose a hotel in the right location you can use the San Diego trolley system to get around.  The trolley however does not stop at Sea World.  Choose a hotel that either states that they have a shuttle to and from Sea World or choose a hotel that is closer to the beach than the freeway as you will have a much easier time getting around.   

The Dana,Ocean Park Inn, and the Hyatt are all located between the beach and Sea World, San Diego.  Although these hotels may take a little bit more out of your budget you will save quite a bit of time and headache as the San Diego freeway system can be very difficult to negotiate.  

Hotels located on Hotel Circle may seem tempting because

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