Sea World San Antonio June 2024

This past June we took a trip to Sea World San Antonio. We purchased the platinum pass that lets us go to all Sea World owned parks in the country, and we're hoping to visit nearly all of them within the next couple of years. San Antonio is the closest, and there's only one roller coaster there that Allison is too short for, so it seemed like the best place to visit first. 

Along the drive we saw signs for the Capulin volcano and took a quick hike down into the crater. I couldn't not take Tyler to a volcano! When we arrived there was lightning about 15 miles away. The ranger told us we could start the hike but if they sounded the alarm we'd need to book it back up immediately. We got lucky. Either the lightning didn't get closer or we finished the hike before it did. 

Oscar ran down the road while the kids and I walked a bit along the volcano perimeter trail. He couldn't resist a chance to run down a hill and not have to run back up. We picked him up about halfway down the volcano.

That night we stayed in Snyder, TX where it was still 93 degrees even at 9:00pm. We knew we were in for a HOT trip. The next morning we attended a small branch in Sweetwater, TX. During our recent trip to Nauvoo, one of the primary teachers from Sweetwater was there and recognized our family. 

After church we continued our drive and were thrilled to see a Sonic and an Indian restaurant in the same gas station. Tyler and Allison could get food they wanted and we could get food we wanted. Unfortunately it took FOREVER. The kids food came out instantly and ours took over 40 minutes. Oscar went and asked about it, and they said it would be 5 more minutes. We think they forgot about us and then whipped it up in 5 minutes once Oscar asked why it was taking so long. Fortunately it was super tasty, and I was able to save my leftovers to eat a few days later. 
 

We finished the drive to our vacation home, dropped our stuff off, then went to Sea World for the remaining few hours it was still open. By then the weather had cooled down, but it was still hot enough to enjoy getting wet on the water rides. Our first ride was on Steel Eel! I loved it! There are so many good drops and so much air time! But it slams you down on the drops the further you sit towards the back. It didn't seem to bother Oscar or Tyler, and we tried the very back once, but Allison and I tried to sit as close to the front as possible any other time we rode it. 

Our pass came with a free annual photokey, so we got to keep all the ride photos and character photos Sea World took. I'm glad we got them, but Sea World Photokey isn't as efficient as Disney's is. With Disney it's nice and easy to scan your magic band or ticket right after your photo appears or after the photographer takes your photos. At Sea World most ride photography stations were down, the camera for Journey to Atlantis didn't work our entire trip, and you had to go to the main photo booth near the front of the park to ask the employees to find your photo for you. It was a lot of unnecessary hassle, even with character photos where they gave you a card with your retrieval number, and once they gave you the photos, the time recorded to the photo was when you downloaded it, not when you were on the ride. It could definitely use some improvement. 

This is their new ride Catapult Falls. It has a launch before a small drop and an elevator that takes you up to the big drop. We were big fans of it.

Allison wanted to ride again while the boys went over to Great White, the one coaster she's too short for.

This is their small coaster wave breaker. I found it was more fun if you hang onto the handles like you're on a jet ski than if you just hang onto your restraint. It was fun, but it's over the water and I feel like it should give you a little mist or small splash at some point.

Tyler thought it was hilarious that the sign saying you must be 46 inches tall was quite a bit taller than 46 inches. It was around 5 feet!

Texas Stingray! This coaster was FAST! It's not one I can ride with my arms up. Allison didn't like it at first, but she did when we tried it another time. I think the speed and intensity just threw her off, and she liked it more once she knew what to expect.

Texas Stingray is right next to the Sea Turtles. This one is fairly small compared to the Sea Turtle aquarium at Sea World San Diego. 

We tried to go on the giant swing, Tidal Surge, but it had closed for the evening. Instead we went on Journey to Atlantis. We then rode Steel Eel again in the dark. We knew there were fireworks that evening, and there was a hydropower water ski show in the giant amphitheater in front of the water. We just assumed the fireworks would be over the water, so we went over to the show. The show was good, but it was accompanied by live music that was entirely too loud. Then when the fireworks started they were behind the amphitheater, not over the water. You're meant to view them as you walk out of the park. I wish I'd known that in advance and avoided the loud music. There were other areas around the water where we could have watched the show without getting blasted with noise.

On the way out, the kids did a few light brights in the dark.

Our vacation rental was fantastic! It was a 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/2 bathroom town house with a garage, and it was only about a couple hundred more than a hotel would have been. It was worth every penny! It was so nice for the kids to have their own rooms and their own beds. Several times we sent the kids to bed upstairs while we stayed downstairs and watched a show on Netflix. And for that amount of time it was great to have a full size kitchen and not have to eat out every single meal. It was more like we were living in San Antonio for a week than just visiting San Antonio for a week. Allison even brought Legos and made herself at home. 

The first night the kids were so tired that Tyler started sleeping on the floor of Allison's room, even though there was another bed below her and his bed in the other room! We moved him to his room, and both kids slept really well, much better than they ever do in hotels. 

The next morning we went shopping at Walmart. Tyler needed a hat, and we needed food and other necessities for the week. After getting it all back to the house, we went to Sea World. We mostly planned on Aquatica since we'd done most of the rides the previous day. Oscar dropped our water stuff over in Aquatica then met up with us for a few rides at Sea World. 

First we did the Tidal Surge swing. Imagine a playground swing but massive. It's so fun, especially when you swing on the side facing the water. But both sides were good since you get a great view of the city from the other side. It also had the benefit of popping my clogged ears after swimming. The first big rush of air once you're at full height consistently helped clear them out. We recently went to Valley Fair at Minnesota where they have a similar giant swing, and it also popped my clogged ear. I wish I knew how to imitate that effect at home!

I went on Great White with Tyler while Allison and Oscar rode Catapult Falls. I didn't care for Great White. It's a super forceful, floorless coaster with lots of inversions that sends uncomfortable tingles down my feet, like Batman at 6 Flags Magic Mountain. Tyler loved it though, and Oscar likes it too, so I didn't bother going on it anymore the rest of the trip and just let the two of them enjoy it together. 

We then rode Catapult Falls as a family, saw the Aldabra tortoises, and rode Steel Eel on our way out to the water park.

Aquatica was pretty fun, but it had its flaws. Sting Ray falls lets you see the stingray aquarium once the slide bottoms out. It was a good family slide, but the line was pretty long when we'd barely had any lines in either park up to that point. The wave pool wasn't as fun as most wave pools since it was blocked off at 4 feet and the waves were on for 4 minutes and off for 8. Otherwise the slides were pretty good, and they've got a nice splash area, pools, and lazy river. The line for these slides above wasn't long, but it moved super slow while we waited in the hot sun. The lifeguard was having groups go through one at a time instead of letting people just line up at their preferred slide. When we got there she said "one slide is broken, so you guys will go two and two." I didn't want to slow down the line even more for those behind me, so I offered to go on the 3rd slide with the group of two in front of me and then had the rest of the family go afterward. 

The new Tikitapu splash area where Allison is in the photo above was where I wanted to be on the hottest days. It was the only water that felt refreshing. Everything else would get too warm in that hot sun. 

After swimming we went back over to Sea World to get our photos loaded until the photo key. While I did that the kids tried Grover's Round Up carousel. There was no line, but they said it still took around 20 minutes. The operator took excessive amounts of time doing her safety checks. 

On Tuesday we were able to meet up with some friends of ours who live in Houston and let them use the free guest tickets that came with our annual passes. We knew Filip, Max, and their mom Katya from Washington. They were in the apartment complex behind our house and Tyler and Fillip shared the same bus stop for school. They moved to Houston the year before we moved to Colorado. They left Houston early that morning and met up with us at the house. I hopped in the car with them so I could use my pass to get them free VIP parking (which would be $70 plus tax!). 

First we rode the Tidal Swinger, saw some animals, then went over to Steel Eel. Fillip got covered up by Oscar's arm in the photo. Katya's mom stayed with Margo who was too short for all but the Sesame Street rides.

We'd bought the Sea World dining pass for the day, so we grabbed lunch and ate it while watching the Sea Lion show. After the show we spent a good long time in the Bay of Play since it was getting too hot to enjoy being anywhere that wasn't wet.

We then went over to the Dolphin and Beluga show. Neither of the other Sea Worlds has a Beluga show, so that was pretty unique. They don't do as many tricks as the orcas and dolphins, but they do show off the echolocation noises they can make and survival skills they have. One beluga did jump out of the water at one point, but otherwise it was directed swimming and noises. The dolphins, of course, were much more active. They told us with dolphins they find a behavior they like doing and teach them to do it on command, as opposed to teaching them specific tricks like dogs. 

The kids wanted to go back to the bay of play, and I was having too many chaffing issues with my feet to keep walking. I'd brought bandaids and waterproof tape but left them in the car. I walked back to the car to get them and saw the dolphins, sharks, and other fish in Discovery Point on my way back. Fortunately my stuff worked and I was able to walk comfortably again. Everyone was still at the Bay of Play when I got back. 

Once the kids were ready for rides again we tried to do Journey to Atlantis, but it was closed. We then went over to Texas Stingray, but it was closed. Rio Loco was right next to it, so we got in line for that, but it took around an hour. I think it was because the rafts kept jamming. When we were on it we'd get jammed until 3 other rafts pushed us onward. 

Fortunately Texas Stingray reopened by the time we were done with Rio Loco. Four of us went on it 3 times in a row. Katya went back to her mom and Margo after the first ride, and Maks rode it a second time with me while Allison braved it alone.

After that Maks decided he was done and stayed with Oscar (who'd been grabbing food) while Tyler, Fillip, Allison, and I rode it again for the third time.

Katya texted to let us know that Journey to Atlantis finally opened for the first time that day. Tyler, Allison, and Fillip rode it at least 4 times in a row. I did it once with Fillip, Tyler, and Allison, then Katya hopped on the boat right after we got off. I took pretty good video and photos of her ride.

 

We dragged the kids away from it to watch the Sandsational cirque style stunt show. It was impressive, especially the two guys dressed as life guards jumping through the golden hoops.

Tyler and Fillip then rode Great White several times in a row. We picked up some food including the yummy Shamu cupcake, whale tail cookies, and cheesecake. I love this selfie Katya got of us with the kids and the Sea turtles in the background.

I took Allison and Maks to play with the light brights then rode Catapult Falls with them. We hadn't realized the boys were going to go on Great White more than once and were just waiting for them to come over to us.

Eventually Oscar got them to come over to do Catapult Falls with us too. Oscar didn't want to get wet, so he took pictures and video of us as we went down the drop.

We then went over to Wave Breaker

And then walked back over to the last Orca show of the day. It was amazing as usual. I like that it's in a covered arena since it would have been brutal sitting out in the sun even at 8:00pm. 

After the Orca show Oscar grabbed food while I took Allison and the boys over for a final ride on Steel Eel in the dark.

Fillip's family stayed with us at the house that night. They brought extra bedding and took the room with the bunk bed while Allison slept on the trundle bed in Tyler's room. The next morning we went to Aquatica. After getting wet in the wave pool we went on Stingray Falls with the kids and Katya's mom. Katya stayed with her daughter and took her to the kid areas.

Maks and Tyler went on Riptide Race multiple times while I stayed in the pool with Allison so she could do the sting Ray obstacle course. 

She started getting hungry, so I picked her up a pretzel and a Mangonada. Interestingly enough the Mangonada was strawberry, not mango, and it had spicy chamoy in it. She loved it, while I had to drink from the bottom of the glass to avoid the chamoy.

Fillip's family had to leave around 2:00pm to get back to Houston. I did a few more slides with Allison, including the fun Walhalla Wave. Tyler and Oscar left to grab lunch outside the park then met back up with us at Sea World so that I could grab our photokey photos.

It was almost time for Sesame character meet and greets. Tyler said he was only interested if it was Elmo, Cookie Monster, or Oscar. Turned out it was Elmo. He was thrilled! He had Elmo toys up until about 3 years ago. I told that to the photographer, and she said "Elmo you have a long time fan!" Elmo danced around and cheered. Tyler was just beaming with smiles all the way out of the park. 

The next day we decided to go into downtown San Antonio. We saw the Alamo, and I held "A Salt Weapon."

We then walked along the River Walk. When we went under a tunnel, Oscar told the kids to hold it up and keep it from crumbling down on us. 

We took a bit of a long way around, but we also saw Hemisfair Park, the tower, and the pretty Grotto. We decided not to go up the tower since we didn't think it would be worth the cost. I would have loved to eat at the restaurant, but there wasn't much on the menu the kids would eat, and I didn't see a kids' menu.

The kids played on the playground for a bit, which was shaded, but we were all starting to get way too hot and worn out. It's amazing how much more tiring it is to be out in that heat and sun when you're not regularly getting wet. 

We ate at a little German restaurant with homemade root beer on our way back to the car. We ordered far too much food, but at least we could take back our leftovers.

After a couple hours relaxing at the house we went back to Sea World. We saw the Sea Lion show Flippers, Facts, and Fun, which we'd missed most of the other day while we were getting lunch. It's not as good as the old Seymour and Clyde detective show. I don't think this format will last long.

After the show we found a spot for the Sesame Street party parade. We'd been told by the photographer who got our Elmo pictures that Cookie Monster and Oscar would make an appearance at the parade.

And they did! The kids were pretty thrilled.

I then took the kids on Journey to Atlantis twice. The sun was starting to set, which looked incredible when we were at the top of the hill. Oscar didn't want to get wet, so he took pictures and video of us while we rode.

We wanted to do Catapult Falls, but it was closed, so we did Wave Breaker instead.

And to finish the evening we had a great view of the fireworks. Oscar and the kids stayed at light bright while I went to look for a good viewing spot. I saw a little restaurant just across from Steel Eel that had outdoor seating. There were several people there also waiting for the fireworks, so I told the family to come join me.

For our final day at Sea World we focused on seeing animals and using our discounts and other passholder perks. We started off at Discovery Point to see the dolphins and the sharks.

We then went to see the ImaginOcean show. It's a show meant for kids, but the theater was air conditioned, and it was really well done. The plot was corny (let's go on a treasure hunt...the treasure is our friendship!), but it was still enjoyable. I was impressed by how well it looked, especially when all the bubbles came down to make it feel like you were in the ocean with them. I liked it much more than the Elmo and friends friendship show I'd watched at Sea World San Diego just to be able to sit down and enjoy some air conditioning.

We then watched the Sesame Street Block Party. At first they sing and dance for you, then they invite everyone else to join in the dance and meet the characters. I recognized several of the dancers from the Sandsational Show we'd seen two days earlier.

Tyler also had a Cookie Monster toy when he was younger. He played with it so much the blacks of his eyes rubbed off. You can see how happy he was to get to hug Cookie Monster. 

They hugged Zoe and Elmo too, then got wet at the bay of play. I thought Cookie Monster's dance, the "Chocolate Chip Cha Cha," was clever.

Our passes came with a free animal ambassador tour. We got to meet several animals, mostly birds, that they care for outside of the main park. This cockatoo had been a pet but was surrendered to Sea World. Apparently they're really loud and live to be over 80, so it's a lot of commitment. They let us practice giving her commands and seeing her do tricks. She spread her wings for me during my picture!

The other animals are there because they wouldn't thrive in the wild. The bald eagle's nest was destroyed during a storm. She can still fly, but she's very weak and was deemed not able to be released. 

We also got to meet an armadillo. She'd been being picked on by a local cat (when they're young they're the same size as a mouse), so a nice lady took her in. She took her to the vet and found out she couldn't keep her since it's against Texas law to keep native Texas species as pets. Unfortunately the armadillo had already become too dependent on humans to be released back into the wild, so Sea World took her in.

After our tour we used our Seabucks for treats and food. I had a pepperoni pizza pretzel. The kids got pretzel bites. Our meals came with more chips than we needed, so the kids fed them to the birds.

Our passes also come with a monthly animal feeding. You can choose between sea lions or sting rays. We picked Sea lions since we'd already paid for a stingray encounter. When we were running low on fish Tyler started pretending to toss the fish while keeping it in his hand. An employee came over to tell us not to tease the Sea Lions since it messes with their training and they get upset. 

From there we went over to Aquatica to do our Stingray Encounter. It was relatively inexpensive as far as animal interactions go, especially with our passholder discount, and was totally worth the extra cost. Feeding them and having them swim all over us was so fun! 

I love how this stingray full on hugged Tyler. We were told they tend to be all over children since they like bright colors. 

After our interaction Allison wanted to do the obstacle course some more. They didn't block off the wave pool at 4 feet this time, so I went in there while Oscar stayed with the kids at the obstacle course pool. Unfortunately we lost Tyler for awhile. He had to use the bathroom, but he didn't have his water shoes or his glasses. He couldn't see properly to find the bathroom, and his feet were burning on the crazy hot pavement, so he'd search for a bathroom then have to run to some water. Eventually I found him in the kids' splash area where he'd just used the bathroom next to it, which wasn't the closest bathroom to where he'd been. 

Once we were done with the water park, we walked back over to Sea World. We rode the Tidal Surge, Texas Stingray, and Sea Swinger all while we looked for souvenirs in the shops. I got towels and an ornament, Allison got a Shamu stuffee, Tyler got a shark stuffee, and they both got glass orcas. Oscar and Tyler did Great White while Allison showed off her Shamu in the member lounge and played with the light brights. We tried to do Catapult Falls, but it closed just as were were about to get on it. We finished with Steel Eel then left to get some dinner. 

We stopped at Cici's pizza for their pizza and pasta buffet. 

The next morning we left the house 8 minutes before check out at 11:00am. We drove up and stayed the night at a hotel in Amarillo, TX. Our room smelled like pot, but they let us switch to the room directly above, and it smelled fine. We made the kids easy Mac while they watched some "Inside Out," then we walked across the street to get Mexican food. The kids brought their tablets and just had drinks and churros. The food was good, and Oscar was really happy with the churros. They had dulce de leche on the inside, just like he'd eaten them in Argentina on his mission. He told the staff they were the most authentic he'd tasted in 20 years. They also had whipped cream, ice cream, and chocolate sauce on top, so everyone was pretty happy.

And the next day we went to church at a 9:00am ward in Amarillo then finished up our drive home. It was a great trip!