Sea World?

April 19, 2004

We are all -- including my 5 yo autistic daughter -- heading for Sea World

in San on Friday. Are there any special services for autistic kids,

or do we just wing it as best we can?

Also, does anyone know of a place to get discount tickets? We are thinking

of splurging on season passes this year.

Thanks and blessings!

K

April 19, 2004

I'm not aware of any special services for autism, per se, except that

they do offer assisted listening devices for some attractions, which

may be helpful if your child has a CAPD. Perhaps others might know of

more? I'll tell what I do know and maybe that will make your trip

more enjoyable somehow. (Prices I've listed were the most recent I

know, and don't include sales tax..and everything including parking

fees have sales tax!)

First, they aren't on full summer schedule yet. I believe that they

open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. this time of year. That means

you'll want to get there early, as they will be offering just one or

two of each show for the day. That's workable, if you plan it

right. Theyw ill give you a suggested show schedule that will work

for you. But keep in mind that you can blow the schedule and never

get back on it if you do extras like tours, rides, water park, etc.

Then you'll miss some shows, which may or may not be important to you.

Some of the thrill rides may have long lines, often depending upon

the time of day, but most of the shows and other attractions do not.

That helps our kids who have problems with waiting! Most shows run

on fairly tight schedule, allowing you just the right amount of time

to get from one stadium to another before the next show begins. Be

aware...there is a lot of walking, and seating is first come, first

served in most cases! Some families bring wagons (but I had heard

that they were considering disallowing this practice, so call before

you go if you were thinking of this option!)

Most of the animal shows have a clearly marked " splash zone " where

getting wet is all but guaranteed. Some of our more tactilely

sensitve kids may not apreciate it. Some may enjoy it while raining

a rain poncho. But if getting splashed unexpectedly is an issue for

your child, be aware that you can wet in many of the unmarked seats

too, so sit very high up in the stands if this is a concern.

The kids enjoyed the water play area called Lost Lagoon. Younger or

more sentive kids may enjoy the much smaller Lil Gators Lagoon area

(there are lockers for rent).

Shamu's Happy Harbor is a big play interactive playground with lots

of elements, like huge climbing cargo net, slides, tubs, water

cannons, etc. The play areas can sometimes be a chaotic scene, and

many include water play, so again, pre-consider sensitive kids! It's

a great place to blow off steam for those that can handle the

stimulation level.

There is also a " behind the scenes tour " (more walking!) for an extra

fee. On this tour, the kids got to touch small bamboo sharks, and

feed sting rays in a reach-in tank. Other than that, our family

didn't find it to be worth the extra price, and it wound up throwing

off our schedule of shows. I think it was $15 adults and $12 for

kids up to age 9. (They also have a " backstage tour " for the same

price, where you cna see what it takes to be a marine trainer. It's

pretty dry for most kids though.)

There is also an extra-fee activity where you got to don wet suits

and interact with the Beluga Whales and another with Sea Lions. Kids

have to be 8+ for the whakes and 10+ for the sea lions, and have be

accompanied by an adult, and they each include a classroom education

component. But to be honest, our experience was a lot of sit-around-

and-wait-your-turn for the actual interaction components, and the

kids didn't really get much out of it. It was a very pricey flop for

us! I think it was like $125/person for either one. (There is some

sort of shark interaction program, and one with birds as well, but I

don't know anything about them!)

There are also activities where you can purchase containers of fish

to feed dolphins and sea lions at posted times of day. You can

sometimes actually touch the dolphins, but they are quite spoiled and

will often look for the easiest fish, rather than have to interact to

get it. That can be frustrating for some children, but still

downright thrilling for others.

One thing we did extra that was well worth it was the " Dinner with

Shamu. " You get to go behind the Orca whale pens for a very nice

buffet dinner poolside with the whales and trainers. You get a real

up-close and personal experience with this meal, with a chance to ask

lots of questions and some great photo ops! They have 1 or 2

sessions a day. $30 adults; $18 kids to age 9; under 3 free, but

still needs reservation. (This can sell out quickly.)

Kiddie Rides and Thrill rides are available too, and each ride has

it's own health and height requirements. Many will have long lines.

All have some kind of a safety restraint system that may not always

be appreciated by our more tactiley sensitive kids. Some, like the

big coasters and log flume ride will be too overpowering for many of

our kids, while some of other rides like the kiddie coasters

and " spinning paint cans " maybe right up some's alley!

Other places to spend your hard-earned dollars include the arcades

and midway near the rides, and the gift shops and kiosks located

throughout the park.

You cannot bring coolers, food, drinks, picnic baskets, etc., into

the park, which presents a problem for those of us who have kids with

food-related issues. I'm told that they will accomodate special

diets by allowing to bring in food as specifically covered with a

signed doctor's order, but call Guest Services and check first as to

how exactly to handle this! It also means that food and drink will

get pricey real quick since you have to buy their park food as a

captive audience. (This early in the year, you could leave a cooler

in the car and get your hand stamped to leave the park for an early

lunch.) They also sell large covered mugs of soda at some kiosks

that allow you to get discounted refills throughout our stay.

Bottled water is also available, and we made the kids keep their

empty bottles so they could get refills from the drinking fountains

scattered around the park. Restaurants around the park offer varied

menus, some with themes. A couple even offer kid-oriented box

lunches.

As for discount tickets, prices can really vary, so check with your

credit union, your employee services dept. at your workplace, and the

San Convention & Visitors burear (located across from the

Alamo). You can also pre-purchase and print admission tickets online

from their site and save 10% off their regular list price (a so-so

deal overall), or right now they have a " Buy one day, get the 2nd day

free pass " when you purchase and print online. (But I don't think

that most of us would want/need a second day, unless you wanted to do

a lot of tours, or spend lots of time on rides, etc.)

Also, they charge to park...$7 for regular, $12 for close-in VIP

parking. You can have someone in your party drop you off at the

gates, and then have them go park.

For family of two adults and two kids under age 9, each taking one of

the basic tours, eating two meals and buying one bottled water each,

no games or souvenirs, and paying to park, you can easily expect to

pay a least $300-$350 for the day in the park.

Finally, be sure to thoroughly ID your kids! I put a laminated ID

card in a fanny pack on each one, along with some quarters, a few

dollar bills and a postacard or piece of stationery from the hotel

where we're staying, with the address and phone number circled on

it. Then I use a Sharpie marker to write my cell phone number in big

letters on their upper arms. Make sure your cell works in the park

before doing this! Otherwise, use the phone number of friend or

relative whom you know will be at home while you're in the park, and

who is willing to act as a go-between to re-connect you with your

kids if they should happen to get away from you. Dress the kids in

brightly colored, distinctive shirts...consider dressing your whole

party this way too. Carry a couple of pics of each child with you as

well, plus a card with the phone number of guest services written on

it. Also keep a long with a copy of each kids' ID card with you.

Jot on the back of the ID card what each child is wearing.

i.e.: " ; age 8, brown hair, brown eyes, pink T-shirt with

yellow star on front; red ball cap; blue jeans; black Addias

sneakers; red fanny pack w/ black strap. " Keep all of this in you

own fanny pack...try to avoid purses, backpacks, etc.