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SeaWorld San Antonio Discussion Thread


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the only way to ride Texas Stingray when it's 41 (feels like 34) and there's a drizzle going.

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(stingray, Wavebreaker, and the sesame street rides section were the only things able to open, but it worked out, as I got to ride Stingray 6 times, the Carousel, and saw two shows, and did two meet and greets).
 

yes. . it was COLD (and the crowd very much stayed away). . but that spiked hot cocoa made everything ok (mine was spiked with Kahlua)

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yay!  Carousel (that SWSA *makes* every rider put on that seatbelt. . .LOL). 
I love this carousel, since the horses all look so stoned.

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Elmo's Christmas Wish show.   

Happy they are finally using this indoor theater again (used to the be the pets show, but the theater has been empty the entire year I've been a passholder, so it was my first time in it).

Awesomely stupid (and warm). . Loved it

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Photo Op with Ernie (and Oscar)

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who was upset that Ernie chose bert over him. . .LOL

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Rudolph was out too for photos (that's my friend Oren)

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the new Christmas show was apparently imported from SW Orlando?

it was bizarrely entertaining, and I highly recommend it:

lots of "jazz hands" and cruise ship choreography

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Creepy ass puppets - that Joseph and Mary gave me nightmares!

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Live animals (like Pinocchio, the animals who are arguing thruout the show - with a lot of topical humor thrown in) become "real" animals at the end of the show.

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yay!  Camels.

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  • 2 months later...

So I did a thing yesterday at SeaWorld San Antonio - after going for Mardi Gras and having way too many Hurricanes (and excellent food)

 

as I said on the FB group, they *probably* shouldn't let drunk adults name their own Build A Bear.


I present to you: 

Hornyhead Sharp

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they threw in the little backpack/carrier (the arms poke thru!!)
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and yes, my happy ass took him on the Carousel too :)

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  • 1 month later...

Today would have been my Nick's 64th Birthday.

Despite knowing the parks would all be gigantic overcrowded clusters?  I just couldn't bear to sit at home alone and be sad.   So I called a friend and we drove to San Antonio to go to SeaWorld

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the park was ABSOLUTELY *slammed*. . .we're talking 45 minutes to get to a parking spot (and that was WITH preferred handicap parking), with the line to get in stretching well past the gates onto the main road out front (Ellison).  And if you've been to SWSA you know how much "driveway" there is between the main gates, and the parking gates!

speaking of, they had all the parking gates open, and staffed with both sides open.

today was also opening day for Aquatica as well, and once we actually got into the park?  crowds in the walkways weren't bad at all - so Aquatica was drawing quite a bit of the crowd from the parking.

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Oh the shows were ABSOLUTELY packed.

I dont' think I've ever seen standing room only in Orca Stadium

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But rides remained walk on for most of the afternoon. . .

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even the two water rides open only had 20 minute waits or so:   Journey to Atlantis & Rio Loco (which had waterfalls on and SOAKED the one of us who wasn't ok getting wet - and only sprinkled me, since I declared to the universe upon entering the queue that I didn't care if I got soaked :)

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but here's probably what you really care about. . . the progress on the park's new 2023 launched flume with lift.

it's coming together really quickly, and looking great:

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it started to warm up and got too crowded to be comfortable for me (the line for the Carousel was an easy 40 minute wait). . .and the food lines were all pretty nuts.   I didn't really want to eat any of the Generic park food, so we decided to take off and stop for some good Tex Mex for early dinner on the way back to Austin.

 

so after about 4 hours we headed out.

in that time tho, we

-rode 4 rides:  Stingray 2x, Journey to Atlantis, and Rio Loco   (could have also walked on to Steel Eel and Great White, but passed on those this visit).
-saw the Orca show in standing room at the back (which worked out well as a very nice breeze back there (AND - barely - out of the splash zone. . . seriously, those splashes got all the way to the upper rows!)
- Got a frozen drink from the bayside bar
- got a cookie and a drink from Coaster Coffee
- stopped and looked at construction  (so we basically walked the entire park - even seeing the Count out for pictures over in Sesame Street. . with an INSANE line).
&
- went into Discovery Cove on the way out to see the Dolphins and Sharks.

all in all, a pleasant day, and kept me distracted.

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^It looks like everybody is getting back into .... uh ...getting together, since these past few years. It's been totally packed in our big theatre, for the last touring musicals we've seen, since last Fall. Looks like your friend took good care of you. And you enjoyed the day. So .... There it is! Your enjoyment! (Bad ripoff from Chef Gusteau). ;) THanks for sharing it all, Bert.

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  • 2 weeks later...

stopped by SWSA yesterday for opening weekend of the Seven Seas Food Festival.

as expected, most everything was excellent, and they had quite the crowd - perfect weather, Aquatica open, and the festival weekend (tho it started on Thurs), brought in a lot of folks eager to try the SeaWorld San Antonio food - which by reputation is very good!  (and it is, Chef Scott and team do a great job on every event at the park).

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*edit to update:   the 18 puchcards for Passholders, are now available on the Passholder Portal!

but it's also easy/peasy to do it in person, and once we showed them our passes, got lanyards with 18 punches (3 bonus) over the regular 15 punch cards.

apparently this year they are also selling 10 punch (standard), 7 punch & 3 punch (online only options) for "taster"

there is SO much good food, I'll go thru 2 18-punch cards, at least, during the 6 weeks (thru early May) this runs.

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I always do the "course" backwards starting at Mexico - as I want those drinks (LOL).

a few changes this year to both menu and entertainment offerings. . . but as usual, we bumped into Chef Scott almost immediately near the Mexico booth, and he walked me thru all the exciting new menu options and recommended stuff.

*and then we saw him at almost every booth after we'd stopped to eat there asking us for our feedback.   he was stalking us because he REALLY liked my boots, I think  (lol. . got stopped a bunch of times from folks admiring them).

 

but here he is, SeaWorld San Antonio's Cheff Scott - who puts together all the menus and that fantastic food they offer there!

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he recommended the new Cochnita Pibil (pork) taco, and pointed out that by popular demand, the Chicken Mole Fries were back.

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I got a Prickly Pear cocktail - which was Fantasic!    (the sampler size is included as a punch, by you can pay the $14 for the full size - which is what i'm holding here)
they forgot the chile salt on the rim (hey. . opening weekend) and Scott went and got some to sprinkle on that made it even more flavorful.   Recommended.

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the new taco (fantastic. . and pretty spicy. . loved it)

and bottom are the Chicken Mole fries.
 

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the mole is not spicy, but it IS flavorful.   Scott has known me long enough that he knows I like spicy and went and got me a side of the house made Habanero sauce (that goes in the new taco) to put on the Mole Fries - and oh man, that brought them to another level.  Fantastic.

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no other pics from my table, since my two friends BOTH ordered Mole Fries. . . . LOL. . but with permission of the kind lady next door, here's the Eleote - which she also said was very good.

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the Tequila bar was open in the corner down by Mexico. . but it was way too early for me to tackle a flight of Tequila. . . so next time :)

 

Onwards to France!

 

the Crab & Spinach Crepe is the brand new one (and it is fantastic and highly recommended.   Other than the food at Greece and the Empanadas at Brazil?  it's the highest recommended food choice I'd give)

 

the Mushroom/Spinach is only "new" because they took the Turkey off of it from last year.   A shame, as that was my favorite savory bite in the park.     But they were having issues last year keeping the meat at temp, so decided to make it another Vegetarian option this year.  (so if you're a Vegetarian. . pretty much every option but one at France is a choice for you)

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this is the Crab and Spinach.   it doesn't LOOK amazing, but trust me, it IS.  
*and* it's real crab (not Krab with a K) and you can really taste the crab.

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the Spinach Mushroom was still really good. . but not as good as when it also had turkey in it.  
as noted, still good tho.

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Paige got the strawberry/Hazlenut sweet crepe and really liked it.

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the "Sunday in the Park" photo op is back over here.   So of course.

although for some reason, the Wine stop has moved from France to over by Rio Loco / Jamaica area. . that's a little weird.

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Chef Scott had told me that they really worked to improve the food over at the Germany booth.

so we tried it again this year based on his recommendation.   

it WAS better. . but being brutally honest?   as good as they made the Beer Cheese this year, the braised beef still reminded me very much of a frozen dinner (I gave that feedback to him when he asked).
I think the proportions were off, and the jous just destroys the other flavors by overwhelming them and making the whole Spaetzle dish taste like a frozen salsbury steak sauce.

to be fair?  it's not BAD - but there are SO many better options, I wouldn't waste punches on food here.  (the drink and beer options on the other hand?  excellent. . and the beer garden setting was busy when we were there)

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and of course, always worth coming over to Germany for THIS photo op:

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not sure if the Band was playing or not. . the stage was there with a new LED screen behind it.   But I didn't see any performance times listed, so wonder if no German Band this year?

the Braised Beef and Cabbage

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the Beer Cheese with Speatzle & beef (we shared this and still left much of it!)

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and the apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream.

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a stop to ride Texas Stingray, and then?  on to Greece!

As usual, Greece does not disappoint.   Tho the standout is the lamb slider?    EVERYTHING is excellent:

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this is Baklawa Ice cream (basically a Baklava smashed into caramel ice cream. . .so damn good)

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These are the Loukoumades - a honey fried donut.   delicious.

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and the Chicken Schwarma.

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Didn't get a pic of the Gyro or Slider, as Russell forgot I was taking pictures, and ate them before I got to the table!

no "Living Statue" this year in Greece :(. . . just a photo op by the pillars she used to stand under.

HOWEVER, we did bump into a visitor - SFFT Park President Jeffrey Siebert, who was at SWSA for a bit (showing a guest around) and enjoying the Food Festival dishes
(and of course, Chef Scott was there too. . I swear, he was stalking us around the lagoon 😛 )

it was very nice to get to meet Salim - I mean, I don't work for him, but he seemed to be a really nice guy.   and I told Jeffrey we'd see him a little later over at Fiesta Texas
(for those pics, check out the SFFT thread - they have the new Boomerang trains out).

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forgot to get a pic of the Italy sign - but as usual, that booth has the HUGE lines, because they make the flatbreads to order, and the kiddos know and want "pizza"

Mike got the Feta Cheese and Grape flatbread, and he said it was really good.   (tho he did wait at least 25 minutes in line for it)

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meanwhile?  I stomped Grapes at the Italy photo op.

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continuing around the park, we found the wine bar - that used to be over by France.

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and then relaxed in Jamaica photo op. . . tho we bypassed ordering anything from the food here.
(we were getting full, and still had a few stops.  besides, will get it next time. .the rum raisin ice cream here is amazing)

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Paige chilled.. .I signaled the world can F-off. . I'm relaxing.

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then onto Korea

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for the Beef Short Ribs

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and the Double Dragon Punch (which Mike loved, but Russell thought was too sweet).

while they ate, I snapped pics of the progress on Catapult falls.   It's coming together fast, and they for sure will make their May 14 launch date for it!

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and of COURSE we had to stop and go thru the Penguin House, once again fully stocked.

SeaWorld San Antonio really should bottle and sell that smell from there tho. . I mean, it's certainly got "Penguin House" associated with it.   :)

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Japan pavillion

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menu is basically the same, although Chef Scott tweaked the Seared Tuna a little.   I was way too full to try anything, so i just enjoyed the show there while folks ate.

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this is the Yuzu sorbet.   Mike had never had Yuzu before but he said he liked it and it was very tropical.

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and Paige said the Gyoza were fantastic.

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no drummers this year :(

 

instead there's a geisha who does a water act.  

it was . . interesting, and yes, entertaining.

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and she sticks around after the performance for photo ops.

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next up. . Hawaii!

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Poke bowls looked SO good. . . but I was way too full.  and they were sold out of the Aloha Beaches drink we wanted.

so saving for next time!

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Last stop today was Brazil.

I love the Blackberry Acai sorbet here.

but the stars are the chicken empanadas. . SO good.

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last year there was a dancing girls/party in the center of the area show. . but I didn't see any times up, so wonder if that's gone this year?

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but the photo op is still up for Brazil.

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Paige had the Tropical Monkey drink. . that she sucked right down (so it was good)

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and Russell got the Chicken Empanadas.

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we were SO full, but it was a great morning/afternoon.  

can't wait to go back and try more of the offerings, and take in a few of the SWSA shows!

till next time. . .

 

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We’ve frequented SWO’s Food Festival for many years so the themes at SWA definitely resonate. Having just been at SWO the other day, I will say the a la carte items at the Orlando park are all at least $3-4 more. Then again, we noticed that San Antonio was cheaper than Orlando in general, but perhaps that was the case before post-COVID inflation too. 

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  • 4 months later...

well  . . . darn :(

 

not unexpected tho. . as kids go back to school on Monday, so they really did "miss" the Summer season.

still. . . it looks so ready. . .must have something to do with inspections (or something paperwork like).

 

email I just got from SWSA:

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  • 1 month later...

Made a trip to SeaWorld San Antonio yesterday to experience this year's "Howl-O-Scream" event.

pretty crowded (wonder if that had to do with SW parks winning best Halloween event in a recent poll?).

Regardless, superbly well run.  With lines moving thru the 6 (free) houses fairly well, TONS of walkway actors/spooks in the fright zones, bar service pretty well staffed, and lots of entertainment.  I also noticed (not tons, but enough to note their presence, which I appreciated greatly, some police officers sprinkled thruout the event, keeping watchful eyes on things.

I had a wonderful time, and highly recommend.

y'all wanna see some pictures and read some commentary?  sure you do! :)

 

I wore my "bat hat" all day. . kept my bald spot from sunburn. . . .LOL. .tho I got a lot of "I like your costume" comments, and kept saying, this is just from my closet!

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Even tho the house lines move pretty well?  it's SO worth the $$ to pick up some version of the Fright Pass to use the "skip the line" option.   With six houses, it's really the only way to get to do everything in one night (I mean, including shows, scare-zones, etc). 

we got the version that was one trip thru each house, but there are multiple options avail - that also include show seating, ride skip as well as houses, and one with multiple visits to houses.

since SeaWorld insists on using these dang paper tickets tho?  do what I did - take a pic of it.  That way they can just scan it on your phone each time, and you'll probably have your phone out for pictures anyways (yes, phone and video filming IS allowed.. just not flash photography).   

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even before the bars opened (at 5, tho some opened a bit earlier), or the houses opened (at 7), there were street performers out.

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lol. .and this is why I take so many selfies instead of asking folks to take pics of me. . sorry about that finger. . 😛

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SWSA does have the Offrenda set up. . .it's just in a different location, around the corner from where it used to be, on the stage area.

i think it looks SO much better over here. . and love the tables full of fruit and sugar skulls on the sides.

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a bar that opened a little early?  (Bloodthirsty in the vampire scare zone area)?

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1st drinks of the afternoon in hand. . and drinks from Bloodthirsty come with gummy worms and glow in the dark fangs!

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walking the "Howl o Scream" area, to check out the decorations, even tho the creatures don't really come out until 6:30.

At SWSA, the Howl O Scream area is basically all around the lagoon.   From Beluga Stadium to the Sesame Street kids area.

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stopping to take a peek over the construction walls at Catapult Falls. 

they'd added a ton of signage and some slight theming. The ride does look ready to go. . it must simply be delayed due to some minor issue, or delay getting the inspections done.   But I can't wait to ride this.    

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some of the flume vehicles are in the station. . so they HAVE been testing it, even if the flume itself is drained at the moment.

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we stopped in at the Voodoo Lounge bar for another drink. . this is the Texas Tea frozen drink.

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as we were sitting directly across from "the Swamp" house, we just decided to join the forming line while we were drinking (and would come back and use the skip the line to go thru again later).

so we were in a great position when the denizens of the Swamp scare-zone started coming out:

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the Swamp

|this was the new house two years ago, and tho I enjoyed it, it was pretty lame (I thought), last year as it hadn't aged well.   But I had heard rumors that all the houses had made some changes, so was eager to check out.

my take on it this year? 

1000% improvement over last year. I love that SWSA basically has a "total dark" house now. I know some complained it was too dark, but so what. . I LOVED it.

when I say it's dark in there?  I mean PITCH BLACK, CANNOT SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING.   They have someone with a light standing over a large prop on the floor as folks kept tripping on it.   and the few sections that are a little lighter?  yup, fog. . . so it's basically a blackout house.   

my phone/camera takes excellent night photos, that's the only reason you can make out some of these images.

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some of the Swamp scare actors on the walkways (we compared ears)

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we decided to walk back to the front of the Howl-o-Scream area and start at the Atlantis house (over by Journey to Atlantis). . so here's some pics along the way as we headed over there and it started to get darker.

this is the "Sindustry" area, in front of Penguin encounters.

it was a bit more "family friendly" this year, but still has the DJ, the acrobat, and the Trampoline troupe.

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and of course, the DO have a bar there for the adults.

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my favorite area of the park is over near the brand new haunt this year. . .Bunny Bradley's Ice Cream Parlor. . with so many street scarers out. . all as evil clowns.

tho I loved this ringmaster outfit too.

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full 360 creepy as hell costume

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we'll hit this when we come back this way. . . but here's the queue line (already pretty long, and it was only ~8pm)

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SWSA was firing on all cylinders yesterday. . .every ride (but Sea Rescue troika) was open, and lines were almost non existent. 

Note if you're going:  the water rides DO close when the houses open (Atlantis uses part of Journey's queue). . so if you want to ride Rio Loco, or Journey to Atlantis?  come early enough to get them in before the Howl-O-Scream event starts.

but even during the event, all the coasters kept running.   We got two walk on rides on Texas Stingray (day & night), and a walk on ride on Journey earlier in the day.  we absolutely COULD have done ton more rides, but we were here for the houses.     as usual, the only thing with even close to a line was WaveBreaker, which kept a steady 30+ minute or so line the entire day/night.

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Paid photo op with a werewolf if you wanted to wait in line for that. . .

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Bloodthirsty was busy when we walked back by. .

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Atlantis - unfortunately, the weakest house, and a big reason is that it's just so bright in there.

The props, and effects are great, and so I get why it's SO bright in there - show up the props and makeups.

But it's just not scary.

Maybe they should promote this house as the "non-scary" one for kids?  (even tho there are some gore mannequins in here)

again, it LOOKS great, and it's a fun walk thru with great effects. . . but it's just not a scary house.

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The inflatable starfish actually made me giggle when we came around the corner

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great animatronic

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this year's improvement for the house. . and it's a fun one (not scary tho).

you get eaten by the "whale"

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and it "squishes" you thru it's digestive track.

really. . we were giggling. . .   fun.  (but not scary)

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next we headed over to the outdoor Haunt: Zombie Horde

Zombie Horde - remains an excellent "walk at your own pace" outdoor adventure.

The makeups on the actors don't do much - but they don't really have to, as it's so dark it's effective. the only real "light" comes from the UVs that light up the "radioactive" waste splattered across some props.

the "out in the woods" setting just really works on this . . and it's a really creepy experience.

won't spoil the ending here, but will say that the adjustment they made for this year?  really makes the haunt end on a high ,and terrifying, note.
 

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bumped into friends all day/night today, so that was a ton of fun too!   these are my friends Andrea and Belinda!

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Milton Creek Manor - this is the "permanent" house that is around all year (tho not open except during the Halloween event).   As such, it has some fantastic animatronics and Props that you would see in a very high end Haunted House, such as Netherworld in Atlanta.     Because the props are so intricate, they do tend to need a lot of love and the line can get very long due to many "fixes needed" during the event.

I did like the new room in the center (they added a kitchen/freezer since last year). . but the flow was a little confusing - needing several attendants to direct the traffic at that piont.
it didn't help that we were being rushed thru, so missed some of the triggered effects (I get it tho. .SW needs to keep the line moving, and as noted, this one IS one of the most popular houses).

apologies for some of the blurry ones (and I had to toss many, because just moving too quickly to get a decent pic. . but it's a good house)

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Bunny Bradley's Ice Cream shoppe - the new house for this year.   that replaced that "doll" one.

BRAVO. . . excellent new house. and fantastic use of the cool spot that is used as the Coca-Cola lounge the rest of the year.

The cast in here makes this house.

Best cast of every house. . and that "syringe ceiling". . yes, the lights are made of Syringes. . . it just looks incredible.

 

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I unfortunately blocked the gag. . but the arm she's holding?  is holding an ice cream cone, and she's licking the cone the severed arm is holding :)

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that syringe ceiling I mentioned.

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it's really cold in here. . .brrrrr

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some new areas had popped up as we made out way back towards the Swamp.

all kinds of creepy fun!

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a dance party was going on over in the Sindustry area. . .

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Disassembly Line - was one of the two new houses last year (the other was Atlantis).

still fantastic. still creepy.  still SUPER gory.

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Disassembly line has tons of live actors mixed in with the mannequins.

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my favorite effect of the whole event.

that's a live actor in the meat grinder.   He's pleading for help, and then the machine revs up and he acts accordingly.

it's brilliant

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all in all, an EXCELLENT event, and worth the time to make a visit (yes, the drinks are a bit expensive, but if you're a passholder, you get a discount on alcohol (really!). . and they also offer for an extra $5 a light up skull glass (that holds 20oz instead of 12oz, and refills are cheaper than a regular 12oz drink).

my ranking of the houses, from best to worst (keeping in mind, even "worst" isn't terrible, it's just not scary:

1) Bunny Bradley's Ice Cream Shoppe (barely edging out Disassembly line for 1st)
2) Disassembly Line
3) Milton Creek Manor
4) the Swamp
5) Zombie Horde
6) Atlantis

 

go enjoy this event. .it's great!

 

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Hi Everyone!

I said in my SFOT report that before going to my next Six Flags park I went to a park that surprised me. And boy did it!

Now, I've heard lots about the SeaWorld parks. I've heard good things, bad things, and mixed things. I've been to BGW so kinda new the drill, but not a true SeaWorld park. One constant was that SeaWorld San Antonio was the worst of the three. With that in mind I say...

If this is the WORST SeaWorld...I can NOT WAIT to visit the best!

This place was cool, really cool.

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Quick side note: I'm curious as to the history of the park. Does anyone know why the entrance is the way it is. It looked like the area the is now home to Discovery Cove and Auqatica used to be part of the main park, thus the big glass arches. Is this true, or is that just kinda how it's always been?

Anyways, back to my thoughts...

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Started out strong by heading right after entering and going straight to Texas Stingray. I've ridden what are regarded as GCI's better rides, so I was curious how one of the newer ones went over.

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And this is a GREAT ride! I would characterize it as the perfect "good wooden coaster" that every park should have. Extremally re-ridable, with an interesting and engaging layout that has a nice balance of laterals and airtime. I wish more parks would have wooden coasters like this. Not trying to be gimmicky, or the craziest wooden coaster around. Just a good old fashioned fun ride, that everyone can enjoy. It doesn't have to try and be the star attraction to be good. It's not my favorite wooden coaster by any means, but it certainly is a great one.

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Next up was the best Batman clone I road in Texas, the one everyone forgets exists...Great White!

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Nothing too much to say other than...at least it wasn't rough like the other two...

I hit Wave Breaker next, which scores well in the uniqueness category. I like the concept and the unique ride vehicles. Not the most intense ride of course, being geared towards families, but it serves it's purpose well. If this was the proof of concept for the other motor bike coasters that SeaWorld has been installing lately, they should be solid family coaster additions. Mix in the extra theming that DarKoaster and Penguin Trek (that is a jet ski coaster...right? I haven't been following it...) have and I like this type of ride. Good job SeaWorld doing something different with the family coaster concept, and adapting it to your theme of rescue.

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Steel Eel was next, which I think is the best coaster in the park. I say think because Texas Stingray, while great, just doesn't have the magnitude in my opinion to be the best coaster in the park...but it's just so good. It's a close one. I'll go Steel Eel. Definitely better than Mamba and Titan, even up there with the B&M hypers I've ridden. The plastic seats did hurt a little, and I might have wacked my hand on a tree...but still great.

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Having knocked out the coasters in short order (No I'm not such a credit whore to ride the Grover coaster, and I didn't want to get wet so I skipped Journey to Atlantis) I decided to check out some of the animal exhibits and shows the park had. And I must say, while some of the exhibits (cough cough Penguins cough cough) were kinda dated, I was overall impressed. They integrated well into the theme park environment, helping to offer a cool mix of thrills and animal engagements.

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And that I think is what I thought was the great accomplishment of this park, and really nice balance of animals, education, and thrills. The rides were all solid great rides, not stand-outs but solid, mixed with well presented animal exhibits. In my opinion this is the formula that SeaWorld should follow. They shouldn't be all about the biggest, craziest coaster, and they shouldn't be all about education, but a mix of both. They do kinda hit you over the head with the SeaWorld Rescue thing, which while I understand why they do they could be a little more subtle about it...

BGW has similar attributes, but it's european theme and heavy hitter coaster line-up lend it to focus more on the thrills rather than the animals. SWSA had a better balance I thought. If this is the worst of the SeaWorld parks, then I'm really excited to visit Orlando and San Diego and see the balance more fleshed out. If I could ask San Antonio for one thing it would be more, more of this awesome balance that makes SeaWorld so unique.

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One thing they could improve is the Orca Encounter show. Now I get it, maybe it's a lot of work to retrain the Orcas for a new show, maybe this was the super quick fix they needed during the height of the Blackfish controversary, and they just stuck with it. But come one, you can make it less obvious that this is the Shamu show with all the Shamu references stripped out, and some new videos spliced in. This could be such a cool experience with and educational focus, and the tricks demonstrating the abilities of these amazing creatures. As the Orca program at SeaWorld winds down, I hope they come up with a better way to showcase these animals while they've still got them.

Speaking of improvements to this park. Catapult Falls was of course not open during my visit, but let me say this is the ride this park needs. Continuing that "solid rides" theme I mentioned earlier, this park needs another water ride for the Texas heat. I'm excited for this ride and what it means for the park going forward. I hope next on the table is some more/refurbed animal exhibits and shows.

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This park also had some details of it's own such as this sub over by the sea lion/otter area. I like little things like this, does this sub have some historic significance for the park?

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Also, I really enjoyed Discovery Point. I wasn't able to spend a lot of time there, but the idea of having some exhibits available for the cost of parking, with of course upcharges as well, we interesting. It was pretty well presented I thought as well.

And that concludes my time at SeaWorld San Antonio. I REALLY enjoyed this park. I expected Fiesta Texas (oops spoiler alert) to crush this park in every way, but I have to say for me it's very close. It definitely puts San Antonio high on the list of cities I'd like to return too.

See you all next time!

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it used to be one big park (it's by far the largest of the SeaWorld parks. . there's a lot of unused land).

the waterpark used to be in the middle of the park (included free), and the arches were the main entrance - with the Porpoise pool and "Discovery Cove" area included.

many years ago, when they decided to charge separate admission for the improved waterpark, the moved the entrances to in front of each park - and the main entrance/archways just became a scenic thing.

what many don't realize is that you do NOT need a ticket to go to Discovery Point - with the porpoises, and Sharks (and the Shark Aquarium).   Sometimes when I'm with friends from out of town and we've popped up to San Antonio, we'll stop in, as my pass gets us parking, and Discovery Cove is a beautiful area.

 

 

you likely discovered that SWSA is not really a "rides" park.. people come for the shows if they aren't there for Aquatica.   the only rides that ever do have a line, are Wavebreaker (the only true "Family" coaster in the park, and the two water rides (Rio Loco, and Journey to Atlantis).    but hey, it's Texas, so makes sense.   

But that's why I never buy quick queue. . . except for the Haunts (because during Howl O Scream the Haunts are free. .and paying for quick queue scare pass lets you do all in one night)

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one interesting thing about Great White too. . is you rode something historical. . yes, it's a "Batman" clone.  .but it's the first Roller Coaster ever built at a SeaWorld Park :)

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