SeaWorld transformed into a “Holiday In The Park” of sorts during Christmastime. Christmastime and Holiday activities could involve some tricky planning. Much like Halloween, there are really only a handful of events in the daytime and the rest are at night because of tree lightings and light displays which really only serve a purpose in the dark. Rare to come by are events that happen in the daytime or better yet, for a full day. SeaWorld Christmas offers daytime entry for their Christmas celebration; basically you get to enjoy the regular theme park plus the daytime holiday offerings on top of the evening events for the same price!

We arrived in the early afternoon and found that all rides and attractions were open with the exception of the Skytower which was used to form a Christmas tree with strings coming down from its sides. Of course in the daytime, you wouldn’t really notice it. As a matter of fact, you wouldn’t really notice that a big chunk of the park had been laced with lights until they get turned on. Here are notable changes we observed during our visit:

The entrance had a blue and silver tree for people that want an early photo-op. Be advised, this is not the main tree used for their tree lighting. The Dolphin show had been changed to a Christmas theme with the trainers dressed up as elves while they performed to Christmas music. Other Christmas shows include: Clyde & Seamore’s Christmas Special, Winter Wonderland On Ice, and Cirque Christmas. We recommend getting to the theatre and waiting in line 30 to 60 minutes prior to showtime as they do run out of seating. We instantaneously enjoyed Cirque Christmas because it was virtually the cliff’s notes version of The Nutcracker but with acrobatic stunts and maneuvers paired with holiday music with an urban twist.

Other key Christmas Celebration areas were: The Christmas Market Place, Sesame Street Christmas Village, and Rudolph’s Christmastown. Whereas the Christmas Market Place basically only had shopping; the Sesame Christmas Village and Rudolph’s Christmastown areas both offered performances, activities, and story-telling. Kids can meet Santa for a photo-op and Mrs. Claus and their elves roaming around in the Christmas Village. Rudolph is of course at Rudolph’s Christmastown which was down the street, along with the tree lighting ceremony. On top of the world’s favorite reindeer, the Christmastown boasts plenty of photo-ops with sets from the holiday classic: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Though we enjoyed all the Christmas zones and areas, we felt the most immersed in Sesame Street Christmas Village. No matter where you turn, you would be looking at something Christmas-y. Plus by having a Christmas boutique, the stage and the Sesame Street tree in the middle of it all makes it feel like a local town square. It’s just too bad that Rudolph’s Christmastown wasn’t exactly next door. However, we suggest walking through the Tunnel of Lights to get from one place to the other so that you can still feel like you haven’t left the Christmas World.

If you don't have a lot of time and have one day to get your Holiday fix; then we recommend SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. Especially if you are bringing little ones, you can literally drop them off at Sesame Street Christmas Village and keep your eyes on them from a distance. We liked how there are plenty of food kiosks and vendors all throughout the park so it made it very accessible to get a refill, beer, or churro. We noticed some dark areas that could have been lit up; but there were more than enough photo-ops, activities, and light displays to keep us busy. In the end, we remembered that all the Christmas and Holiday offerings are really a bonus since there is no surcharge on top of the normal park admission. SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration remains open daily until the 5th of January; we love that they are proponents of stretching the season out just a bit further.

(Click on Image for Photo-Journal)