Halloween is great time of year to let loose and let your freak flag fly. I love dressing up, being silly and laughing our fears in the face. Although I do enjoy the creepy side to Halloween, it doesn’t have to be a scary holiday. In fact, there are many ways to celebrate this wonderful holiday in the fall. One way is to visit during the weekends for a SeaWorld Halloween Spooktacular in San Diego.
Keep Cost in Check:
Go for the annual pass if you’re local. It really is the best deal and then you don’t have to pay again to visit for other holiday events held throughout the year. A great way to save is to buy day and get the rest of the year free. This year there was a special promotion going on, so when I went to upgrade my day pass to annual I received the following full year for the same price! Needless to say, I was pretty excited. A great deal is the two-year pass. Check Deals.
Traveling with kids and you are only able to visit once? Sometimes there are special events when kids are free. For example, this year kids were free in October with the purchase of a specific adult ticket. I made the mistake of buying an adult ticket from another source which didn’t work to get Firecracker in free. Oops. So, pay attention to any promotions that might be going on before you plan your trip. Get your Single Day Ticket.
Drop Your Bags:
There are plenty of options for nearby accommodations, but I do have my favorites. I love Old Town San Diego, so whenever I plan a trip to SeaWorld I try to combine the visits. I prefer the Hacienda Hotel, because of the AAA discount and its convenient location to historical plaza.
If I’m RVing at Mission Bay RV Resort, I usually squeeze in a visit to SeaWorld. It is literally around the corner. During the month of October you can get really reasonable site rates at Mission Bay RV Resort, which makes for a very fun and affordable trip.
If you would like my ultimate guides to visiting Old Town see my posts, HERE, or SeaWorld see, HERE.
For more information on where to drop your bags, see my posts about staying at the Hacienda Hotel, HERE and my post about Mission Bay RV Resort, HERE.
Get Your Grub On:
During the month of October there was a promotion that kids eat free for the dining with Shamu. A pretty pricey, but amazing dining experience, this was a really good deal. Not sure if this will be an annual promotion, but I’ll keeping my eyes peeled.
Chug-A-Lug:
If you buy a beer, keep your glass. Beer refills are offered, saving about $4 a glass. SeaWorld offers a really nice selection of local craft brews too! I.P.A, Wreck Ally, Stone and much more! When you consume beer like we do, that’s a big savings. It is also the same with the souvenir soda cup. When you buy a cup soda refills are a $1. We save all our cups and remember to bring for every visit.
Entertain Me:
Follow the music until you arrive at Jumbo Pink Octopus. Once you gaze upon the many colorful characters, kids and parents grooving to the beat you know you have arrived at the Halloween Spooktacular.
Dance. Dance. Dance. As D.J Rock Candy blasts the hottest mixes. Although the kids are encouraged to come out and shake their tail feathers, I busted out a few moves myself.
In typical carnival fashion, there are various booths set up were kids can get yummy treats like popcorn or snow cones, paint pumpkins or play carnival style games.
There are also plenty of photo opportunities with all the crazy Halloween characters roaming around the party.
Throughout the park there are various spots to gather more treats. Dress your kids up in costume and take them trick-or-treating during SeaWorld Halloween. I personally passed on this activity. Although I dressed my kids up in Halloween themed wear, full out costumes seemed uncomfortable for a full day at SeaWorld. Plus, the lines for trick-or-treating can get pretty long, which would not work well with my kids’ short attention spans. It is wildly popular though and adds to the holiday thrills for many.
The fun doesn’t stop there. Many of the attractions have hints of Halloween scattered throughout. My favorite is the Shark Encounter, which is spooky anyway, but against the haunting glow jack-o-lanterns it’s even better.
Be sure to catch the show! Clyde and Seymour’s Spooky Adventure is a silly show, showcasing the talents of two very funny sea lions. Also, the Sesame Street Halloween Show is very musical and entertaining. Cuddle Bear danced throughout the whole performance. So grab a drink and your popcorn and enjoy the show.
That’s A Wrap:
A SeaWorld Halloween is definitely not a scary event, but rather a happy celebration of embracing our childish side, letting loose and having fun! SeaWorld’s Spooktacular starts at the end of September and runs every weekend until the end of October. Make sure you caught the detail about weekends only. Unlike Disneyland at Halloween (see post HERE), where holiday festivities continue throughout the week, SeaWorld Spooktacular is only on the weekends. I made this mistake when I brought my kids on a Monday and had to make a second trip on the weekend, because I got them so excited about Halloween party. Can’t say I hated it. We love seeing all the sea life. Oh well. Live and learn, but now you can learn from my mistake. Happy haunting everyone!
Have you every visited a theme park for their holiday celebrations?
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5 Comments
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I wish there were festivals like that in Europe too… It looks so much fun!
What an awesome family friendly activity! Looks like you all had so much fun. Great pictures really bring the post to life. Thanks.
Thank you! It is a really fun event, worth checking out if you are in town.
I’ve seen Disneyland decorated for Christmas, and that is amazing. But generally, I do try to avoid the holidays when the crowds are their heaviest. Still, I think Sea World is probably a good choice, as it’s not as bad as other theme parks with crowds.