If you’re thinking about a family vacation next year, you might want to consider SeaWorld. For a limited time, Sea World San Diego is offering a BOGO 50% off deal on their 2024 SeaWorld Fun Card, San Antonio, Orlando Fun Card is up to 30% off right now. This is different from an annual pass, which is costlier but enjoys perks like free parking, guest tickets, and in-park discounts.
As for cost, the Fun Card is $112.99 at the San Antonio location, $114.99 in San Diego, and $138.99 in Orlando. To get the value of this deal, you’ll need to decide how often you’ll visit, which we’re about to get into.
Here’s how the Fun Card compares to the annual passes at each park, and what you should consider before purchasing.
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Limited-Time Deal: All 2024 Fun Cards & Annual Passes are BOGO 50% off at San Diego and San Antonio SeaWorld Parks
Right now, through Nov. 25, 2023, you can grab SeaWorld 2024 annual/season passes BOGO 50% off for the San Diego and San Antonio locations. Here’s a look at the soem fo the savings:
San Diego SeaWorld Fun Cards and Annual Passes:
- 2024 Fun Card $114.99, second Fun Card $57.49
- 2024 Silver Annual Pass $159, second Silver Annual Pass $79.50
- 2024 Gold Annual Pass $198, second Gold Annual Pass $99
- 2024 Platinum Annual Pass $282, second Platnium Annual Pass $141
San Antonio Seaworld Season & Annual Passes:
- 2024 Season Pass $112.99, second Fun Card $56.50
- 2024 Silver Annual Pass $125.99, second Silver Annual Pass $63
- 2024 Gold Annual Pass $146.99, second Gold Annual Pass $73.50
- 2024 Platinum Annual Pass $239.99, second Platnium Annual Pass $120
Limited-Time Deal: Save up to 30% on 2024 Fun Cards, up to 60% on tickets and up to $40 on Passes for SeaWorld Orlando
For a limited time you can get a Fun Card for the Orlando Park for as low as $99.99 each (reg $138.99) that’s $40 you can save per person. The 60% discount on two-park tickets can save you $128 – $179.99 a ticket!
- Single-Day Ticket $57.99 (reg $138.99)
- 2024 Fun Card $99 (reg $138.99)
- 2024 SeaWorld & Aquatica Two Park Ticket $81.99 (reg $209.99)
- 2024 SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Two Park Ticket $97.99 (reg $277.98)
The SeaWorld Fun Card starts at $114.99 per person, and if you buy it now, it’s good until the end of 2024.
When you’re looking at the cost of a SeaWorld Fun Card, you first have to dial into which location you’ll visit. Here’s the Fun Card cost at each park:
- SeaWorld San Antonio: $112.99 (note they call it a Season Pass, not a Fun Card)
- SeaWorld San Diego: $114.99 per person
- SeaWorld Orlando: $138. 99 per person
Now that you know the cost of each Fun Card or Season Pass, let’s look at what single-day tickets are for each park.
Single-Day Tickets
- SeaWorld San Antonio: starting at $89.99 each, ages 3+
- SeaWorld San Diego: starting at $114.99, ages 3+
- SeaWorld Orlando: starting at $138.99, ages 3+
The SeaWorld Orlando Fun Card is $89 cheaper per person than their Silver, $131 less than their Gold, and $317 less than their Plantinum annual passes.
It’s time to dig into the price differences between the SeaWorld Fun Cards and the Sea World annual pass tiers.
SeaWorld Orlando
As the largest of the SeaWorld parks, Orlando offers foure tiers of annual passes, where as San Diego only has two. Here’s how they break down.
Bronze Pass: $174 per person, ages 3+; includes unlimited admission for 12 months but has blockout dates.
Silver Pass: $228 per person, ages 3+; includes unlimited admission for 12 months without blockout dates, free general parking, two free guest passes, and 20% off in-park offerings.
Gold Pass: $270 per person, ages 3+; includes everything the Silver Pass does along with an additional two guest tickets (so four total) and 30% off in-park offerings instead of Silver’s 20%).
Platinum Pass: $456 per person, ages 3+; includes everything the Gold Pass does along with an additional four guest tickets (so six total) and 50% off in-park offerings instead of Gold’s 30%).
Costs for a family of four, all ages 3+
*admission is free for those under 3 years old
- SeaWorld Orlando Fun Card: $555.96
- SeaWorld Orlando Bronze Pass: $696
- SeaWorld Orlando Silver Pass:: $912
- SeaWorld Orlando Gold Pass: $1,080
- SeaWorld Orlando Platnium Pass: $1,824
Verdict: First of all, we’re not sure why anyone would choose the Bronze Pass over the Fun Card. The SeaWorld Orlando Fun Card is $140 cheaper than the Bronze Pass for a family of four, yet they are almost exactly the same thing. The cost difference between the Fun Card and the Silver Pass is a whopping $356.04.
Parking Fee Factors: At SeaWorld Orlando general parking costs $30/vehicle per day. This means that unless you are planning on visiting the park more than 11x in a year, the Fun Card is likely the better value for you.
SeaWorld San Diego
When we look at SeaWorld San Diego, they have three tiers of annual passes, which are different than the SeaWorld Fun Card. Each tier is more expensive than the Fun Card, but also includes more.
Silver Pass: $159 per person, ages 3+; includes unlimited admission for 12 months without blockout dates, free parking, two free guest passes, and 20% off in-park offerings.
Gold Pass: $198 per person, ages 3+ ; includes everything the Silver Pass does along with an additional two guest tickets (so four total) and 30% off in-park offerings instead of Silver’s 20%).
Platinum Pass: $282 per person, ages 3+ ; includes everything the Gold Pass does along with an additional four guest tickets (so six total) and 50% off in-park offerings instead of Gold’s 30%).
Costs for a family of four, all ages 3+
*admission is free for those under 3 years old
- SeaWorld San Diego Fun Card: $459.96
- SeaWorld San Diego Silver Pass: $636
- SeaWorld San Diego Gold Pass: $792
- SeaWorld San Diego Platnium Pass: $1,128
Verdict: It’s $332.04 cheaper to purchase a Fun Card than a Gold Pass, and $176.04 cheaper to buy a Fun Card than a Silver Pass for a family of four.
Parking Fee Factors: General parking at SeaWorld San Diego is $25/vehicle. If you don’t anticipate going to the park more than 7x in a single year, it’s still $1 cheaper to buy the Fun Card for a family of four than the Silver Pass.
SeaWorld San Antonio
The San Antonio location is set up a little bit differently, as are their annual passes. They have two different types of annual passes one without Aquatica and another with. At the other locations, Aquatica is an add-on you can pay additionally for (except for the Platinum Pass which gets you into 11 parks). Since there are two types of annual passes for the San Antonio park, we’ll only look at the basic level without access to Aquatica. As previously mentioned, SeaWorld San Antonio’s version of a “Fun Card” is called a Season Pass.
SeaWorld Season Pass: $112.99 includes no blockout dates, free general admission parking, and “up to” 5% off in-park offerings.
Silver One-Park Annual Pass: $125.99 includes no blockout dates, free general admission parking, two guest passes, and “up to” 20% off in-park offerings.
Gold One-Park Annual Pass: starting at $146.99 per person; includes everything the Silver Pass has plus free “up close parking, an extra two guest passes (four totally), and “up to 30% off in-park offerings.
Costs for a family of four, all ages 3+
*admission is free for those under 3 years old
- SeaWorld San Antonio Season Pass (their “Fun Card”): $451.96
- SeaWorld San Antonio Silver Pass: $503.96
- SeaWorld San Antonio Gold Pass: $587.96
Verdict: It’s $52 cheaper to purchase a SeaWorld San Antonio Season Pass than an Annual Silver Pass for a family of four. That’s actually not a huge difference when you factor in that you receive two guest passes (a $179.98 value) with the Silver Pass. In this instance, we’d recommend spending the extra $52 and buying a Silver Pass.
Parking Fee Factors: At SeaWorld San Antonio, free general parking is part of the Season Pass, as well as the Silver and Gold annual passes. So this isn’t a huge game changer in terms of which pass to buy.
You need to go to SeaWorld twice for the Fun Card to pay for itself.
If you plan on spending more than two days at a single SeaWorld park in a year, the Fun Card is basically a no-brainer. Right now the Orlando and San Diego Fun Cards are roughly only $10 more expensive than the respective park’s single-day tickets.
It’s a slightly different story at SeaWorld San Antonio. There a single-day ticket is $89.99, while their Season Pass (Fun Card equivalent) is currently $89.99. That’s half of what it would cost you to purchase two individual park tickets for two separate days.
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Ticket discounts are available for military and AAA members.
For military members and veterans:
Specific to SeaWorld Orlando there’s a discounted ticket program called Waves of Honor. It offers active military personnel complementary admission while veterans are eligible for 50% admission discount. It’s only valid at SeaWorld Orlando and doesn’t include Aquatica, its adjoining water park.
SeaWorld San Diego also has a Waves of Honor program, which offers a one-time free admission for Active Duty Military, plus an exclusive 2024 Military Pass for $89.99. Additionally there’s a one-time free admission for U.S. Military Veterans & families which is valid thru Dec. 31, 2023. You must be registered with GovX for access. Visit this page for a full list of restrictions.
Over at Sea World San Antonio, active military members receive one complimentary admission per year plus 3 dependents. You’ll also have to verify your eligibly with GovX.
AAA member discounts on single-day tickets exist. How much of a discount you receive varies throughout year.
SeaWorld Orlando recommends you visit any ticket booth at the park or Guest Services and present your AAA card to receive a discount on a one-day admission ticket. Guests of SeaWorld San Diego or San Antonio are recommended to check in with their local AAA office prior to purchasing tickets to inquire about a ticket discount to the location of their preference.
More Money-Saving SeaWorld Hacks (and What You Can’t Avoid)
Once you’ve decided which ticket, card, or pass to buy, the next logical planning step is learning where you can save while you’re there. Here are some tips and warnings.
SeaWorld doesn’t allow outside food (and this goes for San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio).
This is truly a gigantic bummer. Not only is theme park food typically junky, but you can’t even duck and dodge the inflated cost of food inside the park by packing your own meals and snacks. SeaWorld will allow you to bring a water bottle, but that’s about it.
Consider their All Day Dining upgrades, starting at $24.99 ages 3- 9, $49.99 10+, if you’re a family that likes to nosh.
SeaWorld does offer an All Day Dining option on their Single-Day tickets as well as an available upgrade for a day visit on a Fun Card or annual pass. With this option, you can visit a participating SeaWorld restaurant once every 90 minutes to receive 1 entrée, plus 1 side or dessert, and 1 soft beverage or iced tea. This does not include water bottles or alcoholic beverages. Prices start at $24.99 per child at the Orlando and San Diego locations ($29.99 in San Antonio), and $49.99 per person ages 10+ at all three parks. There are typically five or six in-park restaurants participating at each park.
Wristbands are given to each person with the purchased dining upgrade, which you must wear and show to a cashier to redeem your next meal.
If you plan on eating two full meals at the park, the dining deal is something to take into consideration. Soft drinks alone can come with a hefty price tag at theme parks.
In Sept. 2023, SeaWorld Orlando offered an Eat Free All Day promotion with a paid single day park ticket.
Scoring SeaWorld free parking requires either a silver or gold annual pass (or season pass at the San Antonio location).
Unless you have a silver tier annual pass or above, you’re essentially out of luck in terms of getting out of the SeaWorld parking fee. If you’re staying at a hotel close enough to the park, perhaps a ride share service or taxi is cheaper than parking, which ranges from $25 – $30, depending on location. However factor in that you’ll also need a return ride back to your hotel. So in most cases taking your own car and paying for parking is the most affordable option.
SeaWorld San Diego occasionally offers Kids Free promotions — free admission for a child (ages 3 – 9) with a Paid-Adult Single Day Ticket.
This means if you have two adults and two kids between the ages of 3 and 9, you only have to pay for the adult tickets. Each adult can get a child within that age range into SeaWorld for one day FREE. The San Diego location recently ran this promotion in October 2023 when you purchase adult tickets online.
The different SeaWorld locations will often offer resident-specific deals, like a percentage off for Florida residents at SeaWorld Orlando.
If you live in Florida, California, or Texas, they frequently run resident discounts on SeaWorld park tickets. At the time of publication SeaWorld San Diego was offering a 3-for-1 ticket including single-day admission to each of the following: SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo, and San Diego Safari Park. These promotional tickets are $190 per person ages 10+ and $180 per child ages 3 – 10. Tickets must be used by Dec, 31, 2023.
Costco sometimes sells SeaWorld tickets at discount prices.
If you’re a Costco member, do not sleep on their discounted theme park tickets. You won’t always find SeaWorld tickets here, but it’s always worth a check. Look at the front of your local store, near the travel desk.
Each U.S. SeaWorld location has ‘Weather-or-Not Assurance’ in the event of terrible weather the day of your park visit.
Depending on which SeaWorld park location you visit, weather can be spotty, to say the least. That’s why the parks have implemented their “Weather-or-Not Assurance” so you don’t feel ripped off if your experience is sullied due to inclement weather. Here’s what is included in this policy, as per SeaWorld’s website:
- Inclement weather causes early closure or negatively impacts the park’s operating hours.
- Rides are closed for over 60 minutes due to lightning, strong winds, heat, rain or snow.
- If park temperatures reach a heat index of 110 degrees or above.
Basically the program guarantees ” the value of your park admission.” If this applies to your visit, you’ll need to hit up Guest Relations at the park for your return ticket. Alternatively, you can make your request online, but you will need your original admission ticket or order number. So keep that handy!
There are some exclusions to the weather assurance policy.
If you use a complimentary ticket on a day with terrible weather, you will not be offered a return ticket to make up of it. Also, your Weather-or-Not Assurance ticket is only good once, so if you have double bad luck with terrible weather again on the day you use it, you can’t get another.
The policy also doesn’t cover Discovery Cove ticket packages and they won’t reimburse you for any parking fees or in-park experiences.
If you choose the SeaWorld Fun Card, these are blockout dates for 2023 and 2024.
If you choose the SeaWorld Fun Card, you can’t visit on these dates. You’ll need to upgrade to at least the Silver Annual Pass for admission on the following days:
2023 blockout dates
SeaWorld Orlando: December 24, 28, 29, 30
2024 blockout dates
SeaWorld Orlando: February 17, March 9, 16, 30, July 1, 2, 3, 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 31, October 19, 26, December 24, 26, 27, 28
SeaWorld San Diego: May 26, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, Sept. 1
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