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Orlando, Florida is a popular summer travel destination, and with good reason…but let’s face it: it gets hot in the summer. Like, really hot. Like, when I was there last week it was so hot my cell phone kept giving me messages that it was overheating.
But that doesn’t stop my family and me from visiting SeaWorld Orlando every chance I get – and it shouldn’t stop your family, either! Instead, read our tips of the 10 best ways to stay out of the heat at SeaWorld Orlando so that you can stay cool.
1. Sit in the Splash Zone
If you’ve ever been to SeaWorld before, then you’ll know that if you sit in the first few rows of their shows (like Dolphin Adventures and of Orca Encounter), you can get soaked. And that’s exactly what you need in the summer! So if you’re feeling really hot, make sure you sit in the first rows marked Splash Zone.
But be warned – you can get really wet! Like you might want to consider wearing a poncho.
2. Visit Antarctica Realm
The Antarctica Realm is a great place to visit if you get really hot. First of all, it can be great to visit just for the penguins alone. There are five different penguin species there.
But perhaps the main reason to go when it is hot? They keep the penguin habitat very cold – and that is very appreciated when you are overheated!
3. Ride Journey to Atlantis
Journey to Atlantis is a great ride when it’s hot. This is because not only is this just a great ride in its own right, but it also really cools you off in the summer. Water will splash all over you during the last drop at the end of the ride. And that can cool you right off!
4. Ride Infinity Falls
Similarly, SeaWorld Orlando’s newest thrill ride, Infinity Falls, also can cool you off, as it features a world-record setting 40-foot waterfall drop. Similarly, it is also a great ride in its own right, too!
5. Check Out Rubber Duckie Water Works
Your youngest kids may not be able to escape the heat on the wilder rides with height requirements. But they can cool off at Rubber Duckie Water Works. This is part of theSesame Street area of SeaWorld (which is absolutely wonderful, if you ask me).
6. Eat at Expedition Cafe
Expedition Cafe has got to be the best restaurant to eat in out of any Orlando theme park restaurant during the summer. First of all, the food is usually very good. Since it has an Antarctica theme and Antarctica is basically shared for exploration purposes with many countries, it features multiple international cuisines, so everyone can find something they like (the Italian food is my favorite, by the way). And the best part is you can find seating indoors in a very air-conditioned section. And that is exactly what is needed in the Florida sun.
7. Visit Aquatica During the Afternoon
While it’s not exactly cold in the morning or night in Florida, it is definitely not as hot as it is in the afternoon. One thing you could consider is if you’re visiting on the weekends when SeaWorld is open late, then you could visit SeaWorld’s wonderful water park, Aquatica, in the afternoon.
Aquatica is a great water park with lots of great thrill rides, a children’s play area, a wave pool, lazy river, and more. My favorite part is Commerson’s Dolphins there that you can watch from a viewing area or see during the lazy river or the Dolphin Plunge Water Slide, where you’ll slide into darkness and then you’ll emerge into an underwater world where you’ll feel as if you’re in the ocean right with the dolphins! You do not get that at a standard waterpark.
Visiting Aquatica during the afternoon is exactly what I have done before in the summer. I visited SeaWorld in the morning, then went to Aquatica in the afternoon, and then was back at SeaWorld at night. I got to see all the show I wanted, ride all the attractions, enjoy a great water park and spent the hottest part of the day in the water, where it was much, much cooler. And it really doesn’t cost much more to add Aquatica if you buy their 2-park ticket.
8. Leave and Come Back
If you worry doing SeaWorld and Aquatica all day will be too tiring for some or all of your party, or you don’t like water parks, etc., then you could consider just leaving and taking a break (or a nap!) during the afternoon.
A lot of the hotel shuttles to SeaWorld won’t take you back in the afternoon, which is why it’s great if you stay at a hotel close enough to walk. Three we’ve stayed at (and enjoyed!) include:
The shortest walk I think is Renaissance Orlando, by the way, if you want to pick a hotel solely based on this.
And if you don’t want to walk back, you can always take an Uber back to your hotel or drive yourself (though parking at the park can be expensive). The other thing to consider is taking an i-trolley back to the hotel; we talk about this in our Hampton Inn Orlando at SeaWorld review. Check to see if your hotel is near an I-Trolley Station with a route that stops at SeaWorld.
Also, one thing you can do when you go back to the hotel is take a swim in your hotel’s pool! Like this pool, which you can find at one of my family’s favorite hotels, the Fairfield Inn Orlando International Drive by SeaWorld.
9. Bring a Fan
When you’re walking from attraction to attraction, you’ll want to cool off, and a fan is a great way to do just that. This fan is a great purchase, especially if you’ll be using a stroller because it is a clip fan that you can attach to a stroller.
10. Bring a Cooling Towel
A cooling towel is another great way to cool off in the summer. And if you buy it beforehand online, you’ll save a lot of money.
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