SeaWorld Orlando Tried to Trick Me Into Spending More Money — Do NOT Fall for It

Typically, I’m a Disney World girlie.

Me in the Tiny Train Town at EPCOT

Mostly, I end up being a Disney World girlie by nature of my job — I work as a Disney World reporter and writer here at DFB. But when I get the chance to visit other theme parks in the area, I jump at it! A little while back, I had a triple whammy week where I went to Disney World for work one day, Epic Universe for work another day, and then ended up with my family at SeaWorld Orlando. It was my first time visiting SeaWorld in nearly 20 years, and I learned a really important lesson!

When I arrived at SeaWorld Orlando to start my day, they tried to trick me into spending more money before I even entered the gate! How? With parking upgrades!

©ClickOrlando

Now, the other major theme parks in the Central Florida area also offer upgraded parking, but typically, those upcharges will actually get you significantly closer to the front of the park. It can be worth it to pay for the “fancy” parking at Disney World or Universal Orlando if you’re planning to have a long day with lots of walking.

Magic Kingdom parking lot

But at SeaWorld? They offer THREE different parking tiers, and when I parked, I found that it definitely wouldn’t have been worth the cost to upgrade to the two higher tiers. Why? Well, to compare things, the walk from SeaWorld’s standard parking to the park entrance was still significantly shorter than the walk from Magic Kingdom’s parking lots to security at the Transportation & Ticket Center.

SeaWorld

SeaWorld Orlando parking starts at $35 per car, and the price can increase depending on which day you visit. You can pay $50 to upgrade to preferred parking or pay a whopping $65 to get “VIP Parking.” That’s WILD! For nearly double the price, you would save yourself a maximum of five minutes of walking.

A glimpse at the parking lot from 2020

So if you’re heading to SeaWorld, don’t fall for the parking upgrade! Instead, save that money and snag yourself a fun snack or a souvenir to take home with you. I ended up having a great time during my visit, and even at the end of a long day of walking in the heat, I was glad I didn’t spend the extra cash on parking upgrades.

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