Hilton Grand Vacations Orlando at SeaWorld

Hilton Grand Vacations Orlando at SeaWorld is not only at Sea World, it is also at the Orlando location, so it is the perfect spot for any Orlando Vacation. Being in the heart of Orlando for a vacation is special, and I look forward to taking full advantage.

You can’t get an advantage in everything in life, it’s true. We are not all Bill Gates financially speaking. But when you book through TZort.com you can balance the scales in your favor.

Video By Chrissa Travels Florida

Day One Arrival

A trip to Orlando for me starts with a drive of about 11 hours or so down interstate 95. Often these days I break the drive down into 2 days, but I was able to schedule it out for a straight drive down on this trip.

That makes for a long day at my age, or just a normal day if you are in your 20-30s. If you are a family driving down, it can be a full day because of the hours and the stops you need to make to keep everyone fed and happy.

If you are driving down from farther North than my home in Virginia, you may want to stop in South Carolina on the way down. The room rates are fair and you can rest the troops instead of driving down all in one day.

I remember one trip down when one of my nieces was young, so my sister got a little portable poddy for her. Turns out she liked being out of her seatbelts so much she kept saying she needed to go about every 30-40 minutes. That made for a long trip. But at least we did not have to stop the minivan and stop and every rest stop on the way down.

I had a 1 bedroom suite booked. The villas are large at almost 900 sq ft for the 1 bedroom unit and 1,278 for the 2, and 1,621-2063 sq. ft. for the 3 bedroom units. So large and grand by any scale. The resort accommodations here are very large and comfortable.

Villa Amenities

Resort Amenities

I can remember my first trip to Sea World. I was on a vacation with my Father and Step Mother. This was back when the area had Sea World, Tampa’s Bush Gardens, and an early Disney only. Universal and so many other parks were not even on someone’s design plans yet. Heck Disney was only one park and not five.

Sea World opened in 1973 and I think I first went in 1975 at the age of 4. Or as I would say back then, 4 and 10 months. When I go now to Disney or Sea World, I can still see things from my early 4-year-old view. I get flashes of those first visits when I see a dolphin jump or one of the amazing shows at Sea World. I also love the Enchanted Tiki Room because it, too, is in my memory from those early days.

I am so ready to see the places from my memory that after I check in I will go to grab something to eat, then turn in early so I can wake up and hit the park hard for a full day at Sea World tomorrow.

Sea World now owns SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Adventure Island. You can choose passes and access to all parks or just one. Make sure to check the website for daily deals, offers, and passes. There are many options and some great deals.

Near the resort is one of the few chain restaurants I really like. Bonefish Grill just do a great job with seafood. If you have not had their app Bang Bang Shrimp, you are missing out. So I started dinner with that and Sirloin and Crab Cake. The meal was washed down with some sangria. It was so close I could have walked right here from the resort, so even after a few sangrias I was fine to go to the resort.

After a fine meal, I headed back to my room and then checked out the resort.

The resort is amazing. It offers two main pools that overlook a lake. There is also a hot tub near one of the pools. In the entire area, it is the best-looking resort or accommodations by far.

Day Two Sea World

I have not been to Sea World in several years so I was excited this morning to go. Something I did not realize Sea World had done was create Sesame Street land. It is neat for all of us that grew up watching the show, and special for us to share with kids. SeaWorld is also doing some innovative things with food and drinks.

They now offer an all-day dining pass where you can eat or drink something every 90 minutes, and it is included. The all-day dining is not that expensive either. It is less than most buffets with kids’ prices that are even as cheap as a single meal for kids 3-9 at $22.99 and 10+ at $44.99.

The park offers many roller coasters, shows, and experiences. Take a look at the map of the park to get an idea of all you can do and see. Even those who are like me that do not love roller coasters will still find a ton of fun at this park. Especially those that love experiences with amazing examples.

On my trip, the only thing that was not open was the sky tower. I look forward to when this is available again. It opened in 1974 and was one of those original things I recall from my very first trip.

You can download the app to your phone and have all the maps and more as you go around the park. It is very helpful with showtimes and locations.

On this trip, I really enjoyed speaking with the rescue professionals at the Sea World Rescue center. They have led over 39,000 rescues in the wild.

Dolphin Show

The Dolphin show is just as good as it ever was. The staff and the dolphins are amazing. A few of the staff members we such good entertainers that if they did not love the animals, they could work anywhere in entertainment.

Underwater Shark Tank Restaurant

Next, I went and had lunch at the Sharks Underwater Grill. The food was good, and the environment was even better. In the restaurant, you are surrounded by a shark tank that is 700,000 gallons.

Either before or after your meal, you can visit the underwater tunnel through the shark tank area. It is another opportunity to see these amazing sharks swim and move up close. The only way to get closer is to be in a shark cage in the water with them.

I ended up staying in the park all day and really making a wonderful day of it. I had so much fun that I watched one show twice and rode more than I would normally have felt comfortable riding. This park is all about the kids. For me, on this trip, I was treating the kid inside to all he remembered for nostalgia. But this park is just wonderful for families with younger kids. During the year, there are many adult-themed events, like food events with craft beers and wine, as Sea World tries to offer more to the adult market, which is a great idea.

Day Three Disney

Another early start because I want to head to Disney today to see the newest areas that have opened up since my last visit. I hope to see some of my all-time favorites as well, but I do want to see the newest additions on this trip.

Disney World in Orlando now 5 major parks, and it offers something new all the time. They have been park innovators for generations. Now they offer a new phone app linked to their line-shortening services and options. They have branded it Disney Genie after Aladdin’s Genie, which is clever and fun.

It is your chance to see everything in the park you want as a day planner and early entry pass tool. During the busy months, this is a terrific idea. About half the year, it would be overkill. But on those full-capacity days like the prime summer weeks and spring break, it would pay for itself quickly.

It can take a full week to even begin to see all that Disney has to offer. Right now, Disney’s parks open to the public at 9 AM except for Epcot, which opens at 10 AM. Check the website for the opening and closing times on the day of your trip.

If you have kids, make sure to plan out a character experience. These are fun memories that you can arrange for little or no extra cost. The secret is finding the time and location that works best for your family.

On my last trip to Disney, I must admit I was too round to meet the requirements for several of the rides. My time trying to be smart and safe during the pandemic meant I packed on more than a few extra pounds. Now thanks to my gym and personal goals, I can make the cut. First things first, I started with the Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run for the movie fan. This was amazing. I went through it one time and will hit it again before I leave this part of the park.

I spent several hours just soaking up all things in Star Wars, then I went to Animal Kingdom and the Avatar Flight of Passage ride. The entire Avatar area is beyond the normal level of Disney magic. It is impressive visually during the day, and even more so during the nighttime park hours since it glows.

From floating islands of rock to complete jungles from Avatar. Make sure you go on the Na’vi river journey. It is so well done that any fan of the movie will enjoy it.

My last park for the day was the Magic Kingdom.

This for me (along with Epcot) is heavy on memory lane for me. I was moving in to ride It’s a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and the Magic Tiki Room. This sounds crazy but I might almost tear up writing this. Not because it is amazing, but because it pushes so many powerful memories for me. I can remember sitting in the Tiki Room with my grandfather on my mother’s side, my father, and the rest of my family that went here with me on trips.

In the early days of Disney parks, it was just the magic kingdom. We came down a few times on vacations. These were major trips with the most important people in my life. In those early years, this was one of the stops you could make on a hot summer day to cool off in the AC. You come in and it feels ice cold from the heat outside. Then you sit down and wait for the show to begin. Years ago, the animatronics as Disney calls them were state-of-the-art and amazing for young eyes.

Afterward, I went to the Liberty Tree Tavern for the all-you-can-eat buffet. I was hungry and wanted to go to the Hall of Presidents in the area afterward. The food was good, but I was sad to see they went with meatless meatloaf on the menu. I like good meatloaf, but I do not want imitation meat. Just not my version of Disney Magic.

Next to the Hall of Presidents

While updated for each President over the years, the basic presentation has not changed other than the recognition of those new Presidents and I like it that way. Like most things in the magic kingdom, it brought back many memories.

Like every vacation in the area, I only wish I had more time, and more days to visit the park.

Next, I am moving to a resort even closer to Universal, so I will be spending 3 days at Universal.

If you want to save a ton on our vacation, make sure you book with TZort.