Dining with Shamu!
Eat lunch at eye-level with your favorite killer whale!
In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of Shamu the killer whale---seen at eye-level during Lunch with Shamu! As you can see, when Shamu peeks over the edge of his pool, you'll be staring him right in the face! You'll be so close that all of his body may not fit into some of the photos that you take. You may even get to see Shamu's elusive eyes...which usually blend in so well with his body's black color that they seem to "disappear." As you can tell from the picture of Shamu's eye in the slide show, Shamu really DOES have eyes; and if you're sitting close-up (and the lighting is right) you can see them!
Limited time---"Dine with Shamu" has become "Dine with Dolphins!" SeaWorld San Diego's Shamu dining program is currently taking a break. However, there's still lots of fun in store at the park's poolside buffet pavilion. Your family may dine with playful dolphins swimming and leaping alongside! The same menu and prices will be in place for this limited-time special dining program.
Also--dine with Elmo! There's still more SeaWorld dining fun---you and your kids may enjoy Breakfast with Elmo! (Available seasonally) Now Seaworld offers you 2 different--but equally delightful---breakfast choices. You can enjoy your morning meal at a poolside buffet featuring the beloved killer whale, Shamu...OR, at a fun feast starring Elmo and his Sesame Street friends!
Breakfast with Elmo began for the first time in Spring 2008, a date which co-ordinated with the opening of a new Sesame Street 4D movie at Seaworld, and a brand new Sesame Street playland--featuring a giant play structure and several kiddie rides. Meanwhile, the traditional Breakfast with Shamu continues at Seaworld's killer whale "closeup" pool.
Reservations for special meals at SeaWorld: You would be wise to make reservations in advance for these popular Sea World meals. Call the main SeaWorld San Diego phone number at 800-25-SHAMU, then listen to the menu carefully. You'll want to select the "dining" option. You'll eventually reach a live operator who will take your reservation over the phone. End of Breakfast with Elmo announcement!
Dine with Shamu the Killer Whale!
You can do just that---if you attend one of the daily "Dining with Shamu" meals at SeaWorld San Diego!
On this page, you'll see some close-up Shamu pictures taken at this event, and you'll discover details about the Dining with Shamu luncheon. These photos were taken in the new Shamu Dining Area (which is adjacent to Shamu Stadium.) As you will be able to tell, you'll get a great view of Shamu...while enjoying very attractive outdoor facilities at the same time.
Then, on the next page, you'll see photos of the buffet and the food, which are tasty and have been attractively prepared and arranged.
Dining with Shamu -- Reserving your seat
1.) Dining with Shamu Reservations: Your fun meal with Shamu will begins by reserving your place at the mealtime of your choice. (You'll do this at the Reservations Center, directly inside the park's turnstiles---that's the building you see in this photo on your left.) Or, you may reserve ahead of time by calling 800-25-SHAMU and choosing the option for "dining." (This is actually the wiser decision; by waiting until your actual arrival at SeaWorld, you may find that all the dining reservations have already been taken! Nevertheless, not everyone can plan ahead the exact date they'll be going; and maybe your decision to Dine with Shamu will be spontaneous and unexpected. If so, then, YES...by all means, try to get a same-day reservation because they're sometimes available on a same-day basis.)
Breakfast with Shamu prices: The adult breakfast buffet price is $26 (for ages 10 and over.) The children's price for Breakfast with Shamu is $16 (for ages 3 thru 9.) Babies and toddlers age 2 and under are admitted free.
Dining with Shamu discounts: A discount for annual pass-holders is given for both breakfast and lunch with Shamu. Usually, the annual pass-holder discount is 10% off. Occasionally, however, there are "sale" periods, and on the particular day these photos were taken, I was able to get my Dining with Shamu ticket for 20% off!
Dining with Shamu seat selection: At the reservations center, I was given a lanyard (necklace) to wear during the meal...so that all the employees would know that I was, indeed, a true paying customer. What I WASN'T told is that I had been assigned a seat at the meal right there in the Reservations Center. I showed up early to the meal (in order to get the best choice of seating) only to discover that my place was already pre-reserved for me! Moral of the story: if you want a table that's directly poolside, be sure and ask at the Reservations window! But, if you can't get a poolside seat, don't worry. The tables are arranged only 2-deep around the edge of the pool, so that even the 2nd tier of tables don't have bad views.
Dining with Shamu -- The Buffet
After showing up at the Dining with Shamu poolside restaurant, the first thing you'll do is be taken to your assigned table. The day I attended, I discovered that I had been assigned to a 2nd tier table...meaning that I was not seated directly at poolside. I asked to be moved to a poolside table, but was told that---even though some of them were empty---they had all been paid-for and had to be held open throughout the show in case the "owners" of these seats came late. Fortunately, even the seats that aren't directly at the water's edge have a good view of the pool.Once I was seated, a waitress took my beverage order, then told me to proceed to the buffet area to select my food. The buffet itself is served in a room adjacent to the poolside dining area. The food is served in elegant chafing dishes, and makes a beautiful presentation. The quality of the food served is good. The one point which could have been improved was that some of the hot entrees weren't as hot as I would have liked them, and were cooling rapidly by the time I reached my seat.
There are 3 tables within the buffet room: the large salad and main dish table; the large dessert table; and the small children's buffet table. At the main-dish table, you'll get your choice of either tossed or fresh-fruit salads. You'll be able to select from several vegetables, which on the day I dined with Shamu included a vegetable medly; rice; and vegetables in a sauce.
There were a number of main dishes. The "seafood dish of the day" was Shrimp Creole, which you can see in the image above. The spicing was quite piquant, and the shrimp themselves were large and tender.
Of course, since I was attending so that I could report about the buffet to readers of this website, I sampled several other main dishes. The beef tips were tasty but somewhat tough. The Chicken Florentine was good, although bland. The vegetarian dish, pasta in a garlic white sauce, was super-tasty. The turkey from the carving station was tender and tasty.
One extra treat was the Tortilla Soup, which was served piping hot! It came with fresh avocado, grated cheese and tortilla chips to add-in as you wish, and the taste was pleasant and seemed authentically old-Mexican. In addition, there were several types of dinner rolls from which to choose.
At the children's buffet, parents could help their offspring select from several perennial kids' favorites---crispy chicken strips, hot dogs with condiments, or macaroni and cheese.
At the dessert table, there were sumptious selections that were as pretty as they were tasty. Three types of cakes were available: chocolate fudge, carrot cake and cheese cake. There were brownies, cookies, English Trifle...and the children's favorite, the Shamu cookie! The Shamu Cookie was a tender shortbread cookie covered with a flavorful chocolate frosting.
More Shamu buffet details and photos! If you'd like to see more photos of the Shamu lunch buffet (and discover more details about the menu) you may wish to visit the Dining with Shamu Buffet Photos page of this website.
Dining with Shamu -- The Shamu Show
Seeing Shamu up close is what makes the expense of the meal all worthwhile. Whale-lovers will drool at how close they can come to Shamu. People who didn't even know that they were whale-lovers will BECOME whale lovers! (I don't think I ate a bite of my meal once the show began...I was out of my seat oohing, aahing and taking photos the whole time!)The show begins with a little blurb by one of the trainers about the pool and the whales. What was said, I don't know. Unfortunately, this little blurb was given at exactly the same time as when the guests were allowed into the buffet room to begin selecting their meal...and no sound was piped into the buffet room via speakers. Therefore, only a portion of the guests actually got to hear the blurb! (I asked the attendant at the entry desk to see if the opening remarks could be repeated; but they weren't. On the comment card we were given at the end of the meal, I mentioned this problem...in hopes that the SeaWorld folks will correct this problem by the time that YOU dine with Shamu!)
During the construction of the new "Believe" show set, the small Dining with Shamu close-up pool was being used for the park's main Shamu show. Therefore, in March 2006 (when these pictures were taken,) there were bleacher seats set up across from the restaurant area. We diners were not given our own special show; we saw the same show as the folks in the bleacher seats saw, only at a closer range. Now that the Shamu "Believe" show is up & running, guests who are dining with Shamu will receive a presentation that none of the other park guests get to see.
Expect that Shamu's tricks will be scaled-down to fit the small pool by the dining area. Shamu and his friends still do their adorable tricks, of course, but there are no maneuvers which require a large space...such as Shamu building up speed to jump over a high wire. Nevertheless, the ability to see Shamu and the other killer whales in such close proximity is truly the highlight of this dining experience...not the tricks themselves.
A very young whale was part of the show I saw. Comments and demonstrations about how the trainers are teaching her to do tricks was included as a part of the show. There were 3 whales in all at the show I attended; 2 adults and the baby.
Would I recommend the Dining with Shamu meal to you? Most definitely. It was truly an experience I don't ever forget. However, as you can tell by my commentary, the meal and the program aren't 100% perfect. The food, though high-quality, was too cold in several entrees. And the trainer-to-diner interaction was completely absent. Nevertheless, Shamu was mesmerizing. Seeing Shamu from only a few feet away made this program a "don't miss" event for me. Perhaps you will feel the same way.
If you'd like to reserve a spot at the "Dining with Shamu" buffet luncheon, call the SeaWorld phone number at 800-25-SHAMU. A menu of options will be given to you; select the choice which takes you to information about dining. You will reach an operator who can answer any questions you might have about the Shamu meal, tell you the seating times for the date you wish to attend, and then take your reservation.
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