Seaworld Review: Autism-Friendly And Loads of Fun

Visting Seaworld in Queensland, Australia as part of our first big family holiday adventure was an event we highly anticipated. However, as a mother of a special needs child (my son Rafael has mild autism), my husband and I were a little worried about how he'd perceive particular attractions at the theme park.

As we were staying at the adjoining Seaworld Nara Resort (an incredibly beautiful, medium-priced hotel), the Seaworld theme park was our first stop, the second we arrived, changing into our cossies and leaving our bags with the wonderfully friendly hotel concierge.

We headed in, armed with the park map and hopping onto the adjacent monorail (the first of its kind opened in Australia by QLD pollie Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen), and there we were in a aqua park heaven.

Heavily themed with all the kiddie fave Nickelodeon characters including Spongebob Square Pants, Dora The Explorer, and many more, it's an instant fave with the kids. And my TV aficionado twins were no exception.

As all good theme park experts will tell you: check the times of all the shows and happening of the day so you maximise your day there. You will become an expert in an instant, and park staff can help you find where everything is, plus all the clearly marked signs around the park.

A little tip: have the kids (and you!) dressed in either swimming costumes with little cover ups, or quick-dry fabric clothes; you'll need to dry up quickly when you go on the famed Castaway Bay and Viking Revenge rides.

Halfway through the day (and I know readers of this blog will relate), it was proving difficult to wrangle my son's demands to be a part of the action. (My son has a mild autism diagnosis, and his perception of what's possible and what he can participate in is sometimes skewed) So, for example, we'd see the amazing daredevil ski-jump show, and he'd want to be a part of it, not understanding that the danger level to participate is very high (and it's not even possible for the audience, bar some audience interaction with the performers on the edge of the water/arena).

The same went for seeing dolphin show - it got tricky with explaining he could not be a part of that show.

I did uncover however, thanks to the super lovely, helpful staff, a daily special needs program run by Seaworld. Here is some information on the program:

 -  the cost is $114.99, and the program duration is 45 minutes in total, with 20 of those minutes in the water. Each participant must have a carer with them (mum or dad or a guardian) who can participate free of charge (as they are there purely to assist).

A photo is included in the price, and the DVD of your experience is an optional extra, at $24.99. (This information is correct as of 14 January 2015, and is subject to change).

Before booking, it's highly recommended guests contact the Seaworld Guest Services team on 07 5588 2423, and they will be able to better assist with further information on the program.

Here are some photos from Seaworld, as well as my own happy snaps (taken on my new iPhone 6 - I am so pleased with the shots).

Oh, and for more on Seaworld including ticketing and accommodation and showtimes, scroll down for link.

Would I recommend Seaworld to families? Absolutely. In a heartbeat. So, so much to do. Get there early, grab a map, and plan your day. If you are staying next door at Seaworld Nara Resort (and I recommend you do), it's a super short stroll to the monorail. The theme park is attached to the hotel. And the hotel itself? Fantastic. Kids will love the nighttime fun in the hotel waterpark, and just quietly, the spa is heaven after-hours.

Keen on seeing the other famed theme parks there (Movieworld, Seaworld, Wet 'n' Wild)? Go the multi pass! Click here to buy.

For questions on marine life at Seaworld and how they're looking after them, click here.

The seal show below! So much fun:

The Dora show! Must-see. And, look out for the meet and greet also available post-show:

Ohhh, Seaworld Nara Resort breakfasts. To-die. Yum:

Hello, breakkie pastries!

The Penguin Encounter! You will love watching how these cute critters interact. Go at feeding time!

The famous Affinity dolphin show:

The truly hilarious 'Fish Detectives':

Dora meet and greet!

My kids at the Dora and Diego meet and greet! They were stoked:

The view from our room:

The truly fun waterpark. Open all day. Closes at night. Then open again for a mini waterpark disco:

The characters pop into the Seaworld Nara Resort hotel lobby for a snap:

More meet and greet!

Helicopter rides. Ask at the hotel desk:

Ninja Turtle fun:

A note on getting the airport: we used Town Cars (see www.towncars.com) - call the 24 hour call centre (Sydney metro area) on 02 8874 5000. Go to this link for more info and to book. It's an affordable, fuss-free way to get to the airport. The best part? You don't need to leave your car in an airport carpark for days, and the bonus is that for kids with special needs, it's a low-stress experience.

For more info on Seaworld, click right here.

Our Autism Adventures was a guest of Gold Coast Tourism. For all your GC needs and questions, click here.

You guys, there is a reason the sunny Gold Coast is famous for families - it is kinda unbeatable, and there are a gazillion things to do. To that end, next up: more QLD theme park reviews, on TwinnieWorld and Josie's Juice. There's so much to do, so much we got up to! Stay tuned for more.

Ten Things I Hate About Autism

Ten things I hate about autism.

Yep, I hate them.

Because they rule my life, can make our lives hell, limit our options, cancel our plans. Of course I love my son - desperately, and with all my heart - but this thing called autism is something that has a laugh at our expense, thumbs its nose at social etiquette, and generally can make a scene in public. Those who don't know me or my son may mistake a display of autism as bad parenting and a spoilt child. To those people I say a very simple, very polite fuck you [hey, this is my blog and I can say what I like, dammit].

- Travel is impossible
I have tried to 'not let autism win', but this one is proving to be hard work. Holidays mean routines are broken which is enemy number one to autism. I have just come to the realisation that cancelling that overseas holiday earlier this year is now something we probably can't do for, oh, another decade.

- Fussy eating is taken to a whole new level
It's all about textures. Sloppy and messy is out. Crunchy and neat is in. Think rissoles with pureed veggies. Trying new foods is hard, hard work. And then there is the exception to the rule - he now loves custard [potentially a messy, and definitely a sloppy food]. And Maccas soft serve cones. I know, not healthy. But in our world, it's an eating triumph as it's a sloppy kinda food. My husband and I can watch him, fascinated, that he has mastered this skill all by himself without spilling a drop of soft, soft serve.

- Change in routine is murder
This includes going away of course, but even a change in route, or a change in direction when we are walking somewhere. This can trigger a temper tantrum. And once one of those starts: yeah, good luck with that sister.

- Language skills are hard work
This is an obvious one, but it really makes an impact when he is trying to express himself but can't. But his language capacity has increased, oh, about 1000-fold. This time last year he knew two words. Now I have lost count of the words and full phrases he rattles off, in context.

- Toilet training is a nightmare
We are still working on this one. Yep. It's so close, I know it. And yet, not quite there yet.

- Ownership
Everything he sees he now claims as his own: "My tunnel! My row boat! My phone!" Which means if we see a tunnel, he wants me to go under it [I don't - he needs to learn Mummy can't always change route for him]. If he sees my phone, he wants it now. And so on. This one is a new one. Hellllooo, autism - it's nice to meet more of your personalities!

- Sharing
We have worked long and hard on this one this year. This is crucial, because he MUST understand the concept of sharing with his sister, with his classmates, with society. We have made exceptional inroads here, but we have a long way to go.

- Socialising is a learned skill
He will play alongside others, sometimes include them, but mostly not. But this is a vast improvement on his old self, when he'd be oblivious to anyone around him.

- Eating out = limited options
I am appalled to say that after the healthiest start to life [hello, homemade concoctions like pureed liver and veggies], it's now Maccas only when we eat out. And only chicken bite thingys. Oh wait, he did have chicken schnitzel recently at a party at a restaurant. But it wasn't on the pre-ordered menu and I carved it up just so. And had to hand feed him as I could feel a food-refusal coming on. Health food gurus, please don't bother: we are talking food-as-pacifier at a whole different level here. And let's not even start on not being able to sit still in a chair for long periods of time at a semi-swank place. Impossible.

[At home is a whole different story, though - I rule the kitchen here and it's pureed zucchini and broccoli hidden in minced chicken breast, for example. It gives me so much satisfaction I could honestly cry].

- Haircuts can be hell
I can happily report this one has changed. But it has taken three years. It was only the very last haircut [husb has claimed haircuts as his domain, so full kudos to him] that involved no tears, and no tools to divert attention [phone, Nintendo DS, etc]. This was a MAJOR triumph - you see, sensory overload means scissors can feel like razor blades on his head. So you understand why this is cause for elation.

Autism is a curious beast, and I often feel at its mercy. And yet, other times I am utterly fascinated at how it manifests in the every day: untold affection, a brain that ticks in a different way, an outlook on the world which marches to its own drum.

So, you see it's not my son I dislike, it's autism. But 99% of the time it's hard to separate the two. But we are slowly learning to be friends, autism and I. We have to be. We have a long way to go and are bedfellows whether we like it or not. So yeah, hi autism. Welcome. Just don't steal all the blankets, okay?

My son - if you read this as an adult, please know I love you SO much...