Sea World Resort & Water Park
117 reviews
We have been a bit lax in sending a review due mainly to health reasons but would like to mention a stay we had at the resort for my wife's birthday. The stay was on 27th November to the morning of the 1st December 2025. In a nut shell the room was the best we ever stayed in , the food so mouth watering and the service excellent by all the staff… Read more
and if we may mention a few that went what we believe was beyond the call of duty.
Receptionist named Luke was so helpful on the telephone enquiry we made that helped with parking, booking in etc and it made our arrival flow easy.
Lady staff member named Tracey in the dining room was absolutely brilliant and so accommodating with her advice and service that made meal times something to look forward to she is an asset to your company.
Another Lady staff member named Robyn at reception. We could not have asked for a better staff member to get advice from as to the happenings going on each day, what to see with out fail etc Polar bears the dolphins show and making sure we got to see the dolphins and my wife Julie was ecstatic having her photos taken with them.
Last but not least was Brett the concierge. We have stayed at many hotels in our life and can say without a doubt he was the concierge we have had the pleasure to meet. Helpful, polite , very knowledgeable and a character to .
Sea World is without a doubt a place to stay and enjoy what life has to offer, fun Happiness and memories for ever
Yours faithfully Julie and Patrick Doyle
Disappointing Experience: Poor Management and Rude Service We visited Sea World recently hoping for a great day out, but unfortunately, it was a complete letdown. It was raining from the morning, which we understand is out of their control, but the park's management of the situation was terrible. After waiting in line for nearly an hour for a… Read more
ride, operations were halted right as we reached the front due to heavy rain. Shows were also cancelled throughout the day. When we went to Guest Services to explain the situation and politely ask for a replacement pass to return on a better day, the experience got worse. The staff, specifically a supervisor named Brandon, were incredibly dismissive and rude. Brandon actually lied to us, claiming all rides were running normally even though we had just watched them shut down.
To add to the frustration, the park is very unfriendly regarding basic amenities. There are no public charging stations for mobile phones. When asked, Guest Services refused to help charge our devices or allow outside chargers. Between the lack of customer care, the dishonesty regarding ride operations, and the lack of basic facilities, we will not be returning.
Worst online customer support. Don’t bother to celebrate your kids birthday party here because they wouldn’t do it considering they are a family hotel. They’ll get in touch I’m with you after you put a review but don’t expect any outcome because there’s none. Show details
Reviews with attachments
Terrible food from Dockside Tavern – Stayed one night in the resort, one word, terrible. The room was filthy, carpet had stains all over it. The door had a 1 inch gap at the bottom where cockroaches and others nasties could easily enter. I had to put the bath mat across it for safety. In the middle of the night the air con started spewing out water all over the floor. I had to turn… Read more
it off and use a towel to soak it up. Next up was the theme park itself. We ordered lunch from the Dockside Tavern. 1 chicken Schnitzel chips and salad, 1 chicken burger and chips, 1 kids hotdog and chips, 1 bowl of chips and two small lemonades = $100. The meal was terrible, absolutely atrocious. We don’t mind paying $100 bucks as it’s the norm, but make the food edible. The Schnitzel was thin, tough and tasted reheated. The gravy for it was runny with a consistency like water. The hotdog was grey and warm, the chicken burger had another thin and tough schnitzel in it. The chips were average. The 2 drinks were ok because they came from the post mix and are hard to stuff up. Do not buy lunch from here when you go to SeaWorld. See photos of food we ordered. The actual theme park was way overpriced. The rides had massive lines of people. There’s no shade whilst waiting for the rides. The place is looking filthy and rundown. Don’t come to Sea World, you will be disappointed. If you don’t believe this review, experience it for yourself. The ACCC should really conduct an investigation into this place. It’s an embarrassment to the Gold Coast and Australia. I’d say anyone who has written a positive review for this place, works here, has friends/family who work here or own shares in the company.
Theme parks and breakfast – We booked unlimited theme park and free breakfast room. We called and got our ticket reference so we could go to Movieworld on our way to the resort. The staff were very friendly and interactive, more than the last time we stayed. The pool is heated during winter which makes the kids want to swim all the time. The maze was fun. There was a lot… Read more
of areas for the kids to move around. The rooms are just big enough that the kids have room to move, and if you are lucky enough to get a ground floor room even better. We were right in front of the water play which was great for my kids to play. The only downfall was that when trying to go to the buffet breakfast they suggest you avoid 7 - 9am due to the wait times. This seems ridiculous but I don't know how they could fix it due to the crowds. Breakfast is 6.30-10.00. I had to change my booking due to school commitments, and it was easy because I had frew cancellation.
SeaWorld resort is great for kids – We just returned from 5 days at SeaWorld resort, we managed to book the free breakfast and four theme park pass in this package. We were there with our adult son and his family in two connecting rooms. I found this deal to be excellent value. The staff were wonderful and resort clean and inviting. A big negative would be parking at resort on… Read more
weekends is impossible and you have to struggle to get on street parking, we did discover parking down side street with a gate into resort which we used the whole time. Breakfast was delicious and even during 8.30 - 9 busy times staff came out to the queue with croissants. We also dined at the waterfall cafe and Italian restaurant which were enjoyable. The pool and splash zone were great fun as well and entrance to sea world just a short stroll through gift shop. Overall a fantastic time for all of us ranging in ages from 6 - 66.
- +2
Worst Holiday Ever! – We were there for an 8 night stay. On day 1, I found a used band-aid stuck to a sun lounge in the pool area, my husband stepped in human faeces in the public bathroom near the gym, the tables at the couches in the lobby lounge were not cleared or cleaned during dinner service for over 20 minutes and there were cockroaches under the drinks fridge… Read more
in Melrose restaurant. The room had cobwebs in the wardrobe, something has been spilt on the wardrobe door, there was dust in the drawers and the draw near the bed was so dirty that I would put any of our belongings in there. On day 2, the lift in the Bay Wing near our room broke down whilst my 2 daughters and 1 were in there. We were stuck for 20 minutes. On day 3, I found another used band-aid on the paving in the pool area. On day 4, I complained about the cleanliness of the walkways and stairs near the guest rooms. The was a beer can in the ground floor garden, rubbish on the stairs and clumps of hair and tissue or toilet paper stuck to the carpet which had been there since we checked in to our room. On day 5, I phoned Luxury Escape to complain and request a transfer to another hotel. By this stage my anxiety about staying any longer at Sea World Resort was starting to make me feel ill. The staff did agree to refund the remaining days on our stay and Luxury Escapes did find us another hotel, however 3 people in our party of 8 who had not really been affected as much as us, wanted to stay for the remaining 3 nights. The duty manager, [Name Removed] managed to change one of our rooms to a renovated room in the Park Wing, he mentioned that it was 10 meters bigger than our current room. On day 6, we moved to the Park Wing room which although nicely renovated was not any bigger than out previous. I phoned House Keeping as the public walkways to the guest rooms were again not cleaned and there were hot chips dropped outside the room next to us. On day 7, I spoke to the staff cleaning our room, they advised that they clean the guest rooms but are not responsible for vacuuming the areas outside the rooms. This holiday was the worst that I have ever experienced. My kids enjoyed themselves but for the cost of the holiday, I definitely didn't. We purchased this holiday through Luxury Escapes in 2020 when our eldest children were 11, so having to share a room with now 14 years old was cramped. The lobby floor was vacuumed and mopped daily to maintain a clean appearance, yet once you left the lobby, the public carpeted areas were disgraceful. The pool area always had life guards on duty which is a good things, but really needed to be checked by cleaning staff regularly as do the public toilets. The chairs in Shoreline Restaurant are not really suitable for families with small children, as food accumulates in the crevice on the seat, I did not feel comfortable when we ate in there for breakfast or dinner. The Bay Wing was a ghetto and it is unfair that Sea World Resort put all families on the holiday package there, it is definitely not a luxury escape or luxury holiday. Sea World Resort should look at offering a free transport service for your guests. The resort is not located within walking distance of shops or eateries for guests on a longer stay and is very far from the other theme parks. [Name Removed] at the reception desk provided excellent customer service and [Name Removed] also acted fast when Luxury Escapes contacted the resort on my behalf.
Disgraceful – Absolute joke, get there at 9am when it "opens" , then wait in the sun for 30 minutes to move to the rides to then be told they are still doing checks and they arent ready yet...... surely for the ridiculous amount of money you charge the management should have staff do the checks so the park is actually ready to be opened at 9am like it says,… Read more
then we get to the fast track crap where you can be waiting hours just to have entitled pieces of crap who pay a bit more push in front of you continually.
Absolute joke all round.
Positive reviews
Wheelchair accessible lacking in some but not all places – Seaworld always a good day unfortunately some wheelchair accessibility falls short in some places, in the accessible toilets the floors are tiled with high shine tiles making them EXTREMELY slippery and dangerous for anyone with mobility issues or in general, the steep entry was very hard to push a wheelchair up in and I could see no other signs… Read more
to say there was alternative entry points. Also we tried to go into the little retail store at castaway Bay but could not get in due to stairs one side and the ramp side having too high a door frame to lift over.
Anyone going with mobility issues, wheelchair especially should plan well ahead.
Lovely stay – We came for a family trip (last as family of 3) and a baby moon. Upon arrival the staff were amazing, we had a treat delivered to our room at 7pm which consisted of fruit and cheese and crackers and macaroons. They also brought us wine (pregnant mumma can’t drink) it was so thoughtful and beautiful we are over the moon with the service. Thank you for making our stay special. Show details
Took our 4children into the dolphins.Was a bit expensive as we're a family of 6 but good experience – Cliffy the dolphin was fun, trained well, the trainers were fun and had the dolphin very involved with us. The water was absolutely freezing though!! Well worth the money spent Show details
Negative reviews
Please do not take your kids & family to Seaworld. Teach your kids to be informed about what goes on in the world, so that hopefully when they have their own families, the marine creatures we know today, may continue to live freely in the future. Seaworld in Australia may promote themselves as ethical & humane in comparison to many overseas… Read more
marine parks, but the reality is it is only just as shameful. In Australia, Seaworld does not keep any Orcas (Killer Whales), however it does keep polar bears. As anyone would know, this is an animals that is designed to live in freezing conditions where it is ice & snow all year long. It must be literal torture for these beautiful beasts to dwell in one of the hottest & most humid states of Australia! The ever popular bottlenose dolphins are mostly bred in captivity or transferred from another marine park to Seaworld. Performing in shows is not natural behaviour for these species & can result in permanent injury to the dolphins. The trainer getting launched out of the pool from standing on top of their noses is risking so much strain on the animal's jaw. It is disturbing to further learn that a dolphin's lower jaw is crucial for their sensitive hearing. Why are Australian trainers continuing to practice this?! After performing their 2 shows per day, the remainder of the 22 hours are spent in under-stimulating & high bacterial conditions. These small marine tanks could easily be upgraded to large ocean pens, so as to mimic some of the dolphin's natural living circumstances. Ultimately Seaworld has only one agenda, to forcibly make dolphins live in unnatural conditions. They are forced to breed, perform shows & exist in cramped enclosures.
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The only thing good are the water rides in Queensland, nothing else! I don't support the exploitation of Marine animals! Poor Dolphins treated like crap, whipped to perform stunts and starved! How anyone can think this is acceptable so that the owners pocket money from ignorant people! Show details
On Friday the 15th of August, my husband and 2 adults attended the day at Seaworld as we haven't been in about 5 years and we were so disappointed, there wasn't anything there for adults, most of the attraction where closed, the penguin's enclosure was closed, the tiki bar and cafe was closed, 1 of the roller coasters was closed, unless you have… Read more
children with you and it's still the same shows, there was nothing for you to do. The staff all except for the wooden roller coaster, where very rude, looked grumpy and you could see that they didn't want to be there, But the best part is, you still had to pay full price $119 each and we weren't told the most of the attraction where closed, but on their internet page it was $109 per person. It should have been discounted as not all was open. I was shocked to see you staff had no teeth or missing teeth servicing; it looks you don't care how you are being represented by your staff, I have anything against personal hygiene, but your staff are representing Seaworld to the world, I do feel that this is not a good look for what you are trying to achieve. I will not be coming back in a hurry as it's not worth the money we paid, we would have been better to go to Movie World as they have more to offer Adults.
Keeley Carter [Number Removed]
Recent reviews
Recently I spent two nights at Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast. The staff are very helpful and obliging. I have no issue with the staff. The accommodation is basic but you pay for what you get. The shower was brilliant and hot. There were no instructions on the TV or Air conditioning controls (ie symbols). They encourage children and family… Read more
units and that’s fine. The buffet breakfast is organised chaos and the staff do their very best to get you seated, feed and of to the activities Ok. Now for the negative. Who ever is responsible for balancing the background music as against the commentary, needs to be reviewed. The background music should NEVER be louder than the commentary. If the Sea World Park is educating us, then can we at least hear what is being said and not being drowned out by irrelevant music. Turn the music down better still off. Another thing, no need to have microphone up full volume and placed upon your lips. Place the microphone below the chin and speak normally. Lastly suggest you spend money on having a sound recordist balance your park's sound system and stop blasting your patrons out. I went there to see the fish not be deafened.
From our visit 8th May 2025. Sorry SeaWorld it was not a great day. $200 for 2 seniors to enter. No dolphin show. No seal show. 2 major rides not working or broken down. We were advised repeatedly that limited spaces were offered at 50% off to participate in extra activities. We would never recommend to family and friends. Show details
Unreasonable SW entry pricing policy for animal experiences – Wanted to take my grandson for the penguin ice experience as his choice for birthday present. $139 each. Ok. He has a pass so great. I don’t and have to buy a day pass for $100 taking the total cost to $378. A lot! Rang SW to see if any way around this as we would go straight in and out and I would not be using any of the facilities or watching… Read more
shows etc. So $100 just to walk through the front door to the experience door! A bit unreasonable in my opinion. Response was a flat No! There must be a work around for people in this position and be able to monitor it easily. Sadly, my grandson won’t be going and won’t be recommending SW to anyone. How to chase customers away.
Under whelmed and ripped off – The park was open but nothing was working from 9:30 until after 12. No show no rides. We had purchased animal encounters which were cancelled. I was told we would get a refund. 7 days later Still no refund. apparently when I rang the guest call centre I was told no refunds are ever given out and I was lying that I was told that I would get a… Read more
refund. So do not pre purchase check that the place is operating prior to going inside and be prepared to be disappointed. Also we did get to see the ski show but it was crap and underwhelming with my 10 year old asking is that it old b people on skis my only laugh for the day. A complete rip off. They don’t care about review but needed to vent.
Horrible – Absolutely horrible stay, Spent a lot of money for 1 night. NO carparking was available and was abused and threatened at 1:30 am by a staff member Recebba at reception because I was uncomfortable about being told to park my car down the road and walk the 10 minutes to the resort with my belongings. Terrible rude and nasty service. I asked for a… Read more
refund so I could go find so.ewhere to stay to which I was told NO refund and NO having my car on the premises Very Very unprofessional and I would NOT recommend to anyone.
Not the place for us – Not inclusive of those with disabilities, when booking requested a ground floor room due to safety issues. Upon arrival was upgraded to third floor and was booked out so couldn’t alter. On the last day we were made aware of the disability animal encounters that were booked out, at no point when we asked about encounters for those with disabilities… Read more
was it mentioned. Only 2 disabled car parks at the resort and as the parking had changed your apparently allowed to park in the no parking area as rules have changed but signs haven’t. Many staff need to education on disability and inclusion, when providing a companion card I received the band to get fast tracked access, when showing the wristband to staff I was asked by staff to list my sons disabilities as “proof”. No quiet or sensory areas provided, not great accessibilities for those in chairs
NAME AND SHAME FOR SEA WORLD – NAME AND SHAME FOR SEA WORLD PLACE WITH ABSENCE OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SENSITIVITY. Unacceptable Experience at Dolphin Swim I recently brought my parents from overseas to fulfill their dream of swimming with dolphins. They speak intermediate English, so I was hopeful that they would be able to participate in this experience. After purchasing… Read more
their tickets, we signed the waiver, and my parents were supposed to undergo a basic language assessment to determine their eligibility. However, the staff member at the reception spoke too quickly and mumbled, making it difficult for my parents to understand. When they looked to me for help with translation, instead of providing clarification, or speaking slowly the staff member dismissed them, stating "their English not good enough" and they were not eligible for the activity.
This interaction left my parents feeling upset and unwelcome. When I inquired whether the staff member had any qualifications to assess their language skills or an understanding of hospitality, they simply walked away without responding.
Such behavior is not only unprofessional but also borders on discrimination. I strongly advise against visiting this facility, especially if you have to interact with their staff. It is crucial that everyone is treated with respect and dignity!
UNFORTUNATELY NOT AT THIS PLACE
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I wouldn't stay at the resort again, I would visit the park again – We booked 4 nights as we wanted to stay at 'Sea World Resort' and be right where the fun is, the staff have all been very nice, helpful and polite and couldn't fault any of them and food was good. We did notice the hotel looked tired, old carpets, paint cracked in our room, and aside from dust and debris under the chair cushion its a clean room,… Read more
the pool was nice and the spa could have been warmer and shame its a place for young kids to be able to hang out. I wouldn't personally want to stay here again, Sofitel just up the road was a MUCH nicer experience.
The theme park has a lot of good things going for it, not all rides were open for us, food was priced as you would expect, my daughter did want to try and win a huge teddy, we didn't and she was in tears, I find them to be a sham and feel these money pits should be left for carnivals not a reputable theme park, I would come back again however would I want the option to pay more to skip queues??..... no that's another money grab for families already paying enough to be here.
Terrible Customer Service – I wasted $250 of vouchers on a Dolphin experience @ SeaWorld that I used for my cousins birthday. She is now unable to travel with me due to illness, and despite being able to supply medical certificates & other documentation stating she cannot travel, I was refused replacement vouchers from Red Balloon. I wasted a week on phone calls and emails… Read more
to both companies to no avail. I am forced to attend Sea World alone so the vouchers aren’t wasted, pay the $105 entry fee PLUS $65 for pro photos as I won’t have anyone with me to take pics from my own camera. This is an experience I would NOT have purchased for myself. I will NEVER purchase another Red Balloon voucher and Sea World won’t be a destination park for my family in the future, as I believe these companies work together to rip consumers off. Both Sea World and Red Balloon so called ‘customer service’ operators hand balled the issue to one another, despite me contacting them 2 weeks before my upcoming trip to Queensland.
Not the same – I haven’t been in over 20 years now that I have children I was hoping to show them a great day out I was disappointed with the ski show not much skiing at all they used to have a lot more with human pyramid on skis getting wet in the crowd from all the action it looks run down nothing like the past overpriced entry and food monorail wasn’t working and a couple of rides closed won’t go again. Show details
Worst experience ever! So many rides closed – We paid for 3 adults and 6 kids, over $1200 and the two big rides that were open the wait time was over an hour for a 1 min ride. We counted 5 large rides all down and been down for weeks and months we found out. Show details
Dirty, expensive & should be ONE star! – We paid $399 for 1 night, don't mind old but Not dirty... Dirty Door handle - cleaned before we would use it. Dirty shower & Bathroom floors. Beds comfortable, BUT would Never stay again or recommend them to anyone. No discount or refund offered. Awful! Show details
Sea World Resort, Gold Coast - A Disappointing Experience Below 4.5 Stars** – **Sea World Resort, Gold Coast - A Disappointing Experience Below 4.5 Stars** My recent stay at Sea World Resort fell short of the expected 4.5-star quality, leaving much to be desired. ️ **Unwelcome Roommates:** The presence of cockroaches and spiders in the room was a major hygiene concern. Despite raising the issue, it took two days to… Read more
address, and by then, it was the day of our check-out.
**Rusted Doors:** The state of the doors added to the disappointment. Rusted doors do not align with the standards expected from a resort claiming a 4.5-star rating.
️ **Weather Woes:** Unfortunately, the weather played spoilsport, and Movie World, Paradise Country, and Wet'n'Wild were closed. Lack of notifications about these closures left us frustrated after a long drive, and no refund was provided.
️ **Aging Infrastructure:** The overall building felt dated, demanding a much-needed uplift to match the contemporary expectations of a 4.5-star resort.
**Top Dollar for Subpar Quality:** Despite the premium charges, the experience did not reflect the value expected from a higher-end resort. It paled in comparison to other 4-5 star establishments I've visited.
**Bathroom Blues:** The bathroom was average at best, with a leaking shower tap creating a constant dripping noise, disrupting our stay.
**Reevaluating the 4.5-Star Classification:**
For a resort to be considered 4.5 stars, it should meet certain minimum requirements:
1. **Cleanliness:** A high standard of hygiene and pest-free environments are paramount.
2. **Amenities:** Comprehensive facilities, timely notifications, and responsive customer service are essential.
3. **Infrastructure:** Modern, well-maintained buildings that reflect a commitment to quality.
4. **Value for Money:** Premium pricing should be justified by a premium experience.
In conclusion, Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast failed to meet the expected 4.5-star standards. Urgent attention to cleanliness, infrastructure, and guest communication is necessary for it to align with its claimed rating. #SeaWorldResortReview #BelowExpectations
Disappointing – Paid over $300 for 3 people for an exciting day out......Definitely not the case. It's dirty most under construction, I actually had to ask where the fish where, toilets are dirty and most unusable, mono rail still down after years, just terrible, mounds of dirty looking rides, food places looked dirty and unsafe to eat from,.......save your money. Show details
Watch out for the extra Fees!! – Attended the resort on the weekend, both the Japanese and the Italian restaurants are amazing highly recommend, the rooms where ok, carful if you have breakfast as part of your room - Sunday morning there was over an hour wait out the door of the resort - they should have a second option when busy. On check out we were advised that there would be… Read more
a $600 change of booking fee!!!! We did change our booking and where never advised of a fee and all emails around this advised no additional fee.. and let's face it there is a fee for everything today but $600 is extorsion!! be very careful around this one.... currently waiting for a follow up from the resort..
nothing open, everything breaks. full price – what a rip off. Life time trip with the wife and kids October 22. most rides shut, as 75% were shut the others were PACKED. waited two hours twice for the ride to break down. we didn't do one ride.... the shows were terrible, some randoms ski boating.. btw full price, no indication that all the rides were out of order. $800. for what. hope they get aids from screwing people Show details
Fun day for kids but food should be avoided – I'm from NZ so I personally thort the park was fun for the grand kids altho a couple rides, they really wanted to go on were closed for whatever reason. I loved the sea creatures, although I really felt for the polar bears who really need freezing conditions & stingrays which were allowed to be touched. My main disappointment was the price &… Read more
quality of food & beverages. Way too overpriced bland hot dog with a very dry bun...for $10 for only a hot dog, no sauce onions or cheese, I expect at least a soft bun & friendlier service. Too many birds trying to steal what was on our unclean table. Dry overpriced churros, ice cream $8 what a ripoff! Quite embarrassing really. No incentive to come back. Even our tiny theme park Rainbows end in N.Z provided great food & decent prices & a full fun filled day without disappointments & slack service.
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They eventually paid back all our money. Hoping that they fix all the problems because it is a real shame for their accommodation.