Crowne Plaza New Orleans French Quarter (Canal Street)
Great discounted rates for many dates into March! Most dates are weekdays, but if you can plan a getaway on a weeknight, it is a perfect price for a NOLA Stay-cation!
What You Get
Stay for two in a standard king or standard double-queen room
Up to two kids 17 or younger stay free in standard double-queen rooms
Dates into March - starting at $65/night!
Reservations: Dates cannot be changed once booked; valid only for night(s) purchased.
Cancellation policy: 4-day cancellation notice required prior to check-in or reservation is nonrefundable; reservations made within cancellation window are nonrefundable.
Rates may vary by date and are subject to availability.
No-shows will be charged total Groupon rate; no refunds, rescheduling, or rebooking allowed.
This blog post is part of our Family Vacation to San Antonio, Texas - to see the entire experience and all the tips/deals I learned along the way, click here for the entire trip itinerary!
If you are traveling into San Antonio and have a car, I highly recommend traveling a bit further out of the city and head North of San Antonio to these three attractions that provide a perfect full day of vacation activities!
Natural Bridge Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns allows you to view the beauty of stalactites, stalagmites and many other rock formationsas you travel deeper underground! The lowest point is 180 feet underground with 99% humidity - it feels damp and wet down there! But what you see is INCREDIBLE and UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING!A great educational experience for all with the chance to go underground into the caverns that formed naturally many years ago.
You do have to walk down and of course back up, so being in shape helps - take it slow and don't rush or you will have to catch your breath!
My youngest had to go to the bathroom about halfway through and you can’t really go back up without going through the entire cavern so make sure to take a potty break before entering the cavern! As it a bit dark down there I really don’t recommend this activity if you have younger children who get scared in the dark. You also must carry little ones as strollers aren’t easy to maneuver around. You must be able to walk up and down stairs and ramps to participate - and of course wear comfortable shoes!
There are tour guides throughout to explain more in depth about the rock formations that you are viewing. You can take pictures but by all means don’t touch anything underground! Apparently it’s a state law and no one needs the charge of "I touched an underground rock" on their record!
Admission is currently $21 adults/$13 child ages 3-11/under age 3 is free! Discounted tickets are available on their website here - or save 15% using SAVE San Antonio!
Warning: They will take a photo of your group (only $10 for a great souvenir!) so be prepared for full hair and shiny faces!Of course you are free to take your own pics in the cavern as well - They joked that the rocks smile for pics! I must admit, the pictures don't really do justice to what you actually see, but here are a few of mine:
There are plenty of other things to do on the property as well - Find some diamonds in the rough by mining your own gems at the Mining Company (about $8-10 per bag), Zip on through the 4-level Challenge Course or just glide across the Zipline - there is also a smaller challenge area for Little Kids under age 6!
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
I have to admit this was my favorite activity on our trip! Conveniently located next door to the Caverns - it is a great stop after visiting the caverns.
And here is what I loved: we fed animals that came right up to our car!
It's a Safari Drive thru! How cool is that?
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch charges $19 adults/$11 child (3-11) and under age 3 is FREE! (save $2.25 per person using SAVE San Antonio). This fee is charged per person (not car) and (1) bag of feed is provided per car. Additional feed can be purchased for $2 per bag - You can assume one bag of feed per person to have enough for all!
After your safari excursion you can stop and have a picnic or head to the petting zoo for some hands on experience - Hand sanitizer is a must on this trip! And remember no bathrooms are in your car so make sure your little ones can hang on until a rest stop. Your car will be in a single file line and you may experience delays caused by animals in the road or feeding, so you may have a long journey ahead of you!
We were one of the last cars in the park that day so the animals were full and tired by that time, but the traffic was reduced... I suggest going a few hours before closing time for more animal interactions. The first animal that we saw came right up to our car and would have hopped in and drove off if we let him!
There are signs clearly stating do not feed the zebras from your hand - they are beautiful but they bite so don’t take any chances!
The animals are a lot of fun and we enjoyed feeding many, but also enjoyed just looking at some of them - here is a quick peek at some of the pictures I took on our Safari Tour!
ZDTAMUSEMENT
Again a bit out of the area but if you head to ZDT Amusements from the Caverns or Safari, then it’s a short drive to a lot of fun in Sequin, Texas! Regular admission is $24 per person (save 15% with SAVE San Antonio) but its HALF PRICE the last three hours of the day - so for $12 per person you get three fun filled hours of non stop play!
What do you get at ZDT??
UNLIMITED rides including Multi-level Go Kart Track - Rock Wall - Simulator - Bungee Trampoline - Parachute Drop and many outdoor carnival type rides too - If you are a thrill seeker, try the Simulator and the Dizzy Toucan...guaranteed to make you dizzy!
UNLIMITED video games which means no quarters to play. You can play any game to your heart’s content (see my 11 year old boy who was in his element)
For me I didn’t have to ever say "we are out of quarters" - they could just keep playing...and playing!
UNLIMITED WATER RIDES The water area usually closes earlier so check closing time before bringing out bathing suits and towels. We got there a bit too late to experience the water rides/slides but if you arrive exactly three hours before close it’s a great idea to spend the first hour in the water area, then do everything else for the other two hours!
While standing in line for the Go Karts for the fifth time in a row, I overhead a lady say "This is the best $12 I have spent!" I definitely enjoyed the ability to have a large family spend three hours of fun for a low price. ZDT Amusements definitely was a great value for the money spent and a lot of FUN too!
They do have food onsite - so feel free to grab a bite on the way or wait until you get there if you are coming from another attraction. My kids loved this place and when we left they asked if we would be able to go back again! Clearly we all loved it!
WHAT ELSE TO DO
IN SAN ANTONIO
Check out all the places we visited during our trip - CLICK HERE!
If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! This post may contain affiliate links
NOTE: All opinions and comments listed above are my own. Complimentary Admission tickets were provided to Tiff's Deals for review purposes.
On a recent trip to Texas, my family and I spent the day at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas and thought I would share our experiences with you! We had a great time exploring all that Sea World has to offer - and I share the SAVINGS and DEALS I discovered with you too!
SHOWS
Note: Most shows/exhibits have more options in the morning/early afternoon! Arrive 15-30 minutes early to get a good seat!
Azul - This show has it all! Dolphins - Beluga Whales - Acrobatics - Water Divers - and a side comedy show to keep you laughing! I definitely would put this on your list of MUST SEE shows while visiting Sea World!
Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High - A cheesy "Saved by the Bell" type school environment that kept the kids laughing with silly Sea Lion (and performer) tricks - the Crossing Guard before the show was hilarious so make sure to get their early for the extra bonus pre-show entertainment!
Hydro Power 2.0 Ski Experience - This show was filled with racing boats, skiers doing flips and tricks, and other fun watersports! And if you sit in the "wrong" spot you can get SPLASHED by the Jet Skis!
Shamu's Celebration - This show is the last show of the evening and allows you to see the amazing tricks the Killer Whales can do! It was a perfect end to our day at Sea World and truly is one show not to miss!
There are also Animal Exhibits throughout the park without show times - so stop in and check out the Flamingos, Sea Lions, Penguins and more!
RIDES/AMUSEMENTS
Note: There are height requirements for most of these rides, so check first!
Sesame Street Bay of Play - not just for the kids, but lots of Water Play (so bring your bathing suits!) Large playground area. A few amusement park type rides too - a carousel, a mini Vertical drop, Ferris Wheel - all kid friendly and not intense!
Shamu Express - mini Roller Coaster for kids! Not intense - goes around twice...no big dips or drops...and they take your picture! Perfect for little ones to get a roller coaster experience on their level!
Journey to Atlantis - A straight roller coaster like ride up - straight up - then backwards down a few humps - and then back down with a serious SPLASH at the end! My 8 year old and I rode in the FRONT row, which kept us from getting as wet on the way down - so although I am not a fan of the front row, this had a perk for once!
Rio Loco - Mild, white water rafting - great family ride (seats 6) - I was warned that Someone usually gets SOAKED, but not everyone gets wet...Guess what? That person was ME! Yep! Niagara Falls waterfall just for me - soaked from head to toe! So don't bring your phone on this one!
Steel Eel - 15 foot vertical drop roller coaster...I admit, I just watched this one...great for those adventurist types!
The Great White - 360 degree flips - loops - corkscrews - it's a serious roller coaster! Again...I watched and that was enough of an adventure for me!
DINING PLAN
The Sea World Dining Plan is the way to go! For the low cost of $31.99 for an adult and $18.99 for a child (ages 3-9) you get UNLIMITED food the entire day! Each trip through the line includes (1) entree, (1) side item or dessert, and (1) drink. A few times we weren't hungry, just thirsty and would go through the line just to get a drink! So that cost is really all you have to pay for the ENTIRE DAY! Any food items with a red dot next to them on the menu are included on the Dining Plan - so it is super easy to navigate!
As we spent half of our day at Aquatica (SeaWorld's water park located next door - FYI the Dining Plan works there too!) I didn't get to try all the restaurants in Sea World, but here is what I did try:
Rosita's Cafe: Located in Sesame Street's Bay of Play - this is a BUFFET style restaurant and includes all the PIZZA, PASTA, and SALAD you could possibly want! My kids couldn't wait to eat at this restaurant and even posed for pictures outside showing what they wanted to eat:)
So at a cost of about $60 had we paid for this one meal - the dining plan was the WAY to go
for my Family of (5) as the cost of this ONE meal was about HALF the cost of our Dining
plan bands for the ENTIRE day - and we definitely had more than two meals:)
Shamu's Smokehouse: Just about anything barbeque: Brisket, Chicken, Ribs, Pulled Pork, and more! Looking at cost, the Spare Ribs Plate cost $13.49 each (for a family of 5 our total would have been over $60 on this meal alone) but remember with the Dining Plan it's already included and paid for (and your drink/sides too)
Harbor Market: Just about everything! Asian fried rice dishes, burgers, Texas Fried Chicken, and lots of Salad choices!
THINGS I LEARNED
You can pay for Admission Tickets - Dining Plan - and even Parking in advance online here - I HIGHLY recommend doing this as it saved us time and money (parking wasreduced $3 for online prepayment of $17 instead of $20 at the gate)
We spent the morning at Aquatica, and lockers are available at both locations, but the Aquatica lockers close early. So if you plan to go to Aquatica and then Sea World in 1-day (like we did) then make sure you get a locker in Sea World...Small sized Lockers were $18 (with $10 refunded at end of day = $8 total) and a small size locker could hold FOUR backpacks! So lots of room!
You can get a waterproof band that holds your barcode in lieu of carrying cash or credit cards with you...You are most likely to get WET at some point during the day so this was just a great convenience - and it was FREE to use this option! I simply opened an account at customer service- received (2) bands - and paid for things with the band all day - and at the end of the day picked up whatever cash we had not spent! You can get bands outside by the Lockers (or inside Sea World or Aquatica) so if the lines are long by the lockers, consider going in first!
Get the Sea World Phone App! It's FREE and makes it so easy to navigate the park...Even with the printed map I was confused because the property is SO BIG! Using the App, I was able to pinpoint where I was headed (red dot) and my current location (blue dot). So when I started walking I knew instantly if I was headed in the right or wrong direction! When you arrive in the parking lot, open the app and save your parking spot location so you can find your car later! Plus the app included Upcoming Showtimes so you don't miss anything and it's easy to find all the info!
Lines seemed to be reduced DRAMATICALLY toward the end of the day. For instance, we literally walked right up to Journey into Atlantis about an hour and a half before the park closed!
Many in the park see the last Shamu Experience show of the day (an hour before the park closes) If thrill rides are for you, I suggest skipping this show and taking advantage of little to no lines on the Roller Coasters - We split up into two groups and met back at the lockers after the show
Shamu Express (and most rollercoasters) did not allow ANY loose articles including a purse - lockers are available as well as free cubbies, but we had to split up to ride this ride as I didn't want to leave my purse behind (It was a crossbody purse - so just know they don't allow them)
This is us soaking WET from Head to Toe!
We didn't wear bathing suits and I regretted that as I got soaked on Rio Loco - it's a great way to cool off, but wet clothes, socks, and tennis shoes don't feel that great:( Luckily I had clothes and flip flops in the locker so I was able to change so be prepared...and leave the white t-shirts at home too!
Keep your phone in the locker for the water rides - I also purchased a water resistant pouch on site (for about $8) - or you can purchase one in advance and bring to the park with you.
If you stay until the park closes, expect a line for locker and cash wristband refunds.
Remember to use the phone app, so you can find your car when you leave!
HOW TO SAVE MONEY
Check for ticket deals online: Sea World has special offers for limited times/dates HERE - also if you purchase tickets online in advance you save 15%!
At time of publication, Groupon currently has a 54% off deal with restricted travel dates.
SAVE (San Antonio Vacation Experience) had discounted ticket rate offers as well (this is a great free phone app to add during your vacation as well) - currently it is 20% and a 2nd day FREE! (I highly recommend this ticket option if you plan to go to Sea World's Aquatica Water park as well - more info on my Aquatica experiences here!)
The Dining Plan is definitely the way to feed your family ALL Day and not have to stress over the cost - and as long as you eat at least 2 meals at the park you are already saving money - We ate 4-5 meals/snack meals as we stayed from 10am-10pm so keep that in mind!
Some hotels have free shuttles to Sea World, which would save on parking cost and walking so check to see if your hotel offers this option...if not, pay for parking online for the reduced price!
Active Military/Veterans - Sea World San Antonio offersFREE admissionto you and your family to both Sea World and Aquatica Water Park - more info on this program here!
WHAT ELSE TO DO
IN SAN ANTONIO
Check out all the places we visited during our trip -
