As the fall season arrives; Theme Parks have started to roll out their Halloween-themed events after having to cancel them for 2020.
After their amazing reveal this summer; SeaWorld San Diego kicked off their Howl-O-Scream event this past weekend which runs weekends and select Thursdays through Halloween.
During our Opening Night coverage, we enjoyed a nice reception that previewed some of the great food offerings and entertainment was provided by a Tarot reader and juggler while waiting for the event to begin.
The park had certain areas closed off but guests were able to enjoy several of the rides such as Journey to Atlantis, The Manta, and Electric Eel in the dark which added a new dimension to the rides.
The areas were arranged into different Scare Zones which had their own themes and monsters. Passing by a collection of Pirates and Haunted Mermaids was a great opener as was the great DJ who kept the crowd pumped all evening long.
Once the experience started; guests could enjoy three mazes which offered something from various horror themes.
I opened with Nightmare Experiment which took guests into an Asylum and offered a range of deranged inmates for guests to navigate through.
After this, I took in Journey to Atlantis and then made my way to Simon’s Slaughterhouse which was set inside the twisted world of Simon and was filled with all sorts of carnage and gore.
The final maze was Death Water Bayou and featured everything from a New Orleans Crypt to a House set deep in the Bayou and a Witch.
While the mazes were enjoyable; the cast did feature younger cast members at times which is a change from other parks which offer mainly adult cast members. The tone of the mazes was more in keeping with regional Haunted Houses which offered a more inclusive style that put the focus on the cast versus decorations as while it was good; the cast, not the effects were the highlight.
The park also offered themed live shows and The Vampire Circus was a great event that featured a wide array of performances and laughs with a Vampire theme.
For those looking for musical options; there was a band that played high-energy numbers well into the night. With multiple Scare Zones as well; guests were given plenty of options for their evening.
While it is not as jam-packed as some of the other area parks, SeaWorld offered a good variety of events which allows guests to not have to pick and choose what they will enjoy on their visit as with patience and planning; all attractions can be enjoyed during a single visit.
Guests can also obtain Front of the Line ticket upgrades to limit the wait and I can honestly say I did not have to wait more than 5-10 minutes for anything the entire night.
It will be interesting to see how the event will develop in the future but for its inaugural year; SeaWorld San Diego has provided an enjoyable event that should keep guests thrilled.
Tickets and more information can be obtained here.
