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Sea World
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Sea World
After more than 10 years of visiting Orlando on a regular basis and being the proud owner of yearly passes for "other" parks, at the suggestion of my wife, we finally broke down and paid a visit to Sea World.
We were not dissapointed at all !! Sea World is home to 2 of the best roller coasters around:
Manta - wow !!! this the newest addition to the park and it is outstanding. Not only for the ride itself but also for the attraction and the show created during the ride. Without delving into the technical issues, such as how many g's you are subjected to during the ride or hany loops you will go through - this ride is a must for any roller coaster enthusiast.
Kraken - stands alone in its own roller coaster category, arguably longer and more enjoyable than any of the coaster rides in Orlando. It is an outside rollercoaster, built apparently when they had plenty of land available within the park, it stretches out and back and does not dissapoint at all.
The fish dlsplays, rides and shows are top notch.
Glad we got these passes and we will repeat as often as we can.
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Love Sea World!!! We are in the attraction business and I can tell you Sea World cares about the people who work under them (selling the park) and people who come to their parks! Sea World is one of our favorite parks...we love the animals and they have great rides and wonderful employees which equals great service!
You have to ride Manta when going to Sea World!
Loads of other great things Sea World offers: they have specials for different times of the year like free trick or treating and Easter Sunrise service (which is free also). Then they have had different bands etc play at their parks that is included with admission.
Manta and Cracken... nuff said~!
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Sea World is amazing! Seeing the animals from the oceans and being able to get that close to them is nothing short of amazing! Never mind the fact that you get to see Shamu do all of these stunts! No CGI there! Truly all of these creatures of the oceans are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
There's a lot to Sea World beyond Shamu and the usual crowd they run past you. They do a lot for rehabilitation of hurt or stranded wildlife behind the scenes. They have a turtle rescue and a Manatee rescue and they do try to educate up front as much as they can. We saw baby manatees being fed bottles and adults being checked by vets. They had several turtles they were rehabilitating in hopes of re-release.
When you next go, realize that it's not just a commercial outfit, they do a lot of good behind the scenes.
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Being a single girl in my early twenties, I don't think that Sea World appeals much to my demographic. Be that as it may, it wasn't a terrible experience-- it managed to distract me with some interesting creatures, shows, etc. now and again. But those diversions were rare and I found myself wishing that I'd spent $75 on something else.
The shows were definitely very energetic and well thought out. But beware to folks that have seen Cirque Du Soleil and other similar intricate shows: you will be disappointed if you only pay attention to the acrobatics of the actors. Just remember to keep the focus on the sea animals, birds, and other creatures-- because it is an elaborate orchestration that must have really taken a lot of time.
All in all, I think that Seaworld definitely caters more to families, children, and nature lover types. And since I spent the first ten years of life exposed to the wilderness, nature doesn't really intrigue me. It was my childhood. Enough said.
OMG I FED THE DOLPHINS WITH LITTLE FISHIES!!! AND I TOUCHED THEM!!! they felt like wet rubbery vinyly buggers. oh and ONE OF THEM BIT MY FINGERS TO GET A FISH!!! OMG IT WAS sosoOOOOOOOoooo awesome!!!!!!
Pardon me for getting all 8 year old valley girl, but Sea World was a childhood dream come true!
There were so many times that I've seen dolphin shows, like at the Baltimore Aquarium, where one little kid gets picked to pet the dolphins... and I always wanted to be that kid. Nevermind that I was too old to be the chosen kid, but I always always always wanted to have a chance to touch a dolphin. So finally... I got to do it! For $7 per person per tray of fish!
I had read online that the dolphin feedings only take place at scheduled times that are not published ahead of time, and that the number of people who are allowed to buy the fish and do the feeding is capped at each time slot so that the dolphins don't get overfed. So I kept expectations low, knowing that we might not actually be able to get in and feed them, but fortunately, when we went to check the Dolphin Cove first thing in the morning, they were doing feedings right then! We lined up, got our tray of fish, held them out for the dolphins, and they swam right up to us, mouths open. We pet them, teased them with the fish and got nipped by the blunt teeth too. It was glorious.
To top it off, I even got a coupon for a buy-one-tray-o-fish-get-one-free at the sea lions' Pacific Point Preserve -- a savings of $5. But feeding the sea lions was not nearly as fun because you had to throw the fish at them while they honked at you like nobody's business. You could also feed the rays in the Stingray Lagoon for $5/tray of fish, but that involved sticking your hand all the way into fishy smelling water and letting a ray slide over you to suck up the fish. Huge birds stand by the ready, waiting to snatch the fish if they can. Those big white birds scared the bejesus out of me. But I hate birds in general, so...
Clearly, for me, the best part was the feeding. Some people get turned off that they have to pay extra to feed the animals, but I think it's awesome they allow us to do it at all, and at $5 or $7 for a tray of fish, it's not a huge ripoff.
The shows are probably what every non-8-year-old-valley-girl-dreamer goes to Sea World for. And for good reason... the shows are pretty entertaining and impressive. I had smirked when I read some TripAdvisor reviewers talk about tearing up at the Believe show with the killer whales... but I have to admit, seeing those huge predatory creatures act so adorable and majestic almost made me well up with tears as well. (Yes, laugh, laugh away) The Clyde and Seymour Take Pirate Island show was very cute and funny. Even better was the pirate mime making fun of audience members as they strolled in before the show. For all of these shows, they recommend arriving 45 minutes ahead of show time - and it's not a bad idea to try and arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you try to get in 5 minutes before the show starts, you'll end up at the very top. Also, note that if you sit in the "soak zone" at the Shamu show, you will get completely soaked. The dolphin show and sea lion show was less wet.
But I highly recommend bringing a towel and change of clothes. Especially if you plan on riding the Journey to Atlantis, your typical log cabin ride that goes through a dark cave with freaky hologram faces and fake treasures (tell the young ones to close their eyes) and climaxes with a steep drop into a pool of water.
I also recommend bringing your own water and snacks. I thought that Sea World didn't allow outside food and drinks, but they DO - Take advantage! Otherwise you'll be shelling out nearly $3 for a bottle of water.
As for other attractions, the Shamu's Happy Harbor area had a handful of dizzying rides for kiddies and a splash park. And the Clydesdale Hamlet housed the famous Budweiser horses! One was available for photo-taking and petting at a charge. The Shark Encounter had a pool of small sharks and fish for viewing and the Penguin Encounter had tons of small busy penguins on display behind a thick wall of glass. There were a few attractions we didn't see (like the Pets Ahoy show), but we saw almost everything all in about 9 hours. The longest line we stood in was for the Atlantis thing, about 45 minutes, but all the kiddie lines were less than 10 minutes and the shows involved just sitting around.
Note: Military families get free admission, as in all Anheuser Busch parks - that's a savings of $75 per adult and $65 per kid!
I think that covers about everything, but really this review could be summed up in my first line!
I FED THE DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!theend.
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Sea World is a great, relaxing place to spend the day, especially if you know a few tricks. The park is spread out so you'll have to walk... a lot. Definitely see the Sea Lion show which is always funny but don't get there late- they have a mime who makes fun of people who arrive too late but is a riot to watch from the stands. The Shamu show is gorgeous thanks to the majestic Orcas. I always enjoy visiting the Sting Ray Tank (you don't have to buy fish to attract the sting rays... just put your hand down like you have a fish and they swim right over, they are much easier to fool than the dolphins!) and maybe even feeding the Sea Lions and Dolphins. Go up in the sky tower to get a 360 degree bird's eye view and play in the enormous kid's play area and water zone. Check out the manatees tucked into the corner of the park.
A couple of places we find to escape the heat or just have a seat:
1- FREE BEER! Yes, not only do they give out free samples at the Hospitality Center but you can sign up for beer school where you get more FREE BEER! Even though you are only allowed 2 samples you can usually slip into another line unnoticed for a few more. Walk through the stable to check out the huge Clydesdales.
2- There is a beautiful bar at the Shark Encounter restaurant that is often overlooked by the tourists. Even though there is usually a wait for the restaurant you can sit immediately at the bar and order the same food. What is really cool (besides being able to see the sharks in the main exhibit from the bar) is that the bar itself is an aquarium. Under your arms and glasses there are beautiful salt water fish swimming about. A great place to recharge and relax.
One disappointment is the Wild Arctic exhibit which when it was first built was pretty neat. When I last visited it was kind of sad. The animals were doing a lot of repetitive behaviors, which is not a sign of happy animals. The exhibits seemed too small for them and there was one lone Beluga whale which looked miserably alone in it's exhibit (they are highly social). Hopefully Sea World has plans for this exhibit to keep pace with the quality of the rest of the park.
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I was stumped when trying to figure out what amusement park to take my son while visiting Orlando. He's only 2 so I decided against Disney because I wanted him to really enjoy himself when he went. I don't think he quite grasp the Mickey concept and how huge it is. After racking my brain I decided on Sea World and boy did I make the right decision. He really enjoyed the shows and of course Shamu! Sea World offers show after show after show. Which was great for me because my little one is too young for the rides.
We started the day off with "Breakfast with Elmo and Friends". My son LOVES Elmo! I prefer Grover myself, he's got swagger! We had a continental style breakfast buffet. While the kids ate, characters like Ernie, Grover, Bert and Cookie Monster mingled with the children and took pictures with the families.
Then it was time for the headliner, Elmo himself. He graced us with his presence by singing all of his popular songs while he danced with Zoe. Each family was then granted the opportunity to take a picture with all of the characters. What a great way to start the day!
On to the killer whales. The show they put together is simply amazing. I can't imagine the hours of training that it takes to perfect the shows but it is definitely reflected in the performance. You can tell that the trainers really care about the animals as well. We also caught a show that featured trained dogs, cats, birds, ducks and pigs. Way cool!
Lunch time! We had the best lunch I can remember for an amusement park. A la carte without the cheesy half attempt of a presentation. The food was fresh and prepared while you waited. It was then time to souvenir shop. Of course you'll overspend but what the heck, you're on vacation!
I recommend Sea World for those with small children. They are sure to love the shows and the experience!
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