SeaWorld Orlando - Review

Location - 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, Florida USA

Entry Price - Prices do vary from season to season. Please check their web page for precise prices for you and your family.

Opening Hours - Opening hour is 9am. The park closing time is subject to change based on seasonal events.

SeaWorld web page 

 

Layout 

SeaWorld is a marine/theme park that is located only 20 minutes from Orlando International Airport.The only entry/exit to this park is dominated by a light house entry statement that sets the tone for what is nautical theming throughout the entire park. SeaWorld is positioned around a large central lake with a Sky Tower being the central feature.  Standing at 400 feet or 122 metres the Sky Tower is a perfect location reference point whilst exploring the park. 

 

Clustered around the central lake, left of the Sky Tower via the entry is the Waterfront precinct, where the majority of restaurants and shops are located.  Moving left from this location is where you will find larger attractions including rides, dolphins at Dolphin Cove and the dolphin theater, and sea lions at Pacific Point Reserve next to the Sea Lion Theater. This immediate area also includes Antarctica Empire of the Penguin and a good selection of other marine animals.

As you move around the park clockwise you will come across Shark Encounter, home to sharks and other fish, Shamu Stadium where you can watch the killer whale show and view the killer whales from underwater viewing areas. Still moving clockwise you will find polar bears, walruses and the very friendly beluga wales.

Extra Activities

As this is a theme park, you will be spoilt for choice with rides, shows and many food options. Animals encounters include the feeding of dolphins and stingrays or having lunch with Shamu the killer whale are available and are subject to availability. 

Conservation efforts 

The SeaWorld Conservation fund has donated over 10 million dollars in 10 years.They also assist in the rescue of injured or displaced marine animals.

Stu’s Favorite Bit 

I really loved the atmosphere at this park – maybe because it was the holiday season so the park was dressed up with holiday decorations galore. 

My favorite attraction was by far Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin. This ride allows you to immerse yourself in the Antarctic landscape thanks to the impressive theming. A trackless ride takes you on a journey following the adventures of (animated) Puck a baby Gentoo penguin . The ride peaks  with the revealing of colonies of real Gentoo, King, Adelie and Rockhopper penguins. At the end of the ride visitors can then go to viewing areas inside the penguins enclosure for a closer look.  What I loved about the experience, is how SeaWorld had been able to incorporate great story telling and an up close experience, cold climate and all. It is very immersive and has some sound educational elements. 

Go HERE to see a selection of animals found at SeaWorld Orlando at Stu @ the Zoo TV 

King Penguins at Empire of the Penguin

Stu’s review and tips

Over the years I have watched with interest the unfolding dramas that have been SeaWorld’s killer whale program including horrific trainer deaths and the subsequent controversy of the treatment and housing of the park's killer whales. I visited this park trying to keep as open a mind as possible – including not watching the documentary Black Fish prior to my December visit.  I wanted to experience SeaWorld as any visitor would, so I made an effort to have as little preconceived expectations as possible. Secretly however, I imagined that I would love SeaWorld. That I would get what they were trying to achieve in their efforts to educate people in the conservation of all marine animals and their environment.

I attended two shows whilst visiting SeaWorld, the dolphin show "Blue Horizons" and the killer whale show "One Ocean".  My observation is that SeaWorld places a lot more emphasis on entertainment than conservation messages. The dolphin show was a mix of dolphin tricks, acrobatics and birds swoops. (sample video).  If you took the dolphins out of the equation the show would have still been very entertaining – So I have to ask, what was the point? As an example of contrast, the Sea World Australia dolphin show “Imagine” takes advantage of having a captive audience to talk about conservation, caring for marine environs and the history and care of dolphins. The tricks are all natural things a dolphin will do in the wild, or things they need them to do in order to undertake required medical tasks, so when you leave the show you are informed and entertained. In negative contrast, I found SeaWorld Orlando dolphin show to be all about entertainment and thus they lost a useful educational opportunity.

Blue Horizons dolphin Show

The killer whale show was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong - I loved seeing these beautiful animals, but for me the show was a loose message on how we can all live together followed by the killer whales soaking the audience and performing tricks.  I would have thought that with all the negative media on SeaWorld, that there would be more of an emphasis on the conservation aspect built into the show. I recently saw an interview with Jack Hanna where he defended SeaWorld Orlando. He said that “SeaWorld was relevant and important because it introduced people to the animal world". This fits comfortably with one of my favourite Hanna quotes “ Zoo animals are ambassadors for animals in the wild”.  A philosophy that I strongly uphold. I need to be honest here and say I can’t imagine being terribly inspired though after simply being soaked to the core by killer whales kept in small enclosures, and I definitely did not learn one thing from this show about killer whales, apart from the fact they will do tricks for fish. (sample video)

One Ocean - Killer Whale Show

Sea World Australia has whale watching boats that take people out to see the whales in their natural habitat.  No tricks -just beautiful nature and educational commentary - and thus much more relevant and important experiences. 

Apart from some impressive enclosures like the penguin and shark enclosures I found most enclosures to be small and stark, sterile to a point and all falling short when it came to conservation messages.  I won’t name them all individually but the stand out is the North Pole exhibit housing the polar bear amongst other animals. Terribly bleak and depressing with little information on the animals. 

On a more positive note - The staff were all very friendly and the grounds through the whole park were impresive.Try and get to the park for the opening – they play the USA national anthem and as a visitor to the USA it is really stirring hearing everyone sing. 

I truly believe that without zoos and aquariums, people will not get the opportunity to learn about animals to the point where they will be motivated to do something to protect their environment. As I have said in the past many times – zoos and aquariums should inspire you to want to be a better person and to do something for all the animals that call this planet home (and their environs).   SeaWorld fails in meeting their stated public mission: "to celebrate and conserve the natural world", and in my opinion, does not strive to educate but simply to entertain. 

If you want to see elephants and tigers do tricks you go to a circus, if you want to see orcas and dolphins do tricks you can go to SeaWorld Orlando. Very entertaining I’m sure, but not a reason to keep these beautiful animals in captivity. 

Must See Animals  
Polar Bear 
Sea Lions 
Walrus 
Dolphin
Killer Whale 
Penguin
Flamingo 
Shark
 


© January 2014-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

In Focus - Penguins

Status: Least Concern

Geographical Region:  Southern Hemisphere

Origin of Name: French word - pingouin 

Habitat: Coastline

Threats: Leopard seals, killer whales, sharks, people

Left in Wild:  See list below

King Penguin - Sea World, Gold Coast

The penguin is a flightless aquatic bird that lives in the Southern Hemisphere.  When most people think of penguins they generally picture the Antarctic variety such as the king or the largest of the species the emperor penguin.  There are 17 species of penguin of which only a few live in Antarctica. The general rule is the larger the penguin the colder the climate they live in. The smallest penguin is aptly named the 'little penguin' found on the south east coast of Australia and New Zealand. 

Little Penguin  - Sea World, Gold Coast

  Penguins tend to pair up at mating time and look after their egg and chick together but they don't necessarily stay together as a couple for their whole lives. Larger penguins such as the species that live in the Antarctic lay one egg per season, however smaller penguins generally lay two.

Chinstrap Penguin - Central Park Zoo

Stu’s Zoo Pick for the Penguin

To be totally honest I find penguin enclosures to be just as fascinating as the penguins that inhabit them. Grand structures they have become, allowing visitors to get up close and see the penguins from every viewing point imaginable. In 2013 Sea World Orlando incorporated penguin viewing with a new ride system to enhance the visitors overall experience.

At SeaWorld Orlando

Sea World on the Gold Coast is by far the best penguin viewing experience I have had to date with the opportunity to view three species of penguins in two separate enclosures. Penguin Encounter is the ultimate attraction for viewing both the King and Gentoo penguins and also learning about the diverse variety of penguin species. The viewing opportunities here include underwater and up-close experiences. At penguin point you can watch the antics of the world’s smallest penguins – little penguins. This is a great place to see these little guys up close, watch them at feeding time and listen to keeper talks.

Great displays at Penguin Encounter at Sea World - Gold Coast

Central Park Zoo is another great zoo for viewing Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins at their purpose-built enclosure at Polar Circle.

Little Penguin - Sea World, Gold Coast

Here is a list of the 17 species of penguins, their natural location and how many live in the wild. Click on the link to see what is the best zoo to see each species - links will be added as I visit more zoos

Adelie penguin: Antarctica – approximately 5 million

African penguin: South Africa – approximately 120 thousand

Chinstrap penguin: Antarctic Peninsula – approximately 12 million

Emperor penguin: Antarctica – approximately 400 thousand

Erect – crested penguin: New Zealand – approximately 300 thousand

Fiordland penguin: New Zealand – approximately 6 thousand

Galapagos penguin: Galapagos Island – approximately 2 thousand

Gentoo penguin: Antarctic Peninsula – approximately 600 thousand

Humboldt penguin: Chile and Peru – approximately 24 thousand

King penguin: Heard and Macquarie Island – approximately 4 million

Little penguin: Australia and New Zealand – approximately 1 million

Macaroni penguin: Chile and Argentina – approximately 15 million

Magellanic penguin: Chile and Argentina – approximately 3 million

Rockhopper penguin: Chile and Argentina – approximately 3 million 

Royal penguins: New Zealand and Australia – approximately

Snares penguin: Snares Island, New Zealand – approximately 50 thousand

Yellow – eyed penguin: New Zealand – approximately 3 thousand

Adelie and Rockhopper penguins from SeaWorld Orlando

© September 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

Sea World - Gold Coast

Location - Sea World Drive, Main Beach, Queensland

 

Entry Price - Adults $79.00AUD Children (3-13) $64.00 Pensioner $65.00AUD.

 

Opening Hours - 9.30am to 5.30pm. Closed Christmas day.  Anzac day (25th April)  opening hours are 1.30am to 5.30pm

 

Follow the link to 2015 update 

Sea World web page

 

Front, main entrance

Layout

This is a good size park that is a mixture of zoo, aquarium and amusement park. There are two entrances to this park. One via the main entrance at the front, adjacent to a large car park and the other at the back of the park for hotel guests staying at Sea World Resort. A monorail station services the back entrance and includes two other stations at the front and centre of the park.

At the front of the park is where you can see both Gentoo and King penguins in the Penguins Encounter enclosure.  Also close to this area is the dolphin nursery, rehabilitation pens and seal show arena. In the centre of the park is where the majority of the rides are located including a children’s ride section and roller coasters. There is also a variety of retail shops, cafes and show style amusements. Close by is where you will find Polar Bear Shores, Ray Reef (where you can feed rays for an additional charge) and a large variety of  small and large fish at Shark Bay. The Dolphin show is located at the back of the park in a purpose built arena and is close to Seal Harbour and a Little Penguins' enclosure called Penguin Point.

  The park has a large variety of cafes, restaurants and retail stores spread throughout. A small cable car connects the front of the park to the centre, close to the polar bears and shark lagoon.

One of the specialty retail stores on site

 

 Extra Activities

As this is an amusement park there are many rides throughout. There are two animal shows, Seal Detectives, and a dolphin show called Imagine that are both scheduled twice daily and are included in your entry ticket price. Talks and feeding times are also scheduled daily for all animals.

For an extra charge Sea World has a large variety of personal experiences called Animal Adventures and range from one on one time with dolphins and sea lions, underwater experiences in Shark Bay, to behind the scene tours at Polar Bear Shores. All this information is located on the web site.

Helicopter and whale watching cruises can also be arranged on site.

 

Touch pool at Shark Bay

 

   

Breeding Programmes

Sea World has a very impressive captive breeding programme with over 20 dolphins being born on site. They have also set up a foundation called The Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation. This a not for profit organisation that has supported over 120 research projects and has an extensive education campaign on the importance of conservation of the world’s oceans.  This foundation also has a specialised team on standby 24 hours a day to assist in the rescue of marine animals across the region.

 

 

Stu’s Favourite Bit

The Polar Bear enclosure (Polar Bear Shores) is an excellent way to get up close to these massive animals.  The enclosure is a great example of what the combination of technology, good animal husbandry and large enclosures can achieve. This is a state of the art enclosure and is one of the best I have seen at any zoo I have visited.  

You can see the bears at ground level, water level or overhead looking down into the enclosure. The glass wall viewing allows for very close up experiences. I had a great one-on-one experience with a polar bear trying to share its fish with me as you can see by my photo below. This is also the only place to see polar bears in Australia.  

 

Fish Anybody

 

Go HERE to see a selection of animals found at Sea World at Stu @ the zoo TV 

Stu’s review and tips  

I got married at Sea World seven years ago and this has always been my all time favourite park so it’s  going  to be a little hard to be objective, but here goes.

 

Sea World Gold Coast is not affiliated with the SeaWorld parks in the USA. I will be doing a review on SeaWorld Orlando at the end of 2013.

The animal enclosures at Sea World are stunning!  If you are looking to see a good variety of marine animals in excellent enclosures then this is a great place to visit.

 

Informative signage at every enclosure

 

The two animal shows on offer are great – Seal Detectives is suited more for children and a lot of fun. The dolphin show – Imagine is a conservation lesson and history lesson combined with an opportunity to see dolphin’s natural abilities in the wild including some additional tricks that they have learnt for health check purposes. This is all done with the backing of a great soundtrack and is definitely worth watching. The show takes place at Dolphin Cove, a large series of sandy bottom lagoons one of which is the show arena and the others can be seen directly after the show.

 

Dolphin show - Imagine

 

The food available for sale is very expensive and on the day of this review was not fresh and in one case not edible. All day refillable drink cups are available and good value at $6.00 for a small cup. If you do insist on eating at the park – the Dock Side Tavern veranda seating area is a great place to look over the park and nearby dolphin pools.

On the down side, I felt a constant bombardment of advertising material to get you to spend more money. Signs everywhere pushing the Animal Adventures you can have at an extra charge, feeding stations to feed fish for a dollar. Lolly and small toy vending machines everywhere, at just the right height to entice little children.  

 

Watch out for the kiosk where they are trying to get you to attend a time share holiday package seminar. You know the ones! Win a prize from a scratch n win ticket only to be told that you have to go to a five hour seminar to collect.

The monorail is more for entertainment value than an actual transportation system, as it was very slow and crowded. It does give you a good perspective of the park looking down including a view into some of the animal rehabilitation holding pens at the back of the park.  The cable car goes over some of the dolphin pools for a unique view.

The Monorail -See the park from a different perspective

Sea World is currently adding new attractions – more roller coasters and ride experiences. I just hope that they remember that the feeling of a special one-on-one encounter with one of your favourite animals will be around long after the thrill of a roller coaster has passed. 

 

Must See Animals 

 

Polar Bear 

Penguin

Sharks 

Dolphins 

Sea Lions