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SeaWorld News and Updates
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SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a completely different animal among the many theme parks vying for your attendance. You can actually experience a sense of calm as you make your waythroughout this park unlike the frenzy you often feel in Walt Disney World or Universal Studios. The crowds are not nearly as overwhelming here, even on the busiest of days, providing you with a unique opportunity to take in the park’s beautifully landscaped surroundings, as well as the ability to leisurely make your way from exhibit to exhibit (or show or ride). This may be in part due to the fact that the majority of the park’s experiences are observational rather than participatory. Because of this, SeaWorld may not leave you with the sense of anxiousness evoked by so many of the other area parks, even if you experience it at the height of the tourist season.
 SeaWorld, however, is in no way willing to be left in the shadows of its competitors. Its largest expansion to date, appropriately named the Waterfront, encompasses 5 acres and offers an array of unique new dining and shopping options in an inviting Mediterranean seaport-style setting (a much-needed addition to the park, I might add). The park has also continued to grow over the past few years to include a few thrills of its own. In fact, one of the most heart-pounding monster roller coasters in all of Florida can be found here.
Now, rides are not by any means a focus at this park--the marine life takes center stage here, in some instances quite literally. Considered to be the world’s largest marine adventure park, SeaWorld is home to hundreds of species of sea life, including killer whales, dolphins, penguins, rays, manatees, and so much more. Up-close animal encounters that allow you to actually touch and feed some of the marine life such as the rays, the dolphins, and the sea lions, the opportunity to dive with the sharks, eat with the whales, be a trainer for the day, and much, much more are all experiences that truly make this park so unique among the area theme parks.
>>Click here to view a SeaWorld park map
Cleverly disguised as a theme park, SeaWorld exposes you to unique and unusual experiences that are also genuinely educational. I can practically guarantee that your kids (and quite possibly you) will come away having learned something new and extraordinary about the amazing marine life that inhabits the world and why it is so important to both preserve and protect it.
Just the Facts
Location: SeaWorld can be found at the intersection of I-4 and 528 (also known as the Bee Line Expressway).
Park hours: SeaWorld opens at 9:00 a.m. year-round. Closing times vary depending on the time of year, with extended hours during the summer and holidays. It is best to check ahead of time for exact times.
Tickets: For ticketing purposes, adults are considered to be those 10 and older; those between 3 and 9 are considered children. Children 2 years of age and under are admitted free.
There are several ticket options available for admission to the park:
A 1-day ticket that includes admission to SeaWorld for a single day costs $74.95 plus tax for adults and $64.95 plus tax for children.
A 2 Park ticket: This ticket includes unlimited admission to both SeaWorld and Aquatica for up to 7 consecutive days at a cost of 99.95 for an adult, 89.95 for a child.
A 3 Park ticket: This ticket includes unlimited admission to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens: Tampa Bay for up to 7 consecutive days at a cost of 134.95 for an adult, 124.95 for a child.
The Discovery Cove Ultimate ticket: This ticket includes one day admission to Discovery Cove and Unlimited admission to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens: Tampa Bay for up to 7 consecutive days starting at a cost of 259.00.
Passports and Platinum Passports: These are annual passes with a catchier name.
They're available in several variations and can include admission to a combination of parks (including SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island) and are priced the same for both adults and children. To build your passport, simply pick which parks you wish to include and the time frame you would like the passport to be valid for (either 1 or 2 years).
For complete details regarding these and other admission tickets like the Fun Card (available only occasionally), tickets specially priced for Florida residents, other limitedtime special offers, or animal experience certificates, be sure to check out www.seaworld.com or call 407-351-3600.
S eaWorld has announced that they are increasing their 1-day ticket prices for 2009 at several of their parks! As of January 5th, 2009 a 1-day admission ticket to SeaWorld will cost you $74.95 (a $5 increase - and just a nickel shy of what a 1-day park ticket to Disney or Universal now costs) while a 1-day ticket to Aquatica will run $33.95 (a $3 increase). Over in Tampa Bay a 1-day ticket to Busch Gardens will increase to $69.95 (a $2 increase) while 1-day admission to Adventure Island (Busch Gardens sister water park) will run $39.95 (a $2 increase). Multi-day and Multi-park tickets to the various parks remain untouched (the price hikes have only affected 1-day tickets) and admission to Discovery Cove holds steady at $289 with the dolphin swim experience, $189 without it.
Flex tickets:
The Orlando Flex ticket includes unlimited admission to SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Wet 'n Wild and Aquatica for up to 14 consecutive days. Adult tickets cost $234.95 plus tax, and children’s tickets cost $214.95 plus tax.
The Orlando Flex Ticket plus includes admission to SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Wet ‘n Wild, Aquatica and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for up to 14 consecutive days. The adult tickets cost 279.95 plus tax, and children’s tickets cost $259.95 plus tax. For additional information on the flex ticket, call 800-224-3838
If you’re interested in putting together an entire SeaWorld vacation package, check out www.seaworldvacations.com for the most up-to-date details.
Parking: The parking lot, while large, is not nearly as daunting as those found at Disney or Universal - you can actually see the entire lot in a single glance. However, if you don’t feel like walking any more than absolutely necessary, preferred parking (which will get you a space in the first few rows of the lot) is available for a few dollars more. Prices run about $10 for regular parking and about $15 for preferred.
Guest Services: SeaWorld offers a variety of services to help make your experience easier and more enjoyable. Stroller rentals, whether single or double, are available for a reasonable daily fee (10 to$16). The advantage to doing this is that you don’t have to lug around your own, in and out of the car, to and from the car, and so on. The disadvantage is that they are generally less comfortable than your own even though now SeaWorld offers fabric strollers (replacing the previous versions made of hard plastic).
They however do not recline for naps, which is an especially important feature for infants and small children. They also offer little to no room for the gear you will inevitably be carrying if you have children with you. This means that you will find yourself having to lug not only the gear but also the souvenirs and your tired children to the car and all on your own. Now, I’m not knocking the idea altogether. Renting a stroller if you have kids around the ages of 3 or 4 who may simply want or need to take a break from all of the walking as opposed to actually napping (though don’t be surprised if the younger ones actually do doze off), and you have a smaller bag of gear to deal with (as opposed to what you have to carry with infants or several children), then it would most likely work out well.
Strollers may be reserved ahead of time by going online to www.seaworld.com
Lockers: Locker rentals are available for any extra gear that you don’t want to lug around with you. While in theory this sounds great, after having gone this route myself at another park, I can’t say as it worked out all that well. By the time you actually need something out of the locker (say a sweatshirt for a chilly evening or a change of clothes after getting soaked), you will inevitably be completely on the other side of the park, and more than likely you won’t be really excited about walking all the way there and back to get what you need and will decide that simply doing without the item altogether would be much easier.
The cost is 6.00 for small lockers and 8.00 for large lockers.
Pet Care: Kennels are available for those of you who just can’t stand to leave your family friends behind while on vacation. Kennels are available (at a cost of $6.00 per day)
Other helpful services found throughout the park include diaper-changing and nursing areas (located near the Penguin Encounter and Shamu’s Happy Harbor), restrooms (throughout the park), first-aid stations (located near Stingray Lagoon and Shamu’s Happy Harbor), and ATM machines. A mailbox and foreign currency exchange can be found near the main entrance as well. Package delivery (to Shamu’s Emporium located near the park entrance) is also available and at no additional charge. This allows you to make purchases throughout the day without having to lug them around or worry that they may be taken while you leave your stroller outside of an exhibit (which is required in most cases). Just remember to pick it up before you leave.
SeaWorld News and Updates
AQUATICA; a one of a kind water park opened March of 2008.
Only SeaWorld could create Aquatica, a whimsical, eco-themed water park that will blend up close animal experiences, waters to play in, over, and under, along with highspeed thrills and stretches of sandy beaches.
The park’s 60 acres will be filled with lush landscapes, vividly colored flowers, rivers that wind through hidden grottos, and pounding waterfalls – all with the feel of the South Sea Islands. Brightly colored buildings topped with swooping, pitched roofs, carved totem poles, and interactive fountains will add to the whimsical feel.
The attractions feature both high-energy thrill rides and immersive swimming experiences for every age. A colorful mix of racing tunnels, raft rides and rivers offer crashing surf and high-speed thrills, while pools, lagoons and lazy rivers are inviting to those guests who enjoy a slower pace. In total there will be 36 water slides, six rivers and lagoons, and more than 80,000 square feet of sandy beaches. And animal inhabitants will include Commerson’s dolphins, brilliant macaws and colorful fish among others.
Recent additions to Shamu's Happy Harbor include several all-new kid-friendly rides: the Shamu Express, a kid-friendly coaster with pint-sized Shamu cars; Jazzy Jellies, a jellyfish-themed samba tower; and Swishy Fishies, a waterspout-themed teacup ride; Ocean Commotion, a fanta-“sea” themed 19-foot tug boat that takes riders on a swinging boat ride, gently rocking back-and-forth and whirling side-to-side; The Flying Fiddler, a giant, bright-red fiddler crab with illuminated eyes that move as it gently lifts riders more than 20 feet up into the air, then descends in a quick series of short drops; and The Sea Carousel, an elaborate marine-themed carousel topped by a behemoth 45-footwide pink
octopus where riders have their choice of 65 colorful sea creatures, including giant exotic fish, sea lions, otters, sharks and dolphins. With the new additions, Shamu’s Happy Harbor has doubled in size to 4 acres of kid-friendly fun.
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