We just got back from a Florida trip and decided to spend a day at Sea World. There were some disappointments, but overall-- the whole family had a great day.
Let's start with the good. We arrived at the park about a half hour after the park opened and headed over to the dolphin feeding area. Neither my wife nor myself, nor either of our 2 boys (ages 4 and 7), had ever been this close to a dolphin-- so this was a truly awesome experience. We had to pay $7 extra per person to get a tray of fish which we were able to hand feed to the dolphins (nobody in the family was allowed to enter the area without paying). The dolphins came right up to us, some of them lunging out of the water to see us, and took the fish right from our hands. My wife was a little grossed out by handling the slimy dead fishies, but my kids and I didnt mind. You could pet the dolphins on the head with your other hand while feeding them, which made the experience even more amazing. Trust me, you don't have to be a 13 year old girl to be enamoured by dolphins, they are awesome creatures and I highly recommend paying a few extra bucks to feed the dolphins if you end up heading to sea world.
After this, we decided to grab some lunch (the food was solid, not spectacular but certainly not bad) before heading over to the Wild Arctic ride and exhibit. The Wild Arctic ride is a helicopter simulator and is truly terrible. It pretty much just jerks and shakes while showing a very lame movie. Thankfully we walked right onto this and didnt wait in line for it.. because this ride stinks. You apparently have the option to skip the ride and walk right to the exhibit-- and I would highly recommend doing this. My whole family hated it. The exhibit itself is very cool, as you get to see Walruses, Beluga Whales, and Polar Bears from both above the water and underneath the water, and you actually are able to get very close.
After exiting the exhibit, we camped out for the "Believe" Killer Whale show, which is the premiere attraction at the park. You'll see other reviewers telling you that you need to get there at least a half-hour early to get a seat, and this is pretty accurate. We were one of the first people into the arena for the 1:30 show, and got great seats right at water level, about 6 rows back from the glass (we didnt want to get toooo soaked (-:). Even though the crowd was very light at Sea World that day, the show was completely full 15 minutes before showtime. Some people have complained that the music and premise of this show is lame and cheezy, but my whole family loved it. The killer whales are awesome animals, and seeing the bond between these animals and their trainers (the orcas push the trainers around with their nose and launch them into the air) is really amazing. If you sit in the front few rows, you WILL get very wet, as Shamu has been well trained to use his back fin to soak the crowd on command. We got a little wet ourselves, but dried quickly and it didnt put a damper on our day. It was a little obnoxious the way they try to sell the "orca tail" necklases after the show, but we just laughed at them.
We got caught in an Orlando Afternoon rainstorm after the show, and had ended up running past the "kiddie ride" section, but it looked like they had some nice rides in there. On another visit, we would definately try to ride a few of them.
Our next move was darting through the rain over to the shark exhibit, which was cool and is certainly worth the time. You walk through a few different exhibits, seeing some beautiful seahorse-like creatures and some menacing Barracudas, before the main attraction-- which is an enclosed moving walkway through a big shark tank. The exhibit wasnt quite as cool as one we went through a few years ago at the aquarium in Gatlinburgh, Tennessee.. but was still worth a visit.
After this, we kept moving around the park and visitied the Penguins and Sea Lions, before heading over to Kraken-- the only roller coaster in the park. My wife was kind enough to watch the kids (my 7 year old was 1 inch too short to ride) while I got to ride one of the better coasters that you'll ever get the chance to ride. Kraken goes high and fast, takes you underground, and goes upside down about 6 or 7 times. The amazing thing is, it does this all while staying completely smooth-- your head will never move from side to side and you dont get jerked around at all. We decided to skip "Journey to Atlantis" next door, because we didnt feel like getting soaked, and everyone we saw getting off of this ride was completely soaked.
We ended our day seeing Clyde and Seymoure's Pirate Adventure, which was awesome, and should be a "must see" on your list. Be sure to arrive at least 20 minutes early to the show, because a mime comes out and makes fun of people as they walk into the show, and he is absolutely hilarious. Me and my wife we were rolling. The show itself is great, and sea lions are the stars of the pirate show, sliding around the stage and getting into all kinds of trouble. We all loved it.
By this point, the park was about to close and we headed for the exits-- stopping by to see some gators and manatees on the way out. The whole family had a great day.
My main complaint about Sea World would be the way that that they do the September scheduling of shows. We missed out on Blue Horizons, the dolphin show, because we chose to see the other shows instead. I realize that crowds are down in September, but they should have the shows frequently enough in the day that you can see 3 shows during a visit and still have time to walk through the exhibits. They still charge the same high admission price after all..
That said, I would recommend Sea World to anyone going to the Orlando area. You'll have a good day there, and don't forget to do the dolphin feeding-- it is absolutely worth it.
