SeaWorld Orlando 6-21-10

[Beast1979]

Hey everyone, a little over a week ago our family went to SeaWorld Orlando while we were in Florida. While we were there, we saw dolphins, sharks, penguins, orcas, and my little brother Joe conquered Kraken and Manta! It was a great time!

There was quite a lot of information that we needed to get our SeaWorld trip to work, so I ended up writing it all down. Thanks to Delirium_Guy for all the helpful advice!

Looks like Mom and Joe are excited to go to SeaWorld!

You can't go 2 miles through downtown Orlando without passing an Amusement Park poster. We saw at least 8 Disney, 5 Universal, 3 SeaWorld, and one Busch Gardens.

Is that....a roller coaster I see?

SeaWorld!

We got to the park at about 9 am, and low and behold, the line to get into the parking lot was jammed.

It was 3 weeks since I had ridden a roller coaster, so Manta's twisted goodness was quite an inviting sight.

I knew almost right away that SeaWorld wasn't going to be a Theme Park with animals, it was going to be a Zoo with roller coasters.

After waiting a good 15 minutes to get into the park, we got a park map and headed to Shark's Underwater Grill to get our lunchtime reservations.

They didn't start taking reservations for another 45 minutes though, so we walked back at a leisurely rate, stopping to take pictures of Manta!

There were a lot of things that surprised me. The vivid landscaping around the ride, the still clean water in the splashdown, and the fact that the splashdown effect still works!

Manta has lots of graceful, swooping turns, unlike Firehawk, which feels more like you're getting yanked through the course.

The train comes close to the water, and a bunch of jets are synchronized so that they spray to make it look like you're grazing the top of the water. A great effect that many thought wouldn't happen when it was featured in the concept art!

To get to Shark's the quickest, we went through the Waterfront section of SeaWorld (Apparently the guy in front wasn't to excited to be featured in the picture!)

All of the Busch Parks have dibbs on Sesame Street, as Cedar Fair has Peanuts and Six Flags has Looney Toons. So, Trooper Mom couldn't resist getting her picture with Big Bird!

Joe wanted his picture too!

Orlando is a landlocked city, so to create more of a "SeaWorld" effect they have a giant lake to the right of the park. The Waterfront area is obviously, the area near the waterfront. The theming reminds me of Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure, it's very good!

The Sky Tower, a $4 double deck observation ride, sits in the water, just off the midway. Think Sky Tower at Cedar Point.

We finally left the Waterfront....

To find that the area we wanted to get to was closed off until 10am. Apparently they wouldn't even let you back there until they started to take applications.

The entry to Shark's Underwater Grill has a pool of Manta Rays and small sharks outside it. We got a reservation for 1pm. It was a little after 10am when we left.

We walked towards Journey To Atlantis, and saw Manta on the way. Manta is in the dead center of that area of the park, and it's visible from almost everywhere.

As was recommended, we rode Journey to Atlantis first. And as was said, the line was short! A good 5 minutes for the ride, Joe and I sat in the back, trying to avoid getting completely drenched.

I've heard that the Orlando version of this ride is the best of the set. This one is the only one I had ridden, so I couldn't back up that statement. However, I did find it to be a pleasure of a ride. The ride is about 70% dark ride, 20% water ride, and 10% roller coaster. However, it's clear that it's all 3 when you ride it. The ride has a fuzzy, if not hard to follow plot, but the theming is superb, the effects are top notch and the level of detail is fantastic. It's clear when you ride it that SeaWorld cares about what people think when they ride it, not like *cough*cedar fail*cough* and their Boo Blasters ride being half gone before the first season is over. The ride was very fun and Joe and I barely got wet! As I described it to mom, it was 'Very Not Bad!'

While we were in that area of the park, we decided to do Kraken.

Joe had never been on a coaster so tall, so fast, or ever been upside down. But he decided he'd do it.

Kraken does not have the level of theming that Manta or Journey to Atlantis have. It is a fantastic ride though. The pacing of elements is great, the forces are all there, it's just fun overall. I would rate it higher then Dominator at Geauga Lake. (I did not ride it at KD.) I literally said "WOW" out loud going the Zero-G roll, and the Cobra Roll and turn after are full of positive g's. The mist filled tunnels are a nice effect too.

After Kraken we moved on to other things. Manta is built over existing midways, so it's quite visible from below.

I like this shot.

Are we in the Shark exhibit?

No! We're at Dolphin Cove!

People are crammed shoulder to shoulder to try and touch one, and none of them do. I'm quite satisfied with having seen them.

Splash!

The dolphins love to play!

They have an artificial wave machine, and the dolphins will play in the waves all day!

(Oh, and I spy Manta)

Did I mention they have great landscaping here?

Off to the Stingrays, right next door!

They have a GIANT sanctuary pool for the stingrays, and people can walk right up and touch them!

So....who wants to touch it?

"Sorry, I have my camera. You can touch it if you want!"

Apparently they feel leathery....

Manta was to be the last thing we did, so it was teasing me all day.

Weee!!!!

Next up, the Blue Horizons show!

The popular show with dolphins, birds and acrobats!

Again, Delirium_Guy was spot on when he said that this place would fill up. The show started at 11:30, and we got there at 11:15.

Time for the show to start.

Apparently it's about this girl, who's dreaming about these animals, and they become real. Eh, it wasn't about the story.

It was about the animals.

Each time the animals did a trick, they were rewarded with fish!

More in a second....

[Beast1979]

What an odd role reversal!

Airborne!

Hi Ho Silverfish?

Gasp! How!!!

Oh.

What majestic animals.

Time for the birds!

I know us humans have a strong desire to fly, but really?

Whatever, it was about showing off the acrobatics.

Trooper Mom enjoyed the acrobats, I found myself saying "I like the Dolphins better."

It was cool though when they had some birds fly all over the audience.

Then these scary black birds came out,

And they had a giant black bird fly over us.

More acrobatics...

And then the grand finale.

Dolphins and birds fly together as the music crescendoed into a big finale.

The birds are thinking, "I Can Haz Cracker?"

Overall, Blue Horizons is a great show, full of awesome acrobatics and amazing animals.

More Manta yumm

Off to the Penguins!

The exhibit itself wasn't much spectacular, but it did provide some much needed AC.

The exhibit is powered by Southwest, so I wonder what this plane is doing here!

There's actually a slow moving sidewalk here, so take your pictures while you can!

See Penguin Swim!

See Penguin stand around and do nothing!

Above and below water.

After that we found our way to the Sea Lion exhibit.

This bird was just asking for a picture.

Sea Lions actually do bark!

"I'm going to work on my tan."

"I can haz lunch leftoverz?"

Still great landscaping.

"I knew this modeling gig would pay off!"

We still had a good hour before our reservation, so we did the sky tower.

I was annoyed at the $4 admission, but for the AC and this roomy interior, I think it's worth it!

While we were up, we were listening to "W-E-E-T, Waterfront Radio" Basically elevator music with a pre-recording of someone pointing things out.

Eye-Level with Manta

Eye-Level with Journey To Atlantis (The slides behind it are part of Aquatica, SeaWorld's waterpark)

Kraken still has a great paint job after 10 years.

It's odd...B&M Doesn't usually do those pre-drop turns....

The SeaWorld lake.

On the other side of the lake is Shamu Stadium, Shamu's Happy Harbor, and Wild Arctic.

To the front is Shamu Stadium (I'll give you 3 guesses as to what that's for) and behind it is Shamu's Happy Harbor, with a play place and the kiddie coaster visible.

Can't remember what this stadium is for.

Manta. You can see the midway it's built over.

Into the Pretzel Loop.

Kraken.

Joe said his favorite element was the diving loop. Mine was the zero-g roll.

Joe didn't just ride Kraken, he loved it! (Since then he's ridden Beast, Vortex, Flight of Fear, Invertigo, Diamondback, and Drop Tower. I think I've made a Ride Warrior out of him.)

So which came first? Port of Entry at IOA, or Waterfront at SeaWorld?

More in a second....

[Beast1979]

I thought it was worth mentioning that the the phone was an Android phone.

Joe's stylin' an awesome hat.

Eatin' Time!

Almost. First we have to wait.

Alright. NOW we can eat.

Basically, there are 3 levels of tables, right next to the aquarium, second level booths, and 3rd level booths.

We got a table right next to the aquarium!

OMFG! SHARKS!!!

The food was about TGI Fridays quality, and we had to wait forever for it. Though, it was worth eating at Shark's, because the ambiance was awesome.

Time to see "Believe", the SeaWorld show!

Talk about a stadium!

I spy roller coaster.

The stadium did not fill to capacity, but it came close.

Unlike Blue Horizons, Believe had 4 big screens with these trivia to keep you entertained before the show starts, and the trivia is usually pretty comical.

Eventually this guy came out.

He basically said that the Orcas did not feel like performing, so the show would start late, if they could even convince them to perform. The orcas are not forced to perform, they are asked, and if they say no, they aren't punished.

The humans went back there to give the orcas a bit of a 'Pep Rally' of sorts.

Meanwhile, they showed us a cheesy video about marine animals, the environment, and what you could do to make an impact.

Eventually they got some of the orcas somewhat motivated. They still were kinda moody, so the show wasn't going to be as big and spectacular as normal.

The orcas in Believe did similar tricks that the dolphins in Blue Horizons did.

We were smart enough to stay out of the Splash Zone.

Woo! I always knew I could fly!

With all of the tricks they do, they look like they're half working, half enjoying themselves. Like a football player.

I still wonder about how they get the animals to stand up like that.

"Shamu do good? Shamu can haz treats?"

This is their way of waving to the audience.

This is why we stayed out of the splash zone.

There is a deep, personal relationship between the trainers and the animals, and it's very clear from watching the show that they get along.

The trainers actually ask the animals what to do through hand signals and example. If you look to the right you can see the trainer giving an example of what the orca should do.

After Believe (Which was a great show, I think I might like Blue Horizons better though) we headed to Shamu's Happy Harbor.

Joe and I played in the big play place for a while (Which I think I'm outgrowing )

Then we rode their kiddie coaster, Shamu's Express. It's as good of a ride that can be expected from a kiddie coaster, but it leaves a memory in my mind for being so quiet! The ride uses friction wheels to propel it up the lift, and a pair of magnetic brakes to slow the ride, so it is almost completely silent! A blind man could stand next to it and not know there was a coaster there.

It was starting to get late, so we headed to Manta to get our last ride in on the day.

Mom takes in the beauty of the park.

Kraken? Check. Manta? No check.

We walked over the floating wooden bridge to get to the other side of the park (Similar to Geauga Lake's floating bridge)

Time to ride.

Manta was a fun ride overall. The queue was basically a giant walk-through aquarium, which made the 40 minute wait easier to handle. It's a 20 minute wait from the station though, the duel load-unload station does not work the way it should IMO. Once you get going however, it's a very enjoyable ride. Much more comfortable and graceful then Firehawk, the swooping turns and graceful element flow are more flying like then Firehawk's by far. The problem with Manta is that none of the elements are very spectacular though. Aside from the Pretzel Loop and splashdown, the ride is pretty basic. I like Kraken better, but both are fun.

After Manta, we bought some T-Shirts and a hat and headed out. Sea World is a fantastic park, with great shows and exhibits, awesome rides and spectacular landscaping. I suggest anyone who has the opportunity to go, go. You won't regret it. I had an awesome time, thanks SeaWorld!

Thanks for reading!

[CincyMan98]

Manta does look at lot smoother. Firehawk just kills you with the transitions and it's not really fun.

[coaster_junky]

excellent trip report, i love sea world and all their conservation efforts.

seeing this trip report really makes me want to get back to the one in orlando, i haven't been there since i was five or six.

oh, i think that stadium you weren't sure of is where they preform non-animal shows, like 'cool vibrations' at sea world san antonio.

[keiko_coaster]

OMGZZZZZZZ I LOVE SEA WORLD. haha. yeah, besides that, the stadium you're are talking of was/is used depending on the time. It used to be used for ski shows but they dont do them anymore. Sometimes they do children's shows in it, like i remember last time i was there they had an elmo show going on.

[DaveStroem]

Great TPR. Looks like a lot of fun. How in the world did you resist Manta all day long. I can just see you being pulled in that direction all day long.

Way to go Joe, it was great meeting you and riding Diamondback with you.

[The Interpreter]

Excellent trip report. And indeed, congratulations Joe!

Terp, who must get down that way again....soon

[TheCryptRaider]

Jackson - As soon as I saw your PTR I said "Yay!" because that's much I love your PTR's... not to sound stalkerish (no offense to stalker )

ANYWAYS! When I went to SeaWorld it was later in the day and I didn't do very much.. Kraken once (maaaaybe twice) and Journey To Atlantis once and then Shamu ROCKS! (night show which was awesome by the way) as well as Believe. Then when I was littler I remember going to SeaWorld and my mom and I were chosen to go up and kiss Shamu... Well actually my mom was.. I got up and ran up with her

SeaWorld is a FANTASTIC park!

Glad to see you enjoyed it!

[Beast1979]

Manta does look at lot smoother. Firehawk just kills you with the transitions and it's not really fun.

The problem with Firehawk is that aside from the first drop and the horseshoe turn right after it, it uses conventional elements that aren't designed specifically for flying position, so it ends up being a real pain. Manta uses swooping, graceful turns that would normally be boring but since you're on a flyer they're more entertaining.

excellent trip report, i love sea world and all their conservation efforts.

seeing this trip report really makes me want to get back to the one in orlando, i haven't been there since i was five or six.

oh, i think that stadium you weren't sure of is where they preform non-animal shows, like 'cool vibrations' at sea world san antonio.

Thanks! I like SeaWorld too, the fact that they take the initiative to do more outside of just being an amusement park means a lot.

OMGZZZZZZZ I LOVE SEA WORLD. haha. yeah, besides that, the stadium you're are talking of was/is used depending on the time. It used to be used for ski shows but they dont do them anymore. Sometimes they do children's shows in it, like i remember last time i was there they had an elmo show going on.

OMGZZZ I KNO! The stadium wasn't being used when we were there, thanks for pointing that out.

Great TPR. Looks like a lot of fun. How in the world did you resist Manta all day long. I can just see you being pulled in that direction all day long.

Way to go Joe, it was great meeting you and riding Diamondback with you.

Thanks Dave. It was hard, but I got through it. I had to keep telling myself to wait for the line to die down. Getting Kraken done early kept me at least somewhat satisfied for the day.

Joe appreciates it!

Excellent trip report. And indeed, congratulations Joe!

Terp, who must get down that way again....soon

Thanks Terp, from me and Joe.

Jackson - As soon as I saw your PTR I said "Yay!" because that's much I love your PTR's... not to sound stalkerish (no offense to stalker )

ANYWAYS! When I went to SeaWorld it was later in the day and I didn't do very much.. Kraken once (maaaaybe twice) and Journey To Atlantis once and then Shamu ROCKS! (night show which was awesome by the way) as well as Believe. Then when I was littler I remember going to SeaWorld and my mom and I were chosen to go up and kiss Shamu... Well actually my mom was.. I got up and ran up with her

SeaWorld is a FANTASTIC park!

Glad to see you enjoyed it!

LOL.

That's awesome! During the show the person chosen to come up was actually a kid from Ohio! We cheered for him....then realized he was wearing a Michigan Shirt.

Thanks!

[Dieseltech20]

Great report! Makes me even more excited for our trip next year.