Sea World Orlando - Family Vacation
Sea World Orlando is a giant marine education and performance center, an amusement park and a beer garden all rolled into one. It's a great place for all round family fun and a more peaceful and leisurely alternative to other hectic Florida theme parks. If leaping dolphins, clapping sea lions and wobbly penguins are just your thing, you'll love it here.
The park has a few rides but most of the attractions are performance based. Of the rides the Journey to Atlantis and Wild Arctic are probably the best. Atlantis is a roller coaster and flume with a massive vertical drop and a serious soaking in store for you, whereas Wild Arctic sees you flying aboard a storm-snagged helicopter making an emergency landing on thin ice - right next to some polar bears.
One of the most popular shows in Sea World Orlando is Shamu Adventure, where Shamu, a giant Orca splashes down in a series of incredible stunts. If you're sitting anywhere in the first 14 rows expect to be soaked through by the end of the show.
Leaping dolphins do similar tricks in the Key West Dolphin Adventure while the Clyde & Seamore Take a Pirate Island show is a hilarious performance by sea lions, otters and walruses. Pets Ahoy! showcases animals rescued from shelters and taught a few new tricks and in other areas you can see rescued manatees, tanks full of menacing sharks and wobbly penguins, baby dolphins and endangered turtles.
You can also take part in three one-hour behind-the-scenes tours that give a fascinating insight into the various creatures' lives, conservation and research. Choose from Predators! a real life shark encounter; Saving a Species, which highlights the rescue work done by the center; and Polar Expedition, a chance to get up close to polar bears and penguins. These tours are very popular so book in as soon as you arrive.
You can take things a step further by diving with sharks in a specially-made cage for an extra $150 or take part in one of the Animal Interaction Programs which allow you to experience a day as an animal carer or a SeaWorld trainer. The cost of both these programs verges on $400 but they're very popular so if you'd like to join in make sure to book early as only four people are allowed to take part in each program daily.
For some more restful thrills you can attend a 30-minute performance of Odyssea at the Nautilus Theater. It's a fantasy world of acrobatics, music and lighting telling the story of a sailor who falls into the ocean. Finish it all up with a free beer (the park is owned by brewer Anheuser-Busch) at the hospitality center and you're good for another round of the shows.
Tickets and hotels at Sea World Orlando
Tickets cost $55 for an adult and $45 for a child but a portion of the fee goes to the Sea World Orlando animal rescue team, one of the best in the country. You can also get a 10 percent discount on tickets for booking online and may be able to get a second day's entrance free if you sign up before you leave the park. Sea World offers excellent packages in conjunction with the Renaissance Resort hotel just across the road. This luxury hotel has enormous rooms, an Olympic-size pool, and the seafood themed Atlantis restaurant. For more information visit Seaworld.com.
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