It has been sometime since we last visited Florida and the Sea World in Orlando. A lot has changed over the years and they have all been so good for the animals and community. If you explore SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment on Social Media you might have noticed their huge impact on wildlife around the world. They devote so much time in their rescuing efforts and it shows! I always suggest getting to theme parks early and Orlando Sea World is no different. As we prepared for this trip we questioned is the Sea World in Orlando, Florida worth it?
We booked Universal Studios and Disney along with other area attractions our time here beat all of them! We traveled with a group of 6 but we all felt the same, see why below!
A Lyft from the hotel helped us beat the crowds trying to park. Ticket areas got super full when we waited for friends to join us. Purchase online if you can and remember they do have security checks (no caned drinks only water) when entering. All of these things can really set you back. Many shows start around opening, so if you want to watch them, you need to leave yourself time.
Might I suggest stopping to view the animals before hitting up our first show? I miss the days of a tangible flyer with a theme park map. Now everything is located on the app. Know this before going because the app is very helpful. It shows you showtimes, locates places you might want to visit. The only downfall is it does not give ride wait times. When we went (over winter break) the wait times were pretty reasonable and nothing over 30-45 minutes.
When we saw a ride fill up we would simply move to an animal exhibit located around the ride. This kept everyone from getting “bored” plus gave us something to enjoy if not everyone wanted to go on said ride. Feeding the sharks for example was a big hit and was affordable.
If you look closely many of the staff are constantly caring for the animals and you might get a free show. For example they needed to feed the baby manatee and we got front row observation when doing so. It was incredible educational and cute to watch!
Let us talk about the shows at Sea World because I know this really has been controversial in years past! When I was younger Sea World prided itself on these elaborate shows with animals doing “tricks”. This trip, I realized their focus has changed so much from previous years that they are NOTHING like they once were. Instead you will learn about each animal personally and generally. You will leave the shows with an understanding of how they live in the wild and how the staff encourage those behaviors no longer making them do “tricks”. For example, the orcas now “hunt” for prey as a pod and you get to watch them doing so. You won’t see trainer riding the animals as if they were pets in a tank but rather the immense relationship they have earned. After watching the Orca show we all wanted to do our best for the ocean life to preserve them. It was inspiring to watch their rescue efforts and it truly made you want to be apart of the “fight for animals”!
It’s really interesting to hear how they have adapted and changed their shows since the 90s – they had such a terrible reputation that I had never considered visiting. It’s good to hear they are moving into a less controversial direction.
This is a really great insight into how Seaworld is evolving its practices to better the lives of the animals in their care. I used to love Seaworld when I was young but as I have got older I have avoided it as I grew to understand the negative impact the company had on the animals. I still think they have some way to go yet, but it is great to hear they are making improvements. Thanks for sharing these insights!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It is nice to hear about the pros and cons of the park, especially when there are so many other parks in the area.