Attractions

Choose Age-Appropriate Activites -- Because it has few thrill rides, SeaWorld has few restrictions, but you may want to check out the special tour programs offered through the education department. SeaWorld lives up to its reputation for making education fun. There are four 1-hour options: Polar Expedition Tour (touch a penguin), Predators (touch a shark), and Saving a Species (see manatees and sea turtles) -- all cost $18 for adults and $12 for children 3 to 9, plus park admission. The Dolphin Nursery Close-Up allows poolside interaction with dolphin families, which may (or may not) include calves (the cost is $40 plus park admission, only those age 10 and older may participate). Call tel. 407/363-2380 for information or tel. 800/406-2244 for reservations.

Budget Your Time -- SeaWorld has a leisurely pace, in part because its biggest attractions are up-close encounters with the animals. Don't be in a rush (you won't have to hurry everywhere for a change). This park can easily be enjoyed in a day. Its layout, lush landscaping, and many outdoor exhibits give it an open feel. Because of the large capacity and walk-through nature of many of the attractions, crowds generally aren't a concern except at Journey to Atlantis and Kraken. You also need to be in Shamu Stadium in plenty of time for the show. Wild Arctic, at times, can draw a sizable crowd, but the lines here don't come close to reaching Disney's proportions, so relax. Isn't that what a vacation is supposed to be about?

Nighttime Fun

In addition to its regular productions, SeaWorld stages a few shows only seasonally, including Mistify, a nighttime spectacular combining fireworks and fountains on the lagoon. During summer months, guests are treated to the special-effects extravaganza nightly. If you're dining at the Spice Mill restaurant in the Waterfront, you can even enjoy dinner with the show.

Additional Attractions

The park's other attractions include Pacific Point Preserve, a 2 1/2-acre natural setting that duplicates the rocky home of California sea lions and harbor seals. Tropical fish and sea creatures at the Tidepool offer a hands-on experience for all ages. The Tropical Reef surrounds guests with aquariums filled with a variety of sea creatures to look at. Here you can touch the sea urchins, starfish, and anemones. Tropical Rain Forest, a bamboo and banyan tree habitat, is the home of cockatoos and other birds. And Turtle Point showcases sea turtles swimming in the lagoon or lounging on the beach and sand dunes. The Extreme Zone tests your climbing and jumping skills with a rock wall and trampoline jump (both for an additional fee). A ride on the Sky Tower, open only seasonally and at an additional fee, lets you look out over the entire park.

The Makahiki Luau is a full-scale dinner show featuring South Seas-style food (fish, chicken, and pork) while you're entertained by music and dance of the Pacific Islands. It's hardly haute cuisine or Broadway but is very much on par with Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show -- minus the characters. It's held daily at 6:30pm. Park admission is not required. The cost is $46 for adults, $30 for children 3 to 9. Reservations are required and can be made by calling tel. 800/327-2424 or online at www.seaworldorlando.com.

On the Water

SeaWorld's 5-acre Waterfront area, which debuted in late spring 2003, added a seaport-themed village to the park's landscape. On High Street, look for a blend of shops; street shows; and the Seafire Inn restaurant, where lunch includes a musical revue. At Harbor Square, the Groove Chefs make musical mayhem with pots, pans, trays, and cans. The park also added street performers, including a crusty old captain who tells fish tales and makes music with bottles and brandy glasses. The array of Waterfront eateries includes the Spice Mill, Voyagers Wood Fire Pizza, and the Seafire Inn.

Discovery Cove: A Dolphin Encounter

Anheuser-Busch spent $100 million building SeaWorld's sister park, which debuted in 2000. Prices run from $259 to $279 per person (plus the 6.5% sales tax) for ages 6 and older if you want to swim with the dolphins. They run $159 to $179 if you just want to enjoy the fishes and other sea-life without having the dolphin experience. The prices vary seasonally so double-check when you make your reservations (which are a requirement to enter this park). In order to make the experience a bit more tolerable in the price department, admission includes a 7-day consecutive pass to either SeaWorld (which includes the Adventure Express tour) or Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa Bay. You can upgrade this feature to a 14-day combination pass for both parks for an additional $30.

If you've never gone for a dip with a dolphin, words hardly do it justice. It's exhilarating and exciting -- exactly the kind of thing that can make for a most memorable vacation.

The actual dolphin encounter deserves an "A+" rating. It's open only to those ages 6 and older (younger guests or those who don't want to participate in the dolphin swim can take part in the other activities).

The park has a cast of more than two-dozen dolphins, and each of them works from 2 to 4 hours a day. Many of them are mature critters that have spent their lives in captivity, around people. They love having their bellies, flukes, and backs rubbed. They also have an impressive bag of tricks. Given the proper hand signals, they can make sounds much like a human passing gas, chatter in dolphin talk, and do seemingly effortless 1 1/2 gainers in 12 feet of water. They take willing guests for rides in the piggyback or missionary position. They also wave "hello" and "goodbye" with their flippers and take great pleasure in roaring by guests at top speed, creating waves that drench them.

The dolphin experience lasts 90 minutes, about 35 to 40 minutes of which is spent in the lagoon with one of them. Trainers use the rest of the time to teach visitors about these remarkable mammals.

The rest of the day isn't nearly as exciting, but it is wonderfully relaxing. Discovery Cove doesn't deliver thrill rides, water slides, or acrobatic animal shows; that's what SeaWorld, Disney, and Universal are for. This is where you come to get away from all that.

Here's what you get for your money, with or without the dolphin encounter:

As mentioned above, 7 days of unlimited consecutive admission to SeaWorld and/or Busch Gardens Africa (park admission normally costs $64.95 a day for adults, $53.95 for children 3-9).

One other option is Discovery Cove's Trainer for a Day Ticket, which, for $429 to $449 (prices change seasonally), allows guests 6 and older to also have a dolphin training encounter, participate in guided snorkeling tours, feed fish, and interact with other critters, including rays. A paying adult must accompany guests ages 6 to 12. The ticket also includes a 14-consecutive-day admission to both SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

For a more intimate experience try the Twilight Discovery program (only open to 150 guests; runs from 3-9pm), available mostly in summer. The program includes an upscale dinner, snacks and beverages, valet parking, a dolphin wade, snorkeling and gear, access to the various swim facilities, critter interaction, and a 7-day consecutive pass to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens. The cost is $259 if you want to wade with dolphins (and at least one person in your party must take this option), and $159 if you skip the dolphins.

You can drive to Discovery Cove by following the above directions to SeaWorld, then following the signs to the park. Unlike other parks, Discovery Cove doesn't have a parking charge. For up-to-the-minute information, call tel. 877/434-7268, or on the Internet go to www.discoverycove.com.

If you're headed for this adventure, we recommend making a reservation far, far in advance. With the limited number of guests admitted and the number of people who want a chance to swim with the fishes (ok . . . mammals), this park gets booked very quickly. Note: There is an ever-so-small chance of getting in as a walk-up customer. The park reserves a small number of tickets daily for folks whose earlier dolphin sessions were canceled due to bad weather. The best chance for last-minute guests comes during any extended period of good weather.

Back to Top

Click the names below for more detailed information.

• Believe
• Blue Horizons
• Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island
• Clydesdale Hamlet
• Journey to Atlantis
• Key West at SeaWorld
• Kraken
• Manatee Rescue
• Marine Mammal Keeper Experience
• Odyssea
• Penguin Encounter
• Pets Ahoy!
• Shamu's Happy Harbor
• Shark Encounter
• Sizzlin' Pianos
• Wild Arctic

Maps

• SeaWorld

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

		Email			Print			RSS

				Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2008 Author: Laura Lea Miller Pub Date: September 04, 2007 Price: $16.99				Related Titles: Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal SeaWorld & the Best of Central Florida, 5th Edition Frommer's Florida 2008 Frommer's Florida 2009

		Sponsored Links:	What's This?

			Great weather, beaches, arts and culture, dining, & nightlife MiamiExpressions.com