We really didn't like Seaworld. Generally, it feels a lot more run down than the Disney parks and very old and tired. I felt awful seeing the poor animals in such small tanks- the stingrays for example just swam in a small pool begging for food and the poor dolphins were in such a small tank. It was similar for the manatees and alligators if I remember correctly.
Whilst the killer whale show is fun to watch and some of the moves are impressive, it is a bit like 'monkeys jumping for peanuts'.
The rides are very different to WDW, and certainly lacking in authentic theming. Manta and Kraken are great for thrill ride fans, but no more than a roller coaster. Other rides just seemed very old, run down and in need of renovation. (For example, Journey to Atlantis looked incredibly old and worn- nothing like Disney rides.) One benefit is that the queues tend to be shorter than at WDW- at least when we were there- but I'm not terribly surprised.
Honestly, if you are having to choose between Disney and Seaworld, I would choose Disney each and every time. Disney surpasses Seaworld in theming certainly- and in this aspect their rides are in a totally different league. I spent most of our time in Seaworld feeling awful for the poor animals- the tanks really were generally very small, and it did seem a bit like Seaworld was exploiting the animals. (For the record, we got free tickets to Seaworld when going to Discovery Cove, and left after half a day there. We all agreed that we would never have paid anywhere close to what a ticket would actually cost.) Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards