Monday, May 2nd: SeaWorld’s “Behind the Scenes” Tour (part 1) 
Our Behind the Scenes Tour had been booked in advance of our visit as something special and new for our final full day of vacation. The birthday promotion being offered to pass members (buy one tour, get one free) meant that it was only $58 for our trio: paying for two admission at $29 each and getting the third one free. Of course, we could have had
two free admissions with our two full price purchases, but we are long since used to coming out a bit short on BOGO offers as an odd-numbered group.
After winning a VIP Tour from the Surprise Squad back in August 2014 and enjoying that experience immensely, we had always wanted to partake in another of the various tours that are offered at the park. We couldn’t pass up such a great price, and had no hesitation in adding this to our itinerary.
I can’t recall if our tour was 11:15 or 11:30, but regardless, we didn’t have long to wait in the designated meeting spot until our guide (who, if memory serves me correctly, was named Ashley) came out to greet us. Our group was really small….only six of us in total: our three, plus another mom and dad with their only child (age 9), also a boy, and ironically enough, also named Jacob. Ashley was super excited to have such a small, intimate group: the last tour she hosted had a whopping 17 participants. After a quick round of introductions and answer to the requisite question “where are you all from?” (the other family were Florida residents), we kicked off the tour at the
newly-opened-to-the-public manatee rehabilitation area.
Previously only available to park guests via the Behind the Scenes tour, this space was opened to the general public following our visit at Christmas 2015, so we were excited to see what it looked like . SeaWorld did a great job at incorporating this formerly back-stage area into a great space which is not only beautiful to look at, but also provides yet another opportunity for guest education and family-friendly learning. Regardless of how many times I visit, I never leave SeaWorld without taking away another tidbit of information about one of their animals that I didn’t know beforehand
.
Ashley was super knowledgeable about each of the various stops on the tour, and filled us with all sorts of interesting facts about manatees, the behaviours, and their natural threats in the wild. We stopped to watch a few of them snack on some of the many pounds of spinach that they are fed each day by SW animal care staff.
I’ve got a rather soft spot in my heart for these enormous “sea cows”
. They are just so gentle and peaceful, despite their massive size: the kind of animal you’d just like to wrap your arms around and hug.
Next, we made our way up to the special pool where the more injured manatees are housed as they are nursed back to health. Ashley explained some of the reasons that the manatees end up in SeaWorld’s care, some of the strategies used to help them regain their health, and the types of things they do during their rehabilitation to ready them for a return to the wild.
I am pretty sure the fellow above might have been the guy who appears to have been hit by a boat. Some of the injuries suffered by these beautiful creatures were just heartbreaking to hear about, but those lucky enough to be rescued by SeaWorld stand a good chance at long-term survival. Those that can’t be sufficiently rehabilitated back to their natural habitat will either find permanent homes at a SeaWorld park or another suitable facility as deemed by the government department which regulates them.
After the manatee area, our little group of 7 moved onward into the employees-only backstage area for a tour of some of the equipment utilized by the various arms of the SeaWorld Rescue Team.
Let me tell you……there were some seriously expensive and amazingly awesome watercraft and vehicles back here
. After reading about some of the amazing rescues performed by SeaWorld employees, one often has to wonder…..how do they do it? Well, they sure have some incredible tools at their disposal. That certainly has to help.
Boats are specially designed and modified to allow for the seamless transition of sick or injured animals from water to boat so that the veterinarian staff can administer the proper care, then release again when possible. Every possible consideration was given to the safety of both the human staff members and the animals they assist when these boats were created for SeaWorld’s use.
There were a multitude of small buildings scattered about which housed food preparation facilities, veterinarian care areas, and offices. It takes a crazy amount of people to care for not only the various animals needing special medical attention in the back-stage area, but also the thousands and thousands of animals who call the park home.
We were shown several massive containers of various sizes which are used to safely transfer animals that require full water immersion in order to survive. Not only does SeaWorld have need to transport injured animals to the park from their various habitats, but they often accept animals from other parks who need to be relocated for an assortment of reasons.
This one is especially for the transport of Killer Whales. Ashley noted that SeaWorld tries to ensure a staff member travels right alongside each animal to ensure they have constant care and attention throughout their journey.
At the Aquarium Health Center, we were introduced (from a safe distance out of arms reach…..no touching either the animals or water) to a variety of sea turtles who were in need of SeaWorld’s tender loving care. Virtually all were rescues that would be returned to the wild as soon as they were returned to a condition of health that helped ensure their longevity in their natural habitats.
We got an exclusive inside and outside look at SeaWorld’s animal ambulance……where once again, they have thought of virtually
everything.
Inside, a variety of animal care items were at the ready in the event of an emergency call for assistance. A team could be dispatched in a matter of minutes.
While we got a glimpse of the dolphin care pool from afar, it was not part of this specific tour. We could see them, though, splashing and frolicking about as we passed by.
Our final backstage stop was at a special, covered pool where there were more turtles receiving specialized care and attention for very specific maladies. This particular little lady suffered from unresolved buoyancy issues which rendered her unable to sink below the water. In order to protect her from the sun while she received treatment (which may or may not end up being successful), she spent her days swimming in the safety and comfort of the constant shade.
Once we had concluded our tour of that specific area, we boarded a bus to be whisked to our next destination by a very friendly driver named Mr. Bob.
Every single second of the tour was packed full of informational tidbits, and even the short bus rides were no exception. With the help of a speaker system (which was immensely useful on the open-air bus) Ashley filled us in all sorts of relevant little nuggets of little-know SeaWorld facts and initiatives. Like I said, we learn something new every single time we are here….and this tour was like an information buffet.
From my seat on the bus, I may have just let out a little squeal of delight when I spotted one of their Shamu cars
:
Ashley informed us that SeaWorld staff routinely visit schools and other groups in the area to make presentations, and when they travel from place to place they utilize these unmistakeable vehicles. So, now I know what job I want to apply for when we realize our dream of locating to central Florida: whatever specific occupation at SW that comes with a company car
. Note the personalized license plate, too:
Bouncing along in the back of the bus (and enjoying the wind from the open windows for that brief and wonderful time……it was UNBELIEVABLY hot and we had been dying during that first portion of the tour), we got to see the final stages of construction for the nearly-completed but not-yet-opened Mako coaster, set to open in June.
Catching sight of that amazing track, Steve got all giddy just thinking about our autumn adventures: he could hardly wait to ride Orlando’s tallest, fastest, longest coaster in October!
We were just getting this party started, and let me assure you…..the best of this experience was yet to come! More of our Behind the Scenes Tour is coming up next. 
. I was very glad we didn't promise Jake that we'd just courier that bad boy home!!
Thank you so much for that!
. In the event of a dolphin repeat, would any of you locals be willing to allow us to park said stuffie in your garage until bankr63 makes his next expedition to the south? 
:
. Jake very patiently looks over and says "Gotta be someone from the Disboards, Dad". 
. You can give yourself a pat on the back knowing that you were our inspiration for those fun moments! (and to think, just a few years ago, I never thought I'd see the day where my boy would have to be told to play with his food......sigh, they grow up so fast 
)
. The HR manager contacted me this afternoon, and wants me to meet the staff in the department I would be working in. It's sounding positive. I'm hoping that I'm pretty much the last man standing at this point, and that this might be the final assessment. Wish me luck!
