never again seaworld

[halld6479]

we went to sea world yesterday and paid the extra to do the polar expirtion so grandson could get to touch penguins that he loves so much at $16.00 a person we were given a walk covering an hour of everything but the penguins finally we reach their area, each person was told they could touch the lower back with two fingures once then we were hurried back out to the end of the tour. after waiting over 35 minutes to get into see the new show believe it was 95% talking and video and three whales not out performing more then 5 minutes, we were told the show was over and thank you for coming. nothing more said, it was nothing but 30 minutes of advertising for the AB company. SO for the cost of tickets to enter park and tickets for the tour it fall way short of us placing it on our must see list

 

[Princess89]

I have a question. Did you feel that Sea World was worth it at all? I was looking into doing SW the first week in FL actually getting the flex pass. Do you think its worth getting it or just doing Universal?

 

[RabFlmom]

So all you did was the tour and went to one show?

We have never felt the need to do a special tour,so not sure what they should entail.
We still love the park because we can enjoy so much without the lines and spend as long as we like in each exhibit.

We haven't seen Believe yet. They may have fixed something that wasn't broke when they changed it to a "Broadway Production" type show. I think most of us that enjoy the dolphins and whales like to just watch them perform their normal "tricks" that they do in the wild. I don't think a show with a storyline is needed. Sounds like they have done the same dumb thing as Disney and the Safari at Animal Kingdom. The storyline of the Safari adds nothing to going out and seeing the animals-except be sort of annoying. LOL
Wondering if the whales were not willing to work the show the day you were there. They adjust shows and even cancel them if the whales are in a mood or whatever. Even though it is a theme park for people, the animals take priority and they go with the flo when the animals decide to do what they want to instead of doing what the trainers would like them to do. One time when we were there a mom and young whale refused to leave the show pool so they could begin the regularly scheduled show with the other whales. About 20 minutes later they moved to a back pool and basically the show then was the splash portion of the old show and it was over. No big deal to us.

 

[scammermom]

Sorry you had a bad experience.
SW is one of our favorite parks. My daughters love to feed the dolphins and pet them at Dolphin Cove. The new shows are a little over the top but still quite enjoyable. And if you didn't see the Sea Lion Pirate show and/or Sea Lions Tonight, then you missed the best attractions. They are hilarious.

 

[halld6479]

we did the walk thru displays and the kids rode the roller coaster and that was it. I ask the kids if they would want to try it again sometime while down there and both teenagers said no we went to see shamu the sealion show was not going tobe a couple hours after all the disappointments so we gave up and left at around 6. I would do universal

 

[maryk]

We too just returned from SW. We love SW and have done it several times.

As for the Believe show, I don't think it is as nearly as good as the old shamu show. Like someone said, we just like to see them do tricks and jump. Shamu and his size are just amazing. We saw the show 4 times in 3 days. Had to get soaked you know !!! Each time we saw it, it changed. You do have to remember they are animals, and the trainers main job is the safety and happiness of the animals, not the people. On Thurs, the first show got cancelled due to the whales not wanting to work, the afternoon show was short and not very exciting, but the last show of the night, they brought out the big shamu and WOW, that was a show. I do agree, the story is a bit corney.

The dolphin show is fun. Broadway a bit, but still fun.

The absolute best is the Sea Lion Tonight show, But you need to see all the other shows to get the most humor out of it.

All in all, though still our most favorite park. Not hurried, and if you do everything and all shows. It takes at least 2 full days.

We will go again. Just not next year, They need time to change the shows a bit.

 

[queenarmadillo]

I think it is well worth a day at sea world if you are going to be there for any length of time. If you arent particularly interested in the zoo/ informational aspect of it, the shows are still incredible. I try to schedule all ours as early in the day as possible (and we see almost everything) and then if one is cancelled it can be fit in in the evening. If everything goes according to schedule (and my schedule has only ever been ruined by lightning, never by grumpy whales in the 10 years or so Ive been going)then you get some spare hours in the evening to shop or wander around or go on rides or whatever until the evening shows start. Don't leave before them, they are the best bit of the day (although unless they have changed the fireworks show in the last 2 years I would leave before that--uninspiring fireworks and more ridiculous sentiment than even disney could get away with).

 

[jon46]

It is also nice in that it has a lot of trees (shade) on hot days. also benches for us old people. John

 

[plgrn]

After being at Disney World, there is no comparison to Sea World! The staff was rude, the crowds were horrid, and there wasn't anything to keep you entertained while waiting for a show or in line for a ride like Disney does. It's just not magical!

Discovery Cove however is WELL worth the money. The staff there makes the extra effort and the crowd control is supreme. Even if you don't spring for the dolphin swim, there are sting rays and fish to swim with and touch, plus the aviary. Plenty of animal interaction.

Just my 2 cents...WDW really spoils you.

 

[JuneChickie]

WE too just got back from Sea World and also did Discovery Cove.
The "Believe Show" was a joke ,, yak , yak,, yak ,, mostly watching
about how the trainer grew up on the big screen.
The whales did their little thing but not worth all the time and
effort we put into seeing it. Might skip that part next time because
there are other shows that are much better.
I have a Big Screen at home.
That SAid *******
THe rest of Sea World is wonderful and well worth the money in our opinion.
They even have a Dog and Cat show that is a MUST See for every family.
I'd go to sea world to see that over the "Believe SHow" .
We saw all the shows and enjoyed them very much.
Went to all the walk thru's .
It is a wonderful place to visit ,, We will make a Must see everytime we go
to Florida from now on.

 

[robvia]

It's all a state of mind I guess.
That's why I try to not let little things ruin my trip.

You could have taken the kids over to the Key West area and fed a dolphin for $5, they may have enjoyed that.

Also, what time did you arrive the park? If you arrived at 10-11am, then the crowds were probably there and made your waits longer. People who show up at 11am and don't have an attack plan usually have a bad day. But then again, you did a tour, so you probably arrived on time.

Wow, I'm surprised about all the comments about Believe being a dud. They did a great job with Mistify.

 

[ozarkmom]

We loved Sea World!

 

[tink too]

We love Sea World! Can't wait to go back in October!

Sorry to hear about "Believe" but how do you argue with an Orca? If they don't want to work, the trainers would just have to go with the flow! Hopefully they will have any problems sorted out by the time we get there!

 

[JuneChickie]

Just so you know ,, It's not that the whales wouldn't do the show,,, they were there
and did the show,, the point is there wasnt' much of of the show centered around them ,,, most of the "Believe" is up on the "big screen" , its about the trainers
life and thats mostly what they talk about. Alot of the show is focused around
the person they pick out of the audience to " give " the whale a fishy.
Yes , Shamu did swim around and get everyone wet . But he has less of a role
in the new show. So its not that the whales would Not preform ,, its that the
show focuses less on them. ,,,,,,,,

Sea World is a great place to go . And we will go there with every trip to
Florida we make. they have alot of other shows that are much better
than just seeing Shamu. And they are worth the money to see for sure.
Plus they have many walk thru's with other animals that are great too.

 

[matthew&haleysmom]

Sea World is a great place to go . And we will go there with every trip to
Florida we make. they have alot of other shows that are much better
than just seeing Shamu. And they are worth the money to see for sure.
Plus they have many walk thru's with other animals that are great too.[/QUOTE]

I agree. My dd 6 still says the best part of Florida is Sea World. She is a huge animal lover!

 

[Cass]

We enjoyed Sea World, feeding the sea lions was a riot also that little Pets Ahoy show was awesome

 

[dvc_john]

Everybody has their own opinion, and mine is that 'Believe' is way better than the old Shamu show. I've seen it several times, and think it's great. However, if not everything is working correctly (like the video screens or something), then it won't be as good. I think there is at least as much whale activity in this show as in the old. The old show had a lot of 'yak, yak, yak' also.

Also, 'Blue Horizons' alone is probably worth the price of admission, IMHO.

 

[RabFlmom]

We walked into the 2:30 Believe show after watching Fusion yesterday at 1:45. People were walking out complaining there were no seats as we were walking up the ramp. A little girl was crying because her parents were making her leave. There were plenty of seats(not in the splash area) and they didn't close the stadium for about 10 minutes after we got there. We were up at the top so we could get a breeze from the "windows" up there.

As for the show. It is different. Sort of boring when they do the movie stuff about becoming a trainer if you believe you can. They did have the whales do a lot of splashing the crowd. They did the stand and ride on the whale. They did do the out of the water leap with the whale a couple of times. They did get a girl from the crowd to help them, but it was really sort of lame. I don't think she ever got to touch the whale or anything but help them dance in front of the crowd. LOL They did most of the same things they showed off in the old show.
The screens were cool but music was sort of too mello or something. Did I like the show? It was just OK. I missed the humor of the old show. Part of the thing I like about SW is the audience participation and playing a joke on unsuspecting tourists (usually involving getting them wet). It always made me laugh.

I think if you have never seen the old show, you might enjoy it; because they do showcase one or 2 of the whales. They are so beautiful. Would I ever stand and wait an hour in line to see this show? No.... But you have to know that I had my first Gold pass in 1978 and saw my first Shamu show in 1976.

What they show on the screens was sort of an infomercial. I could see sitting inside an airconditioned theater watching the movie, adding more footage of training sessions, and having a trainer talk about how they train the whales. It would be interesting to do a show on training the baby.

 

[rejobako]

Count us as big fans of SeaWorld. I like the layout of the park -- aside from EPCOT, I feel less "crowded in" at SeaWorld than at the other Florida theme parks. The shows are usually well-done, and because you're dealing with real animals instead of animatronic ones, the performances can be radically different. Some better than others, but always entertaining. For this reason, I think SeaWorld tends to be more appreciated by locals who visit the park more often on annual passes, etc.

At this point I suppose I would make a suggestion to those who insist on comparing every Orlando experience to Disney. I love Walt Disney World. It's a fantastic place, and more often than not, they offer a first-class theme park and resort experience.

I like going to the county fair too, but compared to Disney, it's not that great. So when I go the fair, I try not to compare it to the feeling of walking into the Magic Kingdom. That way I'm more likely to avoid gnashing my teeth in indignation because the fair doesn't offer me any fun distractions as I'm waiting in line for ride tickets. And in spite of myself, my family and I usually manage to have a great time at the fair, even if Mickey is nowhere to be found.

I'm not pointing any fingers in this thread, but if you read these forums it becomes clear that some people will simply refuse to enjoy themselves unless each new experience is as good as their best one. Experience SeaWorld, or any amusement park, for what it is, rather than what it is not, and I'll guarantee you you'll want to go back. And if not . . . .well, sucks to be you.

 

[raven69david]

SeaWorld Orlando is awesome and definetly worth going to if you're in Orlando on vacation. If given a choice between SeaWorld and Universal Studios i'd do the obvious. However, SeaWorld is a great place to go to if you have kids or are a kid at heart. The animals and park are awesome. The new show Believe is ok, but not better than shows past. I forsee them changing it in the very near future due to all the negative feedback they've received from the show.

I literally live next door to SeaWorld San Antonio and love the park, however it does not compare to SeaWorld Orlando. I'm pretty sure the show Believe in San Antonio is the same show in Orlando. I missed SeaWorld last trip due to poor planning on in-laws part so i'm unable to compare them both.