They have ruined Seaworld

[frostymom]

I will admit I was so excited to return to Seaworld after several years only to be severly disappointed. Upon arrival, I went to guest relations to ask about the beer tasting and if appointments were being taken. Much to my dismay, there is no more beer in the park unless you want to buy it for $6 per bottle. Then the ski show has been nixed.
I really was annoyed they were marketing glow toys in the theatre to the children as we waited for the show to start, (great show though) especially since the crap was the same stuff we won at the county fair off the dollar games.
My son was turned away from the water ride when he was clearly tall enough to ride it, he had been riding all week at WDW with same height requirements!
The kicker was the $7 per person to enter into the dolphin area. It used to be that you could feed them or not but still get close to the tank. I was livid! As if $75 per ticket is not enough! I would like to add we would have probably spent much more on the food but it is the principle of the matter.
It is a shame that a company that really only cares about the bottom line bought a really nice family oriented park.

I left upset and disenchanted. I did complain to guest services but would have rather spent more time at WDW where they make you feel like you get your monies worth.

 

[RabFlmom]

I will admit I was so excited to return to Seaworld after several years only to be severly disappointed. Upon arrival, I went to guest relations to ask about the beer tasting and if appointments were being taken. Much to my dismay, there is no more beer in the park unless you want to buy it for $6 per bottle. Then the ski show has been nixed.
I really was annoyed they were marketing glow toys in the theatre to the children as we waited for the show to start, (great show though) especially since the crap was the same stuff we won at the county fair off the dollar games.
My son was turned away from the water ride when he was clearly tall enough to ride it, he had been riding all week at WDW with same height requirements!
The kicker was the $7 per person to enter into the dolphin area. It used to be that you could feed them or not but still get close to the tank. I was livid! As if $75 per ticket is not enough! I would like to add we would have probably spent much more on the food but it is the principle of the matter.
It is a shame that a company that really only cares about the bottom line bought a really nice family oriented park.

I left upset and disenchanted. I did complain to guest services but would have rather spent more time at WDW where they make you feel like you get your monies worth.

Sorry you had such a bad time at SW. I started going way back in 1975 and I still think it is the best park in Orlando. You get a lot for the price of a ticket.

Beer tasting ended with the new company; but all the other changes you mentioned happened years and years ago. It has been so long I can't even remember when they stopped having ski shows. They had something called Fusion a few years ago that had maybe 1 boat and a few jumps but mostly jet skis and it was dreadful.

Busch always charged $5 or $6 for the trays of fish to feed the dolphins. Several years ago Busch changed the rules so that only people feeding get to go in the one area so the people that do pay the money get the best experience. Not sure which company raised it to $7.
As for your son and the height bar, maybe he didn't stand as tall or had shoes that were different or the CMs at Disney let him slip through.. They have to go by their height bar.

I can tell you that my first time back to the MK after about a 10 year gap was about the way your expectations were for SW. I couldn't believe how run down the park was and that there were so many lame rides taking over the Disney Originals. It still is not my favorite park, but I did adjust and allow myself to enjoy it again. Nothing stays the same and if it did it really would be boring. And buck for buck on the 2 parks admission prices, I get more from SW because every time I go and I go about 30 times a year, it is never exactly the same show because of the animals. Beer at Disney costs the same as beer at SW BTW.

 

[Latel]

I was gutted when I found out that they had taken away the free beer. That was one of the hi-lights of Seaworld, as they had some unsual drinks to try that I hadn't seen anywhere else. It was nice to take time out from the park and relax with an unusual drink by the water

 

[drenalin'junkie]

SW more expensive than the Mouse?
Sorry but that is funny.

I agree that the free beer and dolphin changes stink and I took advantage of niether.I also miss the little aquarium area that Manta surplanted....but I miss Mr Toads wild ride as well as the other now replaced rides at WDW even more.

 

[MissionMouse]

I recall visiting SW for the first time since I was a child and felt it changed for the best. More attractions, rides, shows in a larger park. Some of the orginal stuff was gone but truly they would be very dated if they still exist. Often changes are based upon attendance and customer comments.

I think Inbev eliminating the parks is a cultural statement of this company and a lack of understanding of consumers here is the United States...big mistake on their part, but InBev is not known for good will-public relations like AB. You should expect AB company structures-attractions to be removed as InBev intensifies their efforts to sell SW. The Clydesdales will also relocated when SW sells.

There are two areas at Dolphin Cove. Feeding area and non-feeding area established as non-feeders were often pushing and shoving people feeding dolphins out of the way to get a picture. I do not recall ever seeing this when I was a kid visiting SW, but experienced the shoving in recent years. Just as parks change, so do the behaviors of people as we see far more inappropriate bahaviors in parks these days.

 

[TitanBrett]

Sea World has improved so much over the last ten years, I suspect the old park would be hardly recognizable. yes no more free beer, big deal, you can get over not getting your 2 free 6 oz cups of beer. As has been mentioned there is a place in Dolphin cove for you to stand and take pictures without feeding the dolphins. Ski Show?? Seriously? Go see Tommy Bartlett in the Wis Dells. And are you actually complaining about them selling junky glow toys? have you seen the crap they sell at WDW?!? They are selling so much chinese-made junk in the MK that it smells like rice when you go through the gate

 

[FADED]

Seaworls cool!

 

[DOOM1001]

Aside from the free beer at the hospitality center being removed I think Sea World has greatly improved during the last decade.There are cool events throughout the year like Bud n BBQ and their Halloween and Christmas events.The restaurants have improved along with the new Waterfront area as well as the new coasters and shows.When they changed the bridge they couldn't have the old ski show,but they did have a toned down ski show with power boats,waverunners,dancers for a while and I'm sure eventually there will be a new version soon.As far as feeding the dolphins,I was not happy about that as I always liked to touch them,but from my understanding this change was in part made because of the public themselves,too many people putting plastic water bottles and who knows what in the dolphins mouths.I did see a video of this kind of behavior and was very annoyed so if making this change they can control the crowds better and prevent any harm for the dolphins than I'm fine with it.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Wow so much for me to say, but this is a family site. You really do need to plan out your trip and use these boards for that, instead of just complaining about the park. The park has improved greatly for the better, with more kids rides, more family friendly areas, more big rides and more animal interactions than any other park in orlando. Six bucks for a bottle of beer, while expensive, isn't bad as theme park standards go. How much is it at disney? Oh yea, forgot, you can't get it at the Magic Kingdom. And I think a cup of beer at the Studios is about $8. And you do seem to forget about the lines of vendors selling the same cheap plastic glow stuff outside of Fantasmic, and before every showing of wishes.
The discontinuation of free beer is a disappointment to many, but never a deal breaker. Free beer has been gone since Feb. 1st and there was a quiet protest on the last day of operation, which was quite great.
As for the dolphins, this has been this way for over a year. It sucks, but you get more personal time with the dolphins. The reason for this? Dolphins are aggressive animals, if you do not have fish they will not come near you. Many people were complaining about that, so they fixed the problem. Height requirements are meant to be for a reason, seems to me that if your child met them at disney and not here, you should have spoke to a manager, gotten a wristband and not had a problem. My guess is that disney they do not check as thoroughly....but that's just my guess.
It seems that you went in wanting disney, and found something else. When you found that it wasn't disney, you were upset. Some people can broaden their minds go outside the confines of the mouse, others can't.
Sorry you were disappointed, but SW has changed for the better, and I know tons of tips and tricks to get the most out of my park without spending extra. Most of which I learned from these very boards. I know that I do not go to disney for the very reason that you spoke of about SW. Crowded, too expensive and I dont feel like they care about me. Better luck next time.

 

[truck1]

I talked to a few people at SW I used to work with regarding the chages to the ski show.
What happened was that several years ago, when the first major revamping too place, they (SW) was looking from someone to run the ski show. It was never run by SW afaik. It may have been 25 years ago, but not recently.
No one wanted to take on the ski show, so in the end, they reduced the size of the ski show area, which turned into Baywatch, then Fusion and there was one or 2 other things thrown in also. None were ever any good. At least in my opinion. (The kids show that was there had a little draw but not mcuh)Throw in a few hurricanes to damage the stadium, that did not help, and we are here today.

So today, the stadium is used for special events and concerts, and also to watch the fireworks shows.Theres a few ski boats out for reference only, but I doubt well see a ski show any time soon.


As far as the other changes, some good and some bad, some were made with the intent to sell off the parks. The free beer for example, was supposed to make the parks marketbale. Dont ask. I am just phrasing what I read.
Inbev, needs to sell the parks soon, to pay off the loan they got to buy AB in the first place.

From what I hear, guess who is looking seriously at the parks.
If you guessed Disney youd be right. Rumor has it that after the Marvel acquisition, Disney still has capital to make more purchases.The poss exists that SW water parks could be bought by Disney and the other parks sold off in the same sale to someone else. And guess who else is on Disneys radar. Universal.
Its going to be intersting here in the next few years.If not months.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Well, all the recent market talk points to Merlin/Blackstone to buying it. Merlin is the parent company that owns a bunch of parks including Legoland, Universal and the London Dungeon, as well as a bunch more. They have toured Seaworld on many occasions this month and have asked for an IPO of 4 billion, which is about two bill less than the asking price, but it is a step, and many others also say that the Busch Family wants to remain a partner in it, so they are going to partner with it, and you'll see the company spun off into the "Worlds of Discovery" brand that they have been trying to make since 2007. Disney is not a factor in this....at all.

 

[Narnia]

I enjoyed the beer last time I went(adult only trip) BUT I feel kind of odded out when parents with kids try to juggle the kids with the beer in the hand. I think it's great seaworld is taking a "healthy" change. Paying for fish at any park normally gets you a good view, budget accordingly if you want to get up close,you would be upset if people w/o fish got in your way of feeding them. All parks sell crazy priced garbage, also plan for that by buying those toys ahead of time. We had a 5 park flex ticket and just did those on the ticket so the price for entry didn't bother me other then parking

 

[yaytezIOA]

I think the majority of people gave reasons why we love Sea World, and why we think it is a good value. My personal complaint about the OP is that she complained about prices....at Sea World!?!?! Most particularly that they a.didnt have free beer b.that they charge for beer c. that they sell glow in the dark cheaply made toys.....all behavior and things that are done at disney on a regular basis, all the while saying how much better disney is without giving a real reason other than the op was upset they had to pay so much. So, I guess, the op just can't communicate what was so bad or a bad value in comparison to wdw so she decided to break it down....Sorry things change, and a lack of planning is why her trip resulted in the way it did. Had she gotten on here, and asked some of the same redundant often asked questions that a lot of people who go to any other park other than disney for the first time in a long time, she just may have had a different outcome. Thanks for your input

 

[DOOM1001]

I've also heard that Blackstone could possibly be getting close to a deal for the parks.I would love for the Busch Family to stay part owner of the parks and while I love Disney,I want no part of Disney to get involved in the purchase of any of the Busch parks.If Blackstone can keep them on the route that they're in it would be great,and from what I understand they have deep pockets so that right there is a good start.

 

[GemmaPixie]

As it happens I really wasn't impressed with seaworld either purely just for personal taste. The roller coasters were good but Journey to Atlantis was just sore and in major need of a refurb (peeling paint galore?). I really disliked Believe...it was far too cheesy! And as for the whales tail necklace...obvious selling strategy! The sea lion show was mediocre...we laughed at 2 bits...the sit ups and the end when they soaked the kid. Wasn't funny when the kid cried though. The rest was just so-so. The rest of the day wasn't memorible either.

These are my opinions! I am allowed to think these things and I don't think I (or the OP) should be shouted at about them from people who feel the need to defend their park to the death!

The OP didn't mention Disney so why are you all comparing it to Disney so much?

 

[TitanBrett]

My son was turned away from the water ride when he was clearly tall enough to ride it, he had been riding all week at WDW with same height requirements!

I left upset and disenchanted. I did complain to guest services but would have rather spent more time at WDW where they make you feel like you get your monies worth.

The OP didn't mention Disney so why are you all comparing it to Disney so much?

what...are...you...talking...about?

 

[High Voltage]

the OP brought WDW into the discussion originally, not the responders. She is allowed to say disney is better but if we disagree we are SW apologists? Brilliant

Yeah, actually I think it's pretty much the definition of an apologist when you tell the poster to "get over" the beer tasting being gone, to travel 1400 miles from SW to the Dells to see a water sking show, and that MK smells like rice , instead of actually addressing her complaints. With all the SW fans here and current employees, there was an opportunity to use that insight to explain to the op why YOU like SW, or why some of the changes were made. I guess I was just expecting a little more courtesy.

 

[TitanBrett]

I will admit I was so excited to return to Seaworld after several years only to be severly disappointed. Upon arrival, I went to guest relations to ask about the beer tasting and if appointments were being taken. Much to my dismay, there is no more beer in the park unless you want to buy it for $6 per bottle. Then the ski show has been nixed.
I really was annoyed they were marketing glow toys in the theatre to the children as we waited for the show to start, (great show though) especially since the crap was the same stuff we won at the county fair off the dollar games.
My son was turned away from the water ride when he was clearly tall enough to ride it, he had been riding all week at WDW with same height requirements!
The kicker was the $7 per person to enter into the dolphin area. It used to be that you could feed them or not but still get close to the tank. I was livid! As if $75 per ticket is not enough! I would like to add we would have probably spent much more on the food but it is the principle of the matter.
It is a shame that a company that really only cares about the bottom line bought a really nice family oriented park.

I left upset and disenchanted. I did complain to guest services but would have rather spent more time at WDW where they make you feel like you get your monies worth.

OK for the record, I dont think anything is wrong with the post until it is inferred that SW doesnt care about customers and that WDW is any better value.

Point by point:

-yes, the free beer is gone. It was 2 free 6 oz cups, at the beer school you got even smaller cups, some of them purposely stale. Beer is more expensive or not available at WDW so to say WDW is better value is not an opinion in this case, it is false.

-The ski show?? Things change, always do, 20,000 leagues under the Sea, fantasmic a couple times a week instead of every night. Ski shows are a throwback and are just not that popular anymore

-The glow toys? They sell the same stuff at Disney during the parades, so again saying WDW cares more about customers and is some better value is not an opinion, it is false. All these places sell junk.

-The height restriction? hard to say the problem here, safety seems to trump all I would say

-The dolphin feeding. There is a place for feeders and a place for non feeders. In the past non feeders would crowd the feeders to get their pictures, now the non feeders are on one side of the gate and the feeders are on the other, both sides can lean over the side to pet the dolphins. That seems fair to the people who are paying to feed. I know under the old way my daughter got pushed aside by someone trying to pet a dolphin she was trying to feed.

Anyway, so over the last 10 years or so SW has gained Kraken, Manta, the Waterfront, The Polar Bear thing, new Dolphin show, new Shamu show, Shamu Rocks, special events like spooktacular and wheel of fortune...but it has lost the ski show and 12 oz of free beer....like someone said everyone is entitled to an opinion, mine is "the sky is red", makes about as much sense as the OP and remember opinions cant be questioned

 

[bigbear]

Hurray! I totally agree! Most people are being so rude just because the OP wasn't satisfied with Seaworld. Newsflash! Everyone is allowed their own opinions!

As it happens I really wasn't impressed with seaworld either purely just for personal taste. The roller coasters were good but Journey to Atlantis was just sore and in major need of a refurb (peeling paint galore?). I really disliked Believe...it was far too cheesy! And as for the whales tail necklace...obvious selling strategy! The sea lion show was mediocre...we laughed at 2 bits...the sit ups and the end when they soaked the kid. Wasn't funny when the kid cried though. The rest was just so-so. The rest of the day wasn't memorible either.

These are my opinions! I am allowed to think these things and I don't think I (or the OP) should be shouted at about them from people who feel the need to defend their park to the death!

The OP didn't mention Disney so why are you all comparing it to Disney so much?

It was our least favourite park too, I'm afraid, the only one my teenagers don't want to go back when we manage to get over there again.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Might I point out that the way everyone is carrying on about the free beer being gone.......Might be just me, but makes you all sound like a bunch of raging alcoholics
Look, this is the DIS board...we know that DISney is ::cough:: better than sw. It's all a matter of opinion, and if you're going to share yours, its going to get shared right back. So there are things that you dont like about sw, there are things I absolutely hate about disney...and many of them are reasons I have Universal and SW ap's and not disney....but that is neither here nor there. Trip planning would save everyone a big dirty complaint. The OP, obviously didnt do her homework. Shame shame. Then she comes on here and yes, tells us all how much she would have preferred to stay at wdw instead of sw because she had a terrible terrible time due to (again, maybe this is just me) her lack of poor planning. To bring up things such as price of drinks, toys and extras between two theme parks is like trying to compare dirt in a dirt pile.....its all dirty and will leave mud on your feet. Parks are all expensive and will all leave you broke, if you plan poorly and let it. But neither disney nor sw have anything on cedar fair parks.....been to three this summer and DAMN! EXPENSIVE!
Peace be said. Have fun ripping off whale tales and mouse ears!