They have ruined Seaworld

[High Voltage]

The fact remains Tommy Bartlett is wayyyy better than SW ski show ever was and for all we know she lives up there and the drive will be much shorter.

Never saw the SW one but we saw Tommy Bartlett about 5 years ago and it was an awesome show, especially the stunt show portion on the flagpoles with no net.

 

[RabFlmom]

Never saw the SW one but we saw Tommy Bartlett about 5 years ago and it was an awesome show, especially the stunt show portion on the flagpoles with no net.

SW in the 70s and early 80s had a fantastic ski show. They had all the Superheroes out on skis doing about the same stunts that the Bartlet
Show had( saw that as a teen, too) . The show was fun and exciting. They had meet and greets with the Superheroes after each show. My son's baby pictures from about 9 months till he was 4 or 5 were with his "friends" . He loved the show and would even practice running like the superheroes did when they ran on stage. Until he decided he was going to grow up to be Bob Crippen after the 1st shuttle launch he saw, he would tell people he was going to be a superhero and ski at SW.

We were disappointed when the superheroes show ended. I think they went to a pirate show in the mid 80s.
Can anyone remember what the other real ski shows were before they built the bridge?

 

[DTop]

Things are always changing. That's what keeps us coming back to any park. SUre the prices keep going up but what's new about that?
As for the ski show, I was told at SW that the old show was discontinued when the bridge was moved to accommodate the fireworks and fountain show.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

SW is not 4 everyone nor is WD nor is the NFL,Golf,Skiing,SCUBA,hang gliding or mountain climbing.

Hundreds of thousands leave SW happy,a testament that it is not "ruined"


I prefer to look for the positive in all my life experiences therefore I like all the parks,my servers rarely are less than stellar,the food is almost always on time and tasty,the crowds are comprised of happy families,the weather is just right for the season,the prices are far less than many other family outings,the rides do what they were intended to do,the shows are fun,ad infinitum.....Unhappiness is a choice just like happiness and both are independent of conditions

SW and BG are awesome in that they are not WD clones the same as USO and IOA are awesome as they are not clones of SW and BG.

 

[TitanBrett]

Wait wait wait wait....wait. there are people who dont like the NFL!!!!!!!???!!?

 

[drenalin'junkie]

Tickets to the Jags first 4 seasons $75 per person per game,parking $30 a game,souvenirs and food were more than the parks are now.
Plus you are invested emotionally in away games,divisional rivals etc..


Now we have about 20 more days a year to do parks or SCUBA

 

[frostymom]

Wow!

First thanks to all those who tried to explain the changes or reasons for changes at SW. I don't think I mentioned on my first post that the SW tickets were the very first purchase for this vacation. I have been to SW on both coasts and used to LOVE SW. I could not wait for my little boys to experience SW, as I had fond memories from my childhood.

I have not been to SW in nearly 15 years. The last time I took my then 4 year old and fed the dolphins tray upon trays of food, because it made my son happy. I planned to do the same thing this time with my current 4 and 2 year old sons. I did not like that I was being forced to buy 4 trays to get my family close enough to pet a dolphin or more importantly see my sons feed the dolphins. It is not the price of the fish as much it is the principle of the matter. It is the hope that I wanted to get a similar picture/experience of my 4 year old boys doing about the same thing/same age...blah blah... It was something I looked forward to. If I was so worried about the $ I wouldn't have thrown that much money down the sting ray tank.

Secondly, I like beer and I read in my 2009 planning book that the hospitality house was a nice break while the kids played in the kids area. It seemed to be a nice thing to do to get some quiet time and a taste of beer. It was something I was looking forward to as well. Obviously, my book when to press before AB sold the parks.

I remember the ski show mostly from when I was a kid. I loved them and I thought the shows were exciting and thrilling to watch. I was just sad to see that it was no longer there. Again something I was looking forward to.


The height requirement to ride the one ride was represented as some weird metal thing. It just seems idiotic to have some metal contraption instead of a ruler with clear indicators. Safety comes well before amusement for my family so it was just again principle of the matter. We obviously did not go to SW to ride rides.

In ending, I did my planning. I bought my book and I thought my source was reliable. It was what I planned it to be, our down day in the middle of Disney. My children seemed to enjoy SW but for me SW is not the same as it was. It did not bring wide smiles to my face the way it did 15 years ago. Perhaps I have more expectations in my older and wiser years.

And to all those who seemed less than kind in their posts... wow, I certainly did not mean to ruffle your feathers. It was just my opinion! I am allowed to have one right?

 

[frostymom]

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.

Thanks

 

[Metro West]

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.

I think you're right...it's gonna be interesting soon but Disney will have no hand in any of the Busch Entertainment deal. Read the article in today's paper and you'll see that Blackstone who owns Merlin Entertainment will most certainly be submitting the public bid. If anything, I think if Blackstone/Merlin purchases Busch Entertainment as expected, they will likely do some kind of merger with Universal since Blackstone owns 50% of Universal Orlando. Again...Disney is not on the radar. Here's the article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-blackstone-merlin-busch-parks-090909,0,502673.story

Also...here's another article suggesting what Disney is or isn't going to do with the Marvel characters here in Orlando: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-disney-marvel-theme-parks-090909,0,7101088.story

I don't know who you're hearing stuff from but they are WAAAAAY off the mark.

 

[inkkognito]

Never saw the SW one but we saw Tommy Bartlett about 5 years ago and it was an awesome show, especially the stunt show portion on the flagpoles with no net.

Yes, that always freaked me out. Did they still have Aqua the Clown and Dieter (the guy who tossed coffee cups on his head)? We used to go to the Dells a couple times every year when we lived in Chicago.

 

[Krustycarnie]

I think you're right...it's gonna be interesting soon but Disney will have no hand in any of the Busch Entertainment deal. Read the article in today's paper and you'll see that Blackstone who owns Merlin Entertainment will most certainly be submitting the public bid. If anything, I think if Blackstone/Merlin purchases Busch Entertainment as expected, they will likely do some kind of merger with Universal since Blackstone owns 50% of Universal Orlando. Again...Disney is not on the radar. Here's the article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-blackstone-merlin-busch-parks-090909,0,502673.story

Also...here's another article suggesting what Disney is or isn't going to do with the Marvel characters here in Orlando: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-disney-marvel-theme-parks-090909,0,7101088.story

I don't know who you're hearing stuff from but they are WAAAAAY off the mark.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty there will not be a merger between the two companies.

 

[Metro West]

I can say with a fair amount of certainty there will not be a merger between the two companies.

This is all purely speculation...no one knows for sure. I am merely guessing...as is everyone at this point. The only real way a merger will happen would be if Blackstone purchased the other 50% of Universal Orlando.

 

[dolphinslady]

Alright, I read every line in this thread.

Bottom line: Sea World is NOT for everyone. If you have older children, then no, they wanna go the US/IOA route. Those that have not been to Disney parks would definitely wanna visit there.

We have had annual passes to SW since my girls were even too young to have to pay to get in, excluding last year when we had Disney park passes. We asked them if they wanted to go back to Disney or SW...They voted SW. They are 7 and we love the park. Yes, they miss rides from other parks and my one dd STILL can't get on Kraken or Manta. BUT, I found her three inch shoes so maybe this weekend, lol!

Either way. Plan as you may when you go to these parks. My dh always takes a backpack with snacks and waters, poor thing. But it's worth it. It's also worth buying the refillable cup...it's only a dollar to refill, duh.

As far as the rides and changes...I think Believe is awesome, as is Shamu Rocks. Blue Horizons is wonderful as well. The cool thing is the shows are never all the same. I think it's hilarious when the whales don't wanna cooperate.

I agree with the PRICE of the dolphin feeding, and I have yet to pay it. That would be about 25 bucks with our discount. That's crazy. I'd rather just pay to swim with them.

The con to the park is definitely the food choices. They really don't have a great place to eat. Mango Joe's is okay but gets old. Sharks is just way too pricey. They could improve in that area...hence the reason sometimes we just take snacks and then eat outside of the park later on.

All in all, Kraken and Manta rock, smoothest coasters I have been on. Kraken is a long ride too...love it. JTA is corny but a nice cool off when you're hot.

Sorry, starting to ramble. I just love the park, even without the beer. Miss it, but stuff happens when someone new ventures in. Also miss Donkey.

OH...if you are going to go to ANY park at night, go to the dollar store and grab those glo sticks you link together. That's what I do and it also helps me keep track of my girls.

Other than all that, we really don't spend much there with our annual passes...well, maybe me in the Surf Shop, lol!

Enjoy it all, life's short.

 

[Krustycarnie]

Alright, I read every line in this thread.

Bottom line: Sea World is NOT for everyone. If you have older children, then no, they wanna go the US/IOA route. Those that have not been to Disney parks would definitely wanna visit there.

We have had annual passes to SW since my girls were even too young to have to pay to get in, excluding last year when we had Disney park passes. We asked them if they wanted to go back to Disney or SW...They voted SW. They are 7 and we love the park. Yes, they miss rides from other parks and my one dd STILL can't get on Kraken or Manta. BUT, I found her three inch shoes so maybe this weekend, lol!

Either way. Plan as you may when you go to these parks. My dh always takes a backpack with snacks and waters, poor thing. But it's worth it. It's also worth buying the refillable cup...it's only a dollar to refill, duh.

As far as the rides and changes...I think Believe is awesome, as is Shamu Rocks. Blue Horizons is wonderful as well. The cool thing is the shows are never all the same. I think it's hilarious when the whales don't wanna cooperate.

I agree with the PRICE of the dolphin feeding, and I have yet to pay it. That would be about 25 bucks with our discount. That's crazy. I'd rather just pay to swim with them.

The con to the park is definitely the food choices. They really don't have a great place to eat. Mango Joe's is okay but gets old. Sharks is just way too pricey. They could improve in that area...hence the reason sometimes we just take snacks and then eat outside of the park later on.

All in all, Kraken and Manta rock, smoothest coasters I have been on. Kraken is a long ride too...love it. JTA is corny but a nice cool off when you're hot.

Sorry, starting to ramble. I just love the park, even without the beer. Miss it, but stuff happens when someone new ventures in. Also miss Donkey.

OH...if you are going to go to ANY park at night, go to the dollar store and grab those glo sticks you link together. That's what I do and it also helps me keep track of my girls.

Other than all that, we really don't spend much there with our annual passes...well, maybe me in the Surf Shop, lol!

Enjoy it all, life's short.

Could not have said it better myself; SW is a different kind of park and appeals to a different crowd.

 

[JimmyJr'sMom]

We were there NOV 08---The beer tasting was still open- and all the guys really enjoyed it.

MOST DISSAPOINTING- They no longer educate you about the dolphins and whales- it's all flying trapeze artists and birds and feather people.

IF I WANTED TO SEE Cirqe Du Soleil or whatever it's called- I would'nt be at SEAWORLD. Asked a worker when it changed- she said the older crowds and the people from overseas LOVE the new theming for the shows. She said she can't stand it- but the crowds seem to like it.

My husband and I had been for our honeymoon in 2000 and loved it. My son loves science and the sea. He WAS BORED OUT OF HIS MIND. All the kids kept asking- DURING THE DOLPHIN SHOW- "Can we leave? This is boring."
THe workers will NOT LET YOU WALK OUT OF THESE RIDICULOUS SHOWS.
You are trapped. They say it upsets the flying birds when people walk out or walk around.

 

[wwessing]

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

 

[Planogirl]

I didn't know that Sea World quit giving out the free beer samples. That's too bad.

We like Sea World even though we didn't make it this year. We've been to all three and we've always had a nice time. I can see why the parks wouldn't work for some people though. They are quite unique.

I hope that Universal and Busch end up linked in some way. That would be very cool.

 

[marlynnp]

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

This thread smells like I stepped in something but I think it's just you.

 

[marlynnp]

Alright, I read every line in this thread.

Bottom line: Sea World is NOT for everyone. If you have older children, then no, they wanna go the US/IOA route. Those that have not been to Disney parks would definitely wanna visit there.

We have had annual passes to SW since my girls were even too young to have to pay to get in, excluding last year when we had Disney park passes. We asked them if they wanted to go back to Disney or SW...They voted SW. They are 7 and we love the park. Yes, they miss rides from other parks and my one dd STILL can't get on Kraken or Manta. BUT, I found her three inch shoes so maybe this weekend, lol!

Either way. Plan as you may when you go to these parks. My dh always takes a backpack with snacks and waters, poor thing. But it's worth it. It's also worth buying the refillable cup...it's only a dollar to refill, duh.

As far as the rides and changes...I think Believe is awesome, as is Shamu Rocks. Blue Horizons is wonderful as well. The cool thing is the shows are never all the same. I think it's hilarious when the whales don't wanna cooperate.

I agree with the PRICE of the dolphin feeding, and I have yet to pay it. That would be about 25 bucks with our discount. That's crazy. I'd rather just pay to swim with them.

The con to the park is definitely the food choices. They really don't have a great place to eat. Mango Joe's is okay but gets old. Sharks is just way too pricey. They could improve in that area...hence the reason sometimes we just take snacks and then eat outside of the park later on.

All in all, Kraken and Manta rock, smoothest coasters I have been on. Kraken is a long ride too...love it. JTA is corny but a nice cool off when you're hot.

Sorry, starting to ramble. I just love the park, even without the beer. Miss it, but stuff happens when someone new ventures in. Also miss Donkey.

OH...if you are going to go to ANY park at night, go to the dollar store and grab those glo sticks you link together. That's what I do and it also helps me keep track of my girls.

Other than all that, we really don't spend much there with our annual passes...well, maybe me in the Surf Shop, lol!

Enjoy it all, life's short.

Thanks! We've been thinking about giong and this is helpful.

 

[dolphinslady]

Thanks! We've been thinking about giong and this is helpful.

You are welcome. The park, as I have said before, is not for everyone. You have to have the love of aquatic animals and just treasure them. I can't see how anyone would dislike the park but again, it's a personal preference. It really depends on the likes of the family and the ages of the (if any) children. My girls love it and have for 5 years. Aquatica is great too, really liked it last time. Especially Roa's Rapids, very fun. I think we went around about 10 times, lol! And all the slides are great.