Dhs or seaworld?

[bbjunkie]

Staying off site with no day at Epcot 2 days at Mk with one day being mnsshp one day at beach (only staying 5 nights) prob do downtown disney the day we leave (prob not enough time for a park) that leaves one open day for either seaworld or DHS

Ok...well, I am choosing not to get into the blackfish debate. I asked the questions to get an idea of how your vacation. Is laid out. I guess my answer to your question is "none of the above."

I don't understand why your choices are between HS and SW. If I were you, with kids those ages, I would go to Animal Kingdom. There is a lot to do there that should hold their interest, including spending time taking the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch, and the shows there are fantastic and air conditioned. Plus, the breakfast or lunch at Tusker House with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy is fun.

 

[mummabear]

I would do SW, and I would do it over any of DHS, DAK or EP.
We go every trip to California or Orlando (as well as SW in the GC)
Our girls who are currently 5,3 and 1 have enjoyed it at every age they visit.
I may be wrong but they should have Sesame Street Characters around as well ( I'm not 100% about SW Orlando as SW SD does and BG TB does)
Lots to do at SW, we normally do at least 2 days a trip

 

[ArwenMarie]

Why would anyone with a conscience think about going to SeaWorld? I'm not going to get into a long tirade here, but just think about this: they captured large mammals and torture them into performing stupid tricks for human beings while they are contained in a bathtub. Please don't go there and pay for the abuse of mammals that have no voice.

Just curious, do you eat meat or dairy?

 

[ScottlovesDisney]

The animals in AK are free to roam and, as far as zoos are concerned, it's the best possible scenario. Same for The Seas. At least they're not forced to perform stupid tricks for paying customers.

 

[ScottlovesDisney]

Yes, I'm a meat eater. I only buy TRULY free range food. But what does that have to do with willingly paying a corporation who tortures and practices food deprivation to 'train' captured mammals to perform stupid tricks for human beings who should know better?

 

[ScottlovesDisney]

My kids loved sea world. I do not believe Blackfish told the whole story. The rescue work they do is excellent. It isn't like they could release the whales they have, they wouldn't survive.

Yes, they would survive. Gain some knowledge before making statements. SeaWorld's stock has plummeted, their attendance has fallen through the floor, CEOs are jumping ship and just last week they were exposed for placing a 'spy' into PETA. SeaWorld's days are numbered.

 

[DarkPaw]

Yes, they would survive. Gain some knowledge before making statements. SeaWorld's stock has plummeted, their attendance has fallen through the floor, CEOs are jumping ship and just last week they were exposed for placing a 'spy' into PETA. SeaWorld's days are numbered.

Keep wishing!

 

[CAS239]

Regardless of the whole blackfish debate, Hollywood studios is better than sea world

Sea worlds penguin exhibit is really cool (the ride sucks), and they have a good coaster. But I'd pick any Disney park over sea world

We have AP's to sea world as well as Disney. Went 2 months ago. Park was completely empty. I actually felt bad for sea world at how few people were there lol. We stayed for about 2 hours then left.

It's not a terrible park, but all 4 Disney parks are better than Sea World. And I'd take AK over Sea World in regards to animals

 

[BigHeroKen]

I think the best thing for you to do, is what I did while planning our recent trip. Make a list of all of the attractions at each park you want to go to, circle or underline the ones you think your kids will like. Go to the park that you think has the most entertainment value for you and your family.

I did this and chose Sea World over Hollywood Studios, mostly because my little one LOVES marine life and is constantly asking to go to the aquarium.

As a side note: I have also gone to both Sea World and Hollywood Studios in one day by planning to go on a day when Hollywood Studios was open late. We stayed at Sea World until about 4, went to Hollywood Studios and had dinner, then spent the rest of the night enjoying the park.

Ultimately, you know your family best, go with your instinct on which they'd like best.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Not sure if the OP is still reading this, but it is worth looking at what you want to do at DHS versus SW and assessing the AC situation. The outdoor shows at either park can get very hot during the hot season.

 

[JimmyV]

Well technically, their "rescue work" is what has doomed the whales. They separated them from their pods/families and they are unable to survive on their own. So they are forced in to this life as a result of Seaworld, and in some cases, two different species of orcas have been bred to make a species that isn't even possible in the wild...so there is no way that they can survive in the wild because its basically a man-made species.

This may have been done in the past. But that is not the way it works anymore. Sea World does not go out into the wild to capture Killer Whales (or dolphins) so that they can be confined. If you look at the footage in Blackfish showing the capture and separation of Killer Whales, first, you will see that it is very old footage. And second, you will see that the people doing the capturing do no work for Sea World. The dolphins, seals and sea lions that are at Sea World are almost always "rescue" animals that have been harmed in the wild and which cannot be safely returned. No one goes out with nets to capture dolphins to take them to Orlando. They acquire wounded animals that have no chance of survival in the wild. As for the Killer Whales, they are bred in captivity. As I noted earlier, I cannot condone the practice of breeding a Killer Whale just so that it can be put on display. But we shouldn't let that completely cloud our view of the actual rescue and research work that SW does.

 

[JimmyV]

The animals in AK are free to roam and, as far as zoos are concerned, it's the best possible scenario.

You truly have no idea how AK works, do you? Each night, the animals are rounded up and put into cages for the night. Not unlike circus animals.

 

[wmson2000]

We went to Seaworld during our last trip. It had been 15 years since we'd been there. We were surprised how nice it was and how much fun our group had there. If the parents want to go there, I'd vote seaworld.

And as a side note, I walk with crutches. I happened to be passing the killer whale area (I was by myself) and I was invited to come backstage to a special seating area. It was about 45 min before the next show. In addition to getting to feed a killer whale (cool experience) I got to see the staff behind the scenes when there were no crowds. I was impressed at the care and love the staff was showing to the animals when no one was really watching. I know there's a big anti-seaworld crowd but I'm a fan of seaworld.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Yes, they would survive. Gain some knowledge before making statements. SeaWorld's stock has plummeted, their attendance has fallen through the floor, CEOs are jumping ship and just last week they were exposed for placing a 'spy' into PETA. SeaWorld's days are numbered.

Do you really think an animal that has absolutely no knowledge of its predators and how to avoid them would survive release? I find it really hard to believe that you think that to be true.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

My favorite part of this thread is when people think that being condescending and hostile will convince anyone to share their perspective.

 

[Kathryn777]

I do not believe there are any successful stories of killer whales born and raised in captivity being successfully releaSed. Keiko, the whale Free Willy was based on, was the closest I've read about. But it is hard to determine what would have happened because of his age. What is known is that the whale chose to follow a boat and get fed by humans and lived in a fjord where it was visited and fed until it died a year after release.

The staff I spoke to at other animal hospitals in Florida sang the praises of Sea world for what it has been able to accomplish. I would like to see them stop breeding the killer whales, personally.

 

[bbjunkie]

You truly have no idea how AK works, do you? Each night, the animals are rounded up and put into cages for the night. Not unlike circus animals.

Not exactly. The safari animals have large buildings where they are called to at night for feeding. They use specific sounds as calls for each animal group and most will come in. (Except for the alligators, flamingos, and Kudu which roam freely at night) However, none of the animals are FORCED to go inside every night. If they don't come in, they may stay out. There are several hidden "doors" in the safari that are closed at night to divide the roaming areas. It is nothing like circus animals.

 

[GaryDis]

It occurs to me that the discussion has flown right past the economic issue:

If you're already going to WDW and buying a multiday pass, the incremental cost of going to DHS is probably $10/adult to add a day, at most $30 to go from 3 day pass to 4 day pass (rack prices).

To go to Seaworld, unless you're already planning on an Orlando Flex ticket or similar, you're looking at $70/person for a weekday only ticket (rack prices, no child pricing available for the simple one-day tickets).

Obviously buying some sort of Seaworld combo ticket complicates the price comparison, but for many people, the discussion stops right here, without even getting into the comparison between parks.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Any wild animal living captivity is going to have issues. Most large zoo animals are on anti-anxiety meds because captivity is unnatural. I respect those who stay away from all zoos and marine mammal parks if they have a strong conviction against them. But I can't understand putting all of this blame on SW while ignoring the fact that Disney also keeps marine mammals and large wild animals in captivity. That dolphin tank at Epcot is horrific, I wish they would move them to SeaWorld.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It occurs to me that the discussion has flown right past the economic issue:

If you're already going to WDW and buying a multiday pass, the incremental cost of going to DHS is probably $10/adult to add a day, at most $30 to go from 3 day pass to 4 day pass (rack prices).

To go to Seaworld, unless you're already planning on an Orlando Flex ticket or similar, you're looking at $70/person for a weekday only ticket (rack prices, no child pricing available for the simple one-day tickets).

Obviously buying some sort of Seaworld combo ticket complicates the price comparison, but for many people, the discussion stops right here, without even getting into the comparison between parks.

She has two-day tix and a party ticket, so not enough to get the true savings of a multi-day ticket.