Manatees in Epcot????

[the_princess]

My mom loves manatees (She spends hours looking at them in Seaworld) and now she read that there are 2 manatees in Epcot, but she can't find out where they are and how we can get to see them...

Sooo.... How can we see the manatees (and are they really there)???

 

[travelbug]

Yes, they're there. At least, they still were when I was last in WDW. They are in the "Living Seas" pavilion, upstairs.

 

[Mitzicat]

They are so peaceful to watch. Sometimes if the pavilion is a little crazy, their area is a little quieter and you can "catch your breath" I find myself watching them for 15-20 mins.

 

[LaurenT]

Yes, they're there. At least, they still were when I was last in WDW. They are in the "Living Seas" pavilion, upstairs.

Yes, from upstairs you can look down into their tank, or from downstairs there is a big glass area where you can watch them floating around. They are both rescues and have damages back flippers....
Very sweet animals.

 

[the_princess]

Thanks everyone... I didn't even know, they were there... We have to go and find them on our trip in Dec... Is there an entry fee, or can we just walk in???
The Living Sea pavilion, is that where the Turtle talk and the nemo-ride is??? Cause I've been in there, but I didn't know they had manatees in there

 

[Letsbgoofy]

No fee, and you can't miss them once you know they are there. Throughout the day they have a person there who will talk about and feed the manatees. We were in the Living Seas many times before we noticed them, they are tucked off in a quiet area. You get very close to them upstairs; very cool animals

 

[stargazertechie]

Thanks everyone... I didn't even know, they were there... We have to go and find them on our trip in Dec... Is there an entry fee, or can we just walk in???
The Living Sea pavilion, is that where the Turtle talk and the nemo-ride is??? Cause I've been in there, but I didn't know they had manatees in there

Yep. If you ride the Nemo ride, when you exit your clam-mobile, take a hard right and head UP the escalator if you want to view from above, read their current weights, or possibly talk to one of their caretakers.

If you want to watch them from below, take a right past the escalators- you'll see a big tank. If you go ALL THE WAY to the right, there's a little alcove- that's where I prefer to watch them from.


Right now they have 2- Lou and Vail. Lou has been there for at least 4 years, and I doubt he'll be going anywhere soon- he's lost most of his tail and it makes it hard for him to swim.

Vail has only been there a few months. He's also lost a big part of his tail. Lou is slightly larger than Vail, but they get along really well. You'll see them doing barrel rolls together.

 

[mountdew1]

Like any of the animals, there is no guarantee that you will see them. We have been there when they have been hiding in their tank outback, and other times we have seen both of them hanging out on the surface grabbing hunks of lettuce. But most people do run right by so it normally is a quiet place to hang out for a while.

 

[two*little*birds]

Thanks everyone... I didn't even know, they were there.

LOL this is our 5th trip and we only discovered the "upstairs viewing" portion on this trip! Glad we did though, it was awesome to not only see the manatees but also the dolphins, sharks, fish, etc.

 

[maburke]

My mom loves manatees (She spends hours looking at them in Seaworld) and now she read that there are 2 manatees in Epcot, but she can't find out where they are and how we can get to see them...

Sooo.... How can we see the manatees (and are they really there)???

I'm with your mom, the manatees are my absolute favorite. DH takes the kids to all the attractions at Living Seas and I just watch the manatees.

By the way, does anyone know why the manatees are in a tank by themselves? They're not carnivores.

 

[CJBaby]

I had to drag my dd away from the manatees earlier this week. The handler was throwing in fresh lettuce and they were doing barrel rolls. So cute.

 

[the_princess]

Yep. If you ride the Nemo ride, when you exit your clam-mobile, take a hard right and head UP the escalator if you want to view from above, read their current weights, or possibly talk to one of their caretakers.

If you want to watch them from below, take a right past the escalators- you'll see a big tank. If you go ALL THE WAY to the right, there's a little alcove- that's where I prefer to watch them from.


Right now they have 2- Lou and Vail. Lou has been there for at least 4 years, and I doubt he'll be going anywhere soon- he's lost most of his tail and it makes it hard for him to swim.

Vail has only been there a few months. He's also lost a big part of his tail. Lou is slightly larger than Vail, but they get along really well. You'll see them doing barrel rolls together.

We will find them this time, that's for sure

Like any of the animals, there is no guarantee that you will see them. We have been there when they have been hiding in their tank outback, and other times we have seen both of them hanging out on the surface grabbing hunks of lettuce. But most people do run right by so it normally is a quiet place to hang out for a while.

Well, in the zoo there are no guarantee to see animals either... Luckily we have more then one day, so if we don't see them on the first day, we'll just come back

I'm with your mom, the manatees are my absolute favorite. DH takes the kids to all the attractions at Living Seas and I just watch the manatees.

By the way, does anyone know why the manatees are in a tank by themselves? They're not carnivores.

My mom stays with the manatees when I go and watch Believe at Seaworld. When I come back like 2 hours later, the manatees haven't moved one bit but my mom have had the best time

 

[disprincessatheart]

I'm with your mom, the manatees are my absolute favorite. DH takes the kids to all the attractions at Living Seas and I just watch the manatees.

By the way, does anyone know why the manatees are in a tank by themselves? They're not carnivores.

I dont' know but now I'm very curious! I wonder if it's because they're actually rescues so they want to make sure they aren't being bothered by the other animals?

 

[WEDWDW]

Here is a nice picture of Lou and Vail and some good info about the release of former "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" "resident" Jasper earlier this year.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...nother-arrives-at-the-seas-with-nemo-friends/

 

[cassie58]

I love, love, love manatees! Since we are not making it to SW this trip, I plan to get my fix at The Seas. I could also watch them for hours, even took my pics from our visit to San Diego's SW for labor as a "calming" image( it didn't work too well with potocin!) I can't wait to see them, and am hoping the problems w/the tank at the seas won't effect seeing them.

cassie58
11/08-ASMo & Timeshare
8/09-CSR
11/11-CSR

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Yes, they're there. At least, they still were when I was last in WDW. They are in the "Living Seas" pavilion, upstairs.

Upstairs is where the CM is that feeds them and explains about them, downstairs (directly below) you can view them while they are under the water eating, sleeping and playing

 

[hmkenn0]

Funny story about the manatees (although I am sure that they are different ones now). When I was about 10 or 11 they had a male/female pair and were working on breeding them. From what I observed that day I received the birds and the bees conversation from my parents right there in the Living Seas (we also went over and watched the Making of Me movie in the old Wonders of Life Pavillion) and that was how I learned about that- funny how "educational" EPCOT can be!

 

[nytimez]

Depending on how much your mother loves manatees and how badly she wants to see them, there's a great place to view them in the wild about an hour and a half from WDW, outside of Tampa.

Only thing is, there's no guarantee they will be there since it is the wild -- but on some days, there are literally dozens of them.

Also, it's completely free.

Here's the link if you're interested.

One warning: There's literally nothing else to do here. There's a small exhibit room and a small gift shop, but that's it. No shows. No rides. No games -- it's just a place to watch manatees.

 

[jacksmom]

We looooove Manatees also! My ds and I did a Manatee encounter in Mexico while on a cruise last April and it was soo much fun! Manatees are so smart and so gentle, they remind me of my dog!

 

[SDSorority]

I love those floating potatoes. SO CUTE gnawing on that lettuce