Polar Expedition Tour was a letdown.

[mumzie2three]

I prebooked the tour by phone and there was a slight discount because it was not peak season yet. They told me to check in by 10 AM on the day of the tour but they didn't tell me the tour time. When I checked in @ 9:30 that day (Sat. May 6) I found out that they "planned" on me checking in late and so they gave me the last tour of the day (3:15) and I was unable to change it. That was when I should have cancelled it.

We met our guide in the hot sun, outside the Wild Arctic ride/exhibit and once we finally got underway we cut through the store to get into the animal viewing area where we stood in the corner by the polar bears and everyone in listening range got a little education on the bears. Then we went "backstage" and stood outside (in the hot sun) to look through a window at the empty kitchen where the animal food prep is done. We then proceeded to go back inside (and walk right past the kitchen we were just made to stand outside to see) to stand in a hallway while our guide talked about belugas and narwhales. Then back outside where there were some seals in pens, on to a courtyard with a mural of belugas on the wall to talk more about belugas. We hopped on to an open air bus and drove over to the penguins, more standing outside. Then we filed in to touch the penguin and take a few photos and back outside again. This time the tour was over and we had to walk a little ways back to Wild Arctic because our stroller was there.
Overall I would not recommend this tour. The information was basic and most of the questions she asked on the tour were being answered by a 7 year old girl on the tour. For example: "Does anyone know what the beluga is missing but the killer whales and dolphins have?" "Dorsal fin."
After the tour we had to go on the Wild Arctic ride in order to see the belugas she kept talking about and the walruses (which she never mentioned). The funny thing was the walk through line for Wild Arctic was huge and the ride line was a walk on, so despite my motion sickness I did the ride.
I would try a different tour next time and I wouldn't book it until after I got to the park. Prebooking only limited us unfairly.

 

[flatline]

thanks for the review. this is one of the few encounters we haven't done yet but were looking to do. the price isn't bad, ($16.00 per adult) but it sounds like a culmination of everything we've done at SW short of touching a penguin.

for the last two months, the walk-through standby times of wild arctic has been much longer than the ride standby. I have no clue why, it's usually the reverse. and you can always ignore both and cut through the gift shop into the exhibits.

 

[mumzie2three]

SMACK! That is the sound of me slapping my head. It never occurred to me to cut through the gift shop, even though that was the way we first got into the exhibit when the tour started. I think I was suffering from heat stroke by that point.

 

[flatline]

SMACK! That is the sound of me slapping my head. It never occurred to me to cut through the gift shop, even though that was the way we first got into the exhibit when the tour started. I think I was suffering from heat stroke by that point.

our daughter is studying to be a marine mammal trainer, so we spend A LOT of time at Seaworld. you find the shortcuts wherever you can.

 

[mumzie2three]

our daughter is studying to be a marine mammal trainer, so we spend A LOT of time at Seaworld. you find the shortcuts wherever you can.

Question, what sort of training is required to become a marine mammal trainer? I can barely swim, but I'm curious about the education required.

 

[flatline]

Question, what sort of training is required to become a marine mammal trainer? I can barely swim, but I'm curious about the education required.

none really outside of common biology courses, there's no degree needed. being a trainer is hard work, and pretty much the only payoff is the animal interaction. the pay isn't great at all.

our daughter is only 12, but she's spent a lot of time at MOTE, FL Aquarium, Lowery Park Zoo, and Seaworld working with marine mammals behind the scenes. mmt's at Seaworld know her by name, and she can summon a few of the dolphins with a quick signal. it's pretty cool.

 

[RabFlmom]

We've thought about going through the gift shop, but thought they would stop you from going in that way. We usually wait in the shortest line and just walk through without watching the movie. Been there done that too many times so don't need the movie. Guess next time we will try going in through the exit, but if everybody else does I bet they post someone to stop people from going in that way. Hmmm Guess I left something down in the Walrus area and have to go find it. LOL

 

[christinou]

I am so disppointed to read this I prebooked this tour for August, I had read some good reviews and it seemed interesting, I am not sure wether to go or not..

 

[mumzie2three]

I am so disppointed to read this I prebooked this tour for August, I had read some good reviews and it seemed interesting, I am not sure wether to go or not..

I would call and ask for the time you want to take the tour (morning vs afternoon). If they say they can't do that, tell them you understand from a friend who took the tour that it's standard to give people who prebook the latest tour time and you don't think it's fair for Sea World to dictate the time, especially since you've prepaid. If they aren't willing to even put in a request for the time you want then I would cancel.

There were 5 of us on the tour and that is one reason why they were not able to move us to another time, maybe if you don't have many in your party you can show up right at park opening and hope to be able to change the time. We were at the desk by 9:30 but they said there was no room on any of the other Polar Tours. In hindsight I wished I had cancelled. It was a hot day and I would've rather gone back to the room and come back at night for the Luau we had booked. The information was pretty basic and except for touching a penguin, there was nothing memorable about the tour (just that we kept going outside and standing around, to kill time).

 

[RC Fan]

We did the tour Sunday, May 7th. I think our time was around 10 something. I would have liked less talking, more animals. It was a bit boring.

 

[MEM]

I am so disppointed to read this I prebooked this tour for August, I had read some good reviews and it seemed interesting, I am not sure wether to go or not..

We did the tour a few years ago so I cannot comment on its current incarnation but we felt it WAS worth the time and money. How many people can say they petted a penguin? I learned quite a lot about polar bears and penguins and I considered myself well-read about them. I think you should trust your original instincts and go, JMHO.

 

[mumzie2three]

Maybe it was our guide but everything she told us about Polar bears we already knew. If I had been 5 and 6, like my girls, it might have been considered educating. Plus as she was asking us to guess the color the bears fur, skin etc, we were standing in the viewing area and had quite the audience of non-paying listeners.
We were no where near the belugas when she talked about their form and function. We ran right past them when the tour began and so we had to regain entry to that area to view them after the tour ended, and think back to what she told us about them.
Walruses, she never even mentioned them.
Besides the fact that penguins are projectile poopers, I think I had shut down at that point and nothing stands out except for the 5 seconds I had to touch the penguin.
Everytime the tour guide asked if anyone knew this fact or that fact, sure enough there was a little girl who answered EVERY question. When a boy in the group asked what the bears eat, she told him to look at the board at the back of the kitchen because it listed what the animals eat. I don't know about anyone else but I didn't envision standing in the hot sun taking turns peering through glass, straining to see a board at the back of a room.
But I did get a photo of the girls touching a penguin, so I guess that's worth $70.00.

 

[DTop]

Any time you book a tour in advance and you have a need for a specific time or anything else, just ask them to include a note to that effect and when the tour time are established in the morning, your request will be accomodated. I have done this many times.
The info given in the tour seems to be geared to the younger/novice types but I've always thought that is the way it should be. If I need more advanced data, there's always Google and the library.
There are also some tour guides that are naturally better than others.

 

[kimbac3]

We did this tour last Nov and we really enjoyed it. We went to a private Polar Bear Viewing area. We watched a video and got to feel the fur, it was cool, I got a great Picture of a sleeping polar bear. We also did alot of walking and discussing in the "behind the scence" area. I even took a photo of the "authorized personnel" only sign! We had a great tour guide. We also all got to pet the penguins twice. That was the highlight and we have some great shots. Maybe tomorrow I'll post some of the pictures I took. For the money it was a great tour...we enjoyed it way more than the Behind the Seeds tour at Disney...not as much as the Family Magic tour though!
Kimba

 

[shelby72]

When I first read this post I pretty much ruled out the Polar Expedition, but the more I read, the more it seems like luck of the draw for the tour guide. My other hesitation is that we are going September 17-23 which is considered off-peak time. Do you think we might get a better tour because it isn't as crowded or maybe a kind of half-hearted one if everyone is more "relaxed" due to off-season. I'd love to hear experiences from people who have been around this time.

Thanks!!!

 

[RC Fan]

I do think it was worth doing. I say go for it if it sounds interesting to you.

 

[Suedrews]

we did the tour at 10:30 am & really enjoyed it....the temp was mid 70 & quite comfortable....our guide was from South America & very enjoyable to listen to....our family loves the penguins, so it was a memorable experience for us...but, we didn't have to pay for it cause we won a SeaWorld trip & this was part of the package! Things are definately more worth it when they are free!