tell me more about Seaworld...

[gigi1313]

in the Key West section, can you actually touch the dolphins? can you feed the dolphins or watch them being fed?

do you get wet? is it wise to wear a bathing suit to seaworld (i read about some water slides in a kiddie area)? or maybe just tactel shorts that dry quickly?

do they have a water-ski show? (or am i remembering some other park 20+ years ago)?

is there any specialty dining that is worth the time/money? we only have one day for seaworld and will have to make the most of it...

 

[Magalex]

Just like to drop a note that Sea World was a beautiful park and we had lots of fun. Yes they do have a ski-show. They have a show with domestic animals called "Pets Ahoy" which is really cute. We spent one day at the park while vacationing at WDW. Our DS was 4.5 at the time so your children maybe interested in other things at Sea World. They do have one roller coaster and a water ride. We didn't see much of the dolphins because my DS was hungry at the time and we were on our way to lunch. With older children it might be a longer day at Sea World but a day was fine for us. We got there at opening time and left at 3-4 PM

Have Fun!
Magalex
4/22-4/30 POP

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for your response

 

[gigi1313]

in the Key West section, can you actually touch the dolphins? can you feed the dolphins or watch them being fed?

do you get wet? is it wise to wear a bathing suit to seaworld (i read about some water slides in a kiddie area)? or maybe just tactel shorts that dry quickly?

do they have a water-ski show? (or am i remembering some other park 20+ years ago)?

is there any specialty dining that is worth the time/money? we only have one day for seaworld and will have to make the most of it...

bump!

 

[tampaman]

You can touch the dolphins if you buy the food and get them to come up out of the water but you have to hurry to catch them. If you can get someone else next to you to feed them so you can pet them. There are preplanned times for the feedings...get there early and get one person in line to get the food and another to save you a spot, cause it fills up quickly if its a busy day.

As for food, I personally like Sharks and hit it everytime I go. Its expensive as one would expect inside an amusement park, but its very good food IMO for a park. Its about 15-25 per entree. If you like coconut, I love the coconut napolean. Check in the park about reserved seating...last time I went, you had to go by the restaurant to reserve a spot, but they seem to change it quite a bit.

Good luck

 

[tampaman]

Oh...and if you want to experience Sharks without the high prices...their pizzas are good and in the $8-10 range...and you can relax in air conditioning and watch the sharks swim by!

 

[gigi1313]

thanks tampaman!

one other question... do the kids need bathing suits? i know they won't be swimming w/shamu (LOL) but i thought i heard about a kiddie play area w/water slides and such... yes?

 

[gw_lit]

do they have a water-ski show? (or am i remembering some other park 20+ years ago)?

The water ski show is no longer. Several years ago a boat from the show crashed into the stands at SeaWorld Ohio. The show was discontinued after that and hasn't returned. But, yes, they used to have a water-ski show.

 

[gigi1313]

oh, bummer! i am sure my kids would have loved it!

 

[fb309]

You can feed the dolphins and stingrays and usually can touch them for a moment or so. You can also feed the sharks and sealions on the other side of the park. Across from Shamu stadium, they have a play area for the kids where they can get wet. They can also get wet at the Shamu shows and Clyde and Seamore show if you sit in the Splash Zones. There is a nice changing area at the play area, I think it is called Shamu's Happy Harbor. Dd usually wears a bathing suit under her shorts/shirt and I also take a towel and a change of clothes, just in case. Usually, though, it is pretty warm and she dries quickly. As far as food, we enjoy all of the restaurants at Seaworld. We've ate at Dine with Shamu a few times, but not the Sharks yet. We have been to Seaworld at least 12 times in the last 4 years. We/dd prefers it over Disney.

 

[gigi1313]

thank you for your response... the more i read/learn about seaworld the more i am looking forward to it... seems it changed a lot since i went in '79

 

[fb309]

When we go to Seaworld and they are open until 10 p.m., we are there when they open at 9 and stay until about 2 or 3, go back to our rooms to rest, swim, etc and go back to the park around 6 o'clock. It is cooler, less hurried, we watch Mystify, Shamu Rocks America, and the fireworks. We'll just get a dessert and sit at the waterfront and watch the shows...nice and relaxing. Can you tell we love it?!

 

[tampaman]

A couple of things...first of all, I posted the Sharks Menu on the " Dining w/Shamu or Sharks worth the $$? " thread if you are interested. Secondly, my understanding is that the ski show is back but I haven't personally seen it (when I was there last, Hurricane Charley had ripped pieces of the roof into the parking lot and it was closed). I think its called Fusion.

 

[tinkernelllec]

Sadly the Sea World in Ohio is closed.................now we have to go clear to Flordia to see Shamu..........I wonder if the ski boat incident had anything to do with the closing of the park.

 

[gw_lit]

A couple of things...first of all, I posted the Sharks Menu on the " Dining w/Shamu or Sharks worth the $$? " thread if you are interested. Secondly, my understanding is that the ski show is back but I haven't personally seen it (when I was there last, Hurricane Charley had ripped pieces of the roof into the parking lot and it was closed). I think its called Fusion.

Yes, the ski show is back. I was mistaken that it hadn't returned although it had been gone for several years.

 

[maine_jennifer]

The feeding of the dolphins info you've already received is pretty good. They have to limit the amount of food they give them a day, so your best bet is to check that out first thing. The shack where you buy the food will have times posted on it. Get there early, have someone save your spot, and go wait in line for them to open. Also, I want to point out that you can also feed the Sea Lions at the Pacific Point Reserve in SeaWorld. That's a LOT of fun! They're very vocal about receiving the food you're throwing to them.

Back to the dolphins for a second. When you do get to pet the dolpins, there's two things I encourage people to remember. Be careful about their eyes that are located on the sides of the head. Also, try not to pet them like you would a cat or a dog. Their blowhole is on the top and they don't really like it when you try to touch them up there. Think about it, how would you feel if a dolphin swam up to you and tried to stick their flipper up your nose.

Here's a good picture of the dolphin petting/feeding area at SeaWorld.
http://www.centralfloridatravel.com/SeaWorld.asp

HTH!

 

[Cdn_Tink]

...try not to pet them like you would a cat or a dog. Their blowhole is on the top and they don't really like it when you try to touch them up there. Think about it, how would you feel if a dolphin swam up to you and tried to stick their flipper up your nose.

good point!