Sea World - the Most Popular Theme Park in America

SeaWorld

SeaWorld, a theme park at Orlando operated by the Busch Entertainment Corporation, has been visited by more than 5.8 million guests so far. This entertainment complex showcases the huge variety of life prevalent in the oceans and ranks as the 12^th best theme park in the whole world.

Location:

SeaWorld is conveniently situated at just 10 minutes away from the south of Orlando downtown area and is about a 15 minute drive from the Orlando International Airport.

Opening hours:

This amusement park is open all through the year. Visitors can enter the park right from 9 AM and spend a whole day enjoying all the attractions. The closing time varies though as the attractions are open for more hours during holidays and also summer.

Design of the park:

Though the park has distinct areas, it is not divided into sections or themes like other amusement parks

PARK AREAS:

Key West at SeaWorld: Mimics the Key West city in Florida. Visitors have the chance to see sea turtles, dolphins, alligators, manatees and stingrays. Guests can feed dolphins and stingrays.

Shamu's Happy Harbor: The killer whale mascot named shamu hosts this kids play area which houses a play fortress and interesting rides suitable for a family.

The Waterfront at SeaWorld: This is a new section which resembles a the seaside of a village situated in the Mediterranean region. It features the Sky Tower ride and also has shops and restaurants.

Clydesdale Hamlet: A unique attraction featuring the popular Budweiser Clydesdales stables. At the Hospitality House, guests can learn more about the process of bear making and also taste the products of Anheuser-Busch

ATTRACTIONS:

Rides:

• Journey to Atlantis: This thrilling coaster ride takes you through exciting twists and turns as you explore Atlantis, the lost city. Dark passages, furious water, exotic special effects leave you drenched in the amusing experience. Simulated floods, surprising tremors, water cannons, foggy atmosphere are sure to take you through a memorable journey
• Kraken: A monster coaster ride consistently ranked as one of the top 10 entries by adventure lovers, this floorless ride, lifts you high, drops you dangerously, spirals you all through
• Wild Arctic Ride: Gear up for an exciting expedition of a simulated helicopter ride which takes you to one end of the earth where you encounter beluga whales, walruses and polar bears under challenging extreme conditions. Enter the wonderland frozen with ice about the thickness of half an inch giving you a chance to explore a completely different ecosystem of Mother Earth
• Shamu's Happy Harbor rides: Explore theme oriented exciting rides like Sea Carousel, The Flying Fiddler, Shamu Express, Ocean Commotion, Jazzy Jellies, Pirate's Nets and Swishy Fishies.
• Sky Tower: A visual icon with its height of 400 ft since 1973, this gives you a bird's eye view of the whole theme park and also some parts of downtown Orlando in just six minutes.
• Manta: Scheduled to open in 2009, this would give the guests a flight experience under water where they fly horizontally with their face down. Riders will effortlessly fly like a ray and it promises to be a huge treat for adventure freaks.

Shows

• Believe: A wonderful show featuring killer whale behaviors with world-class multimedia visuals, choreography and music.
• Clyde and SeaMore Take Pirate Island: The comical show with sea lions, walruses and otters playing hilariously as a stranded team in a ship searches for the treasure buried somewhere
• Blue Horizons: A spectacular action packed show with soaring birds, impeccable stunt actors, acrobatic dolphins, killer whales, exotic birds with aerialists and divers in amazing costumes in stunning blue waters.
• Pets Ahoy: A hilarious event with more than 100 atheltic animals including dogs, rats, birds, pigs and various other species performing comical skits and stunts
• "A'lure, The Call of the Ocean": A mariner's tale of the sirens in the sea on a massive stage with yo-yo artists, aerialists and flying athletes
• Shamu Rocks: A seasonal rock n' roll show starring Killer whales accompanied with remixed musical numbers of some of the popular stars in the entertainment industry. This high-energy is generally performed in the dark mostly during holiday times.
• Sea Lions tonight: A evening comedy show with talented ottes, walruses and sea lions
• "Mistify": Majestic show encompassing fountains as tall as 100ft, mist screen 60 ft high, flames on water and fireworks at the centre lake
• Elmo and Abby's Treasure Hunt: A funny musical seasonal show mostly performed during holidays where Abby and her friends try to open a treasure trunk by searching some clues. They encounter wonders like rock which rhymes and trees which sing.
• Shamu Christmas Miracles: Celebrate your holidays peacefully with shamu joining the joys of the miracles in this holiday seasonal show.

Exhibits

• Penguin Encounter: view puffines and murres in an indoor exhibit
• Shark Encounter: featuring a huge variety of sharks and venomous fishes in an underwater tunnel
• Pacific Point Preserve: houses seals and sea lions
• Dolphin cove: an outdoor exhibit of Bottlenose dolphins which guests can touch and feed
• Turtle point: refuge for sea turtles which have been rescued
• Manatee Rescue: protects the Florida manatees that have been saved
• Stingray Lagoon: a touch stingrays by visiting this exhibit
• Dolphin Nursery: view the Bottlenose Dolphins that have been newly born
• Clydesdale Hamlet: Clydesdale horses reside here

Tours

You can avail these optional interesting tours at additional charges.

• SeaWorld Orlando's VIP Tour: A guided tour for seven hours with easy access to popular rides, prior reservation for two popular shows, with an opportunity to feed the friendly dolphins, sea lions and rays. This package also comprises of a buffet lunch with the killer whale family and gives a memorable experience at "Dine with Shamu"
• SeaWorld Orlando's Elite VIP Tour: Exclusive tour guide for a private group, with easy access to popular rides, prior reservation for two popular shows, with an opportunity to meet a penguin. You would also feed sting rays, sea lion and dolphins and enjoy full-service lunch at "Dine with Shamu" along with sharks
• SeaWorld Orlando's Penguin Spotlight Tour: This one-hour walking tour with animal experts informs you of the efforts taken behind the scenes to take care of penguins. This tour involves walking on wet and frozen surfaces and occasional need to climb staircases
• SeaWorld Orlando's Dolphin Spotlight Tour: This one hour walking tour takes you backstage to the stadium where killer whales and dophins reside. The animal experts tell more about training and taking care of these stunning species. You can also touch a dolphin and take part in a training session with the staff.
• SeaWorld Orlando's Behind-the-Scenes Tour: Be informed of the interesting facts and the initiatives of Sea world to preserving wildlife. This one and a half hour tour talks about rescue stories of sea turtles and manatees. You can touch a penguin, explore polar bear dens and also interact with a shark

Camps

• Resident Camps: Get ready for a face to face experience with the marine life and enjoy all the attractions, rides and live shows
• Our Day Camps: A quality educational initiative with fun suitable for camping lovers of all ages. Trained counselors ensure safe learning and fun activities.
• Sleepover camps: spend a memorable night with exotic animals while enjoying a delicious pizza dinner and indulging in fun activities right from 6 PM in the evening. The adventure wraps up next morning with a complimentary continental breakfast.

Help desk:

For any enquiries, clarifications or assistance, visitors can contact The Information Center which is located at the Main Entrance. You can get more details about hotels, interesting places to see, campsites, assistance of guests with disabilities, information on various shows, guidance for commuting, lost and found information and help to locate lost children including any other useful information or guidance as required.

RENTALS:

Wheelchair and strollers: Wheelchair and strollers are provided at all attractions for guests above 18 years. It is advisable to leave these at the outside of attractions and exhibits. Visitors are advised to also be careful at any unattended items in the park.

Lockers: Guests can choose between small and large lockers for a nominal fee and they are available only for one-time use

Pets Accommodation: Air-conditioned kennels are available for rent at the main entrance but guests need to take care of feeding and walking their pets during their day. Any other accessories like blankets need to be brought. Kennels are available only on first-come first-serve basis. It is advisable to carry the latest updated vaccination records of your pets.

Parking:

The huge parking area at sea world can accommodate more than 6500 vehicles. Members who are platinum passport scheme holders can avail complimentary parking facilities. People who have chosen membership for one or two years can park for free in the general parking lot but have to pay a nominal charge for parking in the preferred parking area.

Dining, Food, and Beverage Policy

SeaWorld offers special packages for dining which you can avail to save money on food. Lot of restaurants are located throughout the park serving a huge variety of snacks, beverages, desserts and quick meals. Coolers, glass containers, picnic bags, food baskets and lunches are not allowed except in the case of visitors with special diets or baby food items.

Smoking Policy

The maps in the mark clearly indicate the designated smoking areas. Guests are allowed to smoke only in these areas and not in bars and restaurants where food is served.

Other Guest Services:

Baby nursing areas, Diaper-changing facilities, foreign exchange counters, first-aid counters, ATMs round the clock, taxi and bus parking areas are found at many locations for the comfort of guests.

Transportation to Busch Gardens:

Shuttles are available to busch gardens at specific pick-up locations and scheduled intervals.

Meetings & Conventions:

Seaworld can host parties accommodating right from 30 to 25,000 people! Make the evenings of your guests memorable by giving them an opportunity to dine with the sharks! Delicious buffets and cocktails are served in the conferences, meetings, and conventions customized just for you and your guests. For further details, visit www.seaworldgroupevents.com.

ATM facilities and Credit Card payments

The US Bank ATMs can be found at various locations of the park. You can also pay through major credit cards at ticket booths, souvenir shops and restaurants but check payments are not accepted.

Security Measures:

• Bags and belongings are checked at the entrance
• Sharp items, cans, bottles, coolers, alcoholic beverages are not allowed inside the park
• Do not carry any additional materials while entering the park. It is advisable to lock them in your trunk or leave in the car
• The management is not responsible for theft, damage, loss, or fire of any articles that you carry or leave in your vehicle.

Gather more information about marine animals:

Visit www.seaworld.org, the educational website which has won awards in the past, for more information of these marine species

SeaWorld

7007 SeaWorld Drive
Orlando, Florida 32821
(407) 351-3600