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Sea World Orlando FL
Home of Shamu - The killer whale
SEAWORLD ORLANDO
FUN FACTS AND ATTRACTION DESCRIPTIONS
Overview: SeaWorld Orlando is the world’s premier marine adventure park with 200 acres of world-class shows, thrilling rides and unforgettable animal encounters. Millions of visitors have explored the mysteries of the sea with up-close animal interactions and exhilarating experiences. State-of-the-art rides such as “Kraken” and “Journey to Atlantis” twist, turn, and drench guests with unprecedented thrills, while amazing animal encounters include killer whales, dolphins, sea lions, sharks and more.
What’s New: The Waterfront at SeaWorld, the park’s largest expansion, is a 5-acre nautical neighborhood that bustles with activity and immerses guests into a rich tapestry of festive entertainment, dining and shopping.
Location: Intersection of Interstate 4 and FL 528 (the Bee Line Expressway), 10 minutes south of downtown Orlando and 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport. Park Hours: Open year-round at 9 a.m., with extended hours during summer and holidays. Allow a full day to see all shows and attractions.
Information: For general park information, call (407) 351-3600, or visit the interactive Website at www.seaworld.com . For information on marine animals, visit our award-winning educational Website at www.seaworld.org .
Services: Strollers, wheelchairs, two-way radios, lockers and indoor, climate-controlled pet kennels are available for rental. Wheelchair seating is available at all facilities. Diaper-changing and baby-nursing areas, first aid, foreign currency exchange, automated teller machine, taxi and bus parking may be found on-site.
Print-at-Home Tickets: SeaWorld Orlando offers print-at-home tickets that allow guests to directly enter the park without waiting in line. Go to www.seaworld.com to purchase tickets.
Terrific Tuesdays: Geared for guests over 50, SeaWorld’s Terrific Tuesdays is a series of one-hour symposiums on a variety of topics such as health, horticulture and animal training. Every Tuesday, AARP members receive a special discount off admission to SeaWorld. Every other day of the week, AARP members receive a discount off park admission.
Restaurants: Guests may choose from nine restaurants, ranging from full-service to cafeteria-style.
“Voyagers Wood Fired Pizzas” and “The Seafire Inn” are the newest
dining venues in The Waterfront.
Meetings and Conventions: From cocktail parties in the shadows of lurking
sharks, to delectable buffets amid 200 tuxedo-clad penguins, SeaWorld Orlando
offers truly wild customized events. SeaWorld accommodates groups ranging in
size from 30 to 25,000
people.
DINING ADVENTURES: “Dine With Shamu” Park guests now have a once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience to eat alongside killer whales, dine with Shamu trainers, ask questions and observe training sessions in an exclusive themed area.
This buffet-style meal is located poolside and requires reservations by calling (800) 327-2420 or by visiting the park’s Information Counter at the front gate.
“Sharks Underwater Grill” is an upscale restaurant that immerses guests in an underwater world to dine with the denizens of the deep. The full-service restaurant features a “Floribbean-style” menu that blends Caribbean and Florida fare with an emphasis on seafood. Priority seating can be arranged by calling (800) 327-2420 or by visiting the host stand at the restaurant.
The nightly "Makahiki Luau" at The Waterfront’s Seafire Inn is a bountiful celebration filled with ancient customs, rhythmic music and dance, authentic costumes and the delectable cuisine of the Pacific Islands.
Reservations are required; call toll-free (800) 327-2420.
RIDES:
“Kraken” - A massive, mythological underwater beast is unleashed from the depths of the sea to shatter all records as the highest, fastest, longest –- and only floorless -- roller coaster in Orlando. Kraken is the first of its kind in the Southeast. Riders’ feet dangle and the seats are open-sided, riding on a pedestal above the track at speeds of 65 mph.
“Journey to Atlantis” - This edge-of-your-seat water-coaster -- part water ride, part roller coaster -- thrill ride plunges guests into the middle of a clash for the lost city of Atlantis. Riders encounter spine-tingling thrills, including two of the steepest, wettest and fastest drops to be found at any theme park in the world.
"Wild Arctic" - Guests are taken on a thrilling, motion-based flight over the frozen North where they are enveloped in the beauty, exhilaration and danger of Arctic exploration. Stepping from the simulated jetcopter experience they enter a frozen wonderland with live beluga whales, walruses, harbor seals and polar bears.
SHOWS:
“The Shamu Adventure” demonstrates the awesome power of SeaWorld Orlando’s family of killer whales, along with an awe-inspiring special appearance from a majestic African fish eagle in breathtaking free-flight.
Animal expert Jack Hanna serves as an on-location host, transporting guests via ShamuVision to chilling and exotic locations throughout the world -- including Alaska, Norway and the Crozet Islands -– while the animals and trainers showcase the beauty, strength and grace of the killer whales.
“Shamu Rocks America” - The decibel level rises and Shamu Stadium rocks as SeaWorld trainers and killer whales perform astonishing feats to a rock ‘n’ roll beat during this amazing nighttime killer whale show. Each night is a new rock experience topped with dazzling theatrical effects and waves of salt water splashes.
“Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island” stars the park's hilarious sea lions, otters and walrus in a swashbuckling adventure and a sensational tale of lost loot, pirate plunder and misadventure on the high seas.
New for 2005 - Blue Horizons SeaWorld Orlando will introduce an all-new dolphin show spectacular in summer 2005. This innovative addition will include a revolutionary and creative design that encompasses both sea and sky.
“Pets Ahoy!” is a comical show featuring the talents of a menagerie of dogs, cats, birds, rats, skunks, pot-belly pigs, and other animals performing a series of uproarious and amazing skits. Most impressive is the fact that nearly all of the fabulous four-legged celebs were rescued from animal shelters before they found their fame at SeaWorld.
“Odyssea” is a 30-minute spectacle combining gravity-defying acrobatic feats, lively music and dazzling special effects within a dazzling set that transports guests into an underwater world filled with wonder and fantasy.
ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS:
“Clydesdale Hamlet” is home to SeaWorld’s world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. Guests can watch as the majestic eight-horse hitch is meticulously prepared for parades through the park. During daily posing and petting sessions, guests can have their photo taken with a Clydesdale.
“Key West at SeaWorld” spans five acres and celebrates the legendary mystique and animals of the Florida Keys and immerses guests in the quirky, carefree ambiance of America's southernmost city. Guest may feed and touch dolphins in a tropical lagoon with rolling waves, a sandy beach, underwater viewing and naturalistic coral reef, as well as feed stingrays, and see endangered sea turtles up-close.
“Manatee Rescue” submerges guests in the beautiful underwater world of the endangered Florida manatee. All of the manatees in this habitat have been rescued by SeaWorld’s animal rescue team, and those who become healthy enough will be returned to their natural habitat. The attraction was named best new zoological exhibit in the country by The American Zoological Association (AZA).
“Pacific Point Preserve” is home to California sea lions and harbor seals. The 2˝-acre naturalistic setting duplicates the rocky Northern Pacific coast.
“Shark Encounter” takes guests underwater surrounded by spine-chilling denizens of the deep, including eels, barracuda, venomous fish, and sharks. The 60-foot shark tunnel in SeaWorld's Terrors of the Deep attraction is formed of acrylic panels weighing up to 5,000 pounds each and able to support the pressure of more than 500 tons of water.
“Penguin Encounter” is home to more than 200 penguins and puffins, and features four species of penguins: king, gentoo, chinstrap and rockhopper. The air is a chilly 30 degrees and the water an icy 45 degrees. Six thousand pounds of snow fall daily inside the naturalistic habitat, which is reminiscent of the Antarctic’s rocky cliffs and frigid waters. Guests ride a 120-foot-long moving walkway through the frozen wonderland to watch the playful birds cavort both above, and under, the water.
“Dolphin Nursery” is home to new dolphin mothers and their calves.
“Caribbean Tidepool” offers a hands -on encounters with tropical fish and sea creatures such as sea urchins, starfish and anemones. “Tropical Reef” surrounds guests with numerous jewel aquariums.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS:
SeaWorld Orlando also features: “Shamu's Happy Harbor,” a 3-acre play area for kids; and “The Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Center” featuring free samples of Anheuser-Busch products.
ANIMAL RESCUE AND REHABILITATION:
SeaWorld’s animal rescue team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and rescues, rehabilitates and releases hundreds of endangered animals each year. SeaWorld Orlando is home to the largest manatee rehabilitation facility in the world.
ANIMAL CONNECTIONS PROGRAMS:
Sharks Deep Dive
SeaWorld plunges guests into the realm of the shark during the park’s newest most daring animal interaction program, Sharks Deep Dive. Participants don SeaWorld wetsuits and snorkel or scuba dive in a shark cage during their close encounter with more than 50 sharks and an array of fish.
For reservations, call: (800) 432-1178 (press 4), book online at seaworld.com or visit the Guided Tour Counter inside the park.
Marine Mammal Keeper Experience
“Marine Mammal Keeper Experience” is an eight-hour program where guests experience the thrill of working alongside marine mammal experts. From bottle feeding orphaned manatees to interacting with seals and walrus, participants learn firsthand how SeaWorld animal care specialists work with animals. Up to four guests per day can participate in the program that begins at 6:30 a.m. For reservations, call: (800) 432-1178 or book online at www.seaworld.com or visit the Guided Tour Counter inside the park.
EDUCATIONAL TOURS AND PROGRAMS:
“Adventure Express Tour” An exclusive guided tour with back-door access to rides, reserved seating at shows, special animal feeding and interaction opportunities and lunch. Tour guests will have a knowledgeable guide to personally escort them through various park attractions and answer questions.
Reservations can be made at the Guided Tour Counter inside the park or in advance by calling (800) 406-2244
“Saving a Species” This 60-minute tour takes visitors behind the scenes for a look at the park’s animal rescue, rehabilitation and release efforts. Manatees, sea turtles, birds and other animals have all received a new lease on life with the help of SeaWorld’s animal care team. Guests have a rare opportunity to hand feed exotic birds in a free-flight aviary, and tour SeaWorld's rehabilitation facilities where endangered and threatened species receive state-of-the-art medical treatment. One dollar of this tour admission is donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to support research, conservation and education projects around the world. Nominal fee.
"Polar Expedition Tour” This 60-minute tour features an adventure from the North Pole to the South Pole. Guests explore the world of polar bears and beluga whales, get a backstage view of the Wild Arctic support areas, meet and touch a Magellanic penguin, and go behind the scenes at SeaWorld's Penguin Research Facility. Nominal fee." Predators” Who rules the oceans, sharks or killer whales? During this 60-minute tour, guests get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour at Shamu Stadium, and a backstage peek at eerie ocean dwellers at “Shar Encounter.” Participants find out how SeaWorld aquarists care for sharks and stingrays, visit the shark food preparation room and get to touch a live shark. Nominal fee.
“SeaWorld Adventure Camps” SeaWorld's Education department also offers more than 200 summer cam classes, including sleepover programs and adventures for kids as well as the whole family. New this year for teens interested in a career in biological sciences, the “SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Adventure Camps.” For information, call (407) 363-2380.