SeaWorld Orlando

Interesting information about SeaWorld Orlando, Florida

SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park, and marine-life based zoological park, near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group. When combined with its neighbor Discovery Cove and the Aquatica waterpark, it forms a larger entertainment complex devoted to Earth`s oceans and the array of life that inhabits them.

In 2009, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 5.8 million guests, ranking it the seventh-most visited amusement park in the United States.[1] However, SeaWorld`s owners have challenged the estimated figures in the past; in 2007, the estimate was 5.8 million guests, while the park`s internal data, normally not released to the public, was closer to 6.2 million guests.[2] A spokesman for then-owner Busch Entertainment Corporation disagreed with the report, saying, "They are wrong across the board."[3]

Unlike most other theme parks, SeaWorld Orlando is not divided into "lands" or sections. There are, however, some distinct areas within the park.
[edit] Key West at SeaWorld

Key West at SeaWorld is designed to mimic the appearance of the city of Key West, Florida. Exhibits in this portion of the park include stingrays, dolphins, sea turtles, flamingos, manatees, and alligators. The stingray and dolphin habitats offer opportunities for guests to feed the animals.
[edit] Shamu`s Happy Harbor

Shamu`s Happy Harbor is a children`s play area hosted by Shamu, the park`s killer whale mascot, that features six family rides (including the junior coaster Shamu Express), a net climb structure, and a water play area.
[edit] The Waterfront at SeaWorld

The Waterfront, the newest section of the park, resembles a seaside Mediterranean village and contains shops and restaurants, as well as the park`s iconic Sky Tower ride.
[edit] Rides and attractions

SeaWorld Orlando has a vast array of attractions, including rides and animal exhibits. Two of these attractions actually combine the two, with both a ride component and a separate animal exhibit.
[edit] Rides
Kraken roller coaster
Sky Tower

* Manta, a flying roller coaster
* Kraken, a floorless roller coaster.
* Journey to Atlantis, a boat ride with roller coaster elements themed to the mythical Atlantis.
* Shamu Express, a junior roller coaster with cars themed as Shamu.
* Sky Tower, 400-foot tall rotating observation tower, built in 1973.
* Sea Carousel, a carousel themed with caricatured marine mammals and fish.
* Jazzy Jellies, a tea cup style ride that lifts up and spins controlled by riders with a disk
* Swishy Fishies, a teacups ride themed as fish.
* Ocean Commotion, a rockin` tug ride.
* The Flying Fiddlera kiddie crab themed freefall attraction
* Net Climb, a four story net climb with tire swings and slides.

[edit] Animal exhibits
Dining with the sharks at the Sharks Underwater Grill

* Penguin Encounter, an indoor exhibit that also includes puffins and murres.
* Shark Encounter, which features an underwater tunnel and a wide array of sharks, rays and venomous fish. At Sharks Underwater Grill, guests can dine while observing the sea life in the main exhibit tank.
* Pacific Point Preserve, home to the park`s sea lions and seals.
* Dolphin Cove, an outdoor exhibit where you can feed and touch Bottlenose Dolphins.
* Turtle Point, an outdoor exhibit that features rescued sea turtles in a shallow pool with a beach.
* Manatee Rescue, home to rescued Florida manatees and also showcases alligators.
* Stingray Lagoon, a covered exhibit where you can touch stingrays.
* Dolphin Nursery, a covered exhibit where new-born Bottlenose Dolphins reside.
* Flamingo Pond, an outdoor exhibit where flamingos are exhibited.

[edit] Combined attractions

* Manta, a flying roller coaster and aquarium exhibit featuring rays, sea dragons and other species.
* Wild Arctic, an indoor exhibit featuring polar bears, beluga whales, and walruses that is designed to resemble a research station in the Arctic Ocean. Guests can take a motion-simulated helicopter journey to the exhibit, or may bypass the ride and watch the film without the motion and proceed directly to the exhibit. During the Christmas season, Wild Arctic is replaced by the Polar Express Experience, a temporary overlay based on the popular 2004 feature film.

[edit] Live entertainment
Kalina at SeaWorld Orlando in 2002

SeaWorld Orlando hosts a number of live shows, many featuring trained animals. During peak seasons (such as summer), the park will offer special shows in addition to the main performances.

* Shamu Stadium is the seven-million gallon home to the park`s killer whale performers. The park`s current production is Believe, which is joined by Shamu Rocks during busier seasons and Shamu Christmas Miracles during the holiday season. In 2011, Believe will be replaced with another killer whale show.[4]
* The Whale and Dolphin Stadium features dolphins, false killer whales, macaws and even an Andean condor in Blue Horizons, which also adds human acrobats and divers.
* The Sea Lion and Otter Stadium hosts "Clyde and Seamore," a pair of California sea lions in the comical presentation Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island. During the summer months, the pair lampoon the park`s other shows during Sea Lions Tonight.
* Bayside Stadium formerly hosted water skiing shows on the park`s central lagoon. Today, the stage is used for SeaWorld`s numerous music concert series and other special events.
* The Nautilus Theatre is home to A`lure, an acrobatic show similar in style and presentation to the works of Cirque du Soleil.
* Seaport Theatre features dogs, cats, and other animals that have been rescued from local animal shelters in Pets Ahoy!. This venue is also home to Elmo & Abby`s Treasure Hunt.
* Seafire Inn is both a restaurant and a theatre in the style of a dinner theatre. This venue is home to the Makahiki Luau, a Polynesian festival offering authentic cuisine, fire dances, and island chants and songs. In the summer, this venue also hosts Wild Things at Seafire, an educational display of several various exotic animals being handled by an animal trainer.

During peak seasons, SeaWorld offers a nightly fireworks presentation. The newest production is Reflections, a multimedia show featuring fireworks, dancing fountains and mist screens that is inspired by the musical soundtracks of the park`s shows and attractions.
[edit] Animal Inventory

The following is a current list of animals at the SeaWorld Orlando park, as based on an October 2008 Marine Mammal Inventory Report received from the NMFS:

Beluga Whales

Wild Arctic - Aurek (M), Klondike (M), Maple (F). Whisper (F), Another male by the name of Juno was recently transferred to Mystic Aquarium

Atlantic & Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins

Animal Care - Beetle (M), Madison (F), Naia (F), Sabrina (F), Cosmo (M), Peanut (F)

Whale & Dolphin Stadium - Alejandro (M), Baretta (M), Bubba (M), Clyde (M), Jensen (M), Marble (M), Phil (M), Starbuck (M)

Dolphin Cove - Ajax (M), Alpha (M), Bailey (F), Bossa (F), Calla (F), Damara (F), Hekili (M), Gala (F), Jackson (M), Jag (M), Jenever (F), Lagos (M), Neo (M), Oscar (M), Potter (M), Scott (M), Tiger (M)

Dolphin Nursery - Alia (F), Ariel (F), Dash (F), Griffith (F), Kendall (F), Kendall`s calf (F), Lily (F), Starkey (F), Starkey`s calf (?), Tasha (F), Tasha`s calf (?)

False Killer Whales

Whale & Dolphin Stadium - Jozu (F)

Killer Whales

Shamu Stadium - Katina (F), Makaio (M), Tilikum (M), Kayla (F), Trua (M), Nalani (F), Malia (F), and Makaio (M).

Katina gave birth to Makaio on October 9, 2010.

Pacific Walruses

Sea Lion & Otter Stadium - Bruiser (M), Slowpoke (F)

Wild Arctic - Dozer (M), Garfield (M)

Polar Bears

Wild Arctic - Johnny (M), Klondike (M), Snow (F)
[edit] Notable events

Time magazine listed the killing of Dawn Brancheau at the park at number three in its list of top 10 news stories of the year. Brancheau, an animal trainer, was killed on 24 February 2010 by a captive orca, named Tilikum, in front of numerous spectators, including children.[5]
[edit] See also

* Incidents at SeaWorld parks

[edit] Notes

1. ^ "TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2009". www.themeit.com. 2010-04-26. http://teaconnect.org/etea/2009ThemeIndex.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
2. ^ Scott Powers (2008-03-14). "Attendance at theme parks continues to skyrocket". www.orlandosentinel.com. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-parks1408mar14,0,5698343.story. Retrieved 2008-03-14. [dead link]
3. ^ Jason Garcia (2009-04-16). "Report: Theme-park attendance growth stalled in 2008". Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-theme-park-attendance-041609,0,7938051.story. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
4. ^ Garcia, Jason (15 November 2010). "SeaWorld will replace `Believe` with a new killer-whale show in Late April 2011. The show will be called "One Ocean"". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-11-15/travel/os-seaworld-killer-whale-shows-20101115_1_dawn-brancheau-seaworld-orlando-trainer-seaworld-parks-entertainment. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
5. ^ Gibson, Megan, "Top 10 Animal Stories: 3. Orca Kills Sea World Trainer", Time, 9 December 2010, retrieved 15 February 2011.