SeaWorld is often overlooked when planning attractions to visit in Orlando in favour of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks. But, Seaworld not only offers you the chance to get up close to amazing marine life it’s also arguably the best theme park in Orlando for thrill rides.
It’s been over 9 years since we were last at Seaworld Orlando and although we had been to the Seaworld Parks in California and Texas since, we couldn’t wait to check out what the Orlando park had to offer.
Our Seaworld experience began shortly after we walked through the park gates and saw hundreds of flamingos at Flamingo Cove, this was our first of many opportunities during the day to interact with the animals at SeaWorld.
After a quick look at the map you realise just how many things there are to see and do at Seaworld and how much its expanded since our last visit. Although the Orlando park is smaller in size compared to their park in Texas what was certain was that we had an action packed day ahead.
The waterfront area around the Sky Tower was stunning, I forgot just how beautiful a park this was and it reminded me of the Mediterranean area in PortAventura.
Before we got started on rides, we spent the morning at the Sea Lion and Orca Encounter presentations. This is something that has changed dramatically since our last visit with a strong focus on conservation now.
Holly was enchanted watching the dolphin adventure presentation and any questions that she had about dolphins were answered in this fantastic show which really did wow all of us.
Using a combination of spectacular water aerobics of the trainers when interacting with the dolphins together with a strong educational emphasis it was such a brilliant learning experience.
After the show we visited Dolphin Cove which was another highlight for Holly, she has been fascinated by dolphins since her first dolphin encounter at Seaworld Orlando as an infant.
There are so many great experiences on offer at Seaworld and watching her make a connection with the dolphins was worth the entry fee alone. This is one of the reasons why we were so looking forward to our visit to Discovery Cove.
Being able to watch the playful group of bottlenose dolphins and learn about them was fascinating, she would have spent hours here with them if she could have but it was time to get into the sub zero temperatures at the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin attraction.
This was not only a great way to cool off from the extreme heat outside but it was fascinating watching the five species of penguins waddle and swim in their colony.
One of the main changes we could see in the park was the investment and focus on new attractions and Chloe and Holly couldn’t wait to try them out. First up was one of the latest rides to open, the family friendly ‘Ice Breaker’ coaster, I know its called ‘family friendly’ but I had one look, saw the reverse launch and volunteered to take photos from the ground instead.
This was intense, going backwards and forwards at speeds of 52mph and a vertical drop of 93ft with a 100 degree angle – but the smiles on the girls faces when they got off, said it all – they loved it.
If rollercoasters are your thing, there is no better theme park than Seaworld with Manta, the floorless Kraken coaster and their most extreme Mako, which is 200ft tall reaching top speeds of 73mph – the fastest and tallest rollercoaster in Orlando.
We stopped off in Sesame Land, which is one of my personal favourites. SeaWorld is not all about thrill rides, for families with younger children this area of the park is perfect.
Dedicated to Sesame Street, as we walked around this colourful world it brought back so many memories of when we were last here and the fun we had when the girls were really young.
Away from the rides and shows you can meet some amazing marine animals at SeaWorld Orlando. At the Stingray Lagoon we all had the chance to see and touch the rays and a hidden gem is Wild Artic, home to walruses and one of our favourite animals during our visit, the beluga whale.
It really is a world class aquarium where we saw mantas, turtles and at one of the worlds largest underground viewing tunnels we got up close to sharks. My highlight was learning about the conservation work that SeaWorld are doing and in particular stepping behind the scenes to see the stunning manatees in their rehabilitation area.
The SeaWorld Craft Beer festival was on during our visit and there were so many great food trucks around the park , we we sampled everything from mini sliders and delicious tacos to gorgeous desserts.
To cool off from the midday heat we tried out some of the water rides at SeaWorld starting with Journey to Atlantis. This was unbelievable, I knew we would get wet on the huge water drop but what I wasn’t expecting was that this was part water ride, part coaster – it was so much fun.
You get wet on Atlantis but on Infinity Falls you get drenched, I watched a few guests leave the ride soaked so it was only Ian and Chloe who braved this one. They have been on some extreme water rides but this was next level.
I loved the jungle theming of this ride but the highlight is its 40ft water drop which I guess can be expected from the world’s tallest river rapid drop – they both got off this ride like they had just had a bath – even their ponchos couldn’t keep them dry!
Next up was the newest ride at SeaWorld – Pipeline which is the world’s first surf coaster and adds to the growing collection of world class rides here. What made this ride so unique was that it’s a stand up coaster which launches you 110ft up at a top speed of 60mph and you really do feel like you are riding the waves along every turn especially on the inversion.
After a long but really enjoyable day at the park, we browsed the numerous gift shops at the parks entrance, stopped for a photo in front of the iconic lighthouse and left with memories of our day that we will always remember.
Overall
If you are visiting Orlando, a visit to SeaWorld should definitely be on your list. There was really something for everyone here at Seaworld, as the park offers a perfect mix of educational shows, animal encounters and world class rides.
Ready to Book
For UK customers, FloridaTix have a great range of ticket options available to visit Seaworld. If you are visiting Discovery Cove then this will also include 14 day unlimited entry to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica Orlando on the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package from FloridaTix which is great value at £180. To see the full range of ticket options available visit the FloridaTix SeaWorld Orlando page.
For more information on SeaWorld Orlando and the range of experiences on offer it’s well worth visiting the official SeaWorld Orlando website.