- SEA WORLD ORLANDO

-- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART FIVE --
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
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STATS
THEME PARK: SEA WORLD - ORLANDO
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: 7007 Seaworld Dr Orlando, Florida 32821 USA
Phone numbers:800-327-2424 Toll Free407-363-2280 Local
Official website: http://www.seaworld.com
Status: Operating since 1973
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DAY FOUR - on 6-04-09 we arrived at the front gates to Sea World at about 8:30 am. The Highs for today were only 84 degrees with some thunderstorms later in the day and the crowds were not bad at all. The worst crowds of the day were at the bag checks and the front gates. This was the most crazy of all bag check areas we experienced in Orlando.

The gates were opened five minutes before the official opening time. I cannot stress enough about getting to these Orlando parks early. You really have to if you don’t want to miss anything. We rand to the parks newest coaster MANTA and got a locker as fast as possible. The ride was a walk on this early in the morning.
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MANTA
The cue For this ride is gorgeous. The faux rock walls accent the many aquariums beautifully. Here you can see many rays and other fish. The music that is played in this queue is also part of the experience. By the time you reach the coaster your are completely in the mood! The crew loaded us in very fast and the trademark feeling you get form the seats of a B&M flyer raising you off the floor only lets you know there is no turning back now. The lift hill was very low. By this I mean, sure the drop is great but its not that high as compared to other coasters of this type. The short lift hill does not take anything away however. You glide at a good 56 mph through four inversions and across the top of the manta tank. A great water effect makes you feel as if you are skimming the waters with the rays! I was curious before I rode if you are able to even get a glimpse of the rays in the tank as you ride, considering you are going fast through all these inversions. I was happy to find I was able to see them clearly as we zoomed by. The ride is smooth but that’s to be expected from a B&M. Manta has more bite than most B&M coasters of this nature such as Superman at Six Flags over Georgia. Manta is a pretty ride to look at from the walkways, from the cue, on the ride and every where else you can see it. There just isn’t an ugly part of this ride and that includes the ride itself. This has to be the best of the new coasters for the year of 2009! I cannot give this one any more stars than ten but I wish I could! 10 out of 10 stars! Ride this one first thing in the morning to avoid long lines after the initial rush at the gates.
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After the great ride on Manta we headed to Journey to Atlantis. We wanted to get the three major rides at Sea World in first to avoid crowds. We had a little trouble finding it but eventually we did. One piece of advice I would like to give about Sea World is don’t be afraid to ask directions from the workers there. They are always friendly and eager to tell you where you need to go. I say this because the map does not always correlate with the park. The map frequently showed an attraction next to another one but in reality it was a further walk than it seems and also the map would have paths that were not there or exclude paths etc. The map can be confusing especially on the left hand side of the park and around the bayside arena on the right side of the park.
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JOURNEY TO ATLANTIS
We decided to ride this one next since we were advised earlier by an employee at the front gates that this ride gets a huge line fast after opening. We walked on and got front seat. Needless to say the front seat gets you very soaked! Despite popular belief this is not a typical log ride and is in fact considered a roller coaster. There is a great twisting drop from a coaster track inside the building into the water that is unexpected and gives a great adrenaline rush right before you get soaked! AWSOME!

The effects inside are great and I have read in books and other places that it doesn’t come close to Disney standards and therefore doesn’t come close to Splash Mountain! I disagree 100 percent. The effects inside are more exciting than Splash Mountain and the drops are way cool! In fact this is the BEST water ride in Orlando in my opinion. The others just don’t come close to this one. The best part? You don’t get a spit of water like on Splash Mtn, Instead you get drenched. We rode it twice and the second time after Kraken was also a walk on! If you want to get DRENCHED sit in the front, if you want to just get spit on don’t even ride it cause you’ll get very wet in every seat. 10 out of 10 stars for the best water ride in Orlando.
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After Journey to Atlantis we headed over to the Coaster I have been waiting to ride for years!, the majestic Kraken!
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KRAKEN
The Kraken is a huge B&M floorless coaster that races through seven inversions at speeds of 65 mph. This one really reminded me of Dragon Khan at Port Aventura in Spain! The floorless trains really don’t add any extra excitement to the ride for me but the ride itself is full of excitement. Our ride again was a walk on and before you know it we were upside down, downside up and every where in the sky and under ground. The ride was pretty good but the only complaint I had was the roughness. Yes I said it! This was the ONLY B&M I have ridden that beat my head against the restraints! Usually this NEVER happens on B&M’S! The funny part is the ride itself is smooth but in the inversions my head was banging like a metal music fan! Other than the headache from the beating I enjoyed the ride but this has to be my lowest rated B&M coaster I have ever rated. 8 out of 10 stars because it SO deserves a 10 but it also deserves to not bash my head in!
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After Kraken it was time to see some exhibits. The animal exhibits here at SEA WORLD are top notch but instead of wasting space talking about them lets just say every exhibit here is a must see and I rate every single exhibit we saw from a 9 to a 10! It was time to start seeing what Sea World is best at, The shows!
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CLYDE AND SEAMORE TAKE PIRATE ISLAND
We arrived early for this one and I suggest you d o too unless you want to be hackled by the pirate mime. That’s right; there is a funny mime that makes fun of people who are late. He is entertaining and you’ll laugh at his jokes the entire time. You will also be thankful YOU got there early. The show itself was funny and creative. Clyde and Seymour are seals and with the help of their otter friend they will put on a great show for you. I heard someone after the show complaining about it. They said something to the effect that the acting was bad and the seals screwed up a couple of times. First off the bad acting was what made the show so great and I just wanted to ask her as her children were misbehaving “how well do you have your children trained?” The thing is animals are very hard to train and the fact they screwed a couple of things up while doing more than 50 tricks and commands correctly is amazing to me. I give Clyde and Seymour a good 9 out of 10 stars. Every show at sea world is a must see and this is the funniest of them.
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BLUE HORIZONS
This is the show I almost skipped. I have seen many dolphin shows in my life and thought it was going to be just the same. Boy was I wrong. I am glad this one didn’t get skipped. Its like a European show almost. A water ballet with dolphins. Beautiful costumes, amazing dolphins and great choreography. There are also birds involved in this show as well. Despite a slow start this show picks up quickly and then never slows back down. Beautiful and exciting. I give Blue Horizons a 9 out of 10 for being the most unique Dolphin show I have ever seen.
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SEAPORT PIZZA
After Blue Horizons we ate at Seaport Pizza.This is a counter service place where you eat under a terrace. The food was AWSOME and CHEAP! I think we spent like 13 bucks for both of us to eat but we did have our own drinks with us. I give Seaport Pizza a 8 out of 10 stars because it was tasty but eating outdoors can get hot in Florida.
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PETS AHOY
Though most of the animals here only did one trick you must remember there are a LOT of animals in this show. The best part? They are all adopted from shelters and given a second chance at life. The show features dogs, cats, rats, pigs and other things as well. This is a great show and pretty funny as well. If you are an animal lover you’ll really like this one. It makes you feel good! 9 out of 10 stars!
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A’ LURE CALL TO THE OCEAN
The best show at SEA WORLD! PERIOD! Imagine a cirque du sole and china acrobats mingled together with awesome visual effects about the ocean floor in a mythical performance! The sets were creative, the effects amazing, the acrobats and dancing just superb and I thought this one felt more like a nice dinner show instead of the average theme park show. You could tell the people in this show KNEW they were good and they do things you would think was impossible. The story of a man following the call to the ocean to find himself in a underworld of magic and intrigue was also amazing. 10 out of 10 stars for the best show at sea world. I hope they keep this one here for a while. I would hate to not ever get the chance to see it again!
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After A’ Lure we went toward Shamus Happy Harbor to get tour last roller coaster credit of the day. As I have said in the past , We love coasters! We have no shame and some of the kiddy coasters we have ridden are just as fun as the bigger ones. Shamu Express was next.
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SHAMU EXPRESS
Of course this is a kiddy coaster and Kiddy coasters don’t have major thrills per say but some of them are just pain fun. This is NOT one of those. Kind of weird the only disappointment at Sea World was a kiddy coaster. Not sure what we were expecting but it wasn’t this very slow, very bumpy and cramped ride. In fact my Wife likes Wacky Worms better than this one. I even heard some kids talking about how they didn’t like it. I wish they would replace this one with a better kiddy coaster along the lines of Tibidabo Express or even Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom. 2 out of 10 stars EVEN FOR A KIDDY IT WAS BAD!____________________
We skipped the other rides at the Shamu Happy Harbor Area due to the oncoming rain and the long lines. These are rides that you can find at carnivals and smaller theme parks. Nothing really exciting here for adults. We Also skipped Wild Artic as we were told many people had gotten sick on it and the queue line was confusing. We asked the lady at the line where we needed to go to not see the movie but see the displays. I couldn’t understand her accent so we just said screw it and went up to the Shamu Arena and waited. The rain came and so did heavy thunderstorms and lightning so close it was scary!
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BELEAVE
The show was held back for 20 extra minutes due to the storms. You could see Shamu in the back pool getting anxious to perform, He knew what time it was! this is Florida and the Storms finally passed and the show began.This was a real treat. I expected a good show since this is the parks namesake BUT I didn’t expect the sentimental and soul moving aspects of this show. This IS a great show. Some complaints however would be that the large LED screens on the stage only worked periodically and the one on the far right wasn’t working at all. Beside that I must give the show a 10 out of 10 because if a 34 year old man can cry when the trainer gave a relek from HIS childhood to a little girl who wants to be a marine biologist then it MUST be a moving show!

If you go to Sea World and miss this show WHY EVEN GO?
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It was about 7:30 when we left. We saw all the shows except the fireworks show and rode the major rides. We could’ve stayed and completed the entire park but the storms were brewing again and we really didn’t feel like we missed too much by leaving early.
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PARK OVERVIEW
Sea World is a wonderful place. I just cannot understand how people can go to Disney and never leave Disney Property when there are great and exciting places such as this one just down the road. If you visit Orlando and miss Sea World your missing A LOT! The park does have its problems such as confusing paths and such but it seems every park in Orlando has a problem with maps and confusing paths so I cannot take too much off for that. The employees here were just as nice and helpful as Disney and the themeing here is very impressive. 10 out of 10 stars for one of the Best parks in Florida!
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PLANNING
Just like every park in Orlando they can get crowded and if you don’t arrive early and have a plan you can find yourself doing 3 attractions and leaving frustrated. The Plan for Sea World will be a little difficult to create but a necessity. First off if you want to ride the three major rides Manta, Kraken and Atlantis, ride them first then see the attractions and shows. You should stop and see the walk through attractions between shows and when time allows. The guide maps say arrive at the shows 45 min before the show but we didn’t find this necessary when we were there. We arrived anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes prior to Showtime and had the best seats! Of course we didn’t experience large crowds either, so on busy days you may have to arrive even earlier. Sometimes the higher seats have better views and best of all shade!!The park only releases show schedules about a week ahead of time so keep checking! YOU NEED TO KNOW THESE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE!. You will need to schedule the shows from where you are in the park and correlate the times to your location. If you just go into this park haphazardly you may see two shows all day!

YOU WILL NEED A PLAN!

TO BE CONTINUED….
TOMMORROW –
DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS