I have a big, big place in my heart for these parks after I worked with them for over 10 years. I could not even tell you how many times I have been to them as I have lost count. So, I do know A LOT about them. However, like all the parks in Florida, they have a few new rides that I of course NEED to check out as soon as we can get back over there.
So many people do not realise that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment are made up of seven theme parks and five water parks across America. There are five of these parks in Florida alone. SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island and Discovery Cove. Adventure Island is not really sold to the UK market, so they focus on the other four parks. So, let me tell you more about these parks to start, except this time, I am going to tell you all my favourite things…
THE THEME PARKS
SeaWorld – The only park I know that combines the beauty of the marine life, the thrills of fantastic rides and the awe of the wonderful animal shows. There are two coasters here that I love - Manta is a flying coaster, you feel like superman whizzing around with twists and turns not experienced anywhere else. Kraken is Florida’s only floorless coaster, so as you hang in the air with sheer drops and loops, it has always been a winner for me. Journey to Atlantis always has a key question, will you or wont you get wet? I have sometimes walked off dry and feel like I am winning, only to do again and end up severely drowned! Watch out for the water pistols is all I will say. From bobbing along in a boat, to a roller coaster twist at the end, its such good fun. Other family favourites include Wild Arctic simulator ride as after the ‘expedition’ you will then come nose to nose with real life polar bears and beluga whales. As well as Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, an indoor ride to follow the journey of Puck the penguin, to then meet all the actual penguins in their habitat after. I LOVE it here as penguins are my favourite! In between doing the rides, there are so many animals for you to stop by and see: dolphins, sealions, stingrays, flamingos, an aquarium, sharks, and turtles to name a few. And of course, no day to SeaWorld is complete without watching one of their jaw dropping shows. Orca Encounter to learn more about the beautiful, powerful killer whales. Sea Lion High for the funniest show of the day and lastly Dolphin Days to watch the playful dolphins show off their skills. Their latest additions include Sesame Street Land to meet Big Bird, Elmo and enjoy fun rides too. Infinity Falls rapids with the world’s tallest river rapid drop. Mako the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster and opening soon is Ice Breaker…a launch coaster which will go forwards and backwards!! I so cannot wait to check these out soon!
Aquatica – This is actually my favourite waterpark. It just feels very chilled out. I love watching the commerson dolphins swim around the Dolphin Plunge slide. The slide is see-through so you could try and spot them whilst in the slide, but as you pass through so fast, it is nice to stand and watch them to the side too. They have a great mix of rides here that are multi person boats, which means you can do with other people and not be on your own. Which I think is another reason I like it here too. You can enjoy the thrills with members of your family/group as you experience slides such as Ray Rush, Hooroo Run and Wallhalla Wave. You can also chill out with someone as you float around Loggerhead Lane taking in the view of the commerson dolphins again, birds and exotic fish too. There are also two wave pools side by side, one has gentle rolling surf, whilst the other produces waves of five-foot swells!! My husband and daughter would love to surf those!! But I must also mention another attraction that gives me the most giggles – Roas Rapids. It looks like it will be a gentle river ride for you to swim your way around. Oh no! It literally zips you through the rapids, geysers and waterfalls so quickly I spent the whole time going around laughing so much! The fun part is trying to get out!!!
It is also worth noting that Aquatica Orlando has partnered with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to become the first water park in the world designated as a Certified Autism Center. SeaWorld are also a certified autism center too.
Busch Gardens –This park is jam packed with rides and animals!! With a free shuttle bus included on all UK tickets to get you there and back, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the views. (Or nap on the way home like most people do too). You need to book this by calling1-800-221-1339. I cannot even tell you my favourite ride at Busch Gardens because I genuinely love every single one of them. They are all so unique. Your coaster choice is huge with 10 to pick from – Sheikra with its 200 feet drop, Montu the tallest and longest inverted coaster in the world and Cheetah Hunt is a launch coaster (but not just at the start!!) to name just a few. I am yet to check out Tigris (Florida tallest launch coaster), Cobas Curse (a spin coaster) and Falcons Fury (the first drop tower of its kind). And coming soon is Iron Gwazi – another coaster to add to their collection. You will also find animals every where here. As it is an African themed park, you can get up close to the majestic gorillas in Myombe Reserve, stare into the eyes of a tiger and watch orangutans play in Jungala or wander around the Edge of Africa to see hippos, lions, meerkats, and crocodiles. As a kid I loved the Congo River Rapids to see who would get the most wet, but they now also have Sesame Street Safari of Fun there too, so the little ones can experience their own coaster, run around in the splash zones, watch a show, and even meet the characters. (I may have joined the queue surrounded by pre-schoolers to get a photo with Elmo!).
Discovery Cove – A day you will never forget! I promise. I will always remember the first time I went to Discovery Cove. I was super nervous to interact with the dolphins but on arrival at the park itself, it is so calming and not what I expected at all, I had the best time and have been fortunate enough to go many times since. To start with it is a bit like a hotel check in (open from 730 am for check-in), here they will allocate your dolphin swim time if you booked one, as well as explain about the park itself. You then wander through beautiful tropic plants before having a family photo taken. The landscape itself is lush, tropical and you suddenly feel a million miles away from the crazy theme parks right next door. The white sandy beach is spread out in front of you with many beds to choose from as your base for your day. Once you pick up your snorkel kit and wetsuit, change, grab a towel and use the free lockers to say goodbye to your belongings for the day as you do not need them. (Do not panic about the wetsuit, they do not ask a size, simply hand you a jacket/all in one which you prefer and it is all very professional, and here are sizes to fit everyone!). As it is an all-inclusive day, your breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks are all included. (You can upgrade the alcohol selection if you wish for an additional fee but beer, wine is included). You have the whole day at leisure until 5pm when it closes. All waterways will open from 9am. This includes the Grand Reef where you can snorkel amongst an array of tropical fish (and if you swim further out you will spot reef sharks behind glass). Wind-Away River takes you past waterfalls and an underwater cave, plus you can even step out into the Explorers Aviary to meet and even hand-feed the tropical birds who call this home. Serenity Bay is the tropical resort pool for you to swim in surrounded by palms and lastly Freshwater Oasis where you will be able to spot playful otters and marmoset monkeys too. All the above is included on all Discovery Cove packages (swim and non-swim).
If you choose a ‘swim’ package, then you will also be able to experience a dolphin interaction in the dolphin lagoons. About 10 minutes before your allocated time, head on down to your lagoon to check in and watch a tutorial. After this, in groups of no more than 10, you will head down to the lagoon with your animal care specialist to meet your dolphin. With hugs, kisses, feeding and learning more about your dolphin such as habits/behaviours, you then will get to take part in a one-on-one swim with them too. After, you can view the photos taken of you. This is the only cost to the day that is in addition to your entry fee and of course you do not have to buy these. Prices start from around $20. If you have members of your party not doing the interaction, they will be able to watch you from the sandy beach.
TICKET OPTIONS – SEAWORLD, AQUATICA & BUSCH GARDENS
There are 2 ticket types for these parks. The main one is the 3-park ticket – SeaWorld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens. This is on offer at 3 parks for the price of 2 and includes free parking at all parks as well as the free Busch Gardens shuttle express.
They also have the 2-park ticket – SeaWorld & Aquatica or SeaWorld & Busch Gardens. But whilst the 3 for 2 offer is running, these are not recommended.
Both ticket types are valid for 14 days, so they will go live the first time you use them at the park gate. The 14 days will then run consecutively so that whilst the ticket is ‘live’, you can visit the parks as many times as you like. You do not have to visit them on consecutive days. Often, just going 2 times is cheaper than buying a 2-day ticket at the park gates. You can also park hop as much as you like too.
TICKET OPTIONS – DISCOVERY COVE
Discovery Cove has a couple of ticket opens.
1 - Discovery Cove package:
This comes with one visit to Discovery Cove and a 14 day ticket to SeaWorld & Aquatica. (They do not offer a ticket without these parks included).
You then select if you wish to do the dolphin swim or non-swim option and choose the date you wish to visit Discovery Cove. The 14-day ticket to SeaWorld & Aquatica can be used at any time as long as your day in Discovery Cove falls within its 14-day use.
2 - Discovery Cove Ultimate:
This comes with one day to Discovery Cove and a 14 day ticket to SeaWorld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens. Right now, this ticket also provides free parking at all parks.
Again, you then need to select if you wish to do the dolphin swim or non-swim and choose the date you wish to visit Discovery Cove. The 14-day ticket to SeaWorld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens can be used at any time as long as your day in Discovery Cove falls within its 14 day use.
The dolphin swim package is available for those who are 6 years and above. Babies are free but need to be booked in too.
Discovery Cove is a reservation only park, and it does sell out! So always worth booking at time of your holiday by popping down a deposit to secure the date you would like to visit this park.
WHATS NOT INCLUDED
Parking – at the moment parking is included on the 3 parks for the price of 2 ticket, as well as Discovery Cove Ultimate. If you purchase the standard Discovery Cove package, then you would need to pay to park at SeaWorld & Aquatica. This starts from $25 per car, per day.
There are additional items you can add to enhance your day in the parks, these include:
All Day Dining – this can be added to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens. Adults enjoy 1 entrée (excluding Baby Back Ribs), 1 side OR 1 dessert, 1 regular soft drink (excluding Naked Juice) each time they visit one of the restaurants. Children enjoy 1 Kids’ Meal (beverage excludes Naked Juice, bottled water and hot beverages) and 1 side OR dessert each time they visit one of the featured restaurants. A great idea if you wish to pre budget so that you do not need to use spending money once in Florida.
Quick queue – this can be added to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. You can skip the regular lines and enjoy front-of-the-line access to many of the attractions (see inclusion list when you buy). I have used this a lot to save time and get the most out of your park visits.
A few more of my favourites are:
Serengeti Safari – at Busch Gardens, you can journey across the Serengeti Plain in an open-top jeep accompanied by a tour guide who will share fascinating information and personal stories about the amazing wildlife. But the best part is that you will get to hand feed a giraffe too!
Dine with Killer Whales – at SeaWorld, you can dine behind the scenes next to the killer whales. You can feast on buffet style food (all very tasty) whilst learning about the specialised care they receive daily in their home.
Penguin Encounter – at SeaWorld, you can meet a penguin, touch them, and have a photo with them whilst learning about their unique personalities (be warned, take a jumper!).
There are many other experiences you can add on – see website below. The great thing is, for every add-on product purchased, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will donate $2 to specifically help UK wildlife charities, researchers and biologists make even more of a difference.
WHERE TO BOOK
I would highly recommend booking with AttractionTickets.com for quite a few and important reasons.
1 – They are the UKs number 1 ticket reseller.
2 – They are bound by ABTA which is always good to know, especially when booking hotels and tickets together.
3 – They have won multiple awards in the travel industry such as Travolution Awards and British Travel Awards numerous times. This year they also won Travolution’s Brand of the Year for 2020.
4 – Founded in 2002 and served well over 4 million customers, with a high repeat business rate that is always reassuring.
5 – Can pay with a deposit to secure your tickets and then pay off your balance online as you wish up until the balance due date – great for spreading out the cost of those tickets!
6 – Real tickets are sent to you. Not vouchers that you will need to queue up and exchange at the park gates on arrival (this can be anywhere up to an hour to do so). Discovery Cove is a downloadable confirmation for you to print and take with you.
7 – Always cheaper to pre buy one of the UK multi park tickets vs single day tickets when in Florida.
8 – The team are very friendly and full of so much knowledge, you will feel rest assured you are booking the right tickets and in safe hands!
Click here for more information on the 3 Park SeaWorld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens ticket:
https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/orlando-attraction-tickets/seaworld-orlando-tickets?utm_source=TheWalterWays&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog
Click here for more information on Discovery Cove tickets:
https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/orlando-attraction-tickets/discovery-cove-tickets?utm_source=TheWalterWays&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog
As always, I hope you have found this blog helpful and always shout with any questions you may have. Next blog….….Kennedy Space Centre 😊
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