SeaWorld, Orlando

Travel distance/time from Florida Delight (21 miles: 27 minutes)

SeaWorld is a wonderful theme park with a great mix of rides, roller coasters, shows and other attractions and appeals to people of all ages, thrill seekers and animal lovers alike.

SeaWorld is one of my favourite theme park in Orlando and the shows are totally magical. We  first spent a day there in January 2015 and went to two shows. The first was The One Ocean show, featuring killer whales in the Shamu Stadium which was both funny and stunning. We then had time for a leisurely stroll across the park, stopping for a light sandwich lunch en route, to watch the Blue Horizon show which was totally breathtaking and featured dolphins, tropical birds and acrobats. Friends who live in Orlando had recommended the Pets Ahoy show which has dogs, cats, ducks and even pigs in it and is meant to be hilarious. We didn't get the time on this occasion but it is on our list to see next time we visit.

We have been to SeaWorld twice more since our first visit in 2015. The most recent was in February 2018. It was interesting to see how the shows have changed in the three years since we first went. SeaWorld has had a great deal of bad publicity in recent times related to the handling of the whales and the coverage that came out in a documentary. Their shows have changed, presumably in response to this, and are now much more about  educating the audience about sealife and  marine conservation. I can totally understand why they have had to change and it is the ethical thing to do but as a result the shows have lost a lot of their "razamataz" (for want of a better word). They are still worth seeing though and supporting. 

The sharks were an amazing sight and a fantastic way to observe them in the glass tunnel.

I am not normally a fan of roller coasters but at Seaworld I was persuaded by our son to go on Manta and then Kracken. I was so pleased that I had finally overcome my fear and found both rides totally thrilling and can't wait to go on them again soon. The rides at SeaWorld are extremely good and probably amongst the best in Orlando such as Kracken, Manta and the latest addition Mako. When we went to SeaWorld in February 2018 my family rated Mako as the best they went on out of all the rides in Seaworld and Universal. My son described it as "insane".

SeaWorld is a really fantastic family day out and has so many things to do and see there.