| SeaWorld Orlando | |
|---|---|
| Location | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Website | SeaWorld Orlando |
| Owner | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Previous names | SeaWorld Florida |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 200 acres (0.81 km2) |
| Rides | 10 total
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| Slogan | As real as it gets. |
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 2010, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 5.1 million guests, ranking it the ninth-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]
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Unlike most other theme parks, SeaWorld Orlando is not fully divided into dedicated themed "lands" or sections. There are instead individually themed attractions and select themed areas of the park including the following:
The main entrance of the park features a Florida-inspired theme with lush tropical landscaping and a large artificial freshwater marina with a Shamu-themed iconic lighthouse. The theme of the main entrance area integrates into the nearby Key West at SeaWorld area with similar architecture and landscaping. The Manta attraction and aquarium exhibit is also near the main entrance area.
Key West at SeaWorld is designed to mimic the appearance of the city of Key West, Florida with architecture and landscaping reminiscent of the area. Animal exhibits in this portion of the park include Cownose rays, Southern stingrays, Green sea turtles, Hawksbill sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, Greater flamingos, West Indian Manatees, and American Alligator. The stingray and dolphin habitats offer opportunities for guests to feed the animals.
Shamu's Happy Harbor is a children's area hosted by Shamu, the park's killer whale mascot. The area is located adjacent to Shamu Stadium and features six family rides (including Shamu Express, a junior rollercoaster), a net climbing structure, and a water play area.
The Waterfront is the newest themed area of the park, the area resembles a seaside Mediterranean village and contains shops, restaurants, and a pearl dive exhibit, as well as the park's iconic Sky Tower ride which was integrated into the theme of The Waterfront village when the new area opened in 2003.
The Wild Arctic indoor pavilion serves as a combined attraction which includes a motion simulator or film followed by an indoor animal exhibit hosting Polar bears, Beluga whales, and Pacific walrus. The area is themed after an exploration base camp located in the cold elements of the arctic with features including ice walls and a sunken ship trapped in ice that leads to an underwater viewing area of the animal exhibits.
During the Christmas holiday season, SeaWorld Orlando's Wild Arctic is transformed into the Polar Express Experience based on the Warner Bros. film of the same name. Guests ride the Polar Express to the North Pole where Santa Claus waits to greet them in front of a towering Giant Everest tree from Christmas Lights Etc.
SeaWorld Orlando has a vast array of live shows and attractions including rides and animal exhibits. Two of these attractions actually combine the two, with both a ride component and a separate animal exhibit.
SeaWorld Orlando hosts a number of live shows, many featuring trained animals. During peak seasons (such as summer), the park will offer special seasonal shows in addition to regular daily performances.
In November 2011, SeaWorld Orlando announced its expansion plans for 2012 and 2013, which will replace and renovate a number of existing park attractions.[4] "TurtleTrek", scheduled to open in the spring of 2012, will replace the existing manatee exhibit.[4] Visitors will pass through two separate aquariums — sea turtles in one, manatees in the other — before entering a theatre dome to watch a 3D computer-animated film about sea turtles.[4]
In 2013, the Penguin Plaza area of the park will be renovated into "Antarctica", a new themed section inspired by the titular continent.[4] Subtitled "Empire of the Penguin," Antarctica will feature a rebuilt exhibit to replace the existing Penguin Encounter and a new ride where guests experience the life of a penguin chick, an attraction the park claims will be the "coldest theme-park attraction in the world".[4] Antarctica will also include unique shopping and dining experiences, similar to the recent developments of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the planned New Fantasyland and Avatar Land projects at its local competitors, Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.[4]
The following is a current list of animals at the SeaWorld Orlando park:
Beluga Whales Wild Arctic - Aurek (M), Klondike (M), Maple (F) and Whisper (F) Juno moved to Mystic Aquarium
Atlantic & Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins
Animal Care - Bailey (F), Hekili (M), Sabrina (F)
Whale & Dolphin Stadium - Alejandro (M), Baretta (M), Bubba (M), Clyde (M), Damara (F), Gala (F), Jensen (M), Marble (M), Phil (M), and Starbuck (M)
Dolphin Cove - Ajax (M), Alpha (M), Damara (F), Gala (F), Griffith (F), Gus (M), Jackson (M), Jag (M), Jenever (F), Lagos (F), Liko (M), Lily (F), Nate (M), Neo (M), Oscar (M), Potter (M), Roka (F), Scott (M), Schooner(M) Soleil (F), Starkey (F), Tasha (F), Tiger (M), and Turk (M)
Dolphin Nursery - Alia (F), Ariel (F), Ariel's calf (?), Bossa (F), Calla (F), Calla's calf(F), Doba (F), Dash (F), Frankie (F), Khloe (F), Naia (F), Nueces (F) and Yar (F)
False Killer Whales
Whale & Dolphin Stadium - Jozu (F)
Pilot Whales
Whale & Dolphin Stadium - Fredi/ 301 (F)
Animal Care - 300/ Caroline (F)
Killer Whales
Shamu Stadium - Katina (F), Tilikum (M), Kayla (F), Trua (M), Nalani (F), Malia (F), and Makaio (M).
Pacific Walruses
Sea Lion & Otter Stadium - Bruiser (M), Slowpoke (F)
Wild Arctic - Dozer (M), Garfield (M), Kaboodle (F)
Polar Bears
Wild Arctic - Johnny (M), Klondike (M), Snow (F)
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