Orlando L

Chapter 20

SeaWorld &

Discovery Cove

In This Chapter

Understanding the basics

Checking out attractions at SeaWorld

Exploring Discovery Cove

Deciding where to eat and shop

W

hile I have always included SeaWorld on my must-see list of parks,

not everyone gives it the chance it deserves. This modern, marine-

adventure park focuses more on discovery than on thrill rides, but it

offers its share of excitement with Journey to Atlantis, a steep flume-like

ride, and the thundering Kraken, a floorless roller coaster. SeaWorld’s

more than 200 acres of educational fun features stars such as Shamu and

his expanding family of performing killer whales, polar bears Klondike

and Snow, and a supporting cast of seals, sea lions, manatees, penguins,

dolphins, walruses, and more. You can also feed some nonperforming

critters and feel the crushed-velvet texture of a gentle ray in various

pools throughout the park — something Disney and Universal just

don’t offer.

SeaWorld’s sister park, Discovery Cove, opened in summer 2000. It lets

guests swim with a dolphin in an adventure that, at $229 to $259 per

person (plus 6.5 percent sales tax), goes off the price chart; you can

also just swim with the fishes for a lower, though still stiff, ticket price

of $129 to $159. The payoff is that you only have to share the park with

999 other people, not the tens of thousands you find at the other parks.

A day here offers a tranquil and relaxing experience where you can sit in

the sand or swim with the sea life — a refreshing way to spend the day

in Orlando.

In this chapter, I tell you all you need to know to make the most out of

SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.

289

Chapter 20: SeaWorld & Discovery Cove

Gathering Important SeaWorld Information

Before I start wading through the park’s attractions and shows, here are

some helpful, though possibly mundane, matters that you may find help-

ful to know.

Buying tickets and making reservations

You have a couple different options when buying your tickets at SeaWorld.

A one-day ticket costs $60 for adults, $48 for kids 3 to 9 (plus 6.5 percent

sales tax). Buy your tickets online to avoid long lines and save 10 percent

off the regular admission price. SeaWorld sometimes offers online specials,

such as a second day free.

If you’re planning to see a number of non-Disney parks during your stay,

consider the FlexTicket. This pass enables you to pay one price to visit

any of the participating parks during a 14-day period. A four-park pass to

Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Wet ’n Wild, and SeaWorld

is $185 for adults and $151 for children 3 to 9. A five-park pass, which

adds Busch Gardens in Tampa, is $225 for adults and $190 for kids. You

can order the FlexTicket through SeaWorld by calling % 407-351-3600 or

heading to www.seaworld.com on the Web.

SeaWorld’s Adventure Express Tour ($89 for adults and $79 for kids 3–9

plus park admission fees) is a six-hour guided excursion that includes

front-of-the-line access to Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, and Wild Arctic;

reserved seating at two animal shows; lunch; and a chance to touch or

feed penguins, dolphins, sting rays, and sea lions. It’s the only way to

dodge park lines. SeaWorld doesn’t have an equivalent to FASTPASS or

Universal EXPRESS, although its lines aren’t nearly as long as the ones at

Disney and Universal parks. Advanced reservations are recommended

for this tour and can be made by calling % 800-406-2244.

Additionally, you have three one-hour tour options: Polar Expedition

Guided Tour (touch a penguin), Predators (touch a shark!), and Saving

a Species (see manatees and sea turtles). Each tour costs $16 for adults

and $12 for kids 3 to 9 (plus park admission fees) and you have to sign

up for them at the Information Center just inside the park’s entrance.

Call % 800-406-2244 or 407-351-3600 for information.

To gather park information before you leave home, write to SeaWorld

Guest Services at 7007 SeaWorld Dr., Orlando, FL 32801; call % 407-351-

3600; or visit www.seaworld.com. Once inside the park, head for the

Information Center, which is on your left as you enter the park.

If you’re arriving on I-4, just look for the signs pointing the way to the

SeaWorld exit. You also can reach it on International Drive. (It’s located

on the southern third of I-Drive.)

290 Part V: Exploring the Rest of Orlando

The park usually is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 365 days a year, and later

during summer and holidays.

Locating special services and facilities

In case you forgot to bring essential items, or if you need special assis-

tance while at the park, here’s a list of services and facilities that may

come in handy:

ATMs. You can find an ATM machine that accepts cards from banks

using the Cirrus, STAR, and Plus systems at the front of the park,

near Atlantis Bayside Stadium, and across from the Sea Lion & Otter

Stadium near the Friends of the Wild gift shop.

Baby-changing and nursing stations. Changing tables are in or near

most women’s restrooms and at the men’s restroom at the front

entrance near Shamu’s Emporium. You can buy diapers in machines

located near all changing areas and at Shamu’s Emporium. Likewise,

a special area for nursing mothers is located near the women’s rest-

room at Friends of the Wild gift shop, near the center of the park.

Cameras and film. You can purchase film and disposable cameras

at stores throughout SeaWorld, although digital supplies are limited.

First aid center. Registered nurses staff centers behind Stingray

Lagoon and near Shamu’s Happy Harbor.

Lockers. You can rent them for $8 a day plus a $2 refundable

deposit at Shamu’s Emporium, just inside the park entrance.

Lost children. Lost kids are taken to the Information Center, where

a park-wide paging system helps reunite them with their families.

Children younger than 7 should wear name-tags inside their clothing.

Parking. Parking costs $8 for cars, pickups, and vans. The parking

lots aren’t huge, so most people can walk to the park, but trams also

run most times. Remember to note the location of your car, too.

SeaWorld characters, such as Wally Walrus, mark sections, but for-

getting where you parked is still easy after a long day in the park.

Pet care. Board your pet for the day at the kennel between the

parking lot and main gate. The cost is $6 a day (no overnight stays).

Proof of vaccination is required.

Strollers. Rent dolphin-shaped strollers at the Information Center

near the entrance. They cost $10 for a single, $17 for a double.

Wheelchairs. Regular wheelchairs are available at the Information

Center for $8; electric chairs are $32; no deposits are required.

SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Tampa (see Chapter 23), both owned

by Anheuser-Busch, have a shuttle service that provides $10 round-trip

tickets to get you from Orlando to Tampa and back. The 11⁄2- to 2-hour

one-way shuttle runs daily and has five pick-up locations in Orlando,