June 06, 2011
SeaWorld raises prices on two-day, multi-park tickets
In addition to ending its popular "Fun Card" ticket offers in Orlando and Tampa last week,SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment also raised prices on a pair of multi-park ticket options.
The company increased the price of two-day combo tickets that pair a day... Read More »
June 04, 2011
SeaWorld looks beyond its parks for growth
Freed from the constraints of owners more interested in brewing beer than building theme parks,SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is accelerating plans to expand into new businesses, including movies, television and hotels.
After flirting with the idea for... Read More »
May 31, 2011
SeaWorld to end popular ticket promotion
With attendance rebounding, SeaWorld Orlando is ending a popular ticket promotion that allows Florida and Georgia residents who buy one-day tickets to keep coming back for the rest of the year.
Beginning tomorrow, SeaWorld will stop selling $79.99 "Fun... Read More »
May 12, 2011
Southwest and SeaWorld Team Up for Sweepstakes
Just in time for summer, Southwest Airlines and SeaWorld are teaming up to offer customers great savings on family vacations and the chance to win a trip to visit SeaWorld. In celebration ofSouthwest Airlines' 40th Anniversary and SeaWorld's newShamu show... Read More »
May 08, 2011
Virginia's Busch Gardens named most beautiful amusement park
Amusement park enthusiasts are touting Busch Gardens in Virginia as the country's most beautiful amusement park.
Busch Gardens Europe in James City County earned the honor for the 21st consecutive year based on an annual survey by the National Amusemen... Read More »
April 22, 2011
SeaWorld cans plastic bags at theme park
SeaWorld will stop giving out plastic bags at its theme-park gift stores in San Diego on June 18 in hopes of cutting plastic pollution in the ocean.
Company officials said the move could save more than 1 million plastic bags from being used. They will... Read More »
April 21, 2011
SeaWorld's new killer-whale show 'One Ocean' awash with inspiration
SeaWorld Orlando's new killer-whale show includes old favorites, new maneuvers on display and a message designed to inspire landlubbers.
"The title itself, 'One Ocean,' says we're all in one world, the world is one ocean and we as a species can make a... Read More »
April 07, 2011
New Discovery Cove reef to open in early June
A million-gallon saltwater reef in SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment's Discovery Cove theme park is on track for its scheduled opening in early June, company officials said Thursday.
Although an exact opening date still hasn't been set, "Grand Reef" is ex... Read More »
April 06, 2011
Clydesdale born at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens' newest attraction arrived just after midnight Tuesday — the first ever Clydesdale to be born at the Williamsburg amusement park.
The so-far unnamed colt was born to mother, Panola, at the park's Highland Stables, said Kevin Crossett, a B... Read More »
March 30, 2011
Tilikum Performed Today, 13 Months After Dawn Brancheau's Death
Thunderous applause greeted SeaWorld's Tilikum today as the killer whale returned to the theme park's big stage, 13 months after grabbing trainer Dawn Brancheau by her ponytail and killing her.
SeaWorld officials would not specify what safety precautio... Read More »
March 30, 2011
Whale that killed SeaWorld trainer returns to shows
The killer whale that last year drowned a trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, performed publicly on Wednesday for the first time since the death.
Park officials had long anticipated the return of Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca bull, saying such perf... Read More »
March 28, 2011
Cheetah cub adopted by Florida theme park
A month-old, two-pound cheetah cub is being raised by hand by animal experts at the Busch Gardens theme park.
The still-unnamed cub took an unusual journey to the Tampa park. He was born at the Jacksonville Zoo, but his mother couldn't care for him bec... Read More »
March 18, 2011
SeaWorld trainers return to water with orcas
SeaWorld’s three theme parks are slowly working to get trainers back in the water with killer whales, one year after a 6-ton orca dragged a trainer off a platform by her hair and drowned her.
There is no timetable for getting trainers back to “water wo... Read More »
February 25, 2011
SeaWorld launches new, safer killer whale show
One year after a trainer's horrific death at SeaWorld in Orlando, the popular theme park is launching a new killer whale show with new safety measures.
Some critics said it may not be enough to prevent another tragedy.
With the orcas still dazzling... Read More »
February 25, 2011
Killer Whales, Trainers Return to SeaWorld Shows
Killer whales are returning to shows in Sea World—a year after a trainer was killed at a park in Orlando, media reports on Thursday have said.
The theme park is launching a new whale show again but with newer safety measures to prevent another tragedy,... Read More »
February 23, 2011
SeaWorld Prepares to get back in the water with its killer whales
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is preparing to put trainers back in the water with its killer whales for the first time since a trainer was battered and drowned by the company's largest orca one year ago today.
SeaWorld told the Orlando Sentinel on Wed... Read More »
February 17, 2011
A Ray of Flight
Manta, the flying coaster that debuted at SeaWorld Orlando in 2009 has been a big hit. The lushly landscaped and whimsically themed ride is the best flying coaster I've ridden. SeaWorld San Diego just announced that it too will be featuring a Manta coaste... Read More »
February 03, 2011
SeaWorld, Busch Gardens to Open New Attractions
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment on Thursday announced the opening of 10 new attractions at its parks this year, including a new killer whale show at SeaWorlds in three cities, a cheetah-themed coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and a swim-through artificia... Read More »
January 14, 2011
Roller coaster to aid the hunt for guests
Commuters driving by Busch Gardens Tampa Bay may have noticed a new tower rising above the theme park.
“Windcatcher Tower” offers a hint of a new roller coaster scheduled to open in late spring. Three quarters of a mile long, “Cheetah Hunt” will have 4... Read More »
January 13, 2011
SeaWorld to start up 'Dine with Shamu' again
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is preparing to restart a killer-whale show that has been suspended since the death of a trainer nearly a year ago.
"Dine with Shamu," a limited admission performance in which guests eat a buffet meal while watching train... Read More »
January 11, 2011
SeaWorld Plans Music Fests, Shamu Show
SeaWorld is planning to launch a new killer whale show in its Shamu stadium on the back of an upcoming music festival at the Orlando theme park.
A park representative said the park will bring back signature events and will debut an all-new Shamu show.S... Read More »
April 03, 2008
SeaWorld unveils costliest thrill ride - part roller coaster, part animal adventure
SeaWorld Orlando is preparing to build a roller coaster billed as the theme park's most ambitious and expensive attraction yet. It will be part thrill ride and part animal attraction, a theme that visitors will experience from the time they take their pla... Read More »
March 02, 2008
SeaWorld Orlando opens new Florida thrill park
Florida's already competitive theme park industry has a new player, catering to vacationers who want to enjoy thrill rides and see animals frolic at the same time. SeaWorld Orlando's Aquatica opened on Saturday, the first major addition in eight years to... Read More »
February 21, 2008
SeaWorld Orlando rolls out 2 hydrogen-powered shuttle buses
SeaWorld Orlando rolled out two new hydrogen-powered shuttle buses Wednesday, joining an experimental program that already powers similar buses to Orlando International Airport and the Orange County Convention Center.... Read More »
January 12, 2008
Salt water leaks from SeaWorld Orlando into aquifer
Salt water from some of the giant pools and related plumbing at SeaWorld Orlando and neighboring Discovery Cove has been leaking into the aquifer, beneath those theme parks, in some cases for seven years or more, according to state environmental records.... Read More »
December 15, 2007
Busch Entertainment continues free park admission for military personnel
Military personnel and their families will continue to get free admission to most Busch Entertainment Corp. parks including SeaWorld Orlando through the 2008 calendar year, the company announced Friday.... Read More »
December 14, 2007
SeaWorld Orlando fast-tracks high-tech Polar Express train ride
The train crested the mountain, then tipped downward, rushing like a roller coaster. And, as if they were on a roller coaster, many of the children seated inside raised their arms, and some squealed. Of course, they were all sitting in a room, inside a bu... Read More »
December 08, 2007
SeaWorld divers asked to resign after emergency raises questions
An hour before sunrise, three SeaWorld Orlando workers in scuba gear began slipping into the cool salt water of Dolphin Cove one day in late September for their cleaning chores -- only to encounter a life-and-death emergency that would nearly kill one div... Read More »
October 24, 2007
Busch Entertainment Corp. moving headquarters to Orlando
The parent company of SeaWorld Orlando and eight other theme and water parks around the country, Busch Entertainment Corp., is moving its headquarters to Orlando from St. Louis. The announcement was made this evening by Busch Entertainment's parent corpor... Read More »
August 28, 2007
SEAWORLD DISCOVERS KEY TO HAPPY GUESTS
Record attendance at SeaWorld Orlando this summer has come with what officials there say are record customer-service marks despite the thick crowds -- thanks in part to lessons learned from the theme park's rich little sister park, Discovery Cove. During... Read More »
August 20, 2007
SeaWorld saves, then frees birdsThey had to amputate No. 215's wing from just above the elbow. By the time the grounded sandhill crane was found in St. Cloud -- likely the victim of a car collision -- and brought to SeaWorld Orlando last month, an infected bony lump covered its broken h... Read More »
May 29, 2007
3 new children's rides open at SeaWorld Orlando
With the openings Thursday of the Sea Carousel, the Flying Fiddler drop ride and the Ocean Commotion rocking boat ride, Happy Harbor now features six children's rides, two climbing structures, a music attraction and a water attraction. It's all in an encl... Read More »
April 19, 2007
SeaWorld fund gives EagleWatch $15,000
Shamu and his companions at SeaWorld Orlando and other Busch Entertainment theme parks are raising money to care for Central Florida bald eagles, Indian tigers and Mexican wolves, among other creatures. The EagleWatch program at the Audubon of Florida's C... Read More »
March 20, 2007
Elmo stars in a new SeaWorld showSesame Street's furry little red Elmo character is headed for SeaWorld Orlando to star in a major new show, the first blossom of a new partnership between the educational-TV stalwart and Busch Entertainment.
Starting April 2, a 20-minute live stage show called Elmo and the Bookaneers will be booked into SeaWorld Orlando's Atlantis Bayside Stadium, as Busch and Sesame Street's parent corporation, Sesame Workshop of New York, start rolling out co-productions.
The show will feature Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and other Sesame Street characters dancing, singing and taking part in an adventure story that highlights reading. SeaWorld Vice President Dave Goodman said the show will be a full-scale production that will feature special effects, stage-, lake- and sky-based action, and SeaWorld animals
"The show is very cute, and all about kids," Goodman said. "It's all about books, and these crazy, wacky pirates who come to steal the Sesame Street characters' books."
Elmo and the Bookaneers is one of five new attractions that SeaWorld announced Monday, including three new rides for young children, and Shamu Rocks, a new rock 'n' roll version of the killer-whale show geared more toward teens. The combination of the Sesame Street show and the rapidly expanding Shamu's Happy Harbor, SeaWorld's children's playground, likely will strengthen the marine park's bid to attract more families with young children.
And the bid is apt to get even stronger, because the Elmo show will not be the last Sesame Street offering there, or at the other SeaWorlds in San Antonio and San Diego, or at Busch Gardens in Tampa and Virginia.
Busch Entertainment and Sesame Workshop have been partners for 25 years in a small theme park outside Philadelphia called Sesame Place, and finally reached a deal to expand that relationship, said Peter van Roden, vice president for themed entertainment at Sesame Workshop.
Next up will be an entire Sesame Street-themed land in SeaWorld San Diego, opening next year, van Roden said. SeaWorld Orlando soon will get some Sesame Street-based costumed characters so that young fans of the show can interact with their favorites, he said.
"We've always loved the relationship we have with Busch. We are an education-entertainment brand and we see them as the same, so it really meets with our mission," van Roden said.
The Sesame Street brand is a great marketing tool for SeaWorld, one that has been loved by generations of parents and children, said Jerry Aldrich, president of Orlando-based Amusement Industry Consulting. Combined with the three new children's rides at Shamu's Happy Harbor -- which also added three rides last year -- the show should enhance SeaWorld's already strong appeal for children, he said.
"You go after that and you bring the whole family," he said.
Later this spring, SeaWorld plans to open a sea-based carousel and two other rides. The 65-seat Sea Carousel, featuring a 45-foot-wide pink octopus on top and seats modeled after giant exotic fish, sea lions, otters, sharks and dolphins, could become the signature ride for the area.
The other two new rides are inspired by thrill rides, but toned down for young children. The Flying Fiddler will take up to 12 children and adults up and down, in a much smaller and gentler version of the tower-drop rides in other parks. Ocean Commotion will be a gentle version of a swinging boat ride, holding up to 24 people at a time.
Elmo and the Bookaneers will push out the Fusion water sports show that catered more to teens and adults. In its stead, the teens will get Shamu Rocks, a show combining the whales, the high-tech, giant digital monitors in Shamu Stadium and music and video from such acts as Savage Garden, Coldplay, Jennifer Lopez, Rascal Flatts and Shakira. It will run nightly during the summer season, starting Memorial Day weekend.
March 06, 2007
Seaworld unveils AquaticaSeaWorld's new Aquatica water park will put as much emphasis on relaxation as on thrills, planners say.
Aquatica, which is to open in a year across International Drive from SeaWorld, is going to feature 36 water slides and a high-speed river ride with rapids aimed at competing with other thrill-ride theme parks.
But Aquatica also will have an 80,000-square-foot, highly designed beach area, and several calm lagoons for visitors whose main Florida goal may be to relax on the sand or splash lazily outF into the water.
And then there will be the animals, highlighted by black-and-white Commerson's dolphins splashing about in the main lagoon.
"Aquatica will be a water park you would never expect, unless it was built by SeaWorld," said Jim Atchison, general manager of SeaWorld Orlando.
January 11, 2007
Anheuser-Busch offers soldiers free admission to SeaWorld through 2007 - Phoenix Business JournalAnheuser-Busch executives have decided to extend its free admission program to U.S. theme parks to American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan through 2007, the company said Wednesday.
St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) first created its "Here's to the Heroes" program in February 2005. Through it, the company's Busch Entertainment Corp. subsidiary offers a single day's free admission to any one of SeaWorld or Busch Gardens park, Sesame Place, Adventure Island or Water Country USA theme park.
September 20, 2006
Baby whale gets into actNot to call Katina a stage mom, but her newest baby, a killer whale born Monday, already is getting into the family act at SeaWorld.
The unnamed calf and its mother live in the same multimillion-gallon pool that SeaWorld Orlando uses for its signature Believe show at Shamu Stadium. Officials figured the show would be canceled for a few days but by 1 p.m. Tuesday -- less than 24 hours after the calf was born -- a modified show reopened with them.
August 31, 2006
Going for the goldSeaWorld Orlando claimed top honors as the world's best marine life park in the 2006 "Golden Ticket Awards" by theme-park Internet site, Amusementtoday.com. SeaWorld was the only Orlando theme park to be awarded a top position in this year's voting. This was the first year that marine life parks were considered a separate category. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando didn't fare as well in other theme-park categories -- best park, best water park, best children's park, friendliest park or cleanest park -- finishing no better than third. Disney's Epcot, however, was voted as having the best outdoor night production, while Universal snapped up awards for best Halloween production and best dark ride for Islands of Adventure's Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
August 21, 2006
SeaWorld dolphin bites 7-year-old's handA Port Orange boy celebrating his birthday with a sleepover at SeaWorld Orlando was bitten on the hand Sunday morning by a dolphin he was petting.
This is the second incident in three weeks in which a dolphin bit a child at SeaWorld's Dolphin Cove, a popular dolphin-petting attraction.
It took two adults to pry the dolphin's mouth open so that 7-year-old Hunter Hovan Quidor's hand could be freed, his mother Hollie Bethany said.
July 23, 2006
Woman, Daughter Hospitalized After Anxiety Attack On SeaWorld Roller CoasterA woman was hospitalized after she suffered an anxiety attack while riding a roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, according to Local 6 News.
Officials said after a ride on SeaWorld's Kracken roller coaster Saturday night, a woman reported that she was disoriented. Park worker's then called for medical assistance.
When the woman's daughter noticed paramedics helping her mother, she passed out and needed medical assistance as well.
March 08, 2006
SeaWorld workers receive increase in minimum pay - Florida TodaySeaWorld Orlando this week raised its minimum pay to $7 an hour, as the theme park seeks to fill 1,300 positions for the spring and summer in a tight labor market.
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