What I’ve learned about SeaWorld

1. There’s a lot to see, even if you don’t go to the rides or gift shops. Our first day, we didn’t quite get to everything during the 9 hours we were there.

2. Some of the shows are definitely worth seeing. The dolphin show is marvelous. We went back to SeaWorld primarily to see that again. Their Cirque-like show is fun, with beautiful sets and cool acrobatics. The Shamu show is extremely manipulative, but the killer whales are fascinating if you can get past them being part of a 40-minute beer commercial.

3. I don’t know how most of the food is, but the vegetarian sandwich at the “healthy alternatives” cafeteria is dreadful. However, they didn’t hassle us at the gate about bringing in some of our own food and a bottle of water. And you’re allowed to go out to your car and re-enter the park, so you can always have lunch in your car.

4. If you don’t want to pay $3 for a bottle of water and don’t trust the water fountains, there are a couple of good alternatives. The guest services office that we went to had a free water bubbler. Or you can sit down and look approachable, and a SeaWorld employee may come over and offer you 2 bottles of water if you’ll answer a few questions about your trip to SeaWorld.

5. Some of the staff are really knowledgable, friendly, and happy to answer questions. We learned about the manatees (skin feels like a basketball), the penguins (a couple of the 4-month-old king penguins were losing their down), and the egrets and wood storks (not an official part of the exhibits).

6. When offered food, many animals exhibit startlingly similar behaviors. Including sting rays.

7. If you arrive a couple of hours before closing, parking may be free.