FINAL UPDATE (6:09 pm, 05.07): Disney has just announced the very beginning of a slow, phased reopening of its Walt Disney World Resort, starting specifically with Disney Springs. For the latest on this front, please see our comprehensive article, which will also be continuously updated with the latest information. – The state of affairs surrounding […]
SeaWorld Orlando
The most intense coaster in Florida is coming to Busch Gardens Tampa
Just in case this morning’s big SeaWorld Orlando news – revolving around the family-friendly Ice Breaker roller coaster – wasn’t enough for you, the company decided to one-up itself by announcing another new ride, this time coming to Busch Gardens Tampa. Iron Gwazi is the “evolution” of the original Gwazi, which originally opened in 1999 […]
REVEALED: SeaWorld’s thrilling new coaster, Ice Breaker
SeaWorld is currently celebrating its “best year ever,” starting at the end of 2018 and continuing up until this fall, with the opening of such heavyhitters as the Infinity Falls water ride and the Sesame Street children’s theme-park land (and – oh, yeah – let’s not forget all the weekly festivals and revamped season pass […]
Hurricanes and your Orlando vacation: 4 things to know
Given the fact that we’re now in hurricane season, it’s a good idea to keep the following points in mind as the Central Florida theme and water parks start to brace for potential weather disruptions: 1. You may be able to reschedule or receive a refund Your safety is the top priority of every theme park […]
SeaWorld: Your questions answered
For Orlando locals, theme-park days are almost second nature. Park map? No, thanks – we know the layout like the back of our hand. For our guests and general visitors to Orlando, however, this is, frequently, their first experience with many of our attractions and sites. And, rest assured, there are days when even locals and […]
6 top tips for making the most of Discovery Cove
Consistently considered the highest-rated park in Orlando, Discovery Cove is a hidden, tropical oasis within the hustle and bustle of the City Beautiful. Owned and operated by SeaWorld, it’s an all-inclusive escape from reality and a rare find in our city. While the park itself isn’t difficult to tour freehand, we’re here with six tips […]
SeaWorld: What’s coming in 2019
SeaWorld feels like, just maybe, it’s standing on the precipice of a full-fledged revival, rising up from a years-long period of controversy and economic difficulties and potentially emerging as a leaner, meaner theme-park operator: its stock has been on the rebound, fueled by a nearly-five-percent increase in its quarterly revenue and attendance; it’s doubled down […]
Infinity Falls’s complete ride experience at SeaWorld Orlando
Ever since SeaWorld first announced its revolutionary Infinity Falls river-rapids ride a little over a year ago, interest has been sky-high, and it’s easy to see why: at 40 feet, its final drop is the biggest in the world for an attraction of its type, and the entire experience is the very first built-from-the-ground-up manifestation […]
Everything coming to Orlando in 2018 and 2019
Last October, we brought you a listing of all the new experiences that were being lined up at Orlando for the end of that year and on into this one. A lot has changed in the last five months, however – we have more details on some 2018 openings, and we’ve also gotten a much […]
Preview: SeaWorld’s Seven Seas Food Festival 2018
February 17 through April 15, 2018, guests visiting SeaWorld Orlando can take part in the returning Seven Seas Food Festival. The festival, in its sophomore year at the park, is designed to offer guests an expanded selection of unique tastes. Touting over 180 items, including specialty food, brews, wine, and spirits, the food festival is […]
14 Orlando attractions coming from now through 2018
2017, it’s safe to say, was an absolutely mammoth year for Orlando. From Volcano Bay to Pandora: The World of Avatar, Kraken Unleashed to Lego Ninjago World, there was not only a breadth of new attraction openings, but also a depth that is typically rare, even in the most-visited city in the country. That’s what […]
SeaWorld being investigated by the Department of Justice
In 2013, a little documentary called Blackfish was released to much fanfare, galvanizing public opinion against SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment and its long-standing practice at the time of breeding animals in captivity. The film and the accompanying backlash have wreaked havoc on the company’s economic standing, causing attendance to plummet in the four years since […]
Celebrate Halloween with SeaWorld and Sesame Street
The Halloween season in Orlando starts earlier than ever before this year, with Disney firing up Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party a week early, on the unbelievable date of Friday, August 25. And Universal, for its part, has pushed its Halloween Horror Nights both forwards and backwards, starting on September 15 and running (on select nights) […]
SeaWorld unleashes Kraken Unleashed
Back in April, SeaWorld formally unveiled Kraken Unleashed, the virtual-reality upgrade to its popular, 17-year-old Kraken roller coaster. Today, the company invited media to try out the new experience for ourselves, just one day ahead of its grand opening to the public. We dove deep into the ride’s virtual waters, again and again, documenting our […]
SeaWorld Orlando getting Sesame Street expansion
After announcing a revolutionary new water ride for 2018 and its intent to eventually make as many as five on-site hotels, SeaWorld Entertainment today added one more big revelation to the pile: it’s going to add a brand-new themed land to SeaWorld Orlando, as well. SeaWorld has had a 37-year partnership with Sesame Workshop, the […]
SeaWorld’s plans for the future include taking over China
This morning on its first quarter 2017 earnings call, SeaWorld Entertainment delivered some bad news for the present but an extremely exciting and optimistic view for both the near- and distant future – a future that just may see it going toe-to-toe with the likes of Disney and Universal in what is shaping up to […]
The 8 must-read stories for April 2017
When covering Orlando and all of its many splendid attractions – including, of course, our particular focus, Universal Orlando Resort – it can be easy to get buried in a deluge of news stories or site updates. This is to be expected, given the breadth and depth of Central Florida’s themed wares, but it’s also […]
SeaWorld’s 2017 attractions are intriguing
This morning, SeaWorld held a press event to unveil for the very first time Infinity Falls, a first-of-its-kind rapids raft ride that will anchor a brand-new river village area in SeaWorld Orlando. This “family thrill” attraction will arrive in the summer of 2018, and the company is very obviously hoping it’ll herald a new era […]
SeaWorld announces a revolutionary new water ride
This is the summer of the water park. Universal is, of course, leading the charge with Volcano Bay, which is being billed as a “water theme park,” and Disney has decided to get into the game by adding Miss Adventure Falls, the first new attraction to land at Typhoon Lagoon in a decade. Now it’s […]
SeaWorld Orlando extends Seven Seas Food Festival to daily operation
SeaWorld Orlando announced today that their new Seven Seas Food Festival is so popular that they’ve moved it from Saturday’s only to daily operation through April 16 to accommodate spring break crowds. Seven Seas Food Festival features over 60 unique dishes from 11 global marketplaces throughout the park. In addition to this, there are a number of […]
SeaWorld’s next frontier: Virtual reality
SeaWorld hasn’t been doing well recently, with most of its troubles originating from the 2013 documentary Blackfish and all the controversies emanating from it. But the company is fighting back, attempting to transform all of its marquee parks around the country – and, now, around the world, with the recent news of the Abu Dhabi […]
SeaWorld is looking down – but not out
SeaWorld’s revenue and attendance numbers for 2016 were released this week, and the situation – as one might expect – isn’t particularly good. The company and the Orlando park both are still feeling the consequences of the Blackfish controversy; the 2013 documentary galvanized anti-captivity advocates and produced a tidal wave of bad publicity for SeaWorld, […]
SeaWorld Orlando announces new “Dolphin Days” show
SeaWorld Orlando announced today that a new dolphin show is coming to their park called “Dolphin Days.” This new show will be replacing the Blue Horizons show after an eleven-year run at Dolphin Theater. The show will feature a more educational aspect where guests can learn about each individual dolphin and the special bond they share […]
What are the best shoes to wear (and not to wear) at a theme park?
One of the single most important wardrobe decisions you can make when visiting any theme park is what kind of shoes you’re going to wear for the day. Because lets face it, walking around a theme park is a lot of work on your feet, and the last thing you want is your feet feeling […]
SeaWorld releases Seven Seas Food Festival full menu
SeaWorld Orlando has released the full menu for their new Seven Seas Food Festival. The event will features over 60 unique dishes from 11 global marketplaces. In addition to this, there will be a number of wines, specialty cocktails, and over 55 local and international craft brews. Featured dishes include Banana Foster Cheesecake Cones, Cheese […]
Magical Dining Month at Orlando Theme Parks
We’re right in the middle of Orlando’s Magical Dining Month and if you’re visiting the Orlando area before October 3, you should consider indulging. What is Magical Dining Month? It’s a program that runs through October 2 in which select restaurants offer three course dinners for $33 per person. One dollar from each meal benefits […]
Complimentary Mosquito Repellent Available at Universal, Disney, and SeaWorld
Universal Orlando, Disney World, and SeaWorld Entertainment will begin providing complimentary mosquito repellent beginning Sunday, August 28, 2016. This is a direct response to the Zika virus that has been locally transmitted via mosquitos in Miami Beach and Pinellas County. Miami is roughly 204 miles away from Orlando; Pinellas County is roughly 73 miles away. […]
6 reasons you must visit SeaWorld’s Bands, Brews, and BBQ
Note from the editor – February 26, 5:18pm: SeaWorld just announced now through March 6, guests who purchase in advance receive a $20 discount off SeaWorld’s single-day ticket, along with a free 5-ounce craft brew and warm sample of pretzel bites. Single day tickets are $79, plus tax. Annual Passholders can also receive this offer by […]
Mako ride vehicles unveiled at SeaWorld Orlando
Yesterday, in the active construction site of SeaWorld’s forthcoming thrillmaker, the theme park revealed the front car of Mako, in preparation of their Summer of Thrills. Mako, soon to be Orlando’s longest, fastest, tallest roller coaster is also the first hypercoaster in the Central Florida area. Once we arrived at the site of the event we were […]
Enhanced security screening at Universal, Disney, and SeaWorld
All US Universal, Disney, and SeaWorld parks have added additional security measures for the holiday season, in what appears to be a coordinated decision. The security changes include randomly selected secondary screening at all three major Orlando properties. Disney has contracted crowd management and security company CSC to operate metal detectors at all bag check areas. The […]
SeaWorld’s 2015 Black Friday deals
SeaWorld Orlando released details today on the return of its highly anticipated “Blue Friday” deals providing shoppers with special pricing on exclusive park experiences and admission to SeaWorld and Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark. Blue Friday deals provide the best value to experience SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration and allow the fun to continue throughout 2016, including all of […]
4 ways SeaWorld is trying to reinvent itself
You might have heard about a little film called Blackfish, a documentary which purported to expose SeaWorld’s animal abuses (we say “purported” because, well, there’s a lot of challenges to the film’s accuracy – which, no, we’re not going to get into here). In the two years since then, SeaWorld has paid the price for […]
Remembering September 11th and its impact on Orlando’s theme parks
Security at Universal Orlando’s main entrance. Today is the 14th anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that many of us remember with great sadness. The day began with American Airlines Flight 11 flying into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:46 a.m. I was working as an […]
Military mom reunites with son at SeaWorld
This weekend at SeaWorld a military mom returning from service overseas surprised her 6-year-old son in a reunion right before his favorite show, One Ocean. More than 5,000 guests were present at Shamu stadium when the reunion occurred minutes before the show began. The son, Aiden Rodriguez, is a big fan of the show and […]
SeaWorld’s roller coaster mysterious closure
SeaWorld Orlando’s Kraken roller coaster failed to open for the sixth consecutive day, with no reasoning provided by SeaWorld. Image courtesy planmyorlandoholiday.com On July 31, Kraken did not open at its scheduled time of 10am due to mechanical issues. SeaWorld has not reflected this closure on signage at the front of the park or their […]
Top 3 theme park pet peeves
Ever wonder if you’re the only one upset by the rude behaviors of others when you visit a theme park? It seems “Zombie Chris” thought this when he started the topic “What are your trip/theme park pet peeves?“ in the Orlando Informer Community Forums. Ninety-four posts and approximately 40 listed annoyances prove that there are […]
Orlando’s Tallest, Fastest, and Longest Coaster
Surfacing summer 2016 at SeaWorld Orlando will be Mako, a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster that will reach 73 mph along 4,760 feet of steel track — nearly a mile long — and leave riders feeling both breathless and weightless. Named for one of the ocean’s fastest known sharks, Mako will be Orlando’s tallest, fastest and longest roller […]
Comparing disability policies at Universal, Disney, and Busch Gardens
Welcome to the next edition of our Special Needs Are Universal column, featuring questions and answers to help those with disabilities plan their day at Orlando’s theme parks. Our goal here at Orlando Informer is to offer all guests the tricks and tools of touring Universal Orlando, and being able to help special-needs guests is […]
Best water park in Orlando
Aquatica was recently voted Orlando’s number-one water park by Orlando Sentinel readers. Featuring family-friendly waterslides partnered with one-of-a-kind thrills, Aquatica has something for everyone. Where else in Orlando can you find the fun of a water park mixed with the spirit of SeaWorld? It truly has many great attributes, and in today’s BIG 5, we’re […]