See Sea World San Diego (by the seashore)! I've never had the chance to visit the original Sea World in California, which debuted in 1964. I love this advertising artwork, which was featured in a park brochure I picked up during a vacation to Anaheim back in 1993.
Like all the Sea World parks (except the one in Ohio, which closed down years ago) the San Diego home of Shamu and his aquatic friends continues to expand and change.
Sea World was once primarily known for its animal shows, but the chain eventually started adding rides and other types of attractions. In California, these include Journey to Atlantis (a water flume/roller coaster hybrid that is different from the ride of the same name at Sea World Orlando), Shipwreck Rapids (a raft ride), Wild Artic (motion simulator) and the Sky Tower (an observation tower). Sesame Street's Bay of Play is a new area featuring rides for kids. There's also a "4-D" film featuring the Sesame Street characters called "Lights, Camera, Imagination 4-D" (this same film is shown at Universal Studios Japan, where it is called "Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic").
For 2012, Sea World in California will add "Manta," a new Mack launched roller coaster. Sea World in Florida opened a different Flying Coaster called "Manta" in 2009.
The "Manta" attractions are not just rides---they also feature themed animal exhibits.
A few years back, I was addicted to a computer game called "SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon 2" from Activision (it was like Roller Coaster Tycoon, but featured Sea World branded rides and animal exhibits). I also spent lots of time playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, and the expansion Packs ("Soaked" which featured water slides, and "Wild!" which included animals).
I only stopped playing because my PC bit the dust.
SeaWorld has penguins, and it's easy to come up with a ride for them.
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom had a river rapids ride called "Penguin's Blizzard River," which featured the villain from Batman and his (fiberglass statue) bird friends. Kentucky Kingdom and Six Flags parted ways, and the Penguin had to leave, so they could do this at Sea World now (with real birds).
What about dolphins? Sea World's Aquatica water park in Orlando has already combined a dolphin exhibit with a water slide.
The Dolphin Plunge tube slides at Aquatica go through a tank of Commerson's Dolphins. I bet this entertains the dolphins.
Did Sea World have eagles at some point?
Sea Eagles maybe? I can't see them getting their own ride at SeaWorld. They could do a themed Dive Coaster called "The Pelican."
Has Sea World ever had a Seahorse Carousel? That could be nice. I guess an Octopus themed Octopus spinning ride might be too obvious.
Sesame Street's Bay of Play does have an "Elmo's Flying Fish" ride.
I miss the old Sea World logo.
Sorry, this coupon expired in 1993.
SeaWorld, I am up for the challenge of coming up with your next big ride: "Manatee!"
Manatee's Revenge! :)
ReplyDeleteSea World is only about a 2 hour drive from me and I've never been! Growing up, we always went to Marineland of the Pacific, because it was located much closer.
ReplyDeleteNow as an adult, I wouldn't mind seeing the Atlantis attraction, but the fact that the animals are in captivity bothers me, so it kind of keeps me from giving them my money just to see one attraction. Also the fact that they purchased Marineland in the 1980's just to get their hands on the animals and then shut that park down has made me not want to give them my business. It's a long story...they kind of lied to the public through the purchase process, saying they had every intention of keeping the park open. Then after the purchase went through, they announced that they were going to close it for good, but they gave a closing date and said they wanted everyone to have one last chance to come see the park. Then they quietly closed it right away, not sticking to that closing date and moved all the animals to Sea World in the middle of the night. Some of the Marineland animals also ended up dying after the move. I'm sure it isn't even owned by the same company anymore, but boy I can really hold a grudge, huh?
"Manatee's Revenge" would be a great boat ride, A Snow White Sanctum! The boats could float past real manatees. Then passengers would see a speed boat that had been destroyed by a giant, ticked-off animatronic sea cow.
ReplyDeleteHey TokyoMagic! The thought of animals getting taken from their life in the wild always bothered me. Of course, these days many animals in the wild are in need of getting rescued, and after treatment, many are released back in to the wild. What is interesting is what can happen when marine mammals are bred in captivity and have daily human contact (with their trainers). I remember reading that some of the dolphins that were washed away from an aquarium after Hurricane Katrina were found performing at sea! Of course, Keiko (the inspiration for the "Free Willy" movies) died not long after being released (I guess if you are used to being hand-fed, it's tough to be independent). Something very disturbing seems to be happening right now in the Gulf of Mexico (post oil-spill disaster) as newborn dolphins are washing up on shore. Very sad!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many times Sea World has changed ownership--I've lost track! Thankfully, I think times have changed and people (animal-loving management, trainers and park guests) won't stand for the animals getting mistreated.
Don't get me wrong, I know that the animals that are there now can't be released if they have spent a lifetime in captivity. And I know there are now laws prohibiting the taking of animals from the wild (that was why Sea World purchased Marineland) but I don't think they should be forced to perform and it still bothers me that they are kept in tanks....even if I know they can't survive out in the open ocean. I guess I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I feel the same way about zoos. I know that they might be our only hope of keeping some species from going extinct in the future, but I'm still bothered by the fact that the amimals aren't free. I get choked up when I see the gorillas just sitting there doing nothing at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Who knows, maybe they'd be sitting in the wild doing nothing too? I'll just keep telling myself that!
ReplyDeleteHey TokyoMagic!: Yes, I get what you are saying. I remember some years back, there was a zoo in England that had a human exhibit with real people (no joke!). I'm not sure if the people actually lived there, or if they clocked in and entered the cage for a day. If the cage was stocked with a TV and video games, I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem getting volunteers.:-)
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