SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego Review

One of the world's largest marine-life amusement parks, SeaWorld is spread over 189 tropically landscaped bay-front acres—and it seems to be expanding into every available square inch of space with new exhibits, shows, and activities. The biggest attraction in its 40 years of existence opened in 2004: Journey to Atlantis involves a cruise on an eight-passenger "Greek fishing boat" down a heart-stopping 60-foot plunge to explore a lost, sunken city. After this journey serenaded by dolphins calls, you view a 130,000-gallon pool, home to exotic Commerson's dolphins, a small black-and-white South American species known for speed and agility.

The majority of SeaWorld's exhibits are walk-through marine environments. Kids get a particular kick out of the Shark Encounter, where they come face-to-face with sand, tiger, nurse, bonnethead, black-tipped, and white-tipped reef sharks by walking through a 57-foot clear acrylic tube that passes through the 280,000-gallon shark habitat. The hands-on California Tide Pool exhibit gives you a chance to get to know San Diego's indigenous marine life. At Forbidden Reef you can feed bat rays and go nose-to-nose with creepy moray eels. At Rocky Point Preserve you can view bottlenose dolphins, as well as Californian sea otters. At Wild Arctic, which starts out with a simulated helicopter ride to a research post at the North Pole, beluga whales, walruses, and polar bears can be viewed in areas decked out like the wrecked hulls of two 19th-century sailing ships. Manatee Rescue lets you watch the gentle-giant marine mammals cavorting in a 215,000-gallon tank. Various freshwater and saltwater aquariums hold underwater creatures from around the world. And for younger kids who need to release lots of energy, Sesame Street Bay of Play at SeaWorld, opened in 2008, is a hands-on fun zone that features three family-friendly Sesame Street-theme rides.

SeaWorld's highlights are its large-arena entertainments. You can get front-row seats if you arrive 30 minutes in advance, and the stadiums are large enough for everyone to get a seat in the off-season. Introduced in 2006 and starring the ever-beloved Shamu the Killer Whale, Believe features synchronized whales and brings down the house. Blue Horizons, new in 2010, combines dolphins, pilot whales, tropical birds, and aerialists in a spectacular performance.

Another favorite is Sesame Street Presents: Lights, Camera, Imagination! in 4-D, a new film that has Cookie Monster, Elmo, and other Sesame Street favorites swimming through an imaginary ocean and flying through a cinematic sky. Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lions LIVE, the sea lion and otter production, also is widely popular.

Not all the shows are water-oriented. Pets Rule! showcases the antics of more-common animals like dogs, cats, birds, and even a pig. One segment of the show actually has regular house cats climbing ladders and hanging upside down as they cross a high wire. The majority of the animals used in the show were adopted from shelters.

The Dolphin Interaction Program gives guests the chance to interact with SeaWorld's bottlenose dolphins in the water. The 1-hour experience (20 minutes in the water), during which visitors can feed, touch, and give behavior signals, costs $190. A less expensive treat ($42 adults, $38 children) is the 1-hour Penguin Experience Tour, which gets you up close and personal with these cute, cold-weather creatures.

Shipwreck Rapids, SeaWorld of San Diego's first adventure ride, offers plenty of excitement—but you may end up getting soaked. For five minutes, nine "shipwrecked" passengers careen down a river in a raftlike inner tube, encountering a series of obstacles, including several waterfalls. There's no extra charge, making this one of SeaWorld's great bargains—expect long lines. Those who want to head to higher ground might consider the Skytower, a glass elevator that ascends 265 feet; the views of San Diego County are especially spectacular in early morning and late evening. The Bayside Skyride, a five-minute aerial tram ride located on the west side of the park, travels across Mission Bay. Combined admission for the Skytower and the tram is $6. The San Diego 3-for-1 Ticket ($129 for adults, $99 for children ages 3 to 9) offers five consecutive days of unlimited admission to SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. This is a good idea, because if you try to get your money's worth by fitting everything in on a single day, you're likely to end up tired and cranky. Many hotels, especially those in the Mission Bay area, also offer SeaWorld specials that may include rate reductions or two days' entry for the price of one.