Sea World question
 

<BR> <BR>Hi, I am trying to decide if we should include Sea World as part of our next family trip to San Diego. We don’t want to go if it is like a circus with seals balancing balls on their noses and dolphins jumping through hoops which is what I remember from going to Sea World when I was a child many years ago… I would rather my own children saw the animals behaving more naturally and not “performing.” I’m not sure if Sea World has changed or not and I'm not trying to start a thread criticizing Sea World. I would appreciate some advice to help me determine if Sea World is appropriate for my family. Thanks. <BR>

Sea World still has shows which include animal behaviors. These shows help generate money for research and animal rescue and treatment. You may find that watching animals in these shows - which have never made me think "circus" and which often offer much information about the animal involved- stimulates an interest in marine life in your children.

There are a lot of shows where the animals are trained, but there are also a lot of exhibits where your kids can learn a lot - especially if you take the time to read. We were at Sea World in Florida this summer and my kids loved it.

Went to Sea WOrld last summer after several years of not going. Really enjoyed it. The only hokey show is the one with the seals and walrus.

A little bit of research ahead of time can make all the difference. Our experience at Sea World Orlando this summer was wonderful. When first entering in the morning we went directly to the information booth and signed up for a behind-the-scenes program. There were several available, and we chose "Polar Expedition". <BR> <BR>The cost for the hour-long tour was about $8 each, and when we signed up we were given a meeting time and place. There were a set number of spaces available on this tour (not many, maybe 24). We were taken behind the scenes at the polar bear, penguin, and beluga whale exhibits. It was very interesting, and the emphasis was on educating visitors to the parks. <BR> <BR>Spend some time at their website, see what's available and what your family would be interested in, and then decide if it's something that would work for your family.

Thanks for the replies... The Behind the Scenes tour sounds wonderful. I checked the web-site and they do offer behind the scene tours at the Sea World in San Diego. The shows like "Fools with Tools" and dolphins doing backflips on command kind of turn me off, though. I suspect we will end up going, but staying clear of those shows. <BR> <BR>Thanks for everybody's input.

sea world is an expensive day for a family but if your kids have not seen anything similar, it's worth it. i would try to see the shamu show (yes, i know it's a "trained animal show") early in the day so that you can return for a second show. i've probably seen it 30 times and never get bored. fascinating animals and seeing how much fun the kids have is a blast. <BR>manatee resue is interesting, shark encounter, acquarium. <BR>even though you may not enjoy the dolphin show...maybe think of your kids and let them see it. <BR>"tools for fools" was disappointing but that's because i'd seen the show they did in other years and it was much better.

The seal and walrus show has been closed down for awhile, supposedly for renovation. With all the parks here in Orlando cutting out whatever they can to save money, I can't help but wonder if it's really renovation.

If you've seen one Sea World they are all pretty much the same. (Ie. Marine World, Vallejo; Marineland of the Pacific, Los Angeles.) Having been to several, I would put it way down on my list of places to go in San Diego. The San Deigo Wild Animal Park would rank first. The San Diego Zoo is one on the world's finest. This too is a don't miss. If you have seen these two and never been to a Sea World or one of it's cousins, I might go. But, definately not at the expense of seeing the other two.