SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[Hilltopper39]

Speaking of Aquatica I'm kind of interested to see how Aquatica Orlando performs after Volcano Bay opens. I feel like attendance at the two Disney parks will remain steady but it wouldn't surprise me if Aquatica see a little bit of drop.Then again who knows, if the industry in general improves all parks might see similar gains especially in that market.

[DirkFunk]

Speaking of Aquatica I'm kind of interested to see how Aquatica Orlando performs after Volcano Bay opens. I feel like attendance at the two Disney parks will remain steady but it wouldn't surprise me if Aquatica see a little bit of drop.Then again who knows, if the industry in general improves all parks might see similar gains especially in that market.

 

Aquatica Orlando will become the new Wet N Wild. That's not a bad thing, either. They'll be the most reasonably priced water park in the area. Fun Spot is really their competition for that if they ever bother to put up slides.

[Jew]

I'm just some guy who paid attention a little more sometimes. That's all. Like I hope to hell San Antonio's attendance is up compared to last year. They were down 14%. San Diego was down 17% and 4% in '14 and '15 respectively too. Decentralizing the structure of the company and letting go of people who haven't accomplished anything for growth is a natural. Further cutbacks on attractions isn't good, but they need to try and figure out where their footing is in the market, and they've picked things that aren't terribly popular.

 

Does anyone know if anyone goes to Aquatica San Diego? That thing is screaming "Please sell me, I was a stupid idea!"

 

It's been moderately busy the couple of time I have visited. It's all they have in the San Diego area, and with how hard they are pushing annual passes...I imagine they got a return on their investment.

[Password121]

First visit to the park this weekend--are we better off going Friday or Saturday? Saturday being New Years eve with extended nighttime hours.

[Hilltopper39]

I worked a New Years eve at the park a few years back and honestly it would have been a great day to visit. A little crowded during the day for some of the shows but the place was dead during the extended evening hours, and the fireworks were pretty decent.

[MagicAngel94]

I saw that the price of the Quick queue pass online is $ 19.90. how much it costs at the park?

[coasterbill]

Awful news from Orlando

 

The Life and Care Of Tilikum At SeaWorld

 

The SeaWorld family is deeply saddened to announce that one of its most well-known orcas, Tilikum, has passed away. Tilikum passed away early this morning, January 6, surrounded by the trainers, care staff and veterinarians that provided him around-the-clock world-class care.

 

Like all older animals, Tilikum had faced some very serious health issues. While the official cause of death will not be determined until the necropsy is completed, the SeaWorld veterinarians were treating a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. The suspected bacteria is part of a group of bacteria that is found in water and soil both in wild habitats and zoological settings.

 

Tilikum’s veterinarians and caretakers delivered various treatment regimens over the course of this illness, which consisted of, among other things, combinations of anti-inflammatories, anti-bacterials, anti-nausea medications, hydration therapy and aerosolized antimicrobial therapy.

 

While today is a difficult day for the SeaWorld family, it’s important to remember that Tilikum lived a long and enriching life while at SeaWorld and inspired millions of people to care about this amazing species.

 

Tilikum’s life will always be inextricably connected with the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Dawn Brancheau. While we all experienced profound sadness about that loss, we continued to offer Tilikum the best care possible, each and every day, from the country’s leading experts in marine mammals.

 

“Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” said President & CEO of SeaWorld Joel Manby. “My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.”

 

Tilikum became a part of SeaWorld’s family 25 years ago. Estimated to be about 36 years old, Tilikum was near the high end of the average life expectancy for male killer whales according to an independent scientific review.

 

Tilikum was not born at or collected by SeaWorld. He came to us from Sealand of the Pacific in Canada. SeaWorld has not collected a whale from the wild in nearly 40 years, and this past March we announced the end of the orca breeding program effectively making the whales currently at SeaWorld the last generation of orcas under human care.

 

You can learn more about SeaWorld’s Tilikum’s life and how killer whales will continue to inspire guests at SeaWorld clicking on the following links:

 

Rest in peace Tilikum. You were an inspiration to millions.

[Hilltopper39]

What ever you do avoid all comments sections related to this story, not worth the time.

[coasterbill]

What ever you do avoid all comments sections related to this story, not worth the time.

 

I'm planning on it.

[thrillrider]

Sad news from seaworld orlando today.

[Password121]

After visiting SeaWorld New Year's Eve we had a discussion with some family that was surprised at our willingness to support the company, but after discussing the facts they're fully supportive, just as we always have been of SeaWorld. Hopefully there's not too much press about a natural occurrence.

[coasterbill]

Hopefully there's not too much press

 

[Password121]

Hopefully there's not too much press

 

I asked for it

[DorneyKid14]

Sad news.

 

 

Speaking of comments, i did the unintelligent thing a read through them. Looked like sea world deleted most of the harsh ones off Facebook. But twitter, wow.

[coasterbill]

It's crazy how many "marine biologists" there are on Twitter who think male orca whales live to be 100 years old on a regular basis in the wild.

[DorneyKid14]

its crazy how many 'marine biologist' there are when something like this happens. If only they did actual research.

 

 

Costerbill, you're the expert, is it to early to start drinking?

[coasterbill]

Costerbill, you're the expert, is it too early to start drinking?

 

Never

[thrillrider]

Here....

 

Allow me to buy the first round.

[thepoint4life23]

This was sad new.

Random Thought but what do they do with the body of the whale. use it for more research or something else?

[boldikus]

RMC is going to use the old body to create an even better, crazier orca.

 

I'm so sorry I couldn't help myself.

[coasterbill]

 

In all seriousness, yes. They use it for more research. Generally they'll perform a necropsy which is basically an autopsy. That can help them learn a lot about the whale and possibly about the bacterial infection that killed him (which is common in both captive and domestic orcas).

 

You can google necropsy if you want to learn more about the procedure, but it's pretty graphic so be warned.

[boldikus]

^ What he means to say is the new orca is going to be steeper, taller and will feature 2 barrel rolls and an incredibly intense zero-g!

 

 

 

 

Alright sorry I'll stop now.

[thepoint4life23]

In for RMC tilikum!

[SharkTums]

 

In all seriousness, yes. They use it for more research. Generally they'll perform a necropsy which is basically an autopsy. That can help them learn a lot about the whale and possibly about the bacterial infection that killed him (which is common in both captive and domestic orcas).

 

You can google necropsy if you want to learn more about the procedure, but it's pretty graphic so be warned.

 

It would be very interesting for them to make the necropsy public as they do for many zoo animals in Europe but I can imagine that most americans would lose their mind if they tried something like that here.

[boldikus]

The new and improved Iron Orca is expected to be much less rough on the train(er)s.

 

Thanks, you guys have been great. I'm here all week. Don't forget to try the fish--- err, ummm... the veal! Try the veal!