SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[The Geek Mojo]

Getting tired of people assuming shit and acting like there's a problem. SeaWorld looks to be doing just fine!

 

Yup. Just fine.

 

[attachment=0]Untitled.jpg[/attachment]

SeaWorld reports that their attendance and revenue are down in Q3 2017

SeaWorld reports that their attendance and revenue are down in Q2 2017

SeaWorld (SEAS) Q1 2017 Loss Wider Than Expected

SeaWorld sees drops in attendance, revenue in Q4 2016

Crappy Q3 2016 Conference Call Transcript

SeaWorld shares sink to record low as attendance keeps falling Q2 2016

SeaWorld reports net loss, says Florida attendance down (Q1 2016)

... and so on, and so on

 

But yeah. SeaWorld is doing fine! I too am sick of people "assuming there's a problem" just because the stock price is tanking in an otherwise spectacular market and the park has been directly reporting major attendance and revenue drops every single quarter for years. Fake news!

 

 

I get this reply. It makes sense you would say this in reply to my post. I agree with the stock going down and attendance dropping. But I was talking about attractions being closed. There hasn't been any confirmation on why attractions are closed. There is confirmation on layoffs. But when people say an attraction is being closed down because of that, it isn't confirmed. It's a possibility, but not confirmed. That was my point.

[coasterbill]

Your post never implied that you were specifically talking about ride closures, just the fact that you went and the park was busy that particular day so "SeaWorld looks to be doing just fine!"

 

Either way though, even if you're just referring to ride closures... come on.

 

They talk at length about their (in their words) "cost reduction efforts" on their conference calls. On their Q3 call Marc Swanson stated that they had identified an additional 25 million in potential cost savings and "fully expect to achieve $40 million in net fixed cost savings by the end of 2018". Eventually you run out of people to lay off.

 

Do you honestly expect a "confirmation" on that? They're not going to state openly that they're closing rides for budget and not reducing ticket prices.

 

They've closed

 

- Theater by Zagora Cafe

- Gwazi

- Rhino Rally

- Terrace Restaurant

- Bird Gardens Gift Shop

- Tidal Wave

- Curiosity Caverns/ Jambo Junction

- Questor

- Jungle Flyers

- Wild Surge

- Treetop Trails

- Curse of DarKastle

 

...and others and left them sitting unused, and that's just their East Coast parks.

 

They've also cut back operating hours, cut back on show times, replaced Blue Horizons with a cheaper show, fired the mimes from the Clyde and Seamore show and closed tons of food stands. They haven't replaced any of these things (except Blue Horizons with a cheaper show). They have re-opened a few things seasonally.

 

Obviously these are budget moves. They speak openly about their cost reduction efforts and they haven't replaced any of these things. Hell, they haven't even been able to afford to remove most of them. They just leave things sitting around because they have no money.

 

Of course they're budget cuts.

[The Geek Mojo]

Oh come on. They talk at length about their (in their words) "cost reduction efforts" on their conference calls. On their Q3 call Marc Swanson stated that they had identified an additional 25 million in potential cost savings and "fully expect to achieve $40 million in net fixed cost savings by the end of 2018". Eventually you run out of people to lay off.

 

Do you honestly expect a "confirmation" on that? They're not going to state openly that they're closing rides for budget and not reducing ticket prices.

 

They've closed

 

- Theater by Zagora Cafe

- Gwazi

- Rhino Rally

- Terrace Restaurant

- Bird Gardens Gift Shop

- Tidal Wave

- Curiosity Caverns/ Jambo Junction

- Questor

- Jungle Flyers

- Wild Surge

- Treetop Trails

- Curse of DarKastle

 

...and others and left them sitting unused, and that's just their East Coast parks.

 

They've also cut back operating hours, cut back on show times, replaced Blue Horizons with a cheaper show, fired the mimes from the Clyde and Seamore show and closed tons of food stands. They haven't replaced any of these things (except Blue Horizons with a cheaper show). They have re-opened a few things seasonally.

 

Obviously these are budget moves. They speak openly about their cost reduction efforts and they haven't replaced any of these things. Hell, they haven't even been able to afford to remove most of them. They just leave things sitting around because they have no money.

 

Of course they're budget cuts.

 

You have a good point. But what about the new additions?

 

- Mako

- Cobra's Curse

- Electric Eel

- Wavebreaker

- InvadR

 

Hell, they're even giving Sesame Place a new coaster. I think we should give SeaWorld more credit. I think getting old attractions shut down is sad...But they're still adding new stuff. I think people focus so much on the negative about SeaWorld and forget about all the positive. And I like Blue Horizons replacement!

[The Geek Mojo]

Your post never implied that you were specifically talking about ride closures, just the fact that you went and the park was busy that particular day so "SeaWorld looks to be doing just fine!"

 

"So, I'm not a believer of people who say attractions are being shut down for cost cutting measures."

[coasterbill]

You know what, I started to type something up but I got to the point where I just realized that arguing with someone who says that Busch Gardens Tampa's ride closures aren't budget cuts is like arguing with a flat-earther. It's just not worth it.

 

I'm possibly the biggest SeaWorld fan on this site. It's our favorite park in Orlando, my better half owns half of the SeaWorld gift shop. Busch Gardens is my favorite park in Florida. We go to Busch Gardens and SeaWorld all the time and have had Platinum Passes for years. I would love for what you're saying to be true... but it's insane.

 

Williamsburg has actually made out pretty well lately since it's the only major park in the chain that they can dump money into and actually expect attendance growth since it's the least connected to the SeaWorld brand. Busch Gardens Tampa has gotten killed lately. SeaWorld has done a better job with their budget cuts, but they have so few rides anyway that obviously they're not going to come in the form of ride closures specifically. You're not closing a B&M or a massive, prominent water ride. What else do they have really? The Sky Tower? Yeah... they close that all the time and now it's an upcharge. The only other rides they have are pretty much animal habitats and they need to pay to staff those and care for those animals anyway which is most likely way more costly than operating the actual Antarctica and Wild Arctic attractions. They can't really close them.

 

The additions they've made are nice (generally they're coasters since they're marketable and cheap to operate compared to a water ride and cheap to build and operate compared to a highly themed, Sea-World style dark ride / habitat like Antarctica), but in many parks they don't come close to making up for the budget cuts (see:Tampa).

Edited February 23, 2018 by coasterbill

[ElvisLuv]

Your post never implied that you were specifically talking about ride closures, just the fact that you went and the park was busy that particular day so "SeaWorld looks to be doing just fine!"

 

Either way though, even if you're just referring to ride closures... come on.

 

They talk at length about their (in their words) "cost reduction efforts" on their conference calls. On their Q3 call Marc Swanson stated that they had identified an additional 25 million in potential cost savings and "fully expect to achieve $40 million in net fixed cost savings by the end of 2018". Eventually you run out of people to lay off.

 

Do you honestly expect a "confirmation" on that? They're not going to state openly that they're closing rides for budget and not reducing ticket prices.

 

They've closed

 

- Theater by Zagora Cafe

- Gwazi

- Rhino Rally

- Terrace Restaurant

- Bird Gardens Gift Shop

- Tidal Wave

- Curiosity Caverns/ Jambo Junction

- Questor

- Jungle Flyers

- Wild Surge

- Treetop Trails

- Curse of DarKastle

 

...and others and left them sitting unused, and that's just their East Coast parks.

 

They've also cut back operating hours, cut back on show times, replaced Blue Horizons with a cheaper show, fired the mimes from the Clyde and Seamore show and closed tons of food stands. They haven't replaced any of these things (except Blue Horizons with a cheaper show). They have re-opened a few things seasonally.

 

Obviously these are budget moves. They speak openly about their cost reduction efforts and they haven't replaced any of these things. Hell, they haven't even been able to afford to remove most of them. They just leave things sitting around because they have no money.

 

Of course they're budget cuts.

 

Their current CEO let Oz Cat stand for years. HFE wasn't exactly broke. It was one of the first things the hat seemed to happen when Manby left. Tidal Wave seemed to close about the same time Lowery Park's new flume was known. Not saying that is the reason it closed but it certainly made it expendable anyways. Before I go all doom and gloom, let's see what they announce for 2019 for both BGs

[coasterbill]

Ozark Wildcat was in a closed amusement park, not one that's open to guests 365 days a year with guests walking right by a giant closed coaster. Why would they pay to remove it? Also, I guarantee you that Busch Gardens doesn't care about Lowery Park's log flume. What does any of this have to do with anything?

 

I feel like this conversation is going off the rails. I honestly don't even understand what point you guys are trying to make. What I said was in response to a post stating that "SeaWorld is fine" and that they're "not a believer of people who say attractions are being shut down for cost cutting measures" because some guy went there and it happened to be busy that day. I love the parks, they can turn it around, but they're not "fine". The chain as a whole is making massive budget cuts all over the place, they're reporting attendance losses quarter after quarter and their stock price is in the toilet for a reason.

 

But yeah, they closed Tanganyika Tidal Wave in April of 2016 and left it sitting abandoned for 2 years "for future expansion". Gwazi has been sitting abandoned for 3 years "for future expansion". It's an essential part of the RMC conversion process. You need to let the ride age for 3 seasons and not touch it before you can begin work on it. It's like fine wine, apparently.

[bert425]

Ozark Wildcat was in a closed amusement park, not one that's open to guests 365 days a year with guests walking right by a giant closed coaster. Why would they pay to remove it? Also, I guarantee you that Busch Gardens doesn't care about Lowery Park's log flume. What does any of this have to do with anything?

 

I feel like this conversation is going off the rails. I honestly don't even understand what point you guys are trying to make. What I said was in response to a post stating that "SeaWorld is fine" and that they're "not a believer of people who say attractions are being shut down for cost cutting measures" because some guy went there and it happened to be busy that day. I love the parks, they can turn it around, but they're not "fine". The chain as a whole is making massive budget cuts all over the place, they're reporting attendance losses quarter after quarter and their stock price is in the toilet for a reason.

 

But yeah, they closed Tanganyika Tidal Wave in April of 2016 and left it sitting abandoned for 2 years "for future expansion". Gwazi has been sitting abandoned for 3 years "for future expansion". It's an essential part of the RMC conversion process. You need to let the ride age for 3 seasons and not touch it before you can begin work on it. It's like fine wine, apparently.

 

when we were at BGT just about 2 years ago, we didn't even realize that Tidal Wave had been there (we apparently went just weeks after it shut down). so I'll give them credit for hiding the fact that there HAD been something there (as opposed to Gwazi, which was sitting right there in the middle of the park with the entrance "disguised" with planters

 

now, we DID actually comment how little there seemed to be right there, since there was a train stop, it seemed odd that only Shiekra and Stanley Falls was there. .but we didn't know there was a shuttered ride.

 

agreed that it's a shame that Seaworld is having budget issues (it's obvious to me the closures/shutdowns are due to money issues).. . but I'm glad we got to go before some of the really big closures hit (I loved Jambo Junction area)

[The Geek Mojo]

Wasn't really arguing. Just discussing really. A lot of good points. And flat earth people are dumb for the record.

[snapfordakids]

Hi fellow enthusiasts.

 

I'm heading to this park Monday and was wondering what other attractions/shows are a must-do/see other than the coasters?

 

Come to think of it, I've never been to a marine theme-park before. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[coasterbill]

It depends what you like and everyone is going to be different.

 

Since you're going to SeaWorld I assume that you want to see some cool animals so check the website, decide which ones you really want to see and decide based on that.

 

Note that Wild Arctic and Antarctica are more of a time investment than the other animal exhibits since you need to ride a ride in both cases to see the animals inside. Both are worth doing but I'm not opposed to hopping in the "non riders" lines because the rides themselves are pretty mediocre in both cases. You're really doing it for the animal exhibits.

 

Unlike with Wild Arctic and Antarctica, you can see the animals from above by walking up the exit of the Turtle Trek ride if you don't want to watch the movie, but it won't have a line so you might as well. You get underwater viewing then too which is much better. Full Disclosure when reading this advice... I have a thing for Turtle Trek and might be biased. It gets me in the feels.

 

I highly recommend the shark aquarium and pacific point due to the limited time investment they require. They're both great... in one case because the exhibit is super cool and in the other case because they have sea lions and I mean... what else do you really need in life?

 

All of the shows are great, my personal favorites are Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High and One Ocean but your mileage may vary. You can also look into Dine with Shamu as an alternative (or addition) to One Ocean. There's all you can drink beer. It's piss beer, but it's all you can drink beer. The price is a steal since it includes unlimited (albeit mediocre) food and beer and a private orca training session.

 

Oh... and all of these potential upgrades are also awesome and worth looking into. I highly recommend booking one of these tours when going to SeaWorld. They're (mostly) cheap and they're really cool.

 

Edit: A few random tips.

 

- Ride Mako in the very front at least once. It's amazing.

 

- Journey to Atlantis will DROWN YOU (and I mean DROWN YOU) in row one. You'll be fine on the big drop, but you'll do down a tiny hill after it that looks unassuming from the path and you'll be sent immediately to destination f*cked. If you get put in this row, ask for another one unless you want to get soaked. They usually honor seat requests. If you want to get soaked, carry on.

 

- Speaking of which... note the Splash Zones at Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High. You'll probably be tempted to ignore them as you'll be wondering how a sea lion can create a splash big enough to hit you 10 rows up and the answer is that it can't but the huge water bomb that blasts out of the top of the stage can. Note the splash zones at One Ocean too, but if you need to be told that then you deserve whatever you get.

[yay101]

Do you think a park like SeaWorld Orlando would add more flat rides in the future, like a Zamperla Discovery or Zamperla Endeavor? I was just wondering that now, if they would ever consider adding more flat rides, being that they are a major park with a smaller collection of rides, let alone thrill rides that aren't coasters.

[DirkFunk]

If you close a bunch of rides because you're "re-evaluating the offerings" and "looking at crowd flow" in the same breath that you're discussing looking to cut operational costs, of course the closures are about trying to save money.

 

The problem with pointing at their additions is that their additions haven't pulled in crowds. Mako might be good, but SeaWorld Orlando had an attendance drop when it opened. Same with SeaWorld San Diego's...well...everything. Comparisons to Celebration City are nonsensical because Herschend bought their competition to purposely eliminate it. SeaWorld can't acquire anything because they're overleveraged and have no money, and they're on the verge of liquidating park assets (they're obviously eliminating rides and attractions) because they're a disaster finanically.

[bert425]

I highly recommend the shark aquarium and pacific point due to the limited time investment they require. They're both great... in one case because the exhibit is super cool and in the other case because they have sea lions and I mean... what else do you really need in life?

 

ditto. . and in the shark aquarium/display, don't miss the room off to the right where you can climb behind the jaws display to get this pic:

 

[boldikus]

- Ride Mako in the very front at least once. It's amazing.

[Hilltopper39]

It is interesting to me that Busch Gardens Tampa's attendance has stayed pretty much flat for the last 10 or so years. 2006: 4.36 million, 2016: 4.17 million, and every year in between was give or take that +/- a 100K or so. Doesn't seem to matter what they do their attendance never really changes.

 

(sorry wrong thread, didn't realize until after I posted.)

Edited February 24, 2018 by Hilltopper39

[RollerManic]

- Ride Mako in the very front at least once. It's amazing.

[attachment=0]talkin.gif[/attachment]

I love seeing this from of all people you.

 

Do as Bill says.

 

I found row 2 to be a blast as well.

[ASpeckOfDust]

Here are the graphics in a smaller version.

If you want the full size graphics they can be downloaded

below in a zip. There are 4 files the 3 art work graphics

and a Sea World Logo.

 

Not including the Pretzel Loop

[coasterbill]

To be fair, I did as Boldikus said and now I'm passing that nugget of truth along to anyone who's willing to listen. He was the one that convinced me to wait for the front.

[boldikus]

And I only kinda stumbled upon the amazingness that is the front of Mako thanks to the fact that the ride was a ghost town when I was there. I am normally a back seat rider, especially B&M hypers, but there was no line for the front so I said "might as well try it" and was completely blown away. I don't know what it is about Mako, but its absolutely better in the front.

[ECZenith]

I have to agree that Mako is very much superior in the first rows. I find this to be the same of most newer speed coasters from B&M with the "sharp" parabolic airtime hills. I was very impressed with my first rides on Manta as well. Journey to Atlantis was closed, I am hoping they get some of the dark ride scenes repaired or replaced, so much potential and some very thrilling moments on that one.

[Canobie Coaster]

Does SeaWorld usually pull a Hershey and block off the back rows on less busy days?

 

They're only assigning rows 1-5 and won't let anyone ride in the back, even if it means having a two train wait on a different row. Manta is still awesome up front, but it's a bummer I can't get another back row ride this visit.

[bgtlover]

^The only time I've ever seen them block off rows was for quick queue at any SW/BG park (Kraken & Montu specifically), and never on Manta since QQ merges at the station.

[Canobie Coaster]

Mako and Kraken were choose your seat as usual, so it was just Manta that was only letting you sit in the front part of the train.

 

Hopefully I can sneak back over in the next few days to get a ride towards the back.

[DILinator]

Planning a trip to SWO for the last full week in April, and I wondered whether it'd really be necessary for me to get QQU for my kids and myself. It's not even good for Kraken, and my previous experience was that SWO doesn't have really bad waits for their rides. I'll be going on either a Monday or Tuesday of that week. Thanks in advance for the input!