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SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

P. 276: Penguin Trek construction update!

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Is this where we chime in and say "Theme parks are trying to make money"?

 

A couple years ago I went to SeaWorld in the "offseason" and they kept Kraken closed until the afternoon. I supposed that saved them money, and I've been back since, so I guess I wasn't so upset about it that I refused to return. Of course, they had to build a B&M flying coaster in order to get me back in the gate. I don't like this sort of idea because its the classic example of spending more money to get less in return, which in turn makes the idea of theme park geared vacations less appealing. But for a lot of people, they won't care, won't see it, etc etc etc.

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Delayed openings and understaffed rides are one of the main reasons I never visit SFMM. I understand cutting costs, but when you're already getting beat by Disney and USO, I don't see cutting hours or ride staff a ton helping out. I'm not saying they can't cut a little, but Joey is right on.

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Sea World should be looking to upgrade their behind the scenes/VIP tour options. Those don't cost that much and make a ton of money.

 

The phrase "penny wise and pound foolish" definitely applies to the theme park industry. As does "you have to spend money to make money."

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Hello TPRrs, specifically native Floridians: Our trip to Orlando (my very first one... eek!) begins this weekend..... and OF COURSE Tropical Storm Chantal is a'blowin in the Gulf. So I'm freaking out worrying that parts of my trip will be ruined. Anyone have any idea what I should expect? Thanks!

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^Don't worry. It was going to rain anyways, now it may just rain a little more. The parks here are very good about running stuff in all kinds of weather and will really only shut down in super heavy rain or nearby lightning. And like I said, you were going to have that anyways Chantal or not!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I stumbled across the trailer for Blackfish today.

 

Donm't even watch it. It makes me sick how the film makers are presenting it.

 

SeaWorld capitalizing on their whales which cannot be released back into the wild is bad?

 

Yet capitalizing on the death of a Sea World trainer who loved what she did, then using her against the company is good?

 

 

That's a little hypocritical.

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Blackfish opens in Orlando next weekend (ironically at Downtown Disney) and I'm not going to lie - I'm interested in seeing it. There is two sides to every story and I'm interested in hearing this side - does it mean I agree with the movie? Nope, but I think it will be interesting to see exactly what they have to say.

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Visited SeaWorld last Saturday and had a great time. These are some notes:

 

1. Quick Queue is a great upgrade. Definitely worth the $30, especially when it comes to Antarctica.

 

2. The food at the restaurant in the Antarctica area was delicious. Go next door and build a penguin cup, then get the South Pole Chill (I think that is what the drink is called), and you are set to go.

 

3. The employees are nice, but I had one encounter that kind of made me a little annoyed. While waiting for Manta to reopen after a short breakdown, an employee decided to bring up the Texas Giant incident. I'm paraphrasing what he said, but it pretty much went like this: "Our bosses are always telling us to double check...she went straight down that 400 foot drop straight down out of the train... at first I was confused as to why they had to shut down a whole area because of it. Some of her was over there, there, there, there, it was everywhere!" I felt he had no respect for this poor lady and it was just stupid to talk like that about a roller coaster incident to people who were about to board one. I did not report the incident or say anything to him about it, but I feel like I should have.

 

4. Manta was smooth and fun, but not a "great" coaster. It was simply pure fun to ride and fun to watch.

 

5. Kraken was a little rough, but still a great ride. Raging Bull, Wildfire, and Hulk were all better B&M's that I have ridden.

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4. Manta was smooth and fun, but not a "great" coaster. It was simply pure fun to ride and fun to watch.

I've noticed the same with many other B&M flying coasters. Maybe one or two good elements, but not that great overall. Those one or two elements makes the ride and that's it.

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  • 2 months later...

http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/10/8/seaworld_accused_of_.html

 

SeaWorld Orlando is accused of not paying its construction bills.

 

Orlando-based Nassal Company has put a construction lien on SeaWorld.

 

According to the lien document, contractors said SeaWorld owes them more than $200,000 for work they recently completed at the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin exhibit.

 

We reached out to SeaWorld for a response to these allegations.

 

A spokesperson said, “Unfortunately, we don’t share information regarding business relationships we have with vendors or other partners.”

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If I held shares of SEAS, I'd be thrilled with management's visible commitment to cutting costs. Between slowly nudging near minimum wage employees over to part time status (of course, this is mostly to allow said employees some more time to spend with their families- they can even take a trip to Seaworld!) and running out on construction bills (if that does end up being the case), that is an exemplary way to reward shareholders for their loyalty that other corporations should heed.

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I doubt they purposely didn't pay the bill. I'm guessing it is either a dispute over whether or not the vendor completed the work according to the terms of their deal or just a mistake someone made behind the scenes (there's usually lots of "red tape" when it comes to finances at theme parks).

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I doubt they purposely didn't pay the bill. I'm guessing it is either a dispute over whether or not the vendor completed the work according to the terms of their deal or just a mistake someone made behind the scenes (there's usually lots of "red tape" when it comes to finances at theme parks).

 

Agreed, this is not unusual in construction. There is always a hold back on any construction project until everything is signed off. Probably a dispute about something and SeaWorld is waiting to get it resolved before paying. Once they pay the contractor completely they have no leverage to get a problem corrected.

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"Blackfish" aired on CNN tonight. I only caught the last 30 minutes but, wow, absolutely capitalizing on the trainer's death to push their anti-orcas in captivity agenda.

 

This is what they got across to me. It's wrong to pen orcas into tanks to perform in shows that make money for the company. It's not wrong to exploit the death of an employee of that company in one of those shows in order to push that message. They went so far as to call the Shamu shows "barbaric" but I wonder if any of them considered how "barbaric" it is to think that because someone died, you now have a right to scream your agenda that has absolutely zero - NOTHING - to do with the accident. You just think it's wrong that orcas are kept in those tanks, and whatever happens, mistake, accident, or otherwise is proof of your agenda. You're clearly willing to stand on the grave of that trainer to blast your message. Let's throw away human life because we'd like to tell you about how wrong it is to discount marine life.

 

I think any normal person knows what's really "barbaric" here, and it's not the Shamu show.

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"Blackfish" aired on CNN tonight. I only caught the last 30 minutes but, wow, absolutely capitalizing on the trainer's death to push their anti-orcas in captivity agenda.

 

This is what they got across to me. It's wrong to pen orcas into tanks to perform in shows that make money for the company. It's not wrong to exploit the death of an employee of that company in one of those shows in order to push that message. They went so far as to call the Shamu shows "barbaric" but I wonder if any of them considered how "barbaric" it is to think that because someone died, you now have a right to scream your agenda that has absolutely zero - NOTHING - to do with the accident. You just think it's wrong that orcas are kept in those tanks, and whatever happens, mistake, accident, or otherwise is proof of your agenda. You're clearly willing to stand on the grave of that trainer to blast your message. Let's throw away human life because we'd like to tell you about how wrong it is to discount marine life.

 

I think any normal person knows what's really "barbaric" here, and it's not the Shamu show.

I saw that and didn't make a final opinion because I didn't hear Seaworld's point of view of the story. A lot of the stuff they said seemed legit to various degrees but I saw that Seaworld had declined an interview for the show, and I wish they hadn't. It's a topic I don't know much about that I'd like to, but there's so many different viewpoints it's hard to get a clear message. I find it interesting, though. I'd definitely like to get more informed on it.

 

Though if it really is detrimental to the orcas and can psychologically scar them (strong arguments for both sides, not sure who to side with) I think the best solution would be to release all of Seaworld's orcas and use the existing structures for non-releasable ones in a learning exhibit like Cheetah Run. Again, not sure if it's the cause of these accidents, but if it is, I think this would be a fair solution. That's just me, though. Like I said, I'm not as well informed on the topic as I'd like to be.

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