1. More animal education, less shows. 2.Take a break from coasters and implement more dark rides, every single park in the chain needs one. 3. Keep adding/improving yearly events and festivals. They honestly have some of the best festivals in the country. 4. Quality of life improvements like refurbishing old areas, adding shade structures, benches, and more quality food items at dining locations. If they can focus on these things I think it’s a recipe for success. As a pass holder it’s still my favorite park to just grab a drink and hang out.

I work as a scenic arts craftsperson at sea world orlando. And YES to all this. The Electric Ocean background music was OBNOXIOUS! And my department, the theming department, is packed with experienced experts in our field; we are highly skilled artists, a lot of us have master’s degrees and our starting pay is $15/hour! The turnover rate is obviously high. Also, I did a lot of stuff for Howl O Scream this year, and it was cool seeing some of my stuff in ur video. 😂

One other cost-cutting maneuver was turning off the AC at a number of resturants and indoor viewing spaces. It's very difficult to cool down in the parks right now, which causes people to leave early. It's a ridiculous thing to do in the hot Florida weather.

Yeah the idea of underpaid not caring staff especially for rides is absolutely terrifying!!!!!!! How can they claim to have record earnings but pay their staff such a crap wage.... and expect things to run properly

I grew up with annual passes to SeaWorld San Diego in the 90's and 2000's and the park was kept immaculate. I hadn't been for about fifteen years or so, but recently went earlier this year and the park was in terrible shape, now I understand why.

I grew up with Busch Gardens Tampa in my backyard (ok, 45 minutes away...), but rarely visit SeaWorld Orlando. I have received advanced degrees in zoo and aquarium studies, and have been in the industry for many years. I recently just visited SeaWorld San Diego, and I was actually shocked at the poor maintenance. I remember these parks as being beautiful, but this was just shocking. Do not get me wrong, their Animal Care is really good, and the enclosures were well maintained. but the walkways, the landscaping, the painting, they were all atrocious. it very much reminded me of six flags back in the late 90s/ early 00s. They need to step up their game if they plan to survive.

Ex employee here who can confirm that it was the batteries getting damaged that led to penguins being a never-opening-again ride. Must have been some super expensive batteries @~@

I went to Discovery Cover back in 2019 with my daughter and her grandparents. I have I.B.S. and Barrett's esophagus long story short I ended up having a I.B.S. attack and had to sit in the car while my family enjoyed the park. When I returned home I wrote a email to SeaWorld explaining what happened, SeaWorld offered me and my daughter free tickets to come back. I could not believe they would do that for me. Compare that to Disney who nickels and dimes you.

God I love this channel. As soon as I see a thumbnail of a new video its like my whole nervous system lights up and I immediately click to watch. It's like feeling a huge pulse of energy start in my head and end in my right hand clicking the video.

I worked at SeaWorld Orlando as a photographer last year from May to December. It was a lot of fun working there but yeah there was problems especially in the higher ups. Also that Blackfish documentary still hung over like a shadow. Though it was fun as a photographer being able to interact with people all over the world who still came to the park as part of their Orlando vacation. One thing surprisingly that I found out from guests especially around Christmastime was that they really liked going to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens’ Christmas events because it was less corporate and a lot more family friendly being way cheaper and less crowded then the Christmas events at Disney and Universal. Also I don’t know where SeaWorld Orlando can put another roller coaster. They put Ice Breaker in a squeezed area between the Orca Stadium, the Waterfront and Bayside Stadium.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg definitely has been struggling with staffing issues since the pandemic. It’s most obvious when you look at the food stall closures and long lines. There’s also been a lack of food options lately because of the closures. They definitely need to raise the wage for their employees and increase the number of staff to lessen the burden placed on those few who currently work there.

I worked for SeaWorld for half a decade, and still hold it in incredibly high regard, both for their theme parks, as well as their conservation and animal education projects. One thing that has always stuck with me when I think of SeaWorld is the vibe, or at least the vibe it used to have. SeaWorld is a relaxing park, which is as perfect for an afternoon stroll and watching sea lions swim around as it is for thrills - if Disney is a preppy college student, and Universal is the counterculture punk rocker or metalhead, SeaWorld is the laid back surfer dude. So then, that laid back vibe is where they shine with their theming. Key West is one of my favorite themed lands in any theme park, and you touched on the steel drum music that sets the tone of the area. Discovery Cove and Aquatica also have a similar vibe, and all of their parks really feel like a counterpoint to the stress and planning of Disney, or the constant thrills and energy of Universal. This is how SeaWorld can set themselves apart, and become a true destination in their own right. Everything from the music to the landscaping to the lighting to the story told by the ride queues (typically the only place SeaWorld had a chance to tell a ride's story if they're only opening roller coasters) should have that calmer vacation vibe, and marketing should drive that point home.

I am so glad you mentioned the poor capacity!! I went to Seaworld about 2 months ago, and I had a great time but the fact riders had to get onto the ride themselves and the way the workers seemed they didn’t want to be there rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t blame the workers, it’s just I feel like if Seaworld treated their workers better and fixed the capacity issues it would be an overall improvement to the park.

The King Tut walkthrough was so fun when it was running at 100%. Each room had narration and light queues that I loved as a kid, and you had to stay in each room as the story rolled out. Eventually, they just left the doors open and ran all the talking on loop, so no one could really get the experience unless you knew what you were looking for.

SeaWorld while not on the same level as Disney or Universal as a must see destination for Orlando (and heavily surrounded by controversy), is still a fun place and a nice park to walk around. Hope something turns these parks around for the much better...

I worked as a ride operator at Seaworld San Diego after the pandemic. Morale among everyone was down for many reasons. Mainly, just knowing that zoo sky tram operators get paid over 3 dollars more an hour than ride shift leads at seaworld was frustrating. They also had very minimal staffing, leading to a very fast paced but inefficient load cycle. They also cheap out on parts for their rides, causing popular rides like Journey to Atlantis to break down very often, and leaving us to deal with sending angry guests out of lines. Just raising their wages would be helpful, more people would want to go to work and give better experiences to the guests.

This summer, I went to SeaWorld and I had a blast. I first rode Kraken and the last ride was Manta, both very fun coasters. Unexpectedly, it was crowded, even the orca show, which was a surprise to me. Due to the fact, that I didn’t know people still went to those shows after the tragic incident. Overall its a very good park and I like how they are now focusing on coasters rather than marine animals.

Wonderful soundtrack selection! I feel you did a great job expressing the feeling you want the parks to invoke with the music you selected. Keep us the great work!

I was an attractions attendant at SeaWorld Orlando. Management, higher ups and a lot of their policies were the biggest issue. They’re were some good ones but a lot of bad ones. The work environment was not good. If Ambassadors who worked at Mako, infinity, wanted a hot meal they would have to walk all the way to manta’s break room just to get a hot meal. And when we did do that, our supervisors would get mad at us for taking long. We did have a break area for those who were at the mako infinity side. Which was basically a 7-eleven. There was a few micro waves, sometimes we didn’t have plates to place our food in. Funny cause the break room is right BEHIND Infinity falls’ food place. Never really got why they couldn’t just give us hot food there. Park quality is almost ALWAYS understaffed. That’s why the park can look dirty a lot of the times. I have so much respect for my PQ folks because they’re in the heat all day being OVERworked. The rides can also be understaffed. There would be no greeter and for some rides like Mako and Icebreaker we can’t allow loose articles cause of safety reasons. So ultimately guests would come up with unusually sized bags and complain why they can’t ride which causes guest situations. The quality of life in the park is actual garbage. Imagine opening a new ride ADVERTISED for 48 inch kids and going back to 54 OVERNIGHT, YUP OVERNIGHT. And who had to deal with the guests? Not the higher ups lmao. Us baby. Folks at SeaWorld can’t even open a ride properly. And ofc they make it hard for us to accommodate guests. When there’s a guest situation there would never be enough or ZERO quick queues we can give to them. The quick queue station by ice breaker works EVERY NOW AND THEN. The lockers were another big issue that they don’t seem to care about. When lockers would get full at one ride we told guests that they should go to ANOTHER attractions lockers and come back. Once they do that, OOPS our ride is down sorry folks. Thankfully somethings have changed since I left. They now serve hot food, and the point system for employees is actually fair similar to universals. I’m glad I left.

Montu was actually yellow from the beginning (I went when it opened, when I was a kid). The "sandy" color was a result of massive fading. If you look at old promo footage or merch, you can see the signature yellow and purple color scheme.

as a former employee this was a must watch for me. Thanks for pointing out all of the things I noticed during a recent return visit.

One thing as a photographer. Me and other photographers there at SeaWorld Orlando had to operate the cash register at the photo booths as well as take pictures. We made $12/hr. But… they have people in the position of photo sales that is their job specifically. They made a dollar more and hour then the photographers who were doing 2 jobs. Oh yeah the Electric Ocean music on repeat was really annoying!!!

Once SWOrlando gets the new roller coaster opened next year they really need to focus on theming, atmosphere, and ride ops like you said. It’s a solid park overall, just needs to be focused in the right direction.

I would just like to mention a few things, Wild artic’s animal exhibit is still open, just with a confusin entrance through it’s gift shop. Also, SeaWorld Orlando does have onsite accommodations and transport from them to the parks. They have a few hotels on offer, but they are nothing special really other than the fact you get free quick queue if you stay there.

As someone who worked in SeaWorld San Diego’s entertainment department from 2016-2020, yeah things are still bad over there today. Like current Disney, SW corporate is too scared to try anything new and constantly throwing out good ideas/pitches from anyone outside their circle (a coworker friend of mine had several great Joe Rohde-tier ideas for Lunar New Year Celebration, but they never gave him the time of day). Hopefully they’ll purge the excess yes-men and bean counters on their corporate board. Oh, and Submarine Quest should NOT have gone as far as it did from development to creation! Any competent engineer/creative designer would have killed it in pre-production.

Hope your channel keeps growing man you make some of the best edited and scripted videos talking about theme parks on KZfaq.

I really enjoy your videos and I’m happy you’re verbalizing so many things that I’ve been concerned about. 1 correction, though - the indoor aquarium in the arctic area is actually open. You have to enter it from the gift shop (essentially going backwards from the exit of Wild Arctic.)

Went to SWSD and it was just sad and bad. The aquariums are run down, food service was inefficient and gross, the grounds were dirty, and the Orcas/dolphins were just really heartbreaking. We'll never go back. You can judge a park based on videos because they usually only want to show the good side.

I think SeaWorld should blast Electric Ocean music all over the park, but starting when the sun starts to go down. Not the entire frickin’ day.

Yeah, as a cast member in Disney World, only paying 12/hr is laughably bad. Why would I ever work a job in Seaworld when I can work in Universal or Disney for 15/hr? And why would I ever work at Seaworld or Universal when I can work at Disney where they have strong, entrenched unions? 15/hr is not really enough to afford living in central Florida, but 12/hr? Forget it. You're going to get kicked out of your apartment because you can't afford rent.

i love your videos! been watching you for awhile now and i hope you get even more fans, your content is so well researched and your videos are entertaining. the themepark niche on youtube is always so fun so i hope you gain notoriety through it! ❤

Thank you for your videos. Find them very interesting and informative and agree with all your points. Our family went late Aug/early Sept and we have 2 young children. We enjoyed the shows and wasn’t crowded. We also stayed for the fireworks and had a great time.

Been looking for a video to play in the background while I work. This is EXACTLY the niche content I was looking for thank you

This is my second year as a Anual pass holder to SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica, as well as my second year for UOAP. So far, I can see the desperate need for SeaWorld to add more theming around the park. I also seriously wondered what was going on with the wild artic and empire of the penguin simulator. I wish if SeaWorld opened those 2 dark rides, because it gives a chance for people to cool off in the heat, or a chance to escape the frequent rain. I would also love if SeaWorld started to focus more on indoor rides after this 2023 floor less coaster gets done building, but overall I still think their parks are worth going to, the quality is still there even if it is a little downgraded, and they aren't charging Disney prices either.

Hi, Last year for Spring Break, a group of 12 of us went to Orlando and decided to go to Sea World. We all had a great time there. Disney and Universal were not an option because they were outrageously expensive. We bought the quick line unlimited pass but it turned out to be unnecessary because the park was surprisingly not crowded at all. I thought the coasters were great and the animal shows were entertaining. We also got the meal package, which was a great value, but it does limit where in the park you can eat , and which menu items you can order. But overall, it was a great experience and I would definitely love to go back one day.

As a ride operator at Busch gardens Tampa, we take the no phone policy very seriously, we also don’t play around with anything that’s unsafe, if you ever see anything unsafe let a ride operator know that you want to talk to a supervisor and corrective action will be taken almost immediately

I personally am a huge Zoo/aquarium fan and am currently working at the Bronx Zoo. I have been both to SeaWorld San Diego, and Busch Gardens Tampa. I love both the rides and the animals. The rides add a whole different perspective of the parks and adds to the zoo/aquarium (Which I was visiting for. Had no Idea they had rides before visiting lol) I personally wish that there were more experiences like the SeaWorld parks, Busch Gardens, and Animal Kingdom out there. (Off topic but I think the exhibits at animal kingdom are underrated)

I went to Orlando last year and SeaWorld was a really nice park and enjoyed it more than my San Diego version. I definitely would love to go back. Also BGT is such an amazing park. I really loved the animal exhibits and the drive from Orlando wasn't bad at all.

I used to go to sea world San Diego growing up in the early 2000’s and went with my nieces just before the shutdown again, and it was honestly a depressing experience. I don’t know how they’ll be able to keep people coming in

You are spot-on with your commentary - especially about the music. We were at Busch Gardens Tampa last week and felt most sorry for the animals. For example, the poor kangaroos and wallabies not only have to endure a crowded bare-dirt enclosure, but now have to put up with constant loud, bass-heavy music.

Love your channel alot of work and research put into this! Thank you

I remember Seaworld having this show called blue horizons and it was such a top tier show. Even on Disney level. I wish they kept it. Even just having the dancers and performers only and no dolphins wouldve still be amazing

I went to SeaWorld in CA in 2017. I left the park at dusk to miss ELECTRIC OCEAN. It is good to be there at night to hear hundreds of decibels of sound backed by the colorfulness!

I was a SeaWorld SD passholder up till a few months ago (so I was there pretty often through the introduction and failure of submarine explorer) and honestly, the park has gone absolutely downhill since they changed things post-blackfish. I was relatively young at the time but I remember LOVING the dolphin show they had before the current one. The story and minimal but well-executed props and enjoyable human acrobatics combined with dolphins and birds was truly one of my favorite things. They still have the same stage layout and even the platforms for the human acrobats. Also, the Ocean Explorer land took over the place of a really peaceful display/home for the animal ambassadors and other small animals (poison dart frogs and sloths being the main ones I remember) that was located in the old stables for the Clydesdale draft horses. It used to be a really great spot for me to see their saw-whet owl Ruby, who is now completely inaccessible unless you manage to catch the attention of and ask one of the caretakers behind dolphin stadium. The whole place had been a really cool exhibit and now its place has been completely taken by the abandoned show building of Submarine Explorer, which I rode once before it closed permanently and it was a HORRIBLE experience (the touch screens didn't work and were hard to see in the bright sunlight and the projection scenes didn't play until after the car moved past them) which is really sad to see since it took over one of the gems of the park. Also outside of the Ocean Explorer area and the entrance, a lot of the signage and decor has gotten really sad looking outside of the holidays and though I love the themeing of the Wild Arctic area from the viewing platforms for the belugas, walruses, and seals(that replaced the polar bears), the ride's been closed since the pandemic closudre and the few interactive "press button to play sound" objects by each of the viewing windows don't work. Its just really sad seeing things go downhill like this, and partially because of there being other nearby options and being bored of the park and partially because of the decline, I don't really plan on visiting again for a while, and the opening of Emperor hasn't really been a draw for anyone in my family.

On the Orcas, Sea World needs to listen to their customers and not people who are loud but never contribute.

The theming for Invadr vs Pantheon at BGW is like night and day. It's my home park, been going at least once a year since I was a little kid, and going tomorrow for the first time since Fall 2019 - will definitely be interesting to see.

I enjoy Seaworld and have since I was little, but the abudance of thrill rides holds it back from being truly great. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind thrill rides existing and am happy that coaster enthusiasts get so much to enjoy. But there’s so many coasters and thrill rides that there’s virtually nothing for people like me who can’t handle coasters and thrill rides, and there’s definitely other people out there who feel the same way (The only non thrill rides at Seaworld are just flat rides, most of which are designed for little kids, and the rapids). On the bright side though, I do enjoy the atmosphere and the aquatic life

I have many fond memories of SeaWorld Orlando from my childhood. The park was affordable enough that my single mom could get funcards for us, and we'd be able to go back sometimes on the weekends. I did a middle school field trip when Blackfish had first come out, but I was a little too young to watch the doc and see what it was all about. In 2018 I did another behind-the-scenes tour and was really impressed, not only with the facilities and the care for the animals but also with the educated employees who have so much to teach us about the exhibits. I'd love to see a little more care and theming put into the park, especially around Journey to Atlantis and the penguin exhibit. Maybe they could bring the puffins back, which I remember them having back in the day. The Wild Arctic pavilion is also in major need of some restructuring, the main building there was one of my favorites when I was a kid (belugas, walruses, polar bears!) and it's sad to see the building go mostly unused. Overall great insights, I'm planning another trip to SeaWorld in a few weeks and I'll definitely be keeping this video in mind while I'm there!

First time I ever went to SeaWorld, specifically Orlando, was back in the summer of 2008, when my family and i were doing a mixed Universal and SeaWorld week. We had only ever done Disney and sometimes Universal each time we went and we wanted a change. I loved what SeaWorld was back then, as i love aquariums and this felt like a massive aquarium park with some rides here and there. I didn't hardly even go on any rides. Just seeing the wildlife and how everything was set up, I was enthralled. And after I went to San Antonio in 2014 and then Orlando in 2016 and 2018. Each time I've gone since 2008, it has dropped in quality for me personally for the reason why I would want to go to it. As someone who is not big on super huge rides like Kraken and Mako, I see no reason to go back to a SeaWorld park after seeing the shrunken Exhibits. Even the ones that were expanded are not as amazing. The Shark exhibit feels much smaller than before, and while the Penguin exhibit was expanded, the actual focus on the animals are diluted by a horrible track less ride beforehand

I have never been to Busch gardens howl o scream, but went to seaworlds last year and found it to be scarier than HHN. Maybe it was the fact they sent you into houses alone with just your party or that a lot of scare zones were in more desolate areas of the park and unexpected. The food was also pretty good from what I remember, but I haven't seen the parks during the day in a long time, and maybe the lack of upkeep also added to the creep factor lol

I like the low-to-the-ground, high speed tight turns of Pantheon at Williamsburg, even if it is built on just a grassy field. Some Greek/Roman ruins and rockwork built around the tight weaving track would be all they need.

You hit nail on the head when you mentioned SeaWorld closing attractions early without schedule. I have encountered that on a regular basis. Short staffing too. They never have enough people working to direct you where to be seated. I am definitely seeing what you are talking about. Bathroom cleanliness is an issue at their parks as well, due to short staffing I’m sure. I go to Universal and the restrooms are always clean and the park is fully staffed.

I'm a regular visitor from the UK and Sea World was always my favourite park to visit. Not so much this time, it felt like they were charging more money for less. The toilets were gross and not cleaned, the staff generally did not seem to care and looked miserable. What's happened to the shows? Now 15 minutes for orca encounter? Felt like a park that has run out of ideas so they build another roller coaster and revert back to the same old routine in some of the shows. This park has always held a special place in my heart and it felt like a part of it had been ripped out 💔

I work culinary at seaworld San Antonio and yes to pretty much all of this video! We having a ride issue here too. Despite being the biggest seaworld park out of the 3. There isn’t much rides to choose from and room to put them in. The new swing ride tidal surge looks tacked on next to bayside stadium. With wave breaker, it made the once lovely lake a little crowded (at least IMO) I’m very interested to how seaworld will go in the future. I hope they add more stage shows, we have two theaters and we barely use them for anything anymore except for holiday related performances.

I worked at Busch Gardens Tampa for a few years during college and it’s exactly like you said. The employees are very lazy and unmotivated. I felt like there was not much training and a lack of communication throughout the park

My very first job was at SeaWorld San Diego, in the AB hospitality center and then seasonally after that in Attractions, including Wild Arctic opening team 😅 Years later, living in San Antonio briefly and looking for an evening part time gig, I went to an entertainment audition for howl-o-scream at the San Antonio park and ended up working there that season, but had to quit thereafter - they did decide to keep/transfer me to another area (attractions) but it went…nowhere. The most disorganized, lackadaisical “training” process ever, no management anywhere to be found like ever, no proper introductions to this slew of kids I was supposed to be supervising lol….and that was a huge 👀😳 to me having just recently come from being a Disney CM. A hot mess I tell you, def was not like that in the late 90s, so i feel like if it is like that at a guest facing, regular employee level/perspective… 🥴 *edit* to add - that last part may be sea world in general, now, or it may be San Antonio theme parks as a whole because I can attest to SFFiesta also being a hot mess 😅

One thing of note is that I feel Busch Gardens Tampa is in rather safe territory. I’m a regular there and every visit always felt clean and just fine. Now that doesn’t deny that there might be clear issues under the surface, as I’m really there for the coasters, but during the summer, BGT was packed. That park draws in regular crowds, and with Howl-O-Scream right now, the park is in a good area at the moment, in my opinion.

I remember visiting Sea World San Diego as a child just three years after it opened. My family enjoyed the animal and water fountain shows and especially the hydrofoil ride on Mission Bay!

Someone may have already mentioned this, but the animal portion of Wild Arctic at SeaWorld Orlando (near Ice Breaker), with the beluga whales, walruses, etc... isn't actually closed at all. The entrance to the animal exhibits is now inside the gift shop, so a lot of people seem to miss it, but it's all fully intact and operating normally. Only the motion simulator part of the attraction is closed. Great video though! I live in central Florida and visit SWO and/or BGT at least a couple times a month. I learned a lot through this video, especially about the behind-the-scenes issues, and I agree with most of the positive and negative points you made about the current state of the parks. They're still great places to visit and I always enjoy my time there, but there's so much wasted potential, which is frustrating to see.

"This is terrible. Please stop this." :) SeaWorld has become a "at least one day every Orlando visit" park instead of a "maybe once every ten years park" to me. This may be more due to the decline of WDW, which I had been visiting since the 1970s. In the last few years, I’ve had my first ever annual passes to Universal and SeaWorld, and haven’t gone to WDW. The me from a decade ago would never believe it. I hope they make it.

I worked there for over a year, and honestly the worst part of it was leadership. The job itself was 10x more enjoyable than my job at Disney, where I was doing the same role. The mismanagement, the anti-worker decisions, and the keeping of large animals really hurt the company so much. The park is fun to visit, and the job I did there was so unique and interesting. I just wish they would pull it together from a leadership perspective, because I likely would have enjoyed working there for many years.

My home park is Six Flags Great America, so I am very much used to seeing lines at all of the attractions, but at my visit at SeaWorld San Antonio, I was shocked to see that the level of theming was the same, while the prices and food is much more expensive. However, there were no lines whatsoever, so I was able to get many rides on Texas Stingray.

Grew up going to Busch Gardens. It has always been one of my favorite theme parks. Great coasters, theming and animal exhibits that stress education and conservation.

The wild arctic aquarium is not closed, it had remained open throughout and to this day

I visited SeaWorld Orlando for the first time last year and really liked it. After spending three days at Universal, it was nice to be at a park where you could see some animals and ride some thrilling coasters. I've been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg a couple of times and think that park is spectacular.

I think none of the companies really understand what the parks need to be--Sea World needs to be an aquarium writ large, Busch Gardens needs to be a zoo writ large, and Epcot needs to be a science museum writ large. Take advantage of grand scale, ability to incorporate dark rides, thrill rides, and shows, and immersive theming to do things that you can't do in their traditional equivalents. But that relies on them not being run by asset strippers...

In going tk seaworld for the first time in over 10 years tomorrow. I was to chicken to ride kraken so I have a whole park of coaster credits. I also remember loving the aquarium attractions. Seaworld parks unlike many other parks I feel more personally about. Busch gardens Williamsburg gave rise to my love of coasters and I always loved the atmosphere. It’s nostalgic and formative for me so I want them to succeed.

I think part of the problem is SeaWorld is no longer a destination park for a lot of overseas tourists, and might never will be again. Like it or not, the orca shows were the biggest draw for probably the majority of long distance tourists, I remember visiting from the UK in 2000 and we primarily went to see the orca show, everything else was kind of a bonus. Following Blackfish, these tourists are probably never coming back, because it doesn't matter if SeaWorld fully recovers its reputation, for a family from Europe, or China, or wherever else, there's just not that much motivation any more to cram in SeaWorld next to Disney and/or Universal. Big roller coasters and aquariums are both things that can be found elsewhere, and having a great vibe is just not going to be enough for those who have flown from thousands of miles away. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure SeaWorld will still be a destination park for some overseas tourists, especially those who have been before, but I think it's going to be a struggle to persuade a family who probably has never visited Orlando or California before that SeaWorld should be on their itinerary nowadays. In the end, SeaWorld may just have to accept it's never going to regain its position at the elite tier of US attractions, and promote its parks more towards regional and US tourism than as a destination like Disney or Universal. It's lost its USP (well technically it hasn't yet, but the writing is on the wall) and now has to deal with competition from second tier theme parks. The massive coaster build out seems to be a response to this, not competing with Disney or Universal but Six Flags and similar parks. Perhaps that's the wrong direction, and I can see why it might do better as a second tier family theme park/zoo/aquarium as there is probably less competition. But it's still an expensive, painful transition that isn't over, and I think the worst may be yet to come, as it's unknown how much attendance might be impacted once the orca shows close for good.

Growing up, we went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg several times. I loved it, and have fond memories. I took our family there in 2021. We managed a good time but the staffing/theme park operations were abysmal. We haven’t gone back as a result.

Growing up I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg from the late 70s to late 80s. Have always loved that park. I've been to Busch Gardens Tampa a few times, most recently this past June. Granted it wasn't very crowded but it was raining off and on all day. I did visit SeaWorld Orlando last year and there was a sizable crowd.

The Stingray part made me laugh so hard. They really do blast the music, and it makes me feel like I'm in a club

I grew up in San Diego, and Sea World used to be awesome. They had great shows (my favorite was the domestic animal show), the Clydesdales, and a great kid's area with a huge net climbing ground, fountains, bouncy areas, and interactive areas. ETA: it was Shamu's Happy Harbor, they turned it into the Sesame Street thing by taking away the ropes courses and the like.

really interesting to hear about seaworld since i dont really know much about those parks at all- really sucks to see just how badly the pandemic messed up what could've been a great era for the parks

I remember the only time I've really been to sea world orlando was to do the parks early 2000s marine biology camp. If I remember correctly, we slept inside the arctic exhibit one of the nights on the day we fed penguins and got to do the shark cages. Still remember riding journey to Atlantis (original and not the really sad version we've got today lol) about 10 times in a row with a nonexistent line. What a time!

When I went to BG Tampa last year for Howl-O-Scream (before Gwazi), I also attended during the day and it was a VERY odd experience. I'm used to crowds and staffing at places like Universal and BG seemed almost abandoned. Very little traffic and lots of closed food trucks, though all of the shops seemed open. I began to panic that maybe the place was at minimal staffing and only a fraction of the rides would be open, but only Cheetah Hunt was down for maintenance, with everything else running with practically no lines. In a bizarre way, it was perfect, as I could just saunter up to any ride (except Cheetah) and board. As such, I had done everything, including the safari trek, by around 2:00pm. I was even able to get some lunch and see the circus-type show in the Stanleyville Theater (which was a lot better than it had any right to be). However, this completely changed an hour into Scream, when the park became packed. It was so bad that I almost ditched one of the houses, as the wait time had become absurdly long. BG Tampa is one strange park. Maybe I just lucked-out and the place is usually shoulder-to-shoulder, but on that day, I felt like I had the joint all to myself.

I haven't been to Seaworld Orlando in at least 10 years and was disappointed when I found out the story had been removed from Journey to Atlantis. If anything that and the closure of DarKastle were serious warning signs that something was very wrong with the new management at the parks. I'm glad that they're at least putting a new family coaster in the old DarKastle space, and there's been hints a real story might return to JTA...

Great video, but one correction, I was at SeaWorld Orlando back in December and the indoor aquarium was open, accessible through the gift shop

16:29 the emperor ride was finished for two years just sitting there. When we all got to ride it for an employee preview I was confused and thought it wasn’t done yet. They’re building a new ride where the old wild arctic ride was and hopefully they add theme to it. Also we had to stop the 50% off discounts cause merchandise was loosing money. So much we upped the prices a lot. But orcas that were 50$ are now up to 80$

I think things were heading this way but it really feels like, post covid, that theme parks are really trying to find any excuse to only focus on thrilling rides. Like it's the only thing that a park should focus on.

A friend of mine used to work at Discovery Cove as an aquarist with a whole biology degree taking care of animals and she was still paid 13:50. She also had to rescue someone from the reef cause the lifeguard was asleep. She was also hospitalised in the diving training. people get blackout and step on the stingrays every day it's literally awful.

I went to Sea World San Diego just a couple of months ago. It was definitely apparent they were trying to focus more on coasters, with the newly opened Emperor ride. I absolutely loved it there, better than Disney or Six Flags for me when it came to experience (not rides).

I've been to 2 SeaWorlds: one in FL and another in CA but not the one in TX. Extinct is the one in OH which turned into a Six Flags park south near a Great Lake.🐬

In 2021 and early 2022 I spent over 2K directly at Seaworld parks (Platinum passes, Private Howl-0-Scream tours, Dine with the dolphins, Seven seas, Orlando, Tampa, Chula-Vista, and San Diego. Our last visit to San Diego had so many issues with staff and our all season quick ques we canceled our pass and haven't been back. I knew there was something else wrong and yes it was the electric ocean music.

I worked at Sea World when it was acquired by Anheuser Busch. I had a wonderful experience the two summers I worked there. When I was a kid my Dad took me to Busch Gardens Van Nuts.

So for reference for Orlando Wild artic is now permanently closed and has been since 2021 The artic exhibits have been open for guests since July. Edit 1: I was doing the SeaWorld camp this summer and oh my fucking god if I ever hear the music from electric ocean again I will break whatever radio it is playing on many of the other councilors said the same thing Edit 2: Empire of the Penguin is permanently closed because the batteries that powered the cars had an unfortunate habit of taking too long to charge and far more importantly one literally exploded during testing and after checking them all they realized that it could happen to any of them so they shut the whole thing down. On the upside you can now meet the king and rockhopper penguins in the old ride area

SeaWorld San Diego definitely has some aspects that seem to be hit or miss. I have noticed slow dispatches on Electric Eel, but the Manta and Emperor crew are usually on top of things. Same with the food. The barbecue food in the middle of the park, I forget the location name, was pretty good, but the sandwiches over by Shipwreck Rapids really went downhill. That place used to be my favorite food spot in the park. As with Emperor's nonexistent station... yeah that was kind of jaw dropping even as I knew they were having some payment problems. I got on Emperor during the passholder preview days, and I thought they'd surely, undoubtedly add a station building soon. Guess not!

Went to Bush Gardens in Tampa January 2022. Basically had the park to ourselves aside from some school groups. We had a lot of fun. We re--road many of the attractions several times and Tigris was the longest wait at 30mins. The food was surprisingly good too really enjoyed the barbecue. It was also nice to stop and watch some of the animals. Definitely would go back, need to check out Iron Gwazi.

At Busch Gardens Tampa last week the girl at the Barbecue restaurant told us that "gold pass members don't get the discount here" so after I ate I went into other restaurants and asked if we get it there. They said yes and a girl at the third place I asked told me that it's good anywhere in the park. We went and told guest services (without giving her name or anything) and they said if you have the receipt we'd be happy to give you the discount you should have gotten. It was soaked and in the trash by then. I didn't even notice the 5% upcharge I'll have to pay attention next time thanks.

I went to sea world Orlando this summer as part of my graduation present, and they played the “when I met you in the summer” song more than 15 times, it was funny the first two times but quickly got ear grating

InvadR is actually a family rollercoaster. it's the most tame full sized rollercoaster at BGW, billed as for kids and their families, but is still good for adults too

While it seems like just about every business is running with minimal staff these days to keep the lights on without raising prices too much and I'm generally pretty understanding of the economic realities behind it, anybody running a theme park needs to understand is that a lot of what people are paying for (and often paying well for) is a chance to escape from the unfortunate daily realities of the real world into a land of pure fun. I'd rather pay a few dollars extra for a ticket so that a park can take care of itself and its staff than have to be reminded that we're in a recession as I'm trying to ride a roller coaster. Cost cutting and immersion are simply at odds with each other.

The SEAS chairman since 2019, Scott Ross, who owns something like 30-40% of the company, has been calling the shots. He's a classic New York private equity hedge fund type guy. The newest coasters have little to no theming, especially compared to those installed under Anheuser-Busch and pre-Scott Ross SEAS. He calls the shots, the CEO position has little room for individual thought or interpretation of the business under him, hence the revolving door until he gets a good yes-man. The 5% surcharge, pass price increases, less competitive (compared to other chains) wages, lack of theming budget, outsourcing the call center, devaluing the 2020-21 passes by keeping fully ready coasters closed for 2 years while the likes of Orion and Velocicoaster opened, all happened under him. On my summer 2021 visit to central FL, Universal / SWO was a night and day difference. SWO was filthy and understaffed, the few staff that were there seemed disinterested, and all the B&Ms ran one train. Universal was the polar opposite, more expensive yet a much better value just from the overall experience. The park that stands to suffer the most from Scott Ross' cutthroat management style is BGW, as that was the pinnacle of AB's theme park involvement imo.

Sea world like parks are more show than tell. This concerns me as we saw in Black Fish, are a lot of problems in caring for these animals that really belong in the ocean and not a glorified deep swimming pool - which, by the way is over chlorinated for both animals and humans. I questioned very much, the ethics of keeping these animals in captivity!

I’m interested in a video covering the many other Orlando parks under paying employees such as Gatorland and Funspot all with similar and sometimes more dangerous jobs.

Great topic. I live 20 mins from SeaWorld and have always wanted to go. I guess the clock's ticking, I better get on that! ⏰

Lol that employee working the ride looked sooo happy

I’ve been to Sea World Orlando for the first time in 2005. Back then the Orca show was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It was pure magic. To see the trainers jump out of the water standing on the top of an orca’s mouth, just wow, it was so awesome. We didn’t need to ride anything, just see the show. It was easily my favorite thing in Orlando. The next time we visited it was 2012 I think, it was after the horrible accident and thus the show was changed so people are not in the water with the whales. It was still a great show but it could never compare to the original. The OG show was like watching something out of this world, I sat there and couldn’t believe my eyes. Seeing that amazing connection between a person and such a giant animal, that level of trust. This was a long show and required so much skill from its cast while holding their breath and diving in and out of the water in such a well choreographed dance. You just had to see it to believe it. Since my second visit I haven’t returned yet, I love roller coasters but when I go to Orlando I have a limited amount of time and I can’t do everything, it’s just not worth it for me. I truly wish someone can find a way to bring back that amazing show while still keeping the cast safe. For me if that happens I’m going ASAP. Old Sea World was just so great.

SeaWorld used to be my favorite park in Orlando. It's a beautiful park, and having worked there, I must say they do have a great animal care and education program. However, their HR is terrible and ultimately their poor treatment of me (in conjunction with my department's management) prompted me to resign and not look back. I still like the overall vibe of the park but will likely never return because of how poorly I was treated by HR and management and how little they seemed to care about employees' mental health.

15:00 I got my season passes in late May and the Arctic aquarium has been opened every time I've been(4 times). The ride is gone sure but I honestly don't miss it. Best AC in the park too without a wait.

I’ve only been to San Antonio and at Christmas time. It seems maintained and the Christmas lights are amazing.