Spring Break 2025: Sea World Orlando

Almost done with our epic Spring Break! Our next stop was Orlando, so we left early and headed straight to SeaWorld. Because of Sam's active duty military status and my platinum pass, which got me in for free and gave us free parking, we only had to pay for one ticket. Quite the deal if you ask me! We headed straight for the dolphin show as soon as we got in. I had to find a bathroom for Eden, so we kind of split up during the show. A bottlenose dolphin show is something we don't have in San Antonio (we have a beluga/pacific white-sided dolphin show), so it's always a treat to watch these cuties perform.

Elijah wanted to ride rides after the show was done (of course), so Sam took him on a few rollercoasters while I took the rest to go see more animals and find the kiddie ride section.

The sign next to the sting rays.

Look at this cool ray!

A really fat sea star.

Sam let us know there was a bonnethead shark in one of the aquariums so we had to check him out!

Joseph in a tube inside this tank.

One thing I didn't expect was how massive this SeaWorld was. I saw we had time to find the kiddie rides and then go to the orca show right next door. But by the time we managed to walk over there, we didn't have time to do rides first, so we headed straight into the orca stadium. The orca show would have been the exact same as the one in San Antonio (same script, videos, etc.), but something interesting happened. The male orcas decided, "Not today!" and didn't follow any cues. Instead, we got a very interesting insight into orca training and care from one of the trainers. The orcas are not forced to do the shows, so if they decide they don't want to do it, nothing happens. Instead, they use positive reinforcement for behaviors they want to see. He stressed that they couldn't make the orcas do anything and if we see animals perform at SeaWorld, it's all their choice to do it. Then, another trainer suggested they try playing the music again as a cue for the orcas, and it worked the second time. We saw a majority of the tricks in the end even if it wasn't the full show. I found it interesting as I watched the orcas in San Antonio almost two weeks prior.

Then we headed to the Sesame Street "Bay of Play" and rode the Merry-Go-Round and train while we waited for Sam and Eli to come to us. Sam and Eli rode three roller coasters: the Manta (a cool roller coaster where you face the ground while riding), the Mako, and the Kraken. Sam was done after that!

In line for the Merry-Go-Round.

Noah wasn't too sure but he warmed up to it.

Joseph standing as always!

We ate expensive pizza for lunch and then found a ride that all of us could enjoy together. It was a river-like ride, and although we hyped it up for Joseph, he got really freaked out as we neared the front of the line. We tried making up a story where we had to ride this raft to get to a rare species in Costa Rica (a place he wants to go to one day). He managed to get on even though he was pretty scared! Well, he ended up loving it! It was similar to the river ride we have in San Antonio, except there was a really fun slide at the end. Joseph even wanted to ride it again! He waited in line by himself to go a second time while I took Eli to find more rides, and Sam took the younger two to find something fun to do.

Waiting in the long line!

Getting geared for the ride!

Eli and I ended up riding two roller coasters. We rode the Manta again because that was Sam and Eli's favorite, and then we ended up riding the pipeline roller coaster. This one is the first of its kind as you ride it standing up! Eli barely could stand in the seat and was on his tippy toes the whole time. It was hard to say which one was more thrilling: facing the ground or standing up! I didn't get pictures, but here is the Manta: 

And here is Pipeline:

While looking for the coasters, we came across the dolphin nursery and saw these cute dolphins playing with their toys. This one swam right up to us!

Sam took the kids to the shark aquarium, and they came across some surprises!

Eden inside a shark jaw!

A great hammerhead shark! This was a dream of Joseph's when he was 5 and was obsessed with Hammerhead sharks. This one is young, they get even bigger!

Bonus, a saw shark!

How cool is that?! We didn't even do all the rides, animal shows, or attractions, but some of us were getting tired and ready to go to our hotel. I personally wanted to stay longer, but I was the only one, haha! This was the only SeaWorld where I felt I needed more than one day. I didn't even get to see my beloved belugas! Hopefully, we'll be back someday.