Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest-ID-76921.asp" target="_blank"><b>Latest: SeaWorld Orlando Offers Free Passes to Teachers for 2011</b></a> <p>The Orlando Sentinel's Theme Park Rangers blog reports on SeaWorld Orlando offering Florida school teachers a free annual passport - called a "Study Pass" - for the remainder of 2011 with unlimited admission, no blockout days and other benefits.</p>
Originally Posted By leobloom Went with my wife last weekend. She's a teacher, so we only had to pay for my ticket. I got the pass that will allow me to visit again this year. Was really impressed by the coasters at the park. Manta is a hell of a lot of fun. The queue passes some aquariums, providing some nice moments while you wait to ride. Kraken was a good ride, too. Wild Arctic is an embarrassing Star Tours ripoff, but seeing the Beluga Whales after the ride was nice. Also had fun watching the sea lions not cooperating in the Clyde and Seymour show. Funny how shows like that can be more entertaining when the animal cast doesn't behave. We were impressed with the place. It doesn't have the level of detail that you find at IOA or WDW, but we had as much fun as we have at Disney.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yes you can Don. Seaworld's Wild Artic is a fully themed attraction where the sim ride (which I like) is the entrance to the base. But poor health and little ones cannot ride, so there is a briefing room version as well. Then it is into the Beluga Whales and my fav, the Polar Bears! It is an awesome attraction. I have loved Sea World (and Marine World in Northern Ca) my whole life. And now that Disney has stopped trying with edutainment, I am more compelled to go to Sea World than the MK. You should try the behind the scenes tour. I will never forget hand feeding sharks and seeing the vets work on a manatee in rehab for the wild. Awesome.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper My wife has a cousin that works at SWO and we got to go behind the scenes at the Sea Lion show. That was pretty neat. They pulled a Sea Lion out right in front of us and we get to pet it and pose for pictures. Thanks for the info on the Polar Bears. On my last visit I wasn't sure and we skipped it with the little ones. Might need to take a trip back there this year.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Go for it Don. I can't remember which one, but there are slight differences in the San Diego and Orlando versions. I think San Diego had Narwhals as well, I am not sure Orlando did. each one seemed to offer some unique treats. The more I think of it, the more I am hankering for a trip to Sea World. I cannot wait until the kids are old enough for Discovery Cove.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Here, here. But, I'm thinking of Discovery Cove for a 15th anniversary WITHOUT the kids...if we can swing it.
Originally Posted By leobloom I don't think Orlando has Narwhals. At least, we didn't see them. And dave, have you ridden Manta yet? I was blown away by how fun it was. Seeing the rays swimming around was cool, too. But the flying coaster design is really fun. Great feeling on the lift hill, looking down and seeing the tops of palm trees below you. And the first loop, which I think is a pretzel loop, produces a very cool feeling (and some serious G-forces).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Not yet, it was built after our last trip to Fla. Looking forward to it, it look better than Air - our equal in the UK
Originally Posted By Rsey103 Free passes? Consider the price dolphins pay to entertain us-----they're taken from their natural environment, separated from their families and pods, held in nets, carried in trucks, hoisted into planes and flown to distant locations. Some die in the process. Those that survive are condemned to a life in a cement tank, listening to the interminable hum of the filtration system and the screams of the audience. And none of it matters to an industry motivated by money
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Or motivated by educating humanity and creating an affinity that gets people to pay attention and learn more about how we can act responsibly (e.g. buying only skipjack local products, not polluting etc.).
Originally Posted By Manfried Why do teachers get this? I mean they get paid the same as most workers? This seems like a violation of any governmental ethics rules to me.
Originally Posted By Rsey103 >>Why do teachers get this?<< I assume because it makes the park look like a good corp. citizen interested in teachers and education. They don't 'give' without getting something in return: publicity, compliance with gov't regulation, an enhanced public image, etc.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Why do teachers get this? I mean they get paid the same as most workers? This seems like a violation of any governmental ethics rules to me. << Government ethics? What are you talking about? Doesn't matter if the teacher is in a public or a private school. My wife is at the latter and she got in free when we went. As for government ethics, it's no different than companies offering special deals for the military. Wasn't Shades of Green at WDW a military-only resort at one time?
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Free passes? Consider the price dolphins pay to entertain us-----they're taken from their natural environment, separated from their families and pods, held in nets, carried in trucks, hoisted into planes and flown to distant locations. Some die in the process. Those that survive are condemned to a life in a cement tank, listening to the interminable hum of the filtration system and the screams of the audience. << I'd like to think SeaWorld is more motivated by their educational mission. But I admit I was surprised how LITTLE educational content was to be found at SeaWorld when I went earlier this year. I hadn't been in over a decade and it seemed like virtually every show was exclusively dedicated to entertainment, not education (and not edutainment at all). The Shamu show was especially sappy and embarassing, although it was good for a laugh at the hokiness. The penguins and sharks and manatees exhibits did have some informational signs, but it would've been nice if there was more of that scattered around the park. And it does seem that SeaWorld is more involved with manatees and whales that run into danger along the coasts. But, like Dave said, places like SeaWorld probably do bring attention to sea life for a lot of people who wouldn't necessarily be interested in ecotourism. (And that's probably a good thing, since too many visitors could be harmful for certain "natural" ecosystems.)
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo It is not just about tourism Leo, but also how we buy our fish for meals. Ethical fisheries, campaigning on international fishery laws, banning whaling etc.
Originally Posted By Rsey103 Thanks, leobloom. Btw, I read an article written by a former sw performer who said that in some cases the information that was offered during a show was just plain wrong. (I don’t have a link but you can Google it if you like.) An amusement park is no place for a whale or dolphin to live permanently. Add to that the human tragedy that we occasionally read about in the headlines and supporting these kinds of parks is something worth reconsidering.
