SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration is always a favorite for my family, so we piled into the car for a trip to see the opening weekend events. We’d forgotten to check the weather forecast, though, and found ourselves touring SeaWorld on a rainy day again. So we ended up with the unexpected benefit of very low crowds throughout our visit.
We oohed and aahed over the Christmas decorations as we entered the park. The Christmas tree at the entrance is just so large and beautiful that we couldn’t help but stop to admire it.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
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While my family grabbed a no-wait ride on Manta, I checked out the Manta aquarium and found something new: Flamboyant Cuttlefish. These colorful little guys now occupy a small tank next to the large viewing window of the main aquarium.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
After spotting some of the sea lion babies out with their mothers at Pacific Point Preserve, I was able to catch a small glimpse into the Sea Lion and Otter Theater Construction. You could see the backside of several structures that have now been built, along with some statues of sea lions high up in the air, but you still can’t quite make out what the end result of the refurbishment will be.
I look forward to seeing the changes evolve over the months before they reopen the stadium sometime in 2015.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
We took advantage of the low crowd levels and decided to check out the Polar Express Experience. Due to its popularity during Christmastime, we’ve never been patient enough to wait in line to visit it before, so it was quite a treat to finally be able to see it.
The Wild Arctic turns into the Polar Express Experience each year at Christmas, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. First, you watch a short film about the Polar Express (basically a very shortened version of the movie), and then you exit the train station as you finish your journey to the North Pole.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
They have completely transformed the usual arctic area – lots of Christmas decorations along your path, a very large Christmas tree right next to the beluga whales, and Santa himself posing for pictures and meet-and-greets. They’ve even filled in the empty polar bear exhibit with playful harbor seals and have hot chocolate for sale at the underwater whale viewing area.
All of it is very impressive – and if you have kids, this is a must-see while at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
After a quick stop for dinner at Mango Joe’s (we learned if you don’t want the fries, you can get fruit instead at no additional cost – and I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of their strawberries!), we headed over to the Bayside pathway to check out the Christmas Market.
We found more than we bargained for there. The members of the Bayside Village Christmas Committee were walking through the market, letting everyone know of the tree-lighting ceremony that would be happening shortly. So we grabbed some seats and were entertained by Ms. Tinsel (the beauty queen), Arbor Day (the ranger), and Mr. Smiley (the postman) as they told us stories about special audience “volunteers” and selected a child from the crowd to light the trees.
(My favorite story from the Christmas Committee was the little girl who, they informed us, was actually a pony – you see, it’d been overheard that she was just a little horse.)
After we all counted down and the child rang the bell, the trees throughout the lake lit up in spectacular fashion. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also inspiring to be a witness to the first tree lighting of the 2014 Christmas celebration.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
Now that we were all in the holiday mood, we headed to what was, for us, the highlight of the Christmas Celebration: the Shamu show Miracles.
Very few things changed from last year – they still had Christmas Karaoke to keep kids entertained before the show (you need to arrive at least 30 minutes early if you want good seats), the amazing music was all the same, and, with the exception of a few new behaviors performed by the youngest whale, the incredible jumps and splashes were all also holdovers.
If that sounds like a complaint, it’s not – Miracles delighted us last year, and it didn’t disappoint this time, either. Simply amazing!
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
After Miracles, we opted to head out of the park instead of staying for the Winter Wonderland on Ice show and were completely surprised when we came upon a living statue posing for pictures, to the delight of a large crowd. The statue pulled the pigtails of little girls, slowly pulled up a boy’s shirt, raised people’s arms – and, for those of you who thought the same thing my family did when looking at him, yes, he even did the Dr. Who pose when asked.
What a wonderfully patient person and amazing addition to SeaWorld’s festivities this year.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
SeaWorld Orlando – November 2014.
We left the park still talking nonstop about the angel, interspersed with conversations about the Shamu show – and looking very forward to coming back again soon to experience even more of SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration.
Blue Friday
SeaWorld just yesterday announced the return of its popular “Blue Friday” deals on many exclusive park experiences, including special pricing on admission and packages. Blue Friday deals jump-start the holiday shopping season by providing the best value to experience SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration and allow the fun to continue well into 2015.
Online-only deals include the following buy-one-get-one free (BOGO) offers:
Admission offers:
BOGO SeaWorld Orlando 1-year annual pass (a savings of $156)
BOGO SeaWorld/Aquatica Orlando 1-year annual pass (a savings of $180)
BOGO full-paid, any-day SeaWorld Orlando ticket (a savings of $75)
BOGO Aquatica Orlando single-day ticket (a savings of $19)
BOGO SeaWorld/Aquatica Orlando combo ticket (a savings of $89
In-park offers:
BOGO SeaWorld Orlando Quick Queue Unlimited (a savings of $19)
Buy one adult Santa’s Fireside Feast, get one child Santa’s Fireside Feast free (a savings of $19)
BOGO Dolphins Up-Close Tour (a savings of $59)
BOGO Sea Lion and Otter Tour (a savings of $39)
BOGO Wild Arctic Up-Close Tour (a savings of $59)
To see the offers and take advantage of the incredible Blue Friday deals, fans must register to receive SeaWorld’s email updates or already be subscribed. Fans can subscribe at any moment between now and December 1 to participate.
These can’t-miss deals are only available online starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on Friday, November 28, 2014, through 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 1, 2014.
Check out the OI Blog Archive to peruse all of our trip reports.
You can also share your reactions to all the parks’ holiday decorations and special events in the OI Forums.
SeaWorld Orlando trip report – photo gallery
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