Sea World is a sort of aquatic version of Animal Kingdom: they have a few rides, and some spectacular shows, but a lot of it leaves you to walk around and discover the animals for yourself. There were plenty of fenced outdoor sections, containing animals like crocodiles, flamingos, dolphins and seals. There was a manta ray petting area, where you could touch a passing ray if you were quick enough – they’re a bit like touching a rubber wetsuit.

A manta ray waving at us.

There were three main shows that we wanted to see: Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, which was a seal, walrus and otter show; Blue Horizons, containing dolphins and people doing acrobatics; and the main event, Believe, with killer whales (and the iconic Shamu).

We saw the seal show first, which was great fun. The slapstick humour and silly story were just a platform for the animals showing their amazing talents and (almost) unvarying obedience to their trainers. Diving, back-flipping and even dancing were just a few of the things they were more than happy to do to earn a fishy snack. The walrus, due to its size, was less agile – in fact, it could barely move!

Seal staring competition

Blue Horizons was amazing for dolphin lovers (like my wife) and the ambivalent (like me) alike. One of the most impressive tricks was when two dolphins would push a trainer (person, not a shoe) around under the water, eventually surfacing to throw them ten feet up into the air. This was mixed in with people doing acrobatics above the water, and divers jumping from unbelievable heights.

"Help, my upper body has turned into a dolphin"

“Believe” is the park’s main attraction, and features half a dozen killer whales performing tricks in a water tank sitting in a stadium that seats five thousand people. We preceded it by buying pretzels in the shape of a killer whale, as we’d heard good things about American pretzels. To say they were a disappointment is an understatement; it was made entirely of thick, tasteless dough. Most of it wasn’t salted, and the tiny area that was seasoned was covered in gigantic shards of salt.

Fortunately, the show was fantastic. The whales were so obedient to their trainers, and seemed to experience human-like enjoyment when splashing the audience with large amounts of water. You can definitely see why it’s the iconic Sea World show.

We finished off the day by going on the Polar Express simulator, which was less impressive than the section afterwards that was like a miniature zoo of Arctic animals, containing seals, whales and polar bears.

All in all, Sea World was a more relaxed experience compared to the other parks, and unusually you came away with full use of your legs.

Next: Day Thirteen – Disney’s Hollywood Studios