SeaWorld has a famous mascot, much like Disney World has Mickey Mouse. Only their mascot is a real animal! Shamu is the star of the show here, literally and figuratively. His fishy face is emblazoned almost everywhere on souvenirs, maps, and costumed people. But nothing compares to the real thing—the Shamu show is a must-see when visiting here. Just make sure you bring a waterproof camera if you sit in the first tier and want to capture your memories.

SeaWorld has many other marine-life animal shows and exhibits. The dolphin show and otter/sea-lion show were amongst my favorites. SeaWorld also has a few exhibits centered around cold-weather animals like penguins that are well air-conditioned, perfect for escaping the Florida heat!

When in SeaWorld (owned by Anheuser-Busch), make sure to check out the famous Budweiser Clydsdale stables. These horses are enormous and fascinating to visit in real life. Though it's slightly an unexpected animal for a marine park, this was an entertaining exhibit nonetheless.

"Shamu Rocks" is a great ending to the day. We also caught the fireworks show on the lake, but this was difficult for our children as we could not find a good location to view it after leaving the "Shamu Rocks" show. It is a good show and would be particularly good if one would find a good viewing spot early rather than going to the "Shamu Rocks" show. The show borrows inspiration from Disney MGM’s "Fantasmic" and Epcot’s "Illuminations", projecting on water and using water as a major part of a pyrotechnics show.

When you’re in Sea World you know you’ve left the "land of the Mouse" and are now in "Bud-Land." Anheuser-Busch Brewery owns these parks and they want to make sure you know that and have plenty of propaganda…er…information given to you throughout your day. A perfect example of this is during the video-quiz shown to the audience of adults and kids waiting for the start of the Shamu show. We see these quizzes all the time. Movie theaters quiz us on our cinematic knowledge. Zoos teach about animals and ecological matters through their quizzes. Sea World—while zoo-like in nature—teaches us about beer. Here are some examples:

Video says, "Which is the only brewery totally owned and operated in the United States? Coors, Budweiser, Heineken...." I answer, "Hmmm…… I’m going to take a wild guess here…Budweiser?" "Correct!" the video tells me and moves to the next question… "Which company recycles the most aluminum cans? Budweiser, Coca-Cola…" I answer, "Okay, I’ll go out on a limb… Budweiser?" "Correct again!" the video proclaims.

After becoming quite knowledgeable in all things beer at the "Shamu" killer whale show, you can go to the hospitality center and get your two free beers. For the overachiever, there is a Beer School. They encourage you to arrive early as they claim it is a popular attraction.

Overall, Sea World is a great park and a great value. Disney can learn some things here. Comparing our visits to Sea World, MGM, and Magic Kingdom, Sea World was easily the cleaner and better kept park this time around. Sea World handled large lines to get into their large amphitheaters much more efficiently than Disney handled similar situations. In reality, Sea World was a more pleasant experience than Disney—the cleanliness, friendly workers, and quality of entertainment made it an exceptional day. We highly recommend it.

For family fun and some great animals encounters, head over to SeaWorld Orlando. Here you will find 200 acres of sharks, whales, animals, shows, and unique experiences.

The park is owned by the Anhesuer-Bush family, who brew up the Bush beers. They also have SeaWorld in San Diego and San Antonio. They also have the Bush Gardens in Tampa and Williamsburg, as well as Discovery Cove and Sesame Street Place in Pennsylvania.

The innovative park combines rides, shows, and animal encounters in a theme park environment. Guests can enjoy encounters with whales, turtles, manatees, dolphins, sharks, and rays. You can also head on over to the farms and see the world-famous Clydesdale horse that also make appearances throughout the day. Rides include Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, and Wild Artic. And, of course, everyone wants to see Shamu. There are several shows throughout the day. Just pick up a park map when you first arrive.

For an even closer encounter, SeaWorld offers a variety of education programs, including dolphin, whale, and shark encounters. Unfortunately, the shark encounter is not a dive with a program. You simply go down in a cage and have an underwater helmet on. They also offer behind the scenes tours, including garden tours, penguin encounters, and park tours to name a few. The educational programs need advance reservations. For the behind-the-scene tours, you simply sign up when you arrive at the park. They also offer camps and sleepovers for children.

Now, if you are concerned about animal safety, then rest assured that SeaWorld loves and takes care of their animals. They are accredited by the AZA. They are involved with educational and breading programs to enable the future of many of their charges. They are recommended by the Human Society, who only gives their okay if the park keeps animals in their natural environment when at all possible and provide education to help educate people about the plight of many of their animals.

The park opens at 9am, the closing hours are seasonal, and they are open 365 days a year. They do have restaurants within the park with everything, ranging from vendor carts to fine dining. They do have stroller, wheelchair, and locker rentals. They offer indoor climate-control pet kennels to assure your wildlife is happy while you’re playing. They do have first aid, a currency converter, an ATM, and a baby changing/nursing station. They also offer some pretty unique meeting spaces. And, of course, they offer gift shops so you can load up on the Shamu souvenirs. For more information, give them a call at 800/4-ADVENTURE or go to their website at www.seaworld.com. They offer a variety of packages for your vacation plans. If you have a SeaWorld passport, you can use it at this park.