Tampa, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2015) – Christmas Town™transforms Busch Gardens® into a holiday wonderland of Christmastime entertainment, and the best way to unwrap the cheer is with all-new exclusive experiences that you and your family will treasure forever.
NEW!Holly Jolly Christmas Party
‘Tis the season for a Holly Jolly Christmas Party where spectacular Yuletide celebrations await. Mrs. Claus and her elves join you for dinner with a delicious all-you-care-to-eat pizza and salad buffet at the Garden Gate Café. The party keeps going with fun holiday activities, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.
NEW!Christmas Town™ VIP Experience
Unwrap all the magic of the holidays during the Christmas Town VIP Experience, a three-hour-long guided tour that is sure to make your Christmastime memories even more merry and bright. This ultimate experience is complete with:
Front-of-the-line access to Santa’s House presented by Coca-Cola®,where the Claus family invites you into their North Pole home as the elves prepare for Christmas. There, Santa will take a break from his busy holiday schedule to meet and take photos with in his private study.
An exclusive up-close encounter with Busch Gardens’African penguins.
Fun holiday activities at the Holly Jolly Christmas Party, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.
Delicious pizza and salad buffet hosted by Mrs. Claus and her elves at Garden Gate Café, or a holiday feast at the Crown Colony Restaurantfor an additional fee.
VIP seating to Christmas On Ice, where Yuletide melodies, deadline-driven elves and the big man himself come together to celebrate the many wonders of Christmas during this holiday spectacular.
Commemorative photo with Santa Claus and refillable hot chocolate mug.
For more information about these exclusive experiences, visit ChristmasTown.com for pricing and reservations. Christmas Town is included with any annual pass, Fun Card or daily admission to the park. The 2016 Fun Card is available for purchase now. With the 2016 Fun Card, guests pay for one day and get all of 2016 free. Plus, guests who purchase their 2016 Fun Card now can also visit Busch Gardens for the remainder of 2015 for no additional cost, including the popular Christmas Town™ event.
Last week, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions held their annual expo in Orlando. At the convention, ride manufacturers showed off their latest creations and parks revealed even more details of their new attractions!
Here’s some links to some of the news that we covered in other articles:
The first news we’re going to talk about is out of the RMC booth. Our friend Brent from Pixels at the Parks sent us pictures of the booth.
The two models the company offered until recently are the I-Box steel track and the topper track. They are pictured in the above image with I-Box on the left and Topper Track on the right.
I-Box track is used on roller coasters like Twisted Colossus and Wicked Cyclone. Instead of a wood layer underneath a thin steel top, it uses a purely steel track. This steel track requires minimal maintenance compared to the wooden track featured on the original versions of these rides.
On the right is the RMC topper track. With layers of wood and a piece of steel on top of the track, this is what allows rides like Outlaw Run to be called wooden coasters. It uses a system that allows for smooth, versatile, and fun rides!
In addition to their two track types that revolutionized the wooden coaster, it appears that Rocky Mountain construction is venturing into the steel coaster market with their latest two offerings.
The first of the two new offerings is this wild looking track, the T-Rex track! On a first impression, it looks as if it’s just a giant steel table, but this is a one-rail steel track!
This is a video of the new concept, which has been a hot topic in the community since preliminary images were released. The ride looks like another wacky and incredible Rocky Mountain Construction design!
Although it seemed to be a “sleeper” announcement at the conference, Rocky Mountain Construction also revealed a new family roller coaster track. The green track looks very similar to that of the I-Box track, but it is of a larger size. From the looks of it, I think it is for another one rail coaster. It will definitely be interesting to see what a Rocky Mountain Construction family coaster will be like.
With a launch, a backwards section, and a drop on it, the new Zamperla Family Coaster will be one of the company’s most unique and innovative attractions to date. Similar to Verbolten (although Verbolten was a Zierer coaster), this will be another product from the company suitable for guests of all ages.
Extreme Engineering Zipline Coaster:
One of the strangest and most interesting new attractions offered at the expo was the Extreme Engineering zipline Coaster. Although some may not be excited by this, I certainly am. I heard good things about it from a couple of riders and I’d love to see
A few months ago, Playland Castaway Cove revealed details on their next roller coaster, Gale Force. As the first S&S Launched El Loco, the company revealed the above new trains for the new product at the expo! They look like very nice trains similar to those on Cannibal at Lagoon.
Quassy Announces New Ride:
The SBF Visa Group and Quassy Amusement Park announced their newest attraction, Reverse Time, at the IAAPA Expo. It will be the first installation of this flat ride in the United States.
Yes, that’s right, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company still exists, and they now offer roller coaster trains that can go upside-down! They revealed their brand new “PTCI 360” trains with the interesting design shown above. I’m not sure what to think about them.
The company also revealed a new device to help those who are handicapped to enter roller coaster cars. The lift will hopefully make roller coasters more accessible to those who have a hard time riding.
Fun Spot – Crazy Couch and VR Testing:
Very early in the IAAPA conference, it was rumored that Fun Spot bought a Skyline Attractions Crazy Couch. Shortly thereafter, the park confirmed this, and as of Wednesday, November 25th, the attraction is operating at the park!
In addition to this, the park’s Freedom Flyer coaster was also used to showcase virtual reality technology on roller coasters. According to those who rode, the technology brought a fantastic new element to the ride and was perfectly synchronized to the actual ride.
Phobia Phear Coaster Trains Revealed:
Premier Rides and Lake Compounce showcased the trains for the latest Sky Rocket II clone coming to the park this year. Luckily, these will not have the dreaded “comfort” collars found on Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Tempesto.
Maurer Sohne revealed their newest products at the IAAPA Expo, which included a wing coaster and a bike coaster! It’s interesting to see more manufacturers offering these relatively new ride concepts.
New Skyplex Renderings:
Finally, in addition to all of the above news, the developers of Skyplex and Intamin released the latest renderings for the wild polercoaster! The ride is going to break even more world records as it will feature the world’s tallest vertical launch, which will take riders from 24 feet below the ground and up to over 500 feet in the air, straight into the world’s highest inversion!
Also, with this new rendering, images of the world’s tallest drop tower, Skyfall, were shown for the first time. Another notable feature is an example of a US Thrill Rides “Unicoaster,” which appears to be a modern version of Knoebels’s Looper flat ride, is located near the final inversion of the roller coaster.
What do you think of these IAAPA announcements? Let us know by commenting below! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter,Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr! Also, TP&T is now available on Apple News! Just search “Theme Parks and Travels” in the app, and hit the subscribe button!
In 2016, Busch Gardens Tampa will add yet another incredible roller coaster to their lineup, Cobra’s Curse. Now, we have even more details of the ride!
Today, at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo (IAAPA) in Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa and the manufacturer Mack Rides revealed a model of the attraction along with some new concept art. Lucky enough, we’ve got pictures of both for you to enjoy!
For the first time, we were given a look at the full layout of the ride. With a large elevator lift, a giant king cobra, and a curving layout that will interact with plants and themed buildings, this attraction is set to become a great new family ride for the thrill heavy park. Two more noteworthy features are the awesome looking outward banked turn early in the ride, and a second lift hill!
Cobra’s Curse construction has rapidly increased in pace recently. Although we can’t provide construction updates from Busch Gardens Tampa, our friends over at Pixels at the Parks certainly can! They’ve got some great updates for this project and others including SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako! You can view their Cobra’s Curse updates here!
What do you think about the Cobra’s Curse layout? Let us know by commenting below! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr! Last, but not least, TP&T is now available on Apple News! Just search “Theme Parks and Travels” in the app, and hit the subscribe button!
After a third quarter performance that underwhelmed investors (although there were several positives in the report), SeaWorld announced major changes for the philosophy of the company in an entirely new presentation. In the presentation, they highlighted a new focus for the company, announced new attractions, and announced major changes in the San Diego park.
The following images are slides from the presentation:
These first two slides give a nice overview of information about the company’s parks. All of the parks are great experiences worth visiting if you’ve never been!
The new strategy for Sea World’s parks is to create “experiences that matter.” Essentially, this is using thrills to show guests more about the natural world. Major changes will involve “turning the parks inside out,” or as I would say, allowing the guests to see more of the park’s behind the scenes operations in caring for animals. Another change is renaming the park’s employee titles from team member to ambassador. In addition to these changes to the park’s mission, they will also have a renewed focus on bringing popular characters to the parks and incredible new attractions.
SeaWorld Orlando will be getting some major investments in the coming years. With Mako coming in 2016 already, the company confirmed even more will come to the park in the coming years! For the next five years, the park will get major investments. There will also be an emphasis on the park’s events and further use of the park’s indoor facilities.
Perhaps the most interesting development at the park is that they will attempt to buy surrounding land for further expansion. The company expressed interest in creating on-site hotels at all of their parks, and Orlando is definitely a candidate for it. With already owned land, and more opening up nearby, it will be interesting to see what SeaWorld Orlando creates in the coming years.
The most interesting announcement from SeaWorld came from the San Diego park, they announced that they will phase out shows with their killer whales in 2016. It is expected to bring more guests from the region into the park, which has experienced major attendance drops recently due to a general public that does not agree with the use of killer whales in shows. Although several news outlets reported otherwise, this only affects the San Diego park and at this time no changes will be made in the chain’s other parks.
Although San Diego has very little land to develop, SeaWorld expressed interest in expansion for the park with new rides and possibly a hotel. Unfortunately, any further developments would have to go through the California Coastal Commission, who recently banned the breeding of orcas in their park if they expand through the Blue World Project. The CEO of SeaWorld Joel Manby told investors that the company plans to challenge the CCC’s decision, but they still may not go through with the expansion at the park. Instead, they may create a smaller version of the expansion and focus more on attractions in the park.
With Discovery Point coming next year, SeaWorld will take advantage of their Texas market and expand SeaWorld San Antonio in the next few years. In 2017, the park will bring new attractions for the entire family to enjoy!
Although they did not say which park it will be coming to, SeaWorld did announce that a new family roller coaster themed to the SeaWorld rescue team would be coming to a SeaWorld park soon! It is expected that it will come to either SeaWorld San Antonio or SeaWorld San Diego. The ride will start with a queue featuring clips of the SeaWorld rescue team’s television show. Afterwards, the guests will board the wave runner themed cars and enter a journey through twists and turns, eventually finding out which animal they rescued. The manufacturer was not announced, but I expect it to be Intamin. Intamin has build a wave-runner themed roller coaster similar to this before, although it could be someone else such as Vekoma or Zamperla.
In addition to the roller coaster, SeaWorld also displayed concept art for other attractions intended to combine actual marine life with a ride experience. The Submarine and Jeep rides both look like interesting dark ride concepts that could bring guests up close to marine life.
Not much was announced for the Busch Gardens parks. They did release this image of possibly expansion for Busch Gardens Tampa, but nothing was announced for the Williamsburg park. I expect them to continue building an attraction every couple of years to maintain the success of these two parks. I would like to note, although it was not shown in the presentation, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has vast amounts of land surrounding it just waiting to be developed.
The presentation also featured this awesome Cobra’s Curse artwork:
Another focus for the SeaWorld parks will be events. In recent years, the SeaWorld parks have added new festivals including Food and Wine festivals at the Busch Gardens Parks, and they are going to continue expanding these successful events. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer will become the headline character at the park’s Christmas events next year (this is interesting, because Dollywood already features this character) and the company is going to continue expanding their popular Halloween events.
To drive more guests into the parks, SeaWorld is going to emphasize the value of their parks. With the Orlando park’s admission being $21 less than the competitor’s averages, this should help bring more local visitors to the theme park. A re-designed website will also feature more deals (including an early buyers discount) and easier navigation to make it easier for guests to get online tickets to the parks.
Above is the new focuses for the business. Although it was expected, the international partnerships for the company that were recently announced were not discussed in the call. They are currently not as big of a priority for the company as solving the domestic issues.
The company also announced a new technology partnership with Panasonic today.
I have to say, I like this new focus for SeaWorld. An emphasis on the rides rather than the shows is a smart decision for the parks. I am definitely interested in how similar this new strategy is to the CEO’s previous company, Herschend Family Entertainment. They built incredible thrills at Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, focused also on the guest’s experience, built hotels, and partnered with the owners of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The good news is that this strategy worked well for them, and I see it working for SeaWorld too. SeaWorld’s future is definitely exciting after today’s announcements!
What do you think about SeaWorld’s new investment strategy? Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
Today, SeaWorld reported their earnings for the third quarter of 2015. Although it may not completely look like it, the numbers are good news for the company, which has struggled recently due to recent negative publicity from organizations such as PETA and the documentary Blackfish (Speaking of Blackfish, we’ve got a great article from a guest writer about how it’s inaccurate).
The numbers for the quarter were pretty good overall. Third quarter revenue increased from $495.8 million last year to $496.9 million this year. The EBITDA for the third quarter also increased from $209.1 million last year to $217.5 million this year. The net income increased for the third quarter from $87.2 million in 2014 to $98 million in 2015.
Attendance decreased 0.4% in the third quarter due to declines in attendance at SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio. To counteract these declines, SeaWorld’s other parks saw increases in attendance. The third quarter attendance this year was 8.371 million compared to 8.405 million last year. Although some made this out to be a drastic change, it is a normal level of change for a park. It’s nothing to worry about.
For the first nine months of the year, attendance was slightly higher than it was last year. It increased from 18.034 million visitors last year to 18.063 million this year. Again, this is a great sign for the company as a whole.
Although there were several positives in the earnings report, the largest negative was the projected EBITDA for the year. It was decreased to $360-370 million from about $370 million.
Overall, the report shows positive growth from the company this quarter. Attendance is up in the majority of the parks and revenue is up for the third quarter. The stock for the company has been shaky recently, but hopefully this signals positive growth in the future. You can view the full report here.
Although it was interesting to hear the company’s third quarter numbers, what truly interests me is what will be announced on Monday. On November 9th, the company will announce their new long term plan. It will definitely be interesting to hear what the company announces.
Disney also reported their earnings today. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to write an article about them, but you can view one here.
Do you think SeaWorld’s numbers this quarter signal growth in the coming years? Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
I know this is a little bit late, but I thought I’d share the Busch Gardens Tampa news today! They’ve revealed an awesome events lineup today and they have an awesome Cobra’s Curse video! Here’s the press release:
Tampa, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2015) – From world-class rollercoasters and Broadway-style entertainment to one-of-a-kind, up-close animal encounters, Busch Gardens® Tampa continues to deliver some of the biggest thrills anywhere. Next year will be no exception. Busch Gardens announces a line-up of exciting events scheduled to run now through 2016, along with a special offer that expands the value of the popular Florida Fun Card.
The 2016 Fun Card now is available for purchase. With the 2016 Fun Card, guests pay for one day and get all of 2016 free. Plus, as a special offer commemorating the Fun Card launch, guests who purchase their 2016 Fun Card now also can visit Busch Gardens for the remainder of 2015 for no additional cost, including the popular Christmas Town™ event.
Some of the great special events included with Fun Card admission:
2015
Christmas Town: Select dates Nov. 27-Dec. 31
Unwrap a beautiful family tradition at Christmas Town™, where Busch Gardens transforms into a holiday wonderland of Christmastime entertainment and attractions, holiday shopping, treats and more than a million twinkling lights. This family event occurs on 20 select dates from Nov. 27 to Dec. 31.
2016
NEW!Cobra’s Curse
Busch Gardens puts a spin on family thrills in 2016 with Cobra’s Curse. This one-of-a-kind spin coaster features a 70-foot vertical lift and takes riders on a whirlwind adventure of exciting explorations. Come face-to-face with an 80-foot snake icon, trek over the park’s Serengeti Plain and discover the mysteries of an Egyptian archeological excavation.
Construction on Cobra’s Curse is underway at Busch Gardens. Fans can check out this video for the latest construction updates and an exciting Cobra’s Curse logo reveal.
Real Music:Jan. 4-March 5
Busch Gardens’ longest-running concert series returns Mondays through Fridays from Jan. 4 to March 5 with live music that spans six decades, from the 1950s to today. Musical fare includes swing, blues, pop, jazz and rock ‘n roll.
January 4-9 Ricky Nelson Remembered featuring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson
January 11-16 Jay and The Americans
January 18-23 Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
January 25-30 The Drifters
February 1-6 Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals
February 8-13 The Diamonds
February 15-20 Strawberry Fields
February 22-27 The Glenn Miller Orchestra
February 29 – March 5 Chubby Checker
Food & Wine Festival: Saturdays and Sundays March 5-April 24
Next spring, Busch Gardens’ Food & Wine Festival returns with wild flavors and concerts for every taste. The park will be tempting guests with a variety of cuisine, wine, craft beer and live entertainment on Saturdays and Sundays from March 5 through April 24. Food and beverage is not included, but is available for an extra fee. Guests must be 21 or older to purchase alcoholic beverages.
Summer Nights: Select dates June – Aug.
Summer Nights at Busch Gardens is returns with more heat, featuring an end-of-night show packed with live musicians, singers, dancers and artists from around the world. Their thrilling performance – along with modern music and fire effects – will pump up the crowd every night. Plus, summer nights are a great time to cool off with the rush ofBusch Gardens’ world-class thrill rides, including Falcon’s Fury™, North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower.
Jack Hanna Weekend:Sept. 10 & 11(dates subject to change)
Join “Jungle Jack” Hanna for two days of wild animal shows, autograph signings and special meet-and-greets when he visits Busch Gardens. The internationally-known animal expert will share animal facts and his travel tales during animal shows at the Stanleyville Theater.
Busch Gardens will offer guests additional events and festivals throughout 2016, so stay tuned for more details.
The 2016 Busch Gardens Fun Card is $99 and is valid from the date of purchase through Dec. 31, 2016. Fun Cards, annual passes and single-day tickets are available online at buschgardens.com, at the Busch Gardens’ front gate or by calling (888) 800-5447.
Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at BuschGardensTampaBlog.com, or “Like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page, and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram.
This article represents the views of the author and in no way represents the views of any organizations they are affiliated with. I think this a great article that needs to be shared with the world! I want to thank the guest author Michael for sending it to us to publish!
By: Michael Christopher
One day, back in 2013, the movie Blackfish premiered on CNN…I ended up missing it and recording it on my DVR, but not because I was busy, it was because I had no interest in watching a movie that revolved around the death of a trainer that I once met. I did not know Dawn Brancheau personally, but I did meet her along with a couple other Whale Trainers at Sea World Orlando during an Event that I attended. The trainers showed passion and love to all of their animals. They always had smiles on their faces, even backstage. To shed some light on my background, I’m a Theme Park enthusiast, I represent a group called American Coaster Enthusiast, I have a small background in film making and an even larger background in Common Sense. The movie aired on television and I spent about 2 months replying to friends and fellow members asking for my comment about Blackfish that I could not respond to. After some time, I finally sat down and watched it from my DVR.
Image Courtesy of SeaWorld
I was appalled…but not at Sea World. As soon as I finished the movie, I immediately did some research and found a lot of things shocking to me. But first, I want to talk about some points in the movie. It was awkward to watch and I picked out a lot of tricks that I was taught during a filming class to keep your audience intrigued and how to turn opinions into facts in the viewers’ eyes. They created false experts with false credibility by not providing all of the facts and only letting the viewer see what they wanted you to see. They used terms like “Former” and “Expert” and “Researcher” to point out key points that they wanted the viewer to recognize and agree with. They also used trick edits to make the viewer think they were watching one event, while listening to audio from another source. This gave the viewer a false understanding of the actual event. They also manipulated public court testimonies and 911 calls to make the viewer become bias and one‐sided against one company, Sea World.
The film spoke of multiple events, the first two that I remember watching didn’t even happen under the Sea World name. They happened at Sealand of the Pacific in British Colombia and at Loro Parque in Spain. Sealand is closed today and the film shows the horrible conditions that the whales lived in; this had nothing to do with Sea World. Loro Parque received four whales “on loan” from Sea World in 2006. Now, when I watched Blackfish, it kept my interest at the beginning and I was expecting to be blown away with facts that I was not aware of. As the movie progressed, it kept dropping my trust with the amount of doubt I was seeing with their so‐called “facts.” The movie completely lost my respect during one of the interviews about the Loro Parque incident. The interview was with Suzanne Allee who was a Former Video Supervisor for Loro Parque, a title that has neither credibility nor expertise about Whales or Park Operations. She stated that the four whales were sent to a park that wasn’t ready (Loro Parque), the owner of the park (Loro Parque) didn’t want to repair pools, BUT because those were Sea World’s whales, Sea World needs to take responsibility for the whale’s actions. This lost all respect I had for this film; they edited her interview with footage from the park showing poor conditions and placed blame on Sea World for the aggression and accident caused by one of the whales. This is like saying I have a well behaved, well cared for, happy dog at my home; the dog had puppies and I end up selling them to another person. This person now lives in poor conditions and does not train or treat the puppy well and the puppy ends up biting the new owner; then you place the blame on my dog for the bite. Now, I know they stated the whales were leased instead of owned, but there really is no difference, if you lease a car, you are still responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the car, not the dealership. Common sense and a little research should tell you that Loro Parque built their Orca Whale exhibit and went on the market to purchase whales. They could not afford to purchase any so they ended up leasing some with Sea World. Sea World did provide trainers and veterinarians to assist with training, but it was ultimately up to Loro Parque to care for the whales and provide the living conditions.
Even though I hated the way they did their editing to misdirect and mislead the viewer, I still continued to watch the movie all the way to the end. I was now happy to have an opinion to share about the movie, but I was reluctant to share it. The truth is in the numbers, I have visited Sea World in Orlando since I was 5 years old. I’ve always loved the shows, the education, the success stories, and…of course…the rides. But putting the rides aside for a moment, Sea World is one of the largest rehabilitation companies in the world for Sea Life. They have dedicated themselves to protecting Sea Turtles, Manatees, Dolphins, and many others. Releasing almost all of the animals brought in on rescue and only housing the ones not fit for release. Sea World has also evolved over the years, learning from captive animals about healthy lifestyles and behaviors that we normally don’t get to see or study in the wild. Yes, the orca whales are in a captive tank, but so are goldfish and other household fish that “normally have an entire ocean to swim in.” We are learning so much from Sea World and the public is starting to understand that.
Backstage at SeaWorld Orlando. Image – Michael Christopher
Today, the activists are starting to toss around more false facts and I wanted to raise awareness about how I felt about the movie. Sea World did take a dive in attendance because of this awful movie, but since then they have bounced back and are just as popular as before. Sea World also does not hide from anyone who has a question or wants to visit and tour the park. They even offer backstage tours for the public to view how much they care for their animals. The movie claimed that Sea World declined to be interviewed for this film; that is partially untrue. Sea World has proved that they were contacted by the producers and each time, Sea World provided all of the information that the producers would ask for. Sea World never agreed to a face‐to‐face interview because they knew it would be re‐edited to be put against them instead of for them. Even the public record documents were construed in favor of the producers based on edits and omitting of specific, key information.
Sea World San Antonio. Image – Michael Christopher
I started to watch Blackfish with an open mind, I wanted to see what the movie was all about, and instead of watching a factual documentary, I know I was clearly watching a producer with a complete bias against Sea World. To sum it all up, Blackfish is about a wild orca whale named Tilikum, who was captured by SeaLand (not Sea World) in the wild in 1982 (at the young age of 1 year old), and after a serious accident at SeaLand (again, not Sea World) in 1992, Sea World then took ownership of him. Sea World also disclosed all information about Tilikum to their trainers, and, even from day 1, had safety precautions in place; this includes trainers never swimming in the water with him. The film then takes a side step towards another park (not Sea World) and claims that the actions done by this park is Sea World’s responsibility because they leased a few younger whales to them. Then they go down a guilt trip with the late Dawn Brancheau and completely disrespected and sadly publicized her tragic event for a movie that her family didn’t agree to be a part of. All I can say to those of you who have watched Blackfish and are still against Sea World, please do some research about the park’s history, look for good things instead of bad. Eventually, you will notice how much of a positive impact Sea World has on marine life and if to talk to ANY employee or trainer there, even for just a short conversation, you will notice the passion and pride they have for working and caring for their animals. I hope that eventually, the movie “Blackfish” will fade away in history and eventually be forgotten.
Do you want to write an article or send us information from the parks? Head over to this page to find out how! I want to give a special thanks to Michael for sending us this fantastic article! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
On Friday, October 9th, 2015, the California Coastal Commission, which is a planning board that oversees development along the coastline of California, approved SeaWorld San Diego’s Blue World expansion with a catch. This catch was that the company would not be allowed to continue breeding its killer whales if they went through with the expansion.
Today, SeaWorld Entertainment announced that they will be taking legal action in order to overturn this clause of the legal agreement. What this means is that SeaWorld will sue the California Coastal Commission.
In my opinion, this is a great move by SeaWorld. The California Coastal Commission is a planning board, and should not judge on the morality of breeding killer whales. This clause should not have been added in the first place, and I am happy to see the park fighting to remove the clause. If the California court system uses proper judgement, this should be a quick case resulting in favor of SeaWorld. If the California courts rule against SeaWorld, the future of Blue World is uncertain and they definitely will not make the correct decision (this is both my judgement and when you look at the legality of the clause).
Do you hope SeaWorld is successful in overruling this clause? If you have a differing opinion to me, feel free to express it in a constructive manner! Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
On October 8th, 2015, the California Coastal Commission held a hearing deciding whether or not to approve Sea World San Diego’s Blue World Expansion. The hearing was attended by several activists on both sides of the argument as the board made the decision on if the park’s innovative and massive expansion should occur. In the end, the California Coastal Commission approved the expansion to the park’s killer whale habitat.
The expansion, which will involve Sea World spending $100 million to expand their facilities to become a 5.2 million gallon tank for the whales, will make Sea World’s habitats the largest in the world upon completion. In addition, it will give guests even better opportunities to view the park’s killer whales.
With the expansion approved, construction is set to be complete in 2018, but the expansion the California Coastal Commission listed an interesting requirement in for the project to commence. They ruled that if the expansion should occur, the park is required to stop allowing their killer whales to breed. So far, Sea World has not accepted these terms, and is not required to stop their breeding program unless the expansion occurs.
After hearing this requirement, my first thought was, can the California Coastal Commission make this requirement? Based on what I see, definitely not. The California Coastal Commission is a committee that oversees developments along the state’s coastline. They are in charge of land planning and development, so how can they decide whether Sea World breeds their whales? To me, the commission should not decide the morality of the captivity of killer whales, that is not the purpose of the organization.
Although anti-Sea World activists are calling it a huge win, it likely is not. If Sea World takes it to court, they could easily argue that this is not something the Coastal Commission can decide, making the clause in the expansion invalid. I expect to see legal action taken in the coming weeks or months.
If the park does not take legal action, I would not be surprised if they do not go through with the project. If they can’t continue to breed the whales, why should they further expand their already large facilities? If the California courts don’t come to their senses, I don’t necessarily see the expansion occurring in California. If the breeding of Sea World’s killer whales should stop, it definitely isn’t this committee that should say so.
What is your opinion on the California Coastal Commission’s recent decision (I am happy to hear an opposing viewpoint if it is expressed in a constructive and polite manner)? Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
WILLIAMSBURG (Sept. 12, 2015) – Busch Gardens today announced new guest experiences for the 2016 season including a new restaurant, craft beer room and show, in a special preview to pass members.
Dining News
New restaurant: The current Italian restaurant (Ristorante della Piazza) in the park’s San Marco village is transforming into an international market-style restaurant next spring that will eliminate buffet lines for a more relaxing dining experience. The theme of the yet-to-be-named restaurant is based on the travels of Marco Polo and will feature classic Italian, Mediterranean and Asian entrée, salad and dessert stations. It also will include a new stone hearth oven for artisan flat breads. Work on the new restaurant begins in early November.
“We’re bringing the flavors of the world to the world’s most beautiful theme park,” said Busch Gardens Culinary Vice President Franz Kitenko. “And, we are excited to introduce a new open design that will enhance the dining experience for our guests with less wait and more options.”
New craft beer room: Beer aficionados will delight in a new craft beer room inside Das Festhaus opening in the spring and will serve 30 local and regional craft beers along with a variety of snacks.
New Show
The park also teased a new evening show to debut next summer that will light up the night sky at the open-air Busch Gardens’ Royal Palace Theatre. The show is a contemporary spin on the classic French tale of the three musketeers, as audiences join the trio on a quest to save king and country. This live performance embraces new technology and takes advantage of the night sky to bring guests into the story.
“An evening performance opens up a world of possibilities for an open-air venue like the Royal Palace Theatre,” said the park’s Entertainment Director Peter Dunklee. “Playing with light and shadow in the night air lets us immerse the audience into the storyline like never before. It’s definitely something worth staying late for.”
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