Day 8 | 25 March 2019 | Orlando / SeaWorld

When in Orlando and planning to visit at least one of the many amusement parks, it's not that easy. You have to make a decision. Animal Kingdom, Epcot, SeaWorld, Aquatica, Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, just to name a few, are all located here in the world capital of theme parks. We wanted to ride fewer roller coasters and still have an experience. The factor of time is always a topic and, of course, the cost. Almost everywhere, you have to pay around $100 per ticket for a day ticket.

We chose SeaWorld, and we were lucky that the man at the ticket counter was in a good mood and we got 2 tickets for half the price. Bargain... 🐊 The park is, of course, like probably all the others, perfectly equipped according to the theme. There are different areas such as Antarctica or KeyWest and it feels like a compressed world tour.

I was personally very excited about the show in the Shamu Stadium with the killer whales, or better known as orcas. Actually, they are called swordfish, but hardly anyone knows that. And of course, I am also critical of what you hear about keeping animals in captivity. But isn't that a topic in every zoo? With every goat? Every polar bear that we all find so cute? Maybe even with every pet that is certainly not kept in an appropriate way when watching TV on the couch? That doesn't mean to belittle the topic, but I always find it questionable to start with animal welfare with so few examples, there are certainly much more everyday opportunities.

I find orcas impressive and will probably never have the opportunity to see one in the wild, so I don't miss the chance to admire animals that know nothing else because they are all born here in Orlando.

And it was incredible!! So much so that it gave me goosebumps. Powerful animals that seem to have an invisible bond with their trainers. They react to every hand signal, not only when they catapult themselves meters high out of the water and make the audience in the huge, completely filled stadium up to row 15 get wet when they land. You take the risk in the SOAK ZONE. Breathtaking.

Equally inspiring, later in the Dolphin Theater, where a total of 8 dolphins show that they are the torpedoes and true acrobats of the seas. It's really incredible with what precision they perform here. And with the dolphins, it always seems as if they have a smile on their faces. Several trainers went into the water with the dolphins, let themselves be carried through the water on their noses, or simply danced with them. This gave me the impression that a lot of animal love and joy must be the basis. These shows will probably no longer exist at SeaWorld soon because the pressure from animal rights activists is too great, but since the animals raised here cannot be released into the wild because they would not survive in the oceans, they will continue to live here and I hope these magnificent creatures will not get bored.

Oh, in the dolphin show, there were even 8 parrots included, that was another special wow experience because it fit sooo well.

There was so much more to see. Sharks in an underwater tunnel, injured manatees being nursed back to health in a rehabilitation pool before being released back into the wild, turtles, flamingos, of course, alligators again... and even stingrays that you could even touch.

All in all, a great day to experience a lot. We also had amazing weather again. Afterwards, we wanted to get a small impression of the city of Orlando, which modestly calls itself "The City Beautiful." Unfortunately, that was difficult because construction was going on all around and in Orlando, and it took us ages and we even got caught in the hustle and bustle of an NBA game between the Magic and the 76ers. Police closures everywhere. So we quickly moved on. We had dinner at the Florida Mall, right around the corner from our hotel. They have a huge food court, and we had our premiere with a famous Philly steak .... mmmmmmhhh, really delicious!