Did you get the mailing?….. We recently mailed a 2009 Vip Card to many of our pass members. This card is available to anyone who is currently an annual pass member or planning to become a member soon. Just stop by the passport center on your next visit and ask for your 2009 Vip Card. These cards are valid for additional in park pass member savings and make it a little easier for our guests to take advantage of versus flipping through a coupon book searching for the best offer. Pass Members simply show their Vip Card along with their annual pass in order to receive the best discount. The exclusive offers featured on the card are……
Adult Ticket at Kid’s Price PLUS a Second visit FREE (this is great for those pass members that have visiting friends and family that come to town for special occasions)
30% off Sunday Tours, Sunday Dining and Sunday Shopping (reservations for these types of events are highly recommended, just ask for your discount when you call 800-700-7786 during normal business hours)
The Vip Card is also valid for 1 Free Ride Photo with additional copies of that photo for only $5 each.
You can even use some of these discounts for friends and family that are visiting us using a Fun Card or the Kids Stay and Play Free offer. The only rule here is that you, the annual pass member, must be present when the card is being used.
A special "Thank You" to the long time pass family that visited today.
If you are an annual pass member and you like this new way of receiving your discounts, please let me know. We are hoping that between the Vip Card and being able to print or purchase online using special pass member discounts will be a much “greener” way of reaching out to our loyal park guests.
My job affords me many unique opportunities some of which include serving as an industry advocate with the many boards I sit on such as the San Antonio Area Tourism Council, Texas Travel Industry Association and I have been the Chair of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Commission for the past several years. Community and Industry involvement is a crucial component of our business. It helps ensure that San Antonio remains a great place to live, work and play. My participation on the San Antonio Greater Chamber of Commerce’s board provided me with yet another opportunity to visit one of our local affiliate TV stations for an interview with Chris Marrou to discuss how the San Antonio tourism industry and SeaWorld are doing so far this year. When I do these it is hard for me not to take a long a few friends for moral support…take a look.
This week, the heat is on everyone’s mind and one of the questions we are getting asked frequently is how do you keep the plants alive? So we asked our Landscaping team. Also, take a sneak peek at what the campers who are “living in” at SeaWorld are doing. They are up to some very fishy stuff!
As I walked into the back gates of SeaWorld San Antonio for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. I had just turned 16 years old about two weeks prior to that day. I was nervous!
When I exited the security building, I was already lost… So I decided to just turn right. As I walked up the steep hill, I crossed paths with another team member who smiled and said “hi!” I had no idea who she was talking to, because there was no one behind me… So I greeted her back and walked away, confused.
As I continued down the pathway wondering how strange that woman was, another team member in a golf cart greeted me.
I had to turn around and make sure no one was behind me. I kept thinking to myself, “Why are all these people saying hi to me? Were they in my orientation class? Do I have a twin that works here? Is it because I look like a younger Brad Pitt?”
Nine years later I have grown accustomed to the SeaWorld San Antonio salutation! I have said “hi!” over 300 times today!
Ok, not really, but who’s counting? I can say that I have said “hi!” a countless amount of times today, yesterday, and many times over the past nine years.
Although the word, “hi” is short and sweet, the word is actually very powerful! That word has been the foundation of many wonderful friendships across the world, it is known to turn a frown upside down, and it is strong enough to break ice!
So with that said, I challenge you all to say “hi” to anyone who walks near you!
Shamu Theater, one of seven ways to get WET at SeaWorld San Antonio
Great ways to get wet at SeaWorld San Antonio…I certainly have my favorites, however I like to spend most of my time in the park trying to view the park through our guests eyes. This is sometimes difficult for me to do as I am very close to our product. That’s why I frequently turn to my favorite four person focus group, my family. Every time they I ask my wife and my two teenage boys what they liked most liked the least and what they would change. While their input provides quite a bit of value to my job, I realize that even their opinions come with a certain amount of bias making it difficult to equate to an actual guests visit. This however is not true with my seven year old daughter Kady. The honesty and enthusiasm of a sassy little girl is pretty easy to trust. You know exactly what is wrong and why. You also get to know what is most important from the constant questions and “pester power” as it is affectionately referred to. Young children are creatures of habit, so when something is right it is easy to spot by their desire to do it over and over and over again. So without further ado, here are Kady Decker’s top ways to get wet at SeaWorld San Antonio verbatim;
Atlantis (Journey to Atlantis) is great because when you go down the hill you get splashed and when you get off the ride you get to get splashed again.
I like the (Lazy) river because it gets you wet because you are swimming in it
Shamu gets you wet, you take two hands and wave and you get splashed
Dolphins splash water in the pool and sometimes get you wet, they make me laugh they are so cute
And the Rio Loco (raft ride) waterfall gets everyone wet
Swimming with the Sea Lions gets you wet, also when you watch the Sea Lion show the big tower explodes and sprays water all over everyone
At the Viva Show the guy (the Waterworks Mechanic) splashes you and you get to watch the butterfly lady fly around
So whether you’re a kid, have kids, have grand kids or simply resist the urge to ever grow up Kady’s favorites should help keep you cool during the hot summer days.
What are your kids favorites?
I’d love to hear from you.
Dan
To see photos of all seven places, check out our Flickr photo set.
The 4th of July is a play time for most people.However for team members at our park it’s time to work hard and host thousands of eager vacationers.For the animal trainers and performers at the VIVA stadium there are a ton of things to accomplish.We continue to watch and care for our new baby beluga (who is doing very well).There’s also our normal day to day duties… preparing fish for the entire animal collection, endless cleaning, hosting guests in our Beluga Interaction Program, behind-the-scenes tours and photo sessions, and 6 shows. Yes, we have lots to do on this holiday for most, but one of the busiest days of the year for us.
We do, however, manage to have our share of fun.One of my favorite traditions is our annual pot luck.Oh yeah! Ann’s devilled eggs. Karly’s pasta salad. Meagan’s ice cream desert. My fried chicken (ok, not quite home made but by the looks of the empty container I think the team enjoyed it). And let’s not forget Greg, who when asked what he brought for the pot luck replied, “I brought the water.”You can best believe that the entire day whenever one of us was thirsty, we summoned Greg to get us a refreshing glass of H2O.And what a trooper, he actually made good on his promise!Despite the hard work, we managed to eat well, share some laughs, and spend time with good friends.Not too different than what our guests are doing on this day that we celebrate our freedom.
Happy Independence Day! Continued success and blessings.
July 3, 2009 by SarahSaatzer • Comments Off Posted in Uncategorized
SeaWorld San Antonio guests get ready to feed the lorikeets.
SeaWorld San Antonio guests get ready to feed the lorikeets in the photo of the week. Park guests can feed these beautiful birds daily during select feeding times. Check out our flickr site for more photos!
Triple digit temperature days make it a challenge to “beat the heat” but there are ways to protect ourselves from the heat. As I walked the park yesterday watching out for our team members, I quickly realized that many of our park guests could use some friendly reminders about how to protect themselves from the heat. Being on vacation, filled with excitement and ready to go, sometimes we quickly forget how the sun can zap the energy right out of us until it is too late.
When I come out to the park with my family or out of town guests there are a few things we do to help ensure everyone in our party steers clear of any heat exhaustion. Soaking in sunscreen definitely a must before we even leave our house. Our family’s favorite is Neutrogena and our dermatologist recommended the one with Helioplex SPF 45 and for our faces Neutrogena’s Face Shield SPF 70. Because my step-daughter loves the Lost Lagoon and water rides, I have to remember to throw the sunscreen in my survival bag so we can re-apply every couple of hours. Water is definitely our best friend throughout the day. It could be a water bottle, which can be purchased at any restaurant or drink location, or a visit to one of the public water fountains. Public water fountains are located at each of the restroom locations throughout the park.
I also try to map out our day by sprinkling in a visit to an air conditioned facility or exhibit. It could be planning to eat lunch (remembering to eat is definitely a must) in one of our restaurants, a visit to the Penguin Encounter, Sharks/Coral Reef , Boardwalk Game Center or the SeaStar Theater to catch a show. It gives us an opportunity to cool down in the air condition and grab some water.
Despite everyone’s energy and enthusiasm, frequent shade breaks also help. A great place is across from Ski Lake near Journey to Atlantis. There are large umbrellas in the auxiliary area which provide great shade coverage.
Once we head down to Lost Lagoon it is sunscreen time again and we also have our step-daughter get out of the water for 15 minutes each hour. Those 15 minutes allow her to get out of the sun, get more sunscreen and more water.
If as a park guest you do begin to not feel well or begin to show signs of heat stress please visit one of our First Aid stations throughout the park. They are noted on a park map using the white cross in a red circle sign. You can always ask a park team member to contact the first aid station and the EMT will make their way to you.
I hope you have a great and safe time in the park and remember to “beat the heat.”
Gotta Love It!
EDITOR’S BONUS: Here is a great podcast interviewing a dermatologist that describes how much sunscreen you should apply – probably a lot more than you would think.
It’s almost time for SeaWorld San Antonio’s annual Independence Day celebration! The park will be celebrating with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza tomorrow, Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 from 7-9:15 p.m. at Water Ski Stadium. There will be a special performance by San Antonio’s own Ashlee Rose Band.
Come to SeaWorld with your family and friends to enjoy a fun-filled night with our exclusive “Summer Nights” shows and fireworks display! The park will close at 10 p.m. both nights.
We have nearly three months of blog posts under our belt, and we’ve been so busy at the park, that we haven’t had as much time to introduce the team as we would like. Here are six more members of our blog team…
Chris Jordan has a unique perspective from his positiona in Entertainment. You can meet him in his introduction video and watch for him to share the secrets of our entertainment philosophy.
Jack Harvey, from our Day Camp team, started at SeaWorld as a camper and now takes care of thousands of kids who attend a camp at our park. Jack really understands how this generation is using social media. Meet him here.
Not many CEO’s understand, much less embrace social media. Dan Decker, SeaWorld’s general manager is really helping drive many of our new initiatives. And he’s such an avid fan of our company, you’d swear that he’d tattooed the logo on his back. Get to know Dan in this postcard.
Most of our guests don’t meet the members of our Finance Team, but Paul Guerra has a family tradition of working for SeaWorld. Find out more about Paul here.
Jan Warner is one of those rare people who never seems to have a bad day and knows our arrival processes inside and out. She is incredibly proud of her military heritage. Meet Jan in her video postcard.
Not many team members are as passionate about advocating for guests as Jennifer Bailey and she is mom to triplets. Hear about Jennifer here.
Hope you enjoy these profiles. Have a safe holiday weekend.
Wave TV is SeaWorld’s bi-weekly video feature program created for team members. Wave TV debuted in 2005 and was originally conceived to showcase park events for team members as they rode the shuttle bus to their workstation. Last year, this award-winning communications program moved to the SeaWorld YouTube channel; now everyone can share the program. Check out what’s new behind the scenes at SeaWorld San Antonio.
My job affords me many unique opportunities some of which include serving as an industry advocate with the many boards I sit on such as the San Antonio Area Tourism Council, Texas Travel Industry Association and I have been the Chair of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Commission for the past several years. Community and Industry involvement is a crucial component of our business. It helps ensure that San Antonio remains a great place to live, work and play. My participation on the San Antonio Greater Chamber of Commerce’s board provided me with yet another opportunity to visit one of our local affiliate TV stations for an interview with Chris Marrou to discuss how the San Antonio tourism industry and SeaWorld are doing so far this year. When I do these it is hard for me not to take a long a few friends for moral support…
