Archive for the ‘Children’ Category
May 20, 2010 by ToniDavila • 3 Comments »
Posted in Around the Park, Children, Coaster Connections
If you’ve been to SeaWorld San Antonio recently, there’s a pretty good chance you came in contact with a very large construction fence in the Happy Harbor area. There’s also a good chance that you noticed a few things missing…perhaps a few of your favorite kiddie rides?
 Pete's Pinwheel in it's new location Well, you’re not alone. We’ve had a lot of questions regarding the whereabouts of Pete’s Pinwheel and Jumpin’ Jungle and if they’re coming back for all of our littlest SeaWorld guests to enjoy. Luckily, I have good news for you! Both of these great rides will be making their grand re-appearance this weekend on May 22nd!
Why were they gone you ask? Well, our Happy Harbor area is currently undergoing some maintenance and rehabilitation and during this time, we conducted the annual inspections for Pete’s Pinwheel and Jumpin’ Jungle as well as created the new locations for these rides. They are still in Happy Harbor, but have been relocated right in front of SeaStar Market, making them more accessible. The new locations have shaded queue lines, perfect for those hot Texas summer days.
 New play area in Happy Harbor If this isn’t enough to get the kiddos excited about a visit to SeaWorld, we’ve also added a brand new play area right next to Happy Harbor! This area is designed for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. It incorporates tunnels, slides, interactive and climbing elements.
And the best part? It’s located in a shady area surrounded by tables, perfect for a little rest for mom and dad during a busy afternoon at the park.
We are all very excited to have these rides ready, and are looking forward to creating wonderful new memories with all of our guests.
Hope to see you around the park!
May 11, 2010 by GeoffBaldwin • 2 Comments »
Posted in Children, Shows, animals
Working in a theme park is not a typical kind of job. This is especially true if your park includes animals, they require care 24/7, open or closed, good weather or bad. The folks that stay around are very dedicated and have decided that traditional summer holidays can be celebrated other days of the week and that not having weekends off can be a good thing for errand running - less crowds on weekdays.
At SeaWorld I am surrounded by just such a dedicated group of people, many that have been with the park 10, 15, 20 or even 30 plus years. Many met their husband or wife while working here. I did, have kids that virtually grew up in the park and then pursued their own careers at SeaWorld. It is a great exciting job, but it is also long days (sometimes nights), missed dinners, sometimes late for family events, yet many of us have trouble picturing doing anything else.
So why do we stay?
I know there are jobs out there with a more Monday to Friday, 40 hour-per-week schedule and probably better pay, so why?
Back in 1988, when SeaWorld San Antonio opened, hundreds of team members worked seven days a week, 12 to 16 hour days for weeks leading up to our April 15 opening, and many of those people are still here.
The night before opening I got home after midnight and was back to work at 6:00 AM the next day. I remember doing my opening rounds to make sure everything was ready. It was mostly a smooth start with a few “oops,” but then it was 10:00 AM and the National Anthem was playing. I got a slight tingle when the first guests entered the park, but it was not really that big of a deal. I kept touring, checking in with my team as the morning progressed, working my way south to Shamu stadium for our first killer whale show.
At show time the stadium was pretty full and the quiet buzz of voices could be heard. I had been with SeaWorld 11 years at that point and seen many Shamu shows, the last few weeks I had attended 15 or 20 rehearsals, but I had forgotten that most of the 4,000-plus guests seated in the stadium had never seen a killer whale, so I was unprepared for their reaction.
 Geoff Baldwin, crowd watching at a "Believe" show When Shamu made his first appearance there was a hush and then the stadium erupted with screams, cheers, laughter and excitement! I looked around at the faces of all the guests, the awe on the children’s faces and the joy of their parents as they watched.
That was when I got a major chill, and that is why we do what we do! The joy and wonder in the faces of our guests.
To this day after almost 34 years, if I am having a less than perfect day, I go see a Shamu show, not to see the whales, but to watch and listen to our guests. It still gives me a chill.
Gotta go, burning daylight!
Geoff Baldwin
December 31, 2009 by LesliePopiel • 3 Comments »
Posted in Children, Christmas Celebration, Christmas Miracles, animals
In the midst of the holiday chaos, I find myself easily lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, baking and decorating while maintaining a full work schedule. Even at work, I get caught up with the many tasks to be accomplished and lose sight of what the holidays are really about. A small visitor recently reminded me to take a step back, slow down, and count the blessings that are all around me. I was watching through the eyes of a child…
I love this time of year because we celebrate the season at Shamu Theatre with “Shamu Christmas Miracles,” a fun-filled, action-packed, very festive show. During this show, we invite children to join in the fun and interact with the whales through the glass.
One lucky boy or girl gets the chance to step up to the glass with a trainer to give Shamu signals to perform behaviors, such as waving and dancing around in a circle. Interacting with a certain little boy is one of my fondest memories from this holiday season at the park.
The excitement and wonder was written all over this child’s face. His smile was huge, his enthusiasm contagious. In that moment, I felt the joy of being a kid myself. Like I said, it was contagious! My own smile grew and grew and I laughed as watched him waving and dancing with Shamu. I still have a silly grin plastered across my face.
 Seeing a child’s expression when he sees Shamu for the first time or watching her amazement as the whales leap through the air reminds me daily of the dreams I had a child. My hope is that children young and old watching “Miracles” will remember their dreams and believe that miracles still happen.
Have a Happy New Year!
December 18, 2009 by BenDuval • Comments Off
Posted in Around the Park, Children, Events
Ever wanted to enter a magical underwater world where everyone’s favorite SeaWorld costumed characters are getting ready for Christmas – the SeaWorld way? Imagine holiday calypso music, twinkling lights, decorations, and snow, all of which transform FantaSea into an enchanting walkthrough and holiday picture opportunity.
Curious to see who is at FantaSea? Check out our amazing line-up that includes Shamu, Dolly Dolphin, Sydney Shark, Pete and Penny Penguin, and of course our two favorite sea lions Clyde and Seamore.
 Sporting his own custom made Santa Claus costume and throne; Shamu Claus eagerly takes center stage while he awaits a photo opportunity with all of his guests in FantaSea.  Dolly Dolphin adorns her lovely Mrs. Claus ensemble, in front of the SeaWorld sunken ship. This makes for a great photo opportunity with the most adorable Mrs. Claus you’ve ever seen!  Visiting his SeaWorld family all the way from the outback and decked out in his holiday vest and hat, Sydney Shark is excited to show everyone his beautifully decorated Coral Christmas Tree.  Pete and Penny Penguin enjoy the warmer weather here in Texas, while wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Holiday fun and merriment is never complete without a visit from everyone’s favorite SeaWorld pranksters, Clyde and Seamore Sea Lion! Bring the old and the young, strollers are welcome and pictures are encouraged. So if you haven’t been to FantaSea, you should come and FantaSea it and let SeaWorld become a family tradition for years to come.
December 16, 2009 by Tim Morrow • 7 Comments »
Posted in Children, Christmas Miracles, Events
In 2008 we brought the holidays back to SeaWorld San Antonio. After all who doesn’t love a great event, especially at Christmas time? As we continue to grow our events we are always looking for another reason to throw a party!
One thing we haven’t done before that will become another great SeaWorld tradition is a New Year’s Eve party. Since SeaWorld is the place for families to visit and create memories the park thought it would put on an incredible event for our guests of all ages to enjoy! The park wanted an event specifically for families with younger children and when discussions began about New Years, we quickly decided it was something the park had to do.
As we worked on the plans for the event we wanted to focus on the little ones which is why SeaWorld San Antonio’s New Year’s Eve Twilight Party will be celebrated at 8:00 p.m. complete with a countdown and an extraordinary fireworks show choreographed to fun and moving music.
In addition to our world class shows the San Antonio Fire Department will be at the park with a giant fire truck and Sparky the dog during the afternoon, and the San Antonio Police will be at the park with a police car and will be providing parents with child ID kits! As it gets dark our gift shops will have a ton of great New Year’s Eve glow products that are sure to be fun and festive, and our Chefs are putting on an incredible reservation only dinner with VIP seating for the fireworks.
In order to keep the party going, the park is open with our Christmas Celebration through Jan. 3, 2010, and yes, your Fun Cards and annual passes are good through Jan. 3. I hope lots of families come out to enjoy our first annual New Year’s Eve Twilight Party and make it a fun and safe tradition for many years to come! I can’t wait!
October 14, 2009 by JackHarvey • 1 Comment »
Posted in Adventure Camp, Children, Events, Howl-O-Scream, SeaWorld Camp, Uncategorized
A few weekends ago, I was up at the Central Texas Kid’s Expo in Belton, TX, with some fellow team members spreading the word about what’s going on at SeaWorld this fall. When we go to events like this, most everyone knows about SeaWorld (although some are surprised when we say we’re from San Antonio), but I’m always surprised when they don’t know about all of the Education programs we offer. I’ve had this conversation many times:
Me: Howdy! How’s it goin’?
Passerby: Doin’ well. Oh we love SeaWorld! We have season passes.
Me: Great! We’ve got Howl-O-Scream coming up at the park, have you ever been to that?
Passerby: Oh no, but we heard about it. It looks pretty cool.
Me: It’s a blast. We have stuff for younger kids during the day, then it gets scarier at night. You can even spend the night at SeaWorld.
Passerby: Wow. I didn’t know you could do that. What would you think about spending the night at SeaWorld, Johnny?
So, just in case you didn’t know…
You can spend the night at SeaWorld for Halloween. We’re doing a Howl-O-Scream Sleepover October 24th. Children 3-5 years old must be accompanied by a parent and 1st-8th graders come by themselves.
We do special Halloween activities along with seeing all of the creepy things happening in the park, like “Shamu’s Rockin’ Creep Show,” “Jack’s Frightmare Forest,” and much more. Plus, learn about many of the animals that live at SeaWorld. Then we’ll sleep in our sleeping bags in the Sharks/Coral Reef Exhibit. The kids definitely have the option not to participate in certain features if they get too scared, but there’s something for everyone throughout the night.
 Guests enjoying Sharks/The Coral Reef before drifting off to sleep. Now that you know about our Adventure Camp programs in October, I’ll give you a little hint: If you’re at the website checking out the camps, also check out the Jack Hanna Sleepover coming up Nov. 6. I’ll give you more details on that one later, but it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss.
Thanks and Gig ‘em,
Jack
September 2, 2009 by JackHarvey • 3 Comments »
Posted in Adventure Camp, Children, Events, SeaWorld Camp, Uncategorized
 Sleepover campers learn about penguin eggs during the sleepover. “So what do you do when camp’s not going on?”
The camp management staff gets asked this question often during the off-season (September – May) and I’ll be honest, things do slow down quite a bit. We can fit in some vacation time or at least just sleep a bit later before coming in to the office. It’s also a time we recap and evaluate how the summer went and think about changes for next year. We’re already starting to plan dates and programs for next year. But there are a few cool camp programs still to come this fall.
SeaWorld Camp In the Fall?
Brittany, our resident camp supervisor still runs 2-4 night group camp programs for school groups and scouts. Plus there is a really cool Parent/Child Adventure Camp a few weekends in the fall in addition to some other Career camp programs for high school and college students.
Our new sleepover supervisors, Hope and Tommy, host schools, families and scouts in sleepover programs throughout the fall. We also have specialized sleepovers during Howl-O-Scream and the holiday season.
Shamu’s Stroller Club
And I shift my focus from 5- to 12-year-olds to 1- to 4-year-olds. Shamu’s Stroller Club is a program we started for 1- to 2-year-olds with a parent this spring and it was very well received this spring. Shamu’s SeaSchool is a similar program for 3-4 year olds with a parent. Each of the two camps have a different curriculum that we run each week. Both programs will be offered Saturdays this fall. Details can be found online, but it’s best to book the programs at the park’s Reservation Center or over the phone at 1-800-700-7786.
So although most of our camp counselors are back in school and not working anymore, there is plenty of work for us to do after the summer’s over.
Thanks and gig em!
Jack
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