Theme Park Insider is hosting a tournament of rides where readers and coaster enthusiasts can vote in a single-elimination tournament to select the best theme or amusement park ride in America. You can cast your vote for the Best Theme Park Ride in America on the Theme Park Insider’s Web site .
Sixty-four rides were seeded, according to their average reader rating on the site, and placed into a tournament bracket [PDF] . The competition runs until April 6.
My niece loves speed. Driving in the car, rocketing down the slides at the playground, shooting off like a dart almost anytime her feet hit the ground. You can always count on her to constantly yell “faster, faster.” Who am I to argue? So long as it’s safe, speed can be pretty fun. I may not be personally crowding the playground slide anymore, but I love coasters and isn’t that what coasters are in essence? Really amazing, tricked out slides where one can safely enjoy the thrills of speed?
I’m looking forward to this weekend with my speedy niece. She is finally tall enough to ride The Shamu Express , SeaWorld San Antonio’s coaster designed especially for younger riders. In fact, in anticipation for spring break, she made me measure her height to make sure she was at least the 38 inches required to ride the “cutest coaster on Earth.” Although she has yet to experience riding a coaster, my 3 ½ year-old niece (although she’ll tell you she’s 4) is turning out to be coaster crazy like her aunt.
After meeting the rides team working with the kids at the Shamu Express earlier this year, I’m even more excited to bring the newest coaster enthusiast in our family for a ride. This fun-loving group really helps the kids have a great time while waiting for their turn, no small feat with so many little ones in the queue line. In fact, the Shamu Express crew does such a great job, I have friends who’ve offered to hire these team members to entertain their kids at the store checkout lines! Can you imagine how many kids they’ll entertain while SeaWorld San Antonio is open every day during spring break?
The energy was almost a pulse in the room, just absolutely contagious. I walked into the Boardwalk Event Center at SeaWorld San Antonio to a thumping beat, down a dark hallway until entering to see a changed room. Changed not by decorations, but by the sheer fun and excitement flowing from every team member.
It was my first SeaWorld San Antonio Rides Rally and I was just blown away. I expected to have fun, how can you be around some of the most enthusiastic team members at the park and not crack a smile? But I wasn’t prepared for the sheer exuberance from this group. The Rides Rally is an event hosted by the managers of SeaWorld San Antonio’s Ride Operations Department. Imagine combining a pep rally, congratulations for passing training, reminders while in the park working with guests with a dance contest and you might have something close to this extravaganza. Each ride was represented by hand-painted T-shirts the team members working it wore. Rio Loco team sported navy blue, the Great White team was decked out in black, you get the picture.
The team members started the rally with a Fan Tunnel that would have made ANY sports team proud. Throughout the entire event, chants and cheers broke out from each ride, sometimes so loud my ears hurt. As an honorary rides team member, I got to cheer along with the rest. I even presented the Steel Eel team with their plaque commemorating their winning of the 2008 SeaWorld Coaster Challenge.
I was just so amazed that even though each ride had an individual team and will compete against the other rides for guest comments throughout the season, all the team members understood that they were just part of the whole Ride Operations department. This is an incredibly delicate balance to achieve in any work setting. The ability to walk the tightrope between representing the smaller, individual, competing ride teams and then coming together as a cohesive, whole department with such young and new team members is a great credit to their leadership. Later this week, I’ll post pictures from this almost indescribable event.
Only 3 more days to go until the Rides Team gets to strut their stuff for the public. We can’t wait!
Today we launched our new Fun Card program at SeaWorld San Antonio by donating 1,000 Fun Cards to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. I think it’s cool that the kids receiving these cards will get to enjoy SeaWorld San Antonio, some of whom might not normally come out to the park otherwise. I loved SeaWorld San Antonio as a kid. Let’s face it, I still love coming to the park, even on my days off.
I hope our new Fun Card will allow even more people to take advantage of everything you can do at SeaWorld. Fun Card gives SeaWorld San Antonio guests unlimited admissions until the end of the year for the price of a single day ticket. Meaning more coaster rides, more shows and more fun for less cost. We’re also introducing a few other surprises for 2009. Just see what our general manager had to say at our Fun Card Launch:
One of the things I love about working at SeaWorld San Antonio is getting to learn about all of the new happenings at not only my park, but also at our sister parks. I’ve been excited about this addition since we heard mention of the coaster last spring.
Being strapped into a seat on SeaWorld San Antonio’s Great White is thrilling enough, but I can’t even imagine what it will be like getting on SeaWorld Orlando’s newest creation Manta, a “flying coaster.” Named after the largest species of ray in the world, guests will get to become part of a manta ray on this coaster. Inspired by the underwater flight of these beautiful animals, you will be buckled underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as the giant manta. Guests will fly face-down in a horizontal position on this ray-shaped ride.
Check out the latest, exclusive video from our sister park, SeaWorld Orlando:
WOW! I can’t wait until I get the chance to ride this amazing addition to SeaWorld Orlando. Manta opens on May 22. Stay tuned for interesting Manta facts. Until then, have fun and keep riding!
Countdowns are everywhere! Many people countdown to their birthdays (mine’s in
three months) and some even countdown to their favorite holidays. Valentine’s
Day, for example, is only eight days away. NASA counts down the shuttle
launches, teenagers count the days until Spring Break.
The most important countdown of my year has begun…
22 days and counting!
Only 22 days to get everything ready. Only 22 days to make this place shine.
Only 22 days until our guests get to come back and spend another year making
memories at SeaWorld San Antonio. Everyone at SeaWorld is gearing up for this
year. Paths are being pressure-washed. SeaWorld mechanics are finishing their
work on the Steel Eel and Great White, two of our biggest rides in the park.
Training for our rides team members is beginning. It’s Spring fever in February
here at the park, all in preparation to go into operation on February 28,
SeaWorld San Antonio’s opening day. Each day the number get’s smaller. Each
day brings us closer to the kick-off of the season.
Some girls put on make-up during the drive to work. Others eat breakfast. I, however, watch the coasters during my daily trek to SeaWorld San Antonio.
This may sound a little odd, but there is something almost Zen about this morning ritual. I think of it as a daily reminder of how many people are later going to have fun, thrills and even chills on those very same rides I am privileged to pass every day on my way to work. Watching the Steel Eel glide on its rails and the Great White trains going through loops during the early morning runs as SeaWorld team members green tag the rides reminds me that in my small way, what I do will bring laughter and memories to many people.
During our off season, aka right now, our coasters are for the most part silent. Our team members are busy doing annuals, the yearly “check-ups” for all of the rides at SeaWorld to make sure they are good to go for the year to come. Soon, though, the water will be splashing again in the Rio Loco, the wind will be whistling as the Great White roars past the Games Center and our new and returning team members will be hard at work learning their jobs in anticipation for your visit.
SeaWorld San Antonio is hiring for positions all over the park, including Park Operations, Culinary Operations, Security, Merchandise, Education, Call Center and Cash Control for the 2009 Operating Season. SeaWorld San Antonio opens on Feb. 28.
SeaWorld is even hosting a Job Fair open to the public to fill hundreds of the seasonal positions on Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the Job Fair, you can complete an employment application and speak with an interviewer. Interested in attending? Use the employee entrance on Military Drive West.
I confirmed today that the Park Operations Department looking for enthusiastic ride operators, among various positions at the park, for this summer.
If you can’t make the Job Fair, SeaWorld San Antonio also accepts applications for employment Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park’s Human Resources Building on Military Drive West.
SeaWorld team members get competitive wage compensation, complimentary and discounted SeaWorld admission tickets and a ton of other incentives for working at the park.
Not looking for a job, but ever wondered what the team members who run the coaster go through? Stay tuned to discover the rigorous training the SeaWorld San Antonio ride operations staff has to complete before being able to run a coaster.
Robert Niles writes the prolific Theme Park Insider blog (see our blog roll on the right), and today he has a great list of New Year’s Resolutions for theme park fans. We liked them so much we wanted to share them with you here.
Theme Park Insider’s New Year Resolutions
To spend a day at a theme park we’ve not visited within the past 10 years, or ever.
To go on at least one old attraction we’ve never been on at a park we’ve visited many times.
To walk an uninterrupted lap around the park at some point on every visit — not to get anywhere, but just for the sights and the exercise.
To let the other folks go first when we get to the queue entrance at the same time.
To start a conversation in a queue with another visitor we don’t know.
To start a conversation with a park employee whom we don’t know.
To give a lost visitor directions.
To ask for directions when we are lost.
To go to a park’s guest services desk on our way out of the park and compliment the work of a specific park employee.
After each visit, to post more attraction, restaurant and hotel reviews to ThemeParkInsider.com.
We would also add that if you visit SeaWorld San Antonio, share you ride photos and stories with us. We would love to feature some on the blog, and for those we do, we will send out a “thank you” gift.
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.
