What a delight to hear back from our friend Sascha, the hero who shared a little of SeaWorld through “Operation Shamu Rocks Iraq.” He has safely returned to the United States from deployment in Iraq. He sent along this note and some photos of dropping our SeaWorld pencils and penguin plush from his helicopter to children in Iraq. We were thrilled to be a part of this great good will gesture.
Janet,
I returned stateside and am trying to settle back into regular life. My guys and I were very excited at the end of Ramadan (Muslim Holiday) to begin dropping bags again. It’s hard to tell but see my hand getting ready to drop a bag with one of the penguins you sent to me. Unfortunately it is rather difficult to get the picture and drop and fly at the same time. You can also see the many pencils you sent in one of the bags as it sits behind my head in the helicopter waiting for the right person. If you look close you can see the children chasing us and waving and the bag or bags in their hand. Thanks for your support. I hope to see Shamu (the plush one) one day again with another child if I ever go back to Iraq.
With money tight and Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to share a few ways that you can stretch the average dollar and still be able to take a visit to SeaWorld San Antonio during the holidays.
One thing I have noticed, is most of our pass members are only purchasing annual passes to our park for a couple of their family members and then getting Fun Cards for the rest of the family. This is more than $30 in savings for each Fun Card purchased. Usually the adults have the annual pass and the kids have the Fun Cards.
The annual pass includes parking and gets you 10% off food and merchandise. This is great especially if the family chooses to eat “family style,” meaning everyone doesn’t have to buy their own hamburger and fries. For example, if you have a family of 3 – 5 people you could just order a couple of meals or items from one of our restaurants, vending carts or concessions and then share. This really works out great at the park, since SeaWorld always offers healthy portions.
As a matter of fact, many of our pass members have been taking advantage of the $.99 refill on any SeaWorld mug offer. They share the refilled drink with other family members by pouring some of the drink into the other SeaWorld mugs they brought with them to the park.
You could do all this and top it off with that special SeaWorld dessert you’ve always wanted, all while having a great time at the park and still having money left over for your Christmas shopping. Don’t forget the key is to share!
Just wanted to say Hi and Thank You to our annual pass members who made it out to one or both of the last two events. Annual Pass Members get special discounts and free parking, among other benefits. Occasionally we also hold special events like the ones in August.
The Aug. 19, Wild, Wet, Wednesday event turned out to be a great evening and was well received by those who were able to make it out. Because it was open to annual pass members only, there were no crowds in the pools, lazy river and virtually no lines for any of the slides. Many pass members saw this as a perfect opportunity to take some great family photos as well as of their kids coming down slides or just playing in the water. I wonder if we should offer exclusive waterpark time again in 2010? Check out the fun in the Flickr photo set.
The PassMember Advantages event on Aug. 30 was also a success. Pass members really like spinning the wheel to find out what they have won, especially the kids. This time the big prize was a $20 Lowe’s gift card and it looks like the gift card will again be the big prize at our next event on Nov. 15.
Pass members spin the wheel for a chance to win big!
It’s official! We have a name for our new baby beluga. After a week of polling, 73% of the over 2,000 total votes make “Bella” the official name of our new baby beluga whale.
The response was terrific and we thank all who voted and encouraged their friends and family to do so. It was really awesome to get comments from parents who told us they cast their vote as a family. Also awesome is the fact that we not only got votes from all over the United States, but also from all over the world. Thanks to our friends oversees in Tanzania, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, China, Bahrain, and Canada just to name a few. So nice to know that people all over the world care about our new baby… I mean Bella!
Have I told you lately that I am honored to be the military rep for SeaWorld San Antonio?
We receive so many letters of thanks from families that have enjoyed their complimentary visit with us through the Here’s to the Heroes offer. Below is a photo of one of those Heroes that visited with us in April and a letter from his mother, Ulli Dunn…
U.S. Soldier sharing a little SeaWorld with children in Iraq
“I thought you would enjoy this picture of Shamu in Iraq. Shamu was purchased when my son was using his “Hero Salute” tickets in April.
This is my son. He is getting ready to board his helicopter. They have stuffed animals, candy and school supplies in their helicopters and when they fly over children; they drop these articles out of the helicopter.
I wonder who is holding Shamu today; it is a heartwarming feeling to think that these children will no longer think of a helicopter as something bad.
Thank you and everyone at SeaWorld etc. for all you do for our heroes.”
When I called Ulli to get permission to tell you this story, she mentioned that her own first piece of candy was from a U.S. Soldier when she was just a child in Germany. It touches her heart, and ours, that her son is now extending the same act of kindness for a new generation of children. Her son said that they are now seeing entire families coming out waving at them.
SeaWorld San Antonio will be sending more items to be dropped to the children by this hero, we are calling it the “Operation Shamu Rocks Iraq” mission.
I’ll be sure to keep you posted as we hear back from Iraq.
And along the same lines, click here to read a story about a mom that brought her children here to spend some time with us before deploying again.
Yesterday, I shared my personal Flat Stanley story. We’ve had plenty of them at SeaWorld over the years, but I had no idea that an entire community has sprung up around this well-traveled flat person.
The Flat Stanley Project is a volunteer effort by Canadian schoolteacher Dale Hubert, who was looking for a way to engage his special needs students and integrate computer skills by building web sites. Dale has been reaching out with
Flat Stanley since 1995 and has kept the project going through a few grants and sponsorships.
The site is impressive – Flat Stanley at the Obama inauguration ball, Flat Stanley with Willie Nelson, Flat Stanley at the Pyramids of Egypt. There was even a Flat Stanley aboard the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight, the one that crash landed in the river, earlier this year. Any teacher or person who participates in the Flat Stanley project can register their experience on the Flat Stanley Project Web site.
I was intriqued, so I wrote to Dale to see what made him start the project. He took time during his family vacation in Scotland to share his story.
“I was going to teach Grade 3 for the first time and wanted to find an authentic and meaningful way to encourage students to write,” Hubert said by e-mail. “As far as I know, it’s one of the very few sites to have lasted 15 years and one of the very, very few literacy, community and interactive sites with such a long history to have survived.” (Historians please note: The Flat Stanley Project pre-dates social media by a decade).
When asked how many Flat Stanleys have traveled the globe, Dale couldn’t give an accurate answer, but said that by now “literally millions of people have heard of Flat Stanley either directly through my Flat Stanley Project or through some connection to it.”
Dale would love to see more Flat Stanley adventures registered on his site. So teachers, moms and Flat Stanley friends, please register your flat person’s adventure. I’m going to register my experience with Flat Josie, my “paper niece,” later this week and our team will keep posting to the Flat Stanley Project every time a new flat person arrives at SeaWorld San Antonio.
For the community, Fran
P.S. Dale Hubert is looking for ways to keep improving the Flat Stanley Project site. Take a look and see how you can help this wonderful project.
Flat Josie visits her aunt at SeaWorld San Antonio
A few weeks ago I opened my mailbox and a childish paper cutout fell out of the envelope, along with a letter.
“Please take Flat Josie on an adventure to SeaWorld in San Antonio and do not let any animals eat her,” it read.
I nodded my head with recognition. Every year dozens of these flattened figures enter the park, and when they do, we show them the time of their little paper lives.
Before you think I am totally crazy, let me explain.
These paper cutouts are based on the hero of a popular children’s book, Flat Stanley, written by Jeff Brown. In the story, which was originally published in 1964, Stanley Lambchop, the main character, is flattened when the bulletin board hanging over his bed falls on him in the middle of the night. Despite his altered state, he finds a way to have adventures and even saves the day.
Children have been sending flat versions of this character to have adventures all over the world. Being an adventure park, we get our share.
In this case, Flat Josie (who was renamed for gender reasons) came from my Grade 4 niece, Josephine Grady, who goes to school at St. Nicholas in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.
Normally, when a Flat Person arrives at the park from a school child, we give him or her to the “new guy.” Mainly because it’s the best way to learn to navigate our 250-acre park and to learn who you need to call to assist you with special projects. Flat Stanley’s have ridden the roller coasters, watched the shows and even played in our Lost Lagoon waterpark.
This time, though, I would serve as the adventure guide.
Flat Josie and I went to the Main Entrance, we met a beluga whale and her baby then had breakfast with an armadillo and a Tegu, by then we were already exhausted. The second day, we saw Shamu perform Believe and visited the play area. I sent the exciting adventure photos back to my niece, as requested by her teacher. You can see Flat Josie’s adventures in this Flickr photo set .
My niece’s project is due this week and she sent us a brief message saying “she wishes she could be Flat Josie.” I think that was her way of saying she wanted to come visit.
It was a really fun project and a great way to connect with my niece, whom I rarely see.
This is the allure of Flat Stanley…the challenge to make his adventure wonderful for a schoolchild we may never meet. Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? I would love to hear your stories.
So, two guys are sitting in a bar (don’t worry this is not a bad joke….) They are kicking around ideas for a new Sea Lion show.
As they are chatting one of the them begins sketching on a napkin…Hey, what about this…..Mmmm let me see….what do you think….hey, that looks pretty cool!…you got some gum?…..here’s an idea….
Author’s note – This is true how many ideas begin – sitting in a pub scribbling on a napkin – Spinal Tap Stonehenge – classic!
Unfortunately, I could not track the napkin down, but here is the rendering born from the napkin…..
Thus the flatfoot gumshoe detective story is born….working title…..”Clyde and Seamore in Defective Detectives”.
Enter the scenic designer…..
So you are looking for the look and feel of Cannery Row?
Yeah, set in the 50s – real Mickey Spillane type stuff.
Cool, how about this?
Looks good, but remember the stairs and ramps have to be safe, and plenty wide enough for Sea Lions.
Sea Lions?
Yeah, and the set is in a salt water environment, so corrosion will be an issue.
Hmmm….aluminum would be the best choice.
That will be fine as long as it can stand up to a walrus.
……….Are you serious?
Oh yeah, and a pesky little otter, too.
Wow, this sounds like a whole lotta’ fun!
……..here you go…….
Approved – let the building begin!
Once the set was complete we took a picture and sent it to our corporate offices.
They said, “That is all well and good, but when you build it is it going to really look like this?”
Oh, we thought you knew – this is it!…….(silence)……success! 8^)
It was pure magic witnessing the transformation from raw idea to realization. The two gentlemen sitting in the bar that night were Joe Peczi and Doug Minerd. The spectacular set was designed by Steve Gilliam and does feature three fully functional levels and electrical and plumbing to support all the mystery and excitement to pull off a mad cap caper that is sure to delight audiences of all ages….if you don’t believe me just ask Seamore….
Next time – how it all came together….collaboration at its finest!
Chris
Earlier this week we got word that our new Adventure Photo game was ready to launch. There was a great article about it in Mashable (thanks to Adam Ostrow).
The game, which was developed by Buddy Media, can be played on our Facebook page or on the freestanding website, which can be connected to your Facebook page. There is also an iPhone application coming out in the next week or so. No matter where you play, you will be competing across platforms.
Yesterday, I played the game and found it addicting – and hard. Each time you play the game the screen flashes up two seemingly identical photos that were taken in one of our parks. There are five differences between the photos that you have to find. It is the same comparison game you played as a child, but harder and with better prizes.
The application gives some incentives by featuring the best players on the Photo Hunt Leader Board and you can also enter to win a pair of tickets to any one of 10 theme parks within the World’s of Discovery brands of the Busch Entertainment Corporation.
The game is competitive. You can share your high score with your friends by posting it on your Facebook wall. Despite my best efforts, I have a paltry score of 350. Needless to say, I haven’t shared my score with my friends – YET.
These are some of the most recent additions to our Aviculture department. Most people don’t realize the time and commitment it takes to raise one of these cute little guys, but I hope to give you some insight into the process.
We have chicks being born at differing times of the year. Because our birds come from all over the world, we have baby ducks, flamingos, penguins, etc., year-round. You never know what you might see on your next SeaWorld visit.
Right now, we are hand-rearing the Swainson’s Mountain Blue Lorikeet in the picture above. We are also taking care of a Lady Ross’s Turaco, and various species of waterfowl.
Depending on the species, we will help out by incubating the eggs and hand-raising the individual, particularly if they are new parents. Lorikeet chicks are born with closed eyes and few or no feathers, so they need lots of care. Zoo people refer to this as an altricial bird.
From the time the lorikeet eggs are laid, it will take 3-4 weeks for the chick to hatch. Then, once hatched, one of our skilled Aviculturists will take on the task of hand-raising this bird. This requires him or her taking the chick home for round the clock feedings (24-7). This is also a fun time for family members!
After two weeks, the chick will be growing and able to stay at SeaWorld (to the dismay of our families as they grow attached to the little guy!). He will be kept in a “baby room” which we call the brooder room, as he continues to grow. During this whole time, the chick is fed a specialized bird formula which will change as he grows to accommodate his dietary needs.
At two months, the little guy’s feathers start to appear. He’ll become fully feathered, or fledged, in four months. By 6-8 months, he will be introduced to the rest of the flock at our Lorikeet Aviary at SeaWorld. Then, guests will get the chance to see what feeding a lorikeet is like!
Check out some of our favorite baby birds in this Flickr set.
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.
Unfortunately it is rather difficult to get the picture and drop and fly at the same time. You can also see the many pencils you sent in one of the bags as it sits behind my head in the helicopter waiting for the right person.
If you look close you can see the children chasing us and waving and the bag or bags in their hand.
Thanks for your support. I hope to see Shamu (the plush one) one day again with another child if I ever go back to Iraq.
As a matter of fact, many of our pass members have been taking advantage of the $.99 refill on any SeaWorld mug offer. They share the refilled drink with other family members by pouring some of the drink into the other SeaWorld mugs they brought with them to the park.
These paper cutouts are based on the hero of a popular children’s book, 
