SeaWorld & Aquatica: Theme Park Reviews

I've been writing about our recent vacation to Orlando, Florida.  There were so many incredible opportunities for family fun. Today I'm sharing our opinions and experiences at two theme parks, close in proximity, and owned by the same company; SeaWorld & Aquatica.

Our Aquatica pass allowed us to visit an unlimited amount of days within a 14 day period.  As it turned out, it was our kids *favorite* theme park.  It even beat out Disney World.  We had 2 days left on passes at Disney World and they chose to skip the 2 days to enjoy Aquatica. Here's a quick list of what we "liked" & "disliked":

Likes:

1. Australian theme
2. No crowds & no lines! Front row parking!
3. Dolphin plunge: 2 enclosed clear tube slides that twist and turn through the dolphin lagoon- literally!
4. Dolphin Exhibit
5. Fish Grotto
6. Sandy beaches 
7. Wave pools
8. Taumata Racer: racing head first down a steep hill
9. Walk about Waters-floating along a lazy river..no tubes allowed
10. Loggerhead Lane- lazy river with tubes, passing by the colorful world of tropical fish 
11. Omaka Rocka: speeding down flumes & into massive tunnels
12. Dousing buckets, slides, spraying water, fountains & more amazing slides!
13. Gift shop with fair prices...I had a swimsuit malfunction and purchased a replacement at an o.k price.
14. Many life guards throughout the park, along the lazy rivers and at the beaches
15. Photographers at the bottom of many rides. We purchased some great photos ($15.00 each)
16. Tropical birds

Dislikes:

1. $4.00 towel rentals (Bring your own!)
2. Asked us to either throw away or return our packed sandwiches to our car (we were able to pack in fruit and snacks only)

Here's the link to the Aquatica site:

http://www.aquaticabyseaworld.com/ParkInfo.aspx

SeaWorld gets a special shout out for a few different reasons.  First, we were able to visit SeaWorld thanks to Hero's Salute.  If you serve in the military here is the link: http://www.herosalute.com/  The process was fast and easy.  We printed an authorization form at home.  Upon arrival at the park we presented the authorization and they verified our military identification & printed our tickets.  A big thank-you to SeaWorld...the only major theme park that provides military families admission to their park once a year.

     Second, SeaWorld offered a host of  unexpected thrill rides for the guys! They loved all the rides at this park and said they were unlike any other rides they had been on. 

Here's what we "liked" & "disliked":

Likes:

1. Hero Salute!  
2. Manta inspired roller coaster
3. Kraken- a floorless roller coaster and one of the fastest in Orlando
4. Journey to Atlantis- water coaster
5. Shamu's Happy Harbor: lots of tyke rides...we shared some laughs on the lil rides!
6. Gorgeous flamingo's
7. Wild Arctic helicopter ride and frozen wonderland to see beluga whales, polar bears and walruses
8. Shamu Rocks show!  
9. Turtle Point
10. Seaside Village; variety of restaurants and cafe's with treats.  

A true "turtle", bigger than the palm of my hand! Tasty!!

Dislikes:

1. The Skytower was closed due to high winds
2. Penguin Encounter was closed due to renovation, a big disappointment for our penguin fan.

Here's the link to the SeaWorld site:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Park-Info

Have you been to Aquatica or SeaWorld? What did you like best?