SeaWorld hopes to make a splash with plans for its 50th anniversary in 2014. Promising a “Sea of Surprises,” all three SeaWorld parks (Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio) will be celebrating an 18 month anniversary blast. New shows, up-close animal encounters, entertainment and prizes will mark the occasion, along with a whole new entry complex for the park that started it all, SeaWorld San Diego.

Reinforcing their year and a half long festival of fun, “Surprise Squads” will roam the parks, awarding special prizes and treats to unsuspecting guests.

MiceChat will be here to bring you more news and information about SeaWorld’s big anniversary as information surfaces.

SeaWorld San Diego New Entrance

Take a walk under the sea. SeaWorld San Diego is well into creating a brand new entrance for its original park that will further immerse guests in the wonders of the Ocean. It is a fitting start to the major re-theme effort which kicks off for the park’s 50th anniversary.

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Designer Brian Morrow (Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, Turtle Trek) is heading the redesign of the San Diego park and has one goal; to get the guests invested in the animals of the park the moment they approach the entry.  The new entrance plaza, called “Explorer’s Reef,” is meant to be a metaphorical journey from shore to seafloor.

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Photo of the entrance construction taken June 10th, 2013. The SeaWorld San Diego Parking Lot is in the distance.

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The Press release for the new entrance states…

The new front gate concept will replace the existing ticket booths with a beach-themed, concierge-style ticketing area that will provide guests with a single location to purchase admission, as well as sign up for tours, animal interactions and dining experiences. Also eliminated will be the glass window between the guests and park’s ticketing service representatives, creating a more open and personal experience.

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We were honored to meet with Brian Morrow last week and he explained that he wants all guests to have their first animal encounter within 30 seconds of entering the park. Located mere feet inside the turnstiles  of the San Diego park, touch pools are being constructed as we speak, where you will be able to interact with sea life.

Both saltwater and freshwater, the 24,000-gallon touch pools will allow guests to connect with sea life in an intimate way. Four hundred brown-banded and white-spotted bamboo sharks, as well as more than 4,000 cleaner fish will highlight the interaction experience. The number of fish in the touch pools will total nearly 5,000.

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Please join us in wishing SeaWorld a very happy 50th anniversary! We hope it’s a splashing success!

Norman Gidney
Norman Gidney, also known as Fishbulb, has produced and edited many of the articles on MiceChat over the years.