Today we continue our coverage of Holiday events from Coast to Coast at SeaWorld Orlando.

Lots of holiday fun to be had all around the park including snow, food, carolers, Sesame Street and floating trees!

Let's check it out!! 

​Getting into the holiday spirit this evening at SeaWorld Orlando. Originally went for a shopping trip but stayed for the food and lights! 

The Waterfront is where it’s at for lights, music and lots of SNOW! 

The holiday food and drink booths are no joke. The sampling lanyard, especially with a discount, is an awesome value. My previous visit I had totchos, bread pudding cone, and a few craft beers, which were all delicious! 

Had some Mac and Cheese and S’mores in a cone. And beer. All good! 

It’s a bit warm in Orlando right now (70 degrees) but that doesn’t stop us from gathering around the fire for some Christmas carols.

The Sea of Trees light up and dance to the music a few times throughout the evening.

​I didn’t get a chance to attend the shows tonight, but Winter Wonderland on Ice is always a crowd favorite.

​Rudolph’s Christmastown has returned, and there was quite a line to meet the famous reindeer and his pals. 

​Happy to see so many holiday decorations at Sesame Street. Love the rubber ducky in Ernie’s hat! They also have a Christmas parade usually running twice daily as well.

As always, SeaWorld Orlando has put together another wonderful Christmas event. Hopefully I can make it back there once or twice before it ends on December 31!

SeaWorld Orlando has announced the opening date for Inifinity Falls. But before we get to that, we have a few pics from the Employee Preview last night!!! 

​Team member previews are happening today at SeaWorld Orlando for Infinity Falls. Finally!

​You definitely get soaked on Infinity Falls. The elevator lift before the finale drop is very cool. A great addition to the already awesome lineup of rides at SeaWorld Orlando!

Check out even more pics below and the details of the Infinity Falls opening date!! 

SEAWORLD ORLANDO ANNOUNCED INFINITY FALLS
GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 4
Get ready to drop, scream and get soaked on the record setting thrill ride
​

​ORLANDO, Fla. (September 28, 2018) – Today, SeaWorld Orlando announced the Grand Opening of the world-class attraction, Infinity Falls, will take place on October 4 at 12:00 pm. Guests may be able to preview Infinity Falls September 28 through October 3 during the soft opening period.
 
Infinity Falls features roaring rapids, soaking fountains and a record-setting 40-foot waterfall drop, all against the backdrop of a rainforest utopia. Guests will have the opportunity to take on the role of a conservationist on a journey through the rainforest and learn about the importance of freshwater conservation through interactive games and stories throughout the ride experience. 
 
Mark Pauls, President of SeaWorld Orlando Parks said “From the excitement of the thrilling rapids, to the unique vertical lift element, Infinity Falls is an adventure that appeals to the entire family.”
 
The opening of Infinity Falls is the perfect addition to SeaWorld’s ever-growing ride portfolio. From the roller coaster thrills of Mako, Manta and Kraken to the water flume fun of Journey to Atlantis, Infinity Falls joins the park’s famed attractions as a must-do experience in Orlando. 
 
– SeaWorld Orlando –
 
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is a leading theme park and entertainment company providing experiences that matter and inspiring guests to protect animals and the wild wonders of our world. The company is one of the world’s foremost zoological organizations and a global leader in animal welfare, behavioral training, husbandry and veterinary care. The company collectively cares for what it believes is one of the largest zoological collections in the world and has helped lead advances in the care of animals. The company also rescues and rehabilitates marine and terrestrial animals that are ill, injured, orphaned or abandoned, with the goal of returning them to the wild. The SeaWorld® rescue team has helped more than 33,000 animals in need over the last 50 years.
 
The company owns or licenses a portfolio of recognized brands including SeaWorld, Busch Gardens® and Sea Rescue®. Over its more than 50-year history, the company has built a diversified portfolio of 12 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States, many of which showcase its one-of-a-kind zoological collection. The company’s theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests.
 
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company. Visit www.seaworldentertainment.com for more information.

A week or so ago I headed out to Florida for a work trip so I took it upon myself to head out a day early and visit a couple of parks that had long been on my "theme park bucket list". Despite multiple trips to FL I had just never managed to get to these two parks. 

They were both totally worth the wait as both were amazing. 

Flying into MIA at about 6am ... flying out of MIA at about 7am on my way to TPA. 

If that seems like a quick connection in an airport as big as MIA ... you are correct. 

After a quick breakfast at IHOP (seriously, I could NOT find a Waffle House on the way from the Airport) it was time for Busch Gardens Tampa. 

Wouldn't you know, just as the park was about to open a huge storm hit. It wasn't even one of those 5 minute FL storms, it was a good 1/2 hour. 

Good thing after that though is we had a relatively dry day. 

Our first stop of the day was Cheetah Hunt ... and in typical Intamin fashion the ride was down. 

We did get to ride later in the day and I loved it. Would have loved to ride more, but the ride just was having a bad day. 

Beautiful park 

So while they were figuring out what's going on with the Intamin, we headed to Cobra's Curse. 

​Totally loved this ride. Unexpectedly longer than I thought it would be. 

Next up was Montu ... and wow, this B&M did not disappoint. Fun in the front and the back. 

Some more of Cobra's Curse 

A lot of the rides at Busch Gardens go near walkways, so I'm guessing this has been an issue in the past? 

Kitty!! 

Tunnel of Humidity 

Ok, Falcon's Fury. 

I'll be honest, I'm not a "screamer" when it comes to rides, unless we're just being silly. But VERY rarely does a ride make me scream from freaking me out. This one did. And it was AMAZING. 

I had thought they should add the same seats to Lex Luthor at SFMM, I'm re-thinking that. It may be too much. Lol. 

Scorpion was great fun as well. 

Oh yeah, some of Team Park Journey came out for the day as well. We had so much fun. 

Boo, Kumba was closed. Guess I'll have to come back. Shucks. 

Mad Kitty ... seriously, he did NOT like us, well me. 

Well, if you insist. =) 

Most amount of wet we've ever gotten on a log flume ever. And it was glorious. 

I don't get why these dive machines get such hate. Are they the most intense rides ever? No. But they sure are fun. 

Flaming-O's for my wife. 

The Kangaroos are down for rehab. Not sure if drugs or physical. =) 

So after a fun day at Busch Gardens, and having had only an hour or two of "plane sleep" I drove out to Orlando.

Instead of going to sleep in my hotel I decided to go find Shake Shack. I honestly didn't even realize it was at the same place as the Orlando Eye. 

The next morning it was up bright and early for SeaWorld. Well, I slept for like 11 hours in the hotel, and it was again ... amazing. 

More Flaming-O's. 

Ok, here it is kids. I've gotten a LOT of flack over the years due to my dislike of Tatsu at Magic Mountain. I'm just not a fan. I would have much preferred a flying coaster that had some tunnels or hugged the terrain a bit, not just built on top of a hill. It's an eyesore, it needs a paint job, it's got no pacing ... shall I go on. 

​Which brings me to Manta 

I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED Manta. I don't understand how anybody who has ridden both of these coasters could put Tatsu above Manta. Manta has EVERYTHING a Flying coaster should have. Aerial stunts. Check. Pretzel Loop. Check. Awesome looking trains. Check. Near misses with Rocks and Water. Check. Great ops. Check. 

I really loved this ride if you can't tell. 

A little slo-mo of the part of the ride nobody has ever seen. Lol. 

Oh, my other favorite part of the park, for those of you who know me this is NO surprise. 

This area blew me away. And the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Diego is a pale comparison. 

​But more on that in another article soon. 

I know the ride gets a lot of hate, and it's probably pretty justified, but I enjoyed it for what it was. 

If you are riding this thinking it's going to be Pooh at TDL you will be SORELY disappointed. 

OMG, Penguins. I could have stayed in here all day if it wasn't so cold. 

Love the underwater viewing. 

NEED!! (No I didn't buy it) 

Journey to Atlantis was a lot of fun. I was warned not to sit in the front row. I did not sit in the front row. I see why I was warned not to sit in the front row. 

Where to even begin with this ... 

Yes, you read that correctly, 354 seconds between dispatches. And that doesn't even include the ride cycle time. This VR thing HAS to die. I would have loved to ride this more than once, but I couldn't handle it. It was ridiculous. 

I did wait for a front row ride, but because of how they have the VR "Bags" set up, it didn't matter. 

Another ride that seems to get a lot of hate for no apparent reason. Solidly in the middle of the B&M Hypers, but that's not a bad thing AT ALL. 

First ride it was raining, and I was in the front row. It stung. 

As you can see, it wasn't busy. I rode this 8 times in about 45 minutes. Could have ridden more if I didn't have to walk around every time. 

Had to pay a visit to the Sharks 

And the Turtles 

Alright, that's going to wrap it up. I had an amazing two days at two amazing parks. 

I did get over to Disney Springs and Hoop De Do Review later in the day with more of Team Park Journey, and that was amazing as well. Maybe I'll put that report up one of these days. =) 

Hopefully you enjoyed this report, I will be visiting FL a few more times for work soon so I'm looking forward to trying a few more parks I have yet to get to and seeing more of the state. 

​Related Updates: 

• Ocean Explorer Media Day at SeaWorld San Diego
• Sneak Peek of Ocean Explorer at SeaWorld San Diego
• SeaWorld Orlando announces Infinity Falls for Summer 2018
• SeaWorld San Diego announces Electric Eel for 2018
• Coaster Crusade at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando