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    Orca Encounter

    4.6 (14 reviews)

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    Belkys C.

    the show has had its hiccups however the show is beautifully delivered for all audiences. This is my child favorite show so we visit it every time we are in seaworld. We always got to stadium store and get the mix popcorn which awesome and the show last at last 15 minutes.

    Raegan L.

    Orca whales are fascinating and stunning creatures. To even be able to be as close to them as you can be during this show is pretty incredible. No matter what you think of SeaWorld or the heavy controversy surrounding their training and breeding the killer whales, this show is so cool. I visited SeaWorld once or twice as a kid, and I can really see now the huge effort they have gone to to make the shows more educational rather than purely for entertainment. The Orca Encounter starts out with a short video where you hear from the trainers about statistics and facts. When the in-park trainers come out, they tell you all about Orca whale habits, routines, personality traits and more. Did you know there are actually 7-8 different sub-species of killer whales? I didn't! Overall, I really liked that they used the show to teach the crowd about these amazing creatures. It was still really entertaining and so fun. By the way, if you don't want to get waterfall soaked I'd sit far away from the splash zone. Those killer fins have some velocity when they whip. Also, you'll want to show up pretty early if you want a good viewing spot. The Orca Encounter is by far the busiest show, because it's so unique and cool!

    Thomas P.

    I understand the controversy on this and I will leave that aside for the review. You can decide yourself if you want to see this or not. The actual show is spectacular. The orca are huge and yet move so gracefully. The show mixes education with entertainment with plenty of great facts about these amazing creatures. Seeing them in person is awe inspiring. The tricks, dives, jumps, and splashes are just fantastic. I didn't realize how smart these creatures are. I do recommend everyone see this if only to see them up close to truly appreciate these creatures and then you can use that experience to justify your position.

    Daniel S.

    Amazing show. Always great to see these amazing creatures. Amazing how they are able to train these whales.

    Marc S.

    Best show at Seaworld. Amazing. It is a must stop when visiting. We are here on a field trip with my daughters elementary school. We had a section to sit and had great seats to Shamu. Recommend getting there 20 minutes early to get good seats. They also have a fun trivia game for the families to participate in. If you go to the evening show, very cool with the lights they incorporate to the show. Much cooler weather also during the summer to go in the evening.

    The Splash Zone
    Gaylon G.

    While the whale shows tend to be controversial for many reasons, I have to say, they are pretty enjoyable. They have been change a bit throughout the years. For example, you no longer see trainers riding the whales, or even in the water with the animals at the same time. The overall theme is one of conservation and how we need to protect the environment and these amazing creatures. To prove the point, of course, the animals do their share of flips and flops, splashes, dives and tricks. They really are pretty amazing creatures and to see them displaying their capabilities is something worth spending some time on. If you attend this show, note the front section of seats that are marked the splash zone. There is an extremely strong likelihood that you will leave the show soaking wet if you sit here. The seats higher up do not get wet and still have a great view of the action. No matter where you sit, much of the show is shown on the big screen over the tank, so you won't miss anything. Sometimes, the music and sounds can be a bit loud, as with all shows. This one wasn't as bad, but you might still be prepared.

    Getting ready for the orca show!

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    Review Highlights - Orca Encounter

    I feel like oddly enough where SeaWorld has come to life in the past decade is the music.

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    Pier Dolphin Cruises

    Pier Dolphin Cruises

    4.4(51 reviews)
    83.6 miDowntown St. Petersburg

    Good enjoyable cruise around the St Petersburg part of Tampa Bay. Captain Christian, the skipper,…read moregave informative descriptions of the bay, its wildlife including the dolphins. Sarah, an environmental studies intern, handled the docking ropes and refreshment sales. We did see several dolphins early in the cruise. The group of dolphins included a very young one. The cruise is not just about dolphins. We also got a close up look a a mangrove island that is home assorted species of water birds, including pelicans and cormorants. Onboard refreshments are available. The assortment includes a couple of beers, hard seltzer and lemonade, some non-alcoholic beverages, and bagged snacks like crisps. Will go again on this cruise when we are in the area.

    We enjoyed this cruise. Cpt Christian had such a good sense of humor. Had us laughing several…read moretimes. We saw a baby dolphin. The captain said that is a rare occasion. He also gave us history of the homes on the water. We saw so many birds and the views were amazing. It was Father's day. So the Father's got their first drink free. They sold snacks such as chips and candy. Also sold alcohol refreshments as well as non alcohol. My advice is to use the restroom prior to boarding. The restroom was on the lower level and those steps looked treacherous. Even for me. I was glad I went beforehand. The boat did do a lot of rocking so you have to be very careful. His first mate was helpful in getting everything for everyone. This was very affordable and definitely worth the price. Parking can be a challenge so I recommend paying to park. So that you won't miss the boat. We departed at 1pm. The ride was a total of ninety minutes. Highly recommend. Hold on to your hats and get ready for a good time.

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    Pier Dolphin Cruises
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    Adventure Cruises - The Lighthouse of Edmont Key

    Adventure Cruises

    3.4(5 reviews)
    91.2 mi

    We had a great time on the adventure cruise. We first went to an island for swimming, shelling, and…read moreexploring some historical sights. From there we went snorkeling which was so relaxing. The folks running the tour were accommodating and friendly. Would definitely recommend this tour to break up a beach vacation!

    This cruise was not good. First, they advertised a 4 hour snorkeling experience. I understand that…read moretravel time will be included, but it made no sense that it took ~45 mins to get to the spot going there, and over 1 hour to get back. The return trip was so slow. We were baking under the sun. (This felt like it was done on purpose so that they could kill time so we would return at the 4 hour mark). They don't even offer free water for us to drink. Instead they charge something that should be provided since we will be without access to water for 4 hours. It's a shame that they would deprive people for that long without water knowing well enough that they will be in the sun for that long!!! That's not right at all. The first stop was to Seashell Island and wasted ~1 hour of our time. It was nice to see, but it was not what I expected to happen on a snorkeling trip. So let's do the math: we had a total of ~1 hour 45 mins of travel, plus ~ 1 hour on an island that you could see only a bit of since it's large and you couldn't possibly see it all. That is a total of ~2 hours and 45 mins. Now how much time is left for snorkeling?? About 1 hour and 15 mins for snorkeling. But it wasn't even that much. We probably spent about 50 mins snorkeling on this human made ruins (they called it ruins) that is covered in moss and contains about 50 tiny fish and a lot of seaweed that will make you itch. I guess they charge per fish you see. I also found it odd that they had life jackets but didn't recommend us to have them on while snorkeling. In the event of an emergency I wouldn't trust the two captains to assist in a timely manner. Instead, they recommended we take a pool noodle along with you to snorkel. The captains were not even charismatic or gave us any talking points. There was an attempt at spotting dolphins, but that failed--probably not their fault, but was annoying because they were sailing so slowly under the hot sun. Also one captain had a beautiful accent, but I couldn't comprehend anything he was saying (the sound system was probably to blame). Sooooo to sum it all up: DON'T GO HERE. Save your money. I write this review with the intention that others think hard before they choose to go here not because I like saying bad things about a place. Thanks for reading!

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    Orca Encounter - whalewatchingtours - Updated July 2026

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