Watching the manatees slowly barrel-rolling beneath the water and effortlessly floating up to take a mouthful of crunchy lettuce was slightly hypnotic.

But as the four of us stared at the playful sea cows, there were a couple of other familiar-looking creatures in the huge pool who wanted to say “Hi”.

Among them was Stitch, a typically cute green turtle who popped up to the surface every few seconds. She seemed to recognise us from our previous visit to her home at SeaWorld Orlando, or at least that’s what I told myself.

We were in the popular Florida theme park’s new Manatee and Turtle Rescue Center, where vulnerable marine animals are nursed back to health after suffering misfortune in the wild. In Stitch’s case, she lost her front flipper out at sea before being brought into SeaWorld to be assessed by the staff and vets.

Although Stitch is one of the small percentage of animals whose injuries are too debilitating that they can’t be returned to the ocean (hundreds are released each year), she is being given lifelong care and will now happily live out the rest of her days alongside her fellow green turtle Whitney, as well a few loggerheads, hawksbills, Kemp’s ridleys and leatherbacks at SeaWorld.

Whenever it’s time to celebrate a big birthday or anniversary, it’s nice to meet up with some old friends. And as SeaWorld (the company) celebrates its 60th year my wife Rachel and I, along with our two teenage daughters Isla and Evelyn, hopped on a plane to catch up with Stitch and co.

Back in 1964, four UCLA graduates founded the original marine park in San Diego, California, which allowed guests to learn about and see marine animals up-close. Nine years later, SeaWorld Orlando opened.

Nowadays, its owners United Parks & Resorts are responsible for four resorts in central Florida, all of which we visited during an action-packed week. Our base was the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld, a perfectly located hotel within walking distance of three of the parks, and also a short car ride or Uber away from the attractions on International Drive.

On our first morning, we strolled one mile down the road to one of our favourite places on Earth – Discovery Cove. During our day at this relaxed          all-inclusive haven, we swam with Katerina and Calypso in the Dolphin Lagoon, took a walk on a recreated ocean floor alongside rays and sharks in SeaVenture, spent hours snorkelling with rays and tropical fish in the Grand Reef, and took a wander through the Flamingo Mingle are and the Explorer’s Aviary.

In between all the animal encounters, we munched on hearty breakfasts and tasty lunches at Laguna Grill, drank endless cocktails, beers and sodas in Serenity Bay, and relaxed in one of the cabanas in the Seahorse area.

The next day, we were up bright and early again to head down south on the Interstate 4 to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. After feeding Patti the reticulated giraffe and getting up and close with other African wildlife on a Serengeti Safari tour, the four of us climbed aboard some of BGT’s rollercoasters, including the all-new family ride Phoenix Rising, the rapid Cheetah Run, and what has become our favourite Florida coaster, the towering Iron Gwazi, which reaches speeds of 76mph. In between the white-knuckle rides, we cooled down with a slushy in the air-conditioned Moroccan Palace Theater to watch new ice-dance show Rhythm of Nature, and refuelled with a Mexican and Chinese lunch in Dragon Fire Grill and Pub using our All Dining Dining passes.

For our third day in the sweltering Sunshine State, we splashed around at Florida’s waterslide capital, Aquatica, jumping on exhilarating rides like Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, with its terrifying glass trapdoors, Omaka Rocka, which literally has you climbing up the walls, and the new super bowl-themed Tassie’s Underwater Twist. However, our attraction of choice remains Roa’s Rapids, and we spent a fair chunk of the day in bright life vests floating down the not-so-lazy river, in between the rocks, vegetation, jets and geysers.

On our final morning in Orlando, we walked across the parking lot to SeaWorld itself, observing the Rescue Center team as they took a blood sample from a now fit-and-healthy manatee which was about to be released back into the wild, before watching the vets performing intricate cataract surgery on a puffer fish. Over the past six decades, SeaWorld has prided itself on providing a mix of education and entertainment, which will satisfy both animal lovers and thrill seekers.

After taking our seats for the Orca Encounter presentation, the four of us stopped by at the Stingray Lagoon to hand-feed the cartilaginous fish, and at Pacific Point to give the noisy and boisterous sea lions and seals a midday snack. Then, after dancing along to the music and floats at SeaWorld’s ‘More to Sea’ 60th-anniversary parade, we still had time to ride legendary white-knuckle rollercoasters, including Ice Breaker, Manta, Mako, Kraken and the innovative surf coaster Pipeline.

Last but certainly not least, we visited a few more old friends, this time of the feathered variety. The likes of Shadow the gentoo and Everest the rockhopper warmly welcomed us inside their penguin habitat, before we rode SeaWorld’s launch coaster Penguin Trek, which took us on a thrilling ride through the breathtaking vastness of Antarctica. This immersive ride is brand-new for 2024, and during in this special anniversary year, there is definitely even ‘more to Sea’ in Orlando.

FACTBOX

Ocean Florida offers 14 nights at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld, with direct flights from Manchester to Orlando and the Discovery Cove Ultimate Ticket with one visit to Discovery Cove and unlimited visits to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens Tampa from £1,549pp. Price is based on four sharing for selected dates in March 2025. The same package with flights from London Gatwick is £1,489pp.

To book visit Ocean-florida.co.uk or call 0203 5530 948. For more information about SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa and Discovery Cove go to seaworldparks.co.uk. 

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