What we CAN show you from our SeaWorld TFAD
2We can’t show the REAL behind-the-scenes o/our “Trainer for a Day” experience due to SeaWorld Orlando's understandable and politely explained camera policy, so pictured here are the more touristy photo op moments they work in along the way. The totality o/the day was mostly characterized by touring trainer areas and picking employees’ brains with all our curiosities. We couldn’t have asked for better trainers to learn from, and not only did we not feel like we were in the way but it genuinely felt like they enjoyed having us there and loved how interested and inquisitive we were. They were open books with everything we could think to ask Amazing seeing how it all works without anything held back. Highly recommended.
Loose schedule (varies depending on park availability/guest interest):
DOLPHIN (after arriving to employee parking by 7:45AM)
-AM routines incl. basic medical checks, food prep, show prep, etcetera (opt. participation, IE carrying feed buckets from fish house to show stage)
-Rescue/Rehab tour/Q&A w/rehab team member (a vet was scheduled for a manatee appointment but we were unable to view this due to a press team taking priority)
-Pvt. Dolphin Cove tour incl. dolphin interaction/photos (ours w/Starla)
-Dolphin show in reserved center seating area, then backstage breakdown/Q&A w/trainers (interesting that Phil, still learning, ignored a certain behavior and his trainer needed to improvise)
-More interaction in backstage Dolphin pools, incl. hand signal training/photos (ours w/Diego)
-Window tour o/veterinary lab & surgery suite/Q&A w/vet tech (bc we had expressed interest in medical procedures, and bc we had to miss the vet appointment earlier)
-1/2 day guest farewell
ORCA (12:30PM)
-Glimpse inside trainer pool area incl. photos
-"Dining with the Orcas" experience incl. three-course lunch (house salad, 4 entree options - beef, chicken, pasta, salmon, and a confection plate), and convo w/Dolphin trainer & Orca trainer during show, cont. as Orca trainer escorts guests to Sea Lion/Otter.
SEA LION/OTTER (until 4PM)
-Choice to see show w/SL trainer from audience or from backstage (pick backstage!)
-Kennel tour incl. possible photos (ours w/Slowpoke)
-SL photos (ours w/Gunner)
-Tour cont. incl. otter playtime, etcetera (opt. participation, IE filling feed buckets)
-Feed exhibit SLs from pvt. area
-Escorted back to employee parking
E-mail sent to SeaWorld Education dept. (4/22/24, partial):
We had such an incredible experience, and felt compelled to reach out to let everyone involved know how much it all meant to us to get to see what goes in to making SeaWorld what it is through such amazing personnel.
We were with [Dolphin trainer #1] all morning. He let us know it was his first TFAD, and we were just so engaged with his guidance and knowledge - lucky to get him as our main guide. He made us feel at ease right away, and importantly we never once felt like we were in the way or an inconvenience to any of the daily goings on. At Dolphin we also learned quite a lot from [Dolphin trainer #2] regarding routine medical checks and show prep/recon, and she was extremely personable and informative in ways we never could have expected - truly, how open everyone was with our many questions was so impressive and - more than anything else overall - absolutely made our day.
We weren't in this so much for the tourist-y photo ops and whatnot... you gotta include 'em of course (and we're grateful to have the tangible memories) but what was really special about those more structured checklist items on the itinerary was getting to sit down for lunch with [Dolphin trainer #1] and [Orca trainer] - not just for the opportunity to pick their brains and hear their own narration of what was going on in the Dining with Orcas show, but also just to hear experienced employees bounce thoughts off one another as we chatted. Just being a part of that conversation had to be the brightest individual highlight of the entire day. [Orca trainer] was an enthusiastic wellspring of interesting facts and anecdotes and we loved our brief time learning from her.
[Sea Lion trainer] oversaw most of our time at Sea Lion & Otter, and it was fascinating just getting to skim the top of her decades with SeaWorld as we enjoyed the unique experience of seeing their show from backstage with all the crossings and fun coworker banter. Several others took us around that area as well, and we especially enjoyed seeing Slowpoke, feeding the exhibit sea lions, and even doing a little work and filling some feed buckets.
We aren't a family with a lot of money to throw around, and I honestly wasn't sure what to expect when I took the pricey swing of purchasing all this as a gift for my partner (a canine/feline vet tech who has had an interest in the inner workings of SeaWorld since her youth). Cheesy as it sounds, [the trainers] made our time with them a real dream come true that was worth every penny. We will always cherish the memories we made together!
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