We finally wrapped up the 2015 holiday season by heading back to SeaWorld Orlando for their Christmas Celebration. For the 2015 holiday season, we attended SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular (which you can read about here), Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (which you can read about here), and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (which you can read about here). Like the Halloween Spooktacular, admission to SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is included with general admission. I had been told by a longtime park goer that SeaWorld Orlando had a hidden gem for their Christmas event in their “O Wondrous Night” show. We made it our goal to check out the show before the night ended.
We first headed over to the Sky Tower to get a bird’s eye view of the construction progress of Mako, SeaWorld’s new B&M megacoaster that is set to open in 2016. I’ll talk about Mako in a later article. Next, we decided to catch the Sea of Trees Christmas light show on the lake. However, we had a bit of time to kill before the show began so we decided to check out some of the scenery in the area.
We came across a Christmas band entertaining a group of families. The kids certainly looked like they were having a blast!
There were plenty of musical entertainment, photo ops, and specialty holiday food and merchandise stands strewn throughout the park. SeaWorld definitely spared no attention to detail in bringing a seasonal feel to the entire park. It was just about time for the Sea of Trees Christmas light show to start, so we headed over to the walking bridge over the lake to land a good viewing spot.
The Sea of Trees show features over 100 lighted trees glistening in and around the lake. During the show, the light displays dance to the tune of many classic holiday songs. You can tell how much work and pride SeaWorld puts into this effort. I remember the trees being in place as far back as the Halloween Spooktacular.
The Sea of Trees show definitely is one of the most impressive Christmas light display shows that I have ever seen! It was getting close to the start time for the O Wondrous Night show. We headed over to Nautilus Theater to make sure we could get a seat before the show filled up.
On our way over to Nautilus Theater, I had to double back and get a picture of this Christmas angel. What an awesome photo op!
When we got to Nautilus Theater, we saw the line for the show had stretched all the way past the Terrace BBQ building! Apparently this show wasn’t a well kept secret anymore! Our hopes for seeing the show started to dwindle, however, we decided to take our chances and wait in line.
The queue wrapped through the Sea Garden, so I took the opportunity to take some pics while my wife headed off to Terrace BBQ to grab some food. I hardly take the time to explore this area of the park. Apparently, there is also a Pass Member Lounge connected to Terrace BBQ that is exclusive to 1-Year, 2-Year, and Platinum Pass Members. The lounge offers complimentary Coca-Cola beverages, table-side food service, phone charging areas, and a concierge desk for special offers and reservations. I didn’t have time to check out the lounge this time around, but definitely plan on stopping by on my next visit.
There ended up being plenty of seating open for the show. Apparently, they didn’t allow guests into the theater until the 7:00 show time. The queue was just the staff’s way of crowd management, given the popularity of the show.
O Wondrous Night is a telling of the original Christmas Story, but from the point of view of the animals who were “there”. The animal characters are incredibly funny and entertaining and are sure to be a hit for the entire family.
However, the animal characters aren’t the only reason to check out the show. O Wondrous Night is a Broadway-quality show, complete with singing, dancing, and a full chorus! It’s a terrific way to celebrate the Christmas holiday. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment definitely is underrated for their show production. I’ve now been to Broadway-quality shows at SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, all included in the park admission! Bravo SeaWorld!
The finale was especially good, as they did a full-on reenactment of the nativity scene, complete with live animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, llamas, and even camels! I definitely was not expecting to turn and see a camel strutting down the aisle through the audience. O Wondrous Night was definitely a memorable event.
After the O Wondrous Night show, we headed back towards the pathway leading to Bayside Stadium to check out the Christmas Village.
The area had a ton of things to see and do, including artisan arts & crafts booths, carnival games, photo ops, as well as having plenty of food and hot cocoa available.
There were a few train sets on display near the entrance to the Christmas Village. They definitely added a nice touch to the holiday decorations in the area.
It was starting to get late and I didn’t want to keep our son out too late, so we decided to call it a day. However, there were still a ton of Christmas Celebration events and shows to see, including Shamu’s Christmas Miracles, the Winter Wonderland on Ice ice skating show, and the Holiday Reflections Fireworks & Fountain Finale. I will definitely be sure to check these shows out at next year’s event.
On our way out, we stopped by the bakery and gift shops to check out their Christmas Celebration goodies. Overall, I’d definitely recommend attending SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration, especially if you’re an annual pass holder. This is yet another holiday event that I’ll be making an annual family trip to here in the Central Florida area. Have you ever been to SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration? Feel free to comment below!
Recent Discussion