As part of the Summer Nights event at SeaWorld Orlando and Fourth of July ccelebration, Pass Members were recently offered a 20% discount of food plus free dessert.
Since we arrived late in the afternoon, we decided not to purchase the SeaWorld All-Day Dining Pass this time and instead decided to use the 20% discount offer at Voyagers Smokehouse.
We gave up on our first attempt to get dinner at Voyagers. One word - crowded. We hung out in the air conditioning just long enough to hear one woman return to her family with a tray of food and exclaim, "22 minutes... it took 22 minutes to get this" as she disappointingly looked down at the meals.
She's right. It should not take 22 minutes on line just to grab a quick meal for your family. Every minute counts as theme park guests are trying to navigate show schedules and lines for rides. I blame the Smokehouse. Yes, there were a lot of people, but the lines could have gone a lot smoother.
First, pricing is confusing. The big menu board as you enter the restaurant simply gives a "range" of prices and doesn't clearly state what's included. Second, the drink server was flustered. Instead of simply filling drinks in advance and lining them up (as they usually do for a "grab and go" quickness) orders were being filled one at a time. Third, the side items were lined up ahead of the entree. No one knew if their choice of sides (or how many) was included in their meal price. Fourth, presentation of the main entrees were less than appetizing.
The entrees looked pretty bad (especially considering most meals cost $11-$13). Scant, charred and dry-looking (no to little BBQ sauce) pieces of chicken and/or ribs lay on plastic plates with a small dinner roll.
Guests hesitantly took plates and sometimes questioned the server about price - holding up the line. I wanted a chicken and rib combo plate, but didn't like the way the one and only plate on the counter looked. Other guests has passed it up so I politely asked if another plate was available. The server didn't say two words to me. She walked away and returned with a new plate (at least the chicken looked a LOT better).
The chicken was actually very good and moist. The ribs were dry, chewy and fatty. Very much like the last time I had the ribs at SeaWorld. My husband ordered the BBQ Chicken Salad. I'm not exaggerating when I say there was about 1 tablespoon of meat on the salad. He was very disappointed.
The (free) desserts were awesome. Even if not free, the desserts are very reasonably priced (about $3 each). We both loved the chocolate cake and the carrot cake. Every time we have a bad meal at SeaWorld, we always say that we should remember to just get dessert!
When we received our most recent SeaWorld Pass Member Newsletter, we thought SeaWorld was actually being smart about the Fourth of July by offering their special July 4 fireworks on several nights. Instead, SeaWorld tricked us.
Read from the Pass Member e-mail snippet at left to see if you agree that the wording indicates that the special "Fourth of July" fireworks would be held on three nights: July 2, 3 and 4.
It seemed clear as day to us, and it made sense. Since most people flock to Disney for Fourth of July Fireworks, why not celebrate early in the weekend to collect on parking fees and in-park purchases. SeaWorld even offered Pass Members a special 20% dining discount that included free dessert. (See what we thought about our meal from SeaWorld's Smokehouse.)
Just a few nights earlier, we went to the Reflections Fireworks Show. We had a great time and looked forward to an even better show for the Fourth of July celebration. The July 2 date fit perfectly with our plans to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks on July 3 and Epcot on July 4.
Imagine our disappointment, as the pre-show host announced to guests (just minutes before the fireworks were about to start) "be sure to come back on July 4 for our special Fourth of July Celebration". What?... we couldn't believe our ears. Did we mess up on the date?
Being the techno-geeks that we are, we started up our iPhone and re-checked the Pass Member E-Mail. Nope, we didn't mess up. SeaWorld tricked us. They tricked us into coming to the park on a holiday weekend to spend more money and to see a show we already saw. Not cool, SeaWorld. Not cool...
Coincidentally, our SeaWorld annual passes are set to expire next month in August. We are very unlikely to renew and instead will probably give our money to Universal Studios. Between our experiences of hit and miss food at SeaWorld, the change in the Shamu show, the discontinuation of the beer samples, and this recent "miscommunication", it seems best that we parts ways with SeaWorld... at least for a while.
For a period of time last year, SeaWorld had improved its food so much that we began to forgive some of its other shortcomings. Hopefully, they'll come around again - and soon.
If nothing else, we'll go back just to watch the mime from the Clyde and Seamore show. That performance alone can be worth the price of admission. Seriously... get to the SeaLion & Otter Stadium early to watch the mime pre-show. Even better - see the mime in SeaLions Tonite show. My favorite for a good laugh.
