Why SeaWorld will never die

There is a long- and deeply-held fascination in American society for spectacle (one of the many reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is performing so admirably right now). Since rollercoasters and other types of thrill rides ably provide this slice of spectacle, typically with a heaping helping of visceralness thrown in, their permanent presence in the routines of our lives is perpetually guaranteed – despite the fact that amusement parks may eventually have to become more themed to better compete with Disney and Universal’s unbelievable economic performances and guest experience offerings.

Image © SeaWorld

Zoos and live entertainment venues also, of course, have topped human fascination since time immemorial, which explains why both have dotted the urban landscape for at least the past three millennia. That SeaWorld is able to provide all three experiences under one collective roof is the fundamental reason why it has managed to weather the ups and downs of the past half-century, and speaks to its ability to do so for many more to come; much like Hollywood or the music industry, the company stands to persevere through all sorts of cultural redirections or technological upheavals (music alone has had its very foundations gouged out twice, with the introduction of the phonograph in the 1870s and online file sharing in the 1990s).

In this way, SeaWorld has become just as much of a cultural touchstone as has Disneyland.

Why SeaWorld will never fully live

That indefinite baseline, however, is far from being a perpetually-increasing bar graph.

It turns out that, for all the timelessness of its constituent pieces, SeaWorld’s various parks will never be able to thrive or otherwise escape the shadow of its themed competitors.

Why? Because as exciting as it may be to ride Manta or as fun as it is to watch Shamu flip and dive, there is nothing for guests to get emotionally invested in as they count down the days to their vacations or, especially, as they cross through the front gate. There is no magical transportation to a different time or place, no exclusive culinary offering to play up one’s sense of exoticness, no overarching narrative to be totally absorbed in.

Image © SeaWorld

To say that neither SeaWorld nor Busch Gardens is a theme park only scratches the surface of the situation. For all the (deserved) flack that Disney and Universal get for their merciless licensing of outside material or their endless mining of their own internal IPs, there nonetheless is still the fact that guests have a connection to these properties which oftentimes borders on a sense of personal ownership – there is a reason why so many have flocked to Universal Orlando since the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter have opened, and, even more, why so many literally cry the first time they set eyes on Hogwarts Castle or Gringotts Wizarding Bank. There is an emotional resonance there that SeaWorld can never hope to replicate.

It is a matter only compounded by the chain’s lack of additional experiences. Once a family’s day at the park is done, there is no on-site hotel to go back to, no golf course to play at, no Cirque du Soleil or Blue Man Group to be entertained by – and since there’s no library of material to work off of, there never will be, either.

Trapped in purgatory

Does SeaWorld have to be a carbon copy of its themed rivals? The answer, obviously (and thankfully), is no – there needs to be an entire gamut of vacation possibilities for individuals and families of all walks of life, and, just as in a theme park, there also needs to be lesser as well as E-ticket attractions to provide for a well-rounded experience.

This is why SeaWorld will always remain precisely what it is, with nary a total defeat or major success in sight.