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geomorph

Living Sea Carousel - Sea Lion Sound Exhibit

Taken 12/5/16. This new major aquarium in Scottsdale, AZ opened 9/16 in a complex that includes separate attractions Butterfly Wonderland, Dolphinaris, and a mall. It has 54 live animal exhibits along its indoor path and a unique rotating theater to view 4 of the major tanks.

Living Sea Carousel - Sea Lion Sound Exhibit
geomorph, 12 Jan 2017
    • snowleopard
      Is it possible to get up and move around or do all visitors have to stay seated while being rotated? How long does the theater pause at each of the 4 main exhibits?
    • geomorph
      Visitors are asked to remain seated in the same seats during the entire show journey; but if they need to leave, are asked to proceed to the back of their theater during one of the stops, which last about 5 minutes. The small area at the back of each theater does not rotate, and a staff member is posted there to check the back of all 6 total theaters (there are doors between each) to assist with anyone wishing to leave...I assume by taking them through the doors until they reach the exit theater position and walking them back through it to the front of that theater and its exit. A narrow walkway that does not rotate is at the front of all 6 theaters, just in front of the entrance doors to the carousel, the 4 main exhibit windows, and the exit doors; but visitors are asked not to approach the front walkway (in other words, get a closer look at the exhibits) except when invited to enter the carousel in the first theater or exit the carousel in the sixth theater, both of which have no exhibit view. The theaters can only rotate when multiple staff have checked that all visitors are seated in all theaters.

      I felt that the time spent at each exhibit was sufficient, and the final exhibit (Shark Waters) can also be viewed at leisure from additional windows before the journey (from a window above the sinks in either the men's or women's restrooms at the start of the aquarium experience!) or from windows just after exiting the carousel.

      The view in this photo is from the front row; I rode the carousel twice, and sat in the back row the second time, and it was still close enough to see each exhibit clearly. Visitors can walk back to the entrance after exiting and ride again; there is no separate admission ticket to ride the carousel
      snowleopard likes this.
    • snowleopard
      Thanks for the detailed explanation and this method of viewing tanks is one that I've never encountered before. I wonder if Disney has used it in any of their parks...but I must say that having a set time to view an exhibit is not something that seems appealing to most zoo enthusiasts.
    • DavidBrown
      @snowleopard

      Disneyland used this ride system for animatronic shows (the Carousel of Progress and America Sings) at Disneyland over the years, but I have never heard of it used for viewing live animals until now.
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  • Category:
    OdySea Aquarium
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    geomorph
    Date:
    12 Jan 2017
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