It’s quite remarkable how many Halloween events this part of Florida has to offer its visitors, with the style and variety of attractions reaching mind-boggling proportions. You might also think that there’s nothing new to sample in 2025. But here is SEA LIFE Orlando to prove you wrong!
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Pirates of the Haunted Seas provides a fresh new take on a well-trodden path, adding some nautical amusement to the more traditional trick-or-treat season.
This is also one that takes two existing Orlando attraction icons – the Pirates Dinner Adventure show and SEA LIFE at ICON Park on International Drive – and twists them together in an exciting way that should have max appeal for families with younger children.
Because this is definitely a family-friendly event, despite the fact that one of the main characters is actually Captain Sebastian the Black from the Pirates show, who leads a particularly villainous crew in the dinner format but presents a much more affable image in this undersea environment (albeit he still has the facial scars and imposing pirate threads!).
So here’s how it works. Starting last week and continuing through to November 2, SEA LIFE goes full skull-and-crossbones with a pirate makeover and scavenger hunt, as well as weekend appearances from Captain Sebastian himself. It is a powerful double blast of Halloween fun – a fair old canon salvo, you might say – and it is all part of regular admission for the next month-and-a-bit.
The daily event is highlighted by Captain Sebastian’s Haunted Sea Quest, a clever scavenger trail through the whole of the aquarium. But this isn’t the infamous treasure-seeking Captain from the dinner show. Oh no. Here, he is a changed man, urging visitors to embark on a spine-chilling voyage to guard the haunted treasures of the deep blue, following his treasure map to uncover the secrets of ocean conservation.
Yes, that’s right, the evil Cap’n has had a major change of heart and is now a proponent of protecting sea life in all its shapes and forms, and he wants visitors to stop at each education station to earn the title of Captain of Conservation. It is quite a sea change (ahem).
It is all good fun, of course, and effectively repurposes the aquarium’s regular scavenger hunt with an all-new treasure “map” that lists the nine different Dive Stations along the eco-friendly trail. Just pick up a copy of the Haunted Sea Quest leaflet when you enter SEA LIFE, and get the requisite stamp at each Dive Station.
The trail concludes in the Gift Shop (of course), where there is a special prize for everyone who has completed their “treasure hunt” with all the different stamps. It makes for a neat trick-or-treat finale to this environmental awareness quest, ensuring kids get a head start on their candy collections!
Along the way, children – and their parents – get to learn about sharks, jellyfish, sea horses, shark and even the curious Axolotl of Mexico, which IS a real thing (a type of salamander that is now an endangered species). The sea life presentations are extremely well curated and provide a vivid view into their undersea world.
And the whole interior of the aquarium has been suitably decorated for Halloween, adding a slightly spooky atmosphere to the many exhibits and habitats. With the lower light levels to start with, it is the perfect backdrop for the addition of projection effects, skeletons and other eerie touches. Look out in particular for the Skull and Crossbones motif and the giant pumpkin, both in the Feeding Frenzy section, and the massed cobwebs in the Atlantic Ocean section.
There are, of course, numerous Halloween touches along the way, including projection effects, skeletons and pumpkins, as well as moody lighting and even skeleton inserts in some of the exhibits, so have your cameras ready! Along the way, children are likely to learn a whole variety of fun facts about the various sea life on display – like, did you know that sea turtles can live to be more than 80 years old? – and can also be let loose to expend some energy in the Sub Aqua Play Area, with its slides and climbs.
Just remember, the Captain himself is only in the house on select days of the Pirates of the Haunted Seas presentation, at a specially designed station just before the Pacific Ocean tunnel. Those dates are Sept 27 and 28, Oct 4 and 5, 11 and 12, 18 and 19, and 25 and 26, as well as October 31 and November 1 and 2. On those dates, he will appear for half an hour at a time as follows:
- 10.30-11am
- 11.30am-noon
- 1-1.30pm
- 2-2.30pm
- 3-3.30pm
- 4-4.30pm
- And 5-5.30pm.
Here, the Cap’n will happily pose for photographs and exchange pirate banter of the finest kind, making for a unique takeaway from the whole aquarium experience. And it underlines, yet again, that Orlando really is Halloween Central when it comes to all the fun and mirth of this autumn event. Oh, and pirate costumes are also welcome, so feel free to dress up for the occasion. Aaaarrgh!
NB: Read more about Orlando’s Halloween happenings, including at LEGOLAND Florida, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on the AttractionTickets.com blog.
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