Theme Park Insider

2010 Best Theme Park Attraction nominee: SeaWorld San Diego's Cirque de la Mer

By Robert Niles
Published: January 28, 2010 at 8:44 PM
SeaWorld San Diego's Cirque de la Mer joins the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament as the ninth seed in the Best Live show bracket.

SeaWorld San Diego's Cirque de la Mer

Hey, that name sounds familiar! Well, it's SeaWorld's take on the famous Cirque du Soleil ("circus of the sun"); this "circus of the sea" features clowns, acrobats and watercraft stunts in an abstract show that plays each summer in the waterfront stadium on San Diego's Mission Bay. As with Cirque du Soleil shows, the pace of Cirque de la Mer varies from frenzied to measured and elegant. TPI Kid Natalie summed it up more simply, however: "That's so good, it's freaky!"

Personally, I like Cirque de la Mer because it features the best ongoing "audience volunteer" gag ever.

And by "best," I mean, of course, "just unspeakably cruel." :-)

Here's an excerpt. The guy in the life-jacket was just selected from the audience and brought onto the JetSki:

You can watch the rest of the show here. For what it's worth, I haven't gotten an on-the-record confirmation of it, but the "volunteer" has gotta be a plant.

East coast theme park fans, please don't be confused. A show with same name played for a few years in Orlando's SeaWorld park, but it was nothing like the San Diego show. Orlando's Cirque de la Mer played in an indoor theater and offered nowhere near the grand scope of San Diego's show.

What's your take on Cirque de la Mer? How far can it go in this year's tournament? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Readers' Opinions

From Anthony Murphy on January 28, 2010 at 9:03 PM
Cool

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

More Theme Park News

Previous article: A new, 3D view of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

January 2010 Archive


"A must read for any Disney fan!" Stories from a Theme Park Insider
"Stories from a Theme Park Insider" includes 40 stories about life working at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in a feel-good book any theme park fan will love. Download a sample from Amazon.com or Apple's iBooks today!

Search Theme Park Insider

News, Video and Live Updates

Facebook YouTube Twitter RSS Newsfeed E-mail Newsletter Google Plus

Reader Reviews, by Theme Park

United States Top 10 *

International parks

Readers' Top Themed Rides

Top Roller Coasters

Top Live Shows

Top Movies/Animated Shows

Theme Park Reviews, Features, Advice

Theme Park News Archive

2012

Jan. Feb.

2011

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2010

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2009

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2008

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2007

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2006

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2005

Dec.

2004-2005

Staff column archive