Three Kings find home at SeaWorld

COMMENTARY

One week into the new year, and we already have a new theme-park offering to check out. For the first few days of January, SeaWorld Orlando is presenting its Three Kings Celebration.

It’s an established part of the Christmas season, particularly in Latin cultures, and the theme park is introducing fresh elements alongside a bit of its standing holiday programming.

Making multiple appearances daily is the Three Kings Processional, which happens outside, in front of the park’s Nautilus Theater. It includes animals, a narrator, a handful of park workers dressed in New Testament-era costuming and, yes, three kings.

It’s fun because camels and llamas aren’t an everyday sight in Orlando. The day I watched the processional, the camel made only a cameo appearance but managed to sniff a baby and a senior citizen before making its exit.

The narrator explains the story of these three kings, who mostly stand and grin in a bemused, royal way. Even when introduced by the storyteller, they just step forward and present their gold, frankincense and myrrh. The narrator also addresses the tradition of gift boxes filled with grass or hay and talks about occasions special to Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Her script is dotted with Spanish phrases — such as “una noche” and “tres reyes” — but it’s easy to keep up with even if you’re monolingual. The entire experience, which builds up to photo ops with the kings, lasts about 10 minutes. What’s the Spanish phrase for “short and sweet”?

Nearby, there is live music, a kids’ craft station for making those boxes and Latin cuisine, including empanadas, bacalaitos (“thin, crispy slated codfish pancakes”) and chicken skewers. Inside Sharks Underwater Grill, limitedtime menu items include roasted pork with onion mojo arroz con gandules, pasteles and fried tostones (plus flan for dessert).

Also available at the Celebration are coquitos (translation: “creamy coconut egg nog and rum”).

Holdovers from SeaWorld’s December include “O Wondrous Night,” an on-stage retelling of the Christmas story told from the perspective on animals — inside Nautilus Theater this time — which goes nicely with the Three Kings theme, and the Sea of Trees, a flashy light show on the lagoon featuring more than 100 trees.

Over on the Festival Pathway, Rudolph’s Christmas Town still stands, and park visitors can go in after 3 p.m. daily. The story of the famed red-nosed reindeer is presented in gigantic storybook form, and there are encounters with walk-around characters including Bumble, Yukon Cornelius, Clarice and Rudolph.

The park’s festive Christmas decor remains in place through Three Kings Celebration, although other holiday offerings such as the figure-skating show are gone. The “One Ocean” killer-whale show has returned to its regular rotation.

Of course, just because there’s a Shamu Stadium splash zone, doesn’t mean you should risk pneumonia by sitting there.

SeaWorld’s Three Kings Celebration runs through Saturday. The cool snap could not have been what organizers hoped for, even if it makes you feel in the season for a change. I’m afraid we’re reduced to thinking warm thoughts. Wrap up before wrapping up the holidays at SeaWorld.