Wednesday,November 8, 2000. We went to Seaworld today for the first time. Our TTC driver picked us up promptly at 8:30, and we arrived at Seaworld about 10 minutes before they openned. When we were admitted to the park we discovered that a lot of the exhibits did not open until 10:00, but this was not really a problem as far as the crowds were concerned. We did find this park a little hard to navigate at first, and had to ask directions a couple of times. We went through the tropical fish exhibit, which was made up of a series of small tanks holding various types of fish and seahorses. Then we went to the "terrors of the deep" exhibit, which allows you to see sharks, barricuda, etc. through huge glass windows, then go through a glass corridor on a conveyor belt with the fish swimming all around you. The kids wanted to go through twice, and on the second trip they had turned out the lights which resulted in a "creepier" atmosphere.
By now it was time for the Clyde and Seymour show, which is a trained sea lion/otter/walrus show with actors playing pirates. It is held in a large outdoor stadium, and a white stork decided to fly in and join the show. This distracted the otter, who went the wrong way, but the pirate actors ad libbed beautifully. They were excellent, and we all enjoyed the show.
We also got to see 2 other shows. The first was the famous Shamu show. Interesting to see people going head first through the water at high speed with their feet on a killer whale's head. How do they do that? I think I would drown before they got to the "above the water" part. Of course, the kids wanted to sit in the "get soaked" area and DH and I did not, so we let them sit together while we sat in the upper section. About 3/4 of the way through the show DD#2 had to go to the bathroom, so I brought her and then went back to her seat with her. Well, I guess you know, the tsunami got me good! Be warned, they really mean it when they say you'll get wet!
The other show we went to was Cirque de le Mer, which was an indoor show about a strange Incan dream involving a comedian, acrobats, boxers, a fire baton twirler and dancers. Hard to explain, but it was very good.
We went through the penguin and puffin house where you can walk through or ride by on a conveyor belt and see dozens of various kinds of arctic birds in a natural setting. It was fun to see them swimming under the water. DD#1 found her dream job, which was shovelling snow for the penguins! A teenager was doing that, and it looked like fun.
We took the simulator ride to the Arctic which was a "Star Tours" type of ride on a helicopter which has a lot of close calls before landing. It was as good as the Disney simulator rides. The walk through exhibit at the end was a bit of a disappointment, though, very short, with a look at a polar bear off in the distance, a better look at a Beluga whale, and some walruses.
We rode Journey to Atlantis twice and it was fun, but why do the cars have to go below water level?
I would have enjoyed it more without the pants and shoes full of water, thank you very much! DH and DD#1 did Kracken and the line was not bad at all.
The kids enjoyed petting the stingrays, which they described as touching slimy pancakes, and tried to touch the dolphins, but they didn't come quite close enough.
We visited the Clydesdales at the barn, and got to see the wagon go by. DH grabbed a beer in the welcome house, and I took some nice photos in that area. Many flowers, ponds, etc.
Out TTC driver picked us up about 5:30 - a different driver because our original driver was caught in traffic (hence another tip - live and learn).
My thoughts about Seaworld - we all enjoyed our day there. We wished we could have seen more shows, but like the Disney parks, you can't do it all in a day. It was a nice break from the parks where you have to wait in lines. We only had lines for the rides, and they were very short. A very beautiful and relaxing park. We will probably not go again on out next trip, but will definitely go back some time.
Next Report - Day 6, the Blizzard Beach.
By now it was time for the Clyde and Seymour show, which is a trained sea lion/otter/walrus show with actors playing pirates. It is held in a large outdoor stadium, and a white stork decided to fly in and join the show. This distracted the otter, who went the wrong way, but the pirate actors ad libbed beautifully. They were excellent, and we all enjoyed the show.
We also got to see 2 other shows. The first was the famous Shamu show. Interesting to see people going head first through the water at high speed with their feet on a killer whale's head. How do they do that? I think I would drown before they got to the "above the water" part. Of course, the kids wanted to sit in the "get soaked" area and DH and I did not, so we let them sit together while we sat in the upper section. About 3/4 of the way through the show DD#2 had to go to the bathroom, so I brought her and then went back to her seat with her. Well, I guess you know, the tsunami got me good! Be warned, they really mean it when they say you'll get wet!
The other show we went to was Cirque de le Mer, which was an indoor show about a strange Incan dream involving a comedian, acrobats, boxers, a fire baton twirler and dancers. Hard to explain, but it was very good.
We went through the penguin and puffin house where you can walk through or ride by on a conveyor belt and see dozens of various kinds of arctic birds in a natural setting. It was fun to see them swimming under the water. DD#1 found her dream job, which was shovelling snow for the penguins! A teenager was doing that, and it looked like fun.
We took the simulator ride to the Arctic which was a "Star Tours" type of ride on a helicopter which has a lot of close calls before landing. It was as good as the Disney simulator rides. The walk through exhibit at the end was a bit of a disappointment, though, very short, with a look at a polar bear off in the distance, a better look at a Beluga whale, and some walruses.
We rode Journey to Atlantis twice and it was fun, but why do the cars have to go below water level?
I would have enjoyed it more without the pants and shoes full of water, thank you very much! DH and DD#1 did Kracken and the line was not bad at all.
The kids enjoyed petting the stingrays, which they described as touching slimy pancakes, and tried to touch the dolphins, but they didn't come quite close enough.
We visited the Clydesdales at the barn, and got to see the wagon go by. DH grabbed a beer in the welcome house, and I took some nice photos in that area. Many flowers, ponds, etc.
Out TTC driver picked us up about 5:30 - a different driver because our original driver was caught in traffic (hence another tip - live and learn).
My thoughts about Seaworld - we all enjoyed our day there. We wished we could have seen more shows, but like the Disney parks, you can't do it all in a day. It was a nice break from the parks where you have to wait in lines. We only had lines for the rides, and they were very short. A very beautiful and relaxing park. We will probably not go again on out next trip, but will definitely go back some time.
Next Report - Day 6, the Blizzard Beach.
