Chim Chiminy
stale marshmallows sting when they hit you
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2003
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- 1,861
Day two--trip to Seaworld
Cast--Liz(me), Jason(DH), Neth(DS10), Brenne(DD4)
August 14 Thursday
Today we have planned to go to Seaworld. Anhueser Busch is offering one days free admission to all active military and their immediate families at several of their theme parks. So, we decided on Seaworld. Kind of a take-it-easy type of day to ease us into the hustle and bustle of Orlando. We wake up around 9am and get everyone ready. I tell Jas we should go ahead and buy our WDW tickets at the Shades of Green office now, since tomorrow morning we will be rushing (more on that later!). We head up to the third floor where they are set up in two different rooms. (SOG hotel is undergoing construction, so they struck a deal with Disney and moved over to the Contemporary resort. They can offer rooms to military at SOG rates) We buy our Annual Passes, which Jason almost has a heart attack over the price. I once again explain to him how in the long run it will save us money on admission since we are coming back again before the year is over......
We walk on over to the Magic Kingdom to exchange the ticket vouchers for actual ticket media, again to save time tomorrow morning. The kids want to go on in, but we have to say no. It is tempting though! The train pulls into Main Street Station while we are there.
It is around 11:30 and we hop in the van to head to Seaworld. It is very hot and muggy out! The drive to Seaworld is quick, maybe fifteen minutes. We pay for parking and follow the other cars into the parking lot. And the skies open up. It starts pouring! And of course, our parking space is at the end of the parking row. Fortunately, the lot isn't really crowded and we are otherwise close to the entrance. Like those around us, we decide to sit in the van until it lets up. Once it starts sprinkling, we don our "saran wrap"like ponchos and head out. Brenne looks like she is in a plastic bubble. The kids skip through the puddles......Seaworld has a nice seperate ticket window for military to pick up their tickets. Jason shows his ID, fills out a brief form, and we have our tickets.
I quickly pass my bag through security and we are in. We head for the sea turtle area. They are fun to watch, massive creatures, although I don't think I got a good pic of them. Jason takes the kids over to Stingray Lagoon, the stingray petting area. When I join them, Neth is trying hard to reach far enough into the pool to touch one. They swim right up to you, as though they like the attention. And they feel like giant, velvety portabello mushrooms. I almost dropped the digi cam and the video cam in the pool, trying to touch and record at the same time! Neth finally did touch one. Brenne looked from a distance. They had a baby stingray pool that was seperate, the babies were so cute.
From here we walk around the corner to Dolphin Cove. It is packed over here. There is an overlook that is empty, so we climb up there. The dolphins are eating up the attention, as well as the fish people are feeding them. They are doing flips, spinning in the water, splashing onlookers. Just really being playful. Brenne wants to touch one, so we head down to the encounter area. Jason manages to squeeze into a space and picks Brenne up so she can see. We have three dolphins in front of us swimming and splashing, really having a good time. Brenne loves it. Neth wants in a little closer too. He pushes in. The girl next to him is feeding fish to the dolphins and they show off, vying for the attention. Beautiful, powerful creatures. The kids go wash their hands and we go into the underwater viewing area. It is nice how Seaworld has it set up so you can see what goes on underwater. They even pipe in the sounds that the dolphins are hearing, including the dolphins themselves.
From here, we go over to the manatee exhibit Manatees:The Last Generation? It is starting to rain again. There is an outdoor viewing area and we can see a baby manatee with its mother. The baby is gnawing on a piece of wood. They are such gentle creatures, Brenne likes that they are also called sea cows. We go inside. There is a brief movie detailing the life of a manatee and why they are endangered. Then you enter an underwater viewing area. There must be fifteen manatees in this tank. There are also other fish swimming around. The manatee gently float along. Jason of course spots bubbles emerging from the rear of one and cracks up. He has to share his discovery with the kids. Yes folks, the entire rest of the trip will include other such discoveries from my husband. Manatee farts are destined to be the highlight of his day.
We point out the baby to some other people who are watching them as closely as we are.
When we emerge the sun is shining again. We are near the entrances to Journey to Atlantis and Kraken, Seaworlds new foray into thrill rides. The kids are tall enough for Atlantis, but Brenne doesn't want to go on. It is a combination water ride and roller coaster. Neth and I got in line, 15 minute wait. The storyline is barely there. In fact, Jas and I were both confused. The animatronics are nowhere near Disneys. It is an okay ride, kind of cool how it switches from a boat/flume to a coaster after you get soaked. But again, I couldn't get over the lack of story and theming. Neth was scared the first time through and I had to keep telling him to open his eyes and point things out to him. Once we were done, we met up with Jas and Brenne in the gift shop. I tell him the coaster part isn't so bad (Jas doesn't like coasters) so he takes Neth back on. Brenne and I stay inside, the gift shop has an aquarium off the side that is more enjoyable than the ride. Very well done. Themed to look like the city of Atlantis, underwater. There are five seperate tanks in the walls with different creatures. Brenne discovered two different types of jellyfish. The jellyfish tanks are lit in a way that the jellys seem to glow. The room is round, and in the middle the floor is glass with fish swimming in and out of ruins. The ceiling is glass as well, with more fish. Brenne doesn't want to go, but we go outside to see if Jas and Neth have come down the flume yet. After a few false starts, I catch them on video. Brenne and I go back inside to wait for them. They emerge from the ride and Brenne wants to take Bubby to see the fish. He doesn't want to walk across the glass floor though.
We walk over to the Penguin Encounter. They have puffins too. I love puffins. So cute. This exhibit, you actually step onto a conveyor belt that takes you slowly past the habitat. The penguins were sliding and diving, strutting around.
From here we go over to Pacific Point Preserve. This area has sea lions in an open air water area with rocks and cliffs. For a few dollars you can buy fish to feed them, so Jason took the kids to buy some. While I waited, a sea lion in front of me was talking and begging for fish, splashing the water and flipping around. There were some babies on an outcropping of rocks that were so cute. We walked around to a less crowded area, and there was a sea lion that had climbed up the pier deckings. He was just hanging there a few feet below the people with his mouth open. We decided he was the smart one. The kids began dropping their fish into the waiting mouths below, getting approving squeals and splashes in return. Jason dropped one into the mouth of our "Rhodes Scholar". He barked back. Then Jason thought it would be funny for the camera to dangle a fish above his own mouth. Just as he is laughing at his own cleverness, herring a few inches from his lips, a seagull swooped down over his head and snatched the fish out of his hand. The look on Jason's face is priceless! The shock!!!! I was laughing so hard, thank goodness I caught that on camera. They finished up feeding the sea lions, washed their hands and we walked on.
The Shark Encounter is nearby, so we walk over to it. First you enter an aquarium full of dangerous fish. Barracuda, puffer fish, eel. You walk through the tank, it surrounds you on all sides, including above. Neth is fascinated by the eel. He stands and watches until they come out of hiding. They have moray, green, spotted and purple mouth eel. Neth is counting them, 1,2,3,4,5.......He really enjoys this. They hide in the rocks and coral, waiting. Then, it is on to the sharks. The same kind of tank. They are swimming above and around you. Hammerheads, sand, sharks everywhere. Neth seems a bit nervous, but fascinated. They swim within inches of you it seems. Brenne enjoys this too.
There is a dive cage in the tank with two divers in it feeding the sharks. People are oohing and aahing over this. When you exit, they have an example piece of the plexiglass used for the tank. It is three inches thick.
Finally it is time for Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island. This is a sea lion and otter show. For the pre show there is a mime in front of the audience as it is seating. He was very entertaining. He also ****** off one guy, because he was mocking the way he walked. Very funny. Even Jas thought this was good.
The show itself is good. In it the bad pirate tries to steal some treasure, but Clyde and his human friend thwart his plans. It had some very funny moments. Kids enjoyed this.
After this we decided that the shamu show would be our last. The kids were getting tired. We walked around to Shamu Stadium for the Shamu Adventure. Jas and the kids got very good seats for us, eleven rows from the front. I joined them (I had gotten a refill) and the show soon started. They show an introductory film starring Jack Hanna. Then the whales come into the stadium. Neth was watching intently. It must be so thrilling to be a trainer, so close to these magnificant creatures. I filmed a lot of this show. They splashed the audience quite a bit. The show is both funny and educational, the kids loved it. They also have underwater cameras so you don't miss any of the action.
After this, the kids decided they were done. It was around 6:30, we had done most of Seaworld in six hours. We really only skipped four or five things.
We headed down International Drive in search of a restaurant. Everyone was hungry. I wanted to eat at a place called Cafe TuTu Tango, I had heard great things about it and it was reasonably priced. Before we found it though, we pulled into Bahama Breeze. This is from the same people who bring you Olive Garden and Red Lobster.
We were seated right away. It has a fun atmosphere, tropical, Bahamian. An open kitchen. We order the Cuban bread as an appetizer. MMMMMM good! This is a thick bread, like french bread, sliced in two. Topped with olive oil, spices, tomato slices, and a cheese similar to romano then broiled. Neth and Jas practically inhaled it. Brenne ordered a cheese pizza, which you can watch being handmade at a pizza station in the restaurant. Neth ordered coconut prawns off the appetizer menu. He peeled the coconut off?.......Jason had Cuban Salmon and Rice. Very good. I ordered Black Bean Soup, yummy, not too spicy with a smoky flavor, and Cuban Grilled Salmon Tostada. This was excellent. The tostada was thick, crisp, homemade. Then mashed black beans, topped with cheese, field greens, sliced avacado, spiced grilled salmon, drizzled with aoli. Very rich, very good. I could only eat about half of it. This is definately a place to share meals at. We loved the relaxed atmosphere, had great service, and the food was excellent. Will eat here again!
We were back at the resort around 8:30. The kids wanted to go swimming, so we suited up and headed out. First into the small pool. Disney pools are heated, so you don't get that shock! upon entering the water. I loved swimming in the pool overlooking the lake.
Brenne and Neth decided they wanted to go into the big pool, so we walked over. I got in and had to convince Brenne that she could touch the bottom. We swam for awhile, then hopped into the hot tub. The jets are strong! They were pushing us off the bench. After a few minutes we got back in the pool, hard to do after the hot tub. It took a few minutes to acclimate. Neth decided to try the slide. He had never been down such a big water slide before. He loved it. That is all he wanted to do the rest of the night. I have to say here too that the lifeguards are excellent. I had occasion to talk to a few of them here, and they take their jobs very seriously.
Jason went down the slide as well. Around 9:45, I asked Brenne if she wanted to get out and watch the fireworks. She did, so we toweled off and put on cover ups. Neth and Jas wanted to keep swimming. Brenne and I walked down to the end of the pier. On our way we saw a mommy duck with her baby. Brenne also made a new friend, with a little girl who had the same swimsuit and sandels. They walked down together.....chatting. At the end of the pier, the little girls dad and grandparents asked where we were from. When I said "A little place called Hazleton, PA." I got a big "NO WAY!!!" Turns out they are from Allentown (about an hour from here) and have family in Hazleton. We talked about driving vs. flying (they flew), the area, the military. When the little girl got cranky, her mom took her back to her room to bed, but we kept on talking.
Then we heard the music from Magic Kingdom start up. We all turned toward MK to watch the fireworks, which once again were beautiful when viewed from the water. People applauded again when they were over. Then we all turned the other way back to the lake to wait for the Electrical Water Pageant. Brenne loves this. They have boats that go out completely dark, then one by one they light up with moving creatures, each one set to a different Disney tune (done on a Moog synthesizer!). It is pure Disney fun. Once King Triton appears, they all go dark and relight together as American flags and stars, to the music of "You're a Grand Old FLag."
Jas and Neth joined us on the pier and we walked back together. They had hopped out of the pool and caught the fireworks. We watched the mommy and baby duck for awhile, then went inside the tower. We went to the Food and Fun center and everyone chose a before bed snack. Mickey bars (and a Mickey rice crispie for me!).
Off to bed.........Tomorrow...the big surprise!
Cast--Liz(me), Jason(DH), Neth(DS10), Brenne(DD4)
August 14 Thursday
Today we have planned to go to Seaworld. Anhueser Busch is offering one days free admission to all active military and their immediate families at several of their theme parks. So, we decided on Seaworld. Kind of a take-it-easy type of day to ease us into the hustle and bustle of Orlando. We wake up around 9am and get everyone ready. I tell Jas we should go ahead and buy our WDW tickets at the Shades of Green office now, since tomorrow morning we will be rushing (more on that later!). We head up to the third floor where they are set up in two different rooms. (SOG hotel is undergoing construction, so they struck a deal with Disney and moved over to the Contemporary resort. They can offer rooms to military at SOG rates) We buy our Annual Passes, which Jason almost has a heart attack over the price. I once again explain to him how in the long run it will save us money on admission since we are coming back again before the year is over......
We walk on over to the Magic Kingdom to exchange the ticket vouchers for actual ticket media, again to save time tomorrow morning. The kids want to go on in, but we have to say no. It is tempting though! The train pulls into Main Street Station while we are there.
It is around 11:30 and we hop in the van to head to Seaworld. It is very hot and muggy out! The drive to Seaworld is quick, maybe fifteen minutes. We pay for parking and follow the other cars into the parking lot. And the skies open up. It starts pouring! And of course, our parking space is at the end of the parking row. Fortunately, the lot isn't really crowded and we are otherwise close to the entrance. Like those around us, we decide to sit in the van until it lets up. Once it starts sprinkling, we don our "saran wrap"like ponchos and head out. Brenne looks like she is in a plastic bubble. The kids skip through the puddles......Seaworld has a nice seperate ticket window for military to pick up their tickets. Jason shows his ID, fills out a brief form, and we have our tickets.
I quickly pass my bag through security and we are in. We head for the sea turtle area. They are fun to watch, massive creatures, although I don't think I got a good pic of them. Jason takes the kids over to Stingray Lagoon, the stingray petting area. When I join them, Neth is trying hard to reach far enough into the pool to touch one. They swim right up to you, as though they like the attention. And they feel like giant, velvety portabello mushrooms. I almost dropped the digi cam and the video cam in the pool, trying to touch and record at the same time! Neth finally did touch one. Brenne looked from a distance. They had a baby stingray pool that was seperate, the babies were so cute.
From here we walk around the corner to Dolphin Cove. It is packed over here. There is an overlook that is empty, so we climb up there. The dolphins are eating up the attention, as well as the fish people are feeding them. They are doing flips, spinning in the water, splashing onlookers. Just really being playful. Brenne wants to touch one, so we head down to the encounter area. Jason manages to squeeze into a space and picks Brenne up so she can see. We have three dolphins in front of us swimming and splashing, really having a good time. Brenne loves it. Neth wants in a little closer too. He pushes in. The girl next to him is feeding fish to the dolphins and they show off, vying for the attention. Beautiful, powerful creatures. The kids go wash their hands and we go into the underwater viewing area. It is nice how Seaworld has it set up so you can see what goes on underwater. They even pipe in the sounds that the dolphins are hearing, including the dolphins themselves.
From here, we go over to the manatee exhibit Manatees:The Last Generation? It is starting to rain again. There is an outdoor viewing area and we can see a baby manatee with its mother. The baby is gnawing on a piece of wood. They are such gentle creatures, Brenne likes that they are also called sea cows. We go inside. There is a brief movie detailing the life of a manatee and why they are endangered. Then you enter an underwater viewing area. There must be fifteen manatees in this tank. There are also other fish swimming around. The manatee gently float along. Jason of course spots bubbles emerging from the rear of one and cracks up. He has to share his discovery with the kids. Yes folks, the entire rest of the trip will include other such discoveries from my husband. Manatee farts are destined to be the highlight of his day.
We point out the baby to some other people who are watching them as closely as we are.
When we emerge the sun is shining again. We are near the entrances to Journey to Atlantis and Kraken, Seaworlds new foray into thrill rides. The kids are tall enough for Atlantis, but Brenne doesn't want to go on. It is a combination water ride and roller coaster. Neth and I got in line, 15 minute wait. The storyline is barely there. In fact, Jas and I were both confused. The animatronics are nowhere near Disneys. It is an okay ride, kind of cool how it switches from a boat/flume to a coaster after you get soaked. But again, I couldn't get over the lack of story and theming. Neth was scared the first time through and I had to keep telling him to open his eyes and point things out to him. Once we were done, we met up with Jas and Brenne in the gift shop. I tell him the coaster part isn't so bad (Jas doesn't like coasters) so he takes Neth back on. Brenne and I stay inside, the gift shop has an aquarium off the side that is more enjoyable than the ride. Very well done. Themed to look like the city of Atlantis, underwater. There are five seperate tanks in the walls with different creatures. Brenne discovered two different types of jellyfish. The jellyfish tanks are lit in a way that the jellys seem to glow. The room is round, and in the middle the floor is glass with fish swimming in and out of ruins. The ceiling is glass as well, with more fish. Brenne doesn't want to go, but we go outside to see if Jas and Neth have come down the flume yet. After a few false starts, I catch them on video. Brenne and I go back inside to wait for them. They emerge from the ride and Brenne wants to take Bubby to see the fish. He doesn't want to walk across the glass floor though.
We walk over to the Penguin Encounter. They have puffins too. I love puffins. So cute. This exhibit, you actually step onto a conveyor belt that takes you slowly past the habitat. The penguins were sliding and diving, strutting around.
From here we go over to Pacific Point Preserve. This area has sea lions in an open air water area with rocks and cliffs. For a few dollars you can buy fish to feed them, so Jason took the kids to buy some. While I waited, a sea lion in front of me was talking and begging for fish, splashing the water and flipping around. There were some babies on an outcropping of rocks that were so cute. We walked around to a less crowded area, and there was a sea lion that had climbed up the pier deckings. He was just hanging there a few feet below the people with his mouth open. We decided he was the smart one. The kids began dropping their fish into the waiting mouths below, getting approving squeals and splashes in return. Jason dropped one into the mouth of our "Rhodes Scholar". He barked back. Then Jason thought it would be funny for the camera to dangle a fish above his own mouth. Just as he is laughing at his own cleverness, herring a few inches from his lips, a seagull swooped down over his head and snatched the fish out of his hand. The look on Jason's face is priceless! The shock!!!! I was laughing so hard, thank goodness I caught that on camera. They finished up feeding the sea lions, washed their hands and we walked on.
The Shark Encounter is nearby, so we walk over to it. First you enter an aquarium full of dangerous fish. Barracuda, puffer fish, eel. You walk through the tank, it surrounds you on all sides, including above. Neth is fascinated by the eel. He stands and watches until they come out of hiding. They have moray, green, spotted and purple mouth eel. Neth is counting them, 1,2,3,4,5.......He really enjoys this. They hide in the rocks and coral, waiting. Then, it is on to the sharks. The same kind of tank. They are swimming above and around you. Hammerheads, sand, sharks everywhere. Neth seems a bit nervous, but fascinated. They swim within inches of you it seems. Brenne enjoys this too.
There is a dive cage in the tank with two divers in it feeding the sharks. People are oohing and aahing over this. When you exit, they have an example piece of the plexiglass used for the tank. It is three inches thick.
Finally it is time for Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island. This is a sea lion and otter show. For the pre show there is a mime in front of the audience as it is seating. He was very entertaining. He also ****** off one guy, because he was mocking the way he walked. Very funny. Even Jas thought this was good.
The show itself is good. In it the bad pirate tries to steal some treasure, but Clyde and his human friend thwart his plans. It had some very funny moments. Kids enjoyed this.
After this we decided that the shamu show would be our last. The kids were getting tired. We walked around to Shamu Stadium for the Shamu Adventure. Jas and the kids got very good seats for us, eleven rows from the front. I joined them (I had gotten a refill) and the show soon started. They show an introductory film starring Jack Hanna. Then the whales come into the stadium. Neth was watching intently. It must be so thrilling to be a trainer, so close to these magnificant creatures. I filmed a lot of this show. They splashed the audience quite a bit. The show is both funny and educational, the kids loved it. They also have underwater cameras so you don't miss any of the action.
After this, the kids decided they were done. It was around 6:30, we had done most of Seaworld in six hours. We really only skipped four or five things.
We headed down International Drive in search of a restaurant. Everyone was hungry. I wanted to eat at a place called Cafe TuTu Tango, I had heard great things about it and it was reasonably priced. Before we found it though, we pulled into Bahama Breeze. This is from the same people who bring you Olive Garden and Red Lobster.
We were seated right away. It has a fun atmosphere, tropical, Bahamian. An open kitchen. We order the Cuban bread as an appetizer. MMMMMM good! This is a thick bread, like french bread, sliced in two. Topped with olive oil, spices, tomato slices, and a cheese similar to romano then broiled. Neth and Jas practically inhaled it. Brenne ordered a cheese pizza, which you can watch being handmade at a pizza station in the restaurant. Neth ordered coconut prawns off the appetizer menu. He peeled the coconut off?.......Jason had Cuban Salmon and Rice. Very good. I ordered Black Bean Soup, yummy, not too spicy with a smoky flavor, and Cuban Grilled Salmon Tostada. This was excellent. The tostada was thick, crisp, homemade. Then mashed black beans, topped with cheese, field greens, sliced avacado, spiced grilled salmon, drizzled with aoli. Very rich, very good. I could only eat about half of it. This is definately a place to share meals at. We loved the relaxed atmosphere, had great service, and the food was excellent. Will eat here again!
We were back at the resort around 8:30. The kids wanted to go swimming, so we suited up and headed out. First into the small pool. Disney pools are heated, so you don't get that shock! upon entering the water. I loved swimming in the pool overlooking the lake.
Brenne and Neth decided they wanted to go into the big pool, so we walked over. I got in and had to convince Brenne that she could touch the bottom. We swam for awhile, then hopped into the hot tub. The jets are strong! They were pushing us off the bench. After a few minutes we got back in the pool, hard to do after the hot tub. It took a few minutes to acclimate. Neth decided to try the slide. He had never been down such a big water slide before. He loved it. That is all he wanted to do the rest of the night. I have to say here too that the lifeguards are excellent. I had occasion to talk to a few of them here, and they take their jobs very seriously.
Jason went down the slide as well. Around 9:45, I asked Brenne if she wanted to get out and watch the fireworks. She did, so we toweled off and put on cover ups. Neth and Jas wanted to keep swimming. Brenne and I walked down to the end of the pier. On our way we saw a mommy duck with her baby. Brenne also made a new friend, with a little girl who had the same swimsuit and sandels. They walked down together.....chatting. At the end of the pier, the little girls dad and grandparents asked where we were from. When I said "A little place called Hazleton, PA." I got a big "NO WAY!!!" Turns out they are from Allentown (about an hour from here) and have family in Hazleton. We talked about driving vs. flying (they flew), the area, the military. When the little girl got cranky, her mom took her back to her room to bed, but we kept on talking.
Then we heard the music from Magic Kingdom start up. We all turned toward MK to watch the fireworks, which once again were beautiful when viewed from the water. People applauded again when they were over. Then we all turned the other way back to the lake to wait for the Electrical Water Pageant. Brenne loves this. They have boats that go out completely dark, then one by one they light up with moving creatures, each one set to a different Disney tune (done on a Moog synthesizer!). It is pure Disney fun. Once King Triton appears, they all go dark and relight together as American flags and stars, to the music of "You're a Grand Old FLag."
Jas and Neth joined us on the pier and we walked back together. They had hopped out of the pool and caught the fireworks. We watched the mommy and baby duck for awhile, then went inside the tower. We went to the Food and Fun center and everyone chose a before bed snack. Mickey bars (and a Mickey rice crispie for me!).
Off to bed.........Tomorrow...the big surprise!
