Could the Dream Turn the Grump into a Believer? Charleston Update 10/13

Fun Georgia Aquarium pictures!!! I am right there with you about the cost -- the aquarium is super neat, but I just don't know if it is worth the prices they charge for tickets. I didn't realize the dolphins weren't included in the price -- they just recently opened that in the past year or so.

That poor adolescent penguin! Just goes to show it isn't easy being a teenager for any species. :laughing:

Love the dolphins out front! Those are also new.
 
Don and Greg sound like such similar creatures! I think part of the appeal of the Disney vacation for Greg (and me too to a certain level) is the idea of a pay-up-front vacation. Room, dining and entertainment all included then you don't feel like you are constantly pulling out your wallet for more. Except of course for things to bring home...Greg seems to not have an issue with that :lmao:

The aquarium looks nice but wow...$100 bucks for 2 hours :eek: I would have a hard time swallowing that one!
 
Wow, your aquarium pics turned out great :thumbsup2 My camera would never cooperate like that. Although I just got a new one so maybe it will be better. I totally agree with the extra costs. I wouldn't have done them either since it already cost $25 to get in. Sheesh. The penguins are adorable :goodvibes
 
I love, love, love aquariums but $100 and "extras" not included YIKES :eek:

It looks like you guys picked an amazing place/area to stay? I know you said in your pre-TR but what hotel did you stay at?

Can't wait to read about Coke and the game :thumbsup2
 

What a fun day. I love the pictures you took. Amazing. But I agree, $100 for 2 hours is alot.
 
I love aquairiums but that seems like a lot of money for only a couple of hours. The aquairium in Newport, Ky took us over 3 hours to explore & I don't remember, but I don't think it was that expensive.

The penguins are cute but those are feathers, not fur. LOL!
 
Your pictures from the aquarium are really great! I love the seahorse photo! They are such neat creatures.

Glad to hear that Don agreed to go do stuff before your game. I'm like you, I don't want to sit around on vacation.

I agree with you too that the aquarium was overpriced. We went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach and it was the same way. The smaller, local aquariums are pretty reasonable, but those big city ones can break the bank! That's probably one of the things I love most about my Disney vacations... I always feel like I get more than my money's worth from them.
 
Great aquarium pictures! But ouch on the price! I would still probably do it because my kiddos love looking at the fish at the zoo.

Can't wait to hear more!
 
Looks like you had a great time at the aquarium. :thumbsup2 That's horrible about all of the extra charges though...I LOVE dolphins, but like you, I don't think I'd be willing to pay $25 extra a person! :sad2:



Ewwww, jellyfish - these things give me the creeps

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YIKES!!! :scared1: These give me the creeps too!!! Years back, I actually got stung by a jellyfish and I have a hard time even looking at them now.
 
OK, you're really making me want to go to Atlanta now! LOL. I know I would love going to that aquarium. Awesome pictures! That alligator is really creepy. :scared1:
 
I do think it looked like you had a good time but wow it was expensive for only two hours!
Really, once you pay to get in, it should all be included...(my way of thinking)!

We leave for Chicago on Saturday and might go to the aquarium up there. I wonder if we will feel the same way about the cost?:confused:

Anxious to hear all about 125 year of Coke!

I think Disney has us spoiled since we are so used to admission including all the rides and shows!

Have fun in Chicago and eat some deep dish pizza for me :thumbsup2

Fun Georgia Aquarium pictures!!! I am right there with you about the cost -- the aquarium is super neat, but I just don't know if it is worth the prices they charge for tickets. I didn't realize the dolphins weren't included in the price -- they just recently opened that in the past year or so.

That poor adolescent penguin! Just goes to show it isn't easy being a teenager for any species. :laughing:

Love the dolphins out front! Those are also new.

The Aquarium is really well done with lots of nice detail, I am glad we went because we did really enjoy it. I was sad not to see the dolphins, but I had a much better experience with them later in the vacation anyway!

I know, poor penguin - it even looked sad!

I thought the dolphins out front were really fun. The boys favorite was the Altanta Falcons one that was signed by the team.

Don and Greg sound like such similar creatures! I think part of the appeal of the Disney vacation for Greg (and me too to a certain level) is the idea of a pay-up-front vacation. Room, dining and entertainment all included then you don't feel like you are constantly pulling out your wallet for more. Except of course for things to bring home...Greg seems to not have an issue with that :lmao:

The aquarium looks nice but wow...$100 bucks for 2 hours :eek: I would have a hard time swallowing that one!

Yes, while Disney is expensive, at least it's all out there in the open, there aren't a ton of surprise costs once you get there.

The aquarium was nice and I suppose we could have taken longer there, but since it wasn't busy we were able to see everything in a pretty short amount of time. When we went through the last section, I pulled out the map thinking that there had to be more, but nope!

Wow, your aquarium pics turned out great :thumbsup2 My camera would never cooperate like that. Although I just got a new one so maybe it will be better. I totally agree with the extra costs. I wouldn't have done them either since it already cost $25 to get in. Sheesh. The penguins are adorable :goodvibes

My old point and shoot wouldn't have taken good aquarium pictures either, just another reason why I love my DSLR :love:

The penguins were so cute and loved that you could crawl to those bubbles inside the enclosure!

I love, love, love aquariums but $100 and "extras" not included YIKES :eek:

It looks like you guys picked an amazing place/area to stay? I know you said in your pre-TR but what hotel did you stay at?

Can't wait to read about Coke and the game :thumbsup2

I really didn't like that the movie wasn't included in the cost of admission, they could've at least given us that much since they charge such a premium to get in. It was a very nice aquarium though!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown, it was right next door to the park and about 2 blocks away from Georgia Aquarium and World of Coke. And only a few miles away from Turner Field where we were headed later that night. We used points to stay there, otherwise I think it's a little pricey.

What a fun day. I love the pictures you took. Amazing. But I agree, $100 for 2 hours is alot.

It was fun, we really all enjoyed it a lot, we just left with a little bit of bad taste in our mouth because everything wasn't included, and they really do charge a premium price for their product.
 
I love aquairiums but that seems like a lot of money for only a couple of hours. The aquairium in Newport, Ky took us over 3 hours to explore & I don't remember, but I don't think it was that expensive.

The penguins are cute but those are feathers, not fur. LOL!

:lmao: I can't believe I wrote fur! Yes, I know penguins don't have fur, it was late and I was tired and determined to get this update posted - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :laughing: (I fixed it by the way ;) )

Your pictures from the aquarium are really great! I love the seahorse photo! They are such neat creatures.

Glad to hear that Don agreed to go do stuff before your game. I'm like you, I don't want to sit around on vacation.

I agree with you too that the aquarium was overpriced. We went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach and it was the same way. The smaller, local aquariums are pretty reasonable, but those big city ones can break the bank! That's probably one of the things I love most about my Disney vacations... I always feel like I get more than my money's worth from them.

I think the seahorse might be my favorite photo in the bunch - the whole display was so colorful and fun!

I don't know what the heck he thought we were going to do all day? It's not like we were at a resort with a pool side bar or something. I think when he actually thought about it, he realized that he would get bored just sitting around.

We went to the aquarium in Monterey Bay a few years ago and it was expensive too, but it was HUGE! We spent hours in there and still didn't experience it all. I don't remember any extra costs either.

Great aquarium pictures! But ouch on the price! I would still probably do it because my kiddos love looking at the fish at the zoo.

Can't wait to hear more!

I am glad we went, even with the high price, it's a great aquarium!

Looks like you had a great time at the aquarium. :thumbsup2 That's horrible about all of the extra charges though...I LOVE dolphins, but like you, I don't think I'd be willing to pay $25 extra a person! :sad2:



YIKES!!! :scared1: These give me the creeps too!!! Years back, I actually got stung by a jellyfish and I have a hard time even looking at them now.

We did have fun, and I loved how interested in everything the boys were!

I actually didn't even check on the cost to see the dolphin show, the $25 was the cost of admission to the aquarium itself.

Ouch! The stinks that you got stung my a jellyfish! I went to Padre Island in Texas once and the beach was covered with jellyfish - they've creeped me out ever since. Not to mention, you really can't see them in the water until you are right on top of them, then it can be too late!

OK, you're really making me want to go to Atlanta now! LOL. I know I would love going to that aquarium. Awesome pictures! That alligator is really creepy. :scared1:

It's little trips like this that make me understand Don's desire to go places other than Disney, I love going to these places too - I just want to go to Disney too :thumbsup2
 
Subbing! Just got through the first couple pages so far, then noticed where you went to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. We live 2 hours from there, and were actually just talking today about going back there in the next few weeks (after we recover after returning from the Dream, LOL). We have been wanting to go back since they added the Dolphin stuff.

Now, going to get caught up on your TR!!
 
Very cute Minne stuff. She is one of my favorite Disney characters - always such a sweetheart. :)

It's funny the things we take for granted. Having lived in Florida, I thought everyone knew what a horseshoe crab was.

I'll have to go for the rest of my life not personally seeing the undersides of the sharks, as I could never go into one of those tunnels. :scared1:

Glad you got to go to that Aquarium. It's good for kids to see things like that in person, not just in pictures.

I have also been the victim of the sting of a school of jellyfish. It was like hot oil was poured onto my legs and side. I was around 10-11, I think. I don't remember, but I remember it burning. They got a little boy about five, too, and he was screaming. Poor guy!

When you start adding up the prices of doing all of the individual things you do on non-Disney trips, Disney begins to look like a better and better deal. Especially with AP's. ;)
 
All caught up. As many times as we have been to Atlanta, we still have yet to go to the Aquarium or World of Coke. We talk about going every time we go but never seem to make it. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day & really looking forward to hearing about your dolphin experience later in the trip. I am debating shore excursions now for our October cruise. The only thing I want to do in Nassau is a dolphin encounter & I am trying to decide between Atlantis & Blue Lagoon so I am anxious to hear what you thought about yours.
 
Lovely pictures! I really enjoyed my photo tour of the aquarium - thanks - you just saved me $25! :rotfl:

Living on the east coast it is hard for me to believe that you have never seen a horse shoe crab before. Their shells litter the beachs over here. I agree - they are ugly!

I also hate when there are up charges for every little thing. That's why - as expensive as a Disney ticket is - you do get a lot of bang for the buck.

Great update. cute family picture!
 
Lovely pictures! I really enjoyed my photo tour of the aquarium - thanks - you just saved me $25! :rotfl:


:rotfl: Exactly!! :rotfl2: Beautiful pictures and I especially liked the dolphins out front and I imagine they were free to look at!! :laughing:

Love all of your nieces presents!! Cute little sippy cup too :goodvibes

My boss has 3 salt water tanks in his house...one of them with 3 or 4 seahorses and years ago he had a horseshoe crab :eek: Love watching the seahorses :)I also remember seeing the shells out in the wild :rotfl: on the OBX in NC.

Tracy
 
I'm here. I have to go and cut the grass because none of my men are here, but I will be back to read later, Michelle. :goodvibes
 
I am too married to a resister! How come not everyone drinks the WDW kool AId? I live in Atlanta, and my resister HATES the drive down from here to WDW. I don't think I could have convinced him to do a stop-over here and continued driving. I'm contemplating booking my first cruise, so I'm joing in! :thumbsup2
 


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