Thursday, October 20th (continued)
There was no way we would be able to squeeze in all the highlights of SeaWorld in one single day, so we had to be selective as to which attractions and shows we saw today, and what would be left for another visit. Since the killer whales really do seem like the “face” of SeaWorld, Lisa thought the kids should see the One Ocean show on their first park day…,,so that’s where we headed next, after a stop for lunch at the Spice Mill [though I apparently failed to note or photograph a single thing that we ate
]. An opportunity for those little legs to sit and indulge in an extended rest after lunch while they enjoyed a show was just what everyone needed during the hot mid-day period
.
We arrived close enough to show time that we didn’t get spectacular seats, but neither were they bad either. Lisa and the two girls chose to sit in the splash zone while Joe, Steve, and I took Johan and sat high enough up to stay dry. The girls thought
they got the better end of the deal because they would get soaked (and cooled off) by the whale splashes while Johan was convinced
he was the winner as Uncle Steve bought a big bag of popcorn and the two of them chowed down for the duration of the show
.
We’ve seen this show many times now, and it never fails to stir the emotions. Such beautiful, graceful creatures and the love between animals and trainers is so easy to see
.
The kids were mesmerized by the both the size and skills of these majestic mammals, and spent the entire show wide-eyed and clapping wildly. Cadence, Alaina and Lisa all ended the show sufficiently wet ….. splash zone, indeed!
With everyone feeling a little more rested and rehydrated (we made everyone have a big drink during the half-hour we were seated in Shamu Stadium….whether they claimed they were thirsty or not…..knowing that it was imperative to keep the fluids replenished on such a warm and sunny day) we proceeded next to Shamu’s Happy Harbor for a little kid-sized fun
.
This was an area where Steve and I had spent limited amounts of time on previous visits, so while we were familiar with the attractions here, we hadn’t really experienced many of them. We turned the reigns over to the little ones to decide what to do first…..this was THEIR area, and their opportunity to call the shots……and they all opted to make a beeline to Ocean Commotion.
Lisa and Steve hopped aboard with Cadence and Alaina, but Johan got cold feet and re-emerged from the line with his daddy to watch the girls take the first ride. All it took, however, was to see the joy on his sisters’ faces on that first ride, and he found his courage and dashed back into the queue to board the boat for the next turn aboard.
Lines were short and crowds minimal, so basically the only wait any of the Happy Harbor rides was just for the current ride to end before we were all loaded up. While they weren’t true walk-ons, per se, they were as close as you could get
.
Swishy Fishies were the next ride of choice. While the swaying of the swing boat was not my style, I was more than happy to join little Alaina in a tea cup for a sea-inspired spin. Plus, I figured I was safe with the littlest one because there was no way she had the strength to spin us fast enough to be out of my comfort zone
.
Since Alaina had convinced Aunt Gina to be her ride partner, Cadence snagged Uncle Steve’s hand and dragged him on too. While we had doubts that Big Steve would fit those long legs and big knees around the center spinner, he managed to wedge himself in
……much to the delight of a very happy niece.
All seven of us hopped aboard one of my personal favourites, the Sea Carousel, for a gentle under-the-sea twirl around. Cadence was initially a bit embarrassed to be on such a “little kid” ride, but Aunt Gina’s enthusiasm convinced her to join us….albeit reluctantly. She had fun in the end, even if she was less than willing to admit it
.
A couple of the rides were closed for a variety of reasons, so we let the three stooges run and play on the massive jungle gym for a bit while we four adults found a spot to sit in the shade. While they would have been more than happy to have spent the balance of their time at SeaWorld in that very spot, Joe and Lisa wanted them to see more of the park before we called it day…..so despite their plaintive pleas for “just a few more minutes!!”, we eventually cajoled them out from the climbing structure, with promises from their parents to return on another day before the end of the vacation. Joe and Lisa had unlimited 14 days passes for their family (thanks to their Discovery Cove booking for later in the week), so a return to Happy Harbor would be easy to facilitate.
While the kids had enjoyed their playtime, we adults had decided to make Mako the next stop of the day. With the low crowds in the park and extreme nature of the coaster, we didn’t expect there to be much of a line, even in the mid-afternoon hours…..and we were right. Joe, Lisa and Steve all headed into the queue (with a 5 minute posted wait time) while I kept the kiddos busy in the gift shop.
We stumbled upon a pressed penny machine which the kids were super interested in. A check of my wallet found a wad of change….much of it quarters and pennies….so we decided to give it a try
. On all of our trips to Orlando, can you believe I had never pressed a penny?
These machines are ADDICTIVE
. Thankfully I had enough quarters and pennies to make sure everyone got their turn at the machine, including yours truly (hey, I couldn’t be left out of the fun either, could I?). Lisa, Joe and Steve easily found us after their ride, as the excited squeals and chatter led them right to us.
I handed the three kids off to their mom, who began digging out all the quarters and pennies she had in HER wallet (yes, I had created a monster with the pressed penny machine…..actually, make that THREE monsters) while Joe and Steve accompanied me back to the photo kiosk to have their ride picture added to our Photokey account.
Rave reviews from Steve, Joe and Lisa on Make, by the way. They adored the thrill, though Joe was apparently certain at more than one point in the ride that he may fall to his death due to the reasonably minimal restraints.
The little ones were all pretty excited to have their own custom shark souvenirs to carry around, and with all of us re-convened after Mako, we explored around the new Shark Encounter area for a bit. There is lots of great information here, and Cadence enjoyed stopping to read the various interactive exhibits to her younger sister and brother.
Next up: more SeaWorld. We were determined to cram as much fun into this day as humanly possible! 
. Of course, your neck of the woods might not be so bad (hopefully that's the case). Did you hear back from your 
.
. This weather is the pits. Oh sunshine, where art thou?!?!? 
. I ended up buying myself a pressed penny book from Aquatica and indulged in a few of my own as our two weeks marched on. I plan to get a few from the other parks as well, especially from Universal on our upcoming spring getaway. As you said, its a very affordable and easy-to-store souvenir. I guess I should actually start a change jar now to set aside my quarters and shiny pennies in preparation for April! 
. 
. And air conditioning 
. We realized right then we were as hot and tired as those kids 
I do enjoy the new Sea Lion show but I think I liked the Pirates Island show more. Although, it could just be the color scheme. I am not a fan of so much yellow. Just doesn't look right to me.
