Double, Double, Toil & Trouble: a Halloween-inspired trip of “two’s” – an October 2016 TR

[mandas08]

So glad you're back and all settled in. Hope you are loving your new place and everything has fell together well for you. I've really missed following along on your adventures. We just returned from our two week get away 2 weeks ago . Reading your report will help my after vacation blues. Your kitties sure have grown! They look like they have adjusted well to the move and are making themselves at home. Cheesecake Factory..yum. I haven't tried anything there that I haven't loved. I want to try everything..that make take a few years...haha. I have a gift card, it might be time to visit soon. Glad you visit at Days went well, I agree that I can handle a place if it is a little outdated as long as it is nice and tidy, I am good to go. Sweet tomatoes is my absolute favorite. We ate there 3 times on our last trip. You cant go wrong with a huge plate of salad and broccoli salad (my favorite thing there) followed by delicious muffins and soup bowl of soft serve ice cream, which is totally justified by the healthy meal..hehe. Cypress Palms looks really nice, I love the water view picture. I actually sat with a similar view at Windsor Hills Resort reading and took a picture to remind myself to live smart now so we can spend our retirement years with a view like that every winter

 

[mmdis]

The carriage ride to see the fort decorations is on my Christmas Disney bucket list. The late night parking at Wyndham bonnet Creek can be really bad also depending on the building. That is such a bummer when you come home from long theme park day.

 

[JaxDad]

Okay Gina, I've lectured you before about eating only "brown food!" I noticed Steve made room for salad, but your only "green food" was the M&M's on your dessert! Or were those Skittles? I know you're living in the US now, but you don't have to eat like us Americans!

As I was reading, I was thinking how much you guys are going to enjoy the Hoop Dee Doo dinner and show on your next trip, then realized you already took your next trip! You have me all confused!

I'm sorry the carriage ride did not work out quite as you hoped. My kids and I took a carriage ride in Central Park in NYC last Summer. It wasn't planned. We just ended up on 59th Street right before sunset after a LONG day of traveling and touring. It was awesome! I enjoyed just riding along, sitting in the relative cool of the park, watching all the people, seeing the light change with the setting sun, AND it was peaceful because my daughter kept the driver busy politely asking her a bunch of questions about the horse!

 

[3cmom]

I'm so happy that you are back! Hope you are getting more settled day by day! Trail's End and Hoop De Doo are on my Disney Bucket list as well! Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[Lynne G]

That's so annoying when there's talk, when you just want to chill and enjoy the ride.

Glad to hear Trail's End was delicious. We will definitely try to get there next time we are in the World. I'm not sure the family wants to go to FLA again, but stranger things sometimes happen.

We enjoyed the Fort when we poked around the barn. Beautiful horses.

 

[pattyw]

Glad you enjoyed Trail's End! We've been there a few times and loved our meal! It is truly a great value at Disney! Never tried the carriage ride but sounds great. We've stayed there and had a golf cart to explore ourselves. I'd like to do the carriage ride and no worries about ruining romance here- my sons will be with us!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We too enjoy Trails End but last trip did HDDR,which we thouroughly enjoyed(despite the hefty price tag) followed by a surprise Christmas Horse and Carriage ride. That was my Christmas present from DH (aided by my dd in booking it for him) which was lovely. We got a lovely Christmas pin and our driver was a lovely lady who was doing a wedding the next day at the Contemporary, driving the white carriage with the white horses. How cute! We had a brilliant night, so appreciate how disappointed you will have been

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yay! Found your report. Glad to hear you are settling in to Michigan life ok!
The kitties are gorgeous

Hey, stranger!! Long time no speak! So glad you've found us and are joining in again for another report .

Thank you for the kind comments on my babies . I swear I fall in love with those two fuzzy faces a little more everyday.

What a shame! I would have felt exactly the same. We aren't unfriendly by any stretch but endless prattle would drive me bonkers. Interestingly enough the only downside to our Fort Wilderness carriage ride a few years ago at Christmases was that our driver kept trying to make us sing Christmas carols, and we didn't want to .

I would NOT have found her annoyance with the horse enjoyable either. That just stinks. The campground and decorations are so fun aren't they? People really go all out.

I was amazed at how elaborate the decorations were for Halloween. For Christmas, I'd kind of expect it...but I never thought that Halloween was such a "decorating" holiday . Awesome to see in person, though....and kudos to all those campers who go to such extensive efforts.

LOL, any carriage driver that encouraged me to sing would be regretting it soon after. I can't carry a tune in a bucket .

So glad you're back and all settled in. Hope you are loving your new place and everything has fell together well for you. I've really missed following along on your adventures. We just returned from our two week get away 2 weeks ago . Reading your report will help my after vacation blues. Your kitties sure have grown! They look like they have adjusted well to the move and are making themselves at home. Cheesecake Factory..yum. I haven't tried anything there that I haven't loved. I want to try everything..that make take a few years...haha. I have a gift card, it might be time to visit soon. Glad you visit at Days went well, I agree that I can handle a place if it is a little outdated as long as it is nice and tidy, I am good to go. Sweet tomatoes is my absolute favorite. We ate there 3 times on our last trip. You cant go wrong with a huge plate of salad and broccoli salad (my favorite thing there) followed by delicious muffins and soup bowl of soft serve ice cream, which is totally justified by the healthy meal..hehe. Cypress Palms looks really nice, I love the water view picture. I actually sat with a similar view at Windsor Hills Resort reading and took a picture to remind myself to live smart now so we can spend our retirement years with a view like that every winter

There's nothing worse than those first few post-vacation weeks......they make you feel like a wrinkly old balloon that lost all of its air. Deflated . I hope you have another trip in the planning stages....that's always good therapy! In the meantime, we'll all keep your spirits up here on my report .
I hear you on the 'living smart' philosophy with an eye on retirement. Life in the north is very motivating that way . My old, arthritic bone will appreciate the warmth of the sunny south when I'm ready to retire!!

The carriage ride to see the fort decorations is on my Christmas Disney bucket list. The late night parking at Wyndham bonnet Creek can be really bad also depending on the building. That is such a bummer when you come home from long theme park day.

The parking was a complete annoyance, and really the only fly in the ointment where our Wyndham stay was concerned. It was shocking, too, since at least 3 of the buildings were out of commission as they were each being refreshed. While some of the spaces were taken up by construction vehicles, they certainly all were not. It left us wondering how bad the parking would be during peak periods where the resort was sold out.

Okay Gina, I've lectured you before about eating only "brown food!" I noticed Steve made room for salad, but your only "green food" was the M&M's on your dessert! Or were those Skittles? I know you're living in the US now, but you don't have to eat like us Americans!

As I was reading, I was thinking how much you guys are going to enjoy the Hoop Dee Doo dinner and show on your next trip, then realized you already took your next trip! You have me all confused!

I'm sorry the carriage ride did not work out quite as you hoped. My kids and I took a carriage ride in Central Park in NYC last Summer. It wasn't planned. We just ended up on 59th Street right before sunset after a LONG day of traveling and touring. It was awesome! I enjoyed just riding along, sitting in the relative cool of the park, watching all the people, seeing the light change with the setting sun, AND it was peaceful because my daughter kept the driver busy politely asking her a bunch of questions about the horse!

Don't worry, two trips later I'm confused as well more often than not!!

Salad on buffets is out for me, because I despise any kind of salad dressing or mayonnaise. I'm not much of a veggie girl, though I set a good example at home and have a vegetable of some description each night at dinnertime. However, on vacation, all bets are off! You're lucky I didn't start with the dessert buffet and forego the main dishes entirely . It was tempting!

Your carriage ride in NYC sounded perfect! We are planning to head to Frankenmuth in a few weeks (as soon as the weather warms up a tad) so I'm hoping to convince Steve to join me in a carriage ride re-do. I may have to pre-interview the driver, though, and see if they suffer from verbal diarrhea before ponying up the $60 fee .

I'm so happy that you are back! Hope you are getting more settled day by day! Trail's End and Hoop De Doo are on my Disney Bucket list as well! Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi there! And aboard!

Definitely keep Trail's End and HDDR on that bucket list....both of them are SO worth it. I can't wait to share my Hoop Dee Doo Revue review when I do my December trip report......it was such a fun night!

That's so annoying when there's talk, when you just want to chill and enjoy the ride.

Glad to hear Trail's End was delicious. We will definitely try to get there next time we are in the World. I'm not sure the family wants to go to FLA again, but stranger things sometimes happen.

We enjoyed the Fort when we poked around the barn. Beautiful horses.

What?!? The kids are sick of Orlando? Say it isn't so! I was hoping for another Dismeet at some point.

Glad you enjoyed Trail's End! We've been there a few times and loved our meal! It is truly a great value at Disney! Never tried the carriage ride but sounds great. We've stayed there and had a golf cart to explore ourselves. I'd like to do the carriage ride and no worries about ruining romance here- my sons will be with us!

The golf cart is another great option......and I think they are similarly priced. We had one pre-booked for December but ended up cancelling it when our friends couldn't join us that night as planned. We'll give that another go on a future trip .

We too enjoy Trails End but last trip did HDDR,which we thouroughly enjoyed(despite the hefty price tag) followed by a surprise Christmas Horse and Carriage ride. That was my Christmas present from DH (aided by my dd in booking it for him) which was lovely. We got a lovely Christmas pin and our driver was a lovely lady who was doing a wedding the next day at the Contemporary, driving the white carriage with the white horses. How cute! We had a brilliant night, so appreciate how disappointed you will have been

I would pay to attend Hoop Dee Doo again and not regret a single cent of the price. It surpassed expectations and was a completely awesome event. I am glad that your carriage ride turned out to be a better experience than ours! I don't want to sound like we hated our ride......it was still fun to do.....but it just could have been SO much better with a different driver. Maybe I'm just growing anti-social in my old age?

 

[DontRushMe]

Ha Gina So Glad you are back to the boards, I have been wondering how you have been adjusting. I really tried to quote you but I just don't know what I am doing! Laughing at the bottle return thingy comments. I haven't read yet but hope to get caught up soon!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 15th

When it comes to park-going, we are big believers that the early bird gets the worm: those first few hours of the morning are generally the quietest, most enjoyable of the day. Lucky for us, we also aren’t the type of people who enjoy sleeping until noon (many years of being pre-programed to awaken at 5:30 am for work has erased any natural tendencies to be lazy or leisurely, even on vacation) so making it to park opening is pretty achievable for us without much effort. After our very restful night’s sleep, we had no problems getting up, showering, and enjoying breakfast and coffee in the villa while still making it to SeaWorld in time to hear the US national anthem and be among the first to walk in the park.

We had a special activity pre-booked for 10:15 am, but that left us with just over an hour to explore and enjoy the park in the interim. I knew Steve was particularly excited about riding Mako for the first time, as it opened just a few weeks after our trip in the spring. Extreme coaster lover that he is, Mako was one of the things he was looking forward to most on this vacation.

While Steve headed off into the queue, I took the time to poke around the entire Sharks-themed area. SeaWorld has done an exceptional job with the theming here, and I was thrilled to see how well it had come together. I found more than enough cool things to capture my attention while I waited for Steve to emerge from the ride……and I especially loved this Mako statue crafted entirely from sea junk.

I was admiring the selection of shark stuffies in the gift shop (telling myself unconvincingly that a grown woman did not need another plush toy) when Steve emerged from the ride exit, grinning from ear to ear.

Obviously, Mako was everything he hoped it would be. He gushed about the height, the speed, the rush, and the fact that he had moments that he thought he’d fly right out of the seat on more than one occasion. I think the minimal restraints, combined with that crazy speed and ridiculous height, actually scared my fearless man more than a little bit. He immediately texted Jake to tell him all about it. He said to me earnestly “the only thing that would have made that better is if I could have share the experience with Jaker”. We miss having our boy along.

We had his ride photo added to our Photokey (we were getting GREAT mileage out of our one year annual photo card) and checked the time. We knew we had to head back to dolphin Cove soon, but surmised there was just enough time for Steve to catch a ride on Manta first. On the way, we happened upon the daily Flamingo Walk and couldn’t help pausing for a few moments to admire these beautiful birds as they strode through the park.

Arriving at Manta, we were happy to see it was still only a ten minute wait…..surprising for a Saturday morning, and on a day where the special Halloween Spooktacular events were scheduled to commence at 12 noon. We had briefly considered purchasing Quick Queue for the day, but so far were glad we had decided against it. Steve felt badly about leaving me alone again while he rode another ride, but I assured him I’d be just fine (and that I didn’t mind waiting while he enjoyed his favourite coaster in all of Orlando). I told him I would meander down and do some shopping at the Emporium (which made him feel infinitely better), but my plans shifted a bit as I arrived at the park entrance. Look who I found!

So, rather than shopping, I visited with Shamu. Ya’ll know I get a lot of joy from the character meet and greets, and with literally no line to do so, it was a golden opportunity. I made it back to Manta just in time to meet Steve as he exited through the gift shop. We had his ride picture put on our card:

…..and then headed directly over to Dolphin Cove.

While we had two days of Discovery Cove scheduled for this vacation, neither of those visits included the dolphin swim. We have swam with the dolphins three times now at DC, so it is no longer a “must do” for us (especially when we’re travelling as a couple). To get our dolphin fix at a much cheaper price (and allow us to try something new that we’ve never done before), we opted to add on the Dolphin Encounter to our first SeaWorld day at the crazy low passmember price of $13.50 per person.

We checked in as directed, presenting the tickets which we picked up at Guest Services on our way into the park (printed paper confirmations for tours and activities pre-booked online must be exchanged for small credit-card style tickets prior to your scheduled event). We were directed to wait in a small line as dark clouds rolled in overhead. Over the course of the early morning, the sparkingly sunshiny day was quickly turning overcast … and as soon as we were settled into line, it began to shower enough to warrant me digging my emergency umbrella (one of those tiny little fold-up ones) out of my purse. Oddly enough, it rained only while we waited for our turn with the dolphins, then the rain stopped …… completely. And, believe it or not, that was the only rain we had for the complete duration of our trip. Mother Nature would smile broadly on us once again, even for the longer 14-day stretch.


The Dolphin Encounter itself was a ton of fun, and well worth the price of the activity. While short in during (approximately 10-15 minutes start to finish), it was long on cool-ness: we had the chance to pet and touch the dolphins several times, and learn a little more about these amazing animals from our very friendly trainer. Our twosome was matched up with another couple, a mom and her young daughter, so our small group had a total of 4 participants. Two different dolphins interacted with us during the encounter, both named after Star Trek? or Star Wars? (I believe they were a mom-and-daughter dolphin pairing)…..each with their own unique personality.

You can tell by our faces that we enjoyed this experience immensely. Photographers were stationed across the dolphin pool and took pictures of each aspect of the encounter, which were available for purchase at a small kiosk after each session. Because we had the annual Photokey, all photos were put on the card for us at no extra charge…..completely unexpected and very much appreciated. It took a little while for the photo staff to sort through the pictures (taking out those of the other participants in our small group) and upload them to the card, but it was more than worth the wait. These were good memories that we were eager to preserve.

By the time we wrapped up with the dolphin photos, it was still not quite 11 am. The day was young and we had so much more to see!

More SeaWorld is coming up.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Ha Gina So Glad you are back to the boards, I have been wondering how you have been adjusting. I really tried to quote you but I just don't know what I am doing! Laughing at the bottle return thingy comments. I haven't read yet but hope to get caught up soon!

Wahoo! You've found us!

I am hoping I can woo you into joining me for a coffee date soon.....I will PM or email you to set something up. In the meantime, it is wonderful having you join in on this thread!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We did that Dolphin Encounter! Best picture ever of the four of us. Great value for that and really well run

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

What a great start to your day at Seaworld. We had the SW/BG/Aquatica pass and went 3 times to SW. We enjoyed, all day dining on Christmas Eve and on your previous recommendation purchased the reserved seating for the Christmas shows which was a perfect way to finish off the night.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Hi Gina!

I am new to your trip reports, but enjoying this one very much so far! We are headed to SeaWorld in June and it seems like this is a great place to learn all I can about it!

 

[Ruthie5671]

I am so, so bummed that your much-anticipated trip was cancelled, especially for such a heart-breaking reason . We had both been praying for your mom, and for you.

You'll have to plan for the carriage ride on your next Disney adventure, whenever that happens to be. You guys deserve a little splurge.

Thank you sweetie. It has been a rough few months. I don't know when - or if - I'll be ready to go back to Disney. There are days that I tell the hubby that I'm ready to call and book but then immediately know that it would not be the same. So we're going back to the beach in May. I'm sorry that your carriage ride wasn't magic and romantic. Nothing worse than a chatter box to take away from the experience.

 

[dcessford]

Thanks for the review of the Dolphin Encounter as we were thinking of doing it when we go to SW at the end of August.Looks like a no brainer to do it to meet some dolphins We wanted to do DC but it didn't fit into our budget to do it as we are only in the area for 4 days before our cruise.

 

[pigletto]

Love your matching shirts. You two are too cute!!
And how adorable is that flamingo walk? How do they even get them to all walk together like that?

 

[scottishgirl1]

Lovely to have you back, I have a few pages to catch up on!! Your kitties are just adorable, keep posting the pictures as well. I have a Birman and British Shorthair and take far too many pictures of them!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We did that Dolphin Encounter! Best picture ever of the four of us. Great value for that and really well run

I wholeheartedly agree. The price is small but the value is huge.

Do we get to see your family photo? (I totally understand if you'd rather not, but I thought I'd ask just in case you didn't mind sharing )

What a great start to your day at Seaworld. We had the SW/BG/Aquatica pass and went 3 times to SW. We enjoyed, all day dining on Christmas Eve and on your previous recommendation purchased the reserved seating for the Christmas shows which was a perfect way to finish off the night.

I am so glad you thought the reserved seating was worth the cost! The reserved seating times didn't work with our Santa's Fireside Feast, so we took a miss on the shows this year.....but we absolutely loved the Fireside Feast and the new Rudolph Christmas Village, so it all worked out well for us too.

We're multi-dayers when it comes to SeaWorld as well. Even after this many visits, we go more than once when we have AP's. It always makes me stop and scratch my head to hear people say there isn't enough there to fill a full day . I think its more the case that most people don't know what all the park offers, and don't make an effort to find out.

Hi Gina!

I am new to your trip reports, but enjoying this one very much so far! We are headed to SeaWorld in June and it seems like this is a great place to learn all I can about it!

Hey there! Thanks for joining in, and a big to the thread!

I hope you'll find lots of good information here about the SeaWorld parks. As the regular posters here are well aware, they are among my favourite places to visit in Orlando. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask away. If I can't help with an answer, I'll bet one of the other good folks here will be happy to chime in too.

Thank you sweetie. It has been a rough few months. I don't know when - or if - I'll be ready to go back to Disney. There are days that I tell the hubby that I'm ready to call and book but then immediately know that it would not be the same. So we're going back to the beach in May. I'm sorry that your carriage ride wasn't magic and romantic. Nothing worse than a chatter box to take away from the experience.

Aw, hugs to you and Tony . Life is never the same after you lose a parent, and it never really rights itself no matter how much time passes (my dad has been gone more than six years, and I still miss him so badly it hurts). I could tell from your posts both here and on Facebook how close you were with your mom.

I think its good that you're taking some time to get emotionally re-settled before you head back to Disney. You'll know when the time is right, and then it will be something you can do to honor her memory rather than just tear a bigger hole in your heart. Hang in there, kiddo. Time doesn't necessarily heal the wounds but it makes one better at coping.

Thanks for the review of the Dolphin Encounter as we were thinking of doing it when we go to SW at the end of August.Looks like a no brainer to do it to meet some dolphins We wanted to do DC but it didn't fit into our budget to do it as we are only in the area for 4 days before our cruise.

I can't say enough positive things about the SeaWorld tours and add-ons. We have now done the VIP tour, Behind-the-Scenes tour, the Wild Arctic tour, and the Dolphin Encounter. Every single one was well worth the cost (well, to be fair, the VIP tour was free [won during the 50th anniversary celebration]) but we have been 100% pleased with the experience each time. And I love that they are all different price points, so there is literally something you can do in any budget .

Love your matching shirts. You two are too cute!!
And how adorable is that flamingo walk? How do they even get them to all walk together like that?

We are such geeks . Actually, we didn't plan to be matchy that day, but we both emerged from getting dressed and laughed that we had picked the same colour shirt.....so we couldn't change them at that point. It was meant to be! And it ended up looking rather nice in the photos, so I guess our oddity worked in our favour after all.

I have no idea how they manage those beautiful birds on their stroll through the park, but my oh my, its a sight to behold. Animals are capable of much more than we give them credit for.

Lovely to have you back, I have a few pages to catch up on!! Your kitties are just adorable, keep posting the pictures as well. I have a Birman and British Shorthair and take far too many pictures of them!!

Thank you @scottishgirl1 ! So glad to have you back!

I hope you'll share a photo or two of your beautiful furbabies. Birmans and British Shorthairs are two stunning breeds!!

In fact, I think we should all offer up a current picture of our furry (or feathered) family members. @Monykalyn must have a new chicken pic for us .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 15th (continued)



After our Dolphin Interaction, we decided to stroll over to Journey to Atlantis so that Steve could get a ride in while the park was still fairly quiet. While it was still pretty peaceful in the park at that time of the day, we surmised that it might be busy in the afternoon once the Spooktacular guests began to arrive for the Halloween festivities.

I love the charm and the tranquility of the Waterfront, and early in the day is when it’s at it’s most peaceful. Someday, I’m going to get a cappuccino from the Cypress Bakery and just sit on one of those benches while I do nothing but soak up the fresh Florida sun and the warm gentle breeze.

Oddly enough, the Christmas trees were already in place for the yet-weeks-away Christmas Celebration. It was odd to see the Christmas decor in the bay while the remainder of the park was all decked out for Halloween.

Journey to Atlantis wasn’t yet busy, and Steve was able to ride with just a five minute wait. I took a quick stroll around the Jewel of the Seas Aquarium to pass the time, and he was through so quickly that his boat had splashed down before I ever emerged from the gift shop. We stopped at the photo kiosk to have his ride picture added to our Photokey, and then decided we would head to the Passmember lounge for some hydration and an early lunch.

Before heading to the Passmember lounge, we chose to pass through the section of the park that was devoted to the Spooktacular events. I was glad we had the chance to spend a little time here taking photos while the area was still virtually deserted, because that afternoon the masses would descend, decked out in their costumes and brimming with trick-or-treat excitement, and picture-taking would become much more difficult.

I have to say, I was super impressed by how well decorated this area was…..the colours and décor were so fun and whimsical. Totally unique with a completely different feel and vibe than either Disney or Universal. And while it felt very young and Halloween-y, it also felt very much “SeaWorld-ish”.





Most of the treat stations were labelled with the various candy sponsors, but this one had to be my absolute favourite. Perhaps we’re both corny, but it made us laugh.

Something about the whole area blended together to bring out the kids in us.

While we were over near Wild Arctic, we had noted that a brand new Shark Touch Tank had been placed there since our last visit. We had enjoyed the opportunity to touch and pet these same small sharks on the Behind-the-Scenes tour with Jake on a prior visit, and were thrilled this was now an experience that was open to all park guests as part of regular admission. The area was large and open, and very well presented. We were (as usual) very impressed with the new feature.

With our stomachs noting that it had been a long stretch since our early-morning breakfast in the villa, and the warm sun making us both exceptionally thirsty, we figured we should head to the Passmember lounge for some hydration and a hearty meal. We passed through the adorable Shamu’s Happy Harbor on the way, noting that we would certainly be spending a few fun hours there later in the week when our two nieces and nephews arrived for their first Florida vacation.

These plant hangers have to be among my favourite, ever. I would happily hag a few outside my front door if I could.

We headed into the Passmember lounge and easily found ourselves a nice, quiet table in the room on the left…..in fact, despite several young families enjoying the amenities in the large, bright room with the glass windows on the right, this side was empty save for ourselves. We helped ourselves to the complimentary beverages from the Coke Freestyle machine, and were soon served by a friendly young woman who capably took our orders and whisked her way off to the kitchen. We enjoyed the opportunity to relax in the coolness of the air conditioning and sample the various Coke Freestyle combinations as we waited for our food to arrive.

It didn’t take very long at all for our meals to be delivered to the table. Steve had ordered the Herb Roasted Turkey Sandwich (“Sliced thin and piled high on a fresh baguette with lettuce, tomato, muenster cheese served with kettle chips”):



I had the Smokehouse Brisket Mac ‘n Cheese:



Both of our choices were winners. The portion sizes were hearty and each entrée tasted great. Prices were reasonable and the fact we could enjoy it with free drinks and in the tranquility of the lounge was just an added bonus. We are rarely disappointed by SeaWorld dining and today was no exception.

Heading back out into the sunshine, we made our way back toward the Waterfront area through Shark Wreck Reef, and we found the Groove Chefs performing for a small crowd. We stopped for a few moments to enjoy their music: they really are quite an entertaining crew.



A little further down, very near to the Spice Mill, we ran into a meet-and-greet opportunity with The Count: one of the special events of the Halloween Spooktacular. Since there was virtually no line, we didn’t mind hopping in for a quick photo op….and thankfully, no one seemed to mind that we didn’t have any little ones in tow.

At that point, we decided we would take care of the last true “must-do” of this day (though we still had plans to enjoy the park beyond that small task…..everything else we happened to squeeze in, however, would just be the icing on the cake). We had a small outstanding issue to resolve from our previous vacation in May, and it was super important to me to take care of it earlier in the trip. I had been waiting, after all for months.

More SeaWorld is coming up next.