Saturday, October 15th (continued)
Some of you might remember from my May 2016 trip report that I got a very special souvenir from SeaWorld, in honour of our 23rd wedding anniversary that I was unbelievably excited about: a ring from Oyster’s Secret. Steve and Jake had chosen the oyster from the pearl divers, and we had the pearl mounted into a lovely setting that I wore with delight. I had always wanted to pick-a-pearl on our trips, so this was a huge bucket list item for me…..and having Jake and Steve both part of the process made the experience, and the ring, very special for me.
You can imagine my dismay, then, when a scant 3 weeks later, the pearl somehow came disengaged from the setting while I was shopping with my mom in
Walmart. Despite following the care instructions to the letter (and being sure to allow the glue to dry for a full 12 hours before wearing), my beautiful pearl was gone. I was heartbroken.
I emailed SeaWorld the following day to let them know what had happened. After a few communications back and forth, they were able to verify the details and date of my original purchase, and offered to remedy the unfortunate situation when we were next in the Orlando area. They told us to stop in to Oyster’s Secret with the undamaged setting and they would have a replacement pearl secured at no cost and with their apologies. So, with a printed copy of that email chain in hand, we headed next to Oyster’s Secret.
While we had fully expected that they would just place a pearl from their stock in the setting, when we arrived and the manager reviewed the details of the email discussion, they offered us the option of a pearl from their stock (which would guarantee a specific size and colour) or for us to pick another oyster and have whatever pearl was inside. Since picking the pearl gave the ring a certain “special-ness” versus a piece of jewelry purchased in a store, we were happy to take them up on their offer to pick another oyster and they sent us outside to the person at the oyster kiosk. Unfortunately, the divers were not diving on that particular day (surprising, when the park was forecast to be busy that afternoon due to the influx of visitors for the Spooktacular events) but not entirely shocking when we knew that Seaworld continue to suffer rounds of cost-cutting measures to mitigate declining attendance.
A very fun-loving and colourful fellow was running the pick-an-oyster station outside Oyster’s Secret, and while there was no line as we approached, a small crowd soon gathered to watch Steve select the oyster that contained the pearl which would give new life to my empty setting. He picked the oyster from the assortment available, the host went through the elaborate opening ceremony, measured the treasure found inside (a lovely, creamy 7 mm white pearl) and sent us back inside the store.
True to their promise, they had my ring back to its original glory within a very short time……along with the assurance that they had taken extra steps to ensure it was secured in such a way that history would not repeat itself. While I could not wear the ring right away (to allow time for the glue to properly set….and under the circumstances, I would not be cutting any corners where that was concerned) it made me happy just to have the ring and pearl safely tucked away in a little pocket of my purse. I could not wait to slip it on my finger the following morning.
From Oyster’s Secret, we opted to head back to Shark Wreck Reef and take a stroll through Shark Encounter. I offered for Steve to hop on Mako for another round of thrills (since the wait was still under 10 minutes) but he declined, saying he just wanted to spend the remainder of the day enjoying holding his wife’s hand and soaking up the atmosphere at one of our favourite theme parks. So, hand in hand, we headed in to Shark Encounter to enjoy one of our favourite animal exhibits.
Now after 12 o’clock, crowds had increased sufficiently that it was busy enough inside Shark Encounter that I took few photos on this visit. Those that I did take weren’t of great quality, as I was busy trying to ensure my pausing to capture a shot didn’t render me run over the folks behind me.
We did, however, stop at the Photokey station inside Shark Encounter for the magic shots on the green screen. These were again free with our annual photo key, so with no busy itinerary to adhere to, we figured, why not?
After Sharks, we headed around toward Shamu’s Happy Harbor as we wanted to take in the Spooktacular events now that the clock had wound its way past noon. The area was abuzz with children and parents in adorably colourful costumes holding treat bags and dashing from station to station.
A plethora of characters in bright costumes themed to whimsical “under the sea” creatures were milling about through the crowd, each genuinely delighting in personal interaction with guests. It was a real pleasure to just stand back and watch the fun: the characters were cracking jokes, seamlessly moving among the excitable crowd, and creating a wonderful atmosphere of childlike quirkiness.
Bubbles quietly burst forth from the lamp posts and the sound of squeals and laughter were everywhere.
For these northerners (for whom Halloween embodies cold weather and heavy costumes), the 85 degree afternoon felt as far from autumn-like as you could get. Yet, even taking a pass on the trick-or-treating (though we would have been welcome to join in, costumes or no costumes, even without a child in tow….like at Disney, treat bags were distribute to all guests at each end of the Halloween pathway), it was hard not to be drawn into the whimsy and delight of the light-hearted festivities.
After having enough of the Halloween Spooktacular, the heat and searing effects of the mid-afternoon sun nudged us skillfully toward a cool spot for a refreshing treat:
We had been doing a lot of walking since early that morning and taken a pass on any kind of dessert at lunch time, so we rationalized that we had exercised enough to enjoy some ice cream without guilt. As we approached, however, our eyes were drawn to this photo:
…..so we knew we’d have to try it. As big fans of Disney’s infamous Dole Whips, this looked simply amazing!
The staff had a ton of fun preparing this little gem: a whoop of delight went up from behind the counter and they all went to work on whipping up the massive final product with the biggest smiles on their faces.
We got the distinct feeling that most guests don’t order such a large and expensive item (though we failed to see it as expensive when it easily fed two and was under $10 with our passmember discount). As we carried our Pineapple Twist to a vacant table, a few of the other patrons in the restaurant also stopped by to admire the work of art and ask us the cost.
It was easily as tasty at Disney’s Dole Whip, but the presentation was out of this world. Even the pineapple was deliciously sweet and juicy, though it grew harder to scrape off and eat as the pineapple twist soft serve caused the fruit to freeze. AS we tirelessly worked our way toward what felt like a bottomless pit of pineapple deliciousness, I remarked about how indulgent such a lavish snack felt. Steve just looked at me and said “We had no choice but to order it. Your trip report readers deserve something new each vacation!”

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The balance of day 1 at SeaWorld is next.