Has anyone experienced the POLAR EXPEDITION tour at SW?

[jiggerj]

My ds (7) LOVES Penguins, so I signed us up for the tour this upcoming May trip.

Polar Expedition

I was hoping for some feedback from those of you that have taken this before???

TIA!

 

[packetminnie]

We went on the tour in 2002 so a lot might have changed. We received a lot of information about penguins and polar bears (my DS (9) still remembers that polar bear hair is transparent). We were allowed to pet a penguin with 2 fingers while the tour guide held the penguin. Also, it was really great to be in the cold. If I remember correctly we had to put on some coats, or something(maybe raincoats they provided), during parts of the tour. It was really hot that day so it felt great. I would like to do it again, but not until DS(5) is older.

 

[goldcupmom]

That's what we did in O5, as well. 2 finger touch, but worth it if you love penguins!

 

[Chrisypoo]

They give you coats? Is it the one size fits most variety or actual sizes? I'm asking because DBF is a big guy and we're supposed to go on this tour tomorrow...I just want to make sure that he'll have something that fits.

 

[packetminnie]

DH says I am mistaken about the coats. I swear we wore big yellow slickers during part of it but he says no. Anyway, DH is a big guy too. So -- if he is right it won't matter, if I'm right it won't matter cuz they must have fit him.

 

[KStarfish82]

I went years ago. I pet a penguin names Mel who was not allowed to go with the other penguins because he had sustained an injury. I believe the price was like $15 then, I don't know what it is now. But it is the only place that I know of where you can pet a penguin!

 

[Chrisypoo]

DH says I am mistaken about the coats. I swear we wore big yellow slickers during part of it but he says no. Anyway, DH is a big guy too. So -- if he is right it won't matter, if I'm right it won't matter cuz they must have fit him.

Excellent! Thanks for the fast response!

 

[xviclx]

Yea I was thinking of taking my brother on it as he LOVES Penguins,, its only $15 now to,, I thought you got to hold a penguin but I suppose being able to touch it is enough seem asthough you dont really get close to them normaly

 

[jiggerj]

Great info all!

Does anyone remember how long you are actually in with the penguins? And which type of penguins?

 

[Chrisypoo]

We took this tour this past Wednesday and really enjoyed it. Someone mentioned that the price is $15, but it was $18 when we signed up. We went through a seal area (maybe about 5 feet away because they were swimming in their pool, but they can get out and come over to the gate, so you could be only a foot away if they come over), the polar bears (a few feet away through the glass, but the bear in there was sleeping), baluga whales (closer than the Wild Arctic attraction, but not really close) and then finally the Madgellan penguins.

With the penguins...you were in a room with a penguin area on one side...there were maybe 8-10 in there. A handler went and got one of the penguins and then sat down with it on her lap. You could then go up to the penguin one at a time and pet it...maybe 15 seconds? After you could move over to the rock wall that separates you from the other penguins...so you were maybe a couple feet away. How long you could stay over there depended on where you were in line to pet the penguin...once everyone was done petting, the entire group left the room.

 

[jiggerj]

Thank you Chrisypoo for your detailed info! I read it to my ds and is he ever PUMPED up!

Only 2 weeks before we get to go!

 

[Kath2003]

Although you only get to pet the penguin briefly, while we were waiting one came and sat on my dad's shoe, which was cool

 

[Nellas Elensar]

there were no coats given out during the PE tour my parents and I took in 2005. It wasn't that cold in the penguin holding area because the penguins you encounter in there are warmer-weather birds (they live on the southern tip of South America in a region called Patagonia).

Nellas Elensar

 

[MamaKate]

We went on the equivalent of this tour in San Diego and it turned out to be one of the best experiences ever.

We ended up being the only family on the tour because the weather was HORRIBLE!!! But we still did it because my son was doing a project on penguins and actually meeting a penguin would be great.

The penguin meeting was the last part of the tour and when we arrived to the backstage area of the penguin encounter, the trainer brought out a macaroni penguin to meet. During the meet my son told the trainer he was doing a project on penguins, so the trainer gave us an extra tour. She showed us where they prepared the food and then she actually took us up to the penguin encounter where we meet a lot of different kinds of penguins (king penguins, emperor penguins, baby penguins...)! It was great and I got tons of video!! After that, the trainer gave my son a baggie of penguin feathers for this project. After the tour was complete, the tour guide told me that we were very lucky because in all the tours she had done, she has never seen anyone taken inside the penguin encounter. Below is a picture of my son petting the king penguin.

P.S. My son got an A on his project .

Here's my daughter with the macaroni penguin:

 

[sbplayer2410]

thats awesome that you got to do that, i went to the advanced career camp last summer, and am going again this summer, we got to pet a penguin with 2 fingers in a room (what you do in the polar expidition tour) and we also got to go right into the penguin exibit, shovel some snow, feed the penguins and pet them for a while, it was amazing, we learned all about them, it was probably my favorite part of camp

 

[jiggerj]

Kath2003!

Thanks MamaKate on sharing your experience and the pics! I showed them to my ds and is he EVER excited! Me too! Me too!

and congrats to DS on his A!