Hurry Up, You Brats, or I'm Telling Mickey Mouse! An August 2013 TR THE END 1/18

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

I noticed that I forgot to mention that I love Eliot too. I love all the Disney movies but some of the older ones have a special place in my heart for sure.

 

[khertz]

I have gotten really wet before on Pirates too! It sucks because it's not like Splash where you are expecting to get really wet. And for the A+ mom behind you letting her kid stand up on the boat and pinch the people around him,

I'm really excited to see Celebrate the Magic! There was no projection show last year as we were visiting during the changeover from Magic Memories & You. I have to say, I really like MSEP too!

Cut shirt purchase!

 

[courtneybelle]

I noticed that I forgot to mention that I love Eliot too. I love all the Disney movies but some of the older ones have a special place in my heart for sure.

Yeah, Elliott is wonderful! I love that MSEP has a lot of the older movies represented.

I have gotten really wet before on Pirates too! It sucks because it's not like Splash where you are expecting to get really wet. And for the A+ mom behind you letting her kid stand up on the boat and pinch the people around him,

I'm really excited to see Celebrate the Magic! There was no projection show last year as we were visiting during the changeover from Magic Memories & You. I have to say, I really like MSEP too!

Cut shirt purchase!

Haha, I knoooow. I felt so bad for my mom getting pinched!

You will love Celebrate the Magic! I loved MMY, but I love this one just as much...the music gets me pretty emotional!

Thank you!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 20: Time to Sea the World

Today we were going to SeaWorld! We go to SeaWorld every few trips. I really like sea animals so it’s always a hit for me.

We first booked it to the Antarctica ride, because penguins are my favorite animal (this fact will be important later).

But it was down. Womp. We were still able to go in and view the penguins, though!

They were so cute! One swam right up to the glass!

It was so fun watching them get into the water. They would either dive or belly flop, and one waded in getting his feet a little bit wet before taking the plunge.

Some would swim on their side and flap their wing…either making a splash or trying to whack each other? Who knows.

One walked up to the edge, then shook his head no, as in, “No way am I going into that cold water!” SO CUTE.

Please do not poke the penguins.

After a sufficient amount of time with my favorite animals, my dad and sister went to go feed dolphins! I skipped it on account of I am a weenie who doesn’t want to touch raw fish.

Then we went and saw Blue Horizons, which is a dolphin and bird show. It’s lovely and has great music.

It also made me wonder if SeaWorld has huge enthusiasts who listen to the park music and stare at food pictures all day like Disney people do.

Anyway, I love watching the dolphins push the trainers around.

Then we went to Turtle Trek, which is a combination exhibit and movie.

We saw this turtle Belle, who was hit by a boat. The boat severed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed, and the boat took a huge chunk out of her shell (which you can see below). So sad.

Luckily Belle now has a safe home at SeaWorld!

The movie was really cool. We were all standing still, but because it’s a 360 degree screen, it felt like we were moving.

Then we had lunch in Antarctica!

I got teriyaki chicken, which was very good, and fried rice, which was not so good. It was a ton of food as well.

I also got this adorable penguin cupcake!

Dad, Mom, and Kylie got turkey sandwiches, which they said were really good.

Dad devoured this carrot cake, but Kylie didn’t really like the parfait.

Mom got this beauty:

Then we headed over to check in for our behind-the-scenes tour! I was BEYOND excited!

Continued in next post
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[DisneyKid4Life]

You'll get no argument from me on this update. I do love me some Seaworld.

Antarctica was still in progress on my last visit and I really missed seeing the penguins. I have heard the ride itself wasn't that great, so maybe it was a blessing that you got to go right into the penguin area.

But dolphins are my true animal passion without a doubt. You got some great photos of your sister and father during the feeding too!

OMG Blue Horizons. My favourite non Disney show hands down!

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

We haven't been to Seaworld in years. Your pictures look awesome. We will have to plan on going Maybe in May....

 

[courtneybelle]

You'll get no argument from me on this update. I do love me some Seaworld.

Antarctica was still in progress on my last visit and I really missed seeing the penguins. I have heard the ride itself wasn't that great, so maybe it was a blessing that you got to go right into the penguin area.

But dolphins are my true animal passion without a doubt. You got some great photos of your sister and father during the feeding too!

OMG Blue Horizons. My favourite non Disney show hands down!

Yeah, I adore SeaWorld! It's definitely not an every trip thing for me, but I do love it whenever I get to go.

I heard the same things about the ride. Seeing the penguins was the big priority for me

Ahh just wait till I get to the Discovery Cove stuff. SO MANY DOLPHINS! Definitely something you should look into if you love dolphins...it's pricey, but you also get to ride on a dolphin...

Blue Horizons is fabulous!

We haven't been to Seaworld in years. Your pictures look awesome. We will have to plan on going Maybe in May....

Thank you!!! I love SeaWorld, the sea animals are great and I'm a big show person so I love going to see all the different shows!

 

[Magicalcarpetride]

Thanks for this great trip report! You have done such a great job. I feel like I'm there with you and your family! Makes me excited for my own trip next January!

 

[CarolAnnB]

Don't poke the penguins! That is funnier than the No Dancing sign at Disney. They were so so cute.

I would have liked petting the dolphins, but I don't like touching the food. This is why I take the pictures. It is a good excuse to get out of stuff.

I wanted to cry when we saw Belle the turtle with that huge chunk out of her shell. I like to see Sea World rescues.

I don't think we ever ate those cookies. We just wanted the penguin dish!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I just wanted to let you know I'm reading along! I'm gonna come back later to catch up!

 

[courtneybelle]

Thanks for this great trip report! You have done such a great job. I feel like I'm there with you and your family! Makes me excited for my own trip next January!

Thank you SO much! This comment means so much to me! I'm so glad you're enjoying it and I hope the rest is just as good. That's so awesome you get to go in January. My dad and I did a quick trip this past January and I thought it was a wonderful time to go, the weather was perfect and the crowds weren't bad at all!

Don't poke the penguins! That is funnier than the No Dancing sign at Disney. They were so so cute.

I would have liked petting the dolphins, but I don't like touching the food. This is why I take the pictures. It is a good excuse to get out of stuff.

I wanted to cry when we saw Belle the turtle with that huge chunk out of her shell. I like to see Sea World rescues.

I don't think we ever ate those cookies. We just wanted the penguin dish!

I need one of those signs for my dorm room. Along with a No Dancing sign, obviously.

Haha you are too funny! Yeah, I didn't want to touch the raw fish, especially since I knew another dolphin interaction was coming up!

Poor Belle that's so devastating, but at least she is still swimming along and has a safe home now!

I do remember eating a few cookies, but let's be real it was all about the penguin dish. I put my business cards in it!

I just wanted to let you know I'm reading along! I'm gonna come back later to catch up!

Courtney! Thanks so much for joining in! I can't wait to hear about your Halloween trip!

 

[RachelNinja]

Just wanted to let you know that I found your TR yesterday and am reading along! I can't wait to see what comes in later in reference to your love for penguins. I love them too ever since I saw them at the Central Park Zoo! My now husband bought me a plush baby Emperor penguin from the gift shop as a surprise and gave it to me before one of my surgeries, so I'm especially in love with them. My students knew about my love for penguins too, and for 6 years of teaching, I just got tons of penguin stuff!

 

[courtneybelle]

Just wanted to let you know that I found your TR yesterday and am reading along! I can't wait to see what comes in later in reference to your love for penguins. I love them too ever since I saw them at the Central Park Zoo! My now husband bought me a plush baby Emperor penguin from the gift shop as a surprise and gave it to me before one of my surgeries, so I'm especially in love with them. My students knew about my love for penguins too, and for 6 years of teaching, I just got tons of penguin stuff!

You're going to love the next update (which should hopefully be up tomorrow)! I have so much penguin stuff too, the first gift my boyfriend ever got me was a stuffed penguin! They're just so precious.

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Twenty-One: Penguins Up Close

This chapter contains spoilers for the Penguins Up Close tour. If you’re really into penguins and are thinking about taking the tour, I would skip this chapter and wait to hear all this from your tour guide. Just know that this happened and it was the best moment of my life thus far:

Now, if you’re not sure, or if you don’t plan on doing the tour, read on for more information about and pictures of penguins!

There were eight of us on the tour. There was supposed to be another family of four, but they never showed up. I felt bad, but I was also glad as it was pretty crowded with eight people and I can’t imagine having even more.

Our first guide was named Jenna, and she explained how the waiting area of the Antarctica ride gradually gets colder so you get used to the 32-degrees-Farenheit penguin exhibit. She also told us that they have to hide vitamins in the penguins’ fish so they’ll get the proper nutrients. My mother frequently hid my medication in my food when I was sick as a child, so I understand the struggle of these penguins.

The tour was split into two halves: one part was behind the scenes of the penguin exhibit, and one half was an interaction with the penguins!

The tour guide who actually works with the penguins was named Tricia, and she was awesome! She knew so much about the penguins and had a lot of experience with them.

First, we saw the records room. Each penguin has colored bands that are assigned to a number, which is how the workers identify the penguins. The workers then make notes on each penguin. Tricia explained how penguin mating is like a soap opera, and they have to keep track of who’s mating with whom. They’ll also note if a penguin father is feeding his penguin chick and other things like that.

Then, we saw the medical center. Tricia told us about hiding the vitamins in the fish, but she also showed us the vitamins themselves, and we were surprised to see that the young penguins ate Flintstones vitamins! Too funny. It’s because they have iron supplements that adult vitamins don’t have.

Tricia told us that some of the penguins opened the Penguin Encounter exhibit in 1987. There are vets on call 24/7 for the penguins. She also told us that penguins have thicker eggs than most birds not only because of the cold, but also because they lay eggs on rocks and other hard surfaces.

Then we went inside the penguin habitat, and it was cold! Definitely take a sweatshirt.

But it was totally worth it, because we were THIS CLOSE to penguins!

Yep. No zoom here, guys.

First we petted a rockhopper!

He was a little impatient, so Tricia brought over King Ninety, a king penguin!

Some of the penguins born in the exhibit are raised by the 12 penguin workers, or “hand-raised,” which means there is a special connection between the penguin and the human. King Ninety was hand-raised so he and Tricia are tight.

The penguin was so soft on his feathers, but the wings were hard and rubbery!

King Ninety actually pecked my leg at one point, which was hilarious and awesome.

Tricia told us that when younger penguins mate and have a baby, they don’t know how to incubate, so the experts intervene and give them a dummy egg to practice.

Tricia also said that sometimes penguins become foster parents, and two male penguins will sometimes coparent! It’s guy love, between two guys… (If you know that reference, you win the TR.)

Other fun penguin facts:
The penguin specialists will use Elmer’s glue to prevent egg cracking.
They name many of the king penguins after famous kings, like King Louis…or Burger King.
There are 250 penguins in the Antarctica exhibit!
Black bands are for males, while white bands are for females, like at weddings.
It takes two fire hoses to defrost the exhibit, and it takes three people four hours to shovel all the snow.
When a penguin gets covered in oil like in an oil spill, it takes four hours to clean him. Dawn soap is so popular for this that they now have a penguin on the bottle!
These penguins are not monogamous, and the most attractive thing about a penguin is his nesting place.

We saw a baby king penguin and HE WAS SO FLUFFY OMG.

This was hands down my favorite part of the entire trip. Penguins have been my favorite animals forever, so to get the opportunity to interact with one and touch one was the opportunity of a lifetime! Our tour guides were so knowledgeable and I learned so much. If you are interested in penguins I would absolutely suggest this tour. SeaWorld also has behind-the-scenes tours for its other animals if you’re into sea lions or something else.

I was basically on cloud nine and did not want to leave the exhibit, but our tour ended after about 45 minutes. The only way it would have been better is if we got a ride on the ride itself, as lines were super long once it was working again, but it was still incredible.

Continued in next post
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[courtneybelle]

Real Life Update: WDW 1973

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share something amazing that my mother found this week.

My grandmother passed away in December, so my mom is in the process of going through all her old papers. This week, she found my grandmother's travel journal from a WDW trip she took in February 1973. This was my mom's second trip to the World; they went once right after the park opened.

This page talks about so many things I love to do at Disney: the Jungle Cruise, the Haunted Mansion, the monorail, Crystal Palace, and of course my beloved Tiki Birds. Plus, I got really emotional because this was my first trip keeping a trip journal, and I love knowing my grandmother was doing the same thing!

Continued in next post

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[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like a great experience with the penguins - glad it lived up to your expectations ... nothing worse than penguin disappointment

and very cool that you found that journal of your grandmothers and props to her for going on the jungle cruise 12 times!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow, that was really cool (no pun intended. ok maybe a little)

But seriously I didn't even know about this at all. Just to be that close to them and actually TOUCH them. Just awesome. Thank you for all that amazing info. So glad you got to fulfill this dream. What a great experience.

Yeah, ok, I think that's totally a Parks and Rec reference!!!

Oh man, that journal is AMAZING!!!!!! That would have made me really emotional too. Your grandmother totally would have been right here doing a Trip Report, I just know it. She was also clearly an expert knowing to do Jungle Cruise at night as well. Just beautiful!! Thanks for sharing that Courtney.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi there Courtney! I'm getting caught up so I have to go back to the churro measure of currency! I can relate to that logic.

I can tell that you love penguins by your tee-shirt!! That, and the cupcake was a give away! You must have had a blue tongue after eating that.

That's so funny about Flintstone's vitamins being hidden in the food. Who would have known? You share a lot of interesting penguin factoids like the thickness of the eggs and the males are not admired for their good looks but by their impressive nests! I certainly would not have picked my spouse based on his messy house!! Humans sure are different!!

That trip journal that your grandmother wrote is precious. She had beautiful handwriting and I love her notes. It is almost timeless in some ways since those attractions and the monorail are around today. What a treasure!!

 

[CarolAnnB]

OMG you had the BEST time on that penguin tour. It was awesome being right there in the exhibit. Hearing what the handlers do was so interesting. You think it's all fun and games playing with penguins then you're shoveling snow and penguin poop for 4 hours a day. I think for us (you) that was a much better choice that the general behind-the-scenes tour.

Here is one of my favorite lines from Grammy's travel journal. "Stopped at Mystery Fun House in Orlando. OK - anything after WDW is a letdown." Now I know where we get it!! Almost makes me forgive her for making me a pool-hopper (swimming at the Poly while we stayed at Ft. Wilderness). It must have been allowed back then; I can't imagine her or my dad breaking that kind of rule.

See you tomorrow! YAY!

 

[IheartDDuck]

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! PENGUINS!!!!!!!!!! I love them love them love them love them! So so much.

I'm definitely going to have to look into going to Sea World just to see the penguin exhibit.

That's awesome about your Grandmother's journal! My Grandma passed away in January, and we found all her Disney stuff too. We have to get through all the stuff to decide who's taking what. Those are the things to cherish, that's for sure.