I am up bright and early at 6:00am so I take advantage of a shower in peace lol. After I get ready I wake everyone by turning on Mickey Shorts, turning on all the lights and opening the curtains. I tell Kendall she better hurry up and get in the bathroom because her sister will beat her to it and she flies out of bed and gets ready. We are all ready to go by 8:00 so we start the debate (should we drive or Lyft). Ashley said "no way are we driving" (incase we drink beer lol) So Lyft it is! We have to book XL since there is 4 of us and for just $8 more we can request a Lux Black so why not. He shows up in about 15 minutes. The girls are really excited! So am I just a little.
Well, I thought Sea World opened at 9:00. I was wrong, they open at 10:00 so we officially "Rope Dropped" Sea world and we are not rope droppers. We were 3rd in line so I'm good with that.
The first thing Hollis wanted to do was go over towards the new Ice Breaker roller coaster so we figured out where it was and headed that way. It's all the way around the park! We found out that normally Sea World is like a big circle but right after Ice breaker the park is walled off due to construction. We make it to Mako ( it's a hyper coaster) and there is an employee standing there to let us know that part of the park opens at 11:00. We decide to all ride Mako. Kendall is just tall enough and this will be her first huge coaster ever. She has rode Rock n Roller coaster and Everest but Mako has a huge hill, steep drop and goes over 70mph. Ashley is not a coaster person but she decides to ride since Kendall is riding. It's a total walk on so we get on and Ashley starts to panic! We are seated 4 across, Me, Kendall, Ashley then Hollis so Ashley is between our girls. They both calm her down and off we go! Well, it didn't turn out well. She starts crying on the lift and by the time we are done is full blown balling. The good news is Kendall and Hollis loved it!
Next stop, Shark Encounter! We absolutely loved this! It's huge and so well done. We all really enjoyed this attraction.
The back part of the park was still no open yet so we decided to head into Antartica. The theming is really cool and our girls pointed to the Pinguin attraction so lets go!
We enter and watch the pre show and man it's cold in here! Once they let us in I found out why! 32 degrees! Burr! But OMG, what an awesome exhibit! I had no idea how fast Pinguin could swim! Plus we learned a lot about them. It's a very educational exhibit.
'
After we exit the Pinguin exhibit we are hungry but Hollis is determined to ride Ice Breaker so we head back to the back of the park. We take a stroll down Sesame Street on our way.
We arrive at Ice Breaker and I gave Ashley my phone while Me and Hollis went to ride. No wait at all but I totally forgot to take pics. In all honesty, its a glorified Slinky Dog without the theming. You board the coaster and the track moves over to the right to load onto the track. You launch backwards, forward up the first hill, roll backwards and launch up the steep beyond vertical spike then back down and launch to go over the big hill. It is rough and cramped. It was a one and done for me. In fact, after that we did not ride any other coasters at Sea World. It really was not fun. So after a stop at the bar for an ice cold beer, we headed to the Orca show.
This was truly an amazing show! They take the time to educate and really engage with the audience. After the show we really are hungry so we go to the first place we can sit down at. This restaurant is amazing! Think Coral Reef but better. Much better.
After lunch we just wanted to take in all the stores and sights so we slowly made our way around the park. We were going to the Otter show but just missed it so we headed towards the dolphin show and had perfect timing. Just like the Orca show, this show was amazing and the girls really enjoyed it.
After the Dolphin show we headed towards the front of the park and the girls seen the "Pet a sting ray" pool so we all got soaked as we leaned over the wall and petted them as they swam by. I bought some fish to feed them and both girls refused so I tried and the first one tried to eat my hand! But it was a fun experience either way. I regret not taking a pictures but sometimes you get caught up in the moment and I did and taking pics of the sting rays totally slipped my mind.
I will give this day a solid 10 out of 10. Sea World was new to us so we went in without any expectations and were pleasantly surprised. The shows were great! The food we did eat was good, the park was super clean, the staff was very friendly, polite and helpful. We all agreed that we actually felt that they were happy to see us. What I mean by that is we felt singled out that not that they were happy to see all the guest but actually happy to just see us. I know they have no idea who we are but we really felt we were VIP's. The whole day was totally amazing.
We decided we had a good day and even though there were 3 roller coasters we didn't ride, we were all okay with that. Hollis actually said we can save that for next time to give us something new to look forward to. We head out and call a Lyft and head back to Saratoga Springs and relax before dinner. After we all showered we headed over to The Turf Club to enjoy a good dinner. If you have never been, the atmosphere is really chill and the food though not the best I have had, it was tasty. I ordered the Salmon while Ashley had Prime Rib. The girls just ordered something small, I forgot what it was lol.
After our bellies were full we walked back to the room for a good night sleep. Today was a good day. Tomorrow, well, we haven't decided what we are going to do yet. Part of us want's a Disney Springs day and the other part want's a park. Well, I have had 2 parks reserved for weeks just incase. Yes I am sure it's a glitch but either way, they are reserved lol.
Like I said in the last post, we had park reservations for both AK and Epcot but after a little debate I change our dinner reservation to a lunch reservation and we head over to Disney Springs.
I actually snapped this screenshot while we were waiting for the bus. We arrived at the bus stop at 11:50 and we were happy that the sign said a 12:05 arrival. It also kept switching between "Use Watercraft" and bus on the sign. The problem was the boats were closed due to the high winds. So 12:05 came and gone. The sign then switched to 12:20. That time came and gone as well as 3 busses for MK that all left empty, 2 AK busses again left empty and no busses for DS or HS. There were others waiting for HS and their times kept changing also. Our time changed to 12:48 and another MK bus pulled up so I asked the driver and he stated that no longer had radios so he couldn't call anyone. He told us to get on and he would take us to the last stop at SSR so the walk would be shorter so we did just that. Can you believe that at every stop not one person got on the bus? So I asked if he could just take us since he had no passengers and he said he has to follow his route and head to MK. Total BS as far as I am concerned.
Finally we arrive at Morimoto Asia for a lunch we all looked forward to! They had no problem seating us as the restaurant had very few people at the tables.
They took us upstairs and we were the only ones up there. I thought that was a little strange. Soon after they sat another table but that would be the only one during our lunch service.
We all look over the menu and I decided on the Yellow tail roll and the girls and wife order their food. I only order 1 roll as this is lunch and I planned on snacking around today and Ghirardelli is on my list lol. Well, This is a $17 sushi roll from a restaurant backed by an iron chief.
Talk about total disappointment!
Anyway, We walked around DS, did some shopping and I did get my Ghirardelli shake as the kids did too. We ended up going back to the resort around 6:00 and calling it a night. The weather sucked (super windy) and we were done with the crowds at the springs.
I honestly cannot remember what we did that night. I know I did some laundry and we watched some TV. Sometimes it's nice just to relax with no worries.
What a beautiful day! We all take showers at a leisurely pace and head to the bus at 10:00am. We are really looking forward to Mama Melrose's and 50's Prime Time today! 2 of our favorite restaurants. The bus is actually at the bus stop when we walk up! What a pleasant surprise lol. We arrive at HS and first thing the girls see is Donald and Daisy.
The park doesn't look too bad! This may be a smooth day!
We make our way over to Mama Melrose
They really do have good Chicken Parmigiana.
The girls got spaghetti and meatballs and mommy got a salad.
Of course no meal is complete with out dessert lol.
After lunch we see the Muppets then head over to SW:GE
First stop, ROTR.
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I notice that the screen pretty much empty. Yes the stars are there but I have never seen it with no ships. I think there is the nose off one to the left.
Once again, I got in trouble with the First Order lol. I joined the party in front of us because I wasn't paying attention lol.
So we finally get in our cell and are broke out and we are told to go to our transports. We board them and then sit for about 10 minutes. I was totally expecting to be evacuated but then we took off. What a waste of time! Nothing was working. We blew right past the part where the storm troopers see us, we did go to the bridge but when we got to the part where Kylo Ren brings both transports towards him and pushes us back, well we blew right past that and the wall that should fall on him was already down. The big cannons didn't work, nothing. It totally sucked.
What next? Let's look at wait times. Ummm, really?
The girls don't want to wait in any line that long and decide they want to go swimming. This is our last day and the weather is nice of we head towards the front of the park.
Quick stop for a cavalcade.
Kendall want's a slushy so of course she gets one!
By now is after 3:00 and by the time we get back to SSR is't after 4:00.
I ask them if they still want to go back to HS for our 8:45 dinner at 50's prime time and both girls and the wife say no and put me on a mission to find something else. I cancel it (moved to another day first) then start looking and surprise surprise! The 50th celebration dinner at California Grill is available! I grab it quick then let them know and everyone is so happy!
They all decide they don't want to swim so we just relax in the room till it's time to get ready for dinner. Getting from resort to resort sucks unless you want to drive and I plan on drinking so we call a Lyft XL Black. Last dinner of our last night, why not.
So this 50th dinner is Prix Fixe but oh so good. Our server was the best. He went above and beyond, more on that in a minute.
So we order our drinks and appetizers and get bread service.
The bread was over the top good.
I ordered the Sushi as did Ashley but I got mine all the Kazan roll.
Of course I had to have something tasty to wash it down!
Ashley got the assorted roll.
Hollis ordered the salad and Kendall got grapes and strawberries.
(strawberries were not on the menu)
For our main course, Me, Ashley and Hollis order the filet. It was so flavorful and tender. One of the best filet's I have had in a while.
Kendall ordered a cheese pizza. Remember where I said our waiter went above and beyond? She couldn't make up her mind because she's 8 and a little bit picky. He sat next to her and made suggestions. He said "I have pizza dough in the back, want me to make you a cheese pizza?" She was one happy little girl for sure! And she said it was oh so good lol.
This dinner was a slow but good meal. We were not rushed at all. Right after we finished our main course they announced the fireworks and we had a perfect view. Me and Kendall went out to the observation deck but only stayed out there for about 5 minutes. It was pretty chilly out.
We continued to watch the fireworks from our warm table. well, Kendall actually sat on the ground by the window.
We then got our dessert. Ashley got the cheesecake sampler
I got the creme brûlée
Both girls got ice cream with a brownie.
After we finished we called for our Lyft and headed back to the resort for a good nights sleep. 7+ hour drive in the morning and hopefully our kitchen remodel will be complete! We've been working on our laundry room, kitchen and dining room (now media room) and our contractor is supposed to have it all done before we arrive home. Fingers crossed.
Looking back on this trip I will give it a solid 8 out of 10. Was it perfect? nope. Was it a great trip? Yes it was. We have had a few bad trips in the past but have learned to go into a WDW vacation with a positive attitude. Sure there were the line jumpers and the non existent busses but overall the family time we shared out weighed those small problems. Should I have gotten a better sushi roll for $17.00? Yes I should have but I now know to never eat there again. Overall the cast members were great. Sea World was over the top. We didn't encounter any rude guest besides the line jumpers and the smoking party at Tales from Belle area made me laugh more than anything. Some people are totally clueless. But one thing I did enjoy about this trip is the fact that we only planned parks and meals. We did not purchase Genie+ or the Ala-carte rides. We rode what we wanted, when we wanted, and had a really great trip. Oh, when we walked in our house, our kitchen was complete.
And all the Passholder magnets soon came off the fridge lol. Plus we just ordered a counter depth fridge which will be here in a few weeks.
happy wife, happy life!
No expectations and no plans. It really felt like a vacation and not a job. I enjoy booking dining in advance but that's about it. Not being tied to ride times made this trip so enjoyable.
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