Monday, May 2nd: our last full day.....and spent at one of our favourite parks:
SeaWorld! 
Getting up and going at an early-ish hour definitely gets more difficult as a vacation progresses
. Considering this was our final full day of Florida fun, we all wanted to make the most of it……until it actually came time to get out of bed
. Then, we all just wanted to SLEEP. It took a lot to fight through the weariness and keep ourselves on a decent schedule: the sun and heat and swimming and hectic schedule of the past 10 days had all combined to whoop our butts
. But……we all were well aware that the vacation clock was ticking
. With limited time remaining, we had to make the most of this final day of Orlando awesomeness.
I got up first that morning, showering and dressing before I roused the guys. While they readied themselves for the day, I headed down to the breakfast buffet in the lobby and made myself a plate to take back to our room. I wasn’t feeling like being social just then…..I was licking my wounds and wanted to eat in private
.
Final day.
Vacation almost complete.
Over-tired.
Yep, I just wanted to eat alone
.
As far as that buffet went, though, it was excellent
(as we had remembered). Lots of choices, hot and cold….one of the best “free” hotel buffets we have ever partaken in. In addition to those enjoying their morning meal before they head to the parks, there were lots of people taking milk, bagels and spreads back to their rooms once they polished off their own breakfast plates….presumably for late-night snacks after busy day of family fun.
Once the guys were freshed and fed (they, too, opted to bring their breakfast plates up to the room……apparently we all had a little dose of melancholy
) we grabbed our lanyards, our dining and tour confirmations, and our vouchers for free Quick Queue (a perk of staying at an official hotel of SeaWorld) and we headed out the door. The Residence Inn SeaWorld is super close to the park, so we were driving up to a parking attendant and flashing our AP for free parking in literally a matter of minutes
.
SeaWorld must have known I needed a little pick-me-up that morning, because look who was waiting for us as we entered the park?
It’s impossible to be sad after a hug from Shamu. We all decided then and there that we were going to release any gloomy feelings and ROCK this final day of our
epic family vacation
. The sun was shining, the temps were on the rise, and we had enjoyed the most incredible trip together……with several more awesome memories to be made before this day was over. There would be nothing but smiles
.
The guys noted that they needed a bit of a breather before they partook in any vigorous coaster action: their sausage, eggs, pancakes and home fries were not yet digested, and well…..that was a fate we didn’t wish to tempt on Manta just yet
, despite that attraction being their customary first stop once inside the park gates. We all went together, then, to Guest Services to pick up our Quick Queue bands, check in for our Behind the Scenes Tour, and confirm our seating time for Dine with Shamu. With all the administrative work out of the way, we headed to check out some of the things we missed on our visit a week prior (had it really been a week?!?).
Even though it was just after 9 am, it was already getting hot
. Popping in and out of a few indoor attractions would help us adjust to the high heat that was expected as the day wore on. The Aquarium at Manta was the perfect start.
For those of you who have never been to SeaWorld (but who perhaps are planning a trip), I urge you not to bypass some of these little features within the park…..they are so worth a few minutes of your day. The animals are so wonderfully showcased in the aquariums! For non-riders of Manta and Journey to Atlantis, the two indoor aquariums are also a great place to pass the time while your other family members get their thrills on.
This specific aquarium features many of the smaller residents of the sea: colourful, tiny fish; sea horses, small sting rays, starfish, and more
.
For a few of the exhibits, you really have to stop and look: what you see might surprise you. What may appear to be underwater foliage often turns out to be the most intricate of sea creatures in perfect disguise.
I love the fact that it’s so dark inside, because it just serves to highlight the amazing contrast of colours with the water, the coral, and the sea life.
There are also some great opportunities for kids to be part of the “display”…..like these clear tubes where you can pop up and get a truly “insider” view of the fish as they swim by.
With lots of time yet to fill before our 11:30 am tour, we headed over to Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin to see if the ride was open today (you may recall that it was closed on our other SeaWorld park day a week prior). Unfortunately, the sign was still out…..ride closed, exhibit open
…..but we popped in for a quick visit with the penguins anyway. We were simply not destined to experience this full attraction on this trip!
None of my photos of the actual penguins turned out well from that visit: it was SO DARK in there that morning. The lighting was much more muted that we had ever seen it before. Perhaps this was why the ride was closed?
Were the penguins needing a darker, quieter environment for some reason? Were they perhaps nesting or laying eggs?
Once were through Antarctica, the guys decided their breakfast was sufficiently digested to give Journey to Atlantis a try. I toured the gift shop while they caught their first ride of the day. Steve was a little disappointed to see the enthusiasm of the fellow in front of him literally blocked his whole face from the ride pic
.
Oh well, they will just have to give Journey to Atlantis another go later on in the day
. As if they need any justification or reason for a second ride
.
Strolling back around toward Manta, Jake said he wanted to play the basketball game one last time on the trip. He grinned broadly at us and added
“I want to try one last time to win that dolphin”.
Steve looked at him pointedly and said
“Nope, not happening. There’s no way on earth we will ever get that thing home”. I laughed and said,
“Oh come on, what are the chances of him winning it, anyway? How many other people have we ever seen walking around the park with one of those stuffies? He has to make 3 of 5 baskets, and it’s virtually impossible. Let him have his fun.”.
You would think, after 20 years of parenthood, I would learn that such statements are usually the ones that come back to bite me firmly in the behind
.
I think Jake took my statement as his personal challenge. After paying his money, the attendant provided him with five balls: one ball in the net would garner a small prize, three would yield the giant dolphin.
The first ball was nothing but net.
The second ball also made a nice little swish as it, too, went in. All of a sudden, it felt VERY hot outside
.
When the third ball also made a perfect arc and into the hoop, I think I may have yelped right out loud
.
The fourth ball rimmed out, but #5 also somehow made it perfectly into the net. Four out of five……this had to be some sort of cruel vacation joke?
Someone was so
ridiculously proud of himself…….but we now had a whale of a problem. Never mind how we would deal with it at the park all day long, but how on EARTH would we get the dang thing home?
. 
.
) and feedback like yours is going to push me right to the booking point! 
) they are really quite affordable.
Sadly, though it doesn't have a pool. 
.
