We had originally planned to go to Universal Studios today, but after a short discussion, we agreed that we'd rather go to Seaworld. Definitely in the mood after our lovely day at Discovery Cove. Carly wanted to be a marine biologist when she was growing up, and so this park is absolutely her favourite. Fortunately, we all love it as well.
I'll skip the breakfast chat as we made a real early start. We arrived at the park a good while before opening and were in the first couple of rows in the car park.
We got in after a short wait and discovering that according to our lanyards set up at Discovery Cove, Carly was me and I was her
I made straight for Manta as this seemed the most unique ride I would get to do on the trip. For those of you not familiar, you are suspended lying down on your stomach and get inverted while in this position. Due to our early arrival, I was in the second group to ride. Now i'm not great with heights but as I was being carried up the first slope of the ride, with nothing beneath me but the restraints, even I became giddy with the experience. I whooped like a child as we took off at speed and have to say this experience was one I won't forget. I came straight off the ride and found Carly and insisted she go straight on. She resisted at first but gave in. Thankfully she also loved it, and by some miracle I managed to capture a picture of her on the ride.
Suitably exhilarated, we made for the Blue Horizon dolphin show. Well, Maddie was grinning all over while Carly and I were both in floods of tears, overcome with emotion that we were able to bring our daughter to see this. Funny how Seaworld seems to affect us this way. It's a great, impressive show with some neat surprises on the way. Recommended.
We then found our way to the Dolphin feeding. Much more organised than our last visit. We queued up and paid $7 for food. We got to do some nice feeding and the dolphins were having a great old time.
Next was the Clyde and Seamore show. This was made great by the performanc of a clown, for want of a better word, who was bringing the audience into the theatre. He was hilarious, interacting with, making fun of and generally putting on a great show for those of us already seated.
Particularly enjoyed him taking over pushing one lady in her wheelchair, who remained blissfully unaware. This show was less moving than the dolphins but still entertaining, and we enjoyed seeing the huge walrus at the climax of the show.
We had lunch at Captain Pete's and enjoyed chilli cheese fries for the first time. Having rested a bit, as the temperature was pushing low 90's by now, we headed for the Shamu stadium.
We were seated quite early, and were a bit bemused by the texting game being played out on the screens while waiting for the show to start.
The show itself was excellent. Opened with a nice dedication the US armed forces and allies, I was weeping again
As you probably know, the trainers no longer go in the tank with the whales but this doesn't really detract from the spectacle. And boy, can those whales splash. We got a bit wet, due to where we were seated but resolved to move more into the Soak Zone next time.
After the show, we visited Wild Arctic, stopping on the way to get Maddie's hair braided, only to realise we didn't have enough cash
Wild Arctic was ok, but let down a bit by disinterested staff. You can tell these guys weren't trained by Disney. There was a rock band to provide entertainment while we queued.
Having been through Wild Arctic, we headed back to the hotel as tonight was our long anticipated meal at the California Grill, on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. We'd booked this mealon the 20th January.
Suitably glammed up, we bused to Magic Kingdom and then caught the monorail to the Contemporary. This hotel is stunning, with the monorail running through it, and it's wonderful, open, vaulted spaces. We had a quick look around the shops before checking in and catching the express elevator to the 15th floor. We were struck immediately by the great view, and Carly spoke to the reception staff and, after a short wait, managed to procure a great table in an excellent spot overlooking the Magic Kingdom.
The food here was phenomonal. We started with a couple of flatbreads to share, followed by seared tuna for me, and steak for Carly and Maddie. This was one of the few dining establishments were Maddie could have something other than mac and cheese or nuggets
.
This was followed by great dessert, especially Maddie's which was fake sushi formed from krispie cakes. The lights dimmed as we approached firework time and although we had a good view inside, Maddie and I, then Carly headed outside onto the balcony to watch the show "live", along with many other diners. It was wonderful to see the display from this vantage point, if a little strange as your position makes the fireworks seem a little off, as of course they are intended to be seen from within the park itself.
A fantastic view to top off an excellent meal. We returned to our hotel, tired and happy.
I'll skip the breakfast chat as we made a real early start. We arrived at the park a good while before opening and were in the first couple of rows in the car park.
We got in after a short wait and discovering that according to our lanyards set up at Discovery Cove, Carly was me and I was her
I made straight for Manta as this seemed the most unique ride I would get to do on the trip. For those of you not familiar, you are suspended lying down on your stomach and get inverted while in this position. Due to our early arrival, I was in the second group to ride. Now i'm not great with heights but as I was being carried up the first slope of the ride, with nothing beneath me but the restraints, even I became giddy with the experience. I whooped like a child as we took off at speed and have to say this experience was one I won't forget. I came straight off the ride and found Carly and insisted she go straight on. She resisted at first but gave in. Thankfully she also loved it, and by some miracle I managed to capture a picture of her on the ride.
Suitably exhilarated, we made for the Blue Horizon dolphin show. Well, Maddie was grinning all over while Carly and I were both in floods of tears, overcome with emotion that we were able to bring our daughter to see this. Funny how Seaworld seems to affect us this way. It's a great, impressive show with some neat surprises on the way. Recommended.
 | This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 640x480. |
We then found our way to the Dolphin feeding. Much more organised than our last visit. We queued up and paid $7 for food. We got to do some nice feeding and the dolphins were having a great old time.
Next was the Clyde and Seamore show. This was made great by the performanc of a clown, for want of a better word, who was bringing the audience into the theatre. He was hilarious, interacting with, making fun of and generally putting on a great show for those of us already seated.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 640x480. |
Particularly enjoyed him taking over pushing one lady in her wheelchair, who remained blissfully unaware. This show was less moving than the dolphins but still entertaining, and we enjoyed seeing the huge walrus at the climax of the show.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 640x480. |
We had lunch at Captain Pete's and enjoyed chilli cheese fries for the first time. Having rested a bit, as the temperature was pushing low 90's by now, we headed for the Shamu stadium.
We were seated quite early, and were a bit bemused by the texting game being played out on the screens while waiting for the show to start.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 640x480. |
The show itself was excellent. Opened with a nice dedication the US armed forces and allies, I was weeping again
As you probably know, the trainers no longer go in the tank with the whales but this doesn't really detract from the spectacle. And boy, can those whales splash. We got a bit wet, due to where we were seated but resolved to move more into the Soak Zone next time.After the show, we visited Wild Arctic, stopping on the way to get Maddie's hair braided, only to realise we didn't have enough cash
Wild Arctic was ok, but let down a bit by disinterested staff. You can tell these guys weren't trained by Disney. There was a rock band to provide entertainment while we queued.Having been through Wild Arctic, we headed back to the hotel as tonight was our long anticipated meal at the California Grill, on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. We'd booked this mealon the 20th January.
Suitably glammed up, we bused to Magic Kingdom and then caught the monorail to the Contemporary. This hotel is stunning, with the monorail running through it, and it's wonderful, open, vaulted spaces. We had a quick look around the shops before checking in and catching the express elevator to the 15th floor. We were struck immediately by the great view, and Carly spoke to the reception staff and, after a short wait, managed to procure a great table in an excellent spot overlooking the Magic Kingdom.
The food here was phenomonal. We started with a couple of flatbreads to share, followed by seared tuna for me, and steak for Carly and Maddie. This was one of the few dining establishments were Maddie could have something other than mac and cheese or nuggets
.This was followed by great dessert, especially Maddie's which was fake sushi formed from krispie cakes. The lights dimmed as we approached firework time and although we had a good view inside, Maddie and I, then Carly headed outside onto the balcony to watch the show "live", along with many other diners. It was wonderful to see the display from this vantage point, if a little strange as your position makes the fireworks seem a little off, as of course they are intended to be seen from within the park itself.
A fantastic view to top off an excellent meal. We returned to our hotel, tired and happy.
__________________
