Seaworld

It's a jam-packed day trying to see everything in a day at
Seaworld. Although the park opened on a Sunday at 10:00
a.m., we arrived at noon. We plotted our course,
narrowing it down to making sure we saw what looked like
the best attractions. The Pirates 4-D was a fun interactive
4-D experience where we had to wear the 4-D glasses.
There were parts too intense for even our 10 year old! The
Sea Lion and Otter Show "Fools With Tools" stars sea lions,
Clyde and Seamore in their own silly show. The Dolphin
Show turned out to be a better show than I anticipated
thanks to a couple of surprises! And of course, nobody can
leave without catching the Shamu Show. Seaworld has
four rides, two of which were closed on and off throughout
the day due to some wind, The Bayside Skyride and the
Skytower, both by the way, cost extra money to ride. We
went on the Wild Arctic which was a simulated helicopter
ride through the Arctic. It was pretty jostling and even a
bit nauseating at times, but ended with a walk where we
could see Beluga Whales, Polar Bears and a massive
Walrus. The Shipwreck Rapids ride is a positively wet ride.
Unless you buy a rain poncho for, a ridiculous, $5 your
gonna get wet. It was fun though! Perhaps the best
attractions are the ones with animal interaction. Our
favorite part of the whole day was feeding and petting the
dolphins at Rocky Point Reef. Though we visited the
Forbidden Reef and pet bat rays we didn't know they also
had feeding/interaction times as well as the Seal and Sea
Lion Feeder Pool. We decided upon Shipwreck Rapids Cafe
for our dinner. The smokey aroma of the outdoor grills
lured us in, not to mention the restaurant was to offer
surprise appearances from some of the park animals. We
thought the food was really good. I thoroughly enjoyed
the Grilled Salmon with a honey-pineapple glaze, which
was only $4 ala carte. They had killer thick-cut french fries
and Ken raved about his rack of barbecue ribs. I also want
to put in a good word for their Cheeseburger. They also
had another unique dining experience, Dine with Shamu,
where you enjoy your buffet at a reserved dining table
surrounding Shamu's private pool. Put in a reservation
early at the Reservation Center first thing in the park, this
experience is subject to availability. We saw penguins,
otters, manatees, flamingos, sea turtles, eels and, we
couldn't miss, Shark Encounter, where you first view the
sharks from the top and then it's a walk in their tanks
through a glass tunnel! Finally a half hour before the park
closed we did our shopping. There was a band playing at
the entrance which kept things lively and at 9:40 there was
a firework show, and I'm thinking this would be the ideal

time to take that Skytower ride, wouldn't that be cool! On our way out the kids did a little
shopping while I headed over to the Plaza Bakery. They bake pastries, desserts and fudge
on the premises. This is a good place to get a specialty coffee drink for the long drive home
and a couple of their wonderful croissants. You know I wasn't necessarily looking forward
to walking through a park ten hours viewing fish, but Seaworld has come a long way to
making sure that all that travel is worth the trip. There was plenty to do and see and I
really enjoyed our day!

Extra notes: Their Preferred Parking was $12, they had coin lockers, and they have Animal
Interaction Adventures where you can enter the water for dolphin interaction or as a trainer
for a day.

Admission is $38.65 for adults

and $29.65 for children ages 3 to 6 years of age.

A second day pass is only $10 more per person.

Telephone (877) 536-5746

Website: www.seaworld.com