No, I didn't visit Jim Henson's magical world of make believe, although I think I'd have more fun visiting radish eating cave dwellers than walking around an oceanic world of fish.
Yes, I went to SeaWorld | Orlando. And for the second to last weekend in September, it was unseasonably hot. It hit 100 degrees with humidity at one point and we spent about 8 hours walking around a crowded park on Saturday. For the threat of rain, it rained for all of 20 minutes. Maybe 15 of that was a full rain, but primarily it was a dry day.
I wasn't too thrilled in going, truth be told. I think going to Disney is a waste of time, money, energy and everything else in between. For a Florida resident, it's not that great of a price difference, even if you're a seasonal pass member. Sure, I got ~$50 off my ticket, but when it cost me $49.50 to get in, it's just the start of a paying domino spread. * The cost was due to the people I went with... they're season pass holders. And yes, I'm grateful they allowed me to tag along and play, but I just feel it's a waste. *
I know, I know; $49.50 is cheap compared to the price I could have paid, since I'm not a seasonal pass holder and I just shlepped across the entire state (so it felt) to see penguins and dolphins. However, these parks aren't my thing. I'd rather spend the money and time on something more useful than being the team photographer and snapping still photos of sharks and manatees. It wasn't even that fun to people watch, and that's usually the highlight of my day. Truth be told, I think I'm getting too old for this kid stuff, even though I went with 4 adults over 60 (well, one was close to 65 and the rest were over 70).
Side note: parking costs $10-40 depending on level of passholder / resident. I can't recall if the passholders I went with paid anything, due to their level of ticket, but it was interesting to see the prices to park.
One thing I had that didn't help matters of "fun!!!" was my 19 year old Hot Topic blue lightning wallet chain... it's considered a weapon.
Damn ... I can't believe I've had the wallet for 19 years... And yet it's in relatively good condition. I've sewn an inch on the bottom because there was a gaping hole, but other than that, it's still in pretty good condition.
But anyway, the chain was what makes the wallet a weapon and security gave me two options: Take the chain off the wallet and get rid of it, or put the entire wallet and chain in my pocket so no one can see it. Do not take it out of my pocket for any reason, do not pass go. When the guy got down to looking at it, he saw how the chain can't come un-clipped from the wallet, so he gave me a third option: put it in my backpack and don't take it out. For any reason. Guess which chapter I chose in this adventure....
So in my backpack the wallet goes and accepted to the park I am. That's not to say I didn't witness anything else lacking in the security department. Although, the group in front of me was told to throw out their home made breads they were bringing into the park. Each member had one of those gallon Ziploc bags that was chock full of rolls. Guess that salami on rye should have been eaten before you parked? I don't want to delve into other challenges I saw, as I don't know who reads this and what type of feedback I will get from it, but buyer beware: if you are of the ilk who have wallet chains (for whatever reason), make sure it stays home or unseen to every eye.
Once my party got into the park, it was off to see the animal rescue league perform stunts about finding true love. We made our first stop the Pets Ahoy show, and it was nothing like anyone thought. First and foremost, it's got nothing to do with anything aquatic. Sinking battleships or otherwise. It's all rescued / adopted pets that perform various tricks to music. Not so cheesy though; we're talking about a mouse weaving around barrels and being chased by a couple cats up ladders, down chutes and through holes in the makeshift walls. There were dogs driving cars, birds flying, and a pig that thought he owned the joint. The crew I rolled with thought it was the best show they've seen since their favorite Vegas act retired. No one could understand how the animals behaved so well and performed so flawlessly.
Except the poor little kitty who absofreakinglutely refused to run up a ramp that went from the stage and over people's heads to the back wall. The cat was scared out of its mind and froze. Can't blame 'im... I'd be worried about the humans watching me as well. The whole act lasted all of 30 minutes. Which turns out to be a standard show time round these parts.
Once we got our bearings of the park (via the handy map), we decided to start with one of the coldest places known to man: Antarctica.
The oldest person in our group decided to sit out on the penguin escapades and opted to find his way into the gift shop. This was the option for him as he'd seen the show before and didn't feel like helping a tuxedo'd bird named Puck find his way through the frozen desert. * Note: Puck is a CGI effect for the ride portion *
There are three versions of the Empire Of The Penguin exhibit / ride: "Non Riders", "Mild Riders", and "Wild Riders". The people choosing to not partake in the ride get a first class walking ticket straight into the penguin arena. The mild riders and the wild riders have a similar boat of a bumper car ride, but they vary in the sense the wild ride does some more frantic movements.
Due to the ride being a trackless carriage, there's no "chk", "chk", "chk" of a coaster sound. Instead, you're seated 4 in a row, 8 people in total, in a bowl of a small pod. It's actually comfortable bucket seating that you must get belted in to. This pod sits in a bigger bowled pod that is similar to bumper cars. It glides over a surface like an air hockey play, and you swerve and tilt and think you're about to jump into a 15 degree bath, but you're not; you're staying dry and solid in this machine. The mild ride doesn't have the crazy movements like the wild ride, I must point out. One the ride is over and Puck finds his way into the habitat, you're greeted by a plethora of different types of Penguins - Emperor, Rock Hopper, Gentoo and a few more species known to the cold southern country.
I know I've stated I'm not a park person and am not so interested in the aquatic life of Walt Disney, but I do have to admit the ride for Antarctica was good, solely based on it being "the first of its kind" in getting riders from Point A to Point B using no standard track system. Plus, the snow loving waddlers are pretty cool.
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| A science station of sorts within the Antarctica hills |
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| In a pod, inside the icebergs! (part of the ride) |
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| Swimmy swimmy |
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| Jump, you show off! |
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| To the right, to the right... |
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| Party people |
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| Dude's in the corner, talking to the wall... |
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| His buddies are like "wtf, guy! There ain't no one there! You're trippin on bad fish!" |
After deciding we had enough of the cold (geez, the New Englanders shoulda been used to it.. Guess we've been in Florida too long), we all agreed it's lunch time; our tummies were hungry. Off to a hot dog kiosk and a round of fries. With the New York style beef in a bun digesting in our bellies, we went off to the dolphin show.
Dollar Dolphin Days are upon us... or not. Depends on who you ask. But there was no way in hell I wanted to be in one of the first 5 rows of the swim meet. Considered the "splash zone" by park personnel and guests alike, I thought of better plans to break my Canon Camera than with water thrown at me by Flipper reincarnate. I know I need an upgrade, but not today, Satan; this isn't how my DSLR goes down. Thankyouverymuch. Up to row 15 we go, where we have center view of an expansive display and a semi circle of a pool. More thought was put into the structure and design for the water mammals than what they get to roam and play in. It's all good; I learned that each one of the 8 or so animals have their own names and tricks, as one does something better than the other. Did you know the trainers use ice cubes to direct the dolphin's attention so they know where to go? This was yet another fairly decent show that took all of 30 minutes to watch. There were brightly colored macaw (birds) involved in this pageant of fins. Again, another version of "how'd the birds get trained to fly where they were supposed to??" from my group and a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" as the dolphins waved the crowd hello, goodbye, and flew trainers in the air. It was nice to sit for a few minutes but it was hard to keep up in taking photos of fast moving objects.
The last show we caught before heading into the shark tank ("Shark Encounters"... think Jaws 3) was the sea lion show. It was called "Sea Lion High" or something like that. Now this was the cheesiest of the cheesy shows. It's like a rip on the 1950s / 1960s TV shows, but stars 2 sea lions and a handful of humans. The basis is that everyone is ready to graduate high school and it's their last day of school. There are some jocks ready to get their scholarships to college, and this includes the two sea lions, however, the animals didn't complete all the mandatory classes in order to graduate. So in a span of 30 minutes (surprise!), the two beach combers have to figure out a way to pass 2 classes each. Spoiler Alert: there's another splash zone. This show was honestly a time waster to me. Comparatively speaking, the other shows we saw were far and beyond much more entertaining and fun.
Last thing we did was Shark Encounters and sadly, the moving sidewalk was dead, so people had to hoof it down the tunnel while they looked above their heads at the sharks looking for food. With plenty of other fish in this sea, it's amazing how the tunnel hasn't broken yet or the fish haven't been fried. This is the one exhibit I remember from being young, and no, it's not from seeing the man eating great white. The drawback was the moving sidewalk, but things happen. No pictures were taken in the tunnel as the glare of the plexiglass made the picture look horrible. Plus, stopping every couple feet in a closed space irks people.
What did I buy and did I enjoy it? (aka the takeaway):
I bought no tourist gift. It was offered to me in a few of the shops we walked in to, but do I really need another mug coffee mug? Do I need a t-shirt or magnet saying I caught some big wave on a ride? No, not really. I'd have the sunnies on for all of 5 minutes before they get forgotten about and I loose interest in keeping them around to wear outside. I am not so quick to go back, as it honestly proved to me that I've outgrown Walter and his mouse house. I'm a kid at heart for some things, but this isn't one of them. Having only visited the parks a (now) total of 3 times in my life, I can seal this chapter in the book of "I've gone and tried it" and can look for something else to do in my future that I can then say "zomg, I wanna go back!! Can we please go back again?!".
Be good to yourselves. Behave, be nice, and see you soon.
Cheers;
See Also (aka music I'm jamming to while writing):
See Also ((aka reference material):
Seaworld Orlando website
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin information
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Thanks for sharing!