Today we planned on exploring the watery wonderland of Sea World. We were successful for the most part, but our non-stop pace finally caught up with us today. More specifically, we found that Camryn is not the Incredible Bionic Bean she tries to be and every so often she needs a good recharge.
We did get a good early start on our day at Sea World and when we arrived we had just enough time to get our bearings before we had to grab a seat at Shamu Stadium. I've never been to Sea World and was really looking forward to finally seeing these whales in person. The girls were equally excited to see everything, I think Cori was really looking forward to today the most, she really loves whales and dolphins. We managed to get a great seat in the "Soak Zone", so pretty close to the tank, and settled in for the show. The stage, or tank, for the show is pretty cool, with huge moving video screens that set up the event with some Hollywood style imagery. You can just see the killer whales warming up behind the scenes and you get a great look at the trainers before everything kicks off. Right now, they must be in between preparing for shows, as we weren't getting a full performance but more of a practice run for what they have lined up at the beginning of summer. Just before the show started we were informed that a baby killer whale had been born today, for only the 27th time in Sea World history. That was kinda cool!
During the wait for the show to start Cam did what she does best and made a few new friends. We sat next to a nice British gentleman who kindly shared half his caramel corn with her until he remembered that he should probably let his own kids have some too. Then the whales finally came out to play and we were treated to a twenty minute display of just how amazing and smart these whales are. Jumping, splashing, twisting an even acting, they put on a very entertaining show before the big attraction, Shamu, was brought out for the finale. Shamu is noticeably larger than the other whales, and he (she?) proved it as the crowd chanted his name over and over. Finally it was time to see why it's called the Soak Zone. Shamu cupped that giant tail and laid waste to the first 25 rows all over the stadium. No joke, this whale was absolutely drenching people. Cameras and backpacks were frantically shoved under shirts and towels as the big orca continued to pound the crowd. We managed to miss the worst of the assault but still walked away a little wet and extremely amused.
As we walked out, I couldn't help but think that for all the amenities Sea World provides for these animals and I have no doubt they treated as humanely as possible, that these powerful creatures shouldn't be pent up in a tank and doing tricks for treats. I guess in a way they might be better off, protected from whatever dangers they might face in the wild, but they are so beautiful and mysterious, I just feel like we've taken something away from them with all the spectacle. Or maybe I'm being overly dramatic. Meh.
After Shamu we hit the Happy Harbor which consisted of a bunch of very kiddie rides. We indulged Bean on a few and then moved on to the rest of the park. Unfortunately by this time we were all more tired than we thought we'd be, and Cam actually asked if we could find our bus and head home. I didn't push it, so we had lunch (I'm still sore from the $35 burger/fries raping) then walked through the shark tunnel attraction, the manta ray aquarium and tried to see the dolphins but they were on break for another hour. We had one really neat highlight of the day when we stumbled on the Stingray Lagoon on our way out. It was kind of like a huge kiddie pool full of rays swimming around. You could buy fish to feed them and they swam in a huge loop begging for food and attention. I thought it was really fun and Cam got a kick out of petting the rays as they swept past us. They'd swim right up to the edge and slap the sides with their fins so you could high five them as they went around. Pretty cute, and really entertaining. I tried to get Cori to ride the huge rollercoaster before we left but she wasn't having it. I'll get her on a coaster before we come home, I swear it
After this we made our way back to the hotel and all took naps for a few hours. I managed to get a load of laundry done while Bean slept the afternoon away. By the time she woke up it was dinner time so we decided to take another shot at attending Fantasmic over at Hollywood Studios. I really wanted to see this and we had a nice big window available. So we hopped a bus, ate a quick dinner and made it to the amphitheater with about 70 minutes to spare. And we were just in time, the huge arena was already half full. We found a seat fairly close to the front and hunkered down for a long wait. During the wait, Cam made friends with some more Brits, two teenage girls behind us and ended up eating half of their cotton candy. At the rate this kid was pilfering food from strangers I wouldn't have to feed her for the rest of the trip. They even took their picture with her. You can probably feel my head shaking in Colorado by now. Finally the show started and we were glued to our seats the entire time. I'm very glad we decided to come back for Fantasmic, it was truly spectacular and dripping with Disney goodness. Live action Mickey, fireworks, huge fire breathing dragons, what's not to love!
After the show we hopped a very full bus back to the hotel. Bean made more friends with a cute family on the ride back. I think we have a pool date before we leave, I'm not quite sure. They had a daughter named Millie and she was having a great time talking to Cam and comparing their pretty hair-do's. We bid farewell at the bus stop and Bean chalked up another handful of fans. As I write we're all showered and relaxing before bedtime. Cam just informed me it's 90 30 o'clock and that I need to come to bed, so I'm calling it a wrap. Tomorrow is a free day, so maybe we hit the pool, or maybe Magic Kingdom again, or maybe Downtown Disney. Kids choice!
G'night!
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