So I have re-read yesterday’s entry and wow, what a sleeper that was
. I was a bit pre-occupied on Tuesday…..several other pressing issues were foremost in my mind (and no, it was neither the Raptors nor the Jays games that were sending my thoughts off track
)…..and as a result, my heart wasn’t really in a trip report entry.
Sadly, it showed
. It was so
blah.
My apologies to all….hopefully I can properly convey the details of our awesome SeaWorld day a little more eloquently going forward
. Let’s keep moving along…….
Monday, April 25th: continued
I left off the last entry with the guys heading eagerly toward Journey to Atlantis…..a favourite for both of them
. As someone who is no fan of rides that include steep drops (and also no fan of rides that have the potential to soak me
), I happily took a pass while they had their fun. As they approached the entry to the ride queue, we noted that they were running empty boats so I didn’t expect their wait to be very long at all.
I perused the gift shop for a few minutes…..
….but then thought it probably wasn’t wise for me to dilly dally too long or I’d miss the big descent. Just as I suspected, within just a few minutes of settling myself at the viewing ledge in front of the big drop, down they came with a big splash……just the two of them, in a boat all by their lonesome.
I laughed at the big smiles on their faces like two little boys. We certainly do have a LOT of fun together sometimes
.
I waited for them at the photo kiosk where we had their ride picture added to our Photokey account:
….and then we took the time to tour the Jewel of the Sea Aquarium, just adjacent to the Golden Seahorse gift shop and Atlantis exit.
It’s tough not to be very, VERY impressed by the quality of the exhibits at SeaWorld. They are so well done and so immaculately maintained that we can visit them again and again and it never gets old
.
This particular aquarium features a glass floor where fish swim happily beneath your feet
:
….and a domed glass ceiling which houses a selection of sharks (my favourites are the hammerheads):
The eels were feeling particularly photogenic that morning, and I almost swore they were trying to pose as I approached the glass with my camera.
We spent a few moments admiring the fish featured in the various windows:
….and then decided to head out to continue exploring the park. The day was still young but we had a lot on our to-do list.
The guys decided their stomachs were ready to conquer the mighty Manta coaster, so after a quick stop at the washrooms we headed back in that direction. Kraken wasn’t quite open just yet (while Journey to Atlantis opens at 9 am, Kraken’s first run is deferred until 10), so getting Manta out of the way early in the day seemed like a favourable idea. Lo and behold, en route to the Manta entrance, we ran into this happy surprise
:
Flamingos! And not JUST flamingos (as some of you may know, you can always find them preening themselves at the flamingo exhibit just past Guest Services near the park entrance)……but flamingos on the walkway, gladly posing for guests and enjoying a leisurely stroll through the park with their handlers. The animal care staff were chatting with visitors, answering any questions that people had and explaining that the morning flamingo walk is a way of providing exercise and stimulation to these animals on a daily basis. Our timing to catch this very cool experience couldn’t have been better.
I think I took a dozen pictures….these birds are simply gorgeous
.
Eventually, it was time for the animal staff to return the birds to the flamingo habitat…..I suppose it would be less than safe to have them out and about as crowds begin to thicken. Following a quick call for attention from one of the staff members, the birds very obediently began their graceful jaunt along the pathway…..and of course, we followed behind!
These are some seriously well behaved and intelligent animals. They truly behaved better than most dogs I know!
We followed them all the way back to the Stingray pool, until they rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. This seriously left us all with a smile…..even after so many visits to SeaWorld, we are still finding new and cool experiences at this park. So awesome.
Since we were already in the Key West area, we figured we might as well have a little visit with the sting rays while we were here…..we were virtually the only ones around the pool, which was nice for a change. Normally this is a pretty busy spot that visitors tends to draw a lot of bodies on busier days.
I asked the guys if they wanted a tray of fish to feed them, but both declined (it was something we’ve already done more than once on previous visits), but they did enjoy the chance to reach out and pet them as they swam by.
There seemed to be quite the buzz occurring over at nearby Dolphin Cove, so we strolled over there to see what all the fuss was about.
The dolphin care team was preparing for a session of dolphin interactions, so the animals were excitedly jumping and playing in anticipation. They were so cute to watch, so we stopped for a moment to enjoy their antics. Eventually, they patiently swam over to the side as if to persuade the trainers to get this show on the road. There was fish in those buckets and gosh darn it, they knew it!
Popping our head into the dolphin underwater viewing area, we found it totally empty save for one of the very friendly and informative SeaWorld staff members. We strolled down to watch the dolphins swim for a bit, and had a great conversation with the knowledgeable young woman who was stationed there.
As we chatted with this young lady, we learned that since dolphins are voluntary breathers (ie they have to ‘remember’ to breathe), they don’t sleep like humans do. They essentially have two distinct halves of their brains, each of which “sleeps” at a different time from the other so the other half can be conscious and keep them functioning enough to keep them alive. That was something I didn’t know before, and a very cool little dolphin fact!
Who says vacations don't make you smarter?
As we left the dolphin viewing in our efforts to head to Manta (yes, finally!) Jake was instantly sidetracked by the Surf’s Up Hoops game. Since we had saved so much by not having to purchase Quick Queue passes for the day, I was happy to toss him some money in an effort to win the first stuffie of the trip. He eyed the big dolphin in the top right of the picture, but only managed two of the three baskets needed to snag the big prize. He did, however, win himself a cute little penguin which was the next best thing
.
We strolled past the pelicans:
…and the boys handed me their hats, lanyards, wallets and keys (and the penguin stuffie, of course) as we made our way to the Manta queue. There’s no way I’ll ride that beast, thank you very much!!
I told the guys I’d be shopping in Key West while they enjoyed their coaster. There isn’t much more of a win-win situation than that!
Stay tuned…..so much more to come.
.
.
...with a lemonade and a slice of his Seaworld favourite, chocolate cake. He RAVES about this cake. I think he would eat a whole one if given the opportunity.
)…..and I had the thrill of playing. Fun memories no matter what way you slice it.
