Oh, The Places We’ll Go! From the “stars” to the “sea”: Universal, SeaWorld & beyond - Spring 2016

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm all in for a destination wedding and as the mother of the bride I like and can afford the 5K price tag.

That's $5000 USD, though......add 30% to that (unless the dollar improves by then, of course.....we can hope, right?).

 

[pigletto]

Naturally this union will need to be arranged for love and when the dollar is at an all time high. It's the practical way to approach this match.

 

[RocketCityMama]

Played catch up! Looks like you've had a great trip thus far, so excited to read more as the days go! I am still waiting on the huge dolphin story, and when Jake was playing, I was like nope it's too early for the the big one LOL You guys seem to have great timing on these non busy park days, kinda jealous! lol One day my kids will be all grown and we can go during less busy times, but until then we'll fight the moderate crowds LOL

 

[Ritchielace]

Don't check for a couple of day and Two Sea World post. Both were Fabulous! Plus being girl have to say love your outfit that day.

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

Yikes,I hope they were not really that big and it was just the picture. They look huge. I may never go in the ocean again.

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.

These are some seriously well behaved and intelligent animals. They truly behaved better than most dogs I know!

This was so awesome. Finding the flamingos out on the walkway. Didn't know they did that and let you get so close. Also did not think they could be trained .

 

[Ritchielace]

It was amazing (and surprisingly affordable... less than $5k for 32 people for a wedding and all day fun/eating/drinking). We both have a TON of family members so we were hoping to cut down on the amount of attendees by doing a destination wedding (since we were footing the bill).

Neverland this sounds amazing! Would love to see pics if you feel up to sharing. Can't think of a more beautiful location. Was it all arranged and coordinate by them? Never knew they had a wedding spot.

 

[JaxDad]

This may be a silly question, but I'm not up on my oyster knowledge: what does the hot sauce and horseradish do?

They are just some common condiments for raw oysters. I generally just eat them as is. Mmmmm....

 

[ElenaJane]

I can imagine your boys combing through all the shells to find you the perfect pearl! And they did a great job! What a neat experience, and a great reminder every time you look at the ring! People may ask what fancy boutique you got your ring at, and it will be fun to say Sea World!

The Tower has always scared me a little. I am not afraid of heights, but the idea of being trapped for hours is a little much for me! Those were really good views though. I guess the "after spring break before summer" time is a great time to visit Orlando! I'll be interested to see how crowded at Universal it will be...

 

[J'aime Paris]

Love, Love, Love the ring!
What a terrific anniversary gift and memory

 

[kittylady1972]

What a great experience doing the Pearl picking. We've done the one at EPCOT (well did it for my daughter) and she did enjoy it. This one looks pretty cool though, with the woman diving down and picking up a bunch of them. Your ring is beautiful!

 

[pigletgirl]

Catching up --

What an awesome day thus far in SW! I love being in a park that's not busy. Major plus!

The ring is gorgeous! I wasn't aware that SW had a "pick a pearl" type thing!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Naturally this union will need to be arranged for love and when the dollar is at an all time high. It's the practical way to approach this match.

They are most definitely in love. Because I said so.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Naturally this union will need to be arranged for love and when the dollar is at an all time high. It's the practical way to approach this match.

I like the way you think! Now, if only we can get the kids to agree.......

Played catch up! Looks like you've had a great trip thus far, so excited to read more as the days go! I am still waiting on the huge dolphin story, and when Jake was playing, I was like nope it's too early for the the big one LOL You guys seem to have great timing on these non busy park days, kinda jealous! lol One day my kids will be all grown and we can go during less busy times, but until then we'll fight the moderate crowds LOL

LOL, that dolphin tale will literally be almost the last thing covered in this report! I keep thinking, I should give you guys a hint!! Then I think, nah.....that would just spoil it .

The ONLY place we saw crowds all week was at Aquatica, and that was on a hot weekend day so I think the locals accounted for those numbers more than anything. After Easter and spring break but before the southern schools break for the summer is really a wonderful time to travel, from a crowds and weather perspective .

Don't check for a couple of day and Two Sea World post. Both were Fabulous! Plus being girl have to say love your outfit that day.

Yikes,I hope they were not really that big and it was just the picture. They look huge. I may never go in the ocean again.

This was so awesome. Finding the flamingos out on the walkway. Didn't know they did that and let you get so close. Also did not think they could be trained .

Those eels were MASSIVE. If I ever encountered one of those alive and in the wild, the last thing I'd have to worry about is the eel. I'd have a heart attack long before the eel did me any harm .

I loved the colour of that tank top as soon as I saw it. Plus, it was lacey and girly and just my style. It's always tough to buy summer clothes that early in the season here, so I was happy to find a shirt or two before we left that was perfect for our trip.

Neverland this sounds amazing! Would love to see pics if you feel up to sharing. Can't think of a more beautiful location. Was it all arranged and coordinate by them? Never knew they had a wedding spot.

I would love to see photos, too!!

They are just some common condiments for raw oysters. I generally just eat them as is. Mmmmm....

LOL, well that makes sense . Sometimes, I am such an idiot!! You can tell we don't eat seafood, can't you?

I can imagine your boys combing through all the shells to find you the perfect pearl! And they did a great job! What a neat experience, and a great reminder every time you look at the ring! People may ask what fancy boutique you got your ring at, and it will be fun to say Sea World!

The Tower has always scared me a little. I am not afraid of heights, but the idea of being trapped for hours is a little much for me! Those were really good views though. I guess the "after spring break before summer" time is a great time to visit Orlando! I'll be interested to see how crowded at Universal it will be...

LOL, the process did have its funny moments. Especially when they are each holding an oyster shell up in the sun, asking "do you think mine is uglier and hairier than yours?" .

Love, Love, Love the ring!
What a terrific anniversary gift and memory

Thank you!!! It makes me smile every time I put it on in the morning .

What a great experience doing the Pearl picking. We've done the one at EPCOT (well did it for my daughter) and she did enjoy it. This one looks pretty cool though, with the woman diving down and picking up a bunch of them. Your ring is beautiful!

The diver element really added a unique twist. So fun!

I may check out the Pearl Factory kiosk at DTD in October, just to see what their prices are like in comparison.

Catching up --

What an awesome day thus far in SW! I love being in a park that's not busy. Major plus!

The ring is gorgeous! I wasn't aware that SW had a "pick a pearl" type thing!

I was surprised to find very little information about it online.....any reviews were either very basic or WAY outdated. Hopefully I can help get the word out, and other people will give it a try too!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, April 25th: more SeaWorld


The fountains were running as we left Oysters Secret with my new ring safely stowed. I love the fountains in the lagoon…I wish they ran continuously throughout the day rather than just at sporadic intervals. They just add such a peaceful elegance to the Waterfront .








It was getting pretty warm in the afternoon sun, so they guys voted to head back for another ride on Journey to Atlantis.





It wasn’t exactly a walk-on, but it was close….maybe a 5-10 minute wait, tops?








They were definitely pretty damp this time as they disembarked, so both got the cooling off they very much needed. I, on the other hand, got a nice frying (despite my SPF 100 sunscreen) and had myself a tidy little burn by the end of day 1. My fellow pasty pale comrades will be able to commiserate, I’m sure .


Ride pic!





While I was still full from lunch, the guys had managed to work up a bit of an appetite since our stop at Spice Mill, and were itching for a “small snack” to get them through the afternoon . If anyone wonders why the all-day dining plan is a good value for our family, this is the perfect example. Jake was craving pizza so we stopped at Seaport Pizza for nibbles.





This is one restaurant that has improved significantly since our last all-day dining visit in August 2014. The pizza from Seaport used to be kind of …. unremarkable. The individual portions used to be small, personal-sized pizzas that seemed to have more dough than toppings. The individual entitlement is now two slices of a standard size large pizza, and the crust is thinner while the toppings cover more of the surface. My fellows gave their stamp of approval on changes .





I just had some strawberries and a beverage...no pizza for moi. We were still a few months away from strawberry season in the north, and fresh strawberries are one of my favourites. I wasn’t hungry at all, yet I ate just because they were so good. YOLO .





While we were gratefully resting our weary feet and enjoying our afternoon snacks in the outdoor seating area immediately adjacent to Seaport, this mother duck and her little baby carefully waddled among the tables and captured the hearts of every person who saw them. What a pair of cuties!





Father duck joined them in short order, and both parents were called into action when one of the guests decided to let their little girl (maybe 3-ish?) run behind them, screaming repeatedly and stomping her feet behind them as they ran . Momma duck hurried her baby to the safety of nearby bushes while Daddy duck honked and flapped his disapproval. I was glad to see them make a speedy exit because I feared that preschooler foot would break the neck of baby duck if it made contact with that fuzzy little body.


Once again stuffed full, the guys nixed the idea of any more rides until their stomachs absorbed some of their pizza indulgences. We knew we had just about enough time to get to the new Mako Rising ride preview experience for the afternoon showing, and it would give our aching feet and legs some additional time to recover. The fact that it was air conditioned was also a big seller to my guys.





Even arriving just a few short minutes before the preview experience kicked off, we were easily able to get great seats near the front of the theater. Staff were passing out bags of Lays potato chips as you entered, and each guest was given a coupon for a free dessert with purchase of entrée as well as a voucher for $5 off a Mako photo from Shark Encounter. We stowed the chips in our shopping back….after just leaving Seaport, no one was feeling snackish….and within a few minutes, the show was underway.





I thought that SeaWorld did a great job with this. A very enthusiastic host led a 15-20 minute presentation which featured all the highlights of the new roller coaster, but lots of really interesting information on the animal behind the inspiration: the Mako shark. Two people were selected from the audience for a game-show type contest on Mako facts and each “won” a t-shirt for their participation. The presentation concluded with a virtual POV video on the large screen:





If Steve wasn't already excited about riding the new coaster on our October visit, he certainly was now. Jake was feelin' a tad sorry for himself that he was going to miss out on all the fun!!


After the Mako Rising experience, our pace was definitely starting to slow. We strolled a bit around the beautiful Sea Garden while we considered what we wanted to do next.











During our walk around in the gardens, the guys spotted another game (adjacent to the new Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen restaurant) that featured large minions as prizes…….so of course, my two men wanted to play. It seemed like a slam-dunk: $10 for a huge bucket of rings. The attendant explained that one ring on a bottle netted you a prize….just one! Well, this couldn’t be too hard, could it?





Famous last words!!


I swear, this was the unwinnable challenge . Both Steve and Jake tried every approach imaginable......tossing them softly, flinging them with purpose, lobbing them in, spinning them, high arcs, low and slow…..and nuthin’. Just the tinkle of a hundred plastic rings against the necks of those maddening glass bottles.





There were a lot of rings in that bucket. A LOT . It still seemed to take forever to get to the bottom, and their efforts were punctuated with several animated discussions as to the most effective strategy to accomplish the minion goal. Despite their best efforts, when the last ring was tossed, nary a bottle was circled……so all we walked away with was the consolation prize:







A wee fishie, just for me . Ah well, he was still a cutie and would be a fun addition to my assortment of vacation stuffies which were proudly on display in our rec room at home. At least we can say we didn't leave empty handed .


The balance of our SeaWorld day is next (yes, I promise….it does eventually end, LOL!).

 

[Worfiedoodles]

That all day dining deal is starting to seem like a great idea! Wow, you were well-fed so far. Those "unwinnable" games are annoying! We know if it can be done, your husband would find a way

The grounds are so pretty! It's just a lovely place to relax and stroll, punctuated by a lot of fun things to do!

Maria

 

[dixonsontour]

The pick a pearl looks fun. DD has done it twice at Epcot and has a necklace and bracelet.

 

[25eels]

Next time, tell them to throw the whole bucket at once. That's my trick at county fairs!

First time commenter; love your TRs!

 

[Joanna71985]

She was AWESOME.....truly . So fun and enthusiastic! SeaWorld couldn't have picked a more perfect individual to fill that role.

I will definitely let her know!

 

[Joanna71985]

So it looked like the penguin ride was operating today (at the least, there was no sign at the entrance to Antarctica). I'll check again tomorrow

I love your duck picture! I don't know why, but I am fascinated by ducks (all birds, actually). No matter which park I'm at, I could watch them all day

I have to say- your description of the ring toss attempts (especially flinging with purpose) made me laugh!

Can't wait for Mako! I haven't been to the little show thing, but I'm hoping they may do previews early

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I'm here and all caught up! I am loving this TR. Gina, I actually look forward to YOU going on vacation so I can read your reports! Your ring looks fab and it was clear how special if was go you getting your husband and son involved.

We have two young girls (5 months and 2 years) so we now call our trips "family experiences" instead of vacation because they are a lot of work and exhausting. I'm thrilled to say that DH and I will be going alone to Universal and staying onsite for Labor Day weekend! I'm calling it a "Gina style trip" lol.

 

[mmdis]

I'm here quietly following along loving your report. I'm so happy for you that you did the pick a pearl. So many times moms everywhere put everyone else first. You deserve it!!!