Grateful, Thankful, Blessed: our 25th Anniversary SeaWorld Celebration (Spring ’18 TR)

I can hardly believe we'll soon be at the 2 month mark! It's unbelievable how fast its roaring up!



Your babies are simply beautiful :love:. I bet they loved the chicken thighs!

Do you find that your male cat enjoys people food more than your female? Our Vi is mostly content to stick with her cat food (and prefers dry over wet), but Dash is like an eating machine :laughing:. He especially loves butter, cheese and meat.
He is so lazy, he doesn't even bathe so he got a really bad hair cut earlier this summer to get the mats out from drinking the milk dripping from the calf we were feeding all winter. Picture him under a bucket with a nipple the calf is drinking out of and his head turned up to drink anything falling down. He is going for a little nip tuck (if you know what I mean) in a few weeks so I am going to have them clean him up some more. A long haired barn cat is a bad idea, although his mother never had any issues.

She is the eating (and hunting machine). She is only a few months old and spends her days taking the sparrows and starlings in the barn down. She is also constantly grooming herself. I try to give them a treat a few nights a week. Sunday they had bbq chicken skin. between DD and her cousins, she has been really man handled lately. Last night in a monsoon, DD was trying to convince her to "take a bath" in the down spout. She can't get it through her head that we wash cows, not cats.

I know you hate drops, but Splash is so cute inside. DD is so excited she can ride Atlantis, she loves water rides. We checked in for the cruise, have all hotel nights booked and a car (still watching). Now just deciding on Kennedy Space or Discovery Cove. I know two totally different experiences and the early start time for Discovery Cove will make us change our days. I don't know. I have to re read your reports to get a feel.

If you have a Sea World AP, is there a definitive list of discounts/no charge items somewhere? It seems like the website didn't mention some of the things you have.

Thanks for any info.
You pictures with Jake were so nice. I love the look of that Aquarium. You guys find all the good spots to explore.
 
Wednesday, May 9th: SeaWorld, continued

After Journey to Atlantis, we strolled around a bit to allow Steve to air dry in the warm sunshine. The good thing is, he didn’t stay wet for long……on a nice day (especially a hot one like this was, with relatively low humidity), it’s amazing how quickly the wettest clothing can dry out :sunny:.

Heading through Antarctica on our way back toward the waterfront, we were shocked to find the area virtually deserted…..and it was noon :eek:.

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Steve routinely will remind me, “Hey….you should really take a crowd pic!”. I’m always glad to have those after the trip has ended, especially as I’m writing these reports. I just wish we had taken note of the standby time for Empire of the Penguin. It had to have been 5-10 minutes at most.

Oh, how I love the relaxed pace of SeaWorld in the spring! :cloud9:

We decided to continue our stroll through Shark Wreck Reef and past the Infinity Falls area for another peek at the progress (or, in the case of early May, the lack thereof). The crews were working diligently but there was little noticeable change than from a few days before. I suppose it was unfair to expect noticeable change in such a short span…..it hadn’t really been that long. I will admit, though, as we gazed upon the construction area and saw just how much there was yet to do before the ride would be considered ready for park guests, we couldn’t help but wonder……..are they sure it will be opening in “Summer 2018”?? :confused:

Continuing onward along the walkway, we eventually reached Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen.

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It was an easy decision to make this our lunch stop :thumbsup2. Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen is one of our favorite all-day dining participants, and we hadn’t yet enjoyed a meal here this trip. There was no time like the present.

A little bit of a dining backstory: SeaWorld only added the Pretzel Kitchen to the all-day dining plan a couple of trips ago……when it was first introduced, it was one of the few park locations that was excluded from the plan. Understandably so, of course: being new and a bit of a different spin on theme park fare, it was incredibly busy without being a dining plan participant. We actually ate there a la carte initially, and enjoyed it so much that we have made it a regular stop on each of our Seaworld vacations.

The smell emanating from the kitchen was mouthwatering, which made the decision of which entré to select rather difficult. Each time we visit, I keep saying I’m going to try the meatball pretzel, but for some reason I never have…….and this time was no different. While they had a wide variety of options form which to pick (the aforementioned meatball pretzel as well as pretzel dogs, pretzel-wrapped bratwurst, plain pretzels, pretzel nuggets, bacon pretzel twists, and more), the fact that these were just being brought out from the kitchen ….. all fresh and warm …. instantly swayed my decision.

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The pizza pretzel. A safe selection, for sure, but I’m a picky eater so safe is right up my alley ::yes::.

Steve was a little more adventurous, and opted for the stuffed cheeseburger pretzel:

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Once again, we had nothing but high praise for this meal. Our entrees were both delicious: my pizza pretzel had a ton of cheese and pepperoni on it, while Steve’s stuffed cheeseburger had an ideal of meat-and-cheese-to-pretzel ratio. The house made chips were a nice accompaniment (and for those planning a visit there, note that the chips are the ONLY side option to my knowledge) though the pretzels were heavy and filling enough that neither of us ate more than a few of the chips. My only criticism was of the service there…….it was painfully slow getting rang through (even with our all day dining bands) and there was confusion over which size beverages we could get on the all day dining, which slowed us down even more. Otherwise, it was a great meal……and an excellent use of the dining plan, as the two drink and two entrees with the chips would have been $35-40 out of pocket.

Another stroll was in order after such a filling meal, so we made our way down the walkway to the rear of Shamu stadium, hoping to catch a glimpse of the whales in the viewing area there. The walkway is lined with some fun and colorful art, some worth stopping to read and others quite photo-worthy.

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Much to our surprise, when we reached the viewing area, it wasn’t the killer whales that were swimming in the tank, but rather a group of pilot whales instead. We must have caught them during one of their nap times :faint:, because they weren’t at all active……so unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture any good shots of them swimming. We hung out for a little bit, hoping maybe our presence next to the glass might inspire their curiosity and encourage them to come a little closer, but nope.

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They continued to chill so we eventually continued on :tiptoe:.

We made our way back across the bridge that spans the lake ……

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….. and were treated to a performance by the Groove Chefs, who were entertaining the small crowd with their instruments which were crafted entirely from pots, pans and kitchen gadgets :rockband:. They are actually really great and super fun to watch, so we stayed to enjoy several of their songs.

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More to come!
 


Off to a hair appointment this afternoon, but I will be back later tonight to respond to all your posts :goodvibes.
 
Wednesday, May 9th: SeaWorld, continued


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The pizza pretzel. A safe selection, for sure, but I’m a picky eater so safe is right up my alley ::yes::.


Much to our surprise, when we reached the viewing area, it wasn’t the killer whales that were swimming in the tank, but rather a group of pilot whales instead. We must have caught them during one of their nap times :faint:, because they weren’t at all active……so unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture any good shots of them swimming. We hung out for a little bit, hoping maybe our presence next to the glass might inspire their curiosity and encourage them to come a little closer, but nope.

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More to come!

I love the pizza pretzel! It's the one thing I always get there


And the pilot whales live in that pool. The orcas have only been in there a handful of times since Oct
 
Looks like it was another beautiful day for park touring...blue skies and low crowds.. who can ask for more ?!:goodvibes
 


Glad that you had a great visit!!

Thank you :goodvibes.
So excited to add another trip and being able to get together again!!:cheer2:

Beautiful pictures of the sights around Detroit!! :) So nice to have a weekend with Jake:hug:

It was wonderful. I know that you can appreciate how special those rare opportunities to spend with our kids are when we are otherwise so far apart. I hope your boy is settling in well in Fort Lauderdale!

Looks like a good time! I keep meaning to mention Daddy's Donuts to you. It's in/near Detroit. He makes them fresh and to order! You should try it sometime.

I'm always up for a new donut shop to try! :teeth: I looked up the location for Daddy's, and its quite a hike from where we are.....just under an hour (we are a bit south and due west of Detroit,, while Daddy's is in Utica which is straight north). But if we happen to be in the Pontiac/Sterling Heights area, we will surely plan to stop :thumbsup2.

Glad you had a wonderful weekend. The park looks lovely and the conservatory especially.

The Conservatory is my FAVORITE. The boys are like "Oh, flowers. Nice. What's next?" :rolleyes:. They are history buffs so I could have dropped them off at the marine museum and left them there and they would have been quite content :laughing:.

Jake is planning to come next again in October. I think I'd like to show him Frankenmuth next.

He is so lazy, he doesn't even bathe so he got a really bad hair cut earlier this summer to get the mats out from drinking the milk dripping from the calf we were feeding all winter. Picture him under a bucket with a nipple the calf is drinking out of and his head turned up to drink anything falling down. He is going for a little nip tuck (if you know what I mean) in a few weeks so I am going to have them clean him up some more. A long haired barn cat is a bad idea, although his mother never had any issues.

She is the eating (and hunting machine). She is only a few months old and spends her days taking the sparrows and starlings in the barn down. She is also constantly grooming herself. I try to give them a treat a few nights a week. Sunday they had bbq chicken skin. between DD and her cousins, she has been really man handled lately. Last night in a monsoon, DD was trying to convince her to "take a bath" in the down spout. She can't get it through her head that we wash cows, not cats.

I know you hate drops, but Splash is so cute inside. DD is so excited she can ride Atlantis, she loves water rides. We checked in for the cruise, have all hotel nights booked and a car (still watching). Now just deciding on Kennedy Space or Discovery Cove. I know two totally different experiences and the early start time for Discovery Cove will make us change our days. I don't know. I have to re read your reports to get a feel.

If you have a Sea World AP, is there a definitive list of discounts/no charge items somewhere? It seems like the website didn't mention some of the things you have.

Thanks for any info.
You pictures with Jake were so nice. I love the look of that Aquarium. You guys find all the good spots to explore.

What an awesome visual of your little fellow :laughing:. Lucky little guy to have an endless supply of fresh milk at his disposal! I can only imagine how chubby Dash would be with that kind of milk supply :lmao:. I cannot even IMAGINE trying to give a cat a hair cut, though :crazy2:. There has to be a special place in heaven for vets that can carry off that feat.

I will have lots of photos and details on our Discovery Cove day towards the end of this report, so hopefully that will help you make your decision between that and the Space Center a little more clear. I've never been to KSC, so I can't weigh in on its merits (though I will say that my former boss LOVED it on his trip a few years ago......his teen daughter, however, was less enthused). My love for DC makes me biased, but its a simply awesome experience. If KSC wins this time around, be sure to table Discovery Cove for a future trip ::yes::.

This link gives you a pretty good summary of the discounts extended to SeaWorld pass members:

https://seaworld.com/orlando/annual-pass/benefits/

In addition to this master list, they are additional discounts that change on a monthly basis:

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Plus there are extra discounts offered from time to time on top of the standard benefits and the scheduled monthly benefits. The $24.99 all day dining (a $10 savings) was one such extra offer.

The aquarium architecture is really something to see. Built in 1904, the ceiling is constructed from individual green glass tiles. It's supposed to invoke an underwater feel. Detroit gets such a bad rap most of the time, but there really are some wonderful places to visit in the city.

I love the pizza pretzel! It's the one thing I always get there

And the pilot whales live in that pool. The orcas have only been in there a handful of times since Oct

Good to know about the pilot whales. Hopefully they will be a bit more active when we are there in October!

Looks like it was another beautiful day for park touring...blue skies and low crowds.. who can ask for more ?!:goodvibes

It was a perfect day to be at the park ::yes::. After such a cool, wet spring here in Michigan, it was so nice to soak up some sun and warmth!

We always try to really appreciate the low crowds on our spring trip. October is always much busier, with so many folks in Orlando for the Halloween festivities at all the parks. Thankfully, SeaWorld absorbs the crowds pretty well, but its still pretty nifty to experience the park when its line- and crowd-free.
 
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OOH!! Mama's Pretzel Kitchen looks fabulous! I probably wouldn't have considered this for a meal. I would think it was a snack place. But your pretzels look delicious! :thumbsup2

Nice (lack of) crowd pictures!!
 
Wednesday, May 9th: SeaWorld, continued

Once we had enjoyed our fill of the spirited entertainment being cooked up (see what I did there? :p) by the Groove Chefs, we decided to take another ride on the Sky Tower. Since our first ride on Monday was a less than serene :rolleyes1 (courtesy of the hyped up young school group who accompanied us for the flight), we thought a do-over was in order :thumbsup2.

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We stopped and got our tickets (free once again, a pass member perk :woohoo:) and headed inside to wait in the queue. The ride was just on its way down as we entered the line, so our wait was minimal and we were boarded within minutes.

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The views were particularly lovely on this sparklingly-clear day, and the atmosphere inside the pod was calm and peaceful this time around :cloud9:. We could actually hear the audio that was piped into pod (not a necessity, but still a nice compliment to the views), and we were happy that we made the decision to give the attraction another go.

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After disembarking from the Skytower, we spent the next chunk of time just walking around and enjoying the various animal exhibits around the park. The pelicans, alligators, flamingos, manatees, sharks……all so fun to watch and well worth the time to visit.

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One of my favorite animal exhibits, though, had to be the stingrays: I’m a sucker for baby animals, and the wee little stingray babies were crazy awesome cute :cutie:.

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As we continued our tour of the park after our visit with the baby stingrays, Steve spied a game with a prize he knew I’d love and decided he just HAD to play……for me, of course(wink wink ;), nudge nudge). Today’s game of skill was to bust brightly colored balloons with small darts……

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….and he had no problem popping the required number to win me the coveted prize: a stingray stuffie, in my favorite color no less :banana:. Really, the only thing that could make stingrays more awesome then they already are would for them to be colored purple :laughing:.

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What can I say? :blush: There’s a little child inside me that is just dying to get out sometimes. I quite enjoyed carrying that soft little critter around the park for the balance of our SeaWorld day :teeth:. Sometimes, it’s the little things that matter most. For $5, Steve got to experience the thrill of victory and I ended up with a fun souvenir.

We stopped for a bite to eat at one point, this time opting for Asian cuisine from one of the stations at the Expedition Café. [A side note worth sharing here: I read on the SeaWorld Passmembers Facebook page last week that the Italian Station, where we had the stuffed cannelloni on this trip, has been removed and replaced with a salad station :sad:. I’m totally gutted. But, I digress……].

Steve picked the teriyaki chicken entré with fried rice and two spring rolls (the latter which were a side entitlement under the dining plan).

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I knew I wasn’t going to be able to even finish the entrée, so I skipped the side entirely and just ordered orange chicken with lo mein noodles.

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We also both had another cold beverage each…..though I can’t recall if it was bottled water or pop :confused:.

While very much comparable to Noodles & Company-type Chinese quick serve, it was still a great choice on the all-day dining plan. The food was hot and flavorful, and the quantities were substantial. While I would have LIKED to have finished mine, I ate my fill and left the rest. Steve was stuffed enough after his plate that he didn’t even want the rest of my orange chicken, though he did sample a few bites before I disposed of the leftovers. Seating at the Expedition Café is open-air at picnic type tables, and after we sat down with our food we were joined soon after by two older woman who quickly struck up conversation with us. We had one of those “it’s a small, small world” moments as we learned that they, too, were from Michigan and lived in a neighboring community just 20 minutes from our front door. We actually sat and chit-chatted with the two ladies for quite a lengthy spell after our meals were consumed, as they were headed to both Aquatica and Discovery Cove for the first time in the days to follow and were eager for any tips and information that we could share with them before their visits.

Eventually we bid the sweet pair adieu and continued on to our next stop of the day: an encore presentation of Dolphin Days.

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We had enjoyed Dolphin Days so much a few days before that we both wanted to squeeze in another showing on our final SeaWorld day of the trip. Of all the awesome SeaWorld shows, this one really does rise to the top as our family’s clear favorite. And as much as we enjoyed the first viewing earlier in the week, this one was even better: the energy of the animals and trainers was almost electrifying, and the audience could feel it as they soared through the air in effortless jumps that almost didn’t seem possible. Those dolphins were spot on each time, every time, and seriously looked like they were having the time of their lives as they danced, flipped, and splashed around the pool to the sheer delight of every single person in the stadium.

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And this time, I managed to get a decent shot of the birds that add their own dollop of awesomeness to the show!

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The small crowd was quite possibly the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen, and the energy from the crowd mixed with the energy from the dolphins and trainers just made for the most amazing performance! :cool1: We were SO glad we had chosen to make the effort to see the show the second time.

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The balance of our final SeaWorld day is next.

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can’t recall if it was bottled water or pop

Love when people say pop instead of soda! :)That's what we call it here!!

Dolphins are so amazing! I can't think of a better job than being a dolphin trainer!

I really love the Asian food station at the Expedition Cafe. When we visit in the summer, we head towards the one building in the back where it's air conditioned and always uncrowded! Such a nice place for a break!:thumbsup2
 
On a trip planning note (as we continue to coast through August at a crazy fast pace)......we are officially under 10 weeks to departure for our October vacation! :banana: 9 weeks, 6 days to go.....and counting :hourglass.

Those plans are actually starting to come together quite nicely. While there's still plenty of time for things to be added, changed or switched around, here's the rough outline of what we have scheduled so far.....

Arrival day Friday, October 26th: @DontRushMe and her husband are picking us up and chauffeuring us to the airport :drive: [they are on our same Frontier flight, so we will have company on the plane :goodvibes ]. When we arrive in Orlando late that afternoon (around 5-ish), we will grab dinner together at Sweet Tomatoes (an arrival day tradition for us that we are excited to share with our friends!) and then we will check in at SVR while they head to their condo at Windsor Hills. It will be a pool, hot tub and Tiki Bar night.

Saturday, October 27th is so far an unscheduled day for us. We may do Gatorland or just enjoy a resort day. We had toyed with doing a Disney park....specifically Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, as we have only done both parks once and neither since 2009....but that day is considered peak and ticket prices are painful, especially when we add parking and food to the equation. So, we'll scratch Disney and just see where the day takes us. That evening, we hope to take @chiamarie for dinner at Rocco's Tacos if she can make time for us, and that night we're planning on taking in the Halloween Haunt at Old Town with @DontRushMe and her hubby. Hopefully, @chiamarie can plan to join us for that, too! (we may be working on a plan for matching t-shirts :rolleyes1 ..... just sayin').

Sunday, October 28th will be a SeaWorld day. We have the Animal Ambassador's tour booked, and plans to meet up with @verleniahall and her husband. We have all-day dining purchased and ready to go!

Monday, October 29th is an Aquatica day. Our cabana is booked and now all we need is Mother Nature to cooperate :sunny:.

Tuesday, October 30th we will kick off our day with breakfast at Boma and exploring Animal Kingdom Lodge. We will enjoy some pool time and maybe a nap in the afternoon, then head to Fort Wilderness for dinner at Trails End, followed by the Return to Sleepy Hollow event and dessert party. Depending on the timing of the night, we may work in a hay ride or watch the MK fireworks from the FW dock.

Wednesday, October 31st is another SeaWorld day. We have the Sea Lions tour booked and all day dining once again.

Thursday, November 1st is Aquatica day #2. No cabana booked just yet as those dates have not yet been released, so that's still on my to-do list.

Friday, November 2nd we will be kicking off the day at Disney Springs. We hope to do the Characters in Flight Balloon ride at some point, and we have plans to meet up with @afan for lunch at Dluxe Burger. We will likely do a little shopping while we are there, and make a stop at the Coke Store for a meet and greet with the Coke Bear followed by drinks at the rooftop bar. In the evening, we will be having dinner with @pattyw and her hubby Joe at Hash House A Go Go, and then the 4 of us wil be doing the Ferrytale Fireworks Dessert Cruise from the TTC. I can't imagine a more awesome way to spend our final night.

Saturday, November 3rd we head home.....and start planning for April 2019 ;).

It's exciting to see the trip staring to take shape :goodvibes
 
Your next trip is certainly coming together. When we don't do Disney, we do a lot of the other things like going to the hotels, the campground etc to include a little bit of Disney in our vacation. This time however, it's Disney all the way.

Really enjoying your updates :goodvibes
 
The Dolphin Days show looks nice. I'm glad they kept the birds in the show. Are all the birds still in the show or just the Macaws?

Our trip is 12 days away! We ended up booking MNSSHP for our last day (we're there for 2 weeks!!)
 
Hi again! Thanks for the well wishes. It was a long and exhaust ing journey to get here but we made it. In future I should probably rethink going to work on a travel day. Guess I'm getting old.

We went out to breakfast yesterday and then spent the day shopping, finished it off with the boat to Disney Springs and dinner at our favorite EOS. Today is a full lounge at the pool day in preparation for the 6:30am trek to DHS tomorrow.
 

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