Today we are headed to SeaWorld, and this is something Brinn is really looking forward to. We all like the park, but Brinn LOVES Orca and dolphins! We arrived a bit TOO early and sat waiting for the parking to open until 8:30am. Then after a $10 parking fee we were on our way. Decent space for being so early, but the start to the far left and it was still a ways to the entrance. But not that far, and there were not that many people here at opening to make it crazy or anything.

I had bought and printed tickets at home and they just scan those and you are in. We headed immediately to the Guest Services window to get our second day free passes, and then went further into the park for rope drop. One nice thing they do here is the National Anthem just before you enter.

Along with everyone else it seemed – Kraken was the first priority! :-) This is a great coaster that has you upside down more often than right side up! :-D I told the girls I’d meet them at Journey to Atlantis, and ran with the crowd. The lines were minimal anyway, so I waited for the front seat. Only two cars before it was my turn. GREAT seats in the front! There is no floor in the coaster so its a nice clear view. The first drop looks big, but really doesn’t FEEL like a huge drop. And then its into MANY flips, loops, corkscrews and more drops. GREAT coaster!

I found the girls just outside the ride, and talked Kristen into going on Kraken as well. Brinn and Maddy we’re interested though! ;-) We headed back in and even now the wait was only 1 car if you weren’t waiting for the front seat. Kristen yelled at me just a little before the large drop, but it didn’t bother her either and she loved the ride too. We’ll do this one again!

As we excited and met the girls they were announcing that Journey to Atlantis was down right now. Maddy was NOT happy, but we told her we’d do it either later today or on Friday when we come back. So, we headed on to Dolphin Cove. We arrived about 30 minutes before the first feeding time, but you could lean over the wall and the dolphins were coming fairly close if not right up to you. The girls loved this and it was fun to interact with them. They also had a great underwater viewing area that was a fun place to watch the dolphins swim and play AND was air-conditioned. Nice! :-)
 

After that it was started to get close to the time for the first Shamu show. This was a LONG haul across the park but we made it in time for a pretty decent seat. The show this year is Believe and they did a very nice job with it. It focuses on the Orca and the trainers and was very good. Lots of great behaviors were shown, and its amazing what both the whales and the trainers can do together. Brinn would love to work with Orca when she gets older, and enjoys just watching them for long periods of time.

When we got up and ready it was time to head to Epcot. We had just enough time to tour Morocco and France before our dinner reservation. We bought a couple small items in Morocco as gifts and another few items in France as well.

We are eating at Chefs de France tonight and they seated us very quickly. I had the Lobster bisque and Shrimp and scallops which were excellent. Kristen had the Baked Mac & Cheese which was good, but definitely not worth the price. But it sounded good to her. The girls both had chicken tenders for dinner but the appetisers were a bust. Brinn didn’t like the cheese puff pastry and Madison didn’t like the salad. They were both a bit fancy and just didn’t taste good to them. We all had desserts that were good, but nothing super memorable. I doubt this restaurant will be on the to-do list again anytime soon.

We headed back to Morocco to continue our touring with a quick restroom pitstop where Brinn lost a tooth! Her first lost molar and VERY exciting for her! Wooo Hoo! ;-) While the girls were gone I called Belle to see if they had made it to WDW OK. They are flying in today and spending one night at the Boardwalk before leaving on a cruise tomorrow. They were JUST pulling into the Boardwalk and we decide to meet in the park when they could get there.

We continued on to Japan and spent quite a bit of time looking around the stores and various areas. When we came out I had a message, and Belle had tried to call and let us know they were in the park – but the cell didn’t work in the store it seems. I called back and we all met up outside Germany. We chatted a bit, and eventually ended up in Norway at the bakery for a snack. It was great seeing Belle, Beast and Mik, and the girls were TOTALLY surprised because I kept it secret until we met them. Sitting outside we talked until Illuminations started and it actually was a decent view. Mik dislikes fireworks as much as Madison does, so this was a good location. Not too close, and they actually enjoyed watching the show.

After it was over we continued chatting as the crowds started moving out. Then we call headed out and back out through the International Gateway since we were all in Epcot resorts. We said our goodbyes, and hope they enjoy a fantastic cruise. We hope to get back together on Sunday for a Sundae. :-) Now, its time for another good night’s sleep.