 Got up and moving
around 7am, and after everyone was ready we headed down to the lobby to
enjoy a nice breakfast. The place was hopping this morning, but
it was pretty easy to find a table. This happens to be a VERY
large Residence Inn, and from the looks of things its pretty darn
popular! :-) They have a large buffet setup with two sides
(identical items) with all kinds of goodies. Milks (whole, 1%,
2%, skim, chocolate), juice, coffee, tea, cereal, hot cereal, home
frys, sausage and/or bacon, eggs, pancakes and/or waffles - even french
toast and biscuits with sausage gravy. Then around the corner
there are pastries, bagels, toast and fruit. Wow! NO
problem having a very filling meal here, and its all included with the
room. Good Deal! :-)
 We finished up
breakfast and were headed to the park by 8:15a. Since the park
was literally 5 minutes away, we got there around 20 after and
proceeded to wait until 8:30 or a bit after before they would let us
park! $8 parking fee, and we were off to a fairly good spot in
the first row! ;-) Headed to the park entrance and were
immediately impressed. Very pretty and well kept. Kristen
was VERY taken with the beautiful hanging baskets and the landscaping
was very nice. We headed on through the bag check, and then up to
the ticket lines. They started letting people into the park
fairly quickly, and we immediately headed over to a special window to
have our picture taken and 2nd Day Free tickets issued. They
print you new tickets with your picture on them so that people don't
pass off the tickets to a friend for that second day. There was
no line at all, so it only took a couple minutes. And its a great
deal knowing you can come back again over the next 7 day period.
 The entrance area
was open, and we walked back through to the 'rope drop' area.
Very pretty with a wonderful little pond loaded with sleeping pink
flamingos. Since I was the only one that wanted to do
Kraken we decided to split off first thing. I would zip off to
ride Kraken before the line got long, and then meet the girls in the
nearby Penguin Encounter area. The park opened right at 9am, and
I did the power walk back to the Kraken area. A lot of the crowd
was headed this way, but I think many more went to Journey to Atlantis
than Kraken. I headed right in and could have ridden the first
car, but decided to wait two more cars and hold out for a front
seat. GREAT decision! :-) If you like coasters, this
is an AWESOME coaster! :-D  After
you sit down and get all buckled in the floor drops away, and you have
nothing below you but the tracks. This effect is intensified in
the front seat because you seem to be just hanging there! You
head on up a pretty large hill and the fun begins. This coaster
is a rush from start to finish, and I just loved it! Two thumbs
WAYYYY up there on this one! I'd definitely say it gives Hulk at
IOA some serious competition!
After returning safely to the ground, I headed off to find the girls
with a big old smile on my face. It was going to be a GOOD
day! ;-) I found the girls waiting outside the Penguin
Encounter in a 'misting area'.  SeaWorld has quite a few of these
around, and they feel very good on a hot day like today. I headed
back into the Penguin building while Kristen was looking at the map and
show schedule to plan our day. I admit I did almost NOTHING to
plan out our SeaWorld itinerary, and decided it was Kristen's
turn! ;-) The girls loved showing Daddy the Penguin areas,
and we even found a few things Mommy had missed with them. It was
really cool to watch them. At this time of year the lighting is
kept very dim to match a more natural habitat. I can understand
this completely, but it did make it a tad tough to see them
clearly. I'll just have to visit again at a 'brighter' time of
year! ;-)
Back out to Kristen, and she had a plan in place.  We
would be letting the shows drive our schedule and decided to attend the
first Shamu show at 11am. That gave us about an hour to kill, so
we checked out the Seals and Sea Lions. Very cool, and they have
a nice large area to live and play. To get to Shamu Stadium
we needed to cross the entire park, so we started heading back that
way. We made it down to the new Waterfront area, and the back
pathway was still closed. So, we headed into the
shops to do a bit of looking around. It was nice to see lots of
different items here. You do get a bit tired of seeing the same
Disney items in every store at WDW! They need to mix up the
merchandise over there a bit more. And we didn't think the prices
were that bad either! We'd definitely have to come bad for some
nice souvenirs before leaving. Brinn was just chomping at the bit
to get some new Orca or dolphin items! :-)
 Outside there were some play
fountains, and seeing as it was pretty darn hot already, we let the
girls run through a few times. Madision proceeded to get soaked,
but that was OK with us! ;-) Brinn tried just cool
off a bit without being drenched. The back pathway was now
open, and we again headed back toward Shamu Stadium. We were
still early for the 11am show so we stopped to see the Sharks and
other dangers of the sea. VERY cool, and some scary critters in
there! :-) Moving on we headed into the Shamu Stadium about
30 minutes before show time. We wanted a good seat, and Brinn was
just vibrating with excitement to see Killer Whales.  We decided to chance the 'soak
zone' and sat up front, just to the right of the middle area where
Shamu comes up on a platform of sorts to show off for the crowd.
We were only about 8 rows back, so I was sure we were doomed to leave
there mighty wet! :-) The stadium is set up very nicely,
with concession stands just outside, and vendors walking through the
crowds. Its a large stadium and held (I believe) around 5000
people. While it is filling up they play some games with the
audience up on the big screen and point live cameras into the audience
to single out guests or groups of guests. We kept trying to make in on the
big screen (by holding up fingers to signify the answers to the trivia
questions they asked), but the camera never happened our way. It
was fun watching the expressions of people that did make it on the big
screen. Usually a bit of shock followed by some typcially
humorous reaction. When the game was over the show was ready to
start.
 This
is one show that is NOT to be missed! The Whales are
magnificent! I was just amazed at the behaviors they have
learned. The trainers are much more than JUST trainers.
They have to also be great gymnasts as well as thrill seekers!
Riding killer whales, diving in front of these huge creatures, having
the whale push them to the bottom of a VERY deep 'pool', and then up
out of the water dozen's of feet in the air to dive back into the
pool. It
has to be seen to be appreciated. I was lucky enough to capture a
few pictures. Just a GREAT show! Oh, and as the last whale
to come out we were treated to the very Largest Killer Whale in
captivity. I believe he was around 15,000 pounds? Or was it
even more? This guy was just HUGE-MONGOUS.  Almost
twice the size of the other largest whale. And his claim to
fame? splashing the audience with 52 degree salt water from the
front row up to the 15th row! And we are talking a WAVE of
water! :-) Uh - oh... time to shove the camera into that
Mickey Poncho! But as luck would have it we didn't even feel a
drop! The girls were bummed, but *I* was rather releaved.
I'm not a big fan of walking around wet all day! ;-) Maybe
next time!
Outside the stadium we found some great photo spots where the girls
could take some photos with statue Shamu. They loved posing with
the fiberglass versions, but would have preferred the real thing!
;-) We took the scenic lake front path back across the park
(there is a bridge that takes you from just in front of the Shamu
Stadium across to the waterfront area that is very pretty (but HOT in
the full sun walking across - its a fairly LONG bridge).  Very
pretty. Kristen was moving us across the park to the Key West
area where we were slated to see the Dolphin Show. Arrived a bit
late for this one, but we split up 2 and 2 and found a place with a
good view to squeeze into. Here they had a singer to
keep the audience entertained until show time, and he was quite
enjoyable. Once the show started, Brinn was again
enthralled. Now Maddy also loved the shows, but Brinn has been
Whale and Dolphin crazy for the last year, and just takes the
excitement to a whole new level! ;-) Again, the behaviors were amazing,
and I was REALLY impressed with the super high jump the dolphins
performed. The rope that the dolphin is jumping over in the
picture below is over 15 rows high! It was a LONG way to be
jumping, and that isn't necessarily visible in the picture. We
loved the whole show, but them bringing out the little girl from the
audience to pet and feed the dolphins was GREAT. I think Brinn would have given up
a major extremity for a chance to do that!
 Little
did I know that chance would come up soon! Not in the show, but
in the Dolphin feeding area nearby. After we left the show, we
headed over there. They have a nice lagoon set up with a short
wall running all along it. SeaWorld employees are there to watch
over both dolphins and children as kids try to lure a dolphin in for a
quick touch and maybe a tastey fish treat. I went over and bought
2 trays of 3 fish each ( $4 a tray) and headed back to the girls.
It was pretty crowded, but we found a space and Dad got to actually do
the dolphin feeding, because there was NO way either little girl was
touching those fish! :-D It worked out well though, because as I
coaxed them in, the girls would reach out to pet them. Brinn was
leaning right in there, but Madison was having a bit more trouble
reaching. Finally, before the last fish was eatten, they both had
had a few chances to touch their dolphin friends. It was great
fun, and definitely worth the $8 of fish food! ;-) To top
it off, SeaWorld photographers are across the way taking pictures of
people as they interact with the dolphins. They bring you tickets
that you can take up to a kiosk and see your pictures petting the
dolphins. We got a good one of Brinn and I petting our new buddy,
but Madision looks just a tad scared. :-) Its still a great
shot! And Kristen got a few good ones as well!
|
|
It was now getting MIGHTY
hot, and I was not feeling all that well today. My cold was
getting
worse, and *I* was the one in need of a nap! So we headed back to
the
hotel, thinking we'd be back that evening. Hated giving up a
primo
parking space, but that was OK. Five minutes back to the room,
and
then down to the pool area. We stopped at a Pizza Hut Express and
ordered some lunch. I took the girls upstairs and got the all
ready
for the pool, while Kristen waited for the food. 
We
enjoyed the pizza
and some sandwiches and then headed back to the pool to cool off.
Its
a very nice pool, and we had lots of fun floating around and playing
the in the in pool fountains. I soon headed out of the pool, and
grabbed the camera for a quick tour of the grounds before heading back
inside for that needed nap. 
I
ended up sleeping so long that we almost decided NOT to go back
tonight, but changed our mind and got ready and headed out. That
quick
drive made it a much easier decision. Got another great parking
space,
and headed into the park. We walked around taking in a few more
things
we had missed the that morning and soon ended up at the Clyde and
Seamore Sea Lion show. VERY funny, and another 'don't miss'
attraction. We then headed to the Voyagers Wood Fired
Pizza, and had a
very good dinner (more than just pizza here!). 
When I purchased our park tickets
online, they were
running a Pepsi promotion where you received food tickets for an
entree, fountain drink and a separate ticket for another 20oz Pepsi
product. This can be a very good deal, since the meals run up to
$10
each, and the fountain Pepsi a couple more. Then the bottle
of Pepsi
wsa $3.00 more I think. Good deal! 
After dinner, the
girls had worn their bathing suits this time, and
enjoyed that fountain area again. It was almost time for the
Shamu
Nighttime show, so we headed over there. Again, we sat in the
'soak
zone'. The girls were already wet, and hoping to get a lot
wetter!
The show was once again amazing, and very different at nighttime.
The
first Mystify nighttime fireworks show goes on during this show, and
you can see and hear the fireworks while watching Shamu and his/her
trainers put on their show. To end the show, our favorite
BIG whale
came back to do some more soaking of the audience. 
We sat on the
opposite side this time, but once again he missed us, although the
people a couple rows in front of us got pretty soaked!
:-) Well,
after the show ended, he was still swimming by and giving the audience
one last drenching. Brinn and Maddy headed down to the bottom of
the
stairs JUST as a big old wall of cold salt water came crashing down on
top of them! :-D Careful what you ask for!
;-) - But they just
loved it! Better them than me! 
We headed back to
find a place to watch the Mystify Fireworks,
fountains and video show. We actually got a GREAT spot right in
front
of one of the water screens. (think Fantasmic). This show
was like a
toned down version of a combination of Illuminations and
Fantasmic.
VERY enjoyable, but not quite up to the intensity of the Disney
productions. After the show we took our time and let the
crowds
disperse. Wandered through the shops, and basically closed down a
couple places! :-) After finally getting out to the car, I
made the
HUGE mistake of turning the exact OPPOSITE way that I should have
turned. 
Ended
up on I-4 and our 5 minute drive took 30 minutes before
we found our way back. D'oh! Oh - well, it was still a
GREAT day, and
we looked forward to returning in the morning. But seeing how
late it
was, we decided to leave the alarms off and sleep in just a
bit. Our
last full day will be here all too soon! 