SeaWorld

So, as the observant have likely concluded from the pictures posted, we went to SeaWorld last week. Let me start by thanking Dee's friend/co-worker Anne for providing us with free tickets, and Anne's mom for giving us free hotel rooms.

We left Tuesday morning and drove to San Antonio. We went straight to SeaWorld, arriving shortly after noon. Our plan was to do the water park and some of the other, wetter attractions that day, and then on Wednesday go to the shows and other exhibits. So after we got there we went to the water park area and changed into our swim suits. We don't have many pictures from this day, because cameras and water don't mix well...

The first thing we ended up doing was the wave pool. It was a lot of fun, and Brennan in particular loved it. Then we went down a waterslide into a pool that had some different activities. After a few minutes there, we went back to the wave pool for another go.

After the wave pool, we headed over to an area called "Splash Attack". It's a big play area with teeter totters and a structure in the middle with three levels, but it is filled with water. The teeter totters spray water on the other person every time you go down, and the whole structure is filled with spraying water, and devices to spray water on other people, or dump it on them, or various other things, and it's topped off by a gigantic water bucket that periodically tips over, drenching anyone standing below. Brennan and Jessie loved it.

I should mention that by the time we reached SeaWorld, Dee had discovered that she had somehow bruised the side of her foot pretty badly Monday night, and so she was hobbling a bit. Flip flops didn't provide a lot of support...

After "Splash Attack", we went to "Sky Tubin" which is basically a big waterslide that you ride down in circular, four-person rafts. The line was pretty long, but it was a lot of fun once we made it to the top.

By now it was starting to get late, so we decided to go to the "Texas Splashdown", the log ride, and then come back to do some more water park stuff. Well, I ended up taking us on a longer-than-necessary route, and by now Dee's foot was making it very hard to walk. Still, we eventually made it, and after another long wait in line, it was finally our turn. Jessie was screaming on the way up the first hill, but everyone had a blast--and we didn't even get that wet.

After all that, though, we decided we needed to be going. I ran back and got our stuff, and we headed off to find our hotel. After checking in, we went to Golden Corral for dinner, which the kids loved. Of course, as by the time we started eating it was 9:15, I think they would have loved any where...

We got to bed very late, but still wanted to get to SeaWorld as close to opening as possible, and we were able to do that. We went to Shamu's Happy Harbor, a play area of kids with nets to climb on and various other things, for awhile, and then headed off to see the Shamu show.

Jessie and Brennan wanted to sit in the splash zone, so we found seats on about the fifth row. We enjoyed watching the whales swimming around before the show, as well as the pre-show video. The best part was the trivia question asking where killer whales are usually found, with the last choice being "In your swimming pool". When they gave the answer, at the bottom it said, "If you find a killer whale in your swimming pool, CALL US!".

The show itself was also very entertaining, though the kids were disappointed we ended up not getting splashed (probably because we realized at the end we were sitting about five rows below the TV camera...). It was impressive to see how big the whales were, and all the things they would do.

Dee was doing better, with a wrapped foot and tennis shoes, but it was still painful for her to walk. Jessie had decided she really, really wanted to ride the "Steel Eel" roller coaster (they have a suspended roller coaster, but she's still too short for that). So, Jessie and I headed for that, while Dee and Brennan went back to "Shamu's Happy Harbor" and the "Shamu Express", the kid's roller coaster.

The line at the Steel Eel wasn't too bad, and after a wait we took our places on the roller coaster car. Jessie was beside herself with excitement, and didn't even mind when the cars stopped on the way up the first big hill for a while. The first drop is almost straight down, headed directly into the big lake in the center of SeaWorld. About half way up the second hill, I heard Jessie say, "I don't like this." Still, she managed to handle herself very well the rest of the ride, and the longer ago it was she rode it, the more she enjoys it, and is already talking about next time.

Brennan, meanwhile, really enjoyed the "Shamu Express" and some more play time. We let the kids play some games, and Brennan won a stuffed Shamu and Jessie won a stuffed dolphin. After lunch, we "forced" Jessie and Brennan to go to the sea lion show, although they said they didn't want to. By the time it was over, they loved it. It was very funny and entertaining. We particularly enjoyed the otter in the show, which wasn't particularly obedient that time. At the end of the show, they have a walrus, and I was very impressed with just how big that walrus was... And this time, we did get wet.

After the sea lions, we went to the 4-D theater for a Pirate movie. It was entertaining as well. We had discovered that we wouldn't be able to go to the beluga whale, dolphin and acrobat show, because Monday one of the beluga whales had given birth so the show was temporarily canceled.

Next we went to see the actual sea lions and seals and otters. While we were there, Brennan fed the sea lions some fish--or, I should say, he fed a sea lion some fish. There was one of them that wouldn't let any of the others get any. From there we went to the penguin area and took a couple of trips through that.

Then it was back for Jessie and Brennan to ride the "Shamu Express" together, which they enjoyed. We then made our way to the dolphin cove, where you can touch the dolphins, except they weren't cooperative while we were there, and to the coral reef/shark aquarium.

Finally, sadly, we left SeaWorld behind. We had another late dinner, if not as late as the night before, and finally got to bed.

The next morning, after Jessie and Brennan swam awhile in the hotel pool and made friends with another boy and girl who came swimming, we packed up and headed for home.

It was a great trip, and one we'll always remember, and hope to be able to do again in the future.