Pretty sure the last time my family went to SeaWorld, I was nine years old. I don't remember much other than loving the dolphins and Shamu and, well, it doesn't seem like much has changed! The first stop on my family's tour of San Diego was SeaWorld and we were all super excited about it. (Matt and I were especially excited that we got in free thanks to the Heroes Salute.)
We kicked off the day with various exhibits, including the sharks, polar bears and penguins. Gabey Baby loved the penguins so much that he had to have one of his own. Since it was so early into our visit, my parents tried to convince him to wait in case he found something else he liked more. But that cute little three-year-old turned on his magical charm, batted his eyes, and said, "Mom, wisten. When we go to the beach tomowwow, I'm going to twy to buiwd a sand mountain and then I wiw put my penguin on it and he wiw swide down and..." Good tactic, Gabe--pull at those heartstrings! Needless to say, the kid got his penguin and happily carried "Petey" around the rest of the park.
The boys and I decided to brave the coldish weather and go on the water ride early on. We all got drenched! Christian and Matthew sat in the front and got the worst of it by far. We were worried that Kaleb and Josh wouldn't like it, but they loved it so much they wanted to go again. Go figure!
Now, lets get to the shows, shall we? After all, that's the part that SeaWorld is best known for. We started off with a couple shows just for the little ones--Pirates 4D and the pet show. The babies got a kick out of both of them, and the pet show almost made me want to go out and get a pet of my own. Almost. (We're just not home enough these days!)
Then we started the grand tour of marine animal shows. The sea lions had a special show just for Halloween that included them dancing to Thriller. It was adorable.
Meanwhile, the dolphin show was incredible as always. I just love how cute and playful dolphins are. I'd love to swim with them someday. (Hear that Matt? Hint hint?)
Last but definitely not least, we saw Shamu. I'm amazed at how powerful and beautiful killer whales are. "Believe" was captivating!
Kaleb was brave and sat in the splash zone, while the rest of us sat in the safe section above and watched him get a shower from Shamu's mouth.
After the shows, we headed to the Sesame Street Bay of Play. The babies loved the giant pirate ship and playground and all of the kiddie rides. We then made one last stop at the gift shop for more souvenirs before the park closed.
The shows were incredible and so surreal! The animals were truly majestic. By the way, I am loving your pictures... they are so much better than mine! *Note to self, get a new camera.
ReplyDeletep.s. The little kids have all the luck; I don't remember being spoiled as much haha. "Petey the Penguin" is a classic example. Mom would always guilt me with, "Are you suuurreee you want it, and will you use it? Do you rreeallly need it?" I think she has gone soft, but for a good cause... the babies are irresistible :)
So fun! I love Seaworld!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite places and it would be so magical watching the little ones enjoy it! What a great family activity. Sounds like your weekend was perfect!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE sea world! We went there in May and got in free too (because Brandon was in the army at the time) which was nice!! The dog show cracked me up! Never thought I'd enjoy a dog show at sear world!
ReplyDeleteGreat Pictures Ash! I was wondering how the big trip was. You documented it really well. Sea World has added a lot of new attractions. I can see I've gotta plan a trip there.
ReplyDeleteahhhh! i'm so jealous... i would love to see and orca whale one day :b
ReplyDeleteHeidi- Our parents really have gone soft, haven't they? I think that we older kids kind of encourage them to be too. I mean, really, who can resist those cute little guys? Oh, the benefits of being the youngest child... :-)
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