The Lee Family: Sea World (Day 2 in California)

Friday, July 12, 2013

Sea World (Day 2 in California)

We woke up and got ready for a big day at Sea World! I haven't been to Sea World since I was a teenager, and the girls have never been. Thankfully Sian used to have season passes so she knew the park inside and out and acted as our tour guide the entire day. We drove from her house which took maybe 1 1/2 hours and arrived outside Sea World to stop in one of the huge lines to pay $15 and park! At that moment I had my doubts about our decision, but once we were inside and parked it was fine. The park was crowded but Sian navigated use to the other side of the park to watch the Madagascar show first, which really got us out of the big crowds for the rest of the day. We did almost everything at the park - we saw the seals and watched the sea lion and otter show, visited their shark exhibit, watched the dolphin show, stood in the longest line ever for the most expensive the worst pizza, visited the "Sesame Street Bay of Play" where Olivia tried to wear all the shoes left on the playground's edge and Sofia and Holland rode kiddie rides and explored. We also visited the Wild Arctic which had a short 'arctic' helicopter movie at the beginning and saw Beluga whales, walruses and a polar bear. We visited the sting rays and watched the pet show that included cats, dogs and other domesticated animals do tricks.

While we waited to see the Shamu show, Holland and Sofia really wanted to go on the Manta Ray, a fast "scary" roller coaster. I have absolutely no interest in such things and could hardly even watch it as it passed overhead - it went so fast. Sofia was just the right height, so Sian, Holland and Sofia headed off into the 45 minute line while Olivia and I visited the sting rays and she finally took a nap in her stroller! Apparently Sofia didn't love the ride and yelled out "MOMMMMYYYYY" for nearly the entire trip. She wasn't crying but when I saw her her first words were "Ok, that was NOT fun. I'm never doing that again." Knowing her, she'll change her tune in a few days and say she "loved it."

We headed to the Shamu show and it was already after 7pm! We originally planned to stay for the last Shamu show at 9:30 and then watch the fireworks after, but we were tired and felt there wasn't enough left to do for nearly 2 more hours. The Shamu show was very different than I remember with a lot of music and whole storyline about something I couldn't really follow. It was a little odd, but the killer whales were amazing. We actually walked out about 5 minutes before the end of the show because Sofia really had to go to the bathroom and we knew if we waited until the end we'd be stuck in the massive crowd of Shamu watchers.

We headed home with three tired kids! I was surprised how much music and silly story line dominated the shows and how very little information was provided or available for the actual animals, how they live, etc. I guess it's just a sign of our culture that we need to be entertained rather than educated. It was a fun visit but different than I expected. The girls, especially Sofia, loved it! Olivia clapped at the right times during the shows and she seemed to be totally entertained too, so it was a fun day!

Looking at the seal lions