We decided to switch gears and go to Seaworld. But we couldn’t drag ourselves out of bed early, three fun filled days started to add up. We weren’t that late though, we pulled into the Seaworld parking lot a half hour after the park opened.
Disclaimer: we really like Seaworld. In fact, for spring break earlier this year we drove the whole family to San Diego and went to Seaworld there. We still chant Shamu, Shamu, while making the sign of the whale’s tail and I believe. But because of this we weren’t dying to see all of the shows at Seaworld, Orlando, we just didn’t have the energy. So we focused on the rides and a few favorite exhibits: Penguin Encounter, Shark Encounter, sea turtles, and Wild Arctic – I take every chance I get to see a walrus in real life.
The only big ride at Seaworld, San Diego was Journey to Atlantis. Shipwreck Rapids is good, I just wouldn’t classify it as big, it’s not scary good, it’s only wet good, for those who like to get wet. The big rides at Seaworld, Orlando include Journey to Atlantis (not exactly the same as San Diego’s version), Kraken, and Manta. The exhibits, shows, and wildlife in San Diego are every bit as good as the ones in Orlando, some were better. There were a lot more sea turtles at the exhibit in San Diego, and a lot more beluga whales to name a few.
This is sounding a little negative, but remember this: Seaworld wasn’t our main focus, it was a bonus because of Discovery Cove. And that’s how I’ll remember it as a nice bonus that added a little variety in between our hard trudging days at Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios.
My wife may not think it was a bonus, but that had more to do with my daughter and I than Seaworld itself. In the spirit of full disclosure here’s what not to do, from my own personal experience. Hopefully you’ll be wiser because of it. I call it: “How to Torture Your Spouse.”
How to Torture Your Spouse
Step 1 – first thing in the morning, right after breakfast, take her on a ride that not only loops several times, but the riding position is leaning forward like you’re riding a crotch rocket motorcycle. So right off the bat you’re just dangling there on your stomach. And just before the first loop you twist onto your back in preparation for the first loop. This means you enter the loop head first, on your back, up-side-down.
Step 2 – after walking around a crowded amusement park for a couple of hours, ask your spouse to save you a place at the Seaport Theater 45 minutes prior to the next show. Be sure to emphasize you want good seats, right up front in the middle. While your spouse saves those good seats, you and your daughter go back and ride that ride again. It's ok though because you promise that if the projected wait time is more than 30 minutes you'll return without riding the ride so your spouse doesn’t have to endure telling everyone else at the show that you’re on your way. But… despite your best intentions, and a projected wait time of 15 minutes, you arrive back at the Seaport Theater 10 minutes after “Pets Ahoy!” begins, extremely lucky to even be allowed inside the doors once the show has started.
Step 3 – after a long day of walking, sitting, and walking some more, fighting crowds, baking in the sun, paying $5 for a carton of raw fish to feed the sea lions, $6 for a cup of Dippin Dots, $10 to paddle around for twenty minutes in a two-seater flamingo (while your spouse saves good seats in the Nautilus Theater for “A’Lure… The Call of the Ocean”) and paying $31 for a small stuffed dolphin and a medium sized stuffed penguin, completely exhausted on the way out of the park you pass that ride again and ask your spouse if she'll wait the projected 35 minutes, holding all the stuff you accumulated throughout the day, while you and you daughter ride that ride one last time.
My wife is awesome, durable, patient, and selfless -- heck, she can even endure torture. Journey to Atlantis is fun, it has an interesting theme. The Kraken is fast, exciting, and inverts 7 times in loops and twists. But the Manta is a completely new experience – it is the ride.
The Manta was such a unique ride, at least for us, that we ranked it our #2 favorite ride overall. We were glad we went to Seaworld because of it.
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