SeaWorld Orlando
Back in December my family and I ventured over and down to central Florida for a week of family fun. First on our agenda was a day at SeaWorld. We had a fintastic day at SeaWorld Orlando and we can’t wait to go back. As a child I spent a lot of time at the SeaWorld San Diego. Some of my best childhood memories are from spending time with my family at SeaWorld and I was excited to take my husband, he had never been and our two small children. My in-laws and a few other extended family members joined us.
As soon as we got into the park we started planning out what we would do. We all agreed that we should take in a dolphin show and work our way around the park clockwise. We were easily sidetracked by all the stunning holiday decorations and pretty pink flamingos when we first entered SeaWorld. On the way to the Dolphin Theater we stopped to spend some time at Stingray Lagoon.
Stingray Lagoon
After feeding and playing with the stingrays we wondered into Dolphin Cove, and what a beautiful place it was.
The first show we took in was the Blue Horizons dolphin show, it was spectacular. Turns out, this was our favorite show of the day. Who knew a dolphin show could include beautiful tropical birds and acrobatics too? Blue Horizons was a great start to our day and I’m so glad we watched it. From the Dolphin Theater we could see Journey to Atlantis and my in-laws were eager to ride it. Want to know who wasn’t so eager to ride, my 5-year old, just the sight of it scared her. Believe it or not, my in-laws did manage to get Jasmine to ride, we even have a photograph to prove it happened.
Journey to Atlantis was the perfect way to cool off and since we were already wet we went to Shamu Stadium to see the killer whale show, One Ocean. I really liked how One Ocean excites and educates people to want to make a difference in the world. Shamu Stadium is conveniently located near the very large kid friendly play area where there were many rides for Jasmine to enjoy with us and her little brother too.
We rode nearly every ride there was but some of them Jasmine enjoyed more than others. A few that stood out were the Jazzy Jellies, Sea Carousel, and the Swishy Fishies. There was so much for Jasmine and even her little brother to do that by the time we left to journey across the Sea of Trees for lunch both kids fell asleep in their strollers, I wanted to join them.
Swishy Fishies
Lunch was delightful and since we waited till after the normal lunch rush to eat we didn’t have to wait very long. Voyager’s Smokehouse served up some delicious bar-b-que, as promised. I was even able to have some Merlot with my lunch, classy!
It’s amazing how quickly the day passes when you’re having fun. It was getting late and fatigue was setting in. We lounged a little longer than normal at the smokehouse and took our time. We had decided to wait for the Clyde and Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas show to start at the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium. Even though the otters didn’t want to behave during the show and kind of did their own thing the show was still a big hit with our family. A huge round of applause for the mime that kept us laughing while we all waited for the show to start.
As our day winded down and we started to make plans to leave my husband and I asked the in-laws to watch the kids for just a few so we could ride the roller coasters. Since both kids were snoozing in their strollers again they said yes, and off we went. I’m a huge roller coaster enthusiast and thrill seeker and had been eager to get on Manta and Kraken for most of the day. I knew I would have to wait till nearly closing time to ride and that’s exactly what we did. I never would have thought I would discover my new favorite roller coaster at SeaWorld of all places, but I did. I can without a doubt declare that my favorite roller coaster is Manta. I cannot wait to go back. My husband wholeheartedly agrees with me and even managed to pull his father on the ride after we rode once.
My family and I had an amazing time at Sea World Orlando!
If you’re ever in central Florida during the holidays make sure you take a day or two to visit SeaWorld Orlando, you’ll be happy you did. We need to go back so we can do everything we couldn’t get done while we were there. Follow SeaWorld on Twitter @SeaWorld and check them out on Facebook.
Disclosure: I was provided with media rate tickets for the day. I was not obligated to post, nor was I monetarily compensated. All opinions expressed above are 100% my own.
About Tiffany
I’ve never been to SeaWorld though my kids went in 2011 with my parents. They also loved it and have been asking to go back since!
Wow looks like a really amazing time. I’d love to go some day.
Fun! We love Sea World and everything you can do there with kids.
As you know, I was recently there and had a blast. Love your pictures and like you, I really enjoyed the shows. Great post!