(Sea)Lions & Gators & Dolphins….Oh, My! A Halloween PTR/TR with a “wild” theme - Oct/Nov '18

Glad ŷou enjoyed your night at Kobes. Hope the stomach problems didn't last too long (not with all the lovely food you can indulge in when on vacation). I've never heard of Sam's club, we normally shop at a Publix, Target or Walmart (in that order!)
 
Hi Gina following along and taking notes for my trip:thumbsup2.

Glad that you were able to substitute dinner plans and it worked out. The food does look good at Kobes. We don't have one around here so we may look at this one for the trip.

I understand about the medication and your stomach. I would have done the same thing. I am glad that you still enjoyed your evening together.:goodvibes

I have yet to invest in a selfie stick but I just might :rolleyes1

I can't wait to hear more as it is getting me excited for my trip:yay:

Thanks I hope the bare bottom tree works too:laughing:
 
I did most of my Black Friday shopping online and scored some AMAZING deals! :banana: Including a spectacular offer on a year-long photo pass for Universal: $139.99 on for $79.99 :woohoo:

That's a great deal!! Better than the AP rate!!:thumbsup2

Thanks I hope the bare bottom tree works too:laughing:

Hoping you have success!! We put the non breakables on the bottom of our tree. They get pawed around and chewed up a little sometimes- but survive!:laughing:
 
I hate that you didn't feel very good. And I still hate that we missed Rocco's! Next time!!!! (And maybe not a Saturday night)
 


I love Kobe's. It's one of my favorite places in Orlando

If that chain ever makes its way northward, my waistline is in big trouble!!

Glad ŷou enjoyed your night at Kobes. Hope the stomach problems didn't last too long (not with all the lovely food you can indulge in when on vacation). I've never heard of Sam's club, we normally shop at a Publix, Target or Walmart (in that order!)

I had stomach issues on and off during the whole 2 weeks I was taking the medication. The drug (Bactrim) was pretty effective against my sinus infection, it definitely didn't agree with me otherwise. It even made my skin blister....on my eyelids, no less. I heaved a nice sigh of relief when I took that final pill!!

Sam's Club is very much like Costco: it's a large warehouse-type store which requires a membership to shop there. It's owned by Walmart, actually. Amazing prices, but generally everything gets sold in pretty big quantities. Hence the 36-can case of gingerale (when a 12 pack would have been more than enough).

Hi Gina following along and taking notes for my trip:thumbsup2.

Glad that you were able to substitute dinner plans and it worked out. The food does look good at Kobes. We don't have one around here so we may look at this one for the trip.

I understand about the medication and your stomach. I would have done the same thing. I am glad that you still enjoyed your evening together.:goodvibes

I have yet to invest in a selfie stick but I just might :rolleyes1

I can't wait to hear more as it is getting me excited for my trip:yay:

Thanks I hope the bare bottom tree works too:laughing:

Steve hates my selfie stick :rolleyes:. Jake hates my selfie stick (in fact, he hid it on me when he was here to visit in October.....I finally found it almost 2 weeks after he left :laughing:). In fact, pretty much EVERYONE hates my selfie stick :rotfl2: but it does come in handy sometimes. Not allowed in any of the major theme parks though, so we only break it out occasionally.

Definitely don't hesitate to give Kobe's a try ::yes::. Simply awesome food, and the whole experience is pretty neat. Some of the chefs are really quite the entertainers as well.....most enjoy doing little tricks (like catching eggs in their chefs hats) and really ham it up.

That's a great deal!! Better than the AP rate!!:thumbsup2

Hoping you have success!! We put the non breakables on the bottom of our tree. They get pawed around and chewed up a little sometimes- but survive!:laughing:

I was super thrilled to be able to pick up the photo card at such a great price. I love Black Friday sales!!

I hate that you didn't feel very good. And I still hate that we missed Rocco's! Next time!!!! (And maybe not a Saturday night)

That is EXACTLY what Steve and I were discussing tonight in the pool (how's that for great minds thinking alike?). Once we get closer to May and you know your work schedule, maybe we can pick a mid-week day and plan to give Rocco's another shot :thumbsup2.

Have you been to Voodoo Donut at CityWalk yet? Perhaps that could be our night cap :teeth:.
 


Sunday, October 28th: SeaWorld

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We arrived at the park in time for opening. It was Sunday, so we expected the park to be busy with locals and their families (no work or school plus the wonderfully pleasant weather was the perfect combination.....if I lived in Orlando, you can bet your boots I'd be at the park on those days too!). It was also the final day of SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular for the 2018 season, so we didn't just expect the park to be "busy", we anticipated it might even feel crowded. Not to worry, however: we had a plan in place to make our day awesome and memorable regardless!

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Because we arrived for opening, lines were minimal for both bag check and at the ticket turnstyles. We were inside the gates quickly, and stopped for some photos: all free with our annual photokey that was purchased our spring trip.

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We had decided to dress up for the Spooktacular event: nothing over-the-top, but enough to make us feel like we were making the most of the Halloween festivities. Costumes were pretty simple, actually: we had our Incredibles t-shirts, black bottoms, black gloves, and eye-mask sunglasses. All in, we were under $40 per person for costume costs.....considering what we have paid for our MNSSHP outfits in the past, this was definitely an affordable dress-up day :thumbsup2.

We had pre-purchased the all-day dining plan for both of our SeaWorld days, so one of our first stops would be breakfast: but first, we visited Guest Services to check in for the two tours we had also pre-purchased, the Animal Ambassadors Tour and the Sea Lions Up Close Tour, so that we knew the time and location to meet for each event. These were our "busy day busters": we figured it was smart to schedule the tours we wanted to do on the busiest of the two days so we could indulge in more rides and attractions on our second day (a normal weekday with no special events) when crowds should be a little more manageable.

With the administrative duties taken care of, we trotted over to Voyageurs for a continental breakfast. Early birds that we are, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

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Neither one of us were super starving, so we went light. We each had a muffin and milk, though we also could have each had a cup of fresh fruit to go with our muffin. Had we not wanted muffins, they also had croissants or cereal from which to choose. Basic, yes, but more than enough.....especially when there were so many other dining location that we wanted to try and enjoy over the course of our two scheduled park days at SeaWorld.

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As a side note, SeaWorld's muffins are REALLY good: they're not only HUGE, but they're super moist. I'm a muffin-lovin' girl and these never disappoint.

After breakfast, we noticed that they were showing a special Halloween edition of Pets Ahoy, something they have not done for previous Spooktacular events. We had a plenty of time to kill before our first tour, so we decided to take in the special show. If we didn't do this showing, we'd be out of luck: the only other Halloween version would run while we were with the Animal Ambassadors.

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While we had kind of thought it might be a different show, it honestly was the same show with Halloween music and fall decor. No matter though, its a fun one and the cat lover in me always, always enjoys Pets Ahoy. This was probably the most "off script" showing of Pets Ahoy that we had seen in all the years we have been visiting the park, but it only made it more heartwarming. One of their little cats simply refused to run up the ramp and navigate the narrow beam that stretched to the back of the theater: 3 times he tried, and 3 times he stopped dead and surveyed the audience with wide eyes. On that third time, he spied someone he thought looked nice in the third row and went scampering over to say hello. The show staff were AWESOME with this sweet little babe: they promptly scooped him up, gave him a little loving, and then with some gentle prodding, they encouraged him to fulfill his role ..... and he did! :cheer2: The audience cheered and the rest of the show continued on.

Once the show concluded, we spilled out into the sunshine (it was another warm, breezy, comfortable day with no humidity and hardly a cloud in the sky) and decided to stroll over to check out Infinity Falls: it had opened just a couple of weeks prior, and we had plans to ride for the first time later that day. We were excited to see how the massive renovations to that new area turned out!

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We were SUPER impressed by the finished product: the redevelopment turned out so beautiful!

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Seeing the ride complete, and watching the happy faces of the riders as they whooshed by in the rafts made us even more excited to give it a try! While lines were minimal at that early hour, we knew the popularity of the new attraction would mean lengthy waits by late afternoon, so we were grateful that we had one-time Quick Queue passes (a complimentary benefit for pass members) to use when the time was right! That time, for reference, would be at the end of our SeaWorld day: there was no way this girl was walking around the park looking like a soggy mess :rolleyes2. We had a Dismeet planned for later, after all! (@verleniahall , I'm lookin' at you! :teeth:)

The area also had some interactive elements, some of which were featured in these giant gator heads, but unfortunately they weren't working at the time we were there. Perhaps it was just a bit too early in the day, and they didn't yet get turned on.

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Much more yet to come!
 
OOOOOO Gina’s on.... we might get an uodate!!

Oh man, I know I've not been around much lately....and I'm SO sorry!

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Or, pass the chocolate. I'm not fussy :p. I may need both by the time Friday rolls around.

And....hot on the heels of this nutty week, next week is month end :crazy2:.

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Why does that always seem to roll around so fast???? :confused3

Pretty sure I won't get another update posted until the weekend......I have to work until 9:30 tomorrow night (yet another special event hosted by my company that I need to be present for :faint:) and then on Friday, we are headed to Toledo to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live at the Huntington Center. It's my favorite event of the holiday season! We saw them last year for the first time and it was AMAZING!!!

So, hopefully back with more entries on Saturday :thumbsup2. Thank you all for your patience!
 
Be glad unwaitiped for ur infinity falls ride - I didn’t even get the ride photo!!

Should I find my photo and share it?
 
Love your costumes - a fun way to celebrate Halloween while still staying comfortable for the parks. Pets Ahoy is such a cute show - I'm always amazed that more animals don't go 'off script' during the performances!
 
Love your costumes - a fun way to celebrate Halloween while still staying comfortable for the parks. Pets Ahoy is such a cute show - I'm always amazed that more animals don't go 'off script' during the performances!
Me too!! I can't even get my cats to move over on the bed at night :rotfl2: so seeing all those animals (especially skunks, mice, and even ducks!) follow a scripted routine is simply mind-boggling to me!!

The photo of the muffins looks delicious! Do you know if they offer any gluten free muffins?

You know, I have no idea :confused:. I didn't see anything, per se, but then again I wasn't really looking, either. But I'd be surprised if they didn't have SOMETHING other than fruit to accommodate special diets. If you are planning a trip to SW anytime soon, I'd email them to find out. They are generally pretty great at replying within a reasonable amount of time.

Be glad unwaitiped for ur infinity falls ride - I didn’t even get the ride photo!!

Should I find my photo and share it?

That really stunk that you guys didn't get your ride photo :(. It was still down when we rode later in the day as well.....but whatever technical difficulties that they had on the weekend were remedied by our visit the following Thursday :thumbsup2.

Definitely feel free to share any pics from your day! It will help to fill in the long gaps between my entries ;).
 
Sunday, October 28th: SeaWorld, continued

We still had a small amount of time before we had to meet for our tour, but not so much that we wanted to go too far from the meeting point....so we decided to take a tour through Shark Encounter. It's been a favorite exhibit since our first visit in 2012.

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Jake was fascinated by sharks when he was a little boy, and quite honestly that childhood fascination has really never left him. That guy looks forward to Shark Week like most kids look forward to summer vacation :laughing:. He had enough books about sharks on the shelf in his room to have his own little finned library. Sharks were a BIG DEAL in our house, so I guess Steve and I both learned to appreciate them by default.

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Heading inside, we were delighted to find that we had the tunnel all to ourselves once again. We've lucked into this on several visits, particularly if we take time to enjoy this attraction during the earlier hours of the day. It's so nice to be able to stand and gawk at the fish and the coral without being in anyone's way or holding up other groups.

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There were tons of fish swimming speedily by in their little schools.....some so swift, they blurred when I tried capturing them with my camera! :fish:

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The displays are as visually appealing as they are interesting. Oh, how I'd love to have an aquarium of this magnitude in our house!! Sure makes our 55 gallon tank look like an amateur experiment :rolleyes:.

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The stars of the show, however, are always the sharks: such strong creatures, yet graceful in their own way too.

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We had kind of hoped to have our pictures taken at the Photokey location within the exhibit (they do some fun 'green screen' type photos with various backgrounds) but the station was not manned at that point in the morning :(. We would have to stop by another time instead.

As exited the attraction and spilled back out into the sunshine, we paused for a moment to enjoy the music of the Groove Chefs: they are such a fun trio to watch!

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We would have liked to have stayed even longer but the time had come to meet for our tour, and we didn't want to be late. We strolled over to the meeting place across from the Nautilus Theater, just a few steps from Shark Wreck Reef.

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The Animal Ambassadors Up-Close Tour is coming up next!

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Sunday, October 28th: SeaWorld, continued

Our guide for the tour arrived just steps ahead of us. There was a mom and her two daughters already waiting at the meeting point, so the SeaWorld Animal Education Ambassador set to work at checking our tickets and ensuring everyone was accounted for. We would have a very small group for this activity, which was awesome! :thumbsup2 We had heard great feedback from @Joanna71985 on this tour, so we weren't put off by the low numbers.....this was a fairly new endeavor for SeaWorld (I believe it was only introduced in late summer) so we assumed the lack of participants was just a reflection of its new-ness.

Our guide began by taking us beyond the fence to a back-stage area which is off-limits to regular park guests.

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The tour would feature an assortment of Animal Ambassadors who call Seaworld home: our guide explained that the animal ambassadors change from tour to tour, and there would be no guarantee on exactly who we might meet. That said, during the 45 minutes that the tour encompassed, we would have the chance to get up close with five different animals.....and there would be no delay before we got introduced to our very first new friend.

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Meet Henry. He's a most adorable little Screech Owl.

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For each Animal Ambassador who was part of the tour, the animal care staff provided a wonderful summary of their background and how they came to call SeaWorld their home. They also talked a lot about the animals themselves: their behaviors, their diets, and the things that made them unique.

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And while there was no Photokey photographer present for the tour, our guide was wonderful about making sure we all had a chance to get our photos taken with each animal. For safety reasons (both the animals' and ours) we couldn't actually hold any of the ambassadors with our hands....but we got super close to each of them without crossing any boundaries which may make them feel threatened. Such fun!

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Henry was so interested in looking at US, he wouldn't turn his head around for the camera :laughing:.

After we bid adieu to little Henry, the next animal to make an appearance was the regal (and much larger!) Alfred the Great Horned Owl.

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Alfred was living in someone's backyard, when the homeowner contacted SeaWorld: they feared he had become so used to people that his long-term survival was in jeopardy. Despite everyone's best efforts to coax Alfred into living a "wild" life, he just wasn't interested.....and so he was re-homed at SeaWorld where his tolerance for humans made him a perfect Animal Ambassador.

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He was a handsome fellow, and he knew it :rotfl:. We were all swooning over the charming Alfred....even his handler :blush:.

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Alfred was one of the animals we couldn't hold, so photos were a little more of a challenge. But we were able to get pretty close nonetheless!

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Next up was Ricky: a three-legged opossum.

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Ricky had been found on the road: his momma had been hit by a car and died of her injuries. He was discovered inside her pouch, severely injured but still alive.

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His injuries were grave enough that one of his front legs needed to be removed, so he was named after Ricky Allen, the drummer from Def Leppard who also had an arm amputated.

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We all got a chance to pet Ricky and feel the texture of his fur. While we have possums in Michigan (in our back yard, no less!), we certainly don't get the chance to be this "friendly" with one.....so it was cool to get a good look at this unique creature up close .

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The adorable Mila the Sloth was the next beauty to come out and say hello!

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We have seen Mila at Discovery Cove on past visits, and she's always a fan favorite. She's a gorgeous girl in every way.

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We all had the opportunity to pet her and get right close, and she was very relaxed despite all the attention. For those that have never pet a sloth before, let me assure you that they have quite a strange texture of fur!

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Mila's got quite a comfy habitat at SeaWorld, and it was obvious how loved she was by her animal caregiver. She was easily my favorite of all the animals we met on the tour.......and I think the mom and her two daughters felt the same!! None of us wanted to say goodbye!

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Our final Ambassador of the tour was a massive Bell Python.....though his/her name escapes me (sorry!). Let's just say my skin was crawling a bit when we learned that we'd be rubbing shoulders with such a large snake! :eek:

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We all got a chance to touch this slithery beast, and while she was much drier to the touch than you might expect, one short pet and that was enough for me. I'm not a reptile lover......and those piercing eyes were unbelievably unnerving.

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I was quite relieved when they didn't shove her into our hands for a photo :crazy2:. This was as close as I felt comfortable.

At the conclusion of the tour, the animal care staff brought us each out a set of five trading cards, one for each of the day's ambassadors, that featured all the information they shared about each animal that we had a chance to meet. I thought that was a great little souvenir! (and they will be a nice little addition to the inside cover of my photobook from the trip :thumbsup2).

At the time, the Animal Ambassador Up Close Tour was $15 per person, with 10% off for pass members (so we paid a net cost of $13.50 each). I believe it's gone up to $20 now, but even at $20 its a very fair price for the chance to meet 5 different animals in a small group setting. We were encouraged to do the tour again on future visits, as SeaWorld has upwards to 25 different Ambassadors so every tour has the potential to be different. Mila is apparently a regular on the tour (due to her popularity) but the other 4 animals change on a frequent basis.

Those Animal Ambassadors would not be our only new friends of the day: we had a Dismeet on deck, and were super excited to finally get to say hello to @verleniahall and her husband Sam in person :banana:. We also had a second tour scheduled for later that afternoon, where we'd shake fins with one of the stars of Sea Lion High. So stay tuned....there's much more SeaWorld coming up! :woohoo:
 
Of course, Mila is my favorite part of your latest installment! So glad you got to spend time with her up close:love:
 
What a great interaction at SW, little Henry looks so lovely. I'm with you on the snake, don't think I would have liked him anywhere near me either!
 

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