Oh, The Places We’ll Go! From the “stars” to the “sea”: Universal, SeaWorld & beyond - Spring 2016

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Good luck with the job interview!!!

Finding Dory was cute, but I'm not sure it was worth the ticket price for the four of us. But with those prices, not many movies are!

Thank you for the good wishes! I must admit, this one is making me a little nervous....probably because this is most likely my last chance to make a good impression. I'm pretty sure a decision will be made (one way or the other) after Tuesday. I gave up biting my nails about a year ago (I was long overdue to kick that bad habit) but I think I might start again this weekend .

Wow on the dolphin!! When we visited Sea World on Monday, I noticed a family leaving two huge stuffies with guest services. The funniest part was watching them try to tag a curly snake (can we use its tooth? The end of its tail?)

Trails End is a lot of fun, and getting there will be an adventure- internal bus is required, although when we had Disney passes, we often came by boat from the Magic Kingdom. There are also boat connections to Ft Wilderness from the Wilderness Lodge (with an amazing lobby) and the Contemporary Resort.

Mako is worth it!! I was amazed to see the line at just 20 minutes during the last hour of Sea World being open on Monday 6/19. It's a great ride with amazing views. All the adrenaline rush without the inversions of Kraken. Our 9 yr old rode it 4x the night of the passholder preview, and loved it! Unfortunately on 6/19 she was denied entrance. The first night there was only a decorative stick to stand next to for heights checks. By the time we went back, they had installed one of those height measures like at the doctor's office that squishes down hair and bows...and she was 1/8 inch short. She was so disappointed but didn't whine despite the tears in her eyes.

I have another theory on the lighting inside the penguin exhibit (totally unsubstantiated by outside sources). Do you think they might try to match the lighting of Antarctica to make things more natural for their penguins?

I'm sad your report is almost done

You might be right on the money where the penguins are concerned. I really should have asked the staff while we were there!!

I think we may take a bus from Disney Springs to the Fort rather than drive. Or, we might Uber.......I wonder if that would be a whole lot easier?

Steve is so, SO excited to ride Mako!! I hope they are still giving pass members a one time free Quick Queue for that in October.....the price to buy that perk online right is now $25 pp!! And its not yet included with the purchase of the normal QQ pass. I am glad your little DD was able to experience it before they firmed up the height checks. I can only imagine she was disappointed when they wouldn't let her enjoy the coaster on her next visit .

Fear not, I still have lots of report left to go (then perhaps I will kick off an October PTR.....'cause I'm going to miss the company of all the wonderful posters here!!). It will likely take me another week to finish this one off, anyway . Yeah, I'm a bit verbose at times .

If you sew you could make a rashguard. I am going to be attempting one soon now that I finished a Sea World/Aquatica dress for my niece.

I do not like spray sunscreen. I have never used it on my pale skin and don't ever plan on. I believe it's not as good as the cream sunscreen. I did get burned in Hawaii when I was wearing my bathing suit for less than an hour in the water with sunscreen on. Now you know why I am making a rashguard, I'm not trusting my niece to apply sunscreen to my back.

Have you gone on the free tour that the official Sea World Hotels offer?

LOL....let's just say sewing is not one of my finer talents . I can re-attach a button if necessary, but anything more elaborate is left to the pros.

So far, we've never done the free tour that is offered to guests of SW's onsite hotels....we have only had two stays at an onsite property and only one of those has included a Saturday. I would love to hear a review of it after your trip, should you plan to take part . SeaWorld's tours are the best!

What free tour?
Do you have to book in advance?

The SeaWorld Rescue Tour, offered as a perk to onsite guests:

https://seaworldparks.com/~/media/s...k/vacation packaging/faqforvacations11212.pdf

What is the SeaWorld Rescue Tour? • The SeaWorld Rescue Tour is a look behind the scenes (~20 minute tour) at SeaWorld's rescue and rehabilitation facilities. Visitors will see areas established to care for sea turtles, manatees and other animals in need of help and learn about SeaWorld’s efforts in fulfilling this mission.

How do I reserve my SeaWorld Rescue Tour? • Guests can book their tour only at the Expedia Local Expert Guest Service Desks at at our Official Hotels. The tour is only available to guests of these hotels, and is subject to availability.

When is the SeaWorld Rescue Tour available? • The tour is available every Saturday morning year-round, and on all Early Entry Dates. Reservations and park admission are required. Please see the Expedia Local Expert Guest Service Desk for times and availability.

Yes you need to book in advance and I believe it is only offered on Saturdays.

Great news on the job front, fingers crossed for you

Thank you!!! I will keep you posted for sure! Ya'll will either be celebrating with me on Tuesday or helping to dry my tears .

Hi Gina! Been following along on all your trip reports. Love them! Just wanted to chime in and say good luck on the interview. Knowing you through these trip reports I am sure they will love you.

Aw, thank you!!! That is wonderfully sweet of you to say . You guys are so good for the soul.

I have really been enjoying your trip report. I cheered when you showed pictures of the manatees. They had them on display years ago and now they are back makes me very happy.

I might have to visit Sea World just to see them.

A fellow manatee fan! Aren't they just the sweetest animals? I bought a manatee key chain at SW on our Christmas trip so I carry one of them with me wherever I go.

The manatee area is beautiful and showcases them perfectly. Definitely try to squeeze in a trip to SW on your next visit.....its so worth a day (or more) of your vacation!

 

[chicagoshannon]

Yay! The backstage tour. We are planning on going in September but haven't decided on a day yet. We're waiting to see the details of getting people in free in September for passholders. My parents don't have passes so we're hoping we can get them in any day in Sept.

Inhislove is right about the lighting in the penguin area. I asked one time (it was completely dark in there at like 9am one time) and the staff said they match the lighting of the real Antarctica.

Back to the tour, do you think it would be wheelchair friendly? I guess I'm wondering more about the bus. My dad uses an ECV when in Florida.

Also, where is that waterfall you posted a picture of? I can't figure that out.

 

[JaxDad]

Hi Gina! I hope the job interview goes exceedingly well!

 

[bankr63]

Good luck Gina!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yay! The backstage tour. We are planning on going in September but haven't decided on a day yet. We're waiting to see the details of getting people in free in September for passholders. My parents don't have passes so we're hoping we can get them in any day in Sept.

Inhislove is right about the lighting in the penguin area. I asked one time (it was completely dark in there at like 9am one time) and the staff said they match the lighting of the real Antarctica.

Back to the tour, do you think it would be wheelchair friendly? I guess I'm wondering more about the bus. My dad uses an ECV when in Florida.

Also, where is that waterfall you posted a picture of? I can't figure that out.

Thank you for that confirmation on the lighting in the Antarctica exhibit .... that is so great to know! I will take better note of the "conditions" in the exhibit when we are there again in October, since you'll never get me to the real Antarctica . Canada is cold enough, thank you very much.

The tour is definitely wheelchair friendly. I am pretty sure the bus and all building entrances were all accessible in an ECV. The only think I can't be 100% certain of is the pool where the injured manatees are kept....I can't for the life of me remember if there was a ramp up to that viewing area? ..... but if I'm a betting woman, I would suspect there was and I just didn't notice.

That waterfall is on the pathway that leads into the aquarium at Manta. It's so pretty, but tucked in where you can't see it from the main walkway. I wonder how many folks miss it as they rush there way through the park?

Hi Gina! I hope the job interview goes exceedingly well!

Thanks, my friend!

Good luck Gina!

Thank you Munro . I will be glad when Tuesday is over!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, May 2nd: SeaWorld “Behind the Scenes” Tour, continued


Mr. Bob chauffeured us to a rear entrance of the Shark Encounter exhibit for our next stop on the Behind the Scenes tour. Jake, in particular, had very much been looking forward to this specific experience: he has been openly fascinated with sharks since before he could talk. He accumulated a library full of shark books as a little boy, and by the time he went to Junior Kindergarten he could regurgitate facts and statistics from memory on dozens of species.


Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week is an EVENT in our house. We rarely PVR an shows but always make exceptions on Shark Week .


Oddly enough, Jake’s fascination with sharks is also the reason why he rarely enjoys a swim in the beautiful waters of the Atlantic on the trips where we squeeze in a beach day . I guess the more you know, the more you have to fear .





Ashley brought us inside the back entrance into a small room which housed a couple of aquariums and a kitchen-type preparation area. She first gave us a tour of the prep room, pointing out the high standards of cleanliness to which the food preparation is held and the sole use of stainless steel appliances (which I believe she noted were due to the salt content of the food, perhaps?). She then transitioned over to much more shark-specific talk….especially that which pertained to hunting behaviours and attacks on humans (and how attacks on swimmers and surfers are often cases of mistaken identity as their silhouettes resemble seals and other prey to a hungry shark).





We were introduced to the small sharks that were housed in one of the tanks in the room as Ashley detailed what made each of those specific species unique. She explained that we would each have a chance to pet them, and demonstrated the proper way to do so…..apparently, they enjoyed having their backs rubbed in a very specific fashion (heaven knows we all wanted to do it right.....no one wanted to be the first to annoy a shark, no matter how small and adorable they looked). She explained that this was a familiar activity for these three sharks, and those that didn’t feel like participating would swim away. If they did so, we were to allow them the choice of remaining at arm’s length. No animals at SeaWorld are ever forced to participate in any specific activity or interaction, so we would make the acquaintance of those that were feeling social and respect the decisions of those that weren’t.





The above fellow was my favourite….that black spot on his side is actually a fake eye, used to confuse his predators. Very cool how nature provides safety for even the smallest of the ocean creatures!





All six of us took turns “petting” the sharks, rubbing their backs with our two fingers exactly as shown. And just as Ashley had said….they actually seemed to enjoy it .





Interestingly, they felt nothing like I had expected: rather than a “snake-like” feeling to their skin (which was what I had anticipated), they were actually very soft. Who knew?





I loved the fact that because we were such a small group, we had loads of time for photos and questions and a very personal experience. So, so fun!





There was an adjacent hand washing station where we were able to wash, dry and Purell our hands after our individual turns at the shark tank. While the other family enjoyed their personal shark encounters, Steve, Jake and I admired the beautiful, vibrant fish in the large aquarium at the end of the room.





Like many women who I am acquainted with , these sea creatures were apparently both beautiful AND deadly: this sign was prominently highlighted on the front of the tank with an emergency phone conveniently nearby:





Yikes!!!


Once we had concluded our time with the sharks, we all hopped back on the bus and headed to our final stop on the tour, and the one that I was absolutely most excited about: we would get the rare and amazing opportunity to interact with a real, live penguin!





It was earth-meltingly hot outside, so we wondered how we would fare with the sharp drop in temperatures once we entered the area where the penguins resided. We were happy to learn that the huge difference noted at the Antarctica attraction would not be the case for this experience: because the penguins we would be meeting were Magellanic penguins (native to Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands), their habitat was not quite so cold. In fact, while it was cold inside as compared to the great outdoors, it was a refreshing cold versus an uncomfortable one.


Veronica, who works with the Magellanic penguins (and who, I think, must have one of the BEST jobs in the world) invited us in to meet one of her little friends who volunteered to help us learn all about this unique penguin species. I can’t remember his name, but it was distinctly Spanish.....not at all what you would expect for a penguin.....and made us laugh .





He curled right up on Veronica’s lap and was quite delighted to be oooohed, ahhhhed, and fussed over by our little group. Every single one of us took our time and indulged in this most awesome of experiences……it’s not every day you get to pet a penguin, and none of us wanted to rush through the moment.






Seriously, we couldn’t have picked something more fun and memorable for the last park day of our trip. If I had ever questioned the value of this small add-on, I certainly wasn’t now. Awesome, just awesome!





Once we all had a chance to capture all the photos we wanted, she let our little friend free to roam about the room.





He very much enjoyed the attention, let me tell ya . This guy was a star and he knew it . He toddled around with his funny little penguin walk and had us all in stitches.








We were given lots of opportunity and time to check out the SeaWorld habitats of these wonderful residents, all of which were designed to replicate the habitats they would have in the wild.











Replicating those habitats is quite the science on its own, and yes, these birds (which would co-habitate alongside the penguins in their Brazilian homeland) were real. Prettiest seagulls we had ever seen.





This little fellow was so odd looking, he couldn’t help but capture your heart, too. Jake leaned over and whispered “He must be cousin Eddie” (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, for those who don’t get the reference).





Again, we were allowed tons of time to roam about, chat with the animal care staff, ask questions, and take pictures. The penguin care team were truly a wonderful group, and were so friendly and full of great information. No one wanted to leave…..not us nor the other family on the tour. We would have been happy to pass the remainder of the afternoon there until our Dine with Shamu seating!!





Heading back outside, Ashley noted that this was the end of the tour and wrapped things up with a short questions session (based on the various things we saw and learned on each of the tour stops) where she gave out collectible animal cards to those who were able to provide the correct answers. I think we got three or four of them (easy to do, LOL …. I don’t think the other set of parents had listened to a darn thing she said the entire time and couldn’t hardly come up with a single response ) which made nice, unique souvenirs.


It was marching onward to one o’clock by that point, and the boys were pretty hungry so we quickly decided that the next order of business would be a hearty lunch. Lucky for us, the tour disbanded just steps away from the place we had long since decided was on our must-do list for this specific day: a new restaurant that had just opened earlier this year and wasn’t yet on the all-day dining plan. A day on which we would be paying a la carte for our lunch was the perfect day to try it!





A full review of our inaugural experience at Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen is next.

 

[Lynne G]

ooh Pretzels. I'm from a town that is famous for soft pretzels, so interested in your thoughts on that restaurant.

Also hoping you get the job you were interested in. Sending good thoughts.

I think we'll do that tour too. My kids would also enjoy it. Have to call, as apparently the SeaWorld IT cannot figure out why my current passes are not in my online account, when all say they are valid and I used them in Sesame Place the other day, and the passes worked fine. Oh well, the phone lady was very nice to save us almost $200 using the passholder discount for DC. That made me splurge for the elite package, which was more than the tickets. Oh well, DC is always worth the visit.

Love the pictures.

 

[pigletto]

LOL@ Jake... Cousin Eddie indeed. I love that movie.

The tour looks fantastic! We'd all enjoy something like that but I know my dd and ds would be fascinated. I will put it down as a possibility for a future trip.

ETA) And I forgot to wish you luck Gina!! I have a good feeling about this for you!

 

[Ruthie5671]

We did the penguin tour the last time we went to Sea World. It was amazing. Did they tell you to watch out for the penguin poop?? And did you notice in your picture with the penguin you were being photo bombed?? A little face is popping up behind the handler!

Oh, and a little update on the job front.....I have a third interview Tuesday morning . The HR manager contacted me this afternoon, and wants me to meet the staff in the department I would be working in. It's sounding positive. I'm hoping that I'm pretty much the last man standing at this point, and that this might be the final assessment. Wish me luck!

Bunches and bunches of luck!!!

 

[Ritchielace]

Took a week off reading for vacation in Palm Springs, a nice sunny high of 121F while there And now had to catch up on 15 pages. Love how you update so much Gina, it is such great entertainment to come back to your vacation stories.
So that is how the great stuffie mystery was solved! Love that Jake was willing to trade in his prize for a smaller one and photographic evidence, with bragging rights. Got to keep reading to find out how the tour went. I'm sure fantastic!

 

[Ritchielace]

Good luck on your 3rd interview! Always a great sign that you are meeting the staff. They are just making sure you will fit well with everyone. I say with your personality it will go great.

 

[JaxDad]

I am pretty sure the fellow above might have been the guy who appears to have been hit by a boat. Some of the injuries suffered by these beautiful creatures were just heartbreaking to hear about, but those lucky enough to be rescued by SeaWorld stand a good chance at long-term survival. Those that can’t be sufficiently rehabilitated back to their natural habitat will either find permanent homes at a SeaWorld park or another suitable facility as deemed by the government department which regulates them.

I'm sorry I couldn't help it...

 

[dancin Disney style]

Like many women who I am acquainted with , these sea creatures were apparently both beautiful AND deadly

I thought we agreed that you were not going to talk about me like that any more. You were supposed to leave out the deadly part. I'm so disappointed.

Just for that here's what you get...
A rat can last longer without water than a camel.


You let me down on the stuffed dolphin story. I was waiting for some heroic leap across the Jet blue counter by the ground agent who was going to save the day by flying Moby home first class for free.

 

[FLOIR]

deleted

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

ooh Pretzels. I'm from a town that is famous for soft pretzels, so interested in your thoughts on that restaurant.

Also hoping you get the job you were interested in. Sending good thoughts.

I think we'll do that tour too. My kids would also enjoy it. Have to call, as apparently the SeaWorld IT cannot figure out why my current passes are not in my online account, when all say they are valid and I used them in Sesame Place the other day, and the passes worked fine. Oh well, the phone lady was very nice to save us almost $200 using the passholder discount for DC. That made me splurge for the elite package, which was more than the tickets. Oh well, DC is always worth the visit.

Love the pictures.

Thank you Lynne!

So awesome that you guys splurged on the Elite package for your Christmas Eve visit! I love having a cabana on our DC days....gonna miss that in October. Not in the budget this time, and I can't rationalize the financial output for just the two of us.

Definitely do the tour if you can, especially when all four of you can go for the price of two . Opporrtunities that like don't roll around all the time.

We liked the Pretzel Kitchen.....it was different and really quite yummy. Pics to come!

LOL@ Jake... Cousin Eddie indeed. I love that movie.

The tour looks fantastic! We'd all enjoy something like that but I know my dd and ds would be fascinated. I will put it down as a possibility for a future trip.

ETA) And I forgot to wish you luck Gina!! I have a good feeling about this for you!

Thanks, my friend . I am feeling positive about it to. I figure its a good sign to make it to the third interview, right?

You will definitely have to do an all-out, full-blown SeaWorld trip sometime: a couple of days at SW, a couple of days at Aquatica, a day at Discovery Cove, and maybe a day or two at Busch Gardens. There are some great experiences to be enjoyed at those parks!

We did the penguin tour the last time we went to Sea World. It was amazing. Did they tell you to watch out for the penguin poop?? And did you notice in your picture with the penguin you were being photo bombed?? A little face is popping up behind the handler!

Bunches and bunches of luck!!!

Thank you Ruthie!

And OMG.....I never noticed the penguin photo bomber until you mentioned it!!! So funny!! I think that's my new favourite picture of the trip .

Took a week off reading for vacation in Palm Springs, a nice sunny high of 121F while there And now had to catch up on 15 pages. Love how you update so much Gina, it is such great entertainment to come back to your vacation stories.
So that is how the great stuffie mystery was solved! Love that Jake was willing to trade in his prize for a smaller one and photographic evidence, with bragging rights. Got to keep reading to find out how the tour went. I'm sure fantastic!

Ooohhh....Palm Springs . You will let me indulge in a little jealousy for a moment, won't you?

But 121 degrees.......seriously? Holy mackerel....that's HOT .

Glad to have you back!

Good luck on your 3rd interview! Always a great sign that you are meeting the staff. They are just making sure you will fit well with everyone. I say with your personality it will go great.

Aw, thank you!!

View attachment 177067

I'm sorry I couldn't help it...

LOL, I must be really obtuse tonight .... but I don't get it .

I'll blame it on the fact that our night has been turned upside down....Steve got a call from work tonight that he's needed in Indianapolis tomorrow morning, so we've been hastily trying to get his plane ticket and hotel arrangements in order. Maybe that's fried my brain? (or I'm just not very smart.....that's a possibility)

I thought we agreed that you were not going to talk about me like that any more. You were supposed to leave out the deadly part. I'm so disappointed.

Whoops . Me and my big mouth .

You let me down on the stuffed dolphin story. I was waiting for some heroic leap across the Jet blue counter by the ground agent who was going to save the day by flying Moby home first class for free.

Well, we did kind of feel badly for the dolphin. We didn't want to take him too far from his natural habitat .

In all honesty, if there were any way for us to get him to the airport, we probably would have paid whatever ridiculous fee the airline would have charged us to get him back to Buffalo. Next time, we're renting a pick up truck instead of a full size car .

 

[dancin Disney style]

LOL, I must be really obtuse tonight .... but I don't get it .

It's....
Oh, the humanity

BTW, I had to read it twice to get it. So you're ok.

 

[JaxDad]

LOL, I must be really obtuse tonight .... but I don't get it .

It really is sort of an American history reference, so maybe not fair to spring on my Canadian friends...

 

[Penguinempress]

The story of the dolphin stuffie is cracking me up - too funny! Glad Jake got some good photos out of the experience. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I won a giant snake playing skee-ball at Busch Gardens. This thing was about 5 feet long but it was considerably thinner than Jake's dolphin. We ended up wrapping it in garbage bags and checking it as luggage for the flight home (I guess this was back in the days when checked luggage was free).

The behind-the-scenes tour looks interesting (especially the penguin encounter - penguins are the best!!!) It's so nice that you had a small group, as that can make a huge difference to the quality of the experience. And with your B1G1 savings, the price seems really reasonable. It's nice that you can still find new things to enjoy after so many trips to Sea World.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It's....
Oh, the humanity

BTW, I had to read it twice to get it. So you're ok.

Oh, I am such a dimwit sometimes .

Thank goodness you're here to keep me on track. You're like the Clarica agent: "you can make sense out of almost anything".

It really is sort of an American history reference, so maybe not fair to spring on my Canadian friends...

Okay, so now we need the rest of the story (just so I get completely enlightened now that I feel like an idiot ... but don't worry, that happens to me a lot ). Links?

The story of the dolphin stuffie is cracking me up - too funny! Glad Jake got some good photos out of the experience. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I won a giant snake playing skee-ball at Busch Gardens. This thing was about 5 feet long but it was considerably thinner than Jake's dolphin. We ended up wrapping it in garbage bags and checking it as luggage for the flight home (I guess this was back in the days when checked luggage was free).

The behind-the-scenes tour looks interesting (especially the penguin encounter - penguins are the best!!!) It's so nice that you had a small group, as that can make a huge difference to the quality of the experience. And with your B1G1 savings, the price seems really reasonable. It's nice that you can still find new things to enjoy after so many trips to Sea World.

The downfalls of those awesome tours......it just makes me want to book another one . SeaWorld just offers such great experiences, at pretty reasonable prices (especially with pass member discounts and promotions applied), its hard not to get addicted. I am now eyeing the Sea Lion tour and thinking, wouldn't that be a great thing to do in October? Then I have to tell myself.....Gina, step away from the computer .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, May 2nd: continued


All-day dining is usually our best value when we visit SeaWorld: the guys are BIG eaters and we generally spend the whole day there from park open to park close, so getting our money's worth (and far more) is ridiculously easy. The upside to the all-day dining plan is that we can eat all day long, pretty much as often as we like, from any of the great restaurants on the plan. The downfall is that there are a few places we’ve always wanted to try that were NOT on the dining plan but for which we couldn’t rationalize paying out of pocket when we had already paid for all-day wristbands. Since we had Dine with Shamu booked for this evening and were unrestricted to any other specific locations for our other meals, we were eager to sample some of the non-plan offerings for lunch and snacks .





Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen was completely empty when we arrived.....that park was crazy quiet again today......so we had lots of time to peruse their list of entrees and decide what we wanted to eat without holding up any other guests. We all opted to order something different so that we could sample each other’s selections and try as many different menu items as we could .





Jake decided on the pepperoni pizza pretzel, which came with a side of warm house made chips (for the record, that’s what all the entrees come with here).





I opted for the pretzel dog:





….and Steve chose the bratwurst pretzel:





Someone had eaten a tidy amount of his chips by the time I made it to the table with the camera . You've gotta be quick when my Steve is hungry.


We all ordered a fountain beverage as well ……it was now over 90 degrees and we were suffering from the most powerful thirst. Each entrée was $7.99, and each drink was $2.99. Steve and Jake also each ordered a dipping sauce for their meals (89 cents a piece), so our total bill, with a 10% savings for pass members, was $33.28 including tax. We ate outside at one of the small tables with an umbrella to shade us from the sun : note there is no indoor seating available at this particular dining venue.


We really liked the food from this location : it was nicely and uniquely different (something outside of your standard burgers/fries/pizza that normally overtakes a theme park lunch menu). Jake raved about his pizza pretzel, and darn near inhaled the thing. Steve and I had to be quick to sample a bite because POOF! It was gone in a heartbeat . My pretzel dog was a unique twist on a common theme park food, Steve thought the flavour and spice of the sausage was great, and we all loved the warm chips. Had the restaurant been busier and the items just pulled fresh from the ovens (rather than pre-prepared and waiting under the heat lamps), I suspect each entrée would have gone from really good to outstanding.


There is a meatball pretzel that I want to try on our next visit: it looks delish. Something to add to our October plans .


One of the other things we had wanted to do today was check out the pass member lounge for the first time: we missed it totally on both our Christmas Day visit and our park day one week prior. We had heard great things about the lounge and wanted to experience it for ourselves. Since we were already on tha side of the park, there was no time like the present…..and in the heat of the afternoon, we could use a short break in the air conditioning and another beverage from the complimentary Coke Freestyle machines that we had heard were one of the offerings at the lounge.





The lounge is located inside the former Terrace Garden Buffet building, which now is home of Terrace BBQ restaurant. The gardens around that building just take my breath away……I can just imagine the backdrop this would make for wedding photos (hint, hint Jake…….for when the time comes, of course).





Entering from the front of the building, the pass member lounge is located to your right (with Terrace BBQ to the left and general seating to your immediate front). We swiped our pass to gain access, and had our passes verified a second time by a staff member at a desk located just inside the doors.





There are two separate rooms in which pass members can rest and relax. Both are new and modern and very inviting…..Steve was quick to drop wearily into a chair and take a load off.








This was our favourite of the two rooms: the large, floor-to-ceiling windows let in the marvellous Florida sun and just made the room feel so …… pretty .





The Coke Freestyle machine was easily accessible in the corner of the room, with plenty of small disposable cups for guest use. You could also use your own beverage container, if you were carrying a reusable bottle or cup.





Those that wished to order food could do so from a special lounge menu. Pass members could also recharge their devices at one of the many charging stations and take advantage of the free wi-fi…..both of which the guys were happy to do while we were there.





For those that wanted to enjoy the great outdoors versus the air-conditioned comfort, the lounge also boasted a beautiful outdoor space with a water and garden view, reserved just for pass members.





The second room (to the left of the lounge entrance) also featured comfortable seating, charging stations, food service and a Coke Freestyle machine but without the windows and direct access to the outdoor patio. For the sun-averse, this would be the room for you.





It was a lovely room but it definitely felt darker than the other spaces.


With the day passing us by, we decided to move on and catch a few rides and squeeze in some park fun before our check-in time for Dine with Shamu rolled around.





More of our SeaWorld afternoon is up next.