The little one volunteered me to help chaperone his field trip to Sea World today. I didn't mind so much since it's been 5 or so years since I've visited Sea World and with ticket prices at $65 for adults, it wasn't looking like I was going to go anytime soon. So a school field trip for $6 was quite the deal. I'm glad I had gone since Sea World has changed considerably since I had last visited.
Our first stop was the Wild Arctic Ride. The Wild Arctic Ride is a simulated helicopter ride from presumably Antarctica. Filled with twists and drops it's a fun little adventure. Those prone to motion sickness may want to opt out.
The Wild Arctic Exhibit, 3 levels, showcases Beluga Whales, Polar Bears, Seals and Arctic Foxes. We were only fortunate to see the Polar Bears and Beluga Whales. The best time to view this exhibit to maximize animal exposure is first thing in the morning when all the animals are out. Since I had the little camera, the photos are just so so. These were taken about 10:15am. We went back a second time @ 4pm and the Polar Bears were gone and the Belugas were practically hidden, not dancing around, playing and floating by the glass as they did in the morning.
Our next stop was the Shamu:Believe show. Always a treat to see the killer whales interacting with the trainers. I had forgotten how magical this show could be to kids. Because as adults we know how things work, that the trainers spend hours upon hours working with the animals to train them to perform. But to a child, it's magical, the animals just know what to do.
I was reminded of this magic when the little one's friend, turned to me during the show, having been in a state of awe, and said, "I think they are trained." It was the cutest thing and reminded me to try to always keep the illusion, magic and mystery of things alive for my kids.
We sat well out of the Splash Zone and avoided getting wet.
We rode the Skytower and while the view is amazing the ride is too short. You basically go up and come right down. It would be worth the $3 per person or $5 if you buy the SkyTower and Bayside Skyride combo if you could stop at the top for 5 minutes to really enjoy the view. Save your money and avoid the SkyTower.
After our short ride on the Skytower we headed for the Dolphin Discovery Show. The show features bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales jumping and flipping. There's a hidden cast member/trainer so don't be fooled by "Mary" who accidentally falls into the water.
The Bayside SkyRide is worth the $3. It's a six minute ride that takes you across the Bay. The views are quite pleasant. And it's nice to take a little break from walking around and get a visual of Sea World.
"Look there's a man in his cantelope." the little one called out. We got a nice chuckle about the cantelope/kayak.
The little one saw these gentleman from the back, noticed their yellow jackets and I'm assuming did not get a good look at those yellowjackets and thought they looked like Jeff's turnout jacket and said, "Why are all the firemen here?"
I didn't have an answer for wny Buddhist monks would visit Sea World other than they wanted to see the animals.
