Day 54

Friday, August 2, 2013

We got up early in order to get packed up and loaded back into the car before heading to Sea World.

We stopped at Taco Cabana for breakfast tacos on the way back to my brothers house.  My mom had to pick up my dad from the bus stop after lunch, so they ended up meeting us at Sea World later that afternoon.

The guy at the next table was having a beer with breakfast.
Yah, it was 8:00 a.m.!!!!

We arrived at Sea World shortly before it opened so that we were in line and ready to rock it as soon as the gates opened.  There was already a lot of people there, so it was a good thing we got there when we did.  Everyone was lathered with sun screen and ready to see some animals when they let us in.

The kids outside the entrance to Sea World

All of us right before the gates opened

We headed to some children's rides while waiting for the first animal show to begin.  My cousin and her husbands family happened to be in San Antonio and at Sea World at the same time, so we met up with them at various points during the day.

Abigail and Robert on the merry-go-round

My cousin, Stella, with nephews, Alex and Aiden

At the very first show, the kids made a point to sit in the 'splash zone'.  This is a section of seats nearest to the shows that have an increased chance of getting 'splashed' by the animals.  Well, everyone that wanted to get soaked didn't and the few that didn't want to get soaked DID.  Yup, that would be me!  Ally got a little bit of it as well, but at least it provided some much needed relief from the extremely hot temperatures.

Everyone is waitinf for the first show to start.  It is about
102 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Celcius!!!!

We made our way over to the dolphin exhibit.  In the past, we have fed the dolphins and always look forward to this awesome experience.  This time, we were unable to feed them.  The trainers said that too many people were complaining so they changed the format.  Everything was already booked for the day, so no dolphin feeding for us.  Boo!

A view of the trainer feeding the dolphins

They were getting ice as a treat

We then headed across the park to the Shamu show.  Along the way, we stopped to watch the Atlantis ride.  This ride offers non-riders the opportunity to 'get soaked'.  If you stand along the side, you can cool off while on your way to the next show.  The kids 'cooled off' several times before we moved on.  Shamu is the famous killer whale that jumps and flips and splashes his way into everyone's hearts.  Again, the kids wanted to sit in the splash zone.  This time I was a little more hesitant because Mr. Shamu prefers his water to be really, REALLY, cold.  Fortunately, we did not get splashed this time.

The Atlantis ride at the top....

The large splash as the Atlantis ride makes it way to the bottom

Soaking wet, but it feels SO GOOD!!!

Soaked to the bone!

Waiting for the Shamu show

Waiting for the Shamu show

Shamu swimming by us after the show was over

We stopped for lunch before heading to the next ride.  We got in line for the rapids ride when my mom called and said they were inside the park.  They made it to the ride just before we got on and my nephew rode with them so that they weren't by themselves.  While we were in line, Melinda and I could see the very short line for the neighboring roller coaster ride.  Our bellies were still full from lunch, so we decided to ride it after the next animal show.

Once we were all off of the boat ride, we made our way to the beluga whale show.  This one is always a favorite because it's got animals, synchronized swimmers, and divers.  The dolphins were amazing!

Abigail posing with a few of the Azul cast members

When it was over, we walked back towards the roller coaster.  The kids wanted to see a different animal exhibit while Melinda and I rode the Great White.  I hadn't been on a coaster in several years and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.  It was totally worth it though!!!  The ride was awesome!  The line was super short and we only had to wait for a very short time before it was our turn.  We both came off the ride excited and smiling from ear to ear.

Waiting to get on the ride

The Great White

We met up with the rest of the group and walked over to a bar-b-que place to have dinner.  We had awhile before the next show, so once we finished dinner, we made our way to the ice cream shop for dessert.  While in line, Ally was stung by a bee on her leg.  We quickly found an employee who gave us some topical medication to take away the pain.  She was so scared!  It was her first bee sting.  Once we got her calmed down a bit, her daddy got her root beer float and we slowly made our way to the show.  Before we made our way into the stadium, she told us that her throat was feeling tight.  We took her to the first aid station while mom and dad took everyone else to their car to start the drive back to my brothers house.  The paramedics watched her for a few minutes, gave her some more medication, and sent us on our way.

Ally resting after the dreaded bee sting

Once we left the park, we stopped to get her a treat for having such a lousy ending to our otherwise spectacular day.  She was all smiles!

Feeling much better now

We made it back to my brothers house shortly after my parents did and everyone started to get ready for bed.  We had a very exciting day!