Deep in the Heart of Texas... Day #2

A Whale of a Good Time- Sea World San Antonio 

Monday, July 27, 2015

Despite coughing through most of the night and even waking up crying at one point, Luke was up bright and early ready to face the day. I am not sure I can say the same for the rest of us! But... we headed out to Sea World and we were all very excited. I have only been 1 time and Chris and the kids had never been! We got there around 9AM because we knew we had to get the special Teacher and Pre-School Passes offered by Sea World. For all of my Teacher friends or parents of preschoolers (3-5 years) you can claim a FREE summer pass during the month of April and May each year that is valid through Labor Day of that year. So in other words, we basically all four of us got into Sea World for FREE! We still had to pay for parking ($20 each day) and any food in the park but the rest was FREE! We did go ahead and purchase the All Day Dining pass on the 1st day solely for the unlimited amount of water you recieve while using this pass. All of this combined with the literal 100* temps and 108*+ heat index made the $27/pp (adults) worth it. This allowed us to eat at various different restaurants throughout the park. This was a great buy because you could typically get through the food lines faster and several times the food service people would allow each of us to get 2 bottles of water per time through the line. The food prices were typically $8-10 per meal so this $27 for ALL day dining  was a steal! I would recommend it if you are visiting the park during the summer months of Texas heat! 

This is an incredible offer! Be sure to look for it in April and May of each year! 

Fountain selfie! 

We're HERE... and ready to go! 

We started the morning in the Sesame Street Bay of Play so the kids could ride some rides and enjoy this kiddie area of the park before it got crowded and hot! This featured a massive playground play area featuring a 100+ ft cargo net that Luke just absolutely loved and asked to come back to throughout the rest of the entire vacation! This took the majority of the morning and we were even able to see Elmo and his friends! Then we went into the Pets Ahoy show where Sea World has taken 185 rescued pets and trained them for an unforgettable show! This show was the only one at Sea World that was air conditioned too... Go and check it out! Earlier shows are better because people know it is in AC so they will come in the afternoon!

The Bay of Play... a HUGE hit with my kiddos! 

Time for the carousel! 

They are ready to ride Elmo's Rocket! 

They did very well on this ride and LOVED it! 

The kids and I on the Ferris Wheel! 

The "Cargo Net" area that Luke just absolutely LOVED! I think we spent at least 3-4 hours here on this day! 

Why Hello there Elmo and Friends... Nice to meet you! 

The end of the Pets Ahoy show! Seriously, this was VERY impressive!
Where else can you see trained CATS???

Lunch was at the Sea Side Market in the center of the park and we were able to get light and fresh sandwiches as well as FRUIT and healthy options such as salads and wraps. As someone who was "trying" to watch what I ate while on vacation this was a hidden gem! Immediately following lunch we let the kids play in the Alligator Alley playground for a little while before we went to the back area of the park. Chris and I were both able to ride the famous STEEL EEL roller coaster solo. I always remembered this roller coaster being really good and at the top of my roller coaster list and this solo ride brought back those wonderful memories. It is a great mountainous steel roller coaster and anyone who appreciates these massive machines needs to check it out. I tried to talk Natalie into riding it with me and this led to somewhat of a meltdown but it was quickly reversed and our afternoon continued.

Lunch offerings at Sea Side Market! I love that you can find HEALTHY food options even at an amusement park! 

Natalie's favorite exhibit was the Flamingos ("Mingos")!

The penguins, my favorite, were next on the agenda and all 4 of us loved this exhibit. It showcased 4 different types of penguins; King Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin and Rockhopper Penguins. We were able to see all 4 species and the kids just loved the moving conveyor belt! Plus we got to see a character penguin outside the exhibit! It was a HUGE hit! This exhibit is also air conditioned! 

Luke LOVED the penguins! 

Natalie and I on the moving Penguin conveyor belt! 

Look kids... A penguin! 

A Shark made from recyclable items! 

The majority of the early afternoon was spent watching 2 great shows; Clyde and Seamore High, a lighthearted and hilarious show featuring sea lions, seals and a giant walrus that did sit-ups and Azul, featuring Beluga Whales! These shows were both incredible and are not to be missed! Be sure to check the daily calendar of events and showtimes and plan your day around these 2 shows! 

Getting ready to see the Sea Lion Show Clyde and Seymour High! It was hilarious! 

The GIANT walrus that is trained to do sit-ups! I will never complain about doing these again! 

After the Sea Lion show we checked out the all new Pacific Point Preserve! This was an area that had Sea Lions, Seals and even walruses! It was AWESOME! 

The Azul show featuring dolphins and Beluga whales! 

These dolphins were incredible! 

At least 20 feet above the water surface! 

These dolphins really made the show and were spectacular! 

Natalie had fallen in love with the log-ride while traveling with GiGi Shirley and Poppy to the Mall of America back in June so she really wanted to check out this log-ride called Journey to Atlantis. Little did she know that it was not a typical log-ride and featured a "backwards" section before the typical fall. She was so excited and giddy the whole time we waited in line but once she saw the boat in front of us go backwards she began to freak out! In the end she enjoyed the ride but didn't want to ride it a second time.

Natalie was SO EXCITED to ride the Journey to Atlantis! 

We are locked in and ready to go! 

It was a SUCCESS! 

Chris wanted to ride some additional rides so he took Natalie to the river rapids ride called Rio Loco while I spent the rest of the afternoon with Luke at the Bay of Play splash-pad and of course, more cargo net time! This took nearly 2 hours for Chris and Natalie to get through the line and the ride and then we met up at the One Ocean show. This show featured the killer whales of Sea World and was absolutely AMAZING! All 4 of us agreed that this was a show that CANNOT be missed! It is usually the later show and at the very back of the park but it is well worth the wait and extra steps! Again, check out the daily schedule and be sure to see this one! 

Luke liked the splash pad but not as much as I would have thought! I think the crowds scared him! 

Luke loved this whale and asked for me to take his picture with it! 

The young 19 month old Killer Whale showing us his tricks! 

These are the BEASTS! 

We then got some dinner at Shamu's Smokehouse and it was easily the best meal we had at either of the Sea World parks! The BBQ was really good and line was not as bad as other food areas of the park. We then did our souvenir shopping and then went to see the giant tortoise exhibit as well as Alligator Alley. These were great exhibits and easily overlooked. We then went back to the famous cargo net and Bay of Play to ride a few more kiddie rides before we went to the Shamu Celebration night show to close our day.

Luke having fun at dinner with Daddy's hat! 

Time for some more rides! 

The Shamu Celebration was an incredible show featuring more of the killer whales. It is amazing how massive these whales really are yet fascinating to see what all they can do! What a great way to end our long day! If you can manage to stay the whole day or until 8:30PM be sure to check this show out! 

The last show of the day and we are still smiling! 

We loved every aspect of Sea World but we were exhausted from the crowds, the length of day but most importantly the heat! We ended our day around 9:30PM and made our way back to our downtown hotel. The kids fell asleep with ease and we were all ready for some shut eye! 

Next up... Aquatica (Sea World's Waterpark)! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!