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Old 4 Dec 19, 06:37 PM  
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Lisa_Lollipop
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Charlie's First WDW Adventure - Sep/Oct 2019 - Day 3: Seaworld

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Tuesday 1st October

Charlie woke up at 7:15am and we stayed tucked up in bed for a little while whilst he had his milk and watched Peppa (this was becoming a morning tradition!)



Before long we were up and getting ourselves ready for the day, also having some breakfast before leaving. By 9:50am we were all set and ready to go! Today we were off to Seaworld! Oh and I actually remembered to take some photos of the car this morning!





At this point Charlie was already pretty grumpy. I have read before that day 3 of a trip with a toddler can be rather testing (Vicky, I was totally expecting our day at Seaworld to take a similar turn to yours!). May the odds ever be in our favour…



We arrived at Seaworld at 10:15am and parked up in Rescue 19 right by the security tower. The park had only opened at 10am so it was still very quiet at this point (a sign of things to come to be fair!). We managed to coax Charlie into the buggy with some raisins and then made our way over to the park entrance.



On entering the park my first stop was to guest services as we had pre-bought quick queue passes (only £16 each) and this was where I needed to pick them up from. We were given paper tickets but also wristbands to wear too (to save having to keep getting the tickets out).

Charlie was getting progressively more grumpy so I took him for a stroll in attempt to get him to have a nap… with no success! He was much more interested in everything going on around him to give in to sleeping! Admitting defeat I joined the others and we made our way into the aquarium by Manta. Charlie completely perked up in here. He really does love fish!







We of course got these obligatory photos (I am sure we have these from every trip!)…







On leaving the aquarium we made our way over to Journey to Atlantis and found it was only a 5 minute wait. Joan and John had never ridden this before so they headed on with Paul whilst I waited with Charlie.



Charlie and I waited at the bottom of the drop keeping our eyes peeled for them… the sky was looking rather menacing at this point!



Whilst we was waiting Charlie was getting beyond tired so I managed to get him into the pushchair and after a few laps he was sound asleep. Hurrah!



By now it was 11:30 and the heavens opened! I made a quick dash into the Journey to Atlantis shop to take cover. After a little browse Paul, Joan and John appeared… a little soggy from their ride (I wasn’t too sad to have missed out on this one I have to say!). We lingered in the shop for a little while waiting for the rain to ease up a bit. It didn’t look like it was going to stop completely so we put the rain cover on the pushchair and decided to brave it!

Next up was Mako. We had missed out on riding this on our last trip in 2016 by a mere couple of weeks. I had been hoping to catch a soft launch at the time but no such luck. There was no avoiding it now… and I have to admit I was terrified! Standing at the bottom looking it up it really hits you just how high it is! There was no way I was going to chicken out though so Paul and I headed in leaving sleeping Charlie with Joan and John.





We somehow managed to miss the quick queue entrance so went in via the normal queue but it wasn’t a problem as it was a walk on! Oh dear lord, I don’t think I have the words to describe just how terrified I was on this ride! I love rollercoasters but this one was just a step too far for me… it is so high and the constant air time really makes you feel like you are going to fall out! I came off saying I would rather go through childbirth again that have to ride it a second time! Just awful!

I came off shaking like a leaf but managed to get my legs working so we could meet back up with Joan and John. Charlie was still sound asleep!





As Charlie was still asleep we thought we would take the opportunity to go and ride Manta, one of my favourites! On arriving at the entrance we found it had a zero wait time, it really was quiet today!





Despite having no standby queue we still entered through the quick queue entrance (might as well make some use of them! In reality if we had known how quiet it was going to be we would never have bothered getting them but it’s something you can never predict and luckily they weren’t very expensive so none of us felt like we had lost much!). We loaded on straight away and were at the very back. Wow it was rough! Now I’m not sure if my tolerance of rollercoasters is dropping as I am getting older or it was riding at the back but we both came off feeling very ill! I think that’s enough big rollercoasters for today!

On leaving Manta we met back up with Joan and John and found Charlie still asleep! Joan said he had woken up briefly but after a little push had gone back off again… I think the busy last few days were really starting to catch up with him! We made a quick loo stop and had a little look at the stingrays. We were very happy that by now the rain and passed and it was glorious sunshine!







By now it was 1pm and we had a reservation for Shark’s Underwater Grill. Paul and I had been here on our last visit and really enjoyed and we knew Charlie would love it! Although at this point we were somewhat worried he would sleep through the whole lunch!







We checked in at the front desk, were handed a pager and directed to the waiting area out front. We didn’t have to wait long, less than 5 minutes later we were called through to our table and were happy that we were being seated right at the front with a great view of the tank! Charlie was sill asleep so they allowed us to take the pushchair down with us so we didn’t have to disturb him.











Whilst we were browsing the menu Charlie woke up, perfect timing! The server kindly offered to move the pushchair to the entrance and we got Charlie settled into a highchair. I ordered him the chicken tenders and chips which came out pretty much immediately.



I didn’t make note of what we all ordered (and two months down the line I can’t remember!) but I know I had the seafood pasta and I have a photo of salmon which I think both Joan and John had… no idea on Paul’s order though!





The food was all really good, and whilst not a cheap meal it’s a brilliant dining experience. Charlie loved being so close to the tank and after finishing his food made the most of having a wander up and down.





Paul and I opted against dessert but Joan and John went for the chocolate brownie to share, which was lucky as it was huge! Charlie had the fruit as part of his kid’s meal.







Feeling very full we settled up the bill and took a last few photos before heading back out into the park.

(Edited to add - on reading this Paul pointed out that I could easily tell what he had to eat as I have a photo of the bill... honestly, it’s lucky one of us has a brain! And the irony is after all that he actually had the same as me!)







By now it was 2:30pm and as we were right there we headed into the shark encounter.







This was another area that Charlie loved. So much to look at!











Next up we headed to Antarctica so we could ride Emperor of the Penguin. On arriving at the entrance of the ride we found there was a 20 minute standby wait but luckily this attraction accepts quick queue so we headed straight in (finally getting some actual use of it!).





Paul and I took Charlie on the ‘mild’ version whilst Joan and John opted for the ‘wild’ version (Charlie was too little for this). After the short ride we were soon in the penguin enclosure… oh yikes, you forget just how cold it is in here!












I was most amazed to see this lady who worked there wearing just a short sleeve t-shirt! All the other staff had big thick jackets on, she is hardcore!







We didn’t stick around for too long as we were so cold (so ironic when you spend the rest of the trip complaining that you are too hot!). On making it back out into the glorious heat we decided to head over to Turtle Trek but on arriving there we realised we were running really short of time now as we still wanted to catch the 5pm showing of One Ocean and we also hadn’t been into Wild Artic or the new Sesame Street area! Time just goes too fast, it’s impossible to fit everything into one day!



Abandoning Turtle Trek we made our way past the dophin enclosure and made a brief stop to watch them playing in the pool. Charlie was desperate to get closer and managed to duck under the rope! I am sure if I hadn’t of quickly grabbed him he would have dived in head first!





Waving goodbye to the dolphins we made the mission across the park over to Wild Artic (you forget how big this park is until you have to walk from one side to the other in one swoop!).



On making it across the bridge and to the other side of the park we passed by the Shamu Stadium and Charlie of course couldn’t resist sticking his hands into the fountain… I truly am sure he is half boy, half fish!





We wanted to head over to Wild Artic at this point but Charlie was most unimpressed with having to leave the fountain. He decided to sit down in protest and refused to move!



We eventually managed to persuade him to move. Joan and John took the entrance into Wild Artic that includes the VR helicopter ride. Charlie was too small for this so Paul and I took the ‘walking tour’ version that bypasses it (I can’t say I was sad about this, it makes me feel really sick!). On making it inside we spent some time looking at the beluga whales, walruses and seals. It was so lovely and quiet in there.







On leaving Wild Artic our next stop was Sesame Street. I was really excited to see this area, it was new since our last visit and I had seen various vlogs and it looked great! The reality certainly lived up to my expectations, it was such a fun area with fantastic theming!







There were so many great photo opportunities! I grew up watching Sesame Street so was very excited by it all!









There were so many great interactive activities for little ones too, Charlie absolutely loved this food truck and was stood there for ages playing!







It was fast approaching 5pm and the last One Ocean of the day so we hot footed back up to Shamu Stadium so we could see it. Now I know these killer whale shows divide opinion so I won’t dwell on it for too long… and in reality Paul and I got to see very little of the show as Charlie refused to sit still and watch and was much more interested in climbing all over the benches! Luckily we have seen this show many times before!







When the show finished we had very little time left before the park closed at 6pm so we decided to spend the last half an hour or so back in Sesame Street as I was keen for Charlie to go on some of the rides there. Our first stop was Abby’s Flower Tower… we had all planned on going on but on reaching a flower pot we found they were definitely not designed for 4 adults and a toddler! Paul and John did then try to get in a separate pot but were told they were only allowed on with a child, which is a bit odd as I have definitely seem Tim Tracker on this ride with no child on board! So Paul and John just stood at the side while Joan and I rode with Charlie. Sadly I have no photos, mainly because it was so tiny in that little pot I could barely maneuver to take a photo! Us squeezing back out again must have been quite a sight!

Next up was Emo’s Choo Choo Train which Paul took Charlie on.



Last was the carousel, which I am assuming is left over from the old Shamu area that used to be there as it wasn’t Sesame Street themed but rather strange sea creatures! It was nice we could all ride this together though.







By now it was 6pm so all the rides were closing. Opposite the carousel I spotted Cookie Monster (or ‘Biscuit Bear’ as Charlie called him!), so I demanded that we go over and take some photos with him.











We made a quick stop in the shop, so much Sesame Street merchandise! I picked up a cute foam floor puzzle for Charlie ($9.99 – even the lady who served me commented on how reasonably priced it was!) which I ended up putting away for his birthday at the beginning of November.



On coming out of the shop we spent a little more time having a look around Sesame Street, I was so impressed with how interactive everything was. Such a great area for little kids and adults alike!











With the park now closed we started making the long walk back to the exit at the other side of the park. Charlie of course refused to get in his pushchair so this was a slow process of him walking for a bit and then demanding to be carried!





We finally made it back to the front of the park and made a stop into the main gift shop (because who leaves without visiting the gift shop?!). When in there we spotted some pick ‘n’ mix animals that we knew Charlie would love. They were $14.99 for 18 and came in a little carry case, Charlie loved picking out which ones he wanted. This ended up being one of the best purchases we made all trip… that little case of animals came with us EVERYWHERE! They kept him entertained in the car, in restaurants, at the villa, when waiting in queues… an all-round winner! And he still plays with them constantly back home too (although at present the toucan is missing, sad times!)









On leaving the gift shop I wanted to pop to the sweet shop next door but on getting there found it was already closed, heartbroken! With my plans for sweet treats foiled I then made a quick stop at guest services to pick up a park map as I wanted one for Charlie’s memory box. I then found Paul outside the shop who mentioned he had seen a towel that he really liked so I popped back inside to pick that up for him ($22.99). This ended up taking much longer than I expected as the queue was so slow moving!



By this time there was nothing left to do but head out, we made it back to the car at 6:55pm. This day at Seaworld had whizzed by so quickly, there was so much we hadn’t managed to do but it had been such a great day and Charlie really had loved it (I think we could easily have filled two days there if the trip had been longer!). I know it’s not for everyone but we truly always have such a great time at Seaworld.





Now the original plan had been that this evening we would go to Hollywood Studios as I had managed to secure two FPs for Slinky Dog (we had planned on using child swap so we could all get on). At this point we were dealing with a very tired Charlie, it had been a super busy day and it felt somewhat cruel to expect him to head onto another park and have another late night so I made the decision to take Charlie back to the villa whilst the others went without us. The compromise was though that we had to stop at the garage on the way home so I could pick up some chocolate!

Driving back Paul made a stop at the Race Trac close to Storey Lake and I nipped inside quickly, picking up a 3 Musketeers bar and some coffee nut M&Ms. I love US garages, they certainly put my local BP garage to shame!



We made it back to the villa at 7:30 and the other pretty much headed straight back out to make sure they got to Hollywood Studio for their FP. After waving them goodbye I sorted Charlie some toast and fruit after which I got him bathed and by 8:35pm he was sound asleep.



With Charlie down to bed I settled down with my chocolate and a cherry Coke and caught up on some Tim Tracker videos.



It was at this point I received a photo of an empty Toy Story Mania queue… it had only been a 10 minute wait so they had ridden it without me… sob!



On checking MDE I also found their Slinky Dog photo had uploaded, only a little envious! I must admit I was feeling a little glum at missing out as I knew it was unlikely I would get another chance to ride it that trip (I was right, I didn’t get to ride it) and to add to the heartache… John didn’t even like it! Oh and if you was wondering about them only having 2 FPs (which were booked for Joan and John), Paul just scanned his magic band and despite it going blue the CM let him through anyway, so jammy!



To further add to my misery I then had a message from Paul saying that Smuggler’s Run was only a 20 minute wait so they were going to ride it. Double sob! I can’t blame them though, there was no knowing if the wait times would be that low again so it would be silly to not take advantage and go on (although you can imagine how sad I was that I was missing out on that too!). It seemed it was a very quiet evening in DHS because Paul also managed to ride Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster too! Four tier 1 rides in the space of an hour! Oh and to add to how lucky they were on this evening, the next day I found out that on arriving at the parking booths they got waved in and didn’t have to pay!

Back in the villa it was now 10pm and I was feeling a little bored and lonely so decided to go to bed and catch up on some much needed sleep! I didn’t even hear them coming in later that night so I must have been completely out of it!

And that brings us to the end of day 3… a fantastic day at Seaworld and a successful evening at DHS for the others! Join me for the next installment which sees us at Epcot for breakfast at Garden Grill and then in the evening riding on the Orlando Eye.

Day 4 can be found here

Edited at 04:20 PM.
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Old 4 Dec 19, 10:06 PM  
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sheluk
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What a fabulous day at seaworld- we were thinking of doing a one day trip next year and now I reallllly think we need to. The coasters are so fab and all the water experiences look fab, Charlie seems to have loved them all.

We had lunch at underwater grill about ten years ago and it was fab so I’m glad you enjoyed it. Imagine being charlie and waking up there, it must have been so cool.

Ace find on the box of animals! So cute he took it everywhere too.

Only one sitting on the floor refusing to move incident? Gosh that’s a win if Charlie was tired today too 😂

Major mummy points for giving up your fastpass for Charlies early night. I hope you really enjoyed that chocolate and cherry coke!

Charlie always looks like such a peaceful sleeper in your photos - cutie.

Thanks for another brilliantly
Detailed day. When can we expect the next one xx
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Old 6 Dec 19, 01:36 AM  
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CrazyBaby
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Aw this was so nice to read, it looks like you all had a brilliant day in Seaworld, I know people have varying opinions of this park but it is one that I personally really enjoy! It was so lovely to see how much Charlie enjoyed it too! Looking forward to the next installment
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Old 8 Dec 19, 09:35 AM  
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margyloveswdw
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Another fab day!

Mum's make such sacrifices for their families; I hope it was appreciated! Sorry you missed out on slinky dog
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Old 9 Dec 19, 07:25 PM  
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Lisa_Lollipop
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Originally Posted by sheluk View Post
What a fabulous day at seaworld- we were thinking of doing a one day trip next year and now I reallllly think we need to. The coasters are so fab and all the water experiences look fab, Charlie seems to have loved them all.

We had lunch at underwater grill about ten years ago and it was fab so I’m glad you enjoyed it. Imagine being charlie and waking up there, it must have been so cool.

Ace find on the box of animals! So cute he took it everywhere too.

Only one sitting on the floor refusing to move incident? Gosh that’s a win if Charlie was tired today too 😂

Major mummy points for giving up your fastpass for Charlies early night. I hope you really enjoyed that chocolate and cherry coke!

Charlie always looks like such a peaceful sleeper in your photos - cutie.

Thanks for another brilliantly
Detailed day. When can we expect the next one xx
We always have such a great time at Seaworld so it was great that Charlie loved it so much too! I think having much lower crowd levels really helped, it definitely felt more laid back in comparison to our Disney days!

I am pretty sure there were other moments of defiance from Charlie, I think this was just the only one I got a photo of! There will be more coming the trip I promise!

Next day will be with you soon I promise!


Originally Posted by CrazyBaby View Post
Aw this was so nice to read, it looks like you all had a brilliant day in Seaworld, I know people have varying opinions of this park but it is one that I personally really enjoy! It was so lovely to see how much Charlie enjoyed it too! Looking forward to the next installment
It was such a great day, Charlie was in his elements surrounded by all these sea creatures!

Originally Posted by margyloveswdw View Post
Another fab day!

Mum's make such sacrifices for their families; I hope it was appreciated! Sorry you missed out on slinky dog
Without a doubt I am getting on Slinky dog on our next trip!
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Old 11 Dec 19, 01:39 PM  
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Redrach1903
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You must know every Peppa Pig episode by heart now! Hahaha!

Hahaha its funny that Mako made you feel like that, I didn’t get those vibes at all – thought it was so smooth and exhilarating!

Loving all the walk-ons, but annoying that you had paid for quick queue!

Looks like a nice meal at the Shark place and I'm glad Charlie woke up for it

Man I got chills just looking at the penguin pics – it really is baltic in there! Oh and defo not a bad thing to dodge that wild arctic simulator (insert puking emoji here).

Bloody love the look of the Sesame St bit, especially "Biscuit Bear" hahahahaha, too cute!

I too love the US gas stations, so many yummies! I am still so sad for you that you missed out on all that DHS fun though

xxx
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Old 12 Dec 19, 05:55 PM  
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Originally Posted by Redrach1903 View Post
You must know every Peppa Pig episode by heart now! Hahaha!

Hahaha its funny that Mako made you feel like that, I didn’t get those vibes at all – thought it was so smooth and exhilarating!

Loving all the walk-ons, but annoying that you had paid for quick queue!

Looks like a nice meal at the Shark place and I'm glad Charlie woke up for it

Man I got chills just looking at the penguin pics – it really is baltic in there! Oh and defo not a bad thing to dodge that wild arctic simulator (insert puking emoji here).

Bloody love the look of the Sesame St bit, especially "Biscuit Bear" hahahahaha, too cute!

I too love the US gas stations, so many yummies! I am still so sad for you that you missed out on all that DHS fun though

xxx
I could recite most episodes of Peppa Pig. Not something I am proud of I have to say!

The Sesame Street area is so cute, it feels so different from the rest of the park and is such a great addition. I just wish we had had more time to explore it!

Bah still sad I missed out on DHS... I am owed first ride on Rise of the Resistance on our next trip!
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Old 15 Dec 19, 10:46 AM  
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vics18
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Sorry Lisa, havent been on here for ages with one thing and another so just been catching up with your days. Couldn't not comment on this one haha. You definitely had a more successful day 3 at Seaworld than we did! Charlie was a superstar. I'm a bit gutted we missed Sesame Street opening, although I don't think it would have salvaged our day
Quite glad I didn't manage to get on Mako after reading your review! I'm definitely getting wimpier as I get older.
Those little animals in the case are so good, what a brill idea! You're so selfless letting them all go to HS without you. I would have been a sulky puss : xx
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Old 3 Jan 20, 12:05 PM  
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Originally Posted by vics18 View Post
Sorry Lisa, havent been on here for ages with one thing and another so just been catching up with your days. Couldn't not comment on this one haha. You definitely had a more successful day 3 at Seaworld than we did! Charlie was a superstar. I'm a bit gutted we missed Sesame Street opening, although I don't think it would have salvaged our day
Quite glad I didn't manage to get on Mako after reading your review! I'm definitely getting wimpier as I get older.
Those little animals in the case are so good, what a brill idea! You're so selfless letting them all go to HS without you. I would have been a sulky puss : xx
Haha I think for any future trips I will plan a lazy pool day for day 3 to be on the safe side!

I was a little sulky at the time I can assure you!
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Old 4 Jan 20, 01:11 AM  
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Greenapple
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Really enjoying your reports! Looks like a great day in Seaworld. I'm picking up lots of tips from you, we're going in April, my son will have just turned 2.
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