Deano does Disney 2001 Day -2

[Deano]

Deano does Disney 2001 - Day 2 Seaworld

Cast members

Dean (27) - Chief fund raiser and head of purchasing

Katie (26) - Head of ride assessment team



Ok if you’re back to read Day 2 then you either clicked the link by mistake or you’re a glutton for punishment.



Day 2- Virgin welcome meeting & Seaworld.

We didn’t bother with a welcome meeting last year and we also didn’t find time to go to Down Town Disney so Kate was keen to kill 2 birds with one stone, (she also fancied the free tickets for Arabian Nights being a horsey person) So I gave in and decided we would give it a try, I thought I might get some strange pride in not letting the reps relieve my wallet of money and I could assess the reps knowledge of Florida and perhaps suggest a visit to DIS if they were sadly lacking.

On the coach to the hotel we were told to be outside the hotel at 8:30am to be picked up for a 9:30 meeting so we were up showered and at the door to Sizzlers by 7:30.Now if anyone has ever seen the photo of me on Stu’s photo share you will appreciate how much I enjoy my food I was looking forward to sampling at least 7 plates of their finest cuisine. $11 for 2 breakfasts and 2 teas is great value and the variety of food is pretty good, I only managed 2 plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, corned beef hash and sausage patties, followed by a Donut a Danish pastry and a piece of the most gorgeous carrot cake I have ever had. Kate was also keen to alleviate the world of surplus donuts and did her best to reduce the number of orphaned donuts by eating around a dozen. We waddled out of the door and went back to the hotel to meet the Virgin bus, it was about 8:20 so we took up positions on a bench outside the hotel reception to soak up some sun and allow my aching stomach to relax.

Well after yesterdays fiasco I had an idea we would be last to be picked up so we patiently waited for the bus. We waited and waited and at 9:30 we decided to give up and go to Seaworld as we had obviously been abandoned by Virgin. We visited Seaworld on the first day last year and I think it’s a great way to ease you into theme parking so we walked to the I-ride stop that was outside our hotel to wait! for the next bus, within minutes we saw a bus coming our way and surprise surprise it drove straight past us full! A good tip here is if you want to use the trolley don’t try and do it when everyone else is trying to get to Disney first thing in a morning, also the further south you are on I-drive the harder it is to get on at busy times. 15 minutes later another trolley arrived and we hopped on and made our way to Seaworld.

I neglected to buy okay I forgot to buy the Orlando flex tickets back home so when we arrived at Seaworld we needed to buy our passes, off Kate went armed with credit card to make our first holiday purchase and within minutes we were going through the turnstiles into the park. Into the park and now avoid the photographers grab the map and away we go.(Anyone else find there were more photographers this year? )

It was a hot day around 90 degrees so first stop was to buy a refillable mug which for $4.50 I thought was pretty good because I’m a big guy and when it is hot I can drink for England which also has another consequence I’m not going to mention but if anyone needs a map the public conveniences in Seaworld just give me a shout .

Kate absolutely adores dolphins so we made our way to Dolphin Cove to see what time feeding was, as with the theme of the holiday we were late so we decided to meet the sting rays. Now I know they have had the stings removed but I wasn’t that keen on touching them but after watching a couple of 5 year olds do it I thought I’d give it a go, all I can say is rubbery and smelly fingers.

Next over to see the Clyde and Seamore show which as always makes me smile and this year we got to see the mime artist before the show. What can I say he is absolutely amazing for those who haven’t seen this he mimics anyone who arrives little late for the show for some it’s a little humiliating.

Kate’s a big coaster fan but I’m not that keen so she went of to ride Kraken while I squirted people who were on Journey to Atlantis and got attacked by some strange mating flies which are now known as push me pull you flies. Kate said Kraken was still fantastic and probably the best roller coaster in Orlando, but she would like to try a few more just in case…

I wanted to see the Shamu show as last year it was shortened because one of the Shamu family had recently given birth. We got settled in our seats safely away from the splash zone and took part in the quiz which luckily had the same questions as last year so I didn’t make a fool of myself. The show is absolutely fantastic and as soon as the music started my eyes began to fill up with tears, watching these huge creatures performing is a moving experience and the trust between trainers and the whales is outstanding. In particular the bit where the 2 men get soaked kissing the whale is pretty cool.

Another quick refill and on to Bayside Stadium for the water ski show which was shortened due to them building a stage for 98 degrees who were playing that night. I was disappointed not to see the full show as when I was slightly lighter than I am now was really into jet skiing and water skiing and I always think I can do it better than them

Kate loves horses and has worked with them ever since leaving school so we have to visit the Clydesdale horses, the horses are really well looked after and Kate tells me how she wants to retire to Florida and look after these horses which I agree is a good idea as I could get a job as a stunt double for one of the whales..

Time for shopping and some food, we wonder around a few shops and Kate drops huge hints about glass whales and ornaments which I manage to avoid but I didn’t mange to avoid her hint for a hot chocolate fudge Sunday which was so sickly sweet it was unbelievable but Kate loved it and was grinning from ear to ear, its amazing what chocolate does for some woman.

We did a few of the smaller attractions and on cue at 3:30 the sky went grey and the heavens open, we managed to find a seat under some shelter and watch the masses running for cover and slowly people emerged from the shops sporting lovely blue ponchos, I resisted the temptation buy one thinking that if I had to buy one of these ultra fashionable accessories I would prefer a yellow one with a mouse on it.

The rain stopped and the sky changed to blue once again so we decided to make a run for our hotel, we got back to the hotel around 5 and decided to go for a swim and to rest our aching muscles in the Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi was boiling and after about 10 mins I couldn’t take anymore and I was turning a nice shade of pink much to Kates amusement. We managed to get talking to an American lady who was attending a food machinery conference, she had real problems pronouncing my name, “deeeeena deeeaaaan dine”. After we get over this small problem of communicating in English we have a very nice conversation about the castle I live in and my royal heritage but I’m now happy I have managed to speak a foreign language for a whole 30 mins.

We decide on a simple evening meal so we go next door to Sizzlers and have a pretty good feed for less than $30, we have buffet to start and then Steak and Chicken followed by some cake, ice cream and around a gallon of Pepsi. After eating I feel like an umpa lumpa and we roll across the road to Pointe Orlando. We wonder around the shops in search of bargains and found some in GAP and world of denim but decide not to buy now but wait until we had been to Belz tomorrow, at 10:30 we are shattered so go back to the hotel for a sleep and to dream of tomorrow a full day of shopping .

[BevS97]

Deano

I've enjoyed the first 2 days,  so you're going to have to try and remember what happened on the rest of your trip and write some more!

Bev

[Guest]

Thanks for shareing your reports
We never got to see the Clyde and Seamore show it was close on our last trip
Sea world is a great place  ,

[Anne]

Hi Deano

I'm waiting for more trip reports.

The food sounded good, particuarly the hot chocolate sunday- yum yum. We're saving seaworld for next time ,

Anne

[Sue F]

Hi Deano,

We too have the tradition of Seaworld on our first day - we also go there on our way to the airport to go home!

[mapman]

wonderful - love the report - and the food

[Guest]

Do keep going with the reports Deano.

We did Seaworld on our first day 10 years ago (our only Orlando visit) - it seemed more relaxing than most of the other parks.