Sea World San Diego

Posted on July 15th, 2011 by Jean

On the second day of our San Diego vacation, we visited Sea World. Sweet ticket deals are available on their website.
 
We entered the park at 9am and made our way to the Dolphin Encounter. The trainers were whistling, making arm movements, and sending the dolphins from one side of the tank to the other. We enjoyed watching the dolphins, and felt such joy just being in the park.
 

 
As we left the dolphins, we ran into some Sea World mascots. It took a lot of coaxing before our youngest agreed to stand near the penguin with the creepy eyes. Too bad we didn’t see the super-cuddly & cute Shamu mascot.
 

 
Making our way to the park’s Sesame Street Play Zone, and we rode all three kiddie rides.
 

 
Now we were ready for a thrill, and headed to Atlantis, the water roller coaster. It turned out to be a little too intense for our oldest daughter. There’s an elevator that the roller coaster cars enter to be brought up the tower for another drop. It was very loud and dark in there, which sent our daughter into a panic. With tears streaming, she finished the ride, only to find out the ride broke down. We were stuck in our seats for about ten minutes until employees made their way to us and released the seat-bars holding us in.
 
Finally free, we sat on a nearby bench. Hubby and youngest went in search of cotton candy to bring the smile back to our oldest’s face. We sat, enjoyed the candy, and people-watched before entering the Arctic Zone. We passed the ride & movie portion, and went directly to the animals. The belugas had a baby one year ago, and it was just darling! The walrus now had 2 short tusks (3 years ago it had one long & one short).
 

 
Just found out some facts about the baby beluga. Her name is Pearl! Her adoptive mother is Allua.
 
Next stop, the Calypso Smoke House for lunch! The kids had chicken & fries on commemorative Shamu plates, while hubby and I split a sampler plate. It was all delicious and worth every penny.
 
Now you’d think we’d be refreshed and energized after stopping for lunch, but quite the opposite happened. The kids started complaining that their feet hurt. Not wanting to leave the park just yet, we noticed a show was underway, and climbed the stairs to available seats. The show was called Blue Horizons, combining “sea & sky”. We watched as costumed performers bounced like yo-yo’s on wires. Tropical birds flew across the stadium, pilot whales and dolphins swam and leapt.
 

 
Trying to fit in one more experience prior to leaving, hubby took youngest on the Rip Tide ride while oldest daughter and I shopped for last minute souvenirs.
 

 
As we made our way to the exit, we heard barking – sea lions and seals. You can buy fish to feed to them. Some lay around, some swam, and others begged (barked) for food.
 

 
We were really dragging now, after just 3.5 hours in the park. We got our hands stamped just in case we wanted to return that evening, but for now we wanted to relax in our hotel room.
 
To be continued.
 
• How long do you typically last at a theme park?
• Have you ever been stuck on a ride?
• What is your favorite animal at Sea World?

California Vacation ~ Part 2

Posted on October 23rd, 2010 by Jean

There’s a large, prestine park near my parents’ home, so after a delicious breakfast at Huckleberrys, we all took a walk with Grandma and Papa to exert some energy and enjoy a little more bonding time.
 

 
Then we were off to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. It used to be Marine World, and is an aquarium, zoo and theme-park. If you go, buy your tickets online. Adults pay kids’ rate. It’s also worth the extra $5 for premium parking reducing your trek to the entrance.
 
It’s impossible to cover all that ground in one afternoon, so we stuck to the zoo and kiddie rides.
 

 
Lunch was ridiculously expensive. The “special” at the Beachside Burger Shack was four burgers, four fries and four sodas for $44.
 

 
Tom and I had guacamole burgers, and with the kids’ chicken baskets, our total came to around $50.
 
A highlight of the day was watching this young adult tiger eating meat treats in his very own swimming pool.
 

 
After five hours, we were more than happy to return to our hotel and crash in our beds. Tom got up to retrieve us a pizza from the restaurant next door. Food tastes so much better when you are completely exhausted.
 
We slept soundly, and awoke to a beautiful morning for travel. Our flight was scheduled for noon, so after packing and checking out, we met Mom and Dad at my brother’s house to say our good byes. I hope we don’t let another three years pass before our next visit.
 
• Do you pay the exorbitant dining rates at amusement parks?
• Aquarium, zoo, or theme park ~ which is your favorite?
• Can you identify the animal in the bottom row of the Rides & Zoo collage?

 
To view our youngest daughter’s fondest memories of the trip, visit my guest post at The Mama Mary Show.

Sugary Sweet Childhood Fears

Posted on March 27th, 2009 by Jean

Things that frightened me as a child seem laughable as an adult. Thank goodness I matured, and realized what was plausible and what was not. Perhaps that is where childhood fear comes from, thinking that anything is possible.

• SCARY MOVIES •

When I was a child, we used to watch Creature Features. This was a late night television show which aired old black & white films. One movie, The Vulture, was particularly frightening to me. The storyline involved a man who had bird legs. I could have sworn he hid his creepy legs under a blanket while he sat in a wheelchair, but a brief synopsis I read says he wore a large coat. Regardless, at night he would swoop down and prey on innocent victims. Not long after seeing this movie, a huge stork flew over my house, and I would have bet money it was the bird man!


Here he is, visually assaulting the public. Where is his coat now?


• SCARY RIDES •

The Adventure Thru Inner Space ride at Disneyland scared me senseless! It wasn’t the ride itself, but the dread of being disintegrated! Here’s how the ride was described; “While waiting in line, you see other guests enter one end of the Mighty Microscope, appear near the opposite end only a few inches tall, and finally disappear entirely. Now it’s your turn.” WTH? No thanks! I begged and pleaded with my parents not to go on this ride! Even at age 2, I knew I preferred living and breathing over whatever fate awaited me in the “Microscope Of Doom”! Could I talk sense into them? Of course not. It STILL haunts me.


Disney’s *Prepare to Meet Your Maker* ride. Have your signed consent form ready!


Do you have some fears to get off your chest?

Thanks for reading!


Menu

© 2014 JEAN HAS BEEN SHOPPING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.