So without further stalling here is the next part of my trip report.
Saturday morning we got up very early. I had purchased our Sea World Tickets only from home about a month earlier. So we had the print outs and everything ready to go. The reason we were up so early was because we weren't exactly sure how to get to Sea World from Disney property. Thanks to the Dis forum though I was able to do a bit of research before leaving and also the night before to learn about the Lynx buses that leave from the TTC at the MK.
Had a good breakfast at our resort's food court. Filled our drink mugs. And we were away. We took the bus from our resort to the Magic Kingdom main entrance and were going to take the monorail back to the TTC. But as we got there the ferry was just docking. My husband and I have never been on it, so we gave it a shot. It was us and another couple on the huge boat. Quiet and perfect!
It was a lovely ride across the lagoon. And once we reach the TTC, we headed straight to the Bus information counter to and the drivers pointed us in the right direction to a bright pink bus that was already there. Bus number 50 was $2 USD a person and was actually pretty comfy. We ready the posts about telling the driver that we were going to Sea World. He smiled and said that wasn't a problem. So we were off. Our first and only adventure off Disney property this trip.
The bus ride was a little long, and we did get to see that there was a stop at Downtown Disney that I hadn't been sure of, so we decided to use that stop on our way back. We picked up more Disney guests going to Sea World and the driver told them the same thing that he would stop there. He had also told them and us that it was the -third- bus stop on the street. We all nodded and listened. Making a point to get off on the third stop in case he got busy or distracted.
We finally reached the street, could see Sea World across the parking lot and waited for our stop...then went past Sea World. All of us cried out and he stopped at the third stop... it was huge walk away from the main gate. His response was "Oh you should have got off at the last stop." Laughing at us, after he had told us to wait for the third stop. Needless to say none of us we impressed with his humor over the situation as we now had to walk even further in what was turning out to be a very scorching day.
Couldn't get off the bus fast enough. We walked the long way to the main gate. Got into the park with not problem with out Etickets. It was a weekend and also a holiday so the park was pretty steady and busy. We went straight to one of our favorite places in the park first. Dolphin Cove. We love getting to try and touch and see these amazing creatures. Got to see a training session that some people had paid extra for. Giving them a chance to feed, touch and give commands to the dolphins. I took a lot of video of this area. Not so many pictures.
Sea World for us has never been about the rides. We have never gone on any of their coasters and didn't this time. When we go to this park it is to see the animals and just relax and not rush anywhere. Unfortunately that day was almost the worst we could have picked. The sun was just blazing and wore us down pretty quick. We were also half way through our vacation and our feet were killing us. Taking things slow was a must.
Turtle Trek was a new attraction we did get to experience. Loved the 3D dome movie experience. Just wished we could have sat down while watching it.
Shark Encounters was fun. My husband loves this park of the park. He is fascinated by sharks and could go through that tunnel several times.
And of course we went to the One Ocean show. I have loved orcas/killer whales since I was a child and this has always been a highlight of the trips for me. But I did notice that the show has changed a lot since past events. We absolutely -loved- the Believe show and were sad to see it go. The new show is cute...but is lacking the real interaction the trainers used to have with the animals. And no we did not sit in the "splash section". We tried to sit in the very top of the front splash section where there were seats available. But an usher came and told us we had to move because we were not with someone that was disabled. So we were banished to pretty much as far back in the stadium as you could get. And force to sit in front of a very rude family that let their child kick my in the back the whole show and them spill his drink down the back of my shirt.
When I looked back to see what the parents were going to do about it.
The father (I assume he was the father) got made at me and yelled "He's
just a kid!" Now I am sorry. I am not a parent. But I do believe when taking ones child out to something like this there is a proper way to act. And all I was looking for was an "Oh sorry about that".
Guess I was asking too much.
While we were waiting for the show, I did notice that had a fun way of keeping people busy. Texting a name to a certain number could get it put on the huge screens to say "Hi Bob". We did not have the texting option on our phones for this trip. But I thought it was fun and quirky.
After see One Ocean we did go over to the Artic Trek walking tour. For some reason there was no Beluga whales in the tank. And of course the polar bear was cuddled up sleeping soundly. But at least the building was out of the sun and had great A/C.
The last time we had visited the park was a year before the big accident. And when we went to the viewing tank for the whales we say Tilikum just relaxing and sunning himself. Not moving around very much.
This time they had several whales there including the new baby who was adorable and very playful. I could have stayed there all day and watched them swim around.
As for food at the park. We brought snacks and drinks from Disney because of the free dinning plan we had. I know it sounds cheap. But even at Sea World the food was expensive.
Getting back to the bus station was a very long hot walk across the parking lot again. And it was back onto Bus 50 and safely back to Downtown Disney.
To sum everything up. We were less then impressed with our day off Disney property at Sea World. The park has changed greatly since we were there last. And in our opinion not for the better. I think next time we will either save our money. Or possible try out one of the Universal parks. We will see what happens.
Stay tuned for my next trip report. Our first full day at the Magic Kingdom!
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