Florida Day 2 - Seaworld!

So our first day of real vacation was spent at...Seaworld!!!! This was one place I was most anxious to go; someone suggested going there the day after you travel because there were a lot of things to "sit" at? I disagree ;) We walked a LOT! lolThe kids were bouncing off the walls! We parked the car and they danced all the way to the entrance!First views of Seaworld were exciting:) the sun was out, it was warm and there were fish everywhere lol.The kids thought the Flamingos were unreal lol. As in, plastic.It was hilarious when we were walking up the road, a gate opened, and all these flamingos walked out and past us down the street!Sea Turtles; Annika almost lost her mind every time she saw turtles LOL loved them! There were some living with the Alligators and she was beside herself thinking the Alligators might eat them! We had to keep checking on them. This might be our fault; we told her Shelley had to stay in the car because the alligators might think she was food and eat her. Oooops.Saw some wet animals, a few more wet animals, and this awesome Sting Ray Tank :)You could reach right in and pet those things! Some of them were very still gliding by; some were flapping and splashing along!

On the way to the dolphin show the kids were allowed a few minutes with the dolphins in the underwater view area :)

And we scooted into the Manatee exhibit without permission GASP. Taylor was awfully emotional about her visit there. She was thrilled to get to see the Manatees :)You really cannot tell from photos how BIG these things are....they are MASSIVE.

The Dolphin show was amazing :) I loved it when the birds were loose...was that a condor? lol The dolphins were so talented!Waiting...Who knew Dolphins played ball?The Dolphin Spotlight Tour was a christmas gift the girls have waited a long time for :) We met with the tour and were taken back stage at the show where we met some of the dolphins and saw some dolphin play and training. These dolphins were playing fetch with basket balls just like big, wet dogs do. It was really enlightening to see how they interact with their trainers. The dolphins were having a blast and man, they go through a lot of fish for reinforcement! (It IS just like clicker training dogs lol)(Manatees)After seeing behind the show we saw behind the park; where animals are quarentined, rehabilitated, and vacationed. There were manatees being healed, dolphins taking breaks, and loads of other fishy types that were not on display.

Then we went to the dolphin area up front and had one on one time with the dolphins; we had a trainer and a set of dolphins for our group and we were able to touch, and take part in their training. :)
They got us fairly wet :):)
They did tricks for us. It was awesome to see how they were with the trainers; playful, affectionate, attention seeking. They really were like big wet dogs. And their training; is all positive reinforcement. they kind of ignore the dolphins if they arent doing what is asked; there isnt any "you have to do this or else you dont get fish" and the dolphins really seem to be doing what they do for fun. And when we stepped back and ignored them...they all came over to the edges of the pool to see why we stopped watching and clapping heheheGreat time there for all of the kids who get it a little more now.Then we saw: the penguin exhibit. Cute but short.The Shark exhibit; very cool....short. Ya get on a conveyor belt so no one stops and blocks traffic. You go through a thick tube where the sharks are swimming all around. was awesome.Seal and Otter show...cheesy and hilarious with these funny animals again being amazing to watch...they love their trainers (or the fish...whichever) and seemed to be laughing all the time :):)Then it was kinda ride time. We went on the Journey to Atlantis; The kids could all go and they loved it...til it was the Roller Coaster part. Holly is NOT a roller coaster girl. 2 times on it and she was done.NAnny and Grampy took the littles to the Shamus' Happy Harbour playground spot while Scott and Taylor and I went on some bigger rides. The Kraken was this roller coaster that went up and down and around and upside down and was awesome. The Manta is a new ride that strapped us up on our stomachs and flew us through the air like a manta goes through the sea; kind of their point of view. It was very fast and we kinda liked the Kracken better; but I was so loving going on them both!Then like that it was time to go home. We had dinner at the Olive Garden and THAT was awesome. Ive missed that bread and salad :):):)Thought the kids would go to sleep fast; They didnt so much. Im sure they are exhausted.Update tomorrow. Add photos.