imported_PolyGirl40
02-26-2002, 03:34 PM
PolyGirl40’s Escape From New York; The 2002 Sequel -- Day Six
Thursday; February 14, 2002
Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)
It Cost How Much? Shamu and Flying Fish
Brrrrrrrr! What a chilly morning. Eeek. It apparently rained during the night and the temperatures dropped considerably. We had a non Disney Park day planned and knew we’d be outside for the majority of it. We dressed in sweatshirts and shorts - Knowing that as soon as the sun made an appearance the day would be much warmer. Yippee - We’re going to Sea World. graemlins/muscles.gif
We decided to eat breakfast at the Kona Cafe. Yum! I knew our options were limited within Sea World and figured we’d start our morning with a nice filling breakfast. We’ve eaten at the Kona countless times. This occasion did not disappoint. Tony and Jeremy both had the Tonga Toast. I ordered eggs and bacon. While Shayne chose the pancakes from the children’s menu. Everything was served promptly. A delicious way to start our morning.
I made no previous plans for transportation. The margin was too vast for cancellations. I’ve learned over the years - plans change too much while on vacation. Needless to say; things would have gone accordingly. So - off we proceeded to find a cab. Unbeknownst to us there are cabs waiting constantly in front of the resort. graemlins/laughing.gif We’ve never utilized taxi service before - so we were oblivious to that tidbit of knowledge. One wave of a hand by bell service and we were off to Sea World.
Now I must tell you my research slipped a bit here. I had read numerous posts in reference to cab fare. One including prices to Sea World. What I did not investigate was the prices from various points. Uh oh. I watched the meter go waaaaaaaay past $15. This was my estimated cost for Tony. Ooops. A short trip up the road and $40 to the cabby and we had arrived.
Aside note here; Cabs are able to use the same entrance as buses. This placing us in very close proximity to the front entrance. It was 9 o’ clock. The park was open. We quickly perched ourselves in line for tickets. Major, major disappointment. While waiting in line I saw the poster announcing that Terrors of the Deep is closed. Big time bummer. This is one of my favorite sections of Sea World. Jeremy was also bummed. He was not overly excited about visiting “the fish place” to begin with. Terrors of the Deep was one of a few draws for him. I later found out that "Shark’s Underwater Grill" is in the process of construction. You’ll be able to dine while observing Terrors of the Deep. Cool, huh? "Dine with Shamu" is also in the works. Both are slated for completion during the Summer 0f 2002.
I quickly reminded myself of all the other offerings and adjusted to this loss. I grabbed a map and devised a game plan. A big pointer here for anyone planning on making a side trip to Sea World. It all revolves around the shows. The park is 50% shows. They are all wonderful. Try not to miss a single one. It takes great planning and a lot of back tracking to accomplish this task. There are items of interest scattered around each stadium to fill the voids in between the show times. Some are hard to juggle. It is necessary to arrive at the various shows at least 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Often an hour during the busier times of year.
I will not bore everyone with details - as this is a non Disney park. However, I will say we had a fantastic time. Jeremy even laughed out loud during the Clyde and Semore Take Pirate Island Show. Do not miss this show. It is hilarious! Shayne fed the dolphins and stingrays. We visited with polar bears, whales, manatee, penguins, and lots of seals. Due to a breakdown in the Wild Arctic ride - while in line, we missed the Water Ski show. We could have waited but it would have been hours. It was much too cold to take a journey on Atlantis. We did watch the last drop and it looked very fun. You get soaked. Not a good idea when it is only in the upper 50’s. There was NO way we’d even consider going on Krakken. graemlins/nono.gif Also - there are some fantastic photo opportunities throughout the park. We purchased several photos.
I am a great lover of marine life. This is one of the best places to fill that love. I highly recommend Sea World if you have the same obsession. If anyone has specific questions pertaining to the park, please feel free to e-mail me or post a question within this thread.
We exited at 4 o’clock. The boys were tired and we had evening dinner plans. The cab station is right outside of the exiting area. A quick trip to the curb and we were once again on our way. However - with a bit more knowledge we requested to get off at Downtown Disney Marketplace. This required a $12 cab fare as opposed to $40. I felt like an idiot. But - lesson learned. Sorry, Tony.
redface.gif
[ February 26, 2002, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: PolyGirl40 ]
Thursday; February 14, 2002
Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)
It Cost How Much? Shamu and Flying Fish
Brrrrrrrr! What a chilly morning. Eeek. It apparently rained during the night and the temperatures dropped considerably. We had a non Disney Park day planned and knew we’d be outside for the majority of it. We dressed in sweatshirts and shorts - Knowing that as soon as the sun made an appearance the day would be much warmer. Yippee - We’re going to Sea World. graemlins/muscles.gif
We decided to eat breakfast at the Kona Cafe. Yum! I knew our options were limited within Sea World and figured we’d start our morning with a nice filling breakfast. We’ve eaten at the Kona countless times. This occasion did not disappoint. Tony and Jeremy both had the Tonga Toast. I ordered eggs and bacon. While Shayne chose the pancakes from the children’s menu. Everything was served promptly. A delicious way to start our morning.
I made no previous plans for transportation. The margin was too vast for cancellations. I’ve learned over the years - plans change too much while on vacation. Needless to say; things would have gone accordingly. So - off we proceeded to find a cab. Unbeknownst to us there are cabs waiting constantly in front of the resort. graemlins/laughing.gif We’ve never utilized taxi service before - so we were oblivious to that tidbit of knowledge. One wave of a hand by bell service and we were off to Sea World.
Now I must tell you my research slipped a bit here. I had read numerous posts in reference to cab fare. One including prices to Sea World. What I did not investigate was the prices from various points. Uh oh. I watched the meter go waaaaaaaay past $15. This was my estimated cost for Tony. Ooops. A short trip up the road and $40 to the cabby and we had arrived.
Aside note here; Cabs are able to use the same entrance as buses. This placing us in very close proximity to the front entrance. It was 9 o’ clock. The park was open. We quickly perched ourselves in line for tickets. Major, major disappointment. While waiting in line I saw the poster announcing that Terrors of the Deep is closed. Big time bummer. This is one of my favorite sections of Sea World. Jeremy was also bummed. He was not overly excited about visiting “the fish place” to begin with. Terrors of the Deep was one of a few draws for him. I later found out that "Shark’s Underwater Grill" is in the process of construction. You’ll be able to dine while observing Terrors of the Deep. Cool, huh? "Dine with Shamu" is also in the works. Both are slated for completion during the Summer 0f 2002.
I quickly reminded myself of all the other offerings and adjusted to this loss. I grabbed a map and devised a game plan. A big pointer here for anyone planning on making a side trip to Sea World. It all revolves around the shows. The park is 50% shows. They are all wonderful. Try not to miss a single one. It takes great planning and a lot of back tracking to accomplish this task. There are items of interest scattered around each stadium to fill the voids in between the show times. Some are hard to juggle. It is necessary to arrive at the various shows at least 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Often an hour during the busier times of year.
I will not bore everyone with details - as this is a non Disney park. However, I will say we had a fantastic time. Jeremy even laughed out loud during the Clyde and Semore Take Pirate Island Show. Do not miss this show. It is hilarious! Shayne fed the dolphins and stingrays. We visited with polar bears, whales, manatee, penguins, and lots of seals. Due to a breakdown in the Wild Arctic ride - while in line, we missed the Water Ski show. We could have waited but it would have been hours. It was much too cold to take a journey on Atlantis. We did watch the last drop and it looked very fun. You get soaked. Not a good idea when it is only in the upper 50’s. There was NO way we’d even consider going on Krakken. graemlins/nono.gif Also - there are some fantastic photo opportunities throughout the park. We purchased several photos.
I am a great lover of marine life. This is one of the best places to fill that love. I highly recommend Sea World if you have the same obsession. If anyone has specific questions pertaining to the park, please feel free to e-mail me or post a question within this thread.
We exited at 4 o’clock. The boys were tired and we had evening dinner plans. The cab station is right outside of the exiting area. A quick trip to the curb and we were once again on our way. However - with a bit more knowledge we requested to get off at Downtown Disney Marketplace. This required a $12 cab fare as opposed to $40. I felt like an idiot. But - lesson learned. Sorry, Tony.
redface.gif
[ February 26, 2002, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: PolyGirl40 ]