SeaWorld Day 1

 A perk of going to Discovery Cove is that you get free admission to SeaWorld and Aquatica for 14 days.  We paid an extra $25 to get the "utlimate" package which added Busch Gardens and free parking at all parks.  So, our second full day in Orlando was spent at SeaWorld.  I love SeaWorld.  I feel that they do a lot of good work with conservation, and it's an all-around nice place to visit.  We arrived at rope-drop and spent our morning riding the rides and seeing shows.  We rode the re-themed "Kraken Unleashed", which was our first coaster using the VR headset.  I liked it better without the virtual reality.  We also tried the new Mako coaster, which we all loved and rode multiple times.  We had the Quick Que, but the lines weren't bad so we didn't use it all that much.

 We were able to knock out many of the animal exhibits on the first day.  The penguin building was a must-visit.  Owen is obsessed with these birds.

 The kids also liked the sea lion area.  I bought them a tray of sardines each so that they could feed the seals and sea lions.

 We also saw a lot of the shows on our first day at SeaWorld.  The Clyde and Seamore show was so funny and was a favorite.

Of course, we saw Shamu's show.  Before the show we were able to meet four pilot whales who had beached themselves in 2012 and been rescued by SeaWorld.  SeaWorld actually rescued several beached whales, but these four were deemed "non-releasable" by the state and now have a permanent home at SeaWorld.  I have never seen a pilot whale before, so it was really cool to see these.

 I know SeaWorld catches a lot of flack for keeping orcas, but they sure are beautiful.  It was a thrill to see these animals.

We were at SeaWorld during their Spooktacular Halloween event.  As part of the celebration, the kids were given a bag and were able to trick-or-treat at various places in the park.  We left with so. much. candy.  They were giving out the good stuff, too- lots of name brand chocolates and candies.  

There is so much to see and do at SeaWorld, that we couldn't do it all in one day.