Sea World

We decided it was probably not best to dive right into Disney World the day after our crazy early departure from St. Louis (Did I mention we got up at 3:30 AM for our 6 AM flight?!?!).  Instead we decided to tackle Sea World.  The tickets were free (thanks Dad!) and it was super close to our hotel, so we decided to take our chances.  If things went south, we were close to the hotel and there was no money lost. 

 We got there right when they opened and the place was empty!  After watching the tiny dolphins swim around in the Dolphin Nursery, we went to check out the sea lions.  It just so happened that we came right at feeding time.  Amelia loved listening to the sea lions bark for their food and scramble to catch the flying fish!

We checked out the penguins before going to a sea lion show!

There was a kids area that was especially popular with the little one!  We started with endless carousel rides (there were no lines!).  The first time around she decided to sit on a bench, but after that it became very hard to get her off the sea creatures! 

There was also a little water play area that Miss Amelia couldn't resist.  At first, I thought she was going to just dabble in the water a bit, but as time went on, she got more brave.  Luckily, I brought an extra change of clothes with me!

After a quick change of clothes, it was back to the carousel!

A day at Sea World would not be complete without whale-shaped ice cream!

Or a manatee shaped bush!

Or a Clydesdale named Kelly.

Or a band on stilts with snazzy outfits!

And you can't go to Sea World without seeing the Shamu show, right?  I still cannot believe the size of the stadium where the show took place!  

I am pretty sure that every single person in the park was at the show and it still wasn't full.  The size of the whales themselves (and the tank where they are kept) was pretty amazing.  Interestingly enough, the trainers had decided to socialize two groups of whales 48 hours before the show and because of this they were having problems getting one of the whales to do what it was supposed to do.  They had to stop the show and explain to the audience the situation.  It was actually really interesting to see and hear how they use positive reinforcement to get the whales to do what they want them to do. 

Eventually the whale pulled it together and the show continued!  For Amelia, the best part was when they splashed the audience.  Luckily we were out of the "splash zone", but those people were soaked from head to toe!  We picked up a stuffed Shamu for Amelia (which she calls "shampoo") and she loves to make it "splash" anyone in sight!

After the show, Amelia even got to take a little ride on baby Shamu!

Amelia really got a kick out of petting some stingrays that were swimming around in a big pool. Don't worry, I grilled the Sea World employee before I let Amelia touch one.  She reassured me that the barbs are clipped every 3-6 months, leaving them completely harmless.  (Hey, I am no dummy, I haven't forgotten about the untimely death of Steve Irwin!).  Every time they would pass, they would raise one of their flaps  (I'm pretty sure this is NOT the correct word) like they were trying to pet her which, of course, caused many giggling fits!

Even though everyone was getting really tired, we decided to stick around until the next dolphin feeding.  I am glad we did because it was probably my favorite part of Sea World.  I didn't really get a good picture though because it was too much to handle the camera and fish while following their detailed instructions for the best "dolphin encounter".  I was also trying to make sure my tired, squirmy toddler sitting on the edge of the pool and eyeing the dolphins didn't join them for a swim.  They have professional photographers capturing the moment and we ended up buying a copy of their shot.  Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner or I would share it with you!

The dolphins' snack: $7 per tray!!  But, it does make for a very happy dolphin!

So, despite it being a very long napless day, Amelia hung in there and did great!  Be on the lookout for more Florida updates soon!