More Florida attractions for family fun!
My mom, step-dad, and little brother visited from WI and we made our way to Orlando to visit the water animals. Joshua loves water creatures so I was excited to see his reaction to Sea World.
Right after we got there we fed the sting rays. Joshua loved watching, but was not really interested in putting his hands in the water.
Joshua was very interested in the flamingos as long as mom or dad was right there to hold onto. It was neat that the birds were out and we could get close to them.
We looked at the manatees. They were tame compared to some of the other animals therefore did not hold the interest of a little boy for very long. One of the animals that Joshua could have watched all day was the dolphins. He giggled and squealed as the dolphins jumped and swam as we watched them above ground, and as we watched them dive and spin underwater.
Samuel was old enough to enjoy the animals but was also interested in the amusement park part of the park as well. He went on his first upside-down roller coaster. I was a chicken and didn't join him, but he liked it enough to go again.
Shamu Show is a staple for visiting Sea World. I was there when I was younger and one of the few things that rang a bell for me was watching in amazement the huge animals jumping and splashing. Michael had never been to Sea World so he wanted to get up close and personal. We decided to sit in the "splash zone." My mom being the smart one, and concerned about getting her camera wet, chose not to sit by us. I didn't think it would be too bad... so there we sat with our almost 2 year old son watching. Then, we were some of the "dumb tourists" running up to the dry seats with our screaming and crying child. Joshua enjoyed the show much more from the dry seating.
We went to the sea lion show as well. Joshua liked that one because it was a pirate themed show and he seems to be all about pirates.
As the day went on, we got nervous about a cranky, sleep deprived little boy. There was so much to see that Joshua didn't seem to notice that he hadn't taken a nap. There was an area for kids to run and play more freely without the restrictions of being strapped into a stroller, and it was a great spot for a photo op.
When visiting the penguins, you needed to stand on a moving sidewalk. Joshua would have done it several times. It was a bit of sensory overload because there were so many penguins but so much fun! One of the last exhibits that we visited was the arctic. Walruses, beluga whales, and a lazy polar bear were all awaiting us. Joshua liked them all!
Around 8 o'clock Michael, Joshua, and I decided that for our family we had seen all we wanted to see and it was time for us to head home. Michael doesn't really like driving when Joshua and I are snoozing, but after such a long day we couldn't help ourselves. We were thankful for Michael driving us home safely.
Joshua is free at Sea World until he is 3. I would like to visit again before then because he did such a great job there and loved all the animals.
