The next morning we went to Aquatica, SeaWorld's waterpark, which was a ton of fun, especially in the heat...the rides were incredible, and we played for hours before heading home in the mid-afternoon...
Wednesday we went to Sea World, which was wonderful!
It was a very hot day, but we got there very early, and were among the first people into the park (something we did at both SeaWorld and Aquatica)...
One of the first things we saw was a display tank filled with stingrays, which we could touch...
...and feed...which was awesome!
My camera works underwater, so Gail took this pic of the stingrays swimming by...
We took turns holding the baitfish between our knuckles, and letting the rays take them from us...it felt amazing to feel their bony grinding plates suck in the fish (and sometimes our fingers) before swimming away again...
Ben loved feeding them, although it freaked him out a bit...we liked these guys so much that we came back at the end of our visit to feed them again on our way out of the park...
We next went to a dolphin feeding station, where we got to feed and touch the dolphins...it was astounding to get that close to these huge beasties...I was amazed at the feel of their skin, and the size/number of their teeth...
We had a great time feeding and playing with the dolphins...
Ben loved looking the dolphins in the eye and feeling them...this was a chance to connect with these mammals in a way I had never even dreamed about before...
After feeding them, we went into an underground viewing chamber to check out the dolphins and to cool off...
Bizarrely, while we were in there, a flock of pink flamingoes came down the ramp and into the chamber...my theory is that they came in to escape the heat (which was ridiculous)...
We loved visiting with the family of manatees living near the dolphin habitat...the manatees are silly and amazing creatures...
We went into one of the animal shows, and made a point of sitting in the "SOAK ZONE"...it worked...
The show was silly, but the performers, both human and animal, were fantastic!
We got soaked...
We were sitting up close enough to watch the action under water as well as above, and it was cool to watch the dolphins work with humans to pull off amazing aquatic stunts...
It was a great show!
We visited an alligator habitat, and while Ben liked them fine, he was just as interested in the anole lizard on the fence going through territoriality displays (we'd seen and learned about these on a David Attenborough nature show with Muz and D)...
We fed the seals and sea-lions, which was fun, although the innocent-looking one on the right was incredible at catching/stealing the fish that we chucked to the one on the left...
The show with Shamu and his friends was wonderful and even moving...
There was a super exhibit called "Wild Arctic", which was interactive, filled with incredible arctic beasts, and had superb set-design...we also appreciated the chill after the amazing heat of the park!
Ben on a beautiful polar bear statue outside the exhibit...
Family pic around the statue...
After leaving Sea World, we went back to the hotel to swim and rehydrate before our supper out at a pirate-themed dinner theater called, "Pirates Dinner Adventure"...
We went VIP (very important pirate?) for the show, which gained us a nicer place for the pre-show, preferred seating up front, better food, increased interactivity with the cast/show, and the opportunity to go on-ship after the show for pics with the cast)...Ben enjoyed a pre-show grog in a coconut...
Mid-way through the show, Ben joined the cast up on the ship to pledge fealty to the pirate king...
Later on, towards the end of the show, Ben was drafted to join the redcoats in an assault on the pirate ship to help rescue the princess...he was great!
Not surprisingly, he took his role very seriously...
After the show, we all went up on the pirate ship to get our picture taken with the lovely princess, and her brave and valiant boyfriend, the blue pirate...
Here you can see Ben relaxing in our hotel room...pirate style!
We had a super vacation, lots of fun and sun and sleeping in (for us) and eating out at great/fun restaurants...
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