Mickey, Harry Potter, and Shamu Walk Into a Bar

Welcome, y’all, to my trip report. Now some of you may be disappointed in the (somewhat distasteful) name that I chose for this particular trip report, while others may be upset in the lack of actual bars in the trip report. However, you will not be disappointed in the amount of photos, fun, and new adventures that my family went on during our 10 day stay from May 5- 15. I won’t waste too much time on the introductions because I plan on getting into more detail as the report continues.

The cast again, in case you forgot, included: myself (Rachel); husband, Jordan; mom, Disneybird; pops; grandmother; sister, Amanda; brother-in-law, John; nephew, Victor; niece, Julia. Yep, that’s a big ‘ole party to travel with.

Now on with the show.

May 5, 2012

I’m including this day for one very special reason: my husband graduated from college on this day! Three years after returning to school I was very proud to watch my husband walk across the stage to receive his Bachelor’s in Bible and Theology. Many people often ask if I am older than my husband considering that I have my Master’s. He is actually three years older than me, but he lived a much cooler life than I did before he went back to school. He backpacked through Scotland, traveled the country playing music, and traveled to different parts of the world doing missions work. On the other hand, I went to school…fun.

Still, I was very proud to see him receive his diploma, and this entire trip was planned to celebrate his graduation, as well as his new position at the church where we attend. He worked very hard leading right up to graduation. Trust me, writing exegetical papers, memorizing hundreds of years of history from the Nicean Councils, and debating Calvinism vs. Arminianism made for a very exhausting last semester. So, I was excited to spend a relaxing 10 days with a stress free husband.

We were hoping to have an additional reason to celebrate while we were in WDW, as well. Last July I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching. I am certified to teach History 7-12, with an add-on in Language Arts. For the past year I have worked at the high school where I did my year long internship in the testing department and as a tutor in English and U.S. History. Unfortunately, the school did not have a teaching position for me, but I was blessed to have a job regardless. Honestly, the best way to get a job in a school is to stay in the school. Rumors started circulating about three months ago that a position would be opening in the Social Studies Department. The department rallied behind me to be the person to fill the position in case it came open. I even had several meetings with members of the administration to discuss job opportunities. However, as it got closer and closer to our trip it seemed less and less likely that there would be a position open. The week before we left for vacation two different people on two different occasions approached me and suggested that I start looking at other schools for jobs. They were both looking out for my best interests and wanted to make sure that I could find employment. While I appreciated it talk about a devastating blow. On top of it all this came during my busiest week of the year, the week of End of Course testing (I was able to take off the entire next week because my job is based on hours, which I built up enough of during the week of testing.). So, I was so ready to just get out of town and away from the craziness for awhile. I planned on using these 10 days not having to or wanting to think about jobs.

The day and a half leading up to Jordan’s graduation were very hectic in our little household as Jordan’s mother and brother came down from Maryland to stay with us. Packing and resting beforehand became a little rushed. Still, Saturday morning I was ready to pop out of bed and get going with everything. Fortunately, Jordan’s graduation was early in the morning because we had a very long drive ahead of us.

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Blurry but this was the best I could do.

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All smiles afterwards

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Once graduation was over, my parents met us over at our place for lunch before hitting the road. We hit the road around 1:30 for a long journey ahead. The ride down was uneventful, and traffic wasn’t bad at all. We stayed off-site for the night at a Comfort Suites. My mom was nice enough to get Jordan and me our own room for the night. Once we got there we were so excited to be starting our vacation that we literally jumped up and down on the bed.
 

popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
May 6, 2012

The next morning was an early wake-up call. Our plan was to drive on property, check-in to the Beach Club, and then, head off to SeaWorld for the day. Months earlier when I asked Jordan what he was most excited about on this trip he told me SeaWorld. He loves marine life.

We arrived at the Beach Club at some point after 8. We were running a little later than we wanted to be, but all we really planned on doing was checking in and dropping off our luggage before leaving again. Amanda, John, and the kiddos were staying at the Boardwalk. They called to let us know that their room was ready, and they were going to go ahead and unload all of their things before heading out. We had no such luck, but I did take some pictures of the lobby.

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We left the Beach Club and made our way over to SeaWorld. I have not been here in years. I think I was probably in high school, if not younger.

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I should mention that before our trip I ordered all of our park tickets (SeaWorld, Universal, and Jordan’s 8 day park hopper) from Undercover Tourist. I received my tickets exactly 4 days after placing my order, and we had absolutely no trouble with them. I will definitely use their services again.

As soon as we entered the parks we saw these flamingos. If we had wanted we could have probably touched them.

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Since Amanda’s room was ready at the Boardwalk we did not leave to head over to SeaWorld at the same time. With some time to kill Jordan and I immediately hit up Manta.

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I had no idea what to expect with this ride other than that it is a roller coaster. There was a major element to the ride that I did not realize until we were at the end of the line and watching people get loaded onto the ride. Then, it happened. During the ride you are flipped to where you are riding on your stomach, face down. I looked at Jordan and said, “Wow! I was not expecting that.” Needless to say the ride was awesome. It really did feel like we were flying through the air. Actually, Jordan had his hands out the whole time pretending to do such. I asked him if he was living out a childhood fantasy. He said, “Childhood? I’m living out a man fantasy!” haha – ok. It was a neat experience, and it definitely brought a new feeling during a loop.

After Manta we headed over to see the dolphins. I remember feeding the dolphins the last time that I was here several years ago. I don’t remember if they had designated times for feeding back then, but they do now. We missed that, but it was still neat to be able to see the dolphins up-close. Plus, there is still the chance that one will get close enough to touch it. No such luck this time though.

They were pretty playful with each other.


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Although it was still early in the morning it was getting pretty hot outside, so we ventured to the underground viewing area.

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As soon as we got down there something happened on the surface of the water. I believe some of the dolphins started doing jumps. So, off Jordan runs to go back to the top. We didn’t see any dolphins jumping, but we did see some employees feeding them. It was a frenzy, a cute frenzy but a frenzy nonetheless.

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Afterwards we ventured over to the area with manatees, which is apparently at the exit of the Turtle Trek. That explained the turtles that we saw, but the exit just seemed like it was at an awkward spot. Still, I loved seeing the manatees.

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was time for the first show of the day for us. Let’s face it if you are going to SeaWorld you are going to see shows. There really aren’t enough rides at the park to justify going every few trips to WDW, but the shows were good.

Off we went to watch Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island. For this show we were seated off to the side in the handicap section. My grandmother travels with a scooter. All of the other theaters had accommodations for wheelchairs and scooters set throughout the theater. Just a head’s up for those who travel and need such accommodations.

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It was loud, overacted, and at times obnoxious, but the animals were in full cooperation during the show, which made it worth watching. I’ll be honest though the best part of the show was the mime who came out and “helped” people find seats just before the show because who doesn’t love to make fun of oblivious strangers?

The group split up at this point, so half of us went to watch Shamu. This was my second favorite show of the day. Jordan and I really enjoy nature shows. If Planet Earth is on, we are probably going to watch it. Anyways, so many of the shows talk about the hunting tactics of the killer whales. Seriously, these guys are jerks, smart but jerks. The last time that I saw this show the trainers were still allowed to get in the water with them. I honestly can’t say how much the show changed in the past several years (significantly I’m sure), but it definitely had a different feel to it without the trainers in the water. We sat just in front of where the wheelchairs were placed. The row was designated for people traveling with handicapped persons, and it just so happened to be in the splash zone. Fortunately we were in the last row of the splash zone, and we did not get soaked in or splashed with whale p____ (you know it’s true people).

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This whale was huge as was this elbow in my picture.

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Once the show was over we grabbed an uneventful lunch. Jordan and I split a chicken tenders plate. We split several meals throughout the trip, which isn’t like us normally, but we worked hard to look good on this trip, dangit. As we were eating Amanda, John, and the kiddos met back up with us.

After lunch Jordan and I went with Amanda and John to Wild Arctic. We only went to the Wild Arctic to see the animals, but you have to either sit through the simulator or the video of the simulator before. There was absolutely no line for the simulator side, so that choice was obvious. After our journey on a helicopter which also somehow served as a submarine it was time to see one of my favorite animals: the beluga whale!

The people in the black wetsuits were on some sort of excursion through SeaWorld. I would have gladly gotten in whale ______ water for the opportunity to interact with belugas.

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Initially for Jordan’s graduation present I was going to pay for us to go on the penguin encounter at SeaWorld. We would have gotten to pet a penguin. How cool would that be? We had to forego that plan because the entire penguin area is currently being refurbished. Playing with belugas would have been the next go-to, but it was way too pricey.

Up next we saw a polar bear.

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This was just on the other side of where the polar bear was sticking his head.

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Jordan and I took our time looking at the animals. Apparently that was too much time because by the time we were through Amanda and John were gone. So, Jordan and I headed off to watch Pets Ahoy. This was our favorite show of the day. I absolutely love dogs. We would have five if they were allowed in our apartment. The best part of the show is that all of the animals that were featured were rescued from shelters.

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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You can’t see him very well, but I just loved the big guy in the bottom left of this photo.

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Yes, despite spending all day staring at sea mammals perform tricks, Jordan and I enjoyed the show with good ‘ole dogs and cats the best. I think a big reason for that is because Shamu can’t really do “cute” things, and this show was definitely “cute.” In all seriousness whenever someone asks me when we are going to have children I usually respond with, “I just want a dog right now.”

Once the show was over Jordan and I met up with the rest of the family for the final show of the day Blue Horizons. It was some weird mixture of dolphins, people dressed as birds diving and doing acrobatics, and actual birds. This show was a crowd pleaser, and it was nice to see the trainers be able to get into the water with the dolphins. Plus, who doesn’t love dolphins? Also, several beautiful macaws flew overhead throughout the show, as well.
I didn’t get as many photos of this show because I had a squirmy toddler in my arms.

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It was mid-afternoon by the time the show was over, and it was so hot that day. The shade of being in an outdoor arena helped at times but you still have to deal with the stale air and lack of a/c throughout the park. My parents were going to take the kids and my grandmother to Fort Wilderness for dinner at Trail’s End while the rest of us stayed at the park. Before they left the only thing that mom wanted to ride was Journey to Atlantis. The wait was posted at 30 minutes. The two of us got into line while everyone else sought refuge in the small aquarium located close to the attraction. We went through one room in the line before noticing that we had about three more rooms to zig-zag through. This attraction does not hold many people per boat – 6 or 8, I think. There was absolutely no way that this was a 30 minute line. I told her that I would wait in line with her if she wanted (I’m such a good child), but she didn’t think that she would make her reservation if we did take the time to wait. So, we got out of line and off went half of our group back to WDW property. I sent my camera bag with my camera back to the resort with my parents. I didn’t care to keep it around with me because our plan consisted of nothing but roller coasters. We rode the Kraken first. It was fun. Manta was better, but this ride had a great first hill and was very smooth throughout. It did leave me with a bit of a headache, sadly. That was my fault though. I was getting quite dehydrated. After another turn on the Manta (honestly, it is a really excellent coaster) we kind of ran out of things to do. Plus, it was hot (I’ll mention that again) and we were pretty beat from a long day of travel the day before. So, barely an hour after everyone else left we made our way out too.
 

bubbles1812

Well-Known Member
Great start to a trip report! I can't wait to hear more about your trip. Also, I love your pics of the orcas...they are really amazing animals (both at sea world and in the wild :) ). And congrats to your husband!

**Edit: Also Blue Horizons is kind of whacky though enjoyable, haha.
 

popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Amanda and John dropped Jordan and me off at the Beach Club where it was sweet hall roaming bliss to find our room. We stopped by the gift shop for drinks and muffins. Vitamin Water was nearly $4. I made a mental note to make a stop at Target in a few days. We were located on the first floor. Our room was located just across from the door that led out to the courtyard where the small pool for the Beach Club is located and just down the hall to the outside door that is closest to the international gateway at Epcot.

And here is the beauty that is rooms at the Beach Club:

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Mirror shot

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popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Once we were settled into the room I called for our luggage, took a nap, and then went down to luggage services to pick up the two boxes that we shipped down early and that I forgot to ask for earlier. Before I went to go get the boxes Jordan decided to go out and do what he was most looking forward to during our trip to WDW: swimming. Seriously, he was most looking forward to going swimming. What is wrong with him? I sat out on this one because my swimsuit was in the box we shipped. While Jordan was in the pool I did something that I never do when I am on vacation, I unpacked. It was such a novel idea for vacation. Really the major reason that I did it was because of the lack of space in the room for all of us. Still it felt nice.

While Jordan was gone my parents showed up with the kids. Apparently Julia was an absolute nightmare during dinner. All they could get her to eat was ice cream. For such a cute kid she packs a mighty punch in the tantrum department. She was perfectly content once she got back to the room. She even decided to color the comforter. Fortunately, that came right off.
Jordan got back to the room around 7:45 so we could go to dinner at Kimono’s. We both absolutely love sushi, and I had read many good things about the sushi at Kimono’s. When I asked Jordan what kind of food he wanted to celebrate his graduation he told me sushi. So, off we went for a new dining experience.

I really liked the atmosphere at Kimonos. It was honestly one of the most adult places where I’ve eaten while on property. By that I mean that there were no children in sight. It had a lounge feeling to it and was a pretty intimate setting for us. The decorations were simple with kimonos hanging along the perimeters of the interior room. There was a karaoke stage set up near the door, which we did not stay for but they had it. We were very well taken care of from the moment that we walked in the door. We showed up without reservations and were sat immediately. The restaurant was not even 1/3 full, but that was ok because we were looking for a quiet evening. After we ordered our drinks we were given two warm hand towels, which had me reminiscing of our cruise days.

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For dinner we ordered a California Roll (bottom right), Bagel Roll (top right), Dancing Eel Roll (bottom left), and two pieces of Mackerel (top left).

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Jordan loves mackerel and that order was strategic for me. I absolutely love sushi. I could eat it every day, and I can put it away too. Whenever Jordan and I go out for sushi at some point during the meal he always looks at me and says, “You know, I’m supposed to eat more than you, right?” Well, those two pieces of mackerel were more food for him. Now let’s talk about the rolls that we ordered. We ordered these three for specific reasons. We always get a California roll. Now, while it’s not my personal favorite, Jordan enjoys them. This California roll was exceptional. It tasted very fresh and the flavors complimented one another very well without being overpowering. I really dislike it when I order a California roll and the cucumber becomes so overpowering. This was not the case with this particular roll. The Bagel roll is listed as having smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber. The smoked salmon is placed on top of the roll under a thin slice of orange. The citrus flavor really completed this dish. It gave it such a nice and light flavor. This roll was a hard decision to make. By no means was it my first choice, but a lot of the rolls that were listed were spicy. Jordan hates spicy food. I love it, but since we were sharing this meal we had to compromise. I will say that after the first bite I did not regret this decision. Now on to my favorite the Dancing Eel Roll. Whenever we get sushi we always order an eel roll if the restaurant carries it, and it usually always ends up being our favorite. It definitely was this time. The Dancing Eel Roll had crab, avocado, and eel. It was topped with a sauce that was warm and really almost sweetened the meat. We both agreed that it was our favorite of the night.

Kimonos does accept Tables in Wonderland cards. However, I forgot my card because I only packed a few things for our date. I realized this after I already asked our waitress if they accept the card. I told her that I didn’t have it, and she said that she could not give the discount, which is completely understandable. She kept apologizing to me that she could not give me the discount. She even came by another time to apologize. I told her that it was my fault completely and that I understood why I couldn’t get the discount. It was still very nice of her.

Overall we had a great experience at Kimonos. The sushi was fresh, and we were given excellent service. I will definitely say that we will be back here again.

After dinner we decided to walk around the Boardwalk area for a bit before heading back to the room. It was early to bed for us as the next morning would be early to rise for breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace.
 

popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great start to a trip report! I can't wait to hear more about your trip. Also, I love your pics of the orcas...they are really amazing animals (both at sea world and in the wild :) ). And congrats to your husband!

**Edit: Also Blue Horizons is kind of whacky though enjoyable, haha.

Thanks! I agree that orcas are very amazing and intimidating. Thanks for the congrats on Jordan, as well. We are both very excited for him. :lol:

Blue Horizons was bizarre and not at all what I was expecting. We saw a few of the performers walking to a backstage area that morning and kept thinking what kind of show they could possibly be involved with. A dolphin show was definitely not my first guess!
 

disnerd

Active Member
I am enjoying this TR soooo much!! You look like you had an excellent first day at Sea World! Congrats on your husband also!!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Loving the TR...reminding me how much I love Sea World and how we might need to stop by the FL one again since the TX one varies a bit. Also good to hear about Undercover Tourist. I'm debating about rebooking to a room only as we get closer to our 45 day mark and buying through them. I still need to work out some of the other aspects, but good to know they're reputable. The sushi looks YUM :slurp: And boy can I relate to the toddler issues. Can't wait to read more! :wave:
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Congrats and loving the report so far! Great pics of Sea World. My 10 year old is bugging me constantly to take her there. Oh the pics of Beach Club...sounds like an awesome room location.

Kimonos looks great. Is that at the Dolphin?
 

diddy_mouse

Well-Known Member
Big congrats to Jordan! That's definitely good cause for taking a trip to Florida!

Aww...your Sea World pictures remind me of when I went as a kid. We were living in Orlando at the time and I was so happy I got to leave school early that day to go the park with my cousins. :lol:

The Beach Club is tops on my list of "future-resort-visits". The more pictures I see of it, the more I want to stay there.

Kimonos' sushi looks DELICIOUS. Looks like a cool place to hang out for a date-night. :)
 

enchanted_belle

Active Member
yay Rachel you started your TR! Good, I needed another one to read to get me through school. :animwink:

CONGRATS JORDAN! I just got to watch Dan walk for his graduation the other weekend, so I know the feeling you felt! SO flipping proud! :)

And they still have the Clyde and Seamore show? I saw that in 2006 when we went there (or was it 2008? uh oh...). Can't wait for the next update!
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
First off, congrats to Jordan on graduating! :)

Second, my sister and I both love animals so Sea World is perfect for us. Last tiem we were there Manta was having test runs done so we didn't get to ride it. We were super bummed! The Shamu show though did have the trainers in the water. My sister would have loved Pets Ahoy. She's all about rescue animals.

We did feed the dolphins when we were there and it was at a designated time. I think it was $7 for a tray of food. It was really cool and I'm glad we did it. The manatees are probably my favorite exhibit there. They are so big and gentle. It makes me sad to think how many are getting hurt by boats and such out in the wild :cry: I seriously tear up when I see them...

On a happier note, your room at BC is super cute! :) Can't wait to read more!! :wave:
 

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