Trip Report Will it ever stop raining? Our June 2017 trip

Hi, all!! I've finally had a chance to start going through my photos and thought I would get started on my trip report! For those of you not familiar, here is my pre-trip report:
Adventure is out there...June 2017
If you don't want to read the PTR, here is a brief synopsis before I get started:
Who: Me (Amy), DH (Brian), DS Logan (14), DD Lily (12), and DS Owen (9)
When: June 2-17, 2017
Where: Universal Studios (Hard Rock Hotel), Disney (Art of Animation), and SeaWorld

For those of you who followed along with the live portion of my PTR, I apologize that some of the photos will be the same. I'm too lazy to go back and remember which ones I used!

I experienced one of the longest days of my life on Friday, June 2!! We left Dayton, Ohio before 5am.

Neither one of us drinks coffee, but we definitely needed some caffeine to start our morning! We stopped for the best Coke in the world!!

McDonald's!!
We had a little delay in Cincinnati because I-75 was closed both directions and we had to take a little detour.
We waved @LisaBelle and @21stamps and any other Cinci friends as we finally drove over the bridge and entered Kentucky!

We made sure to get past Lexington before morning rush hour, and stopped in Richmond for breakfast.

The kids had never had Chick fil A for breakfast, so we had to correct that!

 

[TheMouseFan]

You walked right by the purple wall and didn't take a picture?

I wouldn't have taken Owen's dryer lint. I only take candy from strangers, not Magic friends.

Yeah, everybody was just done and wanted to do the last few things and leave! I probably should have insisted, it would have made for some interesting pictures!!

 

[fractal]

great shot of Jack in Pirates!

 

[TheMouseFan]

great shot of Jack in Pirates!

Thanks! It helps when there is always a back up at unload!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Love your last few Castle pictures!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Love your last few Castle pictures!

Thanks! I love that time of day!

 

[75disney]

We were done before 9:00, so we had time to stop and try to pull the sword out of the stone!
IMG_4150 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4151 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4152 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4154 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

They are all hams!!

Our plan was to ride Splash and BTTM at rope drop, so we headed over that way.
IMG_4155 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4156 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Unfortunately, this was as far as they would let us go because of the Early Morning Magic! Usually they let you go almost all the way to Haunted Mansion. She even made us get in single file lines based on if we wanted to go to Peter Pan or Frontierland.
IMG_4157 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4159 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4160 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

They finally led us over toward Liberty Square and Frontierland where they stopped us again and made us wait.
IMG_4161 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4162 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4163 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Those Sword pics are hilarious! At Rooe Drop, we had to do a single file line for Soarin' at California Adventure the other day. Never did that before... Usually just a mob of people.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Those Sword pics are hilarious! At Rooe Drop, we had to do a single file line for Soarin' at California Adventure the other day. Never did that before... Usually just a mob of people.

I'm jealous you were at California Adventure!!

 

[75disney]

California Adventure was awesome. I was worried that it would have a lot of the same attractions as WDW but it was really different. The park is beautiful and the attractions are great. The kids loved Guardians of the Galaxy and California Screamin'. I loved Cars Land; it really is like being in the movie. Plus Radiator Springs Racers was a fantastic ride! If the Imagineers do as good of a job with Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land as they did with Cars Land, we are all in for a real treat!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Monday, June 12

We were able to sleep in a little this morning. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the room, then were on our way to :
IMG_4645 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Everyone was really excited for this day! The kids had never been to SeaWorld, and Brian and I hadn't been since our honeymoon 19 years ago! I also remember visiting the SeaWorld in Aurora, Ohio with my grandparents when I was little! (Not that I truly remember anything about it, but I do remember going with them!)

I had purchased out tickets online before we left, so we got to skip these lines at the kiosks!
IMG_4646 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We were there before the park officially opened, so they held us at the front for a little while. We grabbed a map to decide what we wanted to do first, and I had time for some pics!
IMG_4647 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4648 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
20170612_091257 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4650 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

The kids decided we would ride Manta first. Brian isn't much of a coaster fan, so he decided he would sit it out and hold our bags for us.
IMG_4651 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4652 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We all loved it, but he would have hated it! I'm so glad he didn't let the kids talk him into going with them!

 

[TheMouseFan]

We then decided to take in the first dolphin show of the day since the theater was right there and it was on my must do list for the day!
IMG_4653 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4654 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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[TheMouseFan]

We made a stop here next:
IMG_4699 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Not my cup of tea, but the kids loved it! Even though Lily's face doesn't look like it here!
IMG_4700 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4701 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4703 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We then headed to :
IMG_4719 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

I absolutely love dolphins! And I love looking at them and watching them! I hated that we couldn't get closer to them! When Brian and I were there on our honeymoon, everyone was able to stand at the edge of the pool and touch the dolphins if they came over. I'm guessing you could pay a couple of bucks and get fish to feed them since I have lots of pics with people holding fish up and touching them. Now, you have to pay $15/person to even get to stand by the wall and possibly interact with the dolphins! Not cool, SeaWorld!!

IMG_4706 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4707 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

At least there were good views with the underwater viewing area!
IMG_4709 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4711 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4712 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
20170612_103353 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
20170612_103400 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

 

[TheMouseFan]

Next up was Turtle Trek.
IMG_4720 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4721 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

It was a 3D, in the round show. We were not impressed! We enjoyed viewing the tank with the fish and manatees while waiting to enter the theater, and seeing the turtles and manatees after, but not the show! Definitely wouldn't waste my time again if we could find a different way to see the manatees that were in the exit area. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but the map makes it look like you don't have to see the show.
IMG_4722 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4723 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4727 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4729 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Then we headed to the Manatee Rehab section.
IMG_4730 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4731 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4733 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

They were working on this guy while we were there:
IMG_4734 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

He'd had fishing line caught around his flipper. They were in the process of trying to get blood from him, and he was having none of it!! He was crying and flopping around, they kept saying how pleased they were by this since he still had the energy to fight them! I think they eventually ended up sedating him a little to the sample.
IMG_4735 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

 

[TheMouseFan]

My only other must do that day was to see One Ocean, the Shamu show, so we started heading that way to see the first show of the day. That way we could just see and do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day!
IMG_4737 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Atlantis:
IMG_4738 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4739 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Unfortunately, this was closed! They were changing it into a virtual reality ride. We were there on Monday, and it was scheduled to reopen on Friday! I kept hoping for a soft opening, but no such luck!
IMG_4740 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We cut through Antarctica!
IMG_4741 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4742 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4743 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Then we walked along the waterfront.
IMG_4744 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4745 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4746 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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[TheMouseFan]

We had a few minutes before they would start letting people into the theater, so the kids decided they wanted to get pet some sharks!
IMG_4754 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4755 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4756 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4758 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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Then it was time to find some seats.
IMG_4761 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4762 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4766 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4767 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4770 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4775 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4782 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

 

[TheMouseFan]

IMG_4784 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4787 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4788 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4794 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4802 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4805 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

I know there is a lot of controversy about these shows, but we enjoyed both the dolphin and the killer whale one. Lily was so excited to see the killer whales before they stop doing the shows with them. That was all she could talk about when we first told them we would be going to SeaWorld. She was definitely not disappointed!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Owen wanted to ride Mako so badly, so we took him that way before we grabbed some lunch. Just this summer he has realized how much he loves the roller coasters!! Definitely not brave enough for all of them yet, but he wanted to ride most everything!
IMG_4810 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4811 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4812 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4813 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4814 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4815 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Brian chose to sit this one out too so we wouldn't have to get a locker. I think he would have been able to handle this one!
IMG_4816 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4817 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4818 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4819 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

Cool tiles on the sidewalk:
IMG_4820 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4821 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

 

[PrincessP]

Love seeing all of your photos from SeaWorld. You are great at capturing special details. We enjoyed some time there this summer as well. With your love of dolphins and the way the kids enjoyed the animal interactions, you should consider a day at Discovery Cove with a dolphin swim on a future trip. I am all about Disney parks - loooove them, but when we added a Discovery Cove Day on a trip, it was my favorite day of vacation!! Bonus: purchasing a day at Discovery Cove comes with 14 days of unlimited access to SeaWorld and Aquatica water park.

I hope this shapes up to be a rain free day for your family. I am glad the weather thus far on this day has been good b/c their rides do shut down in inclement weather.

My kids looooooved Mako. It is their new favorite in Orlando. One thing I don't like is the need to store your stuff in lockers to ride almost everything.....same for Universal. Disney spoiled us on that so it was an adjustment to deal with the need for a locker.

Can't wait to see your next array of wonderful photos!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Love seeing all of your photos from SeaWorld. You are great at capturing special details. We enjoyed some time there this summer as well. With your love of dolphins and the way the kids enjoyed the animal interactions, you should consider a day at Discovery Cove with a dolphin swim on a future trip. I am all about Disney parks - loooove them, but when we added a Discovery Cove Day on a trip, it was my favorite day of vacation!! Bonus: purchasing a day at Discovery Cove comes with 14 days of unlimited access to SeaWorld and Aquatica water park.

I hope this shapes up to be a rain free day for your family. I am glad the weather thus far on this day has been good b/c their rides do shut down in inclement weather.

My kids looooooved Mako. It is their new favorite in Orlando. One thing I don't like is the need to store your stuff in lockers to ride almost everything.....same for Universal. Disney spoiled us on that so it was an adjustment to deal with the need for a locker.

Can't wait to see your next array of wonderful photos!

Thanks!

I looked into Discovery Cove this year and just couldn't make it fit into the budget, but definitely keeping it on the list for future visits!

Unfortunately, it did rain, but we saw it coming and left SeaWorld before it hit!

I really don't like the locker thing either! Brian really wasn't too disappointed to have to miss the coasters so that we wouldn't have to use the lockers!!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Next up was lunch!
IMG_4826 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4825 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4822 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4823 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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All of it was really good!

Logan really wanted to do the Sky Tower, so we headed there next.
IMG_4827 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4828 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4834 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We got to the point in line where you are ready to enter the building when they shut it down and were calling in maintenance! We waited about 10 minutes, then decided to bail! Unfortunately, we never made it back!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Then we headed to Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.
IMG_4835 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4836 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4838 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4852 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
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IMG_4855 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr
IMG_4856 by Amy Clingner, on Flickr

We chose to ride the "mild" side because I was afraid to aggravate Brian's motion sickness. After watching the "wild" side operate right next to us, we should have chosen it! Having said that, I would not actually ride this again!! We'll just go in and see the penguins!