Orlando 2019 - Preparation

Welcome back, everyone!

This year we're headed to Orlando for our 2019 Spring Break Vacation for March 23-31.  Our daily adventures include:

Saturday - Packing and beginning the drive down to Orlando
Sunday - Arriving at Silver Lake Resort in Kissimmee, FL
Monday - Relaxing at the Resort and maybe seeing Captain Marvel at the theaters
Tuesday - Checking out Universal Studios - Orlando
Wednesday - Cruising over to the Kennedy Space Center
Thursday - Enjoying some time at Sea World - Orlando
Friday - Packing up and soaking up the last of the Florida sun then beginning to drive back
Saturday - Arriving back in Wisconsin
Sunday - Recovering

It's sure to be a fun filled and packed adventure.  We're glad you're coming along with us!

Closing Down SeaWorld

The end of the night is a special time at a theme park. Restaurants are working to get rid of their food, ride lines are short, and everyone is trying to get in that 'one more thing' before having to leave for the night. The Schmidt/Weber family is no exception. Mike & Ben were enjoying the last few morsels the all-you-can-eat passes afforded them while Sandy, Jaden, & Caleb checked out some of the other opportunities SeaWorld holds for younger patrons. In all, Mike and Ben had the chance to ride the Manta 3 times in a row and the Kraken 2 times in a row. (They also ate at 5 restaurants and consumed upwards of 3000 calories on the day)  Everyone met at the Tower at 8:55 for one last ride only to find out it wasn't running any more that evening.

All-in-all it was a very enjoyable day despite the rain we received. The Quick Queue and All-You-Care-To-Eat passes were a big hit with everyone and afforded us time to enjoy the day. Even Benjamin said he really enjoyed the holiday here at SeaWorld.

Now to get everyone to bed for a well deserved rest day. Good night, all.

Seafire Grill - The Fifth Meal

We definitely got our money's worth with these food passes.  Awesome steak fajitas and desserts again. Probably put on a couple pounds today in food. Good thing we have a workout facility at the Sheraton.

Let's Try This Again. Sea Lion High

This show was hilarious. The animals reminded us that they are in charge. There were a couple of times when the sea lions chose to swim around rather than do their scripted activity.  The trainers did a good job of rolling with it and the show went on!  This is a must see and even the rainy weather didn't 'dampen' our spirits. On to the next thing. Only 2 hours of park time left. :(

Seaport Theater: Pets Ahoy

Well, since we got rained out at the Sea Lion Show, we're at the indoor show called Pets Ahoy. Our seats are a little high up, but it might be slightly warmer up here.  Everyone got wet on the travel over and drying off as we wait is a little bit of a priority.

The show is an awesome testament to the dedication and patience of these trainers and animals. The animals were continuously moving and doing their trained activities well.  It goes to show what good trainers and willing animals can accomplish. I'm sure Jaden & Caleb will be trying some of these activities with Jack & Custard when we get back home.

I'll post the finale on Facebook.

"Sea Lion High" Show, with Lightning

3:35 PM.  We're sitting in an amphitheater waiting for another show to see. The clouds are getting a little dark and announcements about incoming inclement weather have been running all afternoon. The lightning is the biggest issue as we're sitting in a large aluminum building near water. The roller-coasters are on hold too...

3:49 PM.  This just in, the show is on hold until we get better information.

4:00 PM. Show is on hold. Waiting for the weather and the 'go' or 'no go' from the safety team.

4:15 PM. Cancelled...on to the next site.

Arctic Wild & Starbucks

The Arctic Wild experience includes a virtual helicopter ride and animal viewing experience. While waiting in line a wild bubble battle broke out between Jaden & Caleb. We got the chance to see a walrus, seals, and a beluga whale. Now we're on to the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium for a show. Hoping we don't get rained on. 

Also getting a Starbucks for Ben & Mike as a nice little pick-me-up for the afternoon.