It all started when I got a couple of emails with a link for teachers to get a free season pass to Sea World. What possessed me to actually try this? I haven't a clue! Anyway, this was Thursday. I half jokingly texted Tim and told him I had a season pass to Sea World and we should go. He wanted to know how many. I told him just me, but they could wait in the car. As the conversation went on we decided to leave Saturday, go to Sea World on Sunday(yesterday) and come home today, Monday. Most of our kids hadn't been to Sea World. So I got online and tried to find one of our favorite hotels. Our favorite hotels are the ones with breakfast. We also consider favorites the ones that we know that the layout will fit our family, like two double beds, a pull out couch and room on the floor for a blow up mattress. I have to say that we really have outgrown that format and need 2 rooms. There wasn't much availability on Memorial Day weekend with vacations, graduations and all so I found one of our favorites, Homewood Suites, reasonably close to Sea World. Homewood Suites is one of our favorite favorites because it has 2 rooms which gives everyone more freedom with TV and such. I have to say that this time it was a little disappointing as they were a bit understaffed. I feel like we got the very last room it seemed a little more run down than usual and when the toilet stopped up and they seemed to be satisfied telling me there was no one to take care of it but they could give me a plunger and some towels I said reluctantly, "OK." So they never sent them up and called and asked if they expected us to come down and get them and he said that there was no one to bring them, I told him fine but my husbands coming and he is not going to be happy. We wanted to get away from this kind of thing! Any how we got towels and a plunger and my handy man husband saved the day.
OK, so back to the story, we set out on Saturday morning after I had to report to work. We arrived around 5:30 and ate a Joe's Crab Shack which Tim insisted would be cheaper than my beloved Pappsitos. I did not and still do not agree, but just let him believe he was right, just in case I happened to be wrong. Which I wasn't but at least things are more peaceful, which is easier on me in the long run. So that took crazy long mainly because it takes so much work to eat crab legs. But let me tell you each tiny little bite was delish and our kiddos got a new experience.
I haven't mentioned yet that Haylee chose to stay behind. Which really made me sad but I know she is getting to the age that hanging with her friends is more fun than a trip to an amusement park.
So we were a family of 7 with an extra seat in the car....weird!
Before we left I searched and searched for cheap tickets to Sea World. The best a came up with came from the Sea World website. I did come across a meal plan, however. It was an all you can eat wrist band that allowed you to eat and drink at any restaurant in the park for $30 each. Now this sounds like allot, but if you think about it...if you are staying all day it is roughly $10 for lunch $10 for dinner and $10 for drinks and snacks at least! I mentioned it to Tim and we decided to go for it! VERY smart idea!!! Anytime we were hungry or thirsty we did not give a second thought to popping into a restaurant and grabbing a meal or snack and a beverage! Let me tell you the strangest thing...you could get a cup of whole strawberries they were huge and the most delicious strawberries I have ever eaten!!! My new mission in life is to find out where Sea World gets their produce!!!! This alone was worth the $30 each for wristbands!
So the day went well, we stayed from open to close. We went to the water park early because I do not do lines and I was not going to wait in line to get in that water park. It was fun,but we did loose Jake as soon as we got the kids sun-screened. He thought we said he could just take off, so he did. Crazy kid! He also fell in love with roller coasters. They went over and over and over. Toward the end they were timing it where they made funny faces at the coaster camera and they were funny!
Aside from missing Haylee it was a great success!!! I will stick in my few pictures. It was to hard to stop and pose everyone and who wants a bunch of pictures of random dolphins anyway!
