A Day With Dolphins

I freely admit that I still think the coolest job in the world would be to work as a dolphin trainer, and if the opportunity to HAVE that job ever comes along, I'm taking it. Because of that, anytime we are near a Sea World, it is a must-do for me, and fortunately (because we'd go anyway), the kids love it.

I was a bit apprehensive about taking the three of them to Sea World without any other help, especially because I planned to stay all day long and try to see everything. I really needn't have worried-my kids, who can shriek, pout and murder innocent caterpillars, were unbelievably good, leading me to think the best way to tackle summer is to have some big event planned all day, every day.

We got to Sea World when it opened, and I gotta say that Busch Gardens/InBev has earned by respect in some regards by offering military members and their dependents one free admission each year for the last several years. Because our tickets were free, I bought all-day dining passes for the kids and I, meaning we could eat and snack all day long.

A word about that--I figured we would eat lunch and dinner, as well as one or two snacks, making the plan a reasonably good deal. I hadn't counted on how excited my kids would be at the prospect of unlimited theme park food, nor had I counted on how delicious cold watermelon and strawberries would be in the middle of a 100 degree day.

We ate THREE meals each that day. I don't even remember what the kids got, but I had a wonderful turkey club with real chips, fried fish and fries (that Lorelei ate most of because I didn't think it was very good) and a Gardenburger. In addition to the meals, we got 4 servings of delicious chocolate chip cookies, a round of chocolate pudding, two slices of cake to share with lunch, countless bottles of water and juice and more fruit than I imagined they could eat in a day. No kidding, I think my kids and I ate an entire watermelon and 3 pounds of strawberries that day.

Needless to say, the meal plan was well worth the $60 it cost.

The shows, as always, were magical. During the first show of the day, a dolphin show with Cirque-type performers, Caitlyn, whose face was lit up like it was Christmas, turned to me and said dramatically, "THIS is what I want to do with my LIFE!!!"

Lorelei wouldn't sit still during the shows, preferring to stand and imitate the marine life. At the dolphin show, she twirled. At the sea lion show, she clapped and barked, and at the Shamu show, she followed the lead of the trainers, yelling out, "Shamu! Shamu!" in time to the music. She also relished the "Melmo" show since she loves that furry, red guy.

Chris most liked the pet show, where they teach rescued cats, dogs, pigs and birds to jump rope, open doors, climb poles and more. He also says the food was his favorite part of the whole thing. He is such a boy!

A day at Sea World was also educational. When Caitlyn asked me if dolphins were omnivores, I suggested she ask the trainer nearby. She marched up to the trainer, and in her tiny Minnie Mouse voice, said, "Excuse me. Are dolphins omnivores?"

The trainer was taken aback and laughed, "What do you mean are dolphins omnivores?"

To which, Caitlyn responded, "You know--omnivores. Do they eat plants and meat?"

The trainer told her, yes, she knew what omnivore meant, but was just surprised that Caitlyn knew. And the answer is no. Dolphins are carnivores.

True to kid form, one of their favorite moments was when a squirrel decided to approach our stroller. He got so close to them that I worried he was some deranged, rabid squirrel that intended to hop in the stroller and maul the girls. So, I did what any concerned parent would do and snapped a picture!
Twelve hours after we got to Sea World, it was time to leave, and because the day had gone so well, with no meltdowns, tantrums or fighting(amazing since there were also no naps), the travel gods decided our good fortune was due to run out.

As we made our way to the exit, the skies opened up and buckets of water came down. Instead of it putting a damper on our evening, the rain almost enhanced it. First, it felt good to have cool water washing off the sweat and grime of the day. Second, we didn't have far to go since I'd paid for premium parking, not wanting to juggle kids and stroller on the tram. Third, the kids thought it was great fun to run in the rain.

So ended another day, and I didn't even have the energy for my nightly glass of wine. That really says a lot.