San Antonio, TX

When our two families travel together we each have specific task we are responsible for planning.  We each make our own flight arrangements.  Team Drake is in charge of transportation (rental car) and lodging while Team Sims is in charge of activities and food (if we are in a house/condo).  It works for us and we love to let the other know when they have failed.  LOL  We always give each other suggestions or things we want to do or have to eat; which helps.  So I was given the guidance that the visitors wanted to go to Sea World for two days.  NO, that wasn't going to happen because one day was all I could handle.  I got busy trying to figure out how to split our time between Sea World and the new water park, Aquatica.  I thought the best way was to reserve a morning tour or animal encounter at Sea World and play in the afternoon at Aquatica.  It was a great idea and thankfully it all worked out.  We had picked a hotel that had a free shuttle but since our tour started before Sea World opened the shuttle did not run.  I was annoyed we would have to pay for parking but also knew it was the best option . . . so we arrived at 8am to an unmanned parking booth and scored a front row, first parking spot for FREE!  Oh trust me we spent a small fortune on the day so free parking was nice.  Since we could not collect our tickets yesterday we had to arrive early today.  Yesterday, I specifically asked which ticket window would be open at 8am . . . headed there and waited and waited . . . finally asked a park employee where to go and pointed us to the only open booth around the corner.  I really get annoyed when given bad instructions when I ask specific questions.  We collected our tickets and are given a bunch of extra discount tickets too; which was awesome and helped us save a lot of money.  Thanks for the Waves of Honor tickets . . . this program is truly appreciated! 

The tour we were on was called the Family Adventure Tour . . . it was a big group (40) but thankfully they split us into two smaller groups and we had an awesome guide, Brian.  Brian was so passionate about the animals and all that Sea World does for them.  I could tell he was a teacher by his amazing knowledge.  The best part was the tour happened BEFORE Sea World even opened to the public so we had amazing access without the crowds!  We were able to tour all areas and the group's favorite had to be the Dolphin Cove area . . .

 

. . . it was awesome to interact with the dolphins, feed them, and just learn all about them.  The kids had a smile on their face the entire time . . . everyone was on cloud 9 when we left!  Probably my least favorite time was when we went to the Conservation Center so we could get an up close, hands on with one of the animals . . .

. . . as you can tell I am not touching the snake but managed to take a deep breath and stand behind the group for the photo.  Yes, I was called a sissy and everyone could not understand why but it is what it is!  Colin was thrilled!  The last part of the tour was attending the Shamu show with front row reserved seats . . . it was nice to not have anyone in front of us!

 

 

 . . . and yes we got soaked!  I knew when the usher pulled out his jacket and covered his head that we were doomed!  Thankfully it was over 100 degrees so we dried quickly.  We had covered the entire Sea World park so off to Aquatica we went!  It was soooo hot so it was a perfect day.  Since we received an unexpected coupon for 30% off when we entered we used it on a reserved cabana inside the water park . . .

. . . it was soooo nice to have the shaded area, refrigerator to keep water cold, ceiling fan, reserved beach chairs, cabana boy to bring us food, a locker that we could lock up our stuff, and a meeting point for the kids to check in with us.  It was worth every penny.  We left the water park when it closed and decided to go back to Sea World for a few rides.  Another 'perk' with the tour was receiving a 'quick queue' pass so you could jump to the front of the line on the rides.  It was nice but the lines were not that long in the evening.  Colin was so excited to ride The Great White . . .

. . . I was not so thrilled but let him as I waited for it to end.  We headed over to the Steel Eel for him to ride one last time but it was temporarily closed.  We linked up with the trio and headed for the car.  It was a quick ride back to the hotel and the shower never felt so good.  I came out of the shower to this . . .

. . . someone was exhausted!  I guess I should not be surprised since we spent 13 hours at Sea World and Aquatica!