We're taking advantage of a Black Friday deal and the calm before the Christmas tourist storm to do a little Florida adventure this week. Beth heard the Black Friday deal on the local news. It was a one day admission to both Sea World and Bush Gardens for $70 total. This saved us about $30 per person on a two park admission ticket. We were also able to take advantage of this being a very slow week at the hotels and we got some very nice rates in Orlando and Clearwater Beach.
First up was Orlando, the vacation capital of the galaxy. Our hotel was a Double Tree (booked through Hotwire) that was within walking distance of Sea World which meant no parking fee ($25) or hassle of catching a shuttle. It was our first visit to Sea World-Orlando in about 25 years. Although it was a Saturday and fairly busy it was far from being crowded, especially compared to what the crowds will be like in a week or two when all the Christmas visitors show up.
Sea World has taken it's fair share of criticism in recent years over their captivity of animals, especially whales. From what I understand the whales at the park were a part of their breeding program which has been discontinued. If these whales were released in the ocean they would have no natural instincts or resistance to some of the crud that can be found in the oceans. In other words, they wouldn't last long. Besides, they seemed pretty content being in Orlando. With the exception of one show (Walrus show) the shows were nicely done and much more educational than they had been in the past. The park was really nicely decorated for Christmas and featured several very nice holiday shows. We got to the park a few hours after it's 10:00 AM opening and enjoyed it so much that we stayed until pretty close to closing time before taking the short walk back to the hotel.
A whale of a jump
Free and Disney aren't two words you typically find in the same sentence, but it can be done. Of course parent(s) or folks from the frozen north aren't going to bring their kid(s) or come to the Disney area without plopping down about a billion dollars for park admission, mouse ears, Cinderella dress, t-shirts, and other overpriced souvenirs and food. Since we've been to the parks enough to fill a life time (or at least until James gets a little older) we had no interest in the parks. However, for the low cost of "free" you can wonder around Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney)and downtown Celebration. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to fit any budget. We really enjoyed a very casual place called "Chicken Guy" which is a new place that is owned by Guy Fieri.
You can really amuse yourself in the Disney store at Disney Springs watching folks fork over real money like it's monopoly money for "stuff" they don't really need but just have to buy, like a mouse ear headband for $30! Like Sea World, both Disney Springs and Celebration were decked out for the season. Both were very festively decorated. Celebration even had an outdoor ice skating rink, fake snow on the ground that looked like a massive shaving cream spill and fake snow that falls from the surrounding light poles several times per night. Chicken Guy
The "S" in Disney should be "$"
Why plop down $30. Just put them on, get your picture made and put them back on the shelf
Disney Springs Main Tree
A rocking chair by the lake in Celebration. What more do you need?
Downtown Celebration complete with fake snow
Beth's carriage awaits!
Voodoo Donuts in Universal City Walk. The donuts weren't nearly as good as the ones at the original store in Portland. Maybe because the employees didn't have any tattoos or piercings like the folks who work in Portland.
We finished up by spending yesterday (Tuesday) at Busch Gardens. Because it was a weekday and the temperature was slightly nippy (high around 60) there were probably only a 1000 or so people spread out over the 335 acres, which made it feel very empty. Just the way we like it! If you were a roller coaster enthusiast you would have thought you had died and gone to heaven. There was no waiting to be dropped, twisted and turned on any of the half dozen or so major coasters. Our roller coastering days are behind us although we did ride a "kiddie coaster" called the Sand Serpent and the Merry Go Round. I, in a temporary lapse of good judgement, got on the "Falcon's Fury". This implement of torture takes you up close to 350 feet in the air, points you straight down to the ground and releases you. As the designers intended, it slowed down and stopped before I face planted into the concrete. Beth captured it all on video and I'm sure it would have gotten many more views had there been a malfunction. I can live without the fame and notoriety!
Busch Gardens Skyride
A hat thief!
Mom and baby (just over a year old). A face only a mother could love!
A wild time on the Merry Go Round!
Falcon's Fury. The girl next to me was from Argentina. She was crying real tears. I'm not sure if she was scared of the ride or didn't like sitting by me. I had to take my glasses off so I really couldn't see much...…..maybe it was better that way!
(There is a video at the end of the blog)
Serengeti Overlook-Busch Gardens
Bird Whisperer!
Busch Gardens after dark
As with Sea World, there were several nice Christmas shows. Most of which we had seen previously since we had visited Busch Gardens at Christmas the two previous years. I guess we're developing somewhat of a trend and it's a nice one!
