Tag Archives: cirque du soleil

March 2011 Trip to Florida – Day 11 (Wednesday)

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On Wednesday we made a return trip to SeaWorld with Grandma and Grandpa. We had gone through most of the park last week, so we went specifically to see a few shows and a couple of other exhibits we’d missed.

When we were here 2 years ago, they were building a new roller coaster called Manta. It opened shortly after we left, so this was the first time we saw it. Of course none of us went on it (we’re all too chicken), but they did have a seat outside so potential riders could determine if they were comfortable and the right size. Christine had a bit of trouble 🙂

Right next to Manta was a new aquarium exhibit. There were several large tanks with different fish. The coolest one was one for different kinds of rays. The tank was above them, so you could see them swimming above you. They always look like they are smiling.

As with most areas at any of the parks, the exhibit isn’t just a plain building. They have beautiful water falls, birds, plants and more.

One of the shows we went to see is called Blue Horizon. We don’t really understand all of the “artsy” stuff (“a young girl’s vivid imagination sets the stage for an extravaganza of dolphins, false killer whales and a rainbow of exotic birds, including blue and gold macaws, sun conures, and an Andean condor”), but the show is great. There are dolphins that do various jumps, platform divers that perform, and more. The girl in the show is named Marina, and Christine wanted to have her picture taken with her.

Another show we went to see was another Cirque du Soleil-type show called A’lure – The Call of the Ocean. There were various acrobats, tumblers and other performers in a sea-themed set. After the show (as with all shows), the cast members wait around to great the guests. Matthew and Christine wanted to have their picture taken with a seahorse and an anemone.

We finished off in Shamu’s Happy Harbor (the kids area). We went on a few rides, and then headed home to swim and get out of the heat.

We’ve now been to SeaWorld twice and Busch Gardens twice, and on Thursday we’ll be headed back to Aquatica for a second time.

March 2011 Trip to Florida – Day 9 (Monday)

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On Monday we headed off to Busch Gardens again. This time, we took the free shuttle out there. Grandma and Grandpa dropped us off so they could have the van. Grandma ended up going to a clinic and has bronchitis. She got a prescription and is hoping to feel some relief soon.

The shuttle was a big tour bus (bathroom included), so that was definitely the way to travel. Lisa said that the bus driver reminder her of the bus driver in the one scene in Enchanted (if you’ve seen it, you’re probably smiling right now). She also had “bulging eyes”, kind of like what you see in Ripley’s or Guinness. She was very nice and kind of funny. We watched part of Shrek the Third on the way, and before we knew it, we were there.

We had gone through most of the park last time, so we just did the same thing again. The kids played for a while in the Sesame Street Safari of Fun, we watched some of the crazy people ride the crazy roller coasters, and we saw lots of animals.

We did try to see a few things that we hadn’t seen last time. In the Jungala area (Andrew’s favourite area), there was a brief show with some performers dressed up as a walking stick, a crane, and frog.

In that same area we also saw some models of various skulls and paw prints. A very nice lady was telling us about some animals, and asked if we wanted to see a snake. The boys of course said yes, so she went and got one for them to hold.

For some reason, one of the boys favourite exhibits is in Egypt. They were fascinated by King Tut’s tomb.

Probably the only drawback of taking the shuttle there, was that you are at the park for the entire day. We were in the park by 11 am, and the bus didn’t leave until 7 pm to bring you home. We thought it might be hard to fill the time, but it went by fairly quickly. At the end of the day, we went to see a Cirque du Soleil type show called Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. The performers were dressed up as various animals. There were 2 girls that could bend in ways we’d never seen. There were a couple of other people who did some aerial tumbling as well as a couple that swung on ribbons (you know… the kind that hand from the top of the stage). Overall it was very impressive.

On the way out I had someone take a picture for us.

As I mentioned before, Busch Gardens was way better than we had expected. It will definitely be something we recommend to others.

It looks like we’ll be headed off to Aquatica (the SeaWorld waterpark) today, and then we’ll head back to SeaWorld tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa again joining us.