Saturday February 10th 2024

I got an earlier start than normal this morning. My destination was Sea World. It is not easy to get there from here. You have to get to the east side of the entire Walt Disney World complex. It is necessary to go around Disney to the south or the north. This morning I had the added complication of getting out of the state park through a bicycle event. There was either a race or a ralley that filled the roads with bicycle riders. I had to navigate around riders the whole two plus miles of park roads.

It was 10:30am when I entered Sea World. The journey around Disney property, combined with the bicycle traffic on the park roads and the interstate traffic on I-4 it took about an hour. Sea World has two extra events going on right now. The smaller of the two is a few Mardi Gras events, but the biggest activity is a festival that runs to the middle of May. The Seven Seas Food Festival presents food booths selling dishes and drinks from around the world. The food kiosks are very similar to the food booths around Disney’s EPCOT during their festivals. The combination of the two events and the beautiful Saturday weather brought huge crowds to the park.

I was there primarily to see the animals and other sights. The food booths held a small interest, but the lines were long and the prices were high. The one thing I don’t partake in at Sea World is the roller coasters. They always seem to be building a new one. A roller coaster at the Penguin Encounter is currently under construction. The last coaster to open was the Pipeline which is based on surfing. The hook is that the riders are standing upright as the coaster goes up, down. I think it even has an inversion. Not for me.

This morning I enjoyed the Dolphin show and I spent a few minutes watching and listening to the sea lions and seals. They do a very good job begging for food and all kinds of water birds hang around to pick up anything they miss. Once the sea lions get their fill, they retreat to the rocks for a nap.

It turns out I didn’t hang around long. I walked around the entire park at least once. I checked out all of the animal exhibits and watched the Mardi Gras prade. It was disapointing. There were four stilt walkers, six dancers and a four piece marching band. The crowds continued to build as I walked the park. By 2PM I started to make my way toward the exit. Finding my car in the newly reconfigured and paved parking lot was a little more challenging than it should have been. They haven’t added row numbers to the markings yet. I found my car on the first try, but only because I was careful to make note of several external landmarks when I parked.