Tuesday 12 April - Seaworld

Tuesday morning was a little bit cloudy when we woke up, but it was still very warm indeed. We were all up early and out by 9am to drive to a nearby IHOP (International House of Pancakes!) for breakfast. The restaurant was very busy which meant we had a short delay in ordering, but our waitress was very apologetic (I think another waitress was in for a tongue lashing) and before long we had breakfast piled up on our plates! Mikey went for pancakes - what else? - while the rest of us opted for a more traditional bacon, eggs and sausages with delicious hash browns. The coffee just kept on coming - wonderful! - and by the time we left there were queues waiting to take our table.

The journey to Seaworld was over in about half an hour and we were soon parking in the vast car park and walking in. It didn't seem very busy which was great and we decided to head for the Shamu Stadium first so Keith could experience the "Believe" show. I had heard that the killer whale who had killed the trainer last year was back performing again and the difference this time was that the trainers didn't go into the water with the whales at all, they stood on a platform and interracted with them there. It was still extremely shmaltzy but Keith said he enjoyed it very much. I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with these huge creatures being kept in captivity but the show was entertaining nonetheless, especially when Shamu circles the huge pool and splashes everyone with his huge tail!

The children wanted to go on Journey to Atlantis again so we made our way there, stopping to look at the sharks on the way. The Shark Encounter is brilliant as you walk along a conveyor belt underneath an aquarium full of different types of sharks. They were beautiful in a scary way, I thought, their dead eyes flicking back and forth and maybe sizing us up for lunch!

I was still in two minds about going on Journey to Atlantis. The ride has a huge drop into water and it looked pretty scary to me...

 However, the children begged me to go on with them and Keith, so after stowing our bags in lockers, on we went. The agony was prolonged because the first boat we were supposed to get into was full of water so we had to wait for the next one and I wanted to turn tail and run!

The first part of the ride is very gentle and takes you on a pretty tour through magical glades with fish and lights everywhere. Then this mermaid appears, says everything is going to be alright and then changes into a demon type thing and laughs manically as you start to climb higher and higher! We climbed up and up and then suddenly a pair of doors opens and you go over the top and fall dramtically downwards into a pool of water. The feeling was horrible! However, this was not the end! You go round the corner, drop down again and then have a short roller coaster ride in darkness before being shot out at the end, dripping wet, shaking all over and knowing you're never going to go on it again!

To calm down a bit we went and had a look at the manatees and the alligators before heading over to Key West to see the dolphins. We wanted to feed them but when we found out it was $28 for the four of us to have a tray of food each (and each person had to have a tray) we changed our mind! Deciding to have a little snack ourselves we went in search of an ice-cream and sat in the shade watching everyone walk past in the intense heat. The clouds had gone and it was extremely warm, not really weather for walking around so we went off to the sealion and otter stadium to see another show - Clyde and Seamore take Pirate Island.

The show was very popular and was completely full. About ten minutes before it starts, a mime artist appears and takes the mickey out of everyone coming in to take their seats. Most people are unaware that he's doing it, except for the audience of course, who laugh loudly at what he does, the poor victim completely oblivious!

The show was very good, and again, Keith enjoyed the slapstick humour and the animals who performed very well. When it ended we decided to call it a day and headed back to the villa for a couple of hours by the pool which was bliss!

Before going out in the evening to Mikey's choice - Miller's Ale House - we called into the local supermarket to get some more essentials. The sky was very stormy but we didn't have any rain, just a gorgeous sunset. The Publix we went to was great and very handy as it's only five minutes away. It was chock full of Brits all doing their shopping and we even noticed a British pub next door!

We had a short wait at the restaurant as it was extremely busy. The restaurant specialises in "Zingers", boneless chicken wings coated in a crispy batter and covered in the sauce of your choice. We had them as a starter between us, served, bizarrely, with sticks of celery.

The wait for the main course was a bit long, and our waitress kept apologising. Keith and I had chosen flat iron steak with spicy shrimp, Sophie went for fajitas (again!) while Mikey had turkey burger. I'd ordered a salad and baked potato with my meal, but when the food eventually came they were obviously forgotten...oh dear, Mikey! One less point. We caught the waitress, she brought the salad but said that they had run out of baked potatoes...hmmm!

It was a good meal, let down by the poor service, unfortunately. It will be interesting to see how the voting goes as the other three were very happy with their meals!

Some photos from Islands of Adventure on Monday. Click on them to see them a bit larger.