The girls found some school clothes and spent considerable time in the dressing rooms. Savanna and I sat waiting, our ears getting the brunt of the loud music that rocked each store. I had brought a book to occupy my time, but I couldn't seem to get into it so I did what all the male waiters were doing and played on my phone. We stayed until the outlets closed at eleven, and by the time we drug ourselves out to our car we were identifying with the mall workers. The girls deemed it a success, Madison especially, which is SO unusual, that I was happy to have obliged them.
The next day started out like the previous one. We had decided on a visit to SeWorld and we unanimously decided on getting there late afternoon to avoid the heat and crowds. It was a smart decision, although for Savanna who didn't have a seasonal pass like us it might not have been cost effective. Since she didn't buy it with her money and since she was nursing a previous sunburn she was fine with it. We had a leisurely breakfast, got in a swim at the pool in our area, and headed to SeaWorld around three thirty.
SeaWorld, like its sister parks, does not have a tram in their parking lot that takes guests to the park. I would have griped more about this, but my parking spot was toward the back of the park which is actually closer in walking distance. I think. Either way by the time I entered the park I was soaked in sweat. We Floridians know that visiting parks in the summertime is ridiculous. Except if you are an energetic teenager named Darcy. This was her idea.
The map of SeaWorld, again like its sister parks, is not an easy read. Madison, our map reader at all parks, had the following complaints:
1. The map is too large and is not designed to fold. It is also paper, and while the park does recycle these maps (as long as people put it into the bin upon exiting) it is not durable in a park with lots of water animals.
2. It does not give you information on the attractions on the front side of the map. One has to flip over the map to read about the attractions and the information is minimal and not very descriptive.
3. The numbering on the map is all the same no matter if they are attractions or dining options. Disney has these things separated into categories and the attractions are bolded.
4. The labeling of the different sections, Sea of Ice for example, makes no sense and is not described on the map. In Disney when the section says Tomorrowland, there is then an area on the map labeled Tomorrowland and the attractions, etc. are described beneath so one knows what one is going to see and do in that area.
5. The shows are listed on the back of the map with the times, but to find the location on the front of the map one has to look for the stadium name. This is not self explained and took lots of flipping and searching for titles, attractions, etc. before learning that the stadium name was the correct way to find shows.
We spent considerable time deciphering the map and show times. Darcy and Madison went on Manta, a roller coaster, while Savanna and I went into the air conditioned aquarium. The girls said the coaster was a good one with a cool concept that tied into the whole SeaWorld experience; riders were rays hanging face down on the coaster. I'm glad I didn't know that when I sent them off. The aquarium was cool, literally and figuratively. We stood inside an area where we were surrounded by the glass aquarium and could watch the sting rays swim over our heads. We saw sea dragons, and starfish, and sharks. 
The girls met us in the aquarium and we rushed through the park to a show, arriving after it had started. There is no entry after a show starts so we headed to see the upcoming Shamu show. I have not seen the controversial documentary Blackfish on SeaWorld, and doubt that I will. I find all animals in captivity, i.e. pet stores, zoos, our homes, to be weirdly odd and unforgivable. Having said that, I doubt things will change, and I believe that there are many organizations that work well rescuing and learning about animals and their behaviors, etc. I'm not naive. Those organizations have to make money to continue what they do and there starts the cycle. I boycotted SeaWorld because of a terrible personal visit to their park twenty years ago. I went back because my husband bought us passes and my child wanted to use them. Shamu is SeaWorld's main attraction and whales are an interest of mine so we hiked to see the show.
And what a show it was. With a large screen television showing us what was happening in the pool arena, and the seats arranged so everyone could see, we watched several killer orcas swim, jump, and splash. It wasn't the greatest show I have ever seen as they didn't do much educating, but then again SeaWorld has had to change its policy after the death of the trainer that sparked the documentary. Still it would have been nice to have used the giant screen for a pre-taped education while the whales swam. As always, after viewing these types of shows, I still think that the Clearwater Marine Aquarium does it best.
We watched the Pets Ahoy show, a dog and cat humor skit, with trained pets in a fake town. I insisted on going to Antarctica, having read that it was one of SeaWorld's best attractions. We had to wait in line here, but only for twenty minutes, and seeing the penguins in an area without glass between us was cool. It was also freezing in the exhibit which helped move the lines. Even I was forced to concede to the cold.
Madison and I had a delicious BBQ dinner at the Voyager Smokehouse while the other two had a nasty meal at some burger joint. We opted out of the evening's fireworks display back at the stadium and instead danced with a Shamu character and a guy on stilts while bubbles were blown out of the roofs of the surrounding buildings. We agreed it was a fun experience and are eager to go back to see the attractions and shows that we didn't have a chance to see.
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