SWEET SAN DIEGO: PART TWO

Here it is. My favorite part of the trip. The WHOLE trip was really such a positive experience, but this is what I have been waiting for for years. SeaWorld. With six kids, we can't afford to do big adventures whenever we want. It has to be timed, perfectly. Since my parents rent a house in Cali every other year, we have decided to take advantage of that by planning trips to different theme parks while staying with them. I have a ten-year plan on which parks to visit - not even kidding. And this year, it was SeaWorld. With some tips from my cousin, and a whole lot of luck, it turned out to be pretty amazing. My thoughts after pictures!

THURSDAY: DAY FOUR

woke up at 6 am and ate pop-tarts for breakfast

slathered on sunscreen, packed a backpack, and loaded up in the car

drove 2.5 miles to SeaWorld at 9 am

purchased all-day dining passes for adults - ended up buying some for the kids

hung out at the tide pools until the park opened at 10 am

walked around and saw otters, dolphins, and killer whales

ate an early lunch at Shipwreck Reef around 11 am - amazing food

rode the Skyride, followed by the Manta rollercoaster

saw flamingos, sting rays, and sea lions

2 pm DOLPHIN DAYS SHOW! - but hotter than hell

ate a second lunch at Calypso Bay around 3 pm - so busy

tried to do sharks - if you go, just skip the sharks - don't do the sharks

walked through the penguin habitat before hitting the Wild Arctic

went to Sesame Street Bay of Play for the little ones

planned to do the Orca show - skipped in favor of the Skytower

hit the Journey to Atlantis water ride while crowds were at the Orca show

ate dinner at Shipwreck Reef around 8 pm - still amazing food

9:30 pm CIRQUE ELECRTIQUE SHOW!! - insanely awesome

headed home at 10 pm - all six kids passed out in the car immediately

Okay. So SeaWorld was a big deal for our family of 8 (+1). We dropped a pretty penny on our entrance fee - even with a discount thanks to my mom. I wanted to make sure that we took advantage of the expense, so we went into this trip knowing we would be there from open until close. Here is what helped to make SeaWorld run even more smoothly:

•  We decided to go on a week day to beat some of the crowds. It worked. The only times it ever felt remotely crowded were for the shows and in the shark exhibit. Other wise, the park was fairly free from crowds. I have panic attacks in large crowds, so major WIN.
• The park opens at 10 am, but we went at 9 am. One of the perks about arriving an hour earlier was the great parking. Despite this, we opted to pay more for better parking. It seemed silly at first, but proved to be worth it when exiting that night. We basically walked right from the gate to our car without traversing the parking lot.
• No stroller. With three adults and only two toddlers, we decided to leave the stroller at home and just walk it out. Yes, all three adults had to carry toddlers. Yes, all three adults had tired arms by the end of the night. No, I don't regret this decision. Strollers are cumbersome in situations like this where there is the potential for large crowds - PLUS you can't take them into some of the exhibits.
• All-day meal passes. Each pass gets you one entree, one side OR dessert, and one drink. Every. Single. Hour. We figured 3 passes would allow us enough food to feed 9 people if we staggered it out. But you CANNOT share. If you get caught, they will cut off your pass and you will go without. So we bit the bullet and bought kids their own meal bands. Didn't risk it. Since we ate 3 full meals while at the park, it was entirely worth the money. Besides, the portion sizes they serve are RIDICULOUS. Once again - worth it. 
• Two shows. As much as I would have loved to see more, we set two shows as our limit. We did Dolphin Days and Cirque Electrique - both totally awesome shows. Any more, and we would have wasted time better spent elsewhere. If you want fabulous seats, arrive AT LEAST 30 minutes early. Even then, you're pushing it. 
• We made use of our time by planning to ride the rides while a nearby show was underway. This meant shorter lines. And by shorter lines, I mean we were almost always next in line to go. We should have planned meals this way, too. 
• Prioritize. If we had not talked about the attractions that we really wanted to see before wandering around, we could have lost quite a bit of time. We took it easy, but we also discussed routes that would allow us to hit the highlights. 
• Know where bathrooms are. Make a mental note. About 8 hours into our day, we had situated ourselves in an area with no nearby restrooms. This, of course, is when the two potty-training toddlers had to pee the most. No accidents, but some close calls because this tip didn't even occur to me. 
• If you can, stay all day. Its hard. You get tired. And grumpy. But I am so grateful that we did not call it quits before closing. We hit basically everything in the park. And we got our second wind. Hint: eat when you get tired or grumpy. It's a chance to take a break and reset. 
• Enjoy yourself. I have SIX FREAKING KIDS. I am not always a ray of sunshine, especially when trying to corral that many little humans in a huge amusement park. But I took in the wonder as they did because I wanted it to be a memorable experience. And it was.