Author: Stan Deatherage | Published: November 13th, 2009

Great family friendly park for all ages

It just so happened that my brother was on this side of the country on business in late February/early March about the same time I was planning on taking a trip down to Florida with my family. The original plan was to go a little later, but once we found out his schedule we decided to change our plans so that we could enjoy Orlando and its scenery while catching up with family that we hadn't seen in a few years.

So we made all of our arrangements online and found a hotel to stay at for a few days and planned to have one fun filled day at one of the many theme parks littered across the Orlando area. We finally decided on Sea World as we felt it was the perfect fit for our family being that we have two girls, an 11 year old and a 22 month old (20 months old at the time.) We thought that our youngest would have a much better time seeing the many aquatic animals she had been trying to learn the names of while they still had a few exciting rides and attractions for our oldest (and admittedly I wanted to hit up a coaster as well.)

We decided to stay at the Parc Corniche Condominium Suite Hotel which was a perfect location as it was only a few minutes from Sea World. I actually thought it was quite nice for the price and would recommend it to anyone traveling on a budget. It had several amenities including a kitchen which allowed us to save a little money which normally would have gone to eating out. Although I am not much of a golfer, it is situated on a beautifully groomed golf course and included a heated pool and exercise area. It also had one of the better continental style breakfasts I seen at much higher end hotels.

The first day we pretty much just got familiar with the location and looked into what was available in terms of restaurants and shopping locations, which the latter was something that I wouldn't have been able to stray from to save my life with my wife and oldest daughter around. At just about every turn or stretch of highway there is an outlet mall in Orlando. At any rate, I did have a good time walking around, shopping, and enjoying the day with my family. Later that day was spent catching up with my brother and the pans were to go to Sea World the next morning after we dropped him off at the airport.

We arrived at Sea World shortly after they opened and started our day by going to see the dolphins at Dolphin Cove. This was a great start to our day as we were able to get up close to actually play with the dolphins. They would basically "fetch" balls and other flotation devices that were thrown to them and seemed amazingly eager to play with the guests. In fact, one guest in particular wasn't paying attention to one of them as much as the dolphin apparently thought they should be and that guest received a ball to the face which gave everyone a bit of a chuckle.

After getting up close and personal with the dolphins we got a chance to check out the manatees and alligators on our way to the first ride we were excited to experience called Journey to Atlantis. I know it was early March, but this is Florida so it was perfect weather to be getting a bit wet. I think it was probably one of the better times of year to visit as I have heard grueling stories of the scorching heat during the summer months. Anyway, back to the ride. This water ride was much more than it appeared to be. The portion you see as a spectator is only a few seconds of what the entire ride offers. After drifting through some dark lit sections and unexpected drops we were sent hurling down a 60 foot drop. As if the drop were not enough to get you wet, when you get to the bottom of the drop there is a slow u-turn section that is open to spectators who are allowed (for a few quarters) to use specially designed buttons that send a stream of water at the guests on the ride. Needless to say my daughter and I walked off the ride with wet socks and squeaky shoes. However, thanks to the kind weather we were completely dry within about 30 minutes or so.

From there we went and saw a few more attractions such as the penguins which my youngest daughter loved and went on to there main roller coaster called the Kraken. I thought this ride was so good that we actually went on it twice because the line was so short. Kraken is a steel floorless roller coaster. When it opened in 2000, it was the first floorless roller coaster in the Southern United States. It held the record as the longest roller coaster in the state of Florida until the completion of Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It has enough drops, twists, and loops to keep any roller coaster enthusiast satisfied and is a perfect attraction to visit midday at the park to break up the walking and viewing of the many different aquariums. Don't get me wrong the aquariums at Sea World are absolutely gorgeous and the many shows they offer are very entertaining, but the Kraken and even the Journey to Atlantis give it that extra spice needed to make for a complete adventure.

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