Sea World Makes a Memorable Family Trip

There's A World to See at Sea World!

by Vickie Oddino

Leave it to a kid to make me feel like I know nothing. But that's exactly how I felt when my seven-year-old son James started rattling off the questions.

"Do starfish have brains? Do they have eyes? How do they find their food? What do they do all day?

What prompted all of these questions? The Tide Pool at Sea World San Diego.

Before the inquisition, we started our day at Sea World on the rides guaranteed to get us wet. First was Shipwreck Rapids, a river raft ride. By the way, the signs in line are correct. We got drenched, to the delight of my daughter, the consternation of my son and the distress of my hair.

We then headed to the complete opposite side of the park to jump on Journey to Atlantis, a combination log flume roller coaster that also leaves riders drenched, again to the delight of my daughter, the consternation of my son and the distress of my hair.

We continued our strategy of aimlessly crisscrossing from one end of the park to the other (which is why we didn't have time for the dolphin show).

Luckily, Sea World is one of the few theme parks where my children eagerly race to the shows. Obviously, Shamu can't be missed. We've always gone to the last show of the night, "Shamu's House of Douse." The upbeat party atmosphere and the drenching of the crazies in the soak zone are a great way to wrap up a long eventful day. But we decided to also check out the new Shamu "Believe" show.

"Believe" follows the story of a boy who believes it possible to bring the world of nature, i.e., killer whales, and the world of man, together. This belief culminates in the pool at Sea World where Shamu and the trainers swim and play together in harmony. On paper, it might sound hokey, but as one who is struggling to make some important changes in my life and to believe they are possible, I did find my eyes welling up. And judging by the brisk sales of the replica of the "hand-carved" whale tail made by the boy in the show, many others were also touched.

The sea lions and otter also perform two different shows. The kids and I loved the day show, "Risky Rescue," but the biggest laughs came during the show "Sea Lions Tonite," which pokes fun at all of the other shows in the park. I particularly appreciated the sappy rendition of "Believe." This show just can't be missed.

The rest of our day was spent touching dolphins, bat rays, and sea urchins and watching beluga whales, moray eels, and Clydesdales.

We ended up spending the night in a hotel on Hotel Circle so we could close the place down, which we did. Yet even after twelve hours at the park, we still did not see and do everything we had hoped to.

Oh, and for the record, starfish do not have brains, but they do have small eyespots at the end of each arm that can sense light but not see images. They find their food by moving around and using the sensors on their arms. And what do they do all day? Well, judging from the fifteen minutes we spent watching them, not much.

For more information to plan your own family adventure, visit www.seaworld.com.