Florida, Parks & Swim with Dolphins with Jackie, Laura & Dan

 Florida, Parks & Swim with Dolphins

Wow! The magic of Disney definitely exists and we were giddy with excitement to explore the many thrill seeking theme parks. 

There were so many great rides at Universal Studios from The Cat in the Hat ride where we climbed into a sofa and travelled through the different scenes in the book causing mischief with Thing 1 and Things 2. Next, we moved onto the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The place was massive, and we explored the street which was lined with the shops which are mentioned in the books where Harry buys all of his school equipment. Some of us who were brave enough entered Gringotts and were greeted by a host of very stern looking goblins who warned us about the perils of going down into the bank’s vaults. Back at Kings Cross station we headed to Platform 9 and Three Quarters where we were me by the Hogwarts Express. We boarded the beautiful, big, red steam train and were whisked through the countryside to the village of Hogsmeade where we disembarked and were immediately blown away by the pretty, snow covered houses and up on the hill looking down on the village was the impressive Hogwarts Castle itself! We cooled down with a pint of butter beer, it did really feel as though we were on the film set. 

Next, we met a trio of crime fighters. Spiderman made us pose with our web slinging fingers out, Captain America let us hold his famous shield and with Wolverine, we were careful not to get too close to the sharp knife-like claws. 

The excitement grew for our Star Wars fans as we walked into Galaxy’s Edge, a desert landscape with recreated space craft, market stalls and characters from the film franchise. We ate lunch in the market area and saw Stormtroopers escorting Kilo Ren around the mocked-up streets. We quickly put down our food to give Chewbacca a quick cuddle and pose for a photo as he walked to his ship the Millennium Falcon which was our next visit. Under this iconic spaceship we had a photo session with Chewy, then entered the cave system to ride Smugglers Run, another 4D ride where we got to feel what it would be like to ride on the Falcon on a smuggling run, in space, being chased by Imperial Tie Fighters from the New Order. 

It was onto Toy Story Land and a ride on the Alien Flying Saucers which made everyone laugh.  We even saw Woody and Jessie walking amongst the crowds. Another meet and greet with Ariel from The Little Mermaid was simply magical and she also signed our autograph books. Then we hit a couple of the tamer rides, flying high into the air with Dumbo then we headed over to Alice in Wonderlands Mad Hatter Tea Party to have a spin in his teacups. Carousel of Progress ride was next where we followed an American family over 4 generations of progress and watched as technology transform their lives.

It was a pretty hot day so we decided to take a ride down the Kali River Rapids, and we couldn’t stop laughing as with each twist and turn we got wetter and wetter. Onto Skull Island, we rode on a bus through the jungle on a 4D ride where King Kong battled with a T-rex which took us nicely into Jurassic Park. Here we rode on another boat, with a huge drop from a canyon into water which made for a great photograph as huge plumes of water parted.  We finished off this dinosaur themed island watching an awesome roller coaster named Velocicoaster. 

We booked a ride on one of Kilimanjaro safari trucks and went on a bumpy but fascinating ride through Africa’s varied landscapes from the jungle to the open savannas. We saw some of Africa’s most iconic animals along the way including hippos, lions, rhinos, elephants and even got stuck in a ‘girraffic’ jam as a fabulous and lofty giraffe blocked the road while it grazed on the branches above. 

We arrived at Sea World exited for the day ahead. We were sat right in the soak zone, and we couldn’t wait to get splashed! The Orcas then charged into the arena and leapt out of the water over and over again causing huge splashes. To see these huge, dangerous creatures, interact with the trainers, performing tricks and playing games was absolutely breathtaking. You could really see how intelligent they were and how well they were looked after at Sea World. It was a great show performed by these giants of the sea as well as informative explaining about the conservation, the sea and the wildlife rescue that Sea World carry out. 

The park is also home to some of the most extreme steel 

roller coasters, and they did not disappoint. Another hilarious performance from some incredibly well-trained Sea Lions and a naughty Otter! Antarctica Penguin Encounter was our next visit and another great way to cool off as the penguins are kept in a chilled enclosure. It was brilliant to see several different species all swimming together. It was then time for another water ride! Journey to Atlantis took us through the lost city with some big splashes and thrills along the way. We took some time to watch our new friends, the dolphins swim and play from the underwater viewing area. They even came up to the glass to say hello!  

The day was spent at Discovery Cove for one of the highlights of our holiday. We collected towels, wetsuit tops and relaxed on our sunbeds overlooking a tropical coral reef. We were almost speechless upon entering the water as we were surrounded by stingrays, velvety rays, yellow puffer fish, angelfish and other tropical fish. Thankfully the reef sharks were in a secure pen on the other side. After a safety talk, we headed into a small cove and our dolphin trainer made us feel safe and explained how they interact with the mammals. Ready and raring to go, our hearts started racing as we got closer and closer and were introduced to Lester a sixty-year-old Atlantic bottle nose dolphin who sadly due to being in his later years of life is completely blind but, despite this he manages perfectly well as like bats, Dolphins use echo location to find their way around. Next came Kaylee who let us each pose for photographs, with her kissing our cheeks and arching her back raising her tail fin out of the water. We all loved these beautiful animals that felt like rubber to touch and were so agile and gentle in the water. Kendal then came to say hello. She was a mid-aged dolphin who made us feel safe and confident as we each in turn held her dorsal fin and flipper as she pulled us through the clear water over a short distance. It was such fun and a great experience for us. 

A moment we had all been looking forward to as we took to the red carpet to meet two special Disney characters and the most famous mice in the world. 

First, we met Minnie, who looked beautiful in a pink satin dress and silver shoes and afterwards Micky lived up to his cheeky self, dressed as a sorcerer in a red cloak and blue magician’s hat. Both signed our autograph book which we will treasure forever. It was a really special moment 

We were lucky enough to meet two real life Disney princess’ Cinderella and Helena who looked incredibly beautiful in their stunningly detailed dresses. After a little photo shoot, we asked them to sign our autograph books as a memento. 

We could hear the party music strike up, so we headed to the main street and took our front row positions for the Disney Character Parade. Once again, all our favourite characters danced and waved passing us by, putting huge smile on our faces. 

There were so many amazing shows on offer and we sat in awe at the lively upbeat performance where we joined in, singing our hearts with some of our most loved Disney Characters. 

It was time to get into position to watch the famous firework display. We knew we were in for the most amazing fireworks show we will ever see. The huge display lit up the night sky for 20 minutes to fantastic music that is so uplifting and inspiring especially in tandem with the projections on the castle. The fireworks are gorgeous and perfectly timed to really heighten the whole performance and enhances all the emotions. At the crescendo we even saw Tinker Bell fly from the top of the castle over our head, sprinkling fairy dust as she went. Walt Disney himself told us all about his dream of creating Disneyland and said how we were the magic as it is each and every one of us that makes this place special.