Austin. Mom. Blog. » theme park

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration

Dianna — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:30:11 +0000

We went to Sea World in San Antonio on Friday and had a blast. I’m already in the Christmas spirit and going to Sea World enforced it more. We first went to see the dolphins and fortunately it was feeding time. We paid $5 for four fish. It was worth it. When feeding the dolphins you are able to pet them in the process. The boys’ expressions were priceless. Next we went to the show of “A Sesame Street Christmas.” When the sesame street characters came onstage I got teary eyed. I was overwhelmed on how much our little family was enjoying this. The boys didn’t move once. They were mesmerized. Near the end, my oldest (he’s 5) finally said he was too old for this, but he hung in there. We then headed to a huge play area with sand and rope climbing. My oldest did the rope climbing and my youngest played in the sand. Fortunately both my husband and I were present so we could split up for this. When going to theme parks, I never venture out alone. Next we went by alligator alley where we saw several alligators surrounding a pond. They had a .25 cent machine to feed the fish which we took part in. The boys were aiming for the alligators so they would move, but they had no luck. We then went to the show “Deck the Halls with Clyde & Seamore.” This was a show full of sea lions acting out a skit for Christmas. Once again the boys were mesmerized and didn’t move once. This time my oldest didn’t ask to leave. Sea World had a 4D showing of Polar Express, but unfortunately we didn’t make it in time. We stood in line, but the theater got full before it was our turn. We got to see a 4D showing of Polar Express when we went to Moody Gardens in Galveston and from what I remember it was awesome. On our way out we saw the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and the boys got to pet one. We really had a lot of fun. There was still so much we didn’t get to see because we were short on time so I’m hoping we will make another trip back. If you have a chance to go to Sea World for the Christmas Celebration, I totally recommend it.

Fiesta Texas Fright Fest

Dianna — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:14:21 +0000

Our family went to the fright fest at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio on Friday, October 30th. Since our boys were only 3 and 5 the rides they had for them weren’t too long of a wait. Throughout the summer we went to Fiesta Texas several times and that seems to be the case each time. For kids under six, the lines aren’t bad. We have season passes so we go each chance we get. I really wouldn’t recommend the fright fest for our ages of boys. It was too scary for them. Luckily, they didn’t have any nightmares or screams through the night, but some of the props and costumes were a little much for them. If you have kids that aren’t too spooked from these kind of things, then it’s a place I would recommend to check out. The rides kept us busy for almost four hours. For the most part, we focused on riding the rides and avoiding the spooky stuff.

We really enjoyed a room set up for cookie decorating and pumpkin painting. You had the option to buy, keep, and paint a pumpkin or buy a large round cookie to decorate and eat. The price was five dollars to do both. We ended up buying both. I thought that was reasonable. The boys really enjoyed it and in the end that’s all that matters.

Also, they had Scooby and Shaggy passing out treat bags. We waited in line to go on a large stage to meet them, take pictures, and receive a treat bag. It was the perfect experience for the whole “trick or treating” concept. My youngest son was a little freaked out being near them so I held him the whole time. We saved this experience to the end so it would be a final ending to our day. It worked out perfect.

The theme park had a haunted house for an additional five dollars a person that looked pretty scary. I didn’t go in, but there was a huge line for it. For older children and adults who enjoy the whole Halloween experience and in the middle of it getting to ride roller coasters, I would recommend the fright fest for them. For our family and the ages of our boys, I would not. We had fun, but next time we will wait until our boys are a little older.