Gift Guide | Star Wars - May The 4th Be With You [Gifted]

No comments
Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

If you are like us and you are a huge Star Wars fans then you will know that May the 4th has been named as Star Wars Day. I've gathered some gift ideas to surprise the Star Wars fan in your life.
Read More

Seaworld, Orlando

No comments
Disclosure - We were gifted tickets for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Our on recent visit to Walt Disney World we decided to head out of the parks and visit two other attractions, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. We have visited Universal before but we had never been to SeaWorld so we were really looking forward to it. SeaWorld tends to get quite bad press although I never actually take notice of such things in the media unless I experience it myself, so I was eager to explore the park myself and make my own decisions.

SeaWorld entrance
Arriving at SeaWorld was easy from Walt Disney World, we ordered an Uber which took us straight to the main gate and cost around $11. We headed straight through security and then were greeted by a very friendly dolphin who was more than happy to pose for a photo with little J.

I had already downloaded the SeaWorld app so had an idea of what we would get up to there and also little J was quite excited to visit the new Sesame Street Land.

Just from glancing at the app you will know that SeaWorld isn't just about animals and shows it's so much more than that. It's a theme park too with actually some of the best thrill rides we have ever been on but I will talk more about them later.

Stringray
We started to make our way around the park and we soon came to the StringRay area. We have visited many aquariums in the past and seen StringRay up close but we actually got the chance to feed them which was an amazing experience.

Stringray food
Stringray food
Stringray
The StingRay food is available to buy for $6 and I will warn you that you will be given little frozen fishes. They are dead of course but their eyes are still there and it did make me feel a little queasy. The idea is you hold the fish in-between your fingers upright and place your hand on the bottom of the tank. The Stingray will then swim over your hand collecting the fish on the way. I actually didn't give this a go myself but the boys loved it and it did look fun.

Dolphins at SeaWorld
Dolphins at SeaWorld
Next we wandered to the dolphins however there was something going on down by the pool, maybe a 'swim with' experience so it was very busy and a huge queue was forming. We did get to see them swimming around and doing little tricks but it would have been nicer to get closer to them but unfortunately that wasn't an option for us on this trip as it's quite costly.

Boy looking at a lizard
On our way to see the Manatees little J found a little creature wandering around, a lizard.

SeaWorld Rescue Centre
Boy looking at a lake
It was nice to see the Manatee's in rehabilitation. Some of them were huge and I had no idea that they eat cabbages, how strange. The Manatee Rehabilitation gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of the  five acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating wildlife that have been ill, injured or orphaned – including manatees, sea turtles, birds and other marine animals. While a guided tour of the entire facility has been available for years, the park has now opened up one portion of the area for complimentary viewing to all park guests. This gives you the chance to see firsthand some of the top problems Manatee populations are facing and simple actions we can all take to help, through interactive displays and rescue footage straight from the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team.

Boy looking at Flamingos
While John and big J headed to queue for the Manta ride, little J and I stumbled upon some pretty birds.

Penguins at SeaWorld
Our first family ride was Antartica - Empire Of The Penguin. The ride is a motion based simulator ride that takes you on the journey of a little penguin. When we were near the front of the queue we were offered wild or mild spinning. We opted for mild however we did see 'wild' once inside and it didn't look too bad. Once we had finished the ride we were surrounded by penguins and it was so cold. Some of the penguins were motionless so we thought they were not real at first however we soon realised they were. It was lovely to see them swimming around in the waters.

Like I said earlier SeaWorld is much more than animals it is also a theme park which if I am honest appeals to us as a family more that seeing animals and shows.

Kraken Ride
Kraken Ride

View of Seaworld
Boys on Manta ride
Kraken, Manta and Mako are three of the best thrill rides we have actually ever been on. We love rollercoasters and if I am honest I didn't think the rollercoasters at SeaWorld would be any good but I was so wrong. Each ride had no waiting time at all, we just walked on them which is crazy as if these rides were in Disney, Universal or UK theme parks the wait would be over an hour, possibly two. I'm not sure why they had no queues as they are amazing, I am guessing people head to SeaWorld with their families to see the animals and not for rides.

Both big J and I loved Mako. It's so strange to have a thrill ride that does not secure you in over your shoulders, there is just a bar by your stomach. It reaches up to 73mph and goes up to 200ft high. It's actually Orlando's tallest, fastest and longest rollercoaster and we loved it.

Manta was John's favourite and is very similar to Air, at Alton Towers however it has a loop and seemed a lot faster.

Kraken was also lots of fun and we all enjoyed it.

SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld
As well as the rides, attractions and animals there were two attractions that were not included in your ticket price. You can pay $6 per person to go on a Pink Flamingo Boat Ride or $5 per person to go on The Iconic Sky Tower. To be honest I wasn't happy that if you want to go on these two attractions you have to pay. We actually didn't realise and we had already said we were going to on on the Iconic Sky Tower so it cost us $20.

We did all enjoy soaring 400ft feet into the air and the views of Orlando were amazing.

Sesame Street
Cookie Drop
Sesame Street Rides
Sesame Street Rides
Sesame Street Rides
There were rides for little J too in Sesame Street Land. New to SeaWorld this year, Sesame Street has lots of fun rides and attractions for little ones and little J really enjoyed the time we spent there. It was a really hot day and there was very little shade in this area but there were no queues for the rides so we managed to do everything quite quickly before it was time to head home.

We all really enjoyed our day at SeaWorld and it was nice to visit a different theme park that wasn't Disney for a day. I think if we had visited some of the shows and talks our day would have been longer however due to the heat we did call it a day just around 4pm but we did manage to go on all the rides, and the thrill rides twice each.

The best value ticket for visiting SeaWorld Parks in Florida is the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package, which includes a one-day reservation at Discovery Cove (with 30-minute dolphin swim experience and all meals and snacks included) plus 14-days unlimited entry to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica Orlando, with free parking included at all parks. Prices start from £192 per person.

For more information, visit www.seaworldparks.co.uk

Would we visit again? Absolutely. There is so much to see and do and like I said earlier we are a family that loves rides and the three thrill rides here are amazing, so they alone will bring us to SeaWorld on our next visit to Orlando.

********************************************************************************

If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.

Leave us a comment below and let us know about your visit 

Visit our Out and About section for more days out ideas

Like us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram


Share This Post With Friends Who May Also Find It Useful. 


Michelle
 
Read More

Smashers Series 3 DINO Review

No comments
Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

This week I planned an Easter Egg hunt at home for little J. He loves doing treasure hunts, usually for sweet treats but this hunt didn't involve chocolate, this hunt was a little bit different. We recently received a huge Smashers Series 3 Dino bundle which included an Easter hunt challenge for us to enjoy. We have played with Smashers before so I knew little J would love them.

Smashers Dino Products
To prepare for the Egg Hunt I cut out 11 dino shaped eggs and hid them inside and outside. When I was done little J searched high and low using his magnifying glass to try and find all 11 eggs. I may have hidden them a bit too well so I did have to use the 'getting hotter' 'getting colder' method to help him find all 11. Once he did his reward was to open up the Smashers Series 3 Dino Eggs.

It’s time to go back to the land before time… with Smashers Series 3 DINO. Smash open the Smash Egg to find what’s crawling inside! Will you find the Dig n’ Find Rare Dino Fossils? Smash your Smashers on the ground, to the wall or anywhere you can think and start building your Smashers collection today. Little J loves Dinosaurs so I knew this series would be a hit.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
First we opened our Smashers Smash Rex set. Rex comes with 2 exclusive figures. If you want to you can actually smash your Smashers eggs in Rex's mouth. Little J loved watching Rex crunch the egg until it smashed and then if he pressed Rex's back we watched him poop it out.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
The playset contains two exclusive Smashers and Collector’s Guide as well as the Smash Rex figure. There’s also a Smash Egg Rebuilder. We  have finally managed to master rebuilding the Smashers eggs.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Little J loves blind bag type toys and although the multi pack packaging allows you to see some of the characters in your pack,  the rest are hidden away waiting to be discovered. Series 3 Dino comes in single packs, packs of 3, packs of 8, packs of 12 and also packs of 20. As with most blind bag type toys there are lots to collect with series 3 having over 100 characters. Each pack contains a Collector’s Guide which is great to keep track of which characters you have found and also if you have found any rare or ultra-rare Smashers. In the past we have been quite lucky and found gold and silver characters. This series we have found quite a few exclusives, fossils rocks and an ultra rare one too.

Smashers Series 3 Dino are available to buy in most good toy shops and online too.

Michelle
Read More

AD | 5 Money Saving Tips

No comments
Disclosure - This is a paid post in collaboration with Cashlady

We have just returned from two weeks at Walt Disney World in Florida and already I am planning our next holiday. I am one of those people that starts looking at deals for their next trip before we even get home. The reality is that we could never afford to head back there straight away as it is such an expensive holiday but it won't stop me planning ways to make some extra cash to put in our holiday fund pot.
Read More

Review | Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On Toy

No comments
Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Little J turned 6 last month and his birthday wishes were to receive lots of outdoor toys. He loves to be outside and as soon as he wakes up he always wants to go in the garden straight away no matter what the weather. While we were away last week little J actually got a very special delivery. Rollplay have sent little J their Nighthawk Ride On Toy to review and he couldn't be happier.
Read More
Copyright © Playdays and Runways. Blog Design by SkyandStars.co