What can you say about crossing something off your bucket list? When that thing is even more amazing than you could have ever imagined? The only word that comes to mind is Wow, and that's just what the Penguin Up-Close Tour at Sea World San Diego is. 

Simply ... Wow!! 

(Click on any of the pictures below to see a larger version)

Those who have known me for any length of time know that I'm a Penguin freak. I've been known to go through the Penguin Encounter many times a day during our visits to the park, much to my families dismay. I have Penguin snow globes, stuffed animals, pillow cases, shot glasses, Penguin Web-Cams saved to my internet favorites. So it's safe to say I love Penguins. 

When I decided I wanted to go to Sea World San Diego for my 40th birthday (eek) my wife took it upon herself to help me to knock "meeting a penguin" off my bucket list. 

After checking in what followed was about an hour and twenty minutes of penguin lover bliss. Not only did I get to meet an awesome Macaroni Penguin (#156) but also the staff that cares for these amazing animals, and that was really the unexpected reward from the entire experience. 

We were first led through the Penguin Encounter by our guide Lori where she talked about Penguins and what we'd be experiencing during our tour. Not only was her knowledge of Penguins great, but she made the tour fun and exciting for everybody who was in attendance. 

Before heading inside we had to wash our feet and our hands "if" we wanted to actually touch a penguin. Lol, "if". 

Once inside they had to make it a bit darker as the Penguins are still coming out of their winter where we met Sonia, one of the amazing people who care for these amazing animals. 

To say that Sonia has my dream job would be a gross understatement. There's just something about Penguins that is simply fascinating, from their demeanor to the way they behave individually and as a group and of course as a breed. There's just so much to learn from these guys. 

Sonia and Lori also talked a bit on how the Penguin Experience and breeding programs began and how much they've learned about Penguins since. It's truly a fascinating story. 

After a few minutes Sonia stepped away and came back with a very special guest. 

And then I became absolutely giddy. The only thing that I didn't care for about the tour was having to wait my turn to pet #156. Turns out I was last in line, which was totally fine because it gave me some time to calm down and plot my escape with my new best friend. =)

Below, pics of my giddyness, I know I look silly, I don't care. I was excited and in heaven. 

Once we had our 1:1 time with 156 they took us into the actual Penguin Experience in two groups, I was in the second group so we had some time to talk more with Lori where she showed us some of the Penguin Feathers, Eggs, etc which was completely amazing. 

And then it was time to head into the actual Penguin Experience. It was amazing, it was cold, it was amazing, it was loud, did I mention amazing? 

Knowing that my family was on the other side of the glass watching the huge smile on my face was pretty cool, having them with me would have been the only thing to make the experience even better. 

I didn't really think you'd be able to see the people on the other side of the glass but guess what, the Penguins can see you, so remember that next time you are in there. =)

We were inside for about 10 minutes or so, given that it was about 25 degrees probably meant that any longer would have gotten uncomfortable. Most of the people in our group were getting rather cold, I was not and would have loved to stay a bit longer, did I say a bit, I mean all day. =)

Once back outside we were able to ask a few more questions and then were led out to see the Magellanic Penguins which are actually able to live in warm weather, so once again the plotting was taking place and I wouldn't even have to greatly modify our house to do it. =)

At the end I was sad for it to end, but excited to see that my wife and kids were so excited that I'd had the experience. It was absolutely amazing and I would totally do it again. I'd love to do a "trainer for a day" experience where I could spend all day at the Penguin Experience sometime and feed them and all the stuff that the trainers do, you know, for the site and stuff. Yeah, that's it. 

Maybe when I grow up I'll actually figure out how to make my dream job happen. =)

Thank you to the AMAZING staff at Sea World, The Penguin Experience and the amazing Lori and Sonia for taking such good care of us and more importantly, taking care of my little friends. You are all amazing. 

And of course, thank you to my amazing wife and my two amazing kids for letting their husband/father go and be silly with Penguins for an hour. 

If you'd like more info on Penguins or pretty much ANY other animal visit SeaWorld.Org. 

If you'd like more info on the Penguin Up-Close Experience in San Diego, Orlando or San Antonio click the individual links. Not sure I know how to recommend the tour more than I already have. You won't be disappointed. 

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Sea World San Diego debuted a new Dolphin Show, Dolphin Days, a few weeks ago and they were nice enough to invite us down to the park to check it out and give our review of the show. 
Before we do, we'll have to warn you that this week is going to be kind of Sea World heavy. Our visit last Saturday was our first visit to the park since 2008, but trust us, it won't be long before our next visit

. 

So we had a LOT to catch up on such as Manta, One World, the new entrance, Turtle Reef and more. So much that we took over 700 pictures which is obviously too much to fit in one update. 

Plus, if you haven't noticed, we have a new section to the site dedicated exclusively to Sea World and Busch Gardens parks. For those of you who have been with us since the beginning you'll remember that this section of the site did exist at one point but was dedicated to "California Parks" that didn't last very long. We've had this page built for awhile but didn't want to launch it until we had immediate content and the ability to have ongoing content not only at the park in San Diego but at the parks in Florida, Texas and Williamsburg. And we have that now, at least at the parks in FL and TX. (if you'd like to cover BGW let us know). 

So even though that was a long intro to get into our thoughts on the new show we hope you enjoy the article below, because we absolutely LOVED the new show. 

As I mentioned above, our last visit to Sea World was in 2008, so obviously a LOT has changed. Not only physically at the park but with the "perception" of what Sea World is. It's fair to say that it's been a rough few years for the park chain, so much so that I actually found myself getting very emotional during the Dolphin Days and One Ocean (which we'll touch on later this week). 

Fair or not, Sea World has been blasted and that's translated to a drop in revenue, some changes at the top and more, but what hasn't changed is the feeling you get when you see these amazing animals perform and the love that is so evident between the animals and their trainers. How anybody could think the trainers don't absolutely love these animals is beyond me. 

We never got a chance to see Blue Horizons which from what I understand was a more "serious" show than the show in 2008 or Dolphin Days. And while all shows at Sea World do have a "conservation" segment, they all also like to have fun and that's just with this show is. 

The pre-show, well, it's the same pre-show as has always been there. You know the "soak zone" song by now. The only significant change since 2008 is the change from "Oh My Hair" to "Oh My Phone" which is more a sign of the times than anything I can think of. 

For the most part this show seems to be similar to the last show we saw 7 years ago, without the "parent falling in the water" gag which is fine. Because really, if you aren't entertained by these animals then I don't know what to tell you. Because they are truly amazing. 

The show did seem a bit shorter than past shows clocking in at about 15-20 minutes which was fine as the sun was quite warm even though the air temperature was only about 75 at the first show of the day.

As you can see, despite reports of low crowds plaguing the chain the shows here still packed them in during the late summer.  

At the end of the day the animals are the star of the show, and that's the way it should be. 

Be sure you head down to the park to check out Dolphin Days, it's a lot of fun and shouldn't be missed. You can read all about the new show here. 

Be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll be posting my update and review of the Penguins Up-Close Tour which was truly one of the most amazing things I've ever done. And oddly, there aren't a whole lot of reviews of this experience online. 

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Voting Starts Today

TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2015) – Howl-O-Scream® 2015 has Unearthed a new evil along with the most demented scares in town, and now fans get to vote on their favorite former icon.

Howl-O-Scream Facebook fans can choose which evil former icon will be featured at a photo opportunity in the park, includingDeath Jockey from Howl-O-Scream 2007, the Raven Twins from Howl-O-Scream 2008, or the Trickster from Howl-O-Scream 2012:

·         The Raven Twins of Howl-O-Scream 2008 reeled in victims with their seductive looks and devilish charm. Those who dared to date these beauties fell into a trap of a tortuous night of unimaginable pain.

·         Creating a new sound to horror, the Death Jockey of Howl-O-Scream 2007 used burning lights and ear-splitting music, masking the screams of his listeners trying to escape his tormenting tempos.

·         At Howl-O-Scream 2012, the Trickster lured you into the Dark Side of the Gardens, where Busch Gardens’ 300 overgrown acres of fright made escape nearly impossible.
Voting started today, Aug. 20 on the Howl-O-Scream Facebook page and ends Thursday, Sept. 3. The results will be announced the following day.

A bone-chilling, sinister force descends on Busch Gardens® Tampa for 19 select nights this fall during Tampa’s premier Halloween event, Howl-O-Scream® 2015. This year, Busch Gardens joins forces with award-winning horror filmmaker extraordinaire, Robin Cowie, producer of the Blair Witch Project, to unearth an unimaginable evil.

DATES:

Freaky Preview returns this year and will open Howl-O-Scream 2015 on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26.  The event then runs Thursday through Saturday nights, Oct. 1 – 31, and select Sunday nights, Oct. 18 and 25. Operating event hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Get your tickets early and save on a single terrifying night at Howl-O-Scream 2015. This year, 4-Pack Ticket Deals start at $35 per person, plus tax. Reduced advance-purchase rates are available online, and special offers are available for Busch Gardens Pass Members. 

MORE INFO:

Stay tuned to HowlOScream.com for the latest terrifying details or call 1-888-800-5447 for guest information. Howl-O-Scream2015 is a separate-ticketed night event. No costumes are allowed.

Join the conversation by using #EvilUnearthed and follow Howl-O-Scream on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to learn about promotions and insider information first.

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