Laughing Lindsay

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Tips for Visiting SeaWorld Orlando

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This is a post I probably could have/should have written months ago. I visited SeaWorld Orlando on three separate trips in 2022, so I have plenty of tips for saving money and making the most of your trip.

Tips for Visiting SeaWorld Orlando

Tips for Visiting SeaWorld Orlando

By and large, visiting SeaWorld/Busch Gardens theme parks tends to be a pretty laid back experience, particularly if you are used to planning a Disney trip. So, my tips for visiting SeaWorld Orlando are about saving money and making the most of your day.

Saving Money at SeaWorld

There are a few ways to save money on your SeaWorld Orlando trip.

  1. Book a package. Initially, we booked one of these in February 2022. However, my mom had a conflict at work and we had to cancel the package. So, I can attest to the fact they are really easy to work with if you need to cancel or modify a package. The vacation packages involve booking a room near the park (typically a chain hotel) and comes with several days worth of tickets. It also comes with some additional discounts for merch.
  2. Look out for sales. I said this in my SeaWorld Orlando Animal Tours: What to Expect post. However, I almost always booked our add-on tours using a discount. Their Black Friday/Cyber Mondays specials are typically really good, with discounts being better than an annual passholder discount.
  3. Consider a Fun Card or Annual Pass. If you are going for multiple days, a Fun Card can be a good way to save money on admission. The Fun Card does not come with additional discounts though. An annual pass comes with free bring a friend passes as well as merch and food discounts. My advice: do the math to see if either option saves you money.

Other SeaWorld Orlando Tips

  1. Have a rough outline of the day. SeaWorld doesn’t post their schedule too far in advance, typically. However, a few weeks out you should be able to get a good idea of what shows are happening and when. So, I typically have a general idea of what we’d like to accomplish with a Google Sheet schedule for the day to help guide our day. FYI: the only meal you can pre-book is the Dine with Orcas meal and show. If you want to eat at Sharks Underwater Grill, you will have to join the waitlist at the podium when they open.
  2. Look out for special events. SeaWorld Orlando hosts several special events throughout the year. You can see my Christmas at SeaWorld Orlando Review as well as SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween posts to see what you can expect at those seasonal events. They will have specialty food as well as entertainment during those events. So, be sure to pencil those into your day if they are of interest to you.
  3. Download the app. They no longer offer paper maps. So, be sure to have the app downloaded if you need help navigating the park. Additionally, the app has an up to date park schedule to help guide your day as well.
  4. Plan a break. Seeing as how we have never stayed near the park, we typically just sit down on a bench in the shade somewhere and people watch. This gives us a chance to re-charge and enjoy the rest of the day.

So, those are my tips for visiting SeaWorld Orlando. Do you have any others?

Must Try Food at Hersheypark

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One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to eat new things! So, I thought I would highlight some must try food at Hersheypark!

Must Try Food at Hersheypark

Food at Hersheypark

There is lots to see and do in Hershey, PA. However, some of my most memorable experiences involves the delicious food! Seeing as how the Hershey Company is known for chocolate, it makes sense that their theme park would have lots of tasty options. Personally, part of the appeal of visiting here was getting to try chocolate on everything. As you will see, any chocolate or sweet fan can find lots to try here.

Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor

I initially was going to tell you about some delicious ice cream whoopie pies I had here. However, when I went to write this post, I realized they were no longer available. Although, you can get some tasty ice cream to cool off with from Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor! You can also get a big bucket of chicken bites with various sauces here! We tried the chicken and were pleased with it. I don’t have pictures as we snacked on them during a sudden downpour outside and the restaurant was packed! Plus, everything was wet. Nonetheless, I can recommend stopping here for a quick bite to eat.

Mini Donuts

We loved trying the flavor of the month mini donuts from the East Coast Donuts Truck! When we were there, they had these tasty donuts with a marshmallow glaze and Fruity Pebbles cereal on top! This was straight up childhood nostalgia for me and I would eat these again in a heartbeat!

The Chocolatier Restaurant

The Chocolatier is a full-service restaurant and bar that is just at the gates of the park. It is open year round and is certainly a must-do for anyone visiting. The best thing I ate in Hershey was at this restaurant. I got a huge slice of Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate cake that I split with my mom. It was amazing! I don’t see it on the menu currently, but I’m sure any of the desserts here would be just as good.

Hersheypark Foods I Wish I Tried

Seeing as how we spent only a few days at the park, I didn’t get to try everything I wanted to. If I ever go back, I’d like to try the crabfries from Chickie’s and Pete’s as well as anything from The Sweeterie.

New Foods for 2023

Hersheypark just opened for its 2023 season and announced some new foods! The Simply Chocolate dessert shop will have new King Size Shakes flavors! They’ve also added a new Philly Cheesesteak Co. location in the Pioneer Frontier region of the park. Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor is now serving a Chicken Bacon Ranch Grilled Cheese and seasonally exclusive ice cream flavors like Lemon Meringue Pie! Lastly, The Chocolatier will have some new seasonal dishes including a Summer Berry Salad and Peach Upside Down Cake.

So, if you have visited, what was your favorite food at Hersheypark? If you haven’t been, what would you like to try?

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review

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I made a trip to Universal Orlando Resort in February 2023 with my mom to experience Universal Orlando Mardi Gras again. On that trip, we were lucky enough to stay a few nights at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort! So, I wanted to share my thoughts on our stay in a standard room.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort

Sapphire Falls Resort

Sapphire Falls is now considered a Signature Collection Resort. While it does not come with Express Passes, it does have its own boat transportation to the Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and City Walk! It will have bus transportation to Epic Universe.

This resort has a nice sit down restaurant as well as a classier vibe than the Prime Values. Staying here also gets you into the park an hour early, just like the other official resorts. I am very pleased to note that this resort is significantly quieter than Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside or Surfside.

Standard Room

I really like the theming of this resort. From the individual lights outside each room’s door to the lighted mirror vanity in the room, it really is a nice place to stay. We found the room to be more than big enough for the two of us. You can see pictures of our room in this Instagram post.

Our only complaints about staying here involve the bathroom and they are minimal. For starters, the toilet had trouble flushing off and on. I’m not sure what the problem was, but it was struggling. We also had issues getting the toilet paper to stay on the holder as it kept falling down. It was funny the first few times, but then we stopped putting it on the holder to avoid chasing it. Lastly, I feel like the room could use a few more towel hooks, especially if you were going to have four people staying in it.

Food Options

Food is the category where I think you can really tell the difference between this resort and lower priced options, like Universal’s Aventura Hotel. The values and prime values have just quick service restaurants. Sapphire Falls has a quick service restaurant called New Dutch Trading Co. However, it also has a sit down restaurant, Amatista Cookhouse! I love eating dinner here with their tasty bread service and juicy chicken! The breakfast buffet has some great donuts too! Lots of choices here and I recommend eating here if you happen to be staying next door at Aventura.

Is Sapphire Falls worth it?

Overall, we were very pleased with our stay at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. We got an annual passholder discount on the room, which made it a good deal. Between the boat service to the parks and good dining options, I would definitely stay here again.

Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours

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My mom and I were lucky enough to do several add-on Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours when we visited the park back in January. Today, I thought I would tell you what you can expect if you book one of these tours and provide a few tips.

Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours

Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours

You can see lots of animals with a regular ticket to this Tampa Bay theme park. So, don’t feel pressure to buy the add-on Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours. However, I can say from experience that these tours really add something to your theme park day. Plus, lots of these are unique experiences I’ve never seen at another theme park! Granted there is a penguin tour, which looks similar to the SeaWorld Orlando tour we did back in 2022. However, by and large, this park has lots of unique offerings!

Serengeti Safari

I think one of the must do’s when you visit this park is the Serengeti Safari! You can typically get this one for around $50/person, sometimes less, sometimes more. However, it’s the only place I’ve been to where you literally ride a truck out and get to hand feed giraffes! My mom and I absolutely loved this one! It’s so unique and fun! If we ever go back, we will be doing this one again.

I will say, the tours earlier in the day appeared to have fewer people on them. So, we will try booking one of those as our tour was completely full and there were a few too many people in our group in our opinion. Some people attempted to hog time with the giraffes and kept trying to film themselves with the animals instead of moving out of the way. Nonetheless, we were able to feed the giraffes and got awesome pictures from this experience!

Australia Insider

To be honest, my mom and I booked this one on a Black Friday promo and weren’t even sure what we booked. Haha! It ended up being really cool though. We got a personal tour of the Kangaloom area, including meeting some birds. Then, we got to feed some kangaroos! It was neat to hold a cup with food while a kangaroo approached and then put their paws on the cup too as they ate! This one is around $50, depending on when you do it. Personally, it’s only worth it if you are a fan of kangaroos and/or want to feed them.

Aldabra Tortoise

The other add on I was most excited for was the tortoise! I love turtles and tortoises! So, getting to feed and be up-close with one of the world’s largest tortoises was amazing! My mom wasn’t really looking forward to this one, but quickly found herself enjoying it! They remind me of dinosaurs with their ancient looking skin and bodies. So much fun! For around $20/person, it’s one of the more affordable options and it’s well-worth it in my opinion.

Hippo Insider

This one took us behind the scenes to a special area to pet a hippo! You don’t realize how big these creatures are until you are right beside one! I don’t recommend wearing long sleeves or anything fancy on this one though as the hippos secrete “blood sweat” which can stain your clothes! They hand you wipes immediately afterwards to clean your hands, but just something to keep in mind if you book this one. It costs around $40, but is a neat experience for sure!

Tips for Animal Tours

  • Look for deals. These tours can be pricey. We booked most of our experiences during their big Black Friday/Cyber Monday special. The Safari wasn’t on sale during that promo, so we used an annual passholder discount on it.
  • Make a schedule. Some of these tours are offered only 1-2 times a day. So, check out the various tours of interest and see if times conflict before booking them.
  • Arrive early. All but one of these experiences (the Australia Insider one) met at the same location towards the back of the park. The tour check in features a nice tent with some shade to wait for the tour under. They also have some free water you can drink while you wait. It was nice to sit and relax for a few minutes before our tours in this area.
  • Wear comfortable shoes. By this I mean closed toe shoes. You will want your feet protected from both animals and the environment when you enter an animal’s habitat. Trust me.

So, have you ever done one of the Busch Gardens Tampa Animal tours?

Things to Do in Hershey, Pennsylvania

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I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are so many things to do in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I always assumed it was just the theme park. However, when I planned my trip back in 2021, I was happy to see there were so many options. Here are some of the things you can experience when you visit!

Things to Do in Hershey

Things To Do In Hershey

While I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer number and variety of things to do in Hershey when I visited, I have to admit that I didn’t get to experience everything I would have liked. Unfortunately, things were still re-opening from the pandemic (understandable). So, while I wasn’t able to experience all of these things personally, I will give my opinion on the things I did.

Visit Hersheypark

I think I have to begin this post with the most obvious thing to do in Hershey, PA: visit Hersheypark! This is the wonderful theme park that is themed to the chocolate company! It’s one of the few parks I know of that includes admission to a zoo as well as a waterpark during the warmer months! There’s a lot to do here and you can easily spend a few days enjoying this place!

Hershey’s Chocolate World

Located right beside Hersheypark is Hershey’s Chocolate World! This is a must visit for any chocolate lover! In fact, I’ve already written an entire post detailing all of the fun you can have at Chocolate World! Again, I highly recommend spending a half to a full day here, depending on your interests. Such a fun and unique place!

Visit the Musuem

If you are a history buff, then you must visit the Hershey Story! It’s a museum filled with artifacts telling the story of Milton Hershey! They also offer some fun add-on experiences/classes here from time to time. I was very disappointed that I didn’t get to do one on my trip. However, I did enjoy visiting the museum as admission was included with our stays at the Hershey Lodge and The Hotel Hershey. You can click those links to read my reviews of those resorts.

Visit the Gardens

Staying at one of the official resorts also offers free admission to the beautiful Hershey Gardens! It’s hard to believe that the gardens were started when Milton requested a rose garden. Now, all of these years later it’s grown into this big, beautiful place! My mom and I enjoyed walking around here and just looking at everything! We especially liked the butterflies!

Get a Spa Treatment

This is one of those things that I wish I had done on my trip. I’ve actually never gotten a spa treatment. However, the idea of a chocolate spa treatment sounds appealing to me. Maybe someday!

See a Show

I didn’t realize it until we arrived, but there’s a theater as well as a few entertainment venues in Hershey, PA. You can catch a Broadway caliber show, a famous music act, or even catch a Hershey Bears hockey game! I recommend looking at the schedule of entertainment whenever you plan your trip!

So Much to See and Do

It would be easy to spend several days here and not do everything! There are just so many things to do in Hershey! So, have you done any of these things?