2019 SoCal Trip: Part I - Arrival and Sea World

For Tyler's mid-winter break we decided to fly down to Southern California. Last year we didn't go anywhere for mid-winter break, but after this year's Snowmaggedon we were eager to get away. With every snow day it felt more and more like a distant dream. It was so nice when the day finally came!

Originally we'd been excited to take some of the first flights out of the new Everett airport, but we ended up having to reschedule our flights out of SeaTac due to the government shutdown at the beginning of the year. We were pretty disappointed by that, but we were lucky enough to have lovely friends with big vans willing to give us a ride. The Nielsens even brought their shovel along and shoveled our road while we loaded up.

We made it to the airport with plenty of time and let the kids play in the play area we'd discovered before our flight to Orlando. We had 4 carry ons, 4 backpacks, and 2 strollers, but fortunately SeaTac airport let us take a metal cart all the way to the gate on both this and our last flight.

The flight went pretty well, though I regretted bringing Allison's car seat during the ride. She didn't sleep in it, though we flew right over her naptime, so it just added extra bulk, gave her less leg room, and made it so she couldn't put her tray table down, not to mention having to transport it both ways. We decided to check it on our way back. On the plus side the kids really enjoyed take off with Allison squealing "we're flying in the clouds like a pterandodon!" They kept themselves entertained fairly well and only fussed a little when the ear pressure started bothering them.

Transporting all our stuff was a lot more difficult when we arrived in LA. We took our sweet time taking everyone to the bathroom and down to baggage check, but we managed to arrive just as Tyler's booster seat came out on the baggage carousel. We hopped a shuttle to pick up our rental van then had a bit of a wait wrangling kids while Oscar retrieved our vehicle. Mom and dad had originally planned on driving down to meet us, but they decided to fly last minute and found a flight arriving at Long Beach airport 90 minutes after we arrived at LAX. This timed out nicely since their airport was on our way to our resort in Carlsbad and we were able to pick them up not too long after they'd arrived.

We still had a long drive, but we stopped at a lookout to see the view before the sun went down. It was chilly and windy and most of our trip was about 10 degrees colder than southern California typically is in February, but it was still a lot better than the snow and cold we'd left behind. It was nice to only need a light jacket, not a big winter coat, gloves, hat, and boots.

We checked into the hotel then went to Ruby's Diner for dinner. Here's Allison and mom and dad watching the train going around and playing with the paper cars they give each child. The Ruby's Diners in Washington closed down several years ago. I hadn't even realized there were any left, but apparently there are plenty in southern California. They have the most delicious Asian dressing/Asian salad I've ever eaten. It was very satisfying getting to eat it again.

The next day we went to church then took a walk around the resort grounds and got oriented with the property. This was our first time staying at an HGVclub in California. Tyler painted a couple rocks at the Imagination Station while mom and I walked Allison over to the playground. I liked this structure more than the one at the Orlando resort, and I could relax more knowing Allison was safely fenced in.

Back in our room we unpacked and relaxed. It was cute to watch Oscar read 10 little dinosaurs Jumping on the Bed to Allison and to see Tyler reading Pete the Cat books to grandpa and Allison.

That day was also our 13th Anniversary, so we went out to dinner at Miguel's. Their pork belly appetizer was crazy good. Allison enjoyed playing these drums that double as seats while we were waiting to be sat. She was a bit difficult during the dinner (trying to climb out of our booth into the ones next to us), so Oscar took her for a walk around the restaurant. When they got to the lobby there were people using the drums as seats, so she ran up and pushed them off so she could play some more.

The next morning Oscar went for a run on the trail connected to the resort while the rest of us went swimming. I was so glad to have the kids' puddle jumper life jackets with us. Swimming was much more enjoyable this trip than in Orlando where we had to hold them the whole time. Mom and I were able to do the water aerobics classes both Monday and Friday while the kids swam in the pool with us or sat in the hot tub with grandpa. It was nice to have that flexibility and not feel paranoid about them drowning.

After swimming we went to Legoland. Our resort actually has its own entrance into the back of Legoland! Since I knew we would be that close I figured the 5 day Go San Diego Card was the best option for us. They have a list of attractions which you can visit any day your card is valid. Legoland will get its own post since we ended up visiting 4 of the 5 days for 2-4 hours each time.

After Allison took her nap we drove down to Sea World, arriving just after 4pm. The park was open until 7pm rather than 5pm since it was President's Day. We caught the end of the pet show then let the kids play in their awesome Sesame Street play area before going to the dolphin show. Oscar chased around Allison while I tailed Tyler. I'd hoped to come back to Sea World another day with our pass since we weren't able to see all the shows or ride all the rides, but it didn't work out. Had Sea World been as close to our resort as Legoland was, we certainly would have spent more time there.

Tyler was all smiles getting to meet Elmo. When it was his turn he ran up and hugged him and didn't want to let him go. He could not have been more thrilled. It left him smiling for a long time afterward.

We'd brought rain ponchos on the trip in case it rained at the themeparks, so we decided to bring them to Sea World and sit in the soak zone. Not many people want to sit in the soak zone in the evening during the winter, so we had perfect seats for the Dolphin show. Oscar got a short video and a few pictures but then had to put his phone away quickly when we started getting splashed. The rain ponchos kept most of us dry except for our feet. Allison was loving it until she got splashed right in the face. Tyler enjoyed it too, but he was starting to get tired after such a long day (he and I had stayed at Legoland while Allison had her nap). The ponchos didn't cover dad or Oscar's legs, so dad's pants got pretty wet and he remained pretty cold the rest of the night. Oscar at least had Allison on his lap to block the water.

After the show mom and dad took the kids on kids' rides while Oscar and I went on the two big coasters that Tyler couldn't do with us.

 And we finished off the evening at the Orca show. I'm so glad we got to see it! I hadn't expected it to be there since I'd read they were getting rid of it in 2017 due to the backlash they received from the film "Blackfish." It was absolutely amazing! I let Oscar do all the picture taking since I just sat there mesmerized. We used rain ponchos again to get perfect seats, though we didn't get wet at all. I enjoyed the digital aspects too, how they showed whales in the wild doing the same thing as the whales in front of us and explained what they use those skills for.

We were so close to the orcas! It was right in front of us when it beached.

 Allison loved it! She was crazy cute! She kept squealing things like "the whale is swimming in the sea!" and "the orcas are splashing!" I wish we'd had a recording of her adorable reactions. Her face was just wild with delight, and she talked about it for days afterward. Even now she mentions it occasionally.

Dad opted out of the Orca show and stayed in a heated, indoor area since he was still cold from his wet pants. On our way back to get him we passed the petting area, so Oscar ran ahead to get dad while mom and I let the kids pet the sharks and crabs. They really liked it! Even Tyler perked up after being pretty tired all through the orca show. They were hesitant at first but once they saw me do it they did it too. Allison squealed every time she touched one. It was a fun end to our long, full day.