Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater, FL

www.seewinter.com

Date of Visit: Summer 2012

Admission: $21.95

Hours: 9AM-6PM

Quick Intro

As you have probably figured out by their website name the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is where the Dolphin Tale movies were filmed. Judging by that fact it seemed like it would be a cool little place to check out. It was reasonably priced and local to where we were at the time. They rescue, research, rehabilitate, and release animals so the mission is awesome. It is a tad smaller though than most places we have visited.

Highlights

The rescue part of it, winter's story, the sea turtles, and the pelicans were all neat.

Disappointments

Wish it was much bigger and had a wider variety of animals to look at.

Pictures from the website

Turtle Bayou

Shipwreck Alley

Otter Oasis

Shark Pass

Rufus Beach

Winter Zone

Rating

I gave this zoo 1.5 out of 5 elephants.
This zoo gets ranked higher than the Seas at Epcot because it is a rehab zoo that does a tremendous job. If you have seen the Dolphin Tale movie and liked it, I am sure that adds something to it as well. It also isn't too expensive. Most importantly though as far as viewing animals it is not an impressive place to be so it can't be ranked too high. Just from an amount of animals to look at, it matches up about even with Tarpon Springs, but Tarpon Springs is 1/3 the price. Therefore, this had to be somewhere in between 0 and 2. Putting it on the higher end of that because of the entertainment value of Winter and the mission of the aquarium.

-Noland

Hollywood Studios Upgrades

We believe that we have become experts of sorts on all things Disney World. Throughout the year with our passes we learned a lot about how the parks work and how to navigate them. It was a good time for us to learn what to do and how to do it. Through all of that though, it was apparent that one park needed some major upgrades and that park was Hollywood Studios.

As much as we love Hollywood Studios, it was difficult to attend with a toddler. The reason it was so difficult is that currently this park only has 5 rides operating. Three of those rides (Tower of Terror, Rock n'Roller Coaster, and Star Tours) have a height requirement of 40" to ride. My son is quite tall for his age, but he is not 40" tall so those three are out for Hollywood Studios. This leaves us with little options when attending that particular park as a family. Those options decrease because the Toy Story line is never less than an hour and we are not fans of The Great Movie Ride. Now, we are able to get by because of character meet and greets, and the Disney Jr. show, but the park needs to increase it's level of family entertainment for this park to reach its full potential. We always make sure we get a Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass+ before we go here so we have as many options as possible. Unfortunately, everyone else can not be so lucky. Other great offerings at the studios are Character Palooza and The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. However, Palooza isn't advertised (for good reason) and the Light show is only during Christmas. Those going can see Fantasmic, but often have to wait close to an hour for seats on many occasions. It is no wonder why this is the least crowded park at Walt Disney World and there obviously needs to be some changes about it.

Knowing there is an issue in this regard, Disney has decided to make some adjustments at this park. First, Disney decided to remove the Sorcerer's hat. This move is appealing to those who like the classic look of Disney before they get shocked by all the changes. It makes it more difficult for young families that grew up with the hat like myself, but those who remember the previous view of the Chinese Theater love it. That is the group Disney was trying to appease with this move. Not only that, but moving the hat symbolizes that this park is upgrading and heading in a new direction. The upgrades are something that I think everyone is excited about.

After removing the hat, Disney will continue the transformation of the park. The most significant talk is around doubling the size of Toy Story Midway Mania and Pixar Place in general. By doubling the size they would cut down wait time significantly. Opening a larger portion of the ride would be a huge boost by allowing more people to ride the park's biggest attraction. Expanding the entire Pixar section which certainly seems to be happening, would allow the Studios to add rides from popular movies such as Finding Nemo, Cars, and Monsters Inc. Additionally, they would be able to add more from the fantastic Toy Story franchise. Since Toy Story has been gold in the parks, this would be the strongest idea IMO. Rumored future attractions include an Army Men Drop, Slinky ride, Radiator Springs Racers, and a Monsters Inc. Door Coaster. All of those rides would be exciting, but any Pixar attractions would be sure to spice up the parks.

One other expansion that has been confirmed is a Stars Wars section being made at the park. While this expansion was put on hold last year, it will be happening at some point in the not too distant future. It was put on hold to include elements from the Episode 7 movie among other things. There is no doubt that Hollywood Studios will have an increased Star Wars presence. Talk exists that one new attraction could be a Star Wars Speeder Bike Coaster. The new coaster would be a fantastic attraction. It would seem that the Pixar section would be more family friendly and at least one major coaster would go in this Star Wars section. Additional rumors exist that the Indiana Jones stunt show will close for a Star Wars themed show. If that happens though, it will be far down the road. No doubt that Star Wars will add a much needed punch to the parks.

Finally, there are several rumors surrounding the shows at Hollywood Studios. People love the shows at Hollywood Studios and they have helped keep the park afloat all these years. However, they seem to be outdated. These shows are simply not as good as the Finding Nemo and Lion King shows at Animal Kingdom. Considering the name of the park is Hollywood Studios, this park NEEDS better shows. Not only do they need better shows, but the shows should be the best in the parks. I personally love the Indiana Jones show, but it gets old after a while. Meanwhile the shows at AK never get old. There are definitely better options out there for shows. This is certainly true about the Little Mermaid show which is not as cool as the ride at MK and the overrated Beauty and the Beast show. In fact, the Beauty and the Beast show was listed on my overrated attraction list. Now, there has been talk that Beauty and the Beast would be replaced by either a Tangled show or a Frozen show. Sign me up for Tangled, that show has an incredible amount of potential. If they got Mandy Moore to do it once and a while, I would be quite happy. Besides the fact that Jenna and I enjoy Tangled more, Anna and Elsa are being pushed far too hard on people. Personally, we understand all the Frozen updates, but a show with the rides and everything else could easily be overkill. Meanwhile, Tangled is not represented at all.

Removing that Indiana Jones show is on the backburner with all of these other updates, but will happen eventually. The question is what show replaces it? My guess would be that a show around Star Wars will eventually take its place, but I would enjoy a Monsters Inc. show or another Disney movie show. Personally, I believe a Jungle Book show would be the best idea in its spot. However, I realize that is quite unlikely. The Little Mermaid show is likely also on the backburner to be removed. This should happen though because it doesn't fit with the theme of that part of the park. It is all Disney Jr. stuff over there. I suggest either an additional Meet N' Greet with the other Disney Jr. characters (Sheriff Callie, Henry Hugglemonster, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, etc.) or another Disney Jr. themed attraction. If they do a show, a cool idea that won't be considered is a Tinga Tinga Tales show! That was mine and Jenna's favorite cartoon on Disney Jr. to watch with our Jr. Another Disney Jr. attraction either a ride, a Meet N' Greet, or show would help make this park even more family friendly. Making it more family friendly would surely increase park attendance.

Hollywood Studios is a fantastic park, but it will get even better and that is exciting!!!

Here are some fun pictures of us at Hollywood Studios during our year with passes.
Hollywood Studios @ Christmas Time

Hollywood Studios is the 1st Park Jr. Walked In

The pictures were mostly from Christmas, but some other events were featured in these photos, like Fantasmic!
Have a fantastic weekend people!

-Noland

Our New "Baby Buddy"

Hey everyone, this is Jenna. Noland has been typing up posts every week for my little blog. I love that he is keeping it active because I just haven't had the time. We are so excited that a "baby buddy" is on the way! Back in December, Noland announced that I was pregnant to the Facebook world.

And last week I was 18 weeks, I was able to get my 2nd ultrasound. This was super exciting because we could find out if it's a boy or girl. The funny thing is that Noland already had a post typed up and ready to go to share whether it is a boy or girl and I had typed one up on my phone. So I'm combining them to make it a SUPER post from both of us and intertwining our 2 separate posts together... sorry if we repeat some things but here goes...

Jenna: And so I'll reveal the news... Drum roll, please... ITS A BOY! I am so excited! I never had a preference, I just wanted a healthy baby and so far it looks like everything is going well! His name is Eli Thomas Robinson and we will call him Eli. It is special because Thomas is my grandfather's middle name but he goes by Tom. Eli will actually have the same first 2 initials to my grandpa...which is E.T. My grandpa's name is Emrys Thomas. We love my grandpa so it's awesome to give him a special little legacy. Noland Jr. was named after Noland's side of the family (obviously :)) The name "Noland" goes back at least 6 generations. We are both excited that we have special stories for how we chose our kiddos' names.

Noland: Neither of us had a clue what this bundle of joy was including Noland Jr. who referred to the baby constantly as "baby buddy." Side Note: Noland Jr. calling the baby by this name, "baby buddy" was the cutest thing we had ever seen until the gender reveal. My wonderful bosses at school agreed to let me come in 2 hours late for the big reveal. We were very excited for the big news. Jr. was probably most excited when we told him "baby buddy" was on the ultrasound screen. He said "that's baby buddy" and "baby buddy is so pretty." Can't you tell that this is going to be the best big brother ever? Anyways, after the size checks were done, it was time for the big reveal and it's another boy! There are so many advantages to another boy that we are thrilled about. Most exciting is the less than 3 year age difference between our boys. The hope and almost certainty is that they will be best buds. They will have two years together at least on sports teams in HS and, if we are really lucky, two at Florida State! We are both Noles and I am a coach so naturally I think about that. However, I am just thrilled to be having another one and can't wait to see what my kids accomplish. These kids are going to be awesome! I can't wait to see how this new boy's personality develops. Judging by our first one, he will be quite the character. Judging by Jr.'s reaction, we will be quite blessed as a family with fantastic kids. No matter how many we have and what genders we have, we know that God has truly blessed our family.

Jenna: I absolutely agree that Noland Jr is going to be such a good big brother to his little brother! I just can't wait to see him in action. It's absolutely crazy because I almost think he understands a little bit. We've been telling him that there is a baby in Mommy's belly. As Noland shared, before we went to the ultrasound, he kept calling Eli, "baby buddy." It is so funny. At the ultra sound he said, "Baby buddy, on screen." He continued to point at the screen and even said, "Baby buddy is pretty." It was the sweetest most genuine moment. Every night I ask Noland Jr for a kiss before bed and he says, "Eli kisses?" And then proceeds to pull up my shirt so he can kiss my tummy. Even today I asked for a kiss and he said "No". But then I said "Eli kisses?" And he will kiss my tummy. I'm not sure he completely understands but it seems like he does. It will be so awesome for him to have a little brother. I know they are going to be best buddies. We are just excited to grow our little family!

Noland: Eli Thomas is a name that packs a lot of punch for us. One reason is that he is named after the nicest man alive. Not only that, but he will have the same first two initials as that great man. We did change the first name though even though her grandpa goes by Tom and his middle name is Thomas. We changed the first name to give it even more meaning. You see on our first date, Jenna and I saw the Book of Eli. Eli is also a famous name in the bible. This name is perfect for this child. A fantastic name and story for a fantastic child on his way. Please welcome Eli Thomas coming in July 2015. In the meantime we will enjoy Noland Jr. going up to mommy's stomach and saying, "I love you, baby Eli". It is adorable watching him kiss that baby belly everyday and telling Eli how much he loves him and can't wait to see him. That is the best part of my day everyday. Below are pictures of Jr.'s new "baby buddy.":

In this second picture below, I'm pretty sure that you can see his leg and his little boy part has an arrow pointing to it. Also in the bottom left, that is his head. He way laying in a silly position during the ultrasound.

In this picture below, I'm pretty sure it is his bottom and legs.

Thanks for stopping by to read our news. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Love,

Jenna & Noland

Lenten Sacrifices

Hello everyone! As most of you know by now, Jenna and I are Catholic. We have been cradle Catholics which means we were born Catholic and remained in our faith our entire lives. Catholics currently are celebrating a season of Lent (started this Wednesday with Ash Wednesday) which prepares us spiritually for the death and Resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ. During the season of Lent, it is customary for Catholics to give up something during this season. It can be a commitment to do good, giving up a vice, or just something to try to make you better during this season. The goal is to help you along spiritually. Jenna and I thought that we would share what we are doing during this season.

The first sacrifice we will make is the same sacrifice all Catholics make, no meat on Fridays. It may not seem that difficult, but let me tell you, as a man with Crohn's that already has a limited diet, this is a very difficult task. Here is an article on why Catholics do not eat meat on Fridays during Lent. All Lent long our family will be like the rest of Catholics and not eat meat on Fridays. However, it will be much easier for Noland Jr. than the rest of us!

Our next sacrifice is going to be of our time in an effort to be more spiritual. After discussion, we felt that while we pray everyday, this is an area of our lives we could certainly improve. Jenna and I have decided to give additional time to good during the Lenten season for prayer. We are going to pray a rosary everyday for a different special intention. Since Lent is more than 40 days if you count Sundays, on the Sunday bonus day, we are going to pray for Life. Those prayers for Life will be for an end to abortion and Euthanasia. For the other days, we are going to pray for a different friend or family member of ours. We started this for Noland Jr on Ash Wednesday and for our new baby to come yesterday. Today, we are praying for our nephew, Jase and tomorrow will be for Jack David. Next week, we are praying for my brother's kids each day a different kid. We decided to make a chart of who we wanted to pray for especially. Jenna also plans on making more rosaries during this time because she wants to give kids another outlet for praying this ultimate prayer. Since praying makes you closer to God this seems a very good Lenten promise to make.

Pictured above are some of the rosaries Jenna has made. She will also be posting more designs during the Lenten season on her ETSY Shop!

Finally, we also decided to increase our tithing. By giving up our treasure we will be giving money to God's church. The Catholic Church does a lot of God with the collection money and our money no doubt will be put to good use. Giving more money to church will be difficult during a time when we are trying to save to buy a house, but to he who gives much, much is given in return. It also is just an easy way to do some good during this most precious season.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little about our Lenten Promises. Have a joyous season everyone.
He is nearly Risen!
Rejoice and Be Glad!

-Noland

Gulf World Marine Park

Gulf World Marine Park

Panama City Beach, Florida

Date of Visit: December 2014

gulfworldmarinepark.com/

Admission: $28

Hours: 930AM-4PM

Quick Intro

Gulf World was a decent aquarium in Panama City. It is the first time I was able to visit a zoo locally while visiting my wife's family, so that was exciting. It is pretty small, but we were able to spend a few hours here. While it opened at 930, most of the creatures weren't out until 11 or so. They had some cool exhibits including the closest we've ever gotten to Flamingos. Several animals that seem they are at every FL animal attraction were present such as Alligators, Stingrays, and African Penguins. It was a decent experience.

Highlights

There were two fantastic shows at Gulf World. The first great show was the Sea Lion show which also featured rough-tooth dolphins. The second was the Bottlenose Dolphin show. Each of these were fantastic dolphin shows and better than the dolphin shows at Sea World. They were easily the highlight of the visit.

Disappointments

The shows other than the dolphin shows were a waste of time. The first show featured dogs, cats, and a rat. The reptile show only had 3 animals. Other shows were uninteresting. When we got there, as mentioned earlier, most animals were not on exhibit. There is a lot of wasted space at this zoo too. Considering how small this place is, there should not be wasted space. It appeared that there was an effort to help this by constructing a new stingray area, but right now they need to fill some of that void. Also the reptile show was surprisingly disappointing. The gator even peed on half of the audience during the show. The other reptile out was a bearded dragon and that also had an accident.

Pictures

Macaw

Random turtle

Son loved this Flamingo exhibit

Tortoises

African Penguins

Sea Turtles

Sea Lions

Rough Tooth Dolphins

Mid-air dolphin

Again mid-air

About to splash!

End of the sea lion show. This dolphin and sea lion kissed.

Our son was thrilled after the rough tooth dolphin show.

End of the Bottlenose Dolphin show.

In the end, we were looking around for more, but poked our heads in and enjoyed ourselves.

Rating

I gave this aquarium 2.5 out of 5 elephants.
The reason for this rating is simple. There were two fantastic shows both involving dolphins, but other than that this aquarium was a snoozefest. The day started with empty exhibits and a dud of a show in "Feathers and Furry Friends." While some of the exhibits were cool like the turtles and the penguins, they were not as cool as other exhibits we have seen featuring the same creatures. The shows bumped this place up to average because they were that good. Other than the shows, this is a 1 elephant zoo. If you go here you have to check out those shows with the dolphins.

-Noland

10 Most Overrated Things @ Walt Disney World

Last Week, I did my list of all things underrated at Walt Disney World. This week, I do the opposite. While I have very few negative things to say about my times at Disney World, these are definitely experiences that could be improved. Each of them is something that is lacking a tad. Here are the most overrated things at Walt Disney World.

10 Most Overrated Things @ Disney World

10) Beauty and the Beast Show – Hollywood Studios
This show is not bad and we actually both like it, but it isn't up to par with other shows Disney has to offer. The songs are rushed and they are not movie quality. Be Our Guest especially seems out of place in the show. It is just weird to not be sung by one person. It is a disappointing show at the end of the day.

9) Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – Magic Kingdom

This was a fun event and better than other pay events I have been to on Disney property. I just don't think that it was worth the extra admission. It should be included with your season pass. In reality, we paid extra for a few extra characters, a different parade, and candy. However, we got the priceless photo above and got to meet all the Pooh characters again so it was not a complete waste. Another bright spot is that the parade was one of the best we have seen at Disney. Still it just was not worth the extra admission.

8) The Mickey Bar
Don't kid yourselves people! It is an ice cream bar shaped with Mickey Ears. It is nothing special. It is in your head that it tastes better. This is actually quite good, but it is not a must have as some suggest.

7) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Magic Kingdom
Again a great ride, but it is just not as good as advertised. This is not the best ride on Disney property, but it always has the longest wait at Magic Kingdom. I think this is largely due to the fact that it is newer though. It will be interesting to see if the wait is this long in a year or two. You cannot reserve a fastpass unless it is more than a month out though and the wait is usually around 2 hours. Just not worth it.

6) The Great Movie Ride – Hollywood Studios
Some people would put this on their underrated list, but not me. The ride is boring. It is okay if you have to wait no time for it, but honestly this ride is one that I wouldn't wait more than 10 minutes for. Compared to other rides, it just doesn't have much to offer.

5) Kali River Rapids - Animal Kingdom
This ride isn't bad, but it isn't worth the wait. I actually quite enjoy this ride. However, an hour plus wait for River Rapids is a joke. I have consistently seen the wait for this thing in the 80 minute range. Seriously? It is just a basic river rapid ride.

4) Disney Dining
Some people act like the dining at Disney is to die for and even dedicate whole websites to it. Honestly though, it is just theme park food. Some of the food places are better than others. We personally enjoy Be Our Guest a lot, but all are something you can miss. Disney even lets you bring food from home and that is an option we typically take for one of our two meals of the day. I will say though that character dining experiences are well worth the price and that experience is underrated. The majority of the restaurants though simply aren't as good as advertised. Be Our Guest looks awesome at Christmas Time though and throughout the year! It is one I recommend for lunch if the wait isn't too long! Don't waste your time waiting though if line is insane. Here are some pics of that restaurant from Christmas!






3) Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Magic Kingdom


This party was a major disappointment! I was slightly discouraged by the Halloween Party, but had high hopes for the Christmas Party because Christmas is my favorite holiday. However, I liked the Halloween Party far better than the Christmas Party and I'm not even that into Halloween! The only special meet and greet they really had was Uncle Scrooge. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing special about this event. They had less time that you could meet the Pooh characters and there just was not as much here. Add in that we were convinced we would get to meet Jiminy Cricket and we did not, and we were just disappointed all around. We do not plan on repeating this event. This was way to Frozen oriented and then you couldn't even meet Olaf which is the one Frozen character we would have liked to meet/see.

2) The World Showcase Epcot
Some people love Epcot and it is their favorite park. Not us! It is our least favorite park by far. The reason for this is the World Showcase. It has no value for us outside of Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Germany. We like Germany for the Caramel store, in the United Kingdom we like Christopher Robin's Room, and we like the whole atmosphere in Mexico, but other than that it is overrated. In reality, you are paying a ton of money to buy food and/or beverage and shop by going to the World Showcase. You are paying money to spend much more money. I will say the exception to this is the Flower and Garden Festival which offered some cool things in the World Showcase. Still if we could get passes for cheaper and not have Epcot on them, we would choose that. Enjoy our pics of the Flower and Garden Festival though! The Lion King one is my favorite.














1) Anna and Elsa
The only thing more overrated than the World Showcase at Disney World is, Anna and Elsa. These princesses are very overrated. They have soaked into every aspect of Disney. The market has been saturated and they are coming for more. Soon they will be in every park and Epcot will be the centerpiece. A huge meet and greet is being added in the World Showcase by Norway and a ride in Norway as well. While I have no problem with that or the love the sisters are getting because Disney should take advantage of the fanfare, it is getting a tad ridiculous. I don't blame Disney though. Still, right now I have seen the meet and greet line reach 5 hours long! 5 hours to meet two characters is beyond insane. That is half of your day at Disney World! Spending all of that on one meet and greet is a complete joke. If you do not have a Fastpass for this you better skip it. Start pushing the Belle and Little Mermaid now parents because you do not want to be waiting 5 hours for anything at Disney World! Much better things you can be doing with your time.

While I think these are overrated, I do not hate them. I definitely do not hate Disney either and this list was tough. I am satisfied with the list though and hope it helped you. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

-Noland