EXPLORING THE SEAS
BY DANI MORITZ
Education , entertainment , and air conditioning ? Just what every parent needs on a long day at EPCOT ! Finding Dory ’ s Friends : A Fin-Tastic Scavenger Hunt is a perfect activity for families looking for some fun-filled relief from the Florida sun . No standing in long lines required .
IN THE BIG BLUE WORLD Located in The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion at EPCOT , this free scavenger hunt takes place in the aquarium at the exit of The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride . Just keep swimming ( well , walking ) when you disembark from your clamobile , and you ’ ll find a booth with small scavenger hunt booklets featuring Dory on the cover .
Start your journey with the ride if the queue is short or you have a Lightning Lane reservation , but if there ’ s a long line and your little one needs to burn off some energy now , you can head straight into the Seas Pavilion and skip the ride .
PERFECT FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS This Finding Dory-inspired self-guided scavenger hunt is perfect for fish fans of all ages , including young explorers . During the fun , interactive experience , kids can dive deep into the big blue world and learn more about its marine inhabitants . The hunt takes less than an hour to complete , and it ’ s a great opportunity to take a break from the go-go-go and enjoy some indoor entertainment .
This directory is swimmingly informative . PHOTO BY CJ AYD
This self-guided scavenger hunt lets kids discover some pretty peachy things . PHOTO BY LAURIE SAPP
EXPLORING THE SEAS
While Finding Dory ’ s Friends and the Seas With Nemo & Friends are tons of fun , there ’ s plenty more to offer in this pavilion ’ s underwater world called SeaBase . Kids can head to Bruce ’ s Shark World , where they can take their photo inside Bruce ’ s mouth . ( Don ’ t worry , he promises not to bite ! Kids are friends , not food !)
You can also head to fan-favorite Turtle Talk with Crush , where your little ones can have a real-time chat with the totally tubular sea turtle , or catch a fish feeding at 10 a . m . and 3:30 p . m . for an up-close look at a fishy feeding frenzy .
Finally , The Seas serves as a temporary rehabilitation residence for West Indian manatees injured by boat strikes or from cold stress . These manatees won ’ t stay forever ; the point of the program is to get them healthy and back into the wild . Come back on each visit to see their progress .
PREVIOUS : We can ’ t say this enough : Education , entertainment , and air conditioning ! PHOTO BY CJ AYD RIGHT : The hunt itself can take about an hour , but it could take longer … after all , there ’ s plenty to see here in the big blue world ! PHOTO BY LAURIE SAPP