The We Moved To Orlando Trip Report Update 4/12 Trevon's Birthday & East

[earthfaries]

So we decided to spend our first Thanksgiving here in Florida Florida style...having fun & relaxing in the warm sun all day with no worries...no cooking...no cleaning...just FUN and wow! It was THE BEST Thanksgiving!!!!!

We left the house about 8:15am and headed West to Tampa. We are exactly 1 hour from parking lot to driveway to Busch Gardens ~~ not a bad drive! It goes quickly going 74 MPH.

They opened at 9:30 and we wanted to get there in time to purchase our all day dining pass and have a nice breakfast at Zagoras.

Let me tell you about the Dining pass ~ it's a great deal if you don't want to pack snacks, lunch or drinks for the day
It's 30.00 for adults and 14.00 for the little ones and entitles you to all the food , drinks, snacks or desserts you want ALL day!
You can go into pretty much any counter or sit down restaurant you want, any time you want and order one entree, one drink (inc. bottled water) and one side or dessert each time you go through the line ~ no limit.
So it's really nice to get your breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between go in and grab a bottled water or a milk or a fruit cup. The kids get kids meals ~ in a collectible lunchbox. Passholders get 10% off so that's nice.

Anyway ~ on to our day ...

It was a beautiful day ~ not hot and a little chilly ~~ perfect. Very sunny and beautiful

We went in and had breakfast up front at Zagoras ~ this is my favorite meal of the day ~ the eggs and breakfast potatoes there are SO good!
We had a nice view of the snow falling and they had beautiful Christmas music playing over all the speakers in the park.
There was NO ONE there!!!! I am serious when I tell you that we've been bunches of times and always crowded ~~ even in Jan. and Feb.
There were FOUR rows of parking used 20 minutes before opening !!!!!!!!!!!! REally!!!! That's it, lol.

Here is a pic of Nara with her breakfast ~

After a nice , relaxing breakfast with the family (mom and dad came down the day before so they were there with us too )
I got some cotton candy ~~ now Busch Gardens has always had the best cotton candy ~ fresh and not flavored like fruit ~ but this day it was not good ~ tasted like coconut sunblock The kids liked it though!

Here they are with Santa ~

Nara eating the cotton candy ~

We leisurely made our way over to Montu ~ an inverted coaster. E wanted to try it out and so would Nara and Zar if they were tall enough. It was her first time on the coaster and she said it was awesome!

Look how dead it was , lol ~ and this time it was around 11am ~~~

Trevon and Zarius at the coaster ~

I took a few pics of the coaster while we waited for Elizabeth ~~ we didn't wait long ~ it was a total walk on !

Look at all the Thanksgiving Crowds !!!

lol

Next it was on to the Sky Ride ~~ the chair lift thing that takes you to the back of the park ~ here's my big boy Trevon ~~ he's TALLER than me know by the way and growing taller everyday! *Note his hoody ~~ he ran the 5K in October at DHS ~ it was AWESOME!!!

Beautiful views from the Gondola ~ get a load of this scary coaster ~ the SheiKra ~
Look at the drop!!

The wooden coaster ~

Elephants

Rhino Rally ~ the safari ride which is BETTER than AK's safari by far!!!

A better view of the drop on SheiKra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coming up next ~~ what did we do when we got off the Skyride ?
Stay tuned to find out!!




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[Aburns8]

Thanks for asking about my move. I am still adjusting. I like the weather more. Right now in Michigan it is like 7 degrees and we are in the 40's here. So I can't complain. I wonder if our Busch Gardens has that meal plan. We live 40 minutes from Williamsburg, VA. So we became annual passholders to our Bsuch Gardens. That scary roller coster looks like our version of the Griffen. I still don't have the guts to go on that one!

 

[earthfaries]

Thanks for asking about my move. I am still adjusting. I like the weather more. Right now in Michigan it is like 7 degrees and we are in the 40's here. So I can't complain. I wonder if our Busch Gardens has that meal plan. We live 40 minutes from Williamsburg, VA. So we became annual passholders to our Bsuch Gardens. That scary roller coster looks like our version of the Griffen. I still don't have the guts to go on that one!

I bet the weather change IS nice!!
I would love to go to your BG one day ~~ it looks so beautiful there!
I don't know if they have the meal plan ~ hopefully they do!
I don't have the guts to ride that ride either ~~ never will anymore! I would have when I was younger, lol ~ but not anymore!!
How long have you been in Va?

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[Aburns8]

We moved here in the beginning of September. My husband actually got a job in North Carolina, but we prefer to live in this area than in farm country!

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

Hi! I just found your thread and read the WHOLE thing! We are moving to Kissimmee in January and I am soooo excited about it. I will be working at Florida Hospital Celebration and we will be living off 192 about where it meets the turnpike. We rented a Beautiful apt so we can take our time looking at houses.
Your MR has been a great treat as we count down the days until our move, much like you were doing this same time last yr!
Hope we can meet sometime!

 

[earthfaries]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to post an update and let you all know everything is great here in Florida

We moved into our new home 2 months ago and LOVE it ~~ just waiting for it to warm up so we can enjoy the big pool !!

We have been going to WDW a LOT enjoying this time of year ~~ the weather , the lack of crowds ... well somedays, lol.

The kids have been enjoying a lot the area and WDW has to offer ~~ Trevon has a new passion ~~ running!

He ran the Tower of Terror 5K back in October and he ran the ESPN 5k last weekend and then yesterday ran the Royal Family 5k at Epcot. The kids has their first kids race last week at MGM also , and again yesterday at the Wide World of Sports. They had a great time and we're all enjoying all the wonderful opportunities available for locals

Here are some pics of the kids at the race yesterday ~~ it was great fun but very cold so early in the morning. We had to be at Epcot at 6am!!

Trevon after the race with his medal

Trevon and the kids with Tiana and Prince Naveen

Nara and Zar after their 2nd race with their medals

I will post pics of last weeks race at the ESPN weekend soon ~~ T got his picture taken with the Harlem Globetrotters and they were shocked at how tall he was for his age, lol.
He was as tall as two of them and taller than one of them!!

Well, I've got to get to bed so good night ~~ and thanks for reading along!!​

 

[starrzone]

So glad to see you back again!

Your kids look SO grown up! It's so, SO neat that you and your sister have this amazing opportunity to spend so much time with them, both at home and with all the fun activities you do. And as I've said before, I really admire how you took the risk and up and moved to Florida; I've been thinking of teaching English somewhere in Asia after I get my degree. Some people think I'm nuts, but you have to follow your heart, right?

Definitely keep us posted! I've heard that Florida has been having super cold temperatures as of late; is that true? Of course, being on the East Coast of Canada, "cold" is relative!

 

[Aburns8]

I am glad that everything is going great! Sounds like Disney offers a lot of races. I wish I could run, that is my goal by October. I hope the move wasn't too stressful. Any big plans for the summer?

 

[nhpooh]

Thanks for the update, everyone looks so happy way to go!

 

[earthfaries]

So glad to see you back again!

Your kids look SO grown up! It's so, SO neat that you and your sister have this amazing opportunity to spend so much time with them, both at home and with all the fun activities you do. And as I've said before, I really admire how you took the risk and up and moved to Florida; I've been thinking of teaching English somewhere in Asia after I get my degree. Some people think I'm nuts, but you have to follow your heart, right?

Definitely keep us posted! I've heard that Florida has been having super cold temperatures as of late; is that true? Of course, being on the East Coast of Canada, "cold" is relative!

Hi Thanks! It's so nice to see you again too!!
The kids really are growing up fast ~ T will be 14 in less than a month!!

You know we are so truly happy that we up and moved to Florida ~~ we have never had so much fun in a year in our lives !!!
The fun never ends and it's truly magical and I still get giddy thinking I can't believe we really live here and get to go to Disney multiple times per week!
When we're grocery shopping or eating out we see CMs in their uniforms ~ at yard sales we find AWESOME WDW stuff ~ just some of the perks of living here

It really has been cold this winter ~ but of course I've enjoyed it, lol.
I am actually looking forward to the summer though although it was SO hot last year ~ but we have a big pool out back now so we'll spend our time in there instead of hiding out in our home like last year, lol.

You definitely should follow your heart ~ we did it and it's been pure bliss ~~~ going to Asia to teach would be such a wonderful , exciting and enlightening experience ~~ you should definitely go for it ~ why not? You only live once in this lifetime so enjoy it to the max !!!!​

I am glad that everything is going great! Sounds like Disney offers a lot of races. I wish I could run, that is my goal by October. I hope the move wasn't too stressful. Any big plans for the summer?

Thanks!!
Me too
They sure do ~ every few months or more ~ depending on the time of year. He's ready to race in a few months at AK and in Oct. at MK and next year for the Marathon weekend ~ although it was very cold this past Marathon weekend ~ in the 20's

My goal is to walk the 5K with him ~ well, he would walk with me, lol.
I know you can do it too ~ it will be great!

The move was not stressful at all ~ we got settled in nicely and are enjoying our new home. I sure hope we can stay another year here ~ it's beautiful

I have lots of big plans for the summer ~ playing in the pool and hot tub!!!!!
We're very excited about that! We have a HUGE pool ~ 6ft deep on the deep end! And a hot tub ~ we're definitely looking forward to the hot weather this year.

We don't go to the parks in the summer ~ too hot! Our busy time of year for visiting parks and zoos, etc. is fall and winter so we're almost done going out a lot.

We still visit the parks but mostly in the evenings ​

Thanks for the update, everyone looks so happy way to go!

Thanks!
We really are ~ really enjoying ourselves ​

 

[ElliePeters]

We finally found this thread...we will be your neighbors in 2012!! Getting excited to move!!!

 

[M & K + 6]

Hey Im following your TR and love it. WAs so excited to find an update

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I love reading the update, as I have been following your journey! The kids look great and happy, very happy! I love the way you describe how great moving to Florida has been. Sounds like you are where you should be. Are you planning on staying in Florida long term? Everyone seems to love it there. Keep posting, and I will keep reading!

 

[Lady V]

So happy to read an update!! I can't wait until we get to move there. I'll be done with grad school in one year and then the plan is to pack up and move to Florida!! So ready for that!! Please keep us updated! Do you have any pics of the new house?

 

[earthfaries]

We finally found this thread...we will be your neighbors in 2012!! Getting excited to move!!!

Hi and welcome
Yay!
That's so exciting ~ it will be here before you know it !!​

Hey Im following your TR and love it. WAs so excited to find an update

Hi Thanks ~ so glad you are enjoying it ​

I love reading the update, as I have been following your journey! The kids look great and happy, very happy! I love the way you describe how great moving to Florida has been. Sounds like you are where you should be. Are you planning on staying in Florida long term? Everyone seems to love it there. Keep posting, and I will keep reading!

Hi
So glad to see you again
You know we planned on staying for about 2 years to see everything and get our fill of Disney but truly I don't think I'll be able to leave for a long time if ever, lol.
Trevon wants to go to College here and be an Imagineer ~ he will make such an incredible imagineer
E and I can't imagine not having Disney to go to when we want ~~ it would be very hard and boring any place else for us now.
We definitely aren't planning on leaving in a year ~ we will be staying here awhile
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So happy to read an update!! I can't wait until we get to move there. I'll be done with grad school in one year and then the plan is to pack up and move to Florida!! So ready for that!! Please keep us updated! Do you have any pics of the new house?

Thanks!
I am so happy for you ~~ it's getting so close!!!
That's a good idea ~ I'll take pictures and post them this week of our beautiful house ~ thanks for the suggestion!!​

 

[Ilivetogo]

Wow! LOVE the update. Love those smiling faces!

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[java]

Loving the updates! So glad to see the fun the kids are getting to have!

I think I need to read back because I must have missed "new place" discussion. I take it you moved homes??

 

[ElliePeters]

I cant wait for this to be my family in 2012. 2 years seems like a long way, but when planning it doesn't seem like that at all.

 

[serinlea]

Oh my goodness...someone linked this thread in another post and I just read the whole thing over 2 days. You are living my dream! Every work day, I get new job listings for other stores in my company, and I'm always hoping when I open that e-mail that one of the open positions is in the Orlando area!

We'll get there one day...even if it's not until retirement!

 

[ElliePeters]

We move to FL in 107 days!!