3rd Annual We are "NEVER" going to Disney in the summer again"

[counselormom]

Oh how you made me wish for Summer! The difference between the picture of the airplane covered in snow and the next picture of the resort was almost heartbreaking. Seriously, I loved that first resort picture, those tropical flowers, just a beautiful picture. Sounds like you did just as good a job planning your Mexico trip as you do your Disney ones. You've already gotten in some relaxing pool time, exercise and a history lesson, great job Can't wait to read more!

 

[bookgirl]

There have been claims that Nohuch Mul would be closed to climbing in April 2010, or sometime soon, like similar pyramid in Tulum and Chitzen Itza, for both safety and preservation reasons.

Wouldn't April 2010 have been last year Dee? Did you mean 2012, and if so

maybe they're only closing it for the end of the world. If we survive the Apocolypse they might let you climb it again.

 

[natebenma]

Wouldn't April 2010 have been last year Dee? Did you mean 2012, and if so

maybe they're only closing it for the end of the world. If we survive the Apocolypse they might let you climb it again.

Good one! I realize that didn't quite sound right. Early last year (2010), around the time of our first visit, we heard that the pyramid would definitely be closed to climbers starting April 2010. That claim obviously came and went without coming true.

I am very torn about whether climbing should be allowed or not. I believe a lot of people visit this site specifically because you can still climb, and I would be sad for the guides, pedicab drivers and others who would lose their jobs if climbing was forbidden. But then I think about the damage it is probably causing to this ancient site- is it worth it?

Our guide William tried to explain the 12/21/12 apocolypse rumors. He said that the Mayan calendar runs in 500 year cycles, and the last day of the current cycle is in December 2012, so it signifies something like the end of our millenium more than the "End of the World."

 

[natebenma]

Oh how you made me wish for Summer! The difference between the picture of the airplane covered in snow and the next picture of the resort was almost heartbreaking. Seriously, I loved that first resort picture, those tropical flowers, just a beautiful picture. Sounds like you did just as good a job planning your Mexico trip as you do your Disney ones. You've already gotten in some relaxing pool time, exercise and a history lesson, great job Can't wait to read more!

It was MUCH more enjoyable going from white powdery stuff in the US (snow) to white powdery stuff in Mexico (sand) than the other way around.

The resort is absolutely gorgeous. The foliage everywhere is beautiful- colorful tropical flowers, palm trees, elephant ears.

You can't even imagine the thrill I experienced when I found the unofficial fan website for the resort. I think I mentioned this earlier in my report- but to me, it ain't a vacation until I have overplanned it!!!

 

[natebenma]

For the first time in several years, we returned from our recent vacation in Mexico without having a trip booked, or as we like to refer to it "One in the hopper". It has been a quasi-tradition for us to tell the kids as we were on our way home about the next destination. But that didn't happen this time.

But we have now remedied the situation- we booked a summer trip yesterday- but it is NOT to Disney World. We are going to take a break and try something else.

Any guesses???

 

[bookgirl]

For the first time in several years, we returned from our recent vacation with out having a trip booked, or as we like to refer to it "One in the hopper". It was a quasi-tradition for us to tell the kids as we were on our way home about the next destination. But that didn't happen this time.

But we have now remedied the situation- we booked a summer trip yesterday- but it is NOT to Disney World. We are going to take a break and try something else.

Any guesses???

Iceland?

 

[natebenma]

Iceland?

Your guess made me smile!

Nope.

If we were playing warmer/colder, I would say, "ice cold" and you should guess warmer.

 

[LovintheLodge]

For the first time in several years, we returned from our recent vacation with out having a trip booked, or as we like to refer to it "One in the hopper". It was a quasi-tradition for us to tell the kids as we were on our way home about the next destination. But that didn't happen this time.

But we have now remedied the situation- we booked a summer trip yesterday- but it is NOT to Disney World. We are going to take a break and try something else.

Any guesses???

Okay now ya have me wonderin'! A national park? Myrtle Beach? Busch Gardens, VA?? Do tell!!

Kerry

 

[natebenma]

Okay now ya have me wonderin'! A national park? Myrtle Beach? Busch Gardens, VA?? Do tell!!

Kerry

Soon! Waiting to hear what pixarmom guesses.

I'll give some hints:

I've already said it is someplace warm.

The trip is July 11-July 15 (4 nights, 5 days).

I'll give one more hint tomorrow, then reveal!

 

[counselormom]

St. John or St Lucia???

 

[natebenma]

The other off-resort excursion we had planned for the week was a trip to Xplor.

This is an all-inclusive adventure park featuring 2 separate zip-line circuits (a total of 14 different ziplines, 3 with splashdown), a water slide, two trails where your family can drive amphibious vehicles through caverns, over bridges and through puddles, and cenotes (water-caverns full of stalagtites and stalagmites) that you can swim and raft through. Throughout the park, there are drink stations with unlimited fruit drinks and a delicious buffet lunch is included in the entry price. Lockers are also provided for each bag that you bring.

The place was obviously very well organized, which thrilled me.

*********************************************************************************
Before we start with the adventures at Xplor, it is time for a flashback: Last year, we went to Hidden Worlds. It was a fun place; featuring one air zipline and two splashdown ziplines, rapeling into a cenote, swimming or snorkeling in two spectacular cenotes, and a one-of-its kind sky cycle:

As you can see, there is a seat connected to a cord overhead by a pulley system. You pedal to move. When you get the junction between two of the lines, there is a really scary clicking noise and you experience a slight jerking sensation. We were advised to wait until the rider in front of us had cleared the junction ahead before proceeding to that section.

Nate (11) was first. I followed. Ben (8) was behind me. And my husband was at the rear. When I was at the peak of the ride, about halfway across from behind me I hear “I’m stuck!” Ben was at one of the junction points and he couldn’t move backwards or forwards. We were pretty high up, above the tree tops and I had no idea what was going to happen. I yelled to Ben and Mark that I would pedal ahead and let someone know that my son was stuck. I made it to the end of the line, explained what was happening and started pacing like a cat. The people working there were using walkie talkies, but they were speaking Spanish and I couldn’t understand what they were saying. They kept telling me to calm down, my son was ok, he would be here in a minute. About 10 minutes later, at least that’s what it seemed like, Ben finally came into view. Apparently they told my husband to pedal ahead and give him a push and that worked.

The next activity was swimming in a cenote followed by a return to base camp by sky cycle. We all elected to walk! *************************************************************************************


Back to this year’s trip- you can get a 10% discount by booking online in advance, but you are committed to come on the day you choose. We decided we prefer the flexibility to choose the day while we are on vacation. Our trip was Monday to Monday, we went to Coba on Wednesday, and we picked Friday for Xplor. The day was beautiful. We still had two more full days to enjoy resort before it was time to head home.

You can arrange a ride with Xplor, use a taxi (around $15 each way, I think) or use a colectivo, the local transportation system. Most of the attractions and resorts in the Mayan Riviera are along Highway 307, the main road that runs from Cancun to Playa Del Carmen to Tulum and beyond? Colectivos run frequently between Tulum and Playa Del Carmen, for 20 or 30 pesos ($2-$3) per person depending on the distance you are traveling.

You wait by the side of the road. If there is room on the van, the driver will flash his headlights and you signal the number of seats you need. The first van that stopped for us only had 3 seats available, but soon another came along where all 4 of us could fit. Cost of the ride was $8 each way.

We arrived at Xplor right at the 9 am opening.

We decided to do the zipline circuits first, since I had read the lines can get long for these. There are two circuits- Jaguar (higher and more intense, 1 splashdown) and Deer (easier, two splashdowns and a waterslide).

After last year’s incident, Xplor’s reputation for safety was very important to me. It is very clear that safety is a priority here. The employees put you into your harness and helmet, and someone double checks the equipment before you start. You are clipped to a safety harness until your carabiners are connected onto the double line.

Still, how much faith should you put into an Inspection Certification that has a spelling and a grammatical error???

No, seriously, I was confident that everything was very safe. Even so, my heart beat rapidly every time I stepped onto one of the high, steep platforms or watched a member of my family start zooming down a wire suspended 150 feet in the air. I couldn’t help thinking “What if something goes wrong?”

It was beautiful! It was exhilarating! It was a blast!

Just Don’t Look Down!!!

When you are on one of the ziplines, you fly over a pen with jaguars and a pen with crocodiles. You can’t really see the jags in the picture I took, but here are the crocs.

Here are a couple of shots of the splashdown zips and the waterslide:

The most difficult thing for me was holding onto my camera. Since it is rated for underwater use, it was no problem for me to take it with me, but my Canon is somewhat bulky, so it was hard for me to hold onto it and the safety wire at the same time. Just once, the camera came free from my hand and hit me in the face.

After we completed both the Jaguar and Deer circuits, the boys wanted to try the amphibious vehicles. There are two courses here- Salamander and Crocodile. You can do each of these courses once. They suggested we start with Salamander. There are very few of the vehicles that fit 4 people, so we had to split up. Mark and Ben in one jeep, Nate and I were in another. The woman who gave us the safety instructions told us “Make sure you follow all of the rules the first time you go through”

The ride was dusty and for the most part I couldn’t take pictures while I was driving.

When the drive was over we decided to check out the cenotes. First we tried the raft ride. There is a long and short course.

Mark and Ben rode together, Nate went by himself and I went by myself. You had hand paddles to steer the rafts.

The rafts were really hard to control. It was impossible to hold the paddles and camera at the same time, so I had to set my camera down.
We took the short course. It was too long.

This is Log Jam Gram.

Mark and Ben were behind them, followed by Nate, followed by me, followed by a whole pileup of rafts behind us. Mark and Ben told us that during their ride they heard her say “We are all alone in in here. We can take all the time we want!”

Since we were already a bit wet, and already at the cenote, we decided we would do the swim. Again, there was a short course and a long course. Again, the short course was too long.

Ben and I got separated from Mark and Nate for a long time and I was afraid that maybe I somehow missed a turn or an exit, but finally we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and we were all reunited.

Time for Lunch!

The lunch was great, and as everything else in the park, well organized. A hostess seated you at a picnic table. There were pegs to use to hang your helmets. There were several buffet stations, so the lines were not long, and they had some very interesting drinks.

After lunch, we took our second amphibious vehicle ride (Crocodile). This time, there was no line! They told us there was a 4 person vehicle available, so we all rode together!

After the jeep, the boys wanted to do the ziplines again. I think it was around 4 PM. Park closes at 5. We decided to repeat the Jaguar course. We finished the ziplines around 4:30- the boys wanted to keep going, so we asked if we could do the Deer tour, and it was no problem.

Here's a couple of my favorite views from the towers:

We finished up with just enough time to change into dry clothes, the guys checked out the gift shop (and bought a few cool things, a t-shirt and hat). I got a memory stick with a copy of our pictures taken throughout the park. It was pricey, but photos are really the souvenirs that I treasure.

We crossed the highway. In less than a minute, a colectivo pulled up. There was nobody else on board. We returned to the resort and prepared for dinner.

A wonderful, fun day!

 

[natebenma]

St. John or St Lucia???

Really good guesses! You have been paying attention. But we are saving one of those locations for our anniversary (read NO KIDS) trip.

 

[natebenma]

For the first time in several years, we returned from our recent vacation in Mexico without having a trip booked, or as we like to refer to it "One in the hopper". It has been a quasi-tradition for us to tell the kids as we were on our way home about the next destination. But that didn't happen this time.

But we have now remedied the situation- we booked a summer trip yesterday- but it is NOT to Disney World. We are going to take a break and try something else.

Any guesses???

Previous hints:

I've already said it is someplace warm.

The trip is July 11-July 15 (4 nights, 5 days).

I'll give one more hint tomorrow, then reveal!

Today's Tip for Ticker Teaser:

I e-mailed my friend Teena, the Beach Club greeter yesterday and here was her reply:


WHAT????????????????????????????????????

No way.

 

[counselormom]

I am still reading through your last update, the alligator pic makes me nervous! But, I had to give another guess: Disneyland or a cruise.

 

[LovintheLodge]

Wow XPLOR looks great! So many great pictures. All was good until I saw the picture of the crocs that you took from above...oh my goodness!!

My last 2 attempts...the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas?? ...or perhaps Las Vegas??

Kerry

 

[natebenma]

Quote:
Originally Posted by natebenma
For the first time in several years, we returned from our recent vacation in Mexico without having a trip booked, or as we like to refer to it "One in the hopper". It has been a quasi-tradition for us to tell the kids as we were on our way home about the next destination. But that didn't happen this time.

But we have now remedied the situation- we booked a summer trip yesterday- but it is NOT to Disney World. We are going to take a break and try something else.

Any guesses???



Quote:
Originally Posted by natebenma

Previous hints:

I've already said it is someplace warm.

The trip is July 11-July 15 (4 nights, 5 days).

I'll give one more hint tomorrow, then reveal!

Today's Tip for Ticker Teaser:

I e-mailed my friend Teena, the Beach Club greeter yesterday and here was her reply:


WHAT????????????????????????????????????

No way.

I am still reading through your last update, the alligator pic makes me nervous! But, I had to give another guess: Disneyland or a cruise.

You're close. Kinda.

Wow XPLOR looks great! So many great pictures. All was good until I saw the picture of the crocs that you took from above...oh my goodness!!

My last 2 attempts...the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas?? ...or perhaps Las Vegas??

Kerry

We checked into Atlantis. That definitely would have been a contender if the airfare was decent. The boys loved it there and we did too.

Las Vegas- are you trying to trip me up into revealing that if we went to Las Vegas July 11-15 there would be a good chance that Teena would be out there greeting her new grandchild???


OK one more big hint:

This trip will be new to US. We will Sea how we like it in this World.

 

[LovintheLodge]

I didn't even think you would still be going to Orlando!!! So you are going to SeaWorld and Universal Studios/islands of Adventure! Sounds like fun. My family went to US/IOA during our WDW stay in 2005. We stayed at WL with free dining and took two day trips there. I haven't been to SW in Orlando since 1988, though we did get to the one in San Diego in 2004.

The new draw for us would be the new Harry Potter section. I don't know if you have been there at all before but you need to use lockers to store your bags for many of the rides. If we go back I would like to stay at one of the onsite hotels to get front of the line access...plus I've heard they're beautiful!!

Kerry

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my gracious.....Xplor looks awesome! I would love to do each and everything that you guys did. I'd even do the ziplines despite my being scared of heights.

 

[natebenma]

I didn't even think you would still be going to Orlando!!! So you are going to SeaWorld and Universal Studios/islands of Adventure! Sounds like fun. My family went to US/IOA during our WDW stay in 2005. We stayed at WL with free dining and took two day trips there. I haven't been to SW in Orlando since 1988, though we did get to the one in San Diego in 2004.

The new draw for us would be the new Harry Potter section. I don't know if you have been there at all before but you need to use lockers to store your bags for many of the rides. If we go back I would like to stay at one of the onsite hotels to get front of the line access...plus I've heard they're beautiful!!

Kerry

I feel like I'm cheating on Mickey (and Teena!). We tried pricing out going to Universal while staying at the Beach Club but it was a financial disaster!

We booked an on-site stay- The Portofino Bay. I have been lurking around the Universal boards a bit. Someone needs to go over to the resorts board and do some housekeeping!

Harry Potter is the big draw. I am a huge fan of the books and stories and the boys are into them too. Mark and I spent a day at Universal, more than 15 years ago. There was not too much there, I think it had just been open a few years at that point.

I feel like a total newbie, but it will be fun doing the research. I appreciate your tips about the lockers. I was definitely becoming a "bagless" convert, I use a smaller drawstring bag for my stuff.

I don't think there will be a pre-trip report, but I'm sure I will report on my adventures in the "Other Orlando". We arrive at 10 am on Monday and leave at 6:30 pm on Friday, so we will have 3 full days and 2 half days. We plan on a couple days at Sea World and a couple at US/IOA. Possibly some hopping or half-days.

Teena was shocked when I told her- she couldn't believe that I was not staying on Disney property. I haven't told her yet that we are not going to Disney at all on this trip. Unless we meet her at Cape May for dinner, but I think she will be in Vegas with Jeanne and the baby during our trip.

 

[natebenma]

Oh my gracious.....Xplor looks awesome! I would love to do each and everything that you guys did. I'd even do the ziplines despite my being scared of heights.

By the way, the drawstring bag that I got from you is well-traveled! It has been to Mexico and it looks like it will be making a trip to Orlando! Love it! I don't carry a purse often, so I used it to put in a few small things when we went to dinner. I'm thinking that there may be no photographic evidence though, since the camera is at my front and the backsack, well, is on my back.

Xplor was a blast! I couldn't believe we were there from open to close! Heights do not normally bother me, but I have to say, I had more than a few butterflies in my stomach while climbing the tower at Coba and doing the ziplines. Not so much the first time, but the second time we did the zipline courses I was pretty jittery.