It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – an offsite, non-Disney, Christmas TR
- Thread starter Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
- Start date
Callie
Always Dreaming of Disney Magic
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
Sorry, I can't figure out the quote feature...too fancy!
But yes, I was very tempted to get a milkshake, but I didn't have my medicine with me, and I'm trying to eat healthier (like a triple steakburger will do!).
Can't beat $4 for a coke, triple burger and fries....yumm!
But yes, I was very tempted to get a milkshake, but I didn't have my medicine with me, and I'm trying to eat healthier (like a triple steakburger will do!).
Can't beat $4 for a coke, triple burger and fries....yumm!
dancin Disney style
<font color=blue>I found one to share with some fa
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
OK....now that's just not right. A pear????Oh, chocolate cookies sound like the perfect therapy.... but I ended up having a Bosc pear instead. It wasn't the same. At all
.
I ordered pizza delivery and put the TV on with a big fuzzy blanket and pillow.
dancin Disney style
<font color=blue>I found one to share with some fa
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
Presenting......the Great Canadian Loon
We are so proud!
We are so proud!
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
I think it allows you to purchase tickets for every age....there's a category on the purchase page for 3-9 year olds, and even for under-3's. Looks like its good for the whole family!
You know, I think that's going to be the hardest decision. Being close to the water is so dreamy
.... but the historic district is so quaint. Good thing I don't have to make any split decision just yet......You didn't get a milkshake?!?!? You DEFINITELY have better willpower than I do!!!
OK....now that's just not right. A pear????
Well, I know whose house I'm heading to the next time I am suffering the effects of a stinky week. I hope there were chocolate cookies after that pizza!
YES!!! That would be awesome!
Oh. My. Goodness.
That view is breathtaking
. And the beach view just nudged ahead by a hair....
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
We are lazy travellers....with only a few extra days at our disposal, I'm guessing neither one of us will want to move mid-visit. That cottage view is just killing me (as I gaze out into the darkness at my yard covered in snow). If that comes with free parking, free breakfast and free cocktails, its going to be tough to pass up!!!
dsmom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
We loved the cottage because it was the best of both worlds. Plus it had a nice big porch to sit on facing the ocean. Nice to sit out and relax late at night after the crowds of St Augustine. If you do want to stay in the historic district our two favorites were bayfront Marin house and St George Inn.
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
At long last...back to the trip report!
By the time the guys were done riding Journey to Atlantis, we were happy to note that Kraken had opened to park guests. After a final few gulps of lemonade they wasted no time in heading straight to the Quick Queue line. While it doesn’t rate quite as high on their favourites list as their beloved Manta, they both still love Kraken and agree that it’s a great ride for coaster enthusiasts.
While they were riding, I returned to the High Seas Market to refill our cup with cold water and ice. Knowing that they would board the coaster quite quickly with their Quick Queue passes, I strolled over to the photo kiosk and waited for them there. It worked out well, because the young fellow who was running that photo station was able to put our snow globe photos on our Photokey while we chatted (the snow globe station didn’t have that capability).
They guys emerged shortly thereafter, all smiles and eager to see how goofy they looked on the ride picture
.
As I passed around the water cup and they put their wallets and keys back in their pockets, they inform me that they had made an executive decision while waiting in the Kraken line: before we head to the next attraction on our Christmas Day itinerary, they wanted me to play the Kraken Plinko game. Exactly WHY it was important for them to have me play, I have no idea
....but there was no dissuading them. Since games are much more their “thing” than mine, I suspected maybe THEY wanted to try it out and thought if they could convince me to give it a whirl, then they wouldn’t feel guilty about giving it a play, too 
. Either that, or perhaps they thought it was easily enough that even Mom could win? At any rate, you got two discs for $5, so they guys decided to split a turn (each releasing once disk) and I would play separately as well.
Each disk could net you between 10 and 30 points. If you accumulated between 10 and 30 points between your two tries, you won a small prize. 40-50 points secured you a medium prize, and 60 a large.
Probably for the first time ever, I managed to beat the two men at a game of skill!
(okay, perhaps skill is a bit strong of a word ) . Steve and Jake won the small prize (a stuffed Christmas gift, the official logo of their Christmas Celebration), but I managed 40 points and won myself a very soft and squooshy tree frog. Yay me! 
Turtle Trek was next on our plans, so with our new stuffies in tow, that’s where we headed....with a short pause, though, to appreciate some of SeaWorld’s stunning gardens.
I can’t imagine the amount of man hours that go into the creation and maintenance of these areas. There was literally not a leaf out of place.
At the Turtle Trek attraction, we first admired the HUGE manatees from the underwater viewing area.
In the pre-show aquarium room, we watched the turtles and fish swim while a SeaWorld staff advisor educated guests on the many rescue efforts carried out by park staff. Most of the turtles at the park were alive today thanks to the great care from the SeaWorld animal care experts. Many were missing legs from shark attacks, or had permanent mutations from being caught in garbage tossed carelessly in the ocean. All of them, though, were clearly enjoying their second chance at life and looked marvellously happy
.
Just after exiting, we stopped to view the huge manatees from above the water.....it was snack time, and they were enjoying a healthy serving of lettuce.
By this time, we thought it might be prudent to hit up the Polar Express before the crowds started to swell in the afternoon. While it was still very peaceful and crowds were delightfully light, we feared it may not stay that way for the entire day. So, it was across the lake for our trio.....
Reaching the other side of the boardwalk, we wondered......where were all the people?!?!?
Here’s a “crowd” picture for you:
We passed by some of the trees which would be featured later that night in the Sea of Trees.....and we were so excited to see what they would look like after the sun went down!
Shamu’s Happy Harbor was virtually deserted. I guess all the families with little ones had still not mobilized after a busy Christmas morning.
Arriving at the Polar Express (which is the Wild Arctic rethemed for the Christmas Celebration), we noted that this attraction, too, was pretty much empty.
I *love* this holiday movie, and the attraction is so well put together. In true SeaWorld style, they didn’t miss a single detail.
This attraction also accepts Quick Queue, but there were so few people on that morning, they weren’t even utilizing it. Christmas morning at the Polar Express, and no Quick Queue needed
. We were gobsmacked!
Here was the queue as we looked back before heading inside to ride:
Just as we had remembered from our 2012 Christmas visit, the ride was super fun...
..... and we were all feeling warm and fuzzy as we exited to the North Pole. That feeling just magnified when we caught site of that magnificent tree, looking exactly like the one from the movie. Without question, this is my favourite Christmas tree in all of Orlando.
We might be a family of all adults, but every single one of us wanted a visit and photos with Santa Claus. It was Christmas Day, after all, and everyone is a kid inside at Christmas
.
Santa was a lot of fun (though he was a bit skinny...even my mom remarked on that when she saw our pictures!) and teased us about making sure we leave him out poutine and Tim Hortons coffee when he visits us next Christmas. He says he gets lots of cookies and milk from the southern families. Perhaps if he had some authentic Canadian poutine he’d fill out that suit a little more!!
We had a great visit with Old Saint Nick, very unrushed and enjoyable as there was no one else waiting to see him. Eventually, we wished him a Merry Christmas and carried on through the exhibit. Not far from Santa, they had a photographer taking magic shots on a green screen, which were quite novel except for Jake’s blue hat was cut off in some due to the colour (or a crappy editing photo agent....I am not sure which). All of them were added to our Photokey with no additional cost.
Stay tuned....we haven’t even made it to lunch time yet....
By the time the guys were done riding Journey to Atlantis, we were happy to note that Kraken had opened to park guests. After a final few gulps of lemonade they wasted no time in heading straight to the Quick Queue line. While it doesn’t rate quite as high on their favourites list as their beloved Manta, they both still love Kraken and agree that it’s a great ride for coaster enthusiasts.
While they were riding, I returned to the High Seas Market to refill our cup with cold water and ice. Knowing that they would board the coaster quite quickly with their Quick Queue passes, I strolled over to the photo kiosk and waited for them there. It worked out well, because the young fellow who was running that photo station was able to put our snow globe photos on our Photokey while we chatted (the snow globe station didn’t have that capability).
They guys emerged shortly thereafter, all smiles and eager to see how goofy they looked on the ride picture
.
As I passed around the water cup and they put their wallets and keys back in their pockets, they inform me that they had made an executive decision while waiting in the Kraken line: before we head to the next attraction on our Christmas Day itinerary, they wanted me to play the Kraken Plinko game. Exactly WHY it was important for them to have me play, I have no idea
....but there was no dissuading them. Since games are much more their “thing” than mine, I suspected maybe THEY wanted to try it out and thought if they could convince me to give it a whirl, then they wouldn’t feel guilty about giving it a play, too . Either that, or perhaps they thought it was easily enough that even Mom could win? At any rate, you got two discs for $5, so they guys decided to split a turn (each releasing once disk) and I would play separately as well.
Each disk could net you between 10 and 30 points. If you accumulated between 10 and 30 points between your two tries, you won a small prize. 40-50 points secured you a medium prize, and 60 a large.
Probably for the first time ever, I managed to beat the two men at a game of skill!
(okay, perhaps skill is a bit strong of a word ) . Steve and Jake won the small prize (a stuffed Christmas gift, the official logo of their Christmas Celebration), but I managed 40 points and won myself a very soft and squooshy tree frog. Yay me! Turtle Trek was next on our plans, so with our new stuffies in tow, that’s where we headed....with a short pause, though, to appreciate some of SeaWorld’s stunning gardens.
I can’t imagine the amount of man hours that go into the creation and maintenance of these areas. There was literally not a leaf out of place.
At the Turtle Trek attraction, we first admired the HUGE manatees from the underwater viewing area.
In the pre-show aquarium room, we watched the turtles and fish swim while a SeaWorld staff advisor educated guests on the many rescue efforts carried out by park staff. Most of the turtles at the park were alive today thanks to the great care from the SeaWorld animal care experts. Many were missing legs from shark attacks, or had permanent mutations from being caught in garbage tossed carelessly in the ocean. All of them, though, were clearly enjoying their second chance at life and looked marvellously happy
.
Just after exiting, we stopped to view the huge manatees from above the water.....it was snack time, and they were enjoying a healthy serving of lettuce.
By this time, we thought it might be prudent to hit up the Polar Express before the crowds started to swell in the afternoon. While it was still very peaceful and crowds were delightfully light, we feared it may not stay that way for the entire day. So, it was across the lake for our trio.....
Reaching the other side of the boardwalk, we wondered......where were all the people?!?!?
Here’s a “crowd” picture for you:
We passed by some of the trees which would be featured later that night in the Sea of Trees.....and we were so excited to see what they would look like after the sun went down!
Shamu’s Happy Harbor was virtually deserted. I guess all the families with little ones had still not mobilized after a busy Christmas morning.
Arriving at the Polar Express (which is the Wild Arctic rethemed for the Christmas Celebration), we noted that this attraction, too, was pretty much empty.
I *love* this holiday movie, and the attraction is so well put together. In true SeaWorld style, they didn’t miss a single detail.
This attraction also accepts Quick Queue, but there were so few people on that morning, they weren’t even utilizing it. Christmas morning at the Polar Express, and no Quick Queue needed
. We were gobsmacked!Here was the queue as we looked back before heading inside to ride:
Just as we had remembered from our 2012 Christmas visit, the ride was super fun...
..... and we were all feeling warm and fuzzy as we exited to the North Pole. That feeling just magnified when we caught site of that magnificent tree, looking exactly like the one from the movie. Without question, this is my favourite Christmas tree in all of Orlando.
We might be a family of all adults, but every single one of us wanted a visit and photos with Santa Claus. It was Christmas Day, after all, and everyone is a kid inside at Christmas
.
Santa was a lot of fun (though he was a bit skinny...even my mom remarked on that when she saw our pictures!) and teased us about making sure we leave him out poutine and Tim Hortons coffee when he visits us next Christmas. He says he gets lots of cookies and milk from the southern families. Perhaps if he had some authentic Canadian poutine he’d fill out that suit a little more!!
We had a great visit with Old Saint Nick, very unrushed and enjoyable as there was no one else waiting to see him. Eventually, we wished him a Merry Christmas and carried on through the exhibit. Not far from Santa, they had a photographer taking magic shots on a green screen, which were quite novel except for Jake’s blue hat was cut off in some due to the colour (or a crappy editing photo agent....I am not sure which). All of them were added to our Photokey with no additional cost.
Stay tuned....we haven’t even made it to lunch time yet....
ArwenMarie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
Wow, so not crowded, which is great, but I worry about SW sometimes, if it can even stay open. It must be such an expensive park to run.
Where was the Polar Express? Is that the Arctic ride-movie that they switch out?
The gardens are gorgeous there. One of my favorite pictures of my kids ever is in front of those
Where was the Polar Express? Is that the Arctic ride-movie that they switch out?
The gardens are gorgeous there. One of my favorite pictures of my kids ever is in front of those
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
Wow, so not crowded, which is great, but I worry about SW sometimes, if it can even stay open. It must be such an expensive park to run.
Where was the Polar Express? Is that the Arctic ride-movie that they switch out?
The gardens are gorgeous there. One of my favorite pictures of my kids ever is in front of those
It got noticeably busier in the afternoon.... and the evening shows were PACKED. I was told that they closed due to capacity on December 26th, so the crowds were definitely there (we just missed 'em!). It was like this on Christmas Day 2012 in the morning, too: I think its because many families do a traditional gift opening and big breakfast on Christmas Day and then head to the parks later on.
Yep, Polar Express is where Wild Arctic usually is. I like Polar Express MUCH better than Wild Arctic (the wild side of the latter makes me
).
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Okay, Gina. You gotta cut this out... First you strong arm me into universal annual passes with those gorgeous photos. Then you post MANATEE pictures and I was NOT planning to go to sea world... 
as if the penguins weren't cute enough and good enough reason to head to sea world ...
as if the penguins weren't cute enough and good enough reason to head to sea world ...
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
Okay, Gina. You gotta cut this out... First you strong arm me into universal annual passes with those gorgeous photos. Then you post MANATEE pictures and I was NOT planning to go to sea world...
as if the penguins weren't cute enough and good enough reason to head to sea world ...
Ohhhh.....if you are a manatee lover, then you will FLIP at the special thing that we got to see later that afternoon. Stay tuned. That's coming.
Have you never been to SeaWorld before??? If not, you really should go.....its a beautiful, relaxing, amazing park. Best of all, you can always find a discount on tickets
. It would be a fantastic add on for you in April....just sayin' .
RocketCityMama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2009
Great updates! It looks like you had such a great time so far at SW, I am seriously thinking about adding a day there in June when we return. Working on booking FIL timeshare now and we already have our USO AP's, so low cost trip thus far. You know what I enjoy the most about your trips?? You all seem to really enjoy your family time together, it is such a wonderful thing!
Mrs Doubtfire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
The queue area at Polar looks perfect, definitely not how it was when we went on the ride.
And yes (to your question from many pages back) it is quarters, so make sure you have a few because it's addictive!
And yes (to your question from many pages back) it is quarters, so make sure you have a few because it's addictive!
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Nope, never Orlando Sea World! I went to Sea World out in California when I was probably 7, but hardly recall the details. I know I would love Sea World based on your awesome reports! I think R might stay at home though if I squeeze in any more theme parks... He's wanting more beach and pool time and less "to do".Ohhhh.....if you are a manatee lover, then you will FLIP at the special thing that we got to see later that afternoon. Stay tuned. That's coming.
Have you never been to SeaWorld before??? If not, you really should go.....its a beautiful, relaxing, amazing park. Best of all, you can always find a discount on tickets
So I definitely want to get to SW but it may not be in April
dancin Disney style
<font color=blue>I found one to share with some fa
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
Actually, no cookies. I was being good! There is an unconfirmed report that I ate half the pizza though
disney ny
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2009
Christmas day at SeaWorld looks amazing. I would love the Polar Express- it is my favorite holiday movie and I do a Polar Express- Day in my classroom each year on the day before Christmas break for my Kindergartners. I really think next Florida trip I need to do some of the amazing Orlando things from your trips. I am sure I could find a good physical therapist to help me recover if I leave tonight...
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