All Work and a Little Play Makes Jen a Happy Girl!

[jenseib]

Nov. 14, 2017, Tuesday


I woke up early feeling refreshed from a good night’s sleep and got ready for the day. It was going to be another long and busy one!

I just loved that this was my view.


marriott118 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We all met Gonzalo down in the lobby and boarded our party bus once again to head out to our first hotel tour.


fl14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Our first stop today was at the Sonesta.


sonesta5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This hotel has all ocean view rooms, which is really nice. Where it is located they do not have to worry about anything being built up around it to ever block any of the views as well.


We first headed up to a party room space which had spectacular views.


sonesta8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We then went on to tour some rooms.


sonesta12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This land on this side was all protected so they would never have to worry about someone building a high rise to block any views.


sonesta20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Once our room tours were done, we headed back downstairs and took a look at the pool and then got some breakfast.


sonesta21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta22 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta23 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This really is a great hotel as it has views and close to other things and of course the beach!


sonesta24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta25 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Time for breakfast and we were starving!


sonesta26 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta27 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta28 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was a buffet this morning.


sonesta30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


sonesta31 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had plenty of time to eat and I really liked that they usually didn’t rush us through the meals (with one exception). We had time to relax and use the restroom, etc. Again, I tried to sit by different people for each meal. I have to say we had a great group! Usually when you go to things like this, you get 1 or 2 oddballs. I know that sounds bad, but there just always seems to be at least one person that drives you all batty or does some strange things. This group was normal! After the week was over, one of the girls even made a comment that this was the first event she had been to where everyone was normal. Hahahah….Of course Skip said I probably was the oddball this time. Gotta love your husband!


After our breakfast, we all loaded up on the party bus once again…..now for some fun! We were heading to something we all were super excited about doing!

 

[jenseib]

Our ride was about 30 minutes or so, but soon we were turning into our next destination….Sawgrass Recreation Park…for an Everglade airboat ride!


gator16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Only a few of us have done one of these tours before. I had done one a few years ago with my Mom. We had visited the Everglades Holiday Park then. We really had enjoyed the ride and my Mom took my Dad there a year or so later.


We parked and used the restrooms and then it was time to board our boat.


gator3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I quickly went for an outside spot so I could hopefully get some pictures.


gator4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


They took a group photo of all of us and when we got back we each got a little bag with some park merchandise, including the photo, which I thought was really nice.


gator42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Soon we were off!...and again my pictures are out of order, so I will post them the best I can.


gator19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Video

gator20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We went quite a ways out before we would see any wildlife.


Video

https://youtu.be/WpqWErRe60g


I was glad I brought a sweater as it was a little chilly riding the boat.


gator22 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator23 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Finally we saw one. I must say that this captain seemed to be a story teller and I think he exaggerated some of this stories. One being of some ladies complaining that they weren’t seeing any gators when one jump up and across the front of the boat and then slid back into the water. It just seemed really unlikely to me.


Video

https://youtu.be/quEKHNL08PE


gator25 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator26 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator27 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator28 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator31 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We did move a few times and would see different gators…and I am not sure which gator is which, so these might be several different gators in the pictures.


gator32 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator33 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator35 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator37 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And we saw a turtle as well. I think he was a snapping turtle.


gator38 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And another video


https://youtu.be/PaxZly5omd0


gator39 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[mickeystoontown]

For some reason, I wasn't getting notifications when you updated so I fell way behind. I love love love the look and feel of Margaritaville. Did you know that they are building a resort in Kissimmee? We passed it when we were driving down Hwy. 192 in 2016 and this past Thanksgiving.

Doing a airboat ride/tour is on my bucket list. You'd think with us living in Louisiana, we'd have done one already.

 

[jedijill]

Caught back up. You saw some really nice resorts...especially love Margaritaville!

So sorry to hear about Skip but happy to hear he is recovering nicely.

Jill in CO

 

[jenseib]

For some reason, I wasn't getting notifications when you updated so I fell way behind. I love love love the look and feel of Margaritaville. Did you know that they are building a resort in Kissimmee? We passed it when we were driving down Hwy. 192 in 2016 and this past Thanksgiving.

Doing a airboat ride/tour is on my bucket list. You'd think with us living in Louisiana, we'd have done one already.

It seems to be happening a lot lately too. I know I have some that have not been coming to me as well. I need to go in and click that one button that basically restarts it. I think it is all read or something like that. I'll go do that next.

Yes, I believe they did tell us they were building one in the Orlando area. I totally forgot about that.

Airboat rides are really fun. I am so glad to have been able to experience one not only once, but twice now.

Caught back up. You saw some really nice resorts...especially love Margaritaville!

So sorry to hear about Skip but happy to hear he is recovering nicely.

Jill in CO

We did see some nice places and they really did treat us well too. It was a great tour.

Thanks

Skip is doing well, but a little slower than before.

 

[jenseib]

We then headed back. When we got off we took a few more pictures of the boat and some took pics of themselves sitting in the Captains seat.


gator13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had some free time and we could go into a little animal area they had, but it was kind of lame and there were a bunch of school kids running wild around in it, so I did a quick walkthrough and then headed back up front.


gator15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


gator41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had a great time but in my opinion the Holiday Park one was a better experience. We saw more gators and other wild life and I liked that captain better. However, this still was a great experience and if you ever get to Fort Lauderdale and have a day or 2 I highly suggest taking an airboat tour.


Once our time was up there, we board are party bus again and James took us to our next destination….Lunch!!! At Sawgrass Mills outlet mall.


saw1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I am going to be honest here….I had never heard of this place till we were emailed our itinerary and I looked it up. It is a HUGE Florida Destination and the number 2 spot after Orlando parks. Who knew?


Now I really had no desire to shop and our agenda was just to have lunch here, but many of the girls wanted to look around and shop. Poor Gonzalo had to hear lots of pleading from a bunch of women. I did think it was odd that they would schedule a lunch here, but not allow enough time for a little shopping and exploration too.


Finally Gonzalo caved a little and said that once lunch was done we could walk around but we had to be back at the bus at such and such time….and NO EXCEPTIONS!


This place is big and it took us a little while to find the Matchbox. The roads kind of circle around in there and you could get lost easily.


saw2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We headed inside and had a private room for just us. We were given bags with mall maps and coupons, etc. Again, kind of dumb to give us coupons, but not have shopping time. Looking at the layout of the mall, it was easy to see that most of the stores people wanted to visit were not really that close.


We made our orders and service was slow once again and of course many wanted it to speed up because they wanted to shop.


I got a Caesar Salad to start with.


saw3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And pasta for my main course.


saw4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


By the time my pasta had come out, I knew that any chances of walking around to nearby shops was totally out the window, which didn’t matter so much to me except I just thought it would be nice to take few pictures of the nearby area.


Some of the burgers were not done and there were some issues with some others food as well. One gal sent her stuff back because it was just not cooked right and she reordered something else. It took so long for it to come out she ended up having it boxed to go.

Like I said, my food was fine, but many didn’t care for theirs and the waitresses seemed overwhelmed with such a large party.


When we finished up, we took turns using the restroom and basically would tell each other to be sure we are all onboard the bus before we leave because we were running late.

We did a final count and had to wait for a couple more in the bathroom and then it was time to take off for the next destination.


Flamingo Gardens.


flamingo62 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I had never heard of this place either, but I really enjoyed our time here today.


A couple of us had to go the bathroom once we arrived here again, so we ran off to the bathroom while our tour guide introduced herself and got things started since we were late.


flamingo2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I joined in as we were at this tree, which had fallen during the hurricane, but it had been a huge special tree. I believe it was the largest Champion tree in Florida. I missed the info on Champion Trees, but I believe it has to have a certain height and circumference.


flamingo63 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Again, the pictures are out of order on my end, so I will post them the best I can.


flamingo3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo64 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This place was just beautiful and our guide was so passionate about the plant and wild life!


flamingo1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And I needed to no longer go any further. I found all I need here!!!


flamingo7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Unfortunately I didn’t see any dollar bills hanging from the branches!!!


flamingo66 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo67 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This property was originally owned by the Wray family. I believe it was an orchard and just a weekend home to start with. I can’t remember the whole story now, but I think later in life they ended up living here or perhaps retiring here.


flamingo68 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Video

https://youtu.be/yeAZgtccmbw


The house is now a museum on the property.


flamingo69 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Look at all the birds following the golf cart….it’s feeding time!


flamingo70 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Video

These trees seemed creepy to me.


flamingo17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo71 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

I Love peacocks!!!


flamingo72 by Jenseib, on Flickr


There were quite a few walking around.


flamingo73 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And of course, there are flamingos!


flamingo9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


During the hurricane they had put all the flamingos in the women’s bathroom! She said that was the safest protected area to keep them.


flamingo11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This bear is a rescue bear and she teared up telling us his horrid story, but he is now adjusting to life with wonderful owners who care for him.


flamingo18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


More birds and peacocks.


flamingo19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The otters were just having the time of their lives!


flamingo74 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo75 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo76 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo77 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Hi buddy!


flamingo23 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo25 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo26 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo28 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And more birds!!!!


flamingo29 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo79 by Jenseib, on Flickr


A few more critters.


flamingo32 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo33 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

We were going to be treated to a train/trolley ride around the property so we headed that way.


Peacocks are NOT happy to see cats!


flamingo34 by Jenseib, on Flickr


She gave that cat a piece of her mind and got all ruffled over it.


flamingo35 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We boarded our train! We were each given a bottle of water too.


flamingo81 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And off we go!!!!!


Here is the house.


flamingo36 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo37 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo38 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo40 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Look at these 3 turtles sunning themselves!


flamingo43 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo44 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo45 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo46 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The grounds are just beautiful and the ride was narrated and pointed out different things.


flamingo47 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo48 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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flamingo54 by Jenseib, on Flickr


When we got off we saw a black panther, but I guess I didn’t take picture.


We ended out tour and had some time to look in the gift shop and use the restrooms again. I found a bunch of parrots and other tropical birds.


flamingo55 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo56 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo57 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo58 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo59 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo60 by Jenseib, on Flickr


flamingo61 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We headed back onto the party bus then and we were each given an ice cream sandwich. YUM!


flamingo82 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We then headed back to the Marriott where we would have a few hours of free time before meeting up with James our driver again. Tonight was the hockey game and Gonzalo said he lived near the arena so he would just meet us there. Caitlan was going to meet us there too. We were given strict instructions on what time to be in the lobby and to be sure we had everyone before leaving.

 

[jenseib]

Back at the hotel I debated on taking a nap. Many of the girls were going to the pool/hot tub, but I honestly was too lazy to get in my suit and then clean up again later.


I decided to head out to the beach again.


marriott119 by Jenseib, on Flickr


marriott120 by Jenseib, on Flickr


fl15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Time for more beach writing!


marriott121 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Again I took a lot of pictures trying to get the water coming up and I just couldn’t get it right.


marriott123 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I spotted a wedding and snuck a picture.


marriott124 by Jenseib, on Flickr


After a bit, I headed back to the hotel and found several of the gals in the hot tub, so I just stopped and chatted for a while and eventually stuck my feet in. Before we knew it, it was time to go get ready for the hockey game.


We met in the lobby and found James waiting for us and we made sure we had everyone and headed off to the Hockey game arena.


hockey1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We went through bag check and then made our way up, up up…..we were going to watch the game in the comfort of the Ft. Lauderdale suite!


hockey2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Our suite had food, a bathroom and tables and seats to watch the game. It was perfect!


hockey3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I didn’t get all the food pictures, but we had a lot of options and then they had ice-cream for dessert, but I never did have any.


hockey4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I did have some cookies though.


hockey5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hockey6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I used to go to hockey games all the time when Toledo had a team called the Toledo Storm. Once they demolished the sports arena the team was disbanded till they built a new place that could have an arena as well. They made a new team, now called the Walleye….which I personally think it a stupid name….and I have yet to see one of their games. Claire actually did though a few weeks after I got home, when they took a class trip there. One of her teachers sons plays hockey and they are big hockey fans.


I had never been to a pro hockey game, but I was super excited to watch. Right away the atmosphere was just like the old hockey games I used to attend…lots of people happy, good music playing and fans excited!


hockey7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hockey8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


“S” sat down next to me and she is from Canada……you know those Canadians like their hockey! Hahahah. She was like me though. Had been to many games in the past, but had not been to one in quite some time. Ironically, her husband had just purchased tickets for them to go to a pro game on Sunday when she got back home.


We had to take pictures of each other.


hockey9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This place was big and it was not filled up at all.


hockey10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We got some snacks and settled in to watch.


hockey11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I kept saying that I wanted to see a good fight. I want to see gloves fly off and have them really go at it! If you have been to hockey games, you know what I mean. It’s so much fun to see a good fight. I know they try to not have that, but for me, that is part of the fun of the game.


Here is a video.


https://youtu.be/Sb4ffdvQWqY


And another video


https://youtu.be/tvJ0kwWzO20


And they had just scored!


https://youtu.be/c6SvSZEIR1Y


Every time I heard that Panther roar I would think of Janet Jackson’s Black Cat song.


During one of the breaks between periods they had some people come out and play musical chairs. Some of these people were totally stupid and didn’t seem to understand how the game is played.


hockey12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hockey13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Video


https://youtu.be/Wwt4T3xAiAc


I had been drinking beer and soft drinks and I finally had to go to the bathroom…but I hated missing anything. Oh well, when you gotta go. And yep…you guessed it. As soon as I was in there and in a compromising position….I hear “Jennifer…Jennifer…There’s a fight! Where’s Jennifer?” Yep…I missed it! At least I got to see the replay of it, but that’s not the same as seeing the actual fight and shouting along with the crowd.


We took a group photo then. It was kind of scary as our backs were to the arena and the chairs are set steeply. One wrong move and you are falling to your death!


hockey14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The game was coming to an end, but the score was tied. I couldn’t remember what the official rules were anymore…do they do over time or do they do a shoot out? S quickly texted her husband to ask…..They do a short overtime and if no one wins then they do a shoot out.


And we went into overtime!

Video.


https://youtu.be/TPCjj6dzbTM


No winner….we have a shoot out!!!!

Video


https://youtu.be/dH0lJtLePzY


And the Panthers win!!!!! Woooohoooo!


Oh My Gosh!!!! We had sooo much fun that night. I love “work” like this! I know some of the girls barely watched the game, but they had some lively conversations going on and judging by the laughter, they had a great time too.


J asked what was going to happen to the left over food and Caitlan said it gets tossed because it can’t be reserved. So J got some take out containers and filled some boxes and then took the food out to James to have later. He had a huge smile on his face that he was thought of. This poor guy had to drive a bunch of women around and wasn’t invited into any of our tours or dining options, so we kind of felt bad for him. I hope he had brought a good book with him.


We then loaded back in the party bus and made the slow trek back to the Marriott. I was amazed with the amount of traffic, both coming and going.


We were all tired and tomorrow we would be starting Cruise World after our morning activities.


In the meantime, I could see many of my friends had arrived in Ft. L and had done early check in at Cruise World. I was sad this portion of my trip/training was coming to an end, but super excited to see my old friends too. I was messaging with my friend Marianne. Marrianne and I met in Jamaica in the summer of 2016. She attended a work conference there and I had gone to that conference with 2 of my co-workers (at the time), Ellen and Lenora. Ellen and Marianne were on the same flight in and hit it off right away. So when they arrived, Ellen introduced her to Lenora and I and we hit it off with her too. It’s like I have known Marianne for years. She was one of the reasons I was attending as a Star. Ellen was also coming and I was excited to see her too.

After some messaging back and forth, Marianne just said…I’ll call you…and she did and we chatted for a while. I was now getting super excited to meet up with them tomorrow!


I had been standing outside talking to Marianne so I wouldn’t lose reception, so I then headed back up to my room for my last night here.


I love the way the lights glow on the floor in front of the elevators.


marriott125 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I had done most of my packing during our break time, and I finished up with the last of what could be done for tonight and then headed to bed!

 

[jenseib]

I am heading out of town at the early crack of dawn tomorrow with Claire's class for their class trip. We are going by bus (someone shoot me now!!!!) to Washington DC. I will put this report on pause till I get back!

 

[tammy]

I'm loving the pictures...so beautiful. Have so much fun...Spring has really sprung in DC...Are you guys headed to Baltimore? That'll be fun too.

 

[dolphingirl47]

That's the one!

That is good to know.

Our first stop today was at the Sonesta.

I love the look of this hotel

Our ride was about 30 minutes or so, but soon we were turning into our next destination….Sawgrass Recreation Park…for an Everglade airboat ride!

I love this place. We went their in 2013 for a walk around to stretch our legs when we were driving from Orlando to Miami and then did the airboat ride in 2016.

They took a group photo of all of us and when we got back we each got a little bag with some park merchandise, including the photo, which I thought was really nice.

Did you get your photo on an alligator USB stick? Our photo is on one of those.

Lunch!!! At Sawgrass Mills outlet mall.

Now you are talking.

I am going to be honest here….I had never heard of this place till we were emailed our itinerary and I looked it up. It is a HUGE Florida Destination and the number 2 spot after Orlando parks. Who knew?

We had been to sister malls in near Disneyland (Ontario Mills) and Phoenix (Tempe Mills) previously and really liked them so in 2016, we went to check this one out.

The roads kind of circle around in there and you could get lost easily.

This mall is like a maze.

I Love peacocks!!!

I love most birds. Peacocks are not one of them. They are vicious creatures. I would have loved Flamingo Gardens though.

Our suite had food, a bathroom and tables and seats to watch the game. It was perfect!

Talk about watching the game in style.

I am heading out of town at the early crack of dawn tomorrow with Claire's class for their class trip. We are going by bus (someone shoot me now!!!!) to Washington DC. I will put this report on pause till I get back!

Good luck.

Corinna

 

[OhMari]

Glad to see you back. Even if it is a strange TR-totally something different.
Remember the days, when everything had to stay OT?
Grrrr...life is too short.
Have fun in DC-hopefully it is a lot warmer than the terrible weather we just had.
A blizzard in April. I cannot even look outside-so depressing.

 

[lucas]

Cool pictures! You got to experience a LOT here in South Florida!

We usually go to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall once a month from our house in beautiful downtown Boca Raton. Too bad you missed my favorite store - the Disney Character Outlet store! That is my main reason for going to the Sawgrass mall. I've gotten such great bargains there over the years.

 

[Beth D]

Only a man would schedule a stop at an outlet mall and not allow any time for shopping! I remember that mall, it was fabulous. Bummer about the crappy lunch.

We did DC in 2016; but not with a school tour. Hope you have a great time!

 

[jenseib]

I'm loving the pictures...so beautiful. Have so much fun...Spring has really sprung in DC...Are you guys headed to Baltimore? That'll be fun too.

Thanks!
It was colder than normal but we did have some nicer weather than home at least! We just missed the cherry blossoms but some trees still had a few. It was so nice to see green grass and tulips! Luckily when we got home our grass was starting to turn as well.
It was a school trip that was short but with a lot packed in in a few days. We didn't have any other side trips. So many people asked if we were going to Boston or Baltimore too. We did stay in Maryland...I believe it was Laurel, about an hour or so away depending on traffic.

I love the look of this hotel

It was nice.

I love this place. We went their in 2013 for a walk around to stretch our legs when we were driving from Orlando to Miami and then did the airboat ride in 2016.

Airboat rides are really fun. I am glad we got to do one on this trip.

Now you are talking.

It would have been nice to spend a little time there other than eating.

Did you get your photo on an alligator USB stick? Our photo is on one of those.

No ours came as a print.

We had been to sister malls in near Disneyland (Ontario Mills) and Phoenix (Tempe Mills) previously and really liked them so in 2016, we went to check this one out.

Interesting. I bet they all are great to look around and spend a day at.

This mall is like a maze.

Yes!!!!!!

I love most birds. Peacocks are not one of them. They are vicious creatures. I would have loved Flamingo Gardens though.

LOL! Yes, I have heard peacocks can be nasty little buggers. I have always loved their colors though.

Talk about watching the game in style.

It was so nice!

Good luck.

We had a great time and way too short and not much sleep. The bus ride home during the night was brutal. Several moms have younger kids who will be doing this trip in a few years and they all said they will fly home next time.

Glad to see you back. Even if it is a strange TR-totally something different.
Remember the days, when everything had to stay OT?
Grrrr...life is too short.

I love reading about other destinations too. Yes, I love Disney, but we all know that many of us travel to other destinations as well. A lot of other forums have a section for "other" trips. I wish Dis would too.

Have fun in DC-hopefully it is a lot warmer than the terrible weather we just had.

DC was great. For the most part warmer than home. We left ice and slushy snow that morning and came to DC to grey skies and cold wind, but it was still nicer than home. Our second day was beautiful though.

A blizzard in April. I cannot even look outside-so depressing.

This year has just been horrible. We have not have had it as bad as some places, but still unseasonable weather.

Cool pictures! You got to experience a LOT here in South Florida!

We did. It was really a fun trip.

We usually go to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall once a month from our house in beautiful downtown Boca Raton. Too bad you missed my favorite store - the Disney Character Outlet store! That is my main reason for going to the Sawgrass mall. I've gotten such great bargains there over the years.

That would have been the 1 store I would have liked to visit.

Only a man would schedule a stop at an outlet mall and not allow any time for shopping! I remember that mall, it was fabulous. Bummer about the crappy lunch.

So true! hahahaha!

We did DC in 2016; but not with a school tour. Hope you have a great time!

We did. Much too short, but we saw a lot in the time we had. We had an excellent guide too. I really would love to go back and take more time at some of the museums.

 

[jenseib]

Nov. 15, 2017, Wednesday


Another early morning! I got up and ready and packed the last of everything and brought my bags down and asked for a receipt at the desk…mainly to be sure I wasn’t charged for anything, as a few girls were accidently charged for internet. I look at my receipt and it had all sorts of charges….then I realize it’s not even MINE! They went back in and got the correct one and all was fine.


We handed our bags to James and he loaded them in the party bus.


Now the plan today was that we would tour Residence Inn and then head to the conference center and we would have to take our bags in with us and store them in the Star’s Lounge. Many people didn’t have an early class, as the requirement was to arrive by noon, so some asked if they could just be dropped off at the hotels instead. There was some debate on this as some wanted to and others didn’t. In the end, they allowed those who wanted to get off at the conference center to do so as planned and those who wanted to go to their hotels could do that.


I decided I would go to the hotel since I didn’t need to arrive so early and I didn’t really want to lug my bags around.


We arrived at the Residence Inn and today it was raining off and on unfortunately.


This Residence Inn is fairly new.


res1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We set off to tour some rooms.


res3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The bad thing about this resort is that they didn’t have rooms that held more than 4 people and for Residence Inn that is odd. I am not sure why they didn’t make 1 and 2 bedroom rooms.


A quick look at the pool.


res8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


After a quick tour it was time to have breakfast, which was the typical breakfast served at all Residence Inn Resorts.


res12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Gonzalo was not with us today as he had to get ready to work at Cruise World, so Caitlan had joined us. She had gotten us all pre-registered for Cruise World and picked up our bag of goodies!


It was time to leave, so we headed one last time to our party bus and we also had collected a tip for James for all his hard work over the last few days.


We headed off and made a stop at the Conference Center and dropped off everyone who wanted to get off. One of the gals had asked if I would take her bags to the Hilton as well, so she didn’t have to mess with them and I said sure and got out to see which bags were hers.


As I was looking I hear my name! There was Ellen and Marianne! I said a quick hello and hugs! Ellen was actually waiting for an Uber as she had dropped her phone in water and it wasn’t working and she needed to get a new phone.

I said good bye to them and that I would see them shortly and we then headed to the Hilton. I took my bags and J helped me carry the other girl’s bags in and then I got in line. It was very busy at check in and it did take a little while to get up to the desk. Of course my room wasn’t ready, but they took the bags to hold and told me they would let me know when the room was ready…which they never did.


res15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


res16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


There was a shuttle bus from each of the participating resorts to the conference center but I saw some ladies who said they had been waiting in line for 20 plus minutes and I just decided to walk as I saw some other ladies doing….and I followed.


I arrived and took a couple of pictures.


cw6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cw7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I walked in and went looking for the Star Lounge and found Marianne in there. She showed me some stuff she had gotten that was not in my bag, so we went up to the table and got the things I was missing….things like buttons, etc. Kind of odd they didn’t have our bags packed correctly.


We chatted for a bit and then my friend Brook arrived and we chatted some more. It was so nice to see everyone again.


Soon it was time for the opening meal and talks for the conference and we all gathered outside the doors. Marianne had been to this last year and warned us that people go CRAZY trying to find the best tables and we would have to move fast to get one for all of us to sit at. We had a party of 7 I believe, that wanted to try and stay together.


We were a little early, so Marianne and I looked at the Carnival booth and got some temp tattoes. I got mine on my ankle. She put hers on her shoulder I believe.


This is Carnival’s motto and we hear it all the time.


cw9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We gathered around the doors to be let in. You can see the back of my head at the mid to top of the left hand side of this pic. LOL


world10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Once the doors opened, we raced in and the tables filled fast. It really was a rat race. We found one with enough spots towards the right hand front. Not the best view for us, but we got to be together.


The stage looked like this.


world11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Lunch was set out and waiting for us.


cw8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Lunch today was sponsored by Holland America.


cw15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The salad was good, but I really am picky when it comes to salad dressing and we never had an option. It was the same for everyone and no choices to substitute it. I could stomach it…I am a big girl, but if I ever come to this again, I will be bringing my own salad dressing packets so I know I will have what I truly like.


cw21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The dessert was tasty though.


cw13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The drink selection was basically water or coffee or iced tea I believe. I can’t remember because I don’t drink coffee or any form of tea. So water it was. I started bringing my own diet coke or diet pepsi from there on in if I had a chance to pick one up.


cw11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cw12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Orlando Ashford was our first speaker today. He is the president of Holland America. A super nice guy and a great speaker!


world1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cw14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Our next speaker was Caitlan from Hello Sunny!


cw16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cw20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And then Frank Del Rio who is the CEO and President of NCL.


cw17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I get antsy sitting for long periods of time. I have to get up and move after so long. So I did just that after a bit…went to the bathroom, walked around a few minutes and then came back. Many of the big wigs in the cruise industry were talking!


cw18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cw19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Finally it was time to head to my first class.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I look at my receipt and it had all sorts of charges….then I realize it’s not even MINE!

That does not instill me with confidence.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

That does not instill me with confidence.

Corinna

I have no idea why they couldn't get me MY bill. They kept asking me my room number but kept typing in a completely different one.

 

[jenseib]

Between sessions we would have 10-15 minutes to get to our classrooms, go to the bathroom or whatever else needed to be done. I can tell you this…it was NOT enough time. Like I said before…I can’t sit for long periods of time and then I need to move. This was the hardest part of the conference for me. We spent a lot of sedentary time here.


As we walked to the first class we came across this guy.


cw24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


There was a contest going on and he was a finalist. Sadly he didn’t win, but he was my favorite.


I think Brook had class with me this first time and I believe it was about the Caribbean.


After we were done, we had another little break and I met Marianne outside where we talked a few minutes and stretched our legs and then it was back in for a final session. I believe she had a round table discussion, while I had a think tank type discussion. I found it interesting once again, and learned some things that I didn’t know…always a plus! I had a few of my friends, one being Brook and another being S from my Hello Sunny tours, with me, so it was nice to have some people I knew joining me. Brook and S met and they hit it off as well.


Around 6:45 the day was done. It was another really long day and busy!


I headed back to the Hilton with my friends, as most of us were staying there. We chatted about dinner options as we all were starving now. I just ended up telling them to let me know what time to meet and I would go for just about anything.

I had to go to the desk to get my bags and find out if my room was ready…and it was and I was given a key.


I headed to my room. I had a pool side room. Most of my friends had come in the night before. A few had tower rooms and some had pool rooms. I had heard the pool rooms were not that great, but at this point I really didn’t care. The hotel was pretty much sold out between our conference and another, so I really wasn’t going to asked to be moved…even if it was possible.


I found my room and it was just OK. Definitely not updated at all (and this resort was supposed to be refurbishing rooms) but not the worst I had seen. If I had to pay full price for a room I probably would not have been happy though.


HILTON11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was like they had updated some things but only did half the job.


hilton18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The sink was nice, but the mirror and lights were awful.


But I had a great view of the pool!


hilton19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton20 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton21 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We decided to just eat at the hotel restaurant. We were all tired and several really didn’t feel like leaving…which was fine for me.

I met Marianne and Ellen down by the pool.


hilton1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hilton22 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We were seated at a large table and I ended up talking mostly with Marianne as she was the closest. I pulled out my phone and we found pictures from our Sandals trip last summer and Ellen joined in as we laughed over some of the funny shots we had taken. We had read that the guy who took us on tours last summer, Jermaine, was going to be here at Cruise World and we were hoping to see him again.


I ordered a clams and pasta dish and it was very good.


hilton6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Dinner was slow once again, but we had a lot of fun talking. I had some gifts for a few of the girls, so I went back to my room to grab them and then headed off to deliver them to their rooms.


I ended up staying in Ellen and Marianne’s room for quite some time talking. Typically everyone got their own room for this conference, but Marianne knew the girl in charge and just told her that her and Ellen would be fine in a room together.

We had a lot of fun chatting, but it was getting late and I was so tired and I knew there was another busy and long day tomorrow, so I made my way back to my room.


I got this shot of the pool area from the tower.


hilton7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I did call home at some point. My husband complains if I don’t call home and then he complains if I tell him too much boring info about my trip. You just can’t win! Hahahah.


I got ready for bed and had a great nights sleep.