Bucs, Hulk, Horror, Harry, DC & Shamu

[jaoconnor]

Who we are:
Andy & Jenn (me): 40 year olds, married for 17 years from Nebraska
Carson (DS): 13 year old football fanatic
Kennedy (DD): 11 year old animal-loving vegetarian

Our history:
Four years ago in 2010, I convinced Andy to take a “once in a lifetime” trip to Orlando to go to Disneyworld & Universal. I decided the kids were the perfect ages at 7 & 9. They were young enough to be swept up in the magic, but old enough to enjoy everything & maybe even remember some of it. (Plus we are Harry Potter fans & Hogsmeade had just opened)

It was an amazing trip and I have wanted to return to Orlando every single day since.

Magic Kingdom in 2010

Convincing my husband:
Unfortunately, Andy does not share in my desire to go back to Florida as often as possible. He enjoys new experiences and doesn’t understand why I would want to return someplace we’ve been when there are so many other places to see. Selling him on a return trip to Orlando was tough, but I argued there were tons of new experiences to be had:

1. Diagon Alley: brand new & very cool looking
2. Coasters: Rip Ride was down for maintenance on our last trip, so it would be new to us. Kennedy had been too short for Hulk & Dragon Challenge in 2010 so she was looking forward to both
3. Halloween Horror Nights: the kids love horror, but were too young on our last visit for this event
4. Despicable Me & Transformers: both new
5. Discovery Cove, Aquatica & Seaworld: we stuck to Disney & Universal last time so these would all be new
6. And my ace in the hole…….The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were just over an hour away. Andy & Carson are HUGE NFL fans & the Bucs are Carson’s favorite team. He is fairly obsessed & seeing the Bucs play in person was his ultimate dream.

The final straw came when I was able to apply for the Southwest credit card and purchase all four of our round trip tickets for $30. It was finally official, The O’Connors were going back to Florida!!!!


After months and months of waiting the day finally arrived, we were heading to the airport:

 

[jaoconnor]

Travel Day

Our flight was scheduled to leave Omaha at 3pm. It ended up taking off 15 minutes late. We stopped in Chicago and were planning to stay on the plane, but for unknown reasons, we had a plane change. This cost us more time and we ended up arriving in Orlando at 9:30 pm, instead of our scheduled 8:30 pm.
Everyone was a little tired, but excited to be in Florida! We still had a long night ahead of us. We needed to pick up our checked luggage, pick up our rental car, check into our condo, get dinner & go on a quick Walmart run. Off we went……

The car rental took a little longer than I had expected, but we were pleased to be given a full size suv instead of the mid-size we had reserved. Our condo was only 15 minutes from the airport. One word of warning……we knew there were tolls on the road from the airport & I had some change ready. Somehow we found ourselves in the wrong lane at the second toll booth and we were forced to drive through the lane for cars with pre-paid tags. We were a little flustered with our mistake, but decided not to worry about it until we returned the car.

We arrived at the condo’s clubhouse and checked in quickly & easily. We chose Vista Cay condos because of their location & price. They were less than 15 minutes to Universal & less than 10 to SeaWorld, Discovery Cove & Aquatica. We stayed 9 nights and the final cost was under $1,000 including all taxes & fees. We rented through VRBO and were very pleased with everything about it. We absolutely loved having a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms & 2 baths. It spoiled us completely and I am going to have a tough time vacationing in a regular hotel room again.

 

[jaoconnor]

After some research, I had chosen Bahama Breeze for our 1st night’s dinner. I knew it was nearby, open late & had a festive island feel. I was also able to purchase a $100 gift card for $90 from my credit card reward points & had a $10 off coupon for signing up for their email list. I immediately ordered the “special” pina colada served in a pineapple. Andy ordered a boring drink & the kids ordered their own virgin pina coladas.

We were really hungry after having a snack-only lunch, so we also immediately ordered the large Island Hopper appetizer:
A combination of island favorites: Jamaican chicken wings, crispy coconut shrimp, onion rings, and conch fritters. Served with citrus-mustard, jerk barbeque sauce and roasted pineapple chutney.

Kennedy is a pescatarian, or pesco-vegetarian. Which means she is a vegetarian who also eats eggs, dairy, fish and seafood. Two years ago she made the decision not to eat meat because of her love of animals, and we support her in her choice. I was a little worried taking her to SeaWorld would result in her deciding to give up fish too. (nothing against fish, but it’s much easier to cook for her when I can include seafood)

Kennedy focused on the coconut shrimp & onion rings, while the rest of us enjoyed a little bit of everything. It was a giant appetizer and solved our immediate hunger. (but I forgot to take a pic)

 

[jaoconnor]

Andy had a tough time with the big menu, but ended up going with the

Carnitas Rice Bowl
Slow roasted pork, sauteed with chorizo sausage, roasted corn, sweet plantains and garbanzo beans in a cummin-citrus sauce served over rice

This picture was taken before he started eating it, but after he mixed everything together. It looked a little more appetizing before he stirred.

Carson went with the

Cuban Sandwich
Ham, roast pork, salami, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hot-pressed on Cuban bread.
I think this picture is only ½ the sandwich

Kennedy & I were decided to share the

Calypso Shrimp Linguine
Tender shrimp in every bite... sautéed with garlic, scallions, tomatoes, a hint of spice and cream.

After the big appetizer, the shrimp linguine was the perfect size for Kennedy & I to split. We really enjoyed it and declared it a winner. Carson & Andy were only able to make it about half way through their entrees, so we grabbed a couple of to-go boxes. They both said the enjoyed their dinners, but Andy later in the vacation told me it was just ok. He didn’t want to be negative on our 1st night.

All-in-all the dinner was a success, but not someplace we would seek out to return. The service was really slow. The food was good, but nothing special. Our final bill ended up to be $93.00. We thought about a to-go dessert to finish off our gift card, but we were so full & the server was so elusive that we skipped it. Bahama Breeze is owned by the same parent company as Olive Garden & Longhorn Steakhouse, so I’m sure we will eventually spend the last $7 on our gift card.

We were really tired, and it was getting late, but we still needed to stop at Walmart for some essential items for the week.

 

[ATX]

Great trip report so far! Can't wait to read the rest.

 

[rnorwo1]

Nice start, can't wait to read the rest!

 

[jaoconnor]

Great trip report so far! Can't wait to read the rest.

Nice start, can't wait to read the rest![/QUOThanks for following along!!

 

[jaoconnor]

I love Southwest Airline’s bags fly free and took advantage of it by pre-shopping as much as possible & packing a checked suitcase full of food/snack items. We still needed milk, eggs, pop, beer & a few other items for the 2 condo dinners I was planning. I had hoped to leave Walmart by midnight, but with our hour late arrival in Orlando, it was 1 am before we were on our way back to the condo. The amazing part was how completely packed Walmart was on a Saturday night at 1 a.m.

We went back to the condo exhausted, but excited for the big Bucs game the next day.

Andy had a tough time sleeping that night, but the rest of us slept like babies. Carson woke up beyond excited for the day he had been waiting for…..Bucs Day! Carson had made a connection with the Nebraska-born new general manager of the Buccaneers & we were lucky enough to have been gifted awesome seats for the game as well as pre-game field access.

The kids on the condo balcony before we left for the big game

It took a little over an hour before we arrived at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

 

[pixeegrl]

Enjoying your TR but the green is a little hard to read

 

[schumigirl]

Enjoying your TR but the green is a little hard to read

yes your pics are lovely, but I am struggling to read it too

 

[pcstang]

I see Mac's purple but everything else I read shows up black on my phone....

 

[jaoconnor]

Enjoying your TR but the green is a little hard to read

yes your pics are lovely, but I am struggling to read it too

I see Mac's purple but everything else I read shows up black on my phone....

Thanks for the head-up on the color. I think I have it changed now & hopefully it will be easier to read.

 

[jaoconnor]

There is nothing better in life than witnessing your child’s pure joy, and this experience filled Carson with so much happiness.

The injured starting quarterback, Josh McCown, stopped by the sidelines to chat with fans pre-game. He took several minutes to talk with Carson about the team & pose for pictures. He was so sweet and is absolutely my new favorite NFL player. The minute of two he spent with Carson meant the world to him. The kicker, Patrick Murray, was also nice enough to stop by for a picture and we were able to meet and talk with the GM, Jason Licht. The entire experience was amazing and one I know my son with never forget.

 

[jaoconnor]

Unfortunately, the pre-game would be the highlight of the day. The Bucs got off to a terrible start against the Ravens & it only got worse as it went. It was also very hot that day & the smiles were fading by the end of the game.

 

[jaoconnor]

We had planned to eat at the nearby Lee Roy Selmon’s. Lee Roy Selmon was a hall of famer Buccaneer & I thought it would be a good place to hang out with other Bucs fans and watch the 2nd round of NFL games. We walked in....and it wasn't what we were expecting. My vegetarian daughter really didn't care for the strong bbq smell & the only tv’s were in the small & overcrowded bar area. Carson was bummed about the Bucs loss & nobody was in the mood to fight for a table. We decided to head back to the condo & have homemade tacos & some pool time. It was a great decision. We needed to be well rested for our big Universal/IOA/Hard Rock day coming up next…..

 

[jaoconnor]

Universal/IOA/Hard Rock

 

[jaoconnor]

We knew it was going to be a full day at the parks & we woke up ready to go! My family learned quickly in 2010 when we visited Disney & Universal that we did not do well in lines. Our ideal park day contains short lines & an afternoon pool break. To make this happen we decided to book one night at the Hard Rock Hotel, even though we had a condo for the week. I purchased 1 annual pass & got a great rate on a Hard Rock pool view room. This would allow us unlimited express passes for two days, early entry & pool break access. Perfect, right?

Well……a week and a half before our trip, our plans changed. The Bucs had invited our family to attend an event that would allow us to watch a practice, have a chance to meet and get autographs from players & have a private tour of Raymond James Stadium. It was a special opportunity & something very important to my son. The only problem was that it was scheduled for our Hard Rock check out day. I tried to switch our hotel day, but the rest of the week was sold out. I had no idea what to do. It seemed silly to keep the Hard Rock reservation when we would only be able to take advantage of 1 day of the express passes. We thought it through, and decided to keep the Hard Rock room. Buying unlimited express for one day would cost almost as much as the room & we could still take advantage of a quick pool break and a change of clothes after the water rides. Since most Harry Potter rides did not take express, we decided to save Diagon Alley for a non-express day later in the week. We set out to ride everything else in both parks in one day!
First-up: Despicable Me

 

[schumigirl]

Wow.........what a fantastic experience for the whole family as well as your son.........he is so lucky, he'll remember that forever

Love the minion pic.........so cute......

 

[pixeegrl]

Yeah, that's a bummer about not getting two full days but totally worth it after seeing the excitement on your sons face. Nothing can beat that!! (much easier to read now lol thanks!)

 

[jaoconnor]

We were going to be concentrating on mostly thrill rides, but Despicable Me was new to us & we like to try everything once. I was surprised at the long line so close to opening, but with Express we were in quickly. I thought the pre-show was a little long, but I enjoyed the attraction as a whole. Cute & a little more “thrilling” than I was expecting. A nice start to our day.

Next up….Rip Ride Rockit. We love coasters & RRR was down when we were at Universal in 2010. The line was short, but we still headed for Express. We were stopped early & told my daughter and I could not wear our fanny packs on the ride…..we would need to get a locker. I was bummed because the ability to skip the lockers was the one and only reason we were wearing fanny packs. Fortunately, this new policy only applies to Rip Ride and we didn’t have an issue with the fanny packs on any other ride/coaster.

We walked up the stairs & found they were boarding immediately. My son & I asked if we could sit in the front row and found ourselves facing the vertical lift hill from the front 2 seats moments later. I panicked on the song selection & ended up with Kanye’s Stronger. I’m not a huge fan of the song, but thought it added a lot to the adrenaline of the ride. My whole crew enjoyed it, but we decided to move on instead of sticking around for a 2nd ride.