Hi, I’m Julie McCoy, Your TR Director

[jenseib]

The hotel looks really nice and dinner looks like a winner, too. I have to admit that I would not have expected a proper restaurant inside a store.

Corinna

The hotel was decent for what it was. Just a value type place but super comfy beds....that is if mine didn't slant.
It was attached to the side of the store, and I assume there was an entrance from outside, but we never went and looked for it. It really was good food.

I'm in! Can't wait to see how this trip goes!

Oh, and I didn't want to be Julie, I always wanted to be Vicki Steubing, the captains daughter! She got to go on the cruises, but never had to work!

Yes! I wanted to be her too. I was told she is actually the Godmother to the ship I sailed too.

 

[jenseib]

We made our way back to the car and took a different way out. This was so much easier and it was basically just around the corner from the hotel. Actually it was probably walking distance. BUT….I am not too sure how safe this area is. I never felt in danger, but I did notice the gas station down the road had bars on its windows. So that usually is not a good sign.

Back at the hotel I took a few more pictures.



This is the seating area for breakfast…which is free each morning.







A small snack area in the lobby.





The pool, which always seemed to have at least one person in it at all times.









I then headed back to our room. I called home and talked to Claire and Skip. Mom had called dad, who was already missing her.
I got on my laptop and edited some pictures and looked over emails. We turned the Big Bang Theory on and just chilled out and talked. I could tell mom wasn’t going to last long as her responses were getting slower. And sure enough by 8:20 my mom was sound asleep. I guess the travel day really wore her out. I continued to watch tv and chat with some friends online and I think I actually stayed up close to midnight.
Finally I gave in and went to bed. The mattress was comfy but it had a slight slant that wanted to make me roll off to one side. That was a bit annoying, but when you are tired, you can make due and not complain. At least it was a comfy slant.

 

[JanaJohn]

I'm in! Looking forward to your review of Princess Cruises. We've done 7 cruises with Princess with another planned for next October. Now I can go back and start at the beginning of this review.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good decision on renting a car. I'm with you...I bet that you would have spent $50 on taxis and I wouldn't like to rely on shuttles even if you were only there for a couple of days.

The restaurant looks neat! I like the truck turned table too.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Joining in. I do know who Julie McCoy is. I watched The Love Boat all the time growing up. I hope you and your mom had a wonderful cruise.

 

[jenseib]

I'm in! Looking forward to your review of Princess Cruises. We've done 7 cruises with Princess with another planned for next October. Now I can go back and start at the beginning of this review.

Thanks. Which ships have you been on? I really would love to go on one of the newer ships.

Good decision on renting a car. I'm with you...I bet that you would have spent $50 on taxis and I wouldn't like to rely on shuttles even if you were only there for a couple of days.

The restaurant looks neat! I like the truck turned table too.

We were so happy to have the car. Especially on Sunday as we were able to come and go as we please...or needed to.

Joining in. I do know who Julie McCoy is. I watched The Love Boat all the time growing up. I hope you and your mom had a wonderful cruise.

Love Boat was such a fun show in it's day.

 

[jenseib]

Day 2, Sept. 28, 2014, Sunday

I always wake up early while on vacation. It’s just in my blood. I have this feeling I am missing something if I sleep too long. I know its pure craziness, but I never said I was sane!

I believe I got on my computer for a bit and wasted some time while mom slept in. I took a peek out the window and saw we were above the pool.



And there was someone already out there getting ready to get in, but I tried to take the pictures without them in it.



I am one who needs to eat right away for the most part, so I headed down to check out the breakfast options.



Not too shabby for a free breakfast.





I was so excited. They had Passion Orange Guava juice which is basically like the Jungle Juice they serve at some restaurants at Disney.



It was darn good too!



I had a couple of glasses of this wonderful stuff.



Sausage, eggs, yogurt and some milk as well.





I think I went for a walk outside since mom was still sleeping. I decided to take a picture of our rental.



Very similar to mine, only mine is red.



Walking along the backside of the hotel.



And back around to the front.



The lobby area.





I went back to the room and got ready for the day. Mom was now up and I went down with her so she could get breakfast and coffee (I don’t touch the stuff).

We had some casual plans today. When we decided to stay in Ft. L an extra night I went online and also asked suggestions for things to do in the area. I got a ton of replies and many sounded great. At the time we were still going with the taxi idea, but the Everglades were singing out to me as the top choice of things to do. I googled Everglades….wow that is a big area. I found one park that wasn’t too far away and seemed to have good reviews. It offered an airboat tour and an alligator show and the price wasn’t too bad either. I also calculated the taxi ride, which wasn’t too bad either….but then when I calculated how much a rental was, it was about the same price and to me worth it to get the car.

We set Siri with the address. The street name was the same as the road the hotel was on, so I was surprised when she has us going on the highway. My guess is that the highway was faster and the street had a lot of stop lights and speed controlled areas.

The highway was pretty much deserted and we were surprised to see express lanes. I am guessing during the week this road is busier?
We also found out Ft. L drivers are HORRIBLE! So many going so fast…and I wasn’t going slow either. So many swerve lanes with no notice or cut you off. We got behind a pickup truck as we got closer that was then only going 35 mph. I passed him and I was probably was going 60 or so. All of a sudden he picks up speed and tailgates me. It was really strange.

We finally got closer and they had signs directing us where to go and we pulled in to Holiday Park.
The parking lot was practically empty.



I think we arrived around 10:30 AM.



A little local wild life.



We asked where to buy tickets and they directed us inside.

I was able to get a discount using my AAA card. We bought the ticket for the airboat which also included the alligator show, then we hit the restrooms and went to our designated waiting area.



There were a few people waiting already, but not too many.



It was already getting really hot, but still manageable. The scenery was very nice though.



We saw some people gathering at the edge of the shore and pointing, so I headed over to see what the fuss was. A baby alligator…..our first sighting.

 

[JKSWonder]

I also cannot sleep late on vacation. I'm awake by 6 no matter what. It's annoying, because one of the top things I'm looking for on vacation is a good night's sleep!

My sister and I did the airboat thing when visiting my Dad at his Florida condo last year. He took us to someplace called Camp Holly. It was a lot of fun...much better than I had expected it to be. And the gators were HUGE!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I like to get up early and wander about too but my guys aren't like that at all. I say that but then need to backtrack because John's doctor gave him a medication that helps to wake him up and it works pretty quickly.

On our 2013 trip, I actually looked around at a few of the local airboat tours in the Orlando/Kissimmee area and almost booked it. I wish that I had done it. I can't believe that you spotted a baby alligator after being there just a few minutes. I'm betting that this tour is gonna be good!

 

[dolphingirl47]

That hot tub looks so tempting. Breakfast looked nice. I can't wait to read more about your airboat trip.

Corinna

 

[rndmr2]

Joining in! I just finished reading your solo TR and saw that you started this one too. Your new little Granddaughter is such a cutie!

We went on a Princess Cruise (Grand Princess) in 2003 for our Honeymoon (I actually wanted WDW but DH was a much bigger resister than he is now LOL) and I really liked it, I would definitely go on another if the itinerary and price were right.

Nice start to the trip, your dinner looked yummy! I have recently begun to LOVE scallops and will order them any chance I get.

Looking forward to more!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I'm in!

 

[littlenellbell]

Just found this trip report. Joining in!

Looks like your trip is off to a good start! It's nice you get to spend time with your Mom.

Looking forward to your comparison between DCL and Princess.

 

[jenseib]

I also cannot sleep late on vacation. I'm awake by 6 no matter what. It's annoying, because one of the top things I'm looking for on vacation is a good night's sleep!

My sister and I did the airboat thing when visiting my Dad at his Florida condo last year. He took us to someplace called Camp Holly. It was a lot of fun...much better than I had expected it to be. And the gators were HUGE!

I can sleep when I'm dead! But I did take some naps this trip. It really was a much more laid back trip this time.
Camp Holly sounds like a name from a horror film.
But I bet it was pretty darn cool too.

I like to get up early and wander about too but my guys aren't like that at all. I say that but then need to backtrack because John's doctor gave him a medication that helps to wake him up and it works pretty quickly.

On our 2013 trip, I actually looked around at a few of the local airboat tours in the Orlando/Kissimmee area and almost booked it. I wish that I had done it. I can't believe that you spotted a baby alligator after being there just a few minutes. I'm betting that this tour is gonna be good!

I do like alone time and just walking around and taking it all in.
This tour was super cool. My mom wants to take Dad to one as well and I think they are going to Orlando again next spring, so I will have to look up some local ones.
It was pretty cool to see one right off the bat.

That hot tub looks so tempting. Breakfast looked nice. I can't wait to read more about your airboat trip.

Corinna

I never got in a hot tub this trip...or a pool, but I thought about it a few times. It was just that I would have to go and shower and change after and that didn't sound as fun.

Joining in! I just finished reading your solo TR and saw that you started this one too. Your new little Granddaughter is such a cutie!

We went on a Princess Cruise (Grand Princess) in 2003 for our Honeymoon (I actually wanted WDW but DH was a much bigger resister than he is now LOL) and I really liked it, I would definitely go on another if the itinerary and price were right.

Nice start to the trip, your dinner looked yummy! I have recently begun to LOVE scallops and will order them any chance I get.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks. We like her too. I am also working on my WDW/DCL report, though I am going super slow on that one. I have been trying to get an update each up though since I have been home. I know in a few weeks I am going to have some things coming up to keep me from posting, so I want to get it moving along...well both of these reports.
We were happy with Princess and Mom is thinking of taking Dad on one in the future.
I do love scallops!

I'm in!

Welcome!

Just found this trip report. Joining in!

Looks like your trip is off to a good start! It's nice you get to spend time with your Mom.

Looking forward to your comparison between DCL and Princess.

Hello!!!!
Mom is a good traveler. She doesn't need me by her side 24/7. In fact I would see some of the same people every day and I think they thought I made it up that she was with me as she never was with me when I would see them.

 

[jenseib]

Something I did not know was that Holiday Park is home to the Gator Boys. There were a few signs advertising that. I do not watch the show, but my niece does…and loves it. I honestly can’t tell you much about the show, other than I have seen advertisements for it and I think they go around and rescue gators from areas they are not supposed to be in.





I took a lot of pictures while we waited, but in all honesty, we didn’t wait too long.



I laughed that this building has a no smoking sign on it, but about 6 feet away they had ashtrays out for people to smoke at.



Another gator…or perhaps the same one.





Our boat arrived and docked and we were told that everyone would get a picture before getting on. Some people told them they didn’t want one, but they said it was mandatory for everyone as it also gave a head count and visual for when the boat arrived back.

We smiled…never planning on getting the picture….but wouldn’t you know, it was actually a nice picture and mom bought it.



We then headed down to the dock to get on the boat.



Our Captain came around to talk to us and there was a foreign family there that just kept talking and it made it hard to hear them. Seriously? You can’t be quiet for a few minutes to get instructions? They also had sort of a brat kid with them. They had several kids, but one was annoying. As we floated along he has some drink and he kept slurping it up…and obviously there was nothing left, but he kept at it with his straw. That is one of the most annoying things to my mother….like nails on a chalk board….and I thought she was going to jump back 3 rows to whip that cup out of his hand. Others kept turning and looking at him too and glaring. Finally toward the end of the trip, with his mother not doing anything, his grandmother told him he was done and took the cup away from him.
Anyways….the captain gave some details of what would happen and NOT to stick your hands in the water what so ever! These are wild animals. He said he knew how to call them to come towards the boat, but they were not trained or friendly at all.

He also told us our boat had recently been fixed and he was going to get to test her out today and see how fast she would go.



These guys floated by as we were waiting to take off.





The captain talking to us.



And off we go.















It’s kind of hard to see, but there is a bird with his wings spread out in these trees.





Our captain told us the kind of bird it was, but I no longer remember, nor was the name familiar to me.



These are not lily pads. They are called Spatterdocks. I think they are in the lily family, but not lillypads.

 

[dolphingirl47]

The scenery looks really pretty. What a shame about the rude family.

Corinna

 

[dizneeat]

Playing catch up again!

Great updates, Jen. Your hotel looks very nice and so does breakfast.

I am all with you on crazy driving in Ft. Lauderdale. I have sworn never to go back, we do not have fond memories of the few times we stayed there.

Love the pics of the airboat ride so far. And shame on the family with the slurping kiddo. You would think they would see if people turn to them, but some people just don't want to notice.

 

[JKSWonder]

Camp Holly sounds like a name from a horror film.

HA! That is EXACTLY what my sister said when we drove up to the place and she saw the sign.

 

[jenseib]

The scenery looks really pretty. What a shame about the rude family.

Corinna

It really was such an amazing adventure.

Playing catch up again!

Great updates, Jen. Your hotel looks very nice and so does breakfast.

I am all with you on crazy driving in Ft. Lauderdale. I have sworn never to go back, we do not have fond memories of the few times we stayed there.

Love the pics of the airboat ride so far. And shame on the family with the slurping kiddo. You would think they would see if people turn to them, but some people just don't want to notice.

The people driving there are just complete nuts. I have never seen so many bad drivers in one area before in my life. I live on the Ohio/Michigan border and often when we see a bad driver we say "Michigan Driver"...and lets just say they drive perfectly compered to Ft. L drivers!

HA! That is EXACTLY what my sister said when we drove up to the place and she saw the sign.

Ironically we watched Friday the 13th later this day too.

 

[jenseib]

The first trail we took was going to be the longest and fastest one of the trip. I must say it was pretty darn cool. We would got straight and then swerve to the left or right but still gliding in the same directions…so at times we were going forward to the end but sideways.







A look back.





That was super cool!

We then floated around an island to look for an iguana.



We were also told not to touch the yellow flower of the spatterdock. I can’t remember if the flower was poisonous or the bug that lived inside, but he said we would be burning and itching before we got back if we touched it.



It was amazing how clear the water was too.



I had thought of the Everglades as swamp and as a swamp I think of muddy murky water. This was not the case. We were also told the Everglades is a river that is 50 miles wide and 100 miles long. That explains why my google searches came up with so many different options near and far away.

As we floated around the island where our captain thought the iguana would be we spotted these birds.



He told us that their spit would be dangerous and could make us paralyzed….it made me think of Jurassic Park.



They didn’t seem all too happy to see us either.



And then someone spotted the iguana. This was not actually the one we were looking for though. I believe this was the female.



She moved along the branch…..and then peed. How many of you can say you’ve taken a picture of an iguana peeing?





We kept on look for the male…I took a picture of the reeds.



There he is! Our captain was great about turning the boat around so each side could see things.



It’s hard to tell in pictures….but he was pretty darn big.





His girlfriend went to find him then.



And then we moved on again.