"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[MeghanEmily]

I never had an interest to go to DC, even though we had one next door to us when we vacationed in Islamorada FL about 20 yr's ago. But I gotta say your description peaks my interest. Looks like you guys really enjoyed yourselves.

It probably wouldn't be for everyone, but for us it was an awesome experience! It just feels like you kind of been transported to a whole different place.

SO cool! I've never been, but want to go someday!

I was fantastic! It had to be for a very special occasion for us to make it worth it, but I'm so glad we did it.

Annnnddddd…that would be why I've never been!

Yep. It's wild!! Very pricey. It is priced seasonally, like Disney, so it was a bit more expensive when we went. And adding extra experiences like the dolphins (which I think is totally a must-do if you're putting in the money to go anyway) and the SeaVenture, etc., adds up. But I justified it by thinking about how some people spend almost that much for a single day at Universal with express pass, taxi/uber, meals (which were included at DC), etc. But still...ouch.

I love it! We did the shark swim across at Typhoon Lagoon once and I was a nervous wreck so I couldn't even appreciate it.

I wish they still had this at Typhoon Lagoon! I can see why you'd be nervous though.

Aw! I love her!

She was a real beauty! Lots of personality

That looks like an incredible experience! Definitely makes me want to go even more now!

Discovery Cove sounds great! I've always wanted to spend a day there but have never got around to doing it. But after reading your synopsis of everything, I want to put in on my list for our next big trip. That lazy river sounds amazing, and I don't blame you for buying the expensive CD of the dolphin encounter. How many times can you get pictures of you swimming with a dolphin?!

It was really beautiful! Almost like being transported to a whole different place.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Wow! I'd never heard of Discovery Cove until the boards, and I didn't realize how much there was there! It looks really cool!

Swimming with dolphins is on my list. It looks like you guys had an amazing time! I totally get getting suckered into the overpriced photo package though. We also bought the overpriced photo package on our cruise where we met...

Sea lions!

​

We picked them for a few reasons... 1. I love sea lions. 2. I'd seen Dolphin swims/meets, before, so I knew we'd have another chance at some point... but I'd never seen sea lions. 3. The sea lions were about half the price... So I think your Discovery Cove value sounds really good. The cruise Dolphin swim would have been about $600 alone for us, while the sea lions clocked in at about $260. With either animal encounter you got to use the private beach (this was at Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau, Bahamas), their inner tubes, and a basic lunch. There were a lot of other up charge items/food/drinks. The Ultimate package with the other parks, parking, food, drinks, snorkeling, and Dolphins(!) sounds like a great deal overall.


Also, OJ and milk? I couldn't do it. But as a chocolate milk aficionado, I do recognize the TruMoo carton

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much there was to do there! And the dolphin encounter was really a huge highlight of the trip!

Your sea lion experience sounds amazing!! We got to see sea lions at an aquarium a couple hours from home, and they were so fun! Sounds like you definitely made the best choice there!

 

[missangelalexis]

What a fun experience at Discovery Cove! The pics from the aviary are awesome, so much bird interaction! And of course the pics during the dolphin encounter are incredible! I'm glad you were able to enjoy the day and made it as long as you anticipated. It's nice that EVERYTHING is included in the price! Sign me up for unlimited icees!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Looking forward to that!

Yeah, Wild Africa Trek was 100% worth it! Super experience! More to come on that relatively soon.

Whoa! D'em's Disney prices!

Right?! I justified it by thinking about how expensive most other things in Orlando are. We've spent probably close to $500 for two people to do a single day at Universal on a Disney trip, once two-park tickets and transportation and meals were all factored it, and that's without springing for their pricey express pass, etc. Not that it makes this any better, but I found it kind of comforting and disheartening at the same time to remember how far we've fallen in past on the quest for the best Orlando vacations...

Now I certainly wouldn't be able to afford to sneak a DC visit in on every trip or anything, but I'd venture to say it was worth it this once!

Uh huh.... You know why I have an iPhone?
Because my iPod apparently did not like toilets.

Oh no!!

Really! I would've thought it would be advance registration. Huh.

Right?! No, you buy your tickets, including your dolphin swim, in advance. But the assigning of actual experience times isn't done until you get there. I guess you never know if people might not show up, or if people will have to reschedule due to weather, etc. (They allow you one freebie to reschedule for another day if the weather is bad, which is why we made sure to put it earlier in our trip.) But still, I'm not sure why they do it this way...

What were you aiming for?

I would have liked a morning time for our dolphin swim so we could do it early, and then have the rest of our time to do things in a more leisurely way without always checking the time and worrying about having somewhere else to be. There's also always the worry in the summer that there will be an afternoon thunderstorm and they'll need to delay or cancel your dolphin swim. If it's actually cancelled I've heard of them rescheduling it, but I wouldn't want to have to make the trip back just for that if I could avoid it. And I would have preferred earlier in the day so the sun wasn't quite at "high noon" in the summer heat...but I guess when it's that hot in Florida it doesn't make a huge difference whether it's 10am or noon...

I'm betting it was the kid with the tie died shirt! What did you name him?

I don't like to name my food. I get too attached that way. I had a friend whose family raised chickens, and one year when she was quite young she named them all as chicks...it was pretty devastating when Fluffers McCluck ended up on her dinner plate...

Oh, that's easy. If it's white, it isn't chocolate.
If it's brown, it is.


See??? Easy!

Ahh! Now I get it! How has nobody let me in on this secret in the last 24 years!?

What do birds talk about?

Good question. I don't actually speak bird. It was just comforting to be sharing in a conversation, despite the language gap. Hmmm...I hope the birds weren't saying anything offensive. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

Really! Huh. Surprised.

Yeah. I mean Nathan's 6ft tall, so I guess he probably could have kind of tip-toed it. I, however, am 5'2", so that would have been a no-go for me. It was neat that they kind of switched things up though.

Ah. Too bad. You think you would've enjoyed it? I don't think the claustrophobia would've been an issue. You can see out and you forget that you're wearing it (I would think... based on SCUBA.)

I'm not sure how I would have done. I think it would have been really cool, but I don't love experiences I can't quickly escape from. It's why I like to sit on the aisles in lecture halls, because if there's an emergency, I'm leaving all those other suckers to fight their way out, while I'm already out the door! In terms of claustrophobia, I'm not 100% sure since I didn't do it, but I think the biggest concern might be how heavy the helmets are? And I'm not sure how much they obscure your peripheral vision. But I'd think it would be similar to the experience SCUBA diving. And on that note, I think Nathan would love to get SCUBA certified someday...may have to look into that in Halifax...

That would've made a great title! And.... holy cow! What an experience! How big was it??

( I might have joined you in the whole peeing in the pool department... perhaps more than peed.)

He says it's been so long that he doesn't remember exactly, but he figured it was at least as long as I am tall. Hard to say if that's one of those "It was THIS BIG!" fishing stories, but still. That would be more than 5ft. So not like a little lantern shark or anything. He also has very strong memories of nearly stepping on a ray that was bigger in diameter than he was tall.

"Okay... hang on. Not quite ready. Wait, the sun is in my eyes. Is my hair okay? Hang on, someone's going by. Is this my good side?"

Man on honeymoon drowns at Discovery Cove. Bride devastated: "He never took my picture!!"

I can see it in the news now!!

That would be my primary reason for being devastated or anything...but it would be pretty sad...it would make the whole accident a waste!

Good for you.
You are reading my current TR so you know I did the same.
Sometimes you have to just live life.

100%

Uh, huh. It's forced.
Through the aide of advanced computer tomography, I was able to discern what the dolphin was saying:

Aww man...I had no idea...I thought we were friends.

Very nice. You should keep him. (Despite what "settling" lady says.)

I think I just might. He's the best I've found so far.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I've been gone from the Dis for a long time but I am jumping back in and your TR is the first one I clicked on and I'm loving it. Your wedding was beautiful and sounds perfect for you two. The photos in MK were especially stunning.

I hear you on the awkward border crossings. One time I was crossing into New York at the Thousands Islands border crossing for a day of shopping with my friend who is originally from the Bahamas and the guard was asking us all sorts of questions. He was really grilling us about how we knew each other, for how long, what school did we go to, where did we live, whose car were we in. It went on and on. When we finally got waved through my friend found that he had slipped a card into her passport about how to seek help if you are a victim of human trafficking!!! We were astounded. We ended up laughing about it but it was so strange.

Looking forward to more!

Wow, !! So glad you joined in! We really had a wonderful wedding, and an awesomely fun honeymoon, so I'm having a blast getting relive it all by sharing it here!

Your border story is unreal!! I can't even imagine!! But I guess there are probably rare instances where that's actually the case and the person had just been coached on what to say, so I guess if it helps one person it's worth it for them to do that...but wow!

That is such a cool thing! I love this idea so much!

It really made for a great trip having these extra special experiences to share with each other! I find we're both getting to a point where we'd much rather spend our money on experiences, rather than more things. I'll see a new tech toy come out, or a new clothing item, and I'll think about purchasing...and then I think about how much more fun I'll have spending money on cool new experiences or new trips. Much better than buying things that will collect dust!

Yeah. The pricing was really wild!! I had been using my side job doing princess parties as extra spending money, not factored into my budget, because it was so unreliable when I'd get booked. Months before the wedding, I ended up just diverting all that extra cash toward "extra" wedding experiences, and long story short, DC got paid for!

So.... confused. The dolphin times aren't pre-assigned long before you go to the park? Like weeks or months ahead. Seems like that might be a better method?

I would think so, too! Your tickets and dolphin swim are purchased in advance, but the actual assignment of times isn't done till you get there the morning of. I guess people have to reschedule for weather sometimes, so maybe they don't want to worry about that kind of hassle.

Odd. Why do people feel like they need to say anything other than congratulations without knowing you at least a little better.

My question exactly!? Maybe I'm weird that way, but usually when I hear that someone has good news, I just wish them well and am on my way...especially when it's a stranger...

Did you feel like that was enough time to really enjoy the park and get your money's worth? I'd want to snorkel, do the lazy river and dolphins, of course eat (twice), and lay on the beach some.

We got there at 7:15, the park officially opened at 8, I believe. We ended up leaving a bit before 2pm. We had time to squeeze in pretty much everything we wanted...but not really, no. If I'd been feeling 100% all day long, I could have easily stayed another few hours until closing. (I think they close sometime around 5/6pm??) We did pretty much everything, but I could have spent a little more time in each place. And I know sometimes they have animal trainers out doing Q&A sessions with some of the animals, (usually marmosets I think?) and we didn't have time to catch this. I also didn't really spend any time at all just relaxing on the beach, and it would have been nice, if the temperature had been a little less brutal, to lay out for a bit with a good book and a drink. We also didn't do much looking in the little souvenir huts, but I wasn't there to shop so that's not a disappointment for me. It was still worth it for me, and we had a wonderful time, but I easily could have spent more time there.

Question: So, you can swim IN the aviary? Does the lazy river go through it or is this a separate swimming area, or?

The lazy river goes by in at least one place. I believe this is where we got in for the first time, but I'm not 100% sure.

Can you do it with a floatie raft?

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure all they offered were noodles and life jackets.

Aw, major great pic! Just perfect!

Thank you! I really value these photos, as well as the ones we purchased at Busch Gardens later in the trip. (More on that eventually, if I ever get there! )

Funny story with the Dolphin encounter!

Right at the start when we were in the water they asked if anybody had swam with Dolphins before and I was the only one that raised my hand, they asked where and were surprised when I said here, around 8 years ago!

Anyway, what was funny was when it came to the first Dolphin interaction and the trainer asked "who'd like to volunteer to go first?" and without saying anything the entire group all turned and looked at me!! I was like "ok, I guess I'm going first then!"

Oh wow! Looks like you were the designated dolphin swim expert!

 

[MeghanEmily]

What a fun experience at Discovery Cove! The pics from the aviary are awesome, so much bird interaction! And of course the pics during the dolphin encounter are incredible! I'm glad you were able to enjoy the day and made it as long as you anticipated. It's nice that EVERYTHING is included in the price! Sign me up for unlimited icees!

The aviary I think is under appreciated, but it was so neat! The birds were very friendly! We really did have a great time there, and I love that everything is included once you arrive. I think maybe there are specialty cocktails that have an upcharge and you can buy a drink pass for those separately if you want, but other than that most alcohol and all your food, etc., was all included. If a person really made it their mission, I'm sure you could get your money's worth on that alone! haha

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, Wild Africa Trek was 100% worth it! Super experience! More to come on that relatively soon.

Looking forward to hearing about it!

Right?!

Right!

I justified it by thinking about how expensive most other things in Orlando are. We've spent probably close to $500 for two people to do a single day at Universal on a Disney trip, once two-park tickets and transportation and meals were all factored it, and that's without springing for their pricey express pass, etc.

Did you do that? We did and I'm not sure if it was worth it.

Not that it makes this any better, but I found it kind of comforting and disheartening at the same time to remember how far we've fallen in past on the quest for the best Orlando vacations...

Uh, oh...

Now I certainly wouldn't be able to afford to sneak a DC visit in on every trip or anything, but I'd venture to say it was worth it this once!

I've gone from not knowing about it to wanting to go.

Oh no!!

Oh, there's more. Do you want the funny, the gross or the stupid?

Right?! No, you buy your tickets, including your dolphin swim, in advance. But the assigning of actual experience times isn't done until you get there. I guess you never know if people might not show up, or if people will have to reschedule due to weather, etc. (They allow you one freebie to reschedule for another day if the weather is bad, which is why we made sure to put it earlier in our trip.) But still, I'm not sure why they do it this way...

Sure, I get the rescheduling, but... odd that there's no advance time booking.

I would have liked a morning time for our dolphin swim so we could do it early, and then have the rest of our time to do things in a more leisurely way without always checking the time and worrying about having somewhere else to be.

That makes sense.

There's also always the worry in the summer that there will be an afternoon thunderstorm and they'll need to delay or cancel your dolphin swim.

Oh! Right! I hadn't thought of that.

If it's actually cancelled I've heard of them rescheduling it, but I wouldn't want to have to make the trip back just for that if I could avoid it. And I would have preferred earlier in the day so the sun wasn't quite at "high noon" in the summer heat...but I guess when it's that hot in Florida it doesn't make a huge difference whether it's 10am or noon...

I think the heat wouldn't be too big a factor in the water... but no, you don't want to have to go back for that. Vacation time is usually pretty busy as is.

I don't like to name my food. I get too attached that way. I had a friend whose family raised chickens, and one year when she was quite young she named them all as chicks...it was pretty devastating when Fluffers McCluck ended up on her dinner plate...

Ahh! Now I get it! How has nobody let me in on this secret in the last 24 years!?

There's more.
If it's pink/red it's strawberry. If it's off white it's either banana or egg nog (and that's a whole other thing). If it's green.... don't drink it.

Good question. I don't actually speak bird. It was just comforting to be sharing in a conversation, despite the language gap. Hmmm...I hope the birds weren't saying anything offensive. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

"Hey Herb, think we can coax this one into buying the really good bird food?"

Yeah. I mean Nathan's 6ft tall, so I guess he probably could have kind of tip-toed it. I, however, am 5'2", so that would have been a no-go for me. It was neat that they kind of switched things up though.

I do too! Were you allowed to swim under? Or did they tell you to keep above the water?

I'm not sure how I would have done. I think it would have been really cool, but I don't love experiences I can't quickly escape from. It's why I like to sit on the aisles in lecture halls, because if there's an emergency, I'm leaving all those other suckers to fight their way out, while I'm already out the door!

I don't know whether to or

I get that. Maybe that wasn't for you, then.

In terms of claustrophobia, I'm not 100% sure since I didn't do it, but I think the biggest concern might be how heavy the helmets are? And I'm not sure how much they obscure your peripheral vision. But I'd think it would be similar to the experience SCUBA diving. And on that note, I think Nathan would love to get SCUBA certified someday...may have to look into that in Halifax...

He should! Then he can do The Seas at Epcot. That is easily my most favourite thing ever to do at WDW.

He says it's been so long that he doesn't remember exactly, but he figured it was at least as long as I am tall.

Holy crap!!!!

Hard to say if that's one of those "It was THIS BIG!" fishing stories, but still.

That would be more than 5ft. So not like a little lantern shark or anything.

Nope!

I had one come at me that was easily 6ft, and another swim past me a few inches away (sorry about the brown stain, Epcot)
but never had one actually hit me.

He also has very strong memories of nearly stepping on a ray that was bigger in diameter than he was tall.

Eep!
Although... I wonder if they're stingers are clipped? I know that you can do that... and after Steve Irwin, I'm thinking they do.

I can see it in the news now!!

That would be my primary reason for being devastated or anything...but it would be pretty sad...it would make the whole accident a waste!

Yeah. Take the photo... and then drown. Sheesh! Is that asking so much?

Aww man...I had no idea...I thought we were friends.

Well, he did give you a ride so... he probably let it go.

Sorry. Wrong park.

I think I just might. He's the best I've found so far.

(Wait.......... so far???)

 

[MeghanEmily]

Did you do that? We did and I'm not sure if it was worth it.

We didn't do Universal on this trip. We did go on our most recent trip in December, and we actually got annual passes because we knew that we'd be back at least once more (and likely more than that) due to trips related to Nathan's work in the next year. Universal APs are less than half the cost of Disney's, and they also give you free parking and discounts on merch/hotels like Disney's, so they were a very good deal for us! But it would be hard to justify doing the day-trip thing to Universal again. Eek!

Oh, there's more. Do you want the funny, the gross or the stupid?

Oh no...I don't dare ask! Jee, with options like "funny," "gross," and "stupid," how could I pick just one!??

There's more.
If it's pink/red it's strawberry. If it's off white it's either banana or egg nog (and that's a whole other thing). If it's green.... don't drink it.

*mindblown*

Also, there's a story about green milk coming up in my December TR if I ever get this one finished and get to it...

I do too! Were you allowed to swim under? Or did they tell you to keep above the water?

You could swim under as far as I know! We did some. Some people had snorkel masks in the lazy river...but I'm not sure what they planned to see under there...

He should! Then he can do The Seas at Epcot. That is easily my most favourite thing ever to do at WDW.

I thought of him as soon as I read about that in one of your last TRs!! I think he'd have a blast!

Awwwww

Eep!
Although... I wonder if they're stingers are clipped? I know that you can do that... and after Steve Irwin, I'm thinking they do.

I remember reading somewhere about them trimming their barbs. But I think they're also so socialized with humans there that they wouldn't see them as a threat either.

Well, he did give you a ride so... he probably let it go.

Sorry. Wrong park.

*Ba dum tsk*

 

[missjackiemcg]

What an amazing day of experiences! I never realized Discovery Cove offered so many other things to do besides the dolphin encounter. Love all of your pictures--you both look like you were really enjoying the adventures of this day. Such happy faces.

 

[pkondz]

We didn't do Universal on this trip. We did go on our most recent trip in December, and we actually got annual passes because we knew that we'd be back at least once more (and likely more than that) due to trips related to Nathan's work in the next year. Universal APs are less than half the cost of Disney's, and they also give you free parking and discounts on merch/hotels like Disney's, so they were a very good deal for us! But it would be hard to justify doing the day-trip thing to Universal again. Eek!

Ah! Okay, got it.

Oh no...I don't dare ask! Jee, with options like "funny," "gross," and "stupid," how could I pick just one!??

This was on our recent trip to Vancouver/Whistler/Victoria

We were on the ferry to Victoria when nature called.
My iPod is in my front pocket and I took it out and tucked it under my chin.... then looked up.
It dropped right into the toilet.


Ew.


At least it had been flushed already.
I might have cursed... but moved when the automatic flusher went off! Noooooo!!!!!

Grabbed it just in time.

Washed my hand (and the case)... a lot.

*mindblown*

Also, there's a story about green milk coming up in my December TR if I ever get this one finished and get to it...

I called it!!

You could swim under as far as I know! We did some. Some people had snorkel masks in the lazy river...but I'm not sure what they planned to see under there...

Feet. Lots of feet.

I thought of him as soon as I read about that in one of your last TRs!! I think he'd have a blast!

It's really good.
For different reasons. I love most interacting with guests... but I am far, far, far in the minority there. Most divers will wave a little bit at the guests and want to see the fish. I'm the opposite, I mostly interact with the guests. I love making the little ones' (and their parents) day.

I remember reading somewhere about them trimming their barbs. But I think they're also so socialized with humans there that they wouldn't see them as a threat either.

Maybe... both?

 

[disneyAndi14]

Discovery Cove looks so awesome, glad you both got to experience this on your Honeymoon. The dolphin experience looks so fun. I have never done this. I have been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia but have never swam with a dolphin. I don’t know if I could do the experience your husband did. I am slightly claustrophobic as well and I may panic!

Oh my the little girls comments, I can’t show Andi, she already has a huge pool phobia and won’t swim in pools, this would seal the deal and give her more ammunition.

 

[MeghanEmily]

What an amazing day of experiences! I never realized Discovery Cove offered so many other things to do besides the dolphin encounter. Love all of your pictures--you both look like you were really enjoying the adventures of this day. Such happy faces.

Yeah, until I looked into it to buy tickets, I really didn't know what was there. It was excellent!

This was on our recent trip to Vancouver/Whistler/Victoria

We were on the ferry to Victoria when nature called.
My iPod is in my front pocket and I took it out and tucked it under my chin.... then looked up.
It dropped right into the toilet.


Ew.


At least it had been flushed already.
I might have cursed... but moved when the automatic flusher went off! Noooooo!!!!!

Grabbed it just in time.

Washed my hand (and the case)... a lot.

Oh dear goodness!! What an icky situation!! So glad I didn't ask.

It's really good.
For different reasons. I love most interacting with guests... but I am far, far, far in the minority there. Most divers will wave a little bit at the guests and want to see the fish. I'm the opposite, I mostly interact with the guests. I love making the little ones' (and their parents) day.

I think that would be fantastic fun!

Discovery Cove looks so awesome, glad you both got to experience this on your Honeymoon. The dolphin experience looks so fun. I have never done this. I have been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia but have never swam with a dolphin. I don’t know if I could do the experience your husband did. I am slightly claustrophobic as well and I may panic!

It really was a blast! I imagine your snorkeling experience must have been truly impressive! And I'm with you there! Even Nathan, who doesn't really consider himself claustrophobic at all, found it a little unsettling. It took him a while to set in and get used to it because there's kind of an instinct to panic.

Oh my the little girls comments, I can’t show Andi, she already has a huge pool phobia and won’t swim in pools, this would seal the deal and give her more ammunition.

Yeah, soo icky! I try not to think about this at pools, because I know how heavily they're chemically treated. But you know it definitely happens more than we'd like to think.

When we were at CBR on our last trip, we went to the pool one morning and it was closed. We thought it was because it was cold, so we asked. The lifeguard kinda hesitated for a minute, and then said that the chemical levels were off and they had to wait for them to rebalance. ...if I had to guess, I'd guess someone had an accident of the #2 variety...

 

[Neverland_Girl]

The aviary at Discovery Cove is where my dislike of birds turned into a full blow phobia. My mom had to literally drag me through with my eyes closed. I also don't really like sea creatures so we spent a lot of time in that lazy river. I would like to go back one day to try the dolphin encounter though. I'm glad you guys had a good time though!

 

[pkondz]

Oh dear goodness!! What an icky situation!! So glad I didn't ask.

I'm glad I didn't share that!

I think that would be fantastic fun!

Simply put... it's the best.

 

[ariane37]

I have never seen a review of DC so I really enjoyed reading yours and seeing the pictures. What a nice day and great experience you had! My sister went there and swam with the Dolphins (she LOVES Dolphins) years ago-I think 2000 or 2001? And she still has the picture of her and her dolphin buddy framed in her living room

 

[MeghanEmily]

The aviary at Discovery Cove is where my dislike of birds turned into a full blow phobia. My mom had to literally drag me through with my eyes closed. I also don't really like sea creatures so we spent a lot of time in that lazy river. I would like to go back one day to try the dolphin encounter though. I'm glad you guys had a good time though!

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't recommend the aviary if you had any kind of distaste for birds. They really do get quite friendly with people! And with that, along with your dislike of seas creatures, sounds like Discovery Cove really wasn't the place for you!! The dolphin swim really is a neat experience though if you ever get the chance.

I have never seen a review of DC so I really enjoyed reading yours and seeing the pictures. What a nice day and great experience you had! My sister went there and swam with the Dolphins (she LOVES Dolphins) years ago-I think 2000 or 2001? And she still has the picture of her and her dolphin buddy framed in her living room

That's awesome! Yes, the dolphin swim is a pretty amazing experience, especially if you're a big dolphin fan! I'm so glad we got a chance to go

 

[pooh'smate]

DC sounds really amazing. My dd would love it I will have to look into it for our next trip.

 

[MeghanEmily]

DC sounds really amazing. My dd would love it I will have to look into it for our next trip.

Absolutely! I'd definitely recommend it! Not something we'd do frequently, but once in a while or for special occasions. It was awesome!

 

[KathyM2]

What a fun day at DC. We did this a few days and I really liked how it was kind of an escape from the crowds and sort of a relaxing vacation within a vacation

 

[MeghanEmily]

Hello, friends! Another update should be on the way in the next few days, but I'm just popping in this morning because I have a bit of news.

There's no such thing as "too many Disney trips," right?
....
Good! Because, as of yesterday, N and I have officially booked another trip to make use of our annual passes, and to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We haven't even gone on our February trip, but I'm already excited because now I know that we'll be returning to Central Florida in AUGUST! For somewhere around 12ish nights!

I don't have a lot of details yet. ADRs can be booked starting next month. I have a lot of must-dos on our list, but I'll wait to share them until they're confirmed. But I do know that we'll be using the same TA that we used during our honeymoon when we stayed at the Poly. They have an excellent deal on deluxe resorts in the three weeks leading up to Labor Day, and so we just booked the last 5 nights of our August trip with them...at the Grand Floridian!!

This is pretty exciting. It's not something I ever would have expected that we could do, and we figured we weren't sure when we'd ever have another opportunity to do it again, and after the wonderful taste we got of the Grand on our wedding trip, we're going for it! It really is an excellent deal that only comes around once a year—we're paying $300 a night, taxes in—and we were surprised at how very much we enjoyed WDW in August last year, so I'm psyched to do it all again!

For the other nights of our trip, we're planning to try to get an annual passholder rate on a room at Universal for the two nights immediately before the GF— @Raeven, I'll have to pick your brain on this one since you've done the AP thing there before!—and we'll spend the first 5-or-so nights either at a WDW value resort (Probably Pop), or at my grandmother's timeshare.

So in other words...

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