I Went Running and Racing...and Boozing and Freezing!

I love this! The things we come up with to get our kids to not do things!
Right?! I said it once, "You are only allowed to jump on beds at hotels!" and he kept bringing it up, so I stuck with it :)

Hilton Head sounds great. We have thought about going there, just haven't gotten there yet.
It was our first "beach vacation" with Jimmy and it was honestly way more fun than I thought just hanging at the beach with nothing much preplanned at all!
 
That waitress is for sure not the norm there - stinks that you got the bad one. It's called Crazy Crab but should be Cranky Crab after that kind of service. My Dad lives there so we get to go often. Love the playground in Harbor Town. We were down there right after you. Enjoying your TR!
 
It's called Crazy Crab but should be Cranky Crab after that kind of service. My Dad lives there so we get to go often. Love the playground in Harbor Town. We were down there right after you.
See!? She left such an impression on me I can't even remember the real name!! Sorry :)

We loved the spinach artichoke with lobster (or was it shrimp...now I can't remember!) and the grilled shrimp appetizer. The waitress was the only thing that soured us on it, but I would definitely go back!

We have fallen in love with Hilton Head, so I'm sure we'll be back before too long!
 
See!? She left such an impression on me I can't even remember the real name!! Sorry :)

We loved the spinach artichoke with lobster (or was it shrimp...now I can't remember!) and the grilled shrimp appetizer. The waitress was the only thing that soured us on it, but I would definitely go back!

We have fallen in love with Hilton Head, so I'm sure we'll be back before too long!

I want to stay at the Disney resort one of these days. Just hate it isn't beach side. Where did you stay?
 


I want to stay at the Disney resort one of these days. Just hate it isn't beach side. Where did you stay?
I didn't even know that it wasn't on the beach side!!! We traveled there last summer for a family wedding and ended up staying at a condo through Air Bnb. I picked a fabulous location without having a clue what I was doing :) It's located right off the beach and a short 2 block-ish walk from Coligny Beach. We stayed there again with our son this year. It's a little condo, but perfect for us with one bed and the couch that pulled out for him. Couldn't beat the location!
 
June 21, 2018

Thursday was an adventure just for Jimmy! We were headed to the Pirates of Hilton Head Island. First, he had to check in and get his pirate name—Jellyfish Jimmy. We had brought some pirate gear from home and were the only family on the ship who were dressed up! I couldn’t believe it!
20180621_075420 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180621_075545 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Our crew was led by Captain No-Beard and deckhands Squirt and Sinker. They were hilarious, and took my phone when we temporarily lost the map and we needed GPS to help us locate some clues!
20180621_082144 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Before long, Stinky Sam the Pirate tried to snag the treasure right from under us! All of the little pirates manned the water cannons and let him have it!
20180621_083927 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Captain No-Beard hoisted the treasure chest out of the water and held it up while the pirates cheered victorious! (They did a really awesome job of having the kids spot the clues out on the water. Even the grown ups never noticed how they left the clues for the kids to find—we just happened upon them floating along on our route!)
20180621_084921 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

All the pirates got to take a handful of treasure from the chest before it was time to head back to port. We took a short walk down the pier to have breakfast (along with a Mermaid water for Mommy!) and Jimmy counted all his doubloons. He purchased that pirate bandana with his own money after getting off the ship…and then wore it for the rest of the week!

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June 22, 2018

Friday should have been a pretty sad day—time to head for home…BUT back in February, while on a getaway in Lake Geneva, Rob and I were having drinks and I started lamenting about wanting to go back to Disney World (nevermind the fact that we had literally JUST gotten home from the runDisney trip about ONE month before this conversation!)

I googled how far it was from the condo to WDW and found it was only about 5 ½ hours. That started my wheels turning about adding on some Disney days after the Hilton Head trip. If we were able to afford a whole week at WDW, we would even be able to be there for the opening of Toy Story Land!

Well, it turned out that adding on WDW for an entire week just wasn’t in the cards, and staying so few days just wasn’t worth the cost based on price, but the longer I thought about it, and the more researching I started doing, I found that we could do a couple of days at Universal and a few days at LEGOland, too, for less! Since Jimmy didn’t get to do WDW with us in January, and I was still feeling Mommy guilt about that, it seemed like this would be an awesome way to surprise him (call it an early birthday!) and have some new adventures as a family!

SO, Friday morning before Jimmy woke up, Rob and I started packing up the car. I set out some special items for Jimmy’s surprise on the backseat. Then, we woke him up and got him dressed for what he thought was the ride toward home (note: Mommy strategically packed the Hogwarts shirt for the ride!) I took Jimmy down to say goodbye to the ocean. He started to cry because he didn’t want to leave, and it made me so sad!
20180622_052337 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180622_060607 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180622_060633 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

As we walked back to the car, I said, “What if I told you we didn’t have to go home tonight?” He sounded like Eeyore as he told me, “I know. We have to stay at a hotel in Tennessee first.” I said, “No, Jim. Daddy and I have a secret and there’s a clue in the back of the car.” He ran back to car and whipped the door open!

There was a letter addressed to James Lagoni, Cupboard Under the Stairs, and explained that he was expected to report to Universal Studios Orlando where a hotel room and tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter were waiting for him. Watching his face as he read through the letter and realized his surprise was just priceless.
20180622_060950 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
20180622_060912 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

He hopped into the car eagerly and was excited to take a look at the maps of USO and IOA while we drove.
20180622_062117 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

On our way, we made a quick pit stop at the home of Rob’s favorite team, the Swamp at the University of Florida. Go Gators!
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Traffic was once again abysmal, and seeing signs for Disney World I kept saying this was torture! But eventually we did arrive at our destination!
20180622_133636 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
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When we checked in, Jimmy received a birthday hat and button, as well as a certificate for a free dessert of his choice at the Bayliner Diner. Our room was as cute as can be! The hotel itself really reminded me a lot of Pop Century, but I did enjoy the touches of retro soaps and shampoo in the bathroom!
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We walked over to the Portofino Bay resort and took a (surprisingly hot!) boat ride over to Universal City Walk where Jimmy chose Pat O’Brien’s for dinner. Lucky for us they opened at 4:00 and it was 4 on the dot as we walked up.
20180622_150136 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Jimmy fell in love with Pat O’Brien’s on his first trip to New Orleans in March. He ordered the “Eye of the Hurricane” (a non-alcoholic version of the famous Hurricane) that he had loved so much in New Orleans. The waitress and bartender were so impressed that he had been to the original Pat O’Brien’s that they made the drink for him even though it’s not on the menu at the Orlando location. They even let him keep the glass (which you get to do in New Orleans, but apparently do not in Orlando).
20180622_150921 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Because it was his birthday and he was the first guest of the evening, he also got a giant handful of beads! He was excited at 5 when the first piano player arrived and started taking requests.
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20180622_170336 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After dinner, we walked around a little before heading back to the hotel in the hopes of hitting the pool and trying out the lazy river. Mother Nature had other plans, sadly, and the skies opened up as they famously do in Florida! It poured, so we grabbed his dessert and spent the evening in our room. Though we did get a look at a rainbow for our troubles.

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We were headed to the Pirates of Hilton Head Island.

That looks like so much fun!!

nevermind the fact that we had literally JUST gotten home from the runDisney trip about ONE month before this conversation!)

It took you a full month before you were hankering to go back? :confused3:rotfl:

There was a letter addressed to James Lagoni, Cupboard Under the Stairs, and explained that he was expected to report to Universal Studios Orlando where a hotel room and tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter were waiting for him.

This is just brilliant mate.

On our way, we made a quick pit stop at the home of Rob’s favorite team, the Swamp at the University of Florida. Go Gators!

Uh oh. Jim is a Hurricane's fan. Aren't they rivals?

Our room was as cute as can be!

Love the rooms! That's the first time I've seen pictures of the Cabana Bay rooms.
 
Thursday was an adventure just for Jimmy! We were headed to the Pirates of Hilton Head Island. First, he had to check in and get his pirate name—Jellyfish Jimmy. We had brought some pirate gear from home and were the only family on the ship who were dressed up! I couldn’t believe it!
20180621_075420 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
Why would you do a pirate cruise and not dress up! Seriously - you guys were so cute though!

SO, Friday morning before Jimmy woke up, Rob and I started packing up the car. I set out some special items for Jimmy’s surprise on the backseat. Then, we woke him up and got him dressed for what he thought was the ride toward home (note: Mommy strategically packed the Hogwarts shirt for the ride!) I took Jimmy down to say goodbye to the ocean. He started to cry because he didn’t want to leave, and it made me so sad!
20180622_052337 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180622_060607 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180622_060633 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

As we walked back to the car, I said, “What if I told you we didn’t have to go home tonight?” He sounded like Eeyore as he told me, “I know. We have to stay at a hotel in Tennessee first.” I said, “No, Jim. Daddy and I have a secret and there’s a clue in the back of the car.” He ran back to car and whipped the door open!
I love that sort of surprise!

He hopped into the car eagerly and was excited to take a look at the maps of USO and IOA while we drove.
Smart having the maps for him!

Traffic was once again abysmal, and seeing signs for Disney World I kept saying this was torture! But eventually we did arrive at our destination!
Ohh, I totally feel you there! Everytime I drive by Disneyland I want to stop for a bit, but know I can't always do that!
 
It took you a full month before you were hankering to go back? :confused3:rotfl:
I'm ALWAYS hankering to go back!!!! :)

Uh oh. Jim is a Hurricane's fan. Aren't they rivals?
I think we're OK because the 'canes are in Miami. From the little I pay attention to his college football blabbering, I think the Gators are rivals of Florida State Seminoles. But I could be wrong LOL

Love the rooms! That's the first time I've seen pictures of the Cabana Bay rooms.
I really loved the theminng!! And the beds were SUPER comfy!

Why would you do a pirate cruise and not dress up! Seriously - you guys were so cute though!
EXACTLY! And they looked at us funny, too, which I didn't like. Seriously, people, let's make it magical :)

Smart having the maps for him!
Our travel agent had sent them to us along with a Minions coloring activity set, so it worked out perfectly to save those for this part of the road trip! He was excited to check out all the things we'd be able to do.
 
o Disney World (nevermind the fact that we had literally JUST gotten home from the runDisney trip about ONE month before this conversation!)
Please, I am already trying to plan the next trip while we are still there! Ha!

Since Jimmy didn’t get to do WDW with us in January, and I was still feeling Mommy guilt about that, it seemed like this would be an awesome way to surprise him (call it an early birthday!) and have some new adventures as a family!
The guilt is real! I think I don't feel too bad about our trip because we have so many trips potentially in the works! And they don't know about any of them!

SO, Friday morning before Jimmy woke up, Rob and I started packing up the car. I set out some special items for Jimmy’s surprise on the backseat. Then, we woke him up and got him dressed for what he thought was the ride toward home (note: Mommy strategically packed the Hogwarts shirt for the ride!) I took Jimmy down to say goodbye to the ocean. He started to cry because he didn’t want to leave, and it made me so sad!
I love it!!!! I love surprises!!!


43138406550_741aff5628_z.jpg
So priceless! Does he know about the cruise?
 
I think we're OK because the 'canes are in Miami. From the little I pay attention to his college football blabbering, I think the Gators are rivals of Florida State Seminoles. But I could be wrong LOL

Your guess is as good as mine! I know nothing about college football. It's huge here in the South and there are many days where my eyes glaze over listening to my coworkers go on about it. :rotfl2:
 
Totally missed that you were adding on your summer trip here! How fun!

I always wanted my parents to surprise me with a trip somewhere! I think thats so fun to do!
 
The pirate adventure looks so fun!

Yay for a surprise trip to Universal! Jimmy looks like he was having a blast so far!
 
Totally missed that you were adding on your summer trip here! How fun!

I always wanted my parents to surprise me with a trip somewhere! I think thats so fun to do!
It's helping me stretch out the time til it's worth it to start a cruise PTR :) Only 430 days to go til that one LOL

It was really so much fun to surprise him!! :) He still mentions how cool it was that he had no idea...although he will never again believe us when we say we're going home at the end of a trip!!

The pirate adventure looks so fun!

Yay for a surprise trip to Universal! Jimmy looks like he was having a blast so far!
Our pirate adventure was a great find, and definitely worth the money! :)

I have never really wanted to dedicate any Disney trip days to a visit to Universal, but after spending our 2 days there this summer, I know we will definitely be back!
 
June 23, 2018

Because we were staying at a Universal resort, we were able to gain early entry to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We were VERY excited to get the morning started. I was surprised that the Bayliner Diner wasn’t even open when we got downstairs. This morning was SO different than any WDW rope drop morning we’ve ever done. At Universal, the need to be up early and line up for the bus and rush to the gates just doesn’t seem to exist.

We eventually got our breakfast, (pretty expensive for what we ordered! We paid about $40 for a couple plates of eggs with breakfast potatoes and a kid’s meal for Jimmy), ate and were walking out to figure out the buses to the parks. We were surprised to see that only one bus line existed no matter which park we wanted to go to. There were three buses sitting right there, so no waiting whatsoever. The ride over to the park gates was quick, and Jimmy couldn’t wait to get there!
20180623_062851 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

We walked with our little wizard toward the gates of Universal Studios where we were met with a short line. After just a few minutes, the gates were opened and we stepped through the turnstiles. We had no clue where we were walking, but figured following the rest of the crowd would lead us to our destination.
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We spent some time checking out the streets of London, chatting with the driver of the Knight Bus (I was surprised to see it wasn’t Stan Shunpike), looking for Kreacher the House Elf, and trying to dial in to the Ministry of Magic (that was a fun trick I read about on the DIS boards, so thanks to whoever posted about it! I'm thinking it was @Lesley Wake )
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At first we couldn’t figure out how to enter Diagon Alley. I knew the themeing in this area would obviously be top notch, but I still underestimated how incredible it would be!! I walked through ahead of Jimmy because he was nervous, but it was for the best because as I turned around, I was able to snap this awesome shot of Jimmy’s reaction when he walked through.
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Our very first stop was Ollivander’s where Jimmy spent some time with the tough decision of whose wand to buy. I had known due to research prior to the trip that we would be buying an interactive wand, and once he decided we walked out ready to cast some spells with Ron Weasley’s wand. It took a bit of swish-and-flick practice, which all 3 of us got in on, and we had SO much fun!
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Rob has a touch of Vertigo and Jimmy is a nervous ride-goer, so I was on my own for riding Escape from Gringotts. However, I didn’t want them to miss out on the queue, so it was really great that they were able to walk all the way through with me to check it out.
20180623_072846 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After my ride, we convinced Jimmy to walk through Knockturn Alley to try out some more spells. Plus, I wanted to go into Borgon and Burkes, and I’m so glad we did! The Vanishing Cabinet, Hand of Glory and Death Eater masks were really awesome touches, especially when one of the CMs (I know that’s totally not what they’re called here, but you know what I mean!) showed Jimmy that if you hold your hand on a particular spot, you can feel the flutter of the canary inside. So cool!
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Next, we were headed for King’s Cross Station and a ride on the Hogwarts Express. On our first ride, we walked straight up to the platform, so we missed out on the “magic” of walking through the wall, but the detailing here was incredible. Jimmy was excited to notice that while Hedwig was there in her cage, Scabber’s cage was there empty!
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As we entered Hogsmeade village, Jimmy was excited to try casting more spells, and was trying really hard in the bookstore window, so I took a few steps away and started taking a little video of the scenery around us. As I turned around, there was Hogwarts Castle right behind me! I could not believe how well it was “hidden” that I didn’t notice it as we were walking into Hogsmeade. It was a magical little moment that brought a little tear to my eye.
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Walking through the queue was more immersive than I could have ever imagined! I was really glad the crowd level was so low that we were able to walk almost right up to the loading area, but I was almost a little sad because I didn’t get to absorb all the details while walking so fast.
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Our adventure in the Wizarding World came to an end for now as we headed over the bridge toward Jurassic Park. Get ready for a major Mommy fail.
20180623_085445 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
 
It may have been me for the phone booth - I know Lauren told me about it and she was the one who took me in there on our trip!

I walked through ahead of Jimmy because he was nervous, but it was for the best because as I turned around, I was able to snap this awesome shot of Jimmy’s reaction when he walked through.
Soooo adorable!

Did the boys ride Forbidden Journey or was that also a skip?
 

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