I'm on my way - live updates

[mtmbyck]

Wonderful day at Typhoon Lagoon. For the hottest day of our vacation, there really were few crowds. They did not open all of the food carts, many stayed closed which caused a significant line at the main restaurant. Not a big fan of the food here. Couldn't find any fresh fruit. Another big surprise was NO BAG CHECK! I could have brought much more drinks and snacks but didn't for fear of having to leave them in the car.

There were a tons of unaccompanied teens running around the park. Most were just having fun but some were just looking for trouble (climbing on things not meant to be climbed on, running through gardens and leaping in lazy river instead of using entry points). My kids certainly noticed this.

If I could bottle this weather and bring it back I would. I know there's a bit of a warm up in southwestern Ontario which is great for March Break. It's going to be 80s for the remainder of the week here and nothing but sun.

Friends had a cabana. As I mentioned, they have twin 6 yr olds so the kids played in shady sand much of the afternoon. A waiter brings you all of the food and drink you want (on your credit card). They can get pretty much anything in the park - ice-cream, alcohol, gifts. Cabana comes with seating for 6 and a cooler full of water bottles. Furniture is padded and nicer than the parks. The cabanas are not private. They can be seen clearly from most walkways. But they do have a locker so you can leave things unattended. There is an unattended gate to go through to enter. In fact, at 4 pm we entered and sat with our friends in the cabana the last hour and no one seemed to care.

Waterpark closed at 5 which seemed early fr so much daylight and heat. Back to resort. Kids were all sunned out so they had dinner in the rom and then tried some beach volleyball. By nightfall, kids headed back top room to watch The Bachelor. DH and I sat at poolside Bar for happy hour (5-8pm). back to the room to these super comfy beds for a little down time.

I love beds with the big down filled white linens. Why doesn't Disney offer this? Those bedspreads are cute but nowhere near as lush as a big fluffy duvet. This resort also offer daily housekeeping for free. The DVC villas do not offer this. I think it's one clean every 4 days. I could write a list of how the amenities at this Marriott exceed those at BCV and SSR. Not necessarily the service but for sure the amenities.

Awake at my usual 5:45am. Watched the sunrise. Watching GMA and waiting for the rest of of the villa to get up. Headed to an Outlet Mall this morning. Then we'll be by the pool this afternoon.

Need to figure out which day we are doing IOA. Maybe Thursday. DH is playing golf at Falcons Fire tomorrow. I will try to upload pics to a photo bucket today so I can show you this resort.

 

[mtmbyck]

I have to apologize for my lack of photos. I opened a photobucket account and went to download my pictures and my computer said the memory card could not be read and had to be formatted!! I have been using this memory card for months with no isses so I cannot undertsnad what the trouble is. I am so worried I may lose everything I have taken. So can't get any photos yet but DD has some on her Ipod I will try to add.

So TUesday we slept in (gone are the years of hitting parks every morning) and headed to Vineland Outlet Mall at 10. Holy deals at Coach!! Everything in the store was 30% off plus there was a section of already marked down bags 40% so you could get 70% off. I got a huge $340 bag for less than $120! THe Disney store there has great deals too for gifts. Much cheaper than on property.

We shopped until about 1pm and the with the heat and sun decided to hit the pool. Two more things to mention about this resort. FREE WIFI everywhere at the resort - the pool, the rooms, the balcony...an excellent connection. Disney is HORRIBLE for this. Who uses ethernet cables anymore!! plus the average guest pays $9.95 a day to use it anywhere - even the lobby!! Also, the activities at this resort would be enought to never have to go anywhere. From 10 - 8pm there are cool things happening. We went to a presentation by Gatorland yesterday at the rec centre (free) and he had spiders, scorpions, a baby alligator, a boa snake and a 2 year old alligator that everyone could hold and get pictures with. Last night was a free luau which we missed as we went to Walmart.

Walmart was a nightmare! It was so packed and people were amazingly rude. I think the crowds have hit Orlando. Sat out on the balcony last night. Evenings are nice now - cooler but just a sweater is fine. Could hear the Luau still going on with the drums and lots of clapping. Went on til about 8:30.

Today the resort is offering a Zumba class, water aerobics, Boot camp (won't be at any of these) Air HOckey tournaments, an Iron chef competition, a kids luau and live music by the pool tonight during happy hour (5-8pm). No big plans for us. Off to Mall of Millenia this morning and then back for more R & R.

Weather is still perfect. Off to IOA tomorrow to check out Harry Potter.

 

[mtmbyck]

Happy St Pattys Day. Weather is a carbon copy every day - sunny and 80s. So yesterday headed to Millennia Mall. This mall is closer than the Florida Mall but carries a lot of higher end stores. Kind of a boutique mall. It was lovely but no deals to be found here.

Spent the pm by the pool. DH went golfing and returned by 2. Pools are very busy with this heat. We opted to eat in the room last night - we have groceries that need to be eaten. Last night was the warmest night so far. I love warm Florida evenings. Kids went for a swim at 9pm. This pool has a hot tub but also a sauna right beside it so kids warmed up and dried in there.

While my idea was to do IOA tomorrow, we have been told by guests and on these boards that it is unbearable. A guest told me that yesterday they got there and on 3 ticket takers were open so it took 40 min just to enter and they got to ride 4 things the whole day. Everything was 60-90 min waits. I got our passes with my Aeroplan points and kids really don't care if we go - they want to go to Aquatica now . The Florida news is even reporting that since WWohP opened, US attendance is up 50% and whomever the partial owner is want s to sell it off.

May do Aquatica tomorrow. On tap today is another relaxing start, big breakfast (need to cook this bacon and eggs), poolside, dinner out and a quick trip to another outlet that has Victorias Secret Pink and Forever 21. I also have to run over to Citywalk to get a Thing 1 and Thing 2 tshirt for DD and her BFF. Hopefully back in time to enjoy some green beer!

Started dreading the trip home. Half way through your vacation you keep
thinking " it's only Tuesday" and the next day "it's half over!". We leave Sunday am. Weather for as long as Florida can see is 80s and no rain.

I have heard southern Ontario is getting some nice weather. Hope to bring more back with me!

 

[Dimples1973ca]

Loving the report. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

Thanks for the live report, loving it

 

[mtmbyck]

I am an early riser. Usually up but 6:30. So I spend 2 hours waiting for my family to wake up at least. I let them sleep until 9:30 and then woke them up. Big breakfast in the room. I headed down to the pool to snag good chairs and by 10am in was almost full! And it was hot! While around the pool we decided to go to Citywalk late afternoon for dinner and to buy the thing 1 and 2 T shirts. So we left the pool at 3pm to shower and go out.

As you recall, I have US passes and we had every intention of going to IOA to see WWoHP but had been advised crowds were unmanageable. So we opted not to go. Got to Citywalk at 4:30 and parked in King Kong level 1. In other words, the last lot available. There were as many people coming as there were going. Evidently it is Mardis GRAS right now so combine that with ST Pattys Day and it made for a lot of people ready to party all night.

We found the shirts both at the parking lot gift shop (the one before the moving sidewalks) and at the Universal Store at CityWalk. Both DDs picked up 2 for them and their BFFs. While Paying for the T shirts, I asked if the park was busy today and the staff member said that WWoHP closed at 9:30 am due to capacity and she had never seen that happen. She said normally it takes until 11 for that to happen.

So evidently the rumpled I had heard were right about the crowds. Got to Bubba Gump shrimp at around 5:30 and had no wait for a table. Meal was so so in my opinion. But a reasonable price. Crowds were still pouring in and out and we had accomplished what we needed so left. We did have to pay $15 to park non-refundable. Evidently if you get to Citywalk before 2pm and eat at a restaurant, they can validate your parking or refund it basically. That's what our server said.

We decided to go to the premium outlet mall which is right around the corner from US. Lovely evening. A bit more windy than past evenings but not cold. Outlet mall wasn't that busy but valet is only $5 so we went with that. DDs wanted to hit Victorias Secret. It looked like a garage sale! I was totally turned off by the way it was racked. Couldn't find anything - it remind me of value village. You'd have to spend hours hunting for stuff. Stopped by Juicy Couture and prices were just crazy. Coach had the same deals we had a few days earlier. Guess is a nice store but DDs saw nothing that interested them. My DD 14 commented on how "different" clothes are in Florida. I think she meant how everything looks like it's meant for a Brittney Spears video. I agree that there are a lot of stores meant for perfectly shaped people with wads of cash wanting to party with the cast of Jersey Shore. I am sure the Florida Mall will offer a better selection for us common folk. LOL.

So today was decided to go to Aquatica. With weather as great as this, it's better to spend our day at a park like this. I went online and cabanas are only 99.00which we decided to splurge on just to have shade. It comes with towels, bottled water in a fridge, a locker and niceer furniture. I figured we'd appreciate the shade at some point. Plus the locker will allow me to finally be able to do stuff without the worry of the bags being left unattended ( we rarely line up to rent lockers). Expecting crowds to be big. Forecast is 84 and sun today. The long range is 80s and sun right up until next Friday so if you leave this weekend for Orlando you're in for a treat.

They are doing karaoke around the pool tonight which the kids want to do so we'll need to be back for that. Only 2 nights left in paradise. Waaaaaaa.

No idea what's on tap tomorrow. I want to head back to DTD so may run over early and get that done. Definatley the Florida Mall tomorrow late afternoon evening. We'll do dinner there. Early flight on Sun (10:30) so figure I have to leave resort at 7 to get there, return car, and get to gate for Canadian flight. Crowds will be brutal for a Sunday wrapping up March Break.

I can confirm that our March Break is the same as Floridian schools so guessing this is why there are hoards of teens everywhere. Guessing they are locals just filling their day with somewhere cool (as was the case at Typhoon Lagoon).

Have an awesome Friday!

 

[DisneyFreak06]

Wow! Sounds like you're getting lots of shopping done. I don't shop an extreme amount, unless I'm in Florida!! I love Prime and Premium Outlets, especially the Disney/Character Warehouses they have. I totally agree with the Victoria Secret outlet... I walked in, looked around for about 30 seconds and said to my sister and our friend that I'd wait for them outside. I think it took them about another minute before they left emptyhanded too.

 

[mtmbyck]

I honestly have no desire to shop but DD14 has been saving her money and found the stores online she wants to go to so I have been trying to accommodate that.

What an awesome day at Aquatica. It is a better park for older kids we have decided. More slides and the rapids lazy river is a riot!! With hot and suny temperatures like these I cannot imagine slugging around a park all day. It's super hot here. They said 86 but I think there was a humidex too. Oddly enough the parlk was not busy at all. No major lineups. We split a cabana with another family for 99.00 that came with water in a good size fridge, towels and a locker. Only 7 people per cabana and you pay 15 for every person over 4. So we paid for 6 ($130) but the very kind cabana attendant allowed the 2 teenagers to come to us if they needed us.

We spent from 10am - 5pm at the park. THey did bag check and are pretty fussy about food and beverage I think - tons of signs up about what cannot come in to the park. But we brought in bags of chips and fishys and they were fine.

Last night was karaoke around the pool from 6-9. Kids loved it. There were tons of people trying to sign up. For some it was like a bad audition of American Idol. Others were very good.

Heading to DTD this morning to get my last Disney fix. I'll aim to be back at 11 so I can have a few hours by the pool and them come up and pack. Florida Mall tonight and out for dinner. Need to clean out fridge and get rid of food.

Early start tomorrow. Figure we have to leave by 7. Back in MOntreal by 2:30. I can believe I have to work on MOnday morning. I'll send one last report on our flight tomorrow. It's AirTransat and DD is a member of kids club (free online) which give us privaledges like private checkin, preboard, 2 free snacks and priority luggage I think I read.

Forecast is 85 today (calling for 89 on Wed next week). THey say the norm for this time of year is 79 so they are saying it is hot too. Clear skies still showing for the next 7 days.

Have a great Saturday.

 

[sympatico]

Have enjoyed your trip report. And just to think you were worried before you left about lousy weather while you were there.
We found it hot when we were there the first of the month. It seemed hotter some days than what they were reporting.

 

[michelle1]

It sounds like you have had a great vacation! How does Aquatica compare to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach? Is there a wave pool there?

 

[mtmbyck]

We liked Aquatica better than TL or BB but my DDs are olds and enjoy the bigger slides. They love the rapids. Yes there is a wave pool split in half with big waves on one side and smaller waves on the other. Price is the same. Size is about the same. But we really enjoyed Aquatica more this year.

Travel day went as well as can be expected. Flew AirTransat home. Arrived 3 hours before flight and no lines at all - strange for a Sunday wrapping up March Break. They did weigh our luggage but we were ok. They did not measure the carry-ons. We had registered youngest DD on their kids club (free online). She received in the mail luggage tags, a lanyard, 2 free snack vouchers and as part of kids club we had a private checkin and our bags were tagged priority so first off the plane! It was a big plane - 3 rows of 3. Movie was Flika. Flight left Orlando 20 minutes EARLY! So we arrived in Montreal early. Must have been only flight as no one was at customs. Quickly through customs and we were in the car on our way home.

It was a beautiful holiday. Hottest March Break I've ever had there. Didn't miss going to parks - quite happy to just do waterparks. Loved the Marriott. So relaxed it's hard to get back to work.

On the bright side - IT'S SPRING!

 

[Kat&Dom]

We liked Aquatica better than TL or BB but my DDs are olds and enjoy the bigger slides. They love the rapids. Yes there is a wave pool split in half with big waves on one side and smaller waves on the other. Price is the same. Size is about the same. But we really enjoyed Aquatica more this year.

Travel day went as well as can be expected. Flew AirTransat home. Arrived 3 hours before flight and no lines at all - strange for a Sunday wrapping up March Break. They did weigh our luggage but we were ok. They did not measure the carry-ons. We had registered youngest DD on their kids club (free online). She received in the mail luggage tags, a lanyard, 2 free snack vouchers and as part of kids club we had a private checkin and our bags were tagged priority so first off the plane! It was a big plane - 3 rows of 3. Movie was Flika. Flight left Orlando 20 minutes EARLY! So we arrived in Montreal early. Must have been only flight as no one was at customs. Quickly through customs and we were in the car on our way home.

It was a beautiful holiday. Hottest March Break I've ever had there. Didn't miss going to parks - quite happy to just do waterparks. Loved the Marriott. So relaxed it's hard to get back to work.

On the bright side - IT'S SPRING!

Sounds like you had an awesome trip and it was great to read your trip report as it happened. Thanks for sharing!

 

[greenclan67]

We returned on the 18th, and had been there from the 7th! It was by far the best weather of all 4 of my trips! Couldn't beat it! We also spent alot of time at Aquatica as it came with our Discovery Cove passes, my girls loved it! They like thrill rides though, unlike their mother! I followed your live report while I was there, and couldn't agree more about how busy it was at Universal, it was nuts there, thank goodness my girls are not into HP, we only did the US side!
Glad you had an awesome break, it was very hard to go back to work this morning!

 

[Debbie]

Just wanted to add another "Thank you for sharing." When you can't be there, reading about someone else's fun is almost as good.

 

[Declan2]

Just loved reading your trip report. Now I am very scared about going to WWoHP my twins are nuts for eveything Harry and I am taking them for xmas. Hopefully we will plan it well last time I went to IoA was on a Xmas Eve and it was totally dead...preHarry days I guess. Keep up the great sharing

 

[mlegerto]

ahhh....reading this live report is making me wish my vacation would come sooner!!!!!

 

[7165red]

I look forward to your TR.

 

[mtmbyck]

Sorry folks. Bumping so my DDs can read our trip last year.