It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – an offsite, non-Disney, Christmas TR

[JaxDad]

Hi Gina!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina!

Well, its about time you showed up!!!

How was Washington?

 

[JaxDad]

Awesome! Lots of fun, lots of history. I even had the honor of laying a wreath at George Washington's tomb.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Awesome! Lots of fun, lots of history. I even had the honor of laying a wreath at George Washington's tomb.

Very cool! I hope your young fellow managed to get around okay....did you rent him a scooter like you planned?

You will be VERY proud of us later on in this report . We managed to FINALLY notice a certain "hot donuts now" sign and have become card carrying members of the Krispy Kreme Donut Lovers Club . The boys are counting the days until we're back in Orlando, just so they can get more of those hot KK donuts......

 

[JaxDad]

Yes! I'm so glad you finally had some Hot Doughnuts Now!

We did take a scooter. It was a bit of a pain, but I like to think it may have prevented unnecessary pain and maybe re-injury. My son was a total trooper and did not complain at all. We even met several other scooter riders and compared experiences. We know we are blessed that this is only temporary, and others deal with much worse.

 

[greenclan67]

Well, that's a relief. You are so very lucky to have found it so soon after your arrival.

Ah, the mean blonde lady.....I know EXACTLY who you mean, and I have a story about her (which I will share later in this report) from the day we returned from Orlando. Stay tuned .

It was funny when Steve came back to the room after running into you at the desk. I had sent him for extra shampoo and conditioner (that one little bottle of each isn't enough to wash MY hair, let alone for the three of us) while I hung up our wet swimsuits. He comes back in the room and says "I think I just met one of your Disboards friends. A lady just stopped me in the lobby and asked me if I was Steve, saying she recognized me from your reports. People actually are reading what you post on there!".



Oh, I'm with you totally on getting the park and fly. With that early of a flight, I wouldn't chance it either. Murphy's Law almost guarantees that would be the exact time the border agents would choose to tear your car apart.

I am so glad I didn't know about Disneylover99's bedbug encounter while we were still at the hotel. Sleep would have been impossible with that tidbit of knowledge......rowdy pot smokers or not!

Yes and I was freaking out after talking to Gina at the airport because we were staying at the days that night after landing, so I ripped the beds apart before anybody brought anything into the room. We have probably stayed there 11 times in the last 8 years, between summer and winter trips, and the worst we had was the elevators being broken. Our fav park n fly is the staybridge suites, and I book that through trinity reservations.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes! I'm so glad you finally had some Hot Doughnuts Now!

We did take a scooter. It was a bit of a pain, but I like to think it may have prevented unnecessary pain and maybe re-injury. My son was a total trooper and did not complain at all. We even met several other scooter riders and compared experiences. We know we are blessed that this is only temporary, and others deal with much worse.

I am so glad he made out so well with the scooter! I definitely think it was a good choice to bring it.....always err on the side of caution when it comes to the kiddos .

Yes and I was freaking out after talking to Gina at the airport because we were staying at the days that night after landing, so I ripped the beds apart before anybody brought anything into the room. We have probably stayed there 11 times in the last 8 years, between summer and winter trips, and the worst we had was the elevators being broken. Our fav park n fly is the staybridge suites, and I book that through trinity reservations.

We considered the Staybridge for April, but being 15 minutes from the airport AND it being a smoking property made it a no-go with the guys. The price was right ($125 including tax through Trinity Reservations) but we couldn't get past the distance and the smoking . Of course, I am always shocked that ANY hotel still allows smoking in some of their rooms!!

 

[greenclan67]

I am so glad he made out so well with the scooter! I definitely think it was a good choice to bring it.....always err on the side of caution when it comes to the kiddos .



We considered the Staybridge for April, but being 15 minutes from the airport AND it being a smoking property made it a no-go with the guys. The price was right ($125 including tax through Trinity Reservations) but we couldn't get past the distance and the smoking . Of course, I am always shocked that ANY hotel still allows smoking in some of their rooms!!

The ride honestly isn't bad, for an early morning flight we are 10 mins to the airport. And as far as smoking, I used to smoke so the smell would now curdle my stomach and of course am very sensitive to it, and I didn't smell any smoke in there, and I am very surprised it is a smoking property. It is probably our favourite park n'fly. As far as boxing day, NO they don't celebrate that in the US. I think because of Black Friday.

 

[JaxDad]

As far as boxing day, NO they don't celebrate that in the US. I think because of Black Friday.

Black Friday (for the U.S.) is the day after our Thanksgiving, not Christmas.

I think we don't celebrate Boxing Day here because of our more rebellious parting with the U.K., the origin of the celebration.

 

[got4boys]

Following along! Love your trip reports Gina.

 

[greenclan67]

Black Friday (for the U.S.) is the day after our Thanksgiving, not Christmas.

I think we don't celebrate Boxing Day here because of our more rebellious parting with the U.K., the origin of the celebration.

Oh I know Black Friday is your Thanksgiving, I just figured it was very big, so wondered if that is why you don't have Boxing Day!

 

[BellaBaby]

Hi Gina! Another lover of your TRs here!!

Going back to read!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The ride honestly isn't bad, for an early morning flight we are 10 mins to the airport. And as far as smoking, I used to smoke so the smell would now curdle my stomach and of course am very sensitive to it, and I didn't smell any smoke in there, and I am very surprised it is a smoking property. It is probably our favourite park n'fly. As far as boxing day, NO they don't celebrate that in the US. I think because of Black Friday.

I am excited to try the Aloft .... its a Starwood property, and it looks beautiful inside (very modern and different). I think the kids will really like it, especially. It checked all of our boxes for location, amenities, reviews, and customer feedback. The price wasn't bad at $129, and Jake is no fan of the included breakfasts at most hotels (he'd rather have his Tim Hortons, spoiled boy!) so the fact that breakfast isn't provided was the only drawback (and easily compensated for by the 24-hour Tims right outside the front door). We'll give the Aloft a chance to impress, and if it fails to meet our high expectations, Staybridge Suites might just the nod on the next trip .

Black Friday (for the U.S.) is the day after our Thanksgiving, not Christmas.

I think we don't celebrate Boxing Day here because of our more rebellious parting with the U.K., the origin of the celebration.

Interesting!

I was sure I had seen American commercials on TV advertising Boxing Day sales at various retailers, though. I must watch more Canadian TV than I thought!

Following along! Love your trip reports Gina.

my friend, and Happy New Year! Glad to have you joining me once again!

Hi Gina! Another lover of your TRs here!!

Going back to read!

to you to, BellaBaby! Thanks for reading along! Feel free to join in with your comments and questions . I hope to have another update posted later today.....after some New Year closet cleaning .

 

[dancin Disney style]

Aw come on.....page 3 already. I miss all the fun!

 

[pigletto]

The Aloft does look nice! I have Days booked for $89 right now, and Aloft is $40 more, plus no breakfast. Not a huge deal but once we buy breakfast for 4 of us we're spending even more. Staybridge is in between. We've stayed there before and I agree ... no smoke smell and doesn't feel very far. 10 mins in the morning. However I do prefer being as close to airport as I can be at 5 in the morning lol. I'd like to do Sleep Inn as I have heard decent things, but it only includes 7 days parking, and I need 10. Hopefully some more deals open up before decision time.

Can't wait to see what you got up to on Day One Gina. Once we hear the dreaded Budget issue

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Aw come on.....page 3 already. I miss all the fun!

Well geez woman, where have you been? I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting.........

The Aloft does look nice! I have Days booked for $89 right now, and Aloft is $40 more, plus no breakfast. Not a huge deal but once we buy breakfast for 4 of us we're spending even more. Staybridge is in between. We've stayed there before and I agree ... no smoke smell and doesn't feel very far. 10 mins in the morning. However I do prefer being as close to airport as I can be at 5 in the morning lol. I'd like to do Sleep Inn as I have heard decent things, but it only includes 7 days parking, and I need 10. Hopefully some more deals open up before decision time.

Can't wait to see what you got up to on Day One Gina. Once we hear the dreaded Budget issue

It definitely is a higher cost for the Aloft (we'll be a foursome for breakfast in April as well, now that Jake and Sunshine have decided to come along) but let me tell ya....when push came to shove on the 18th of December, we would have paid an extra $60 in a heartbeat to have fresh, clean accommodations, no smoke eater running in our room, and no pot-smoking hooligans keeping us awake. Its always a fine line between keeping the price low but not compromising quality. I am not a huge fan of the Days Inn/Best Western/Choice Hotels type properties at the best of time (I hate to sound like a hotel snob, but I much prefer the Sheraton/Marriott/Holiday Inn chains) so hopefully the Aloft will just be a better fit for us overall.

If the dang Canadian dollar wasn't so painfully low right now, that extra $40 and breakfast would definitely not sting so badly. Alas, I'm trying not to focus on that for April and just keep trundling on.

The Budget update is coming up next! And yes, despite a disastrous start, it turned out to be a magnificent and amazing trip! You know what they say...poor start, good ending .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So yay! We had finally arrived!


Orlando International Airport looked so nice and cheery, all festively decorated for the holiday season .





We hopped the shuttle to the main terminal to collect our bags....Jake was quite taken aback by the crowds at MCO versus the Buffalo airport:





While it was cool, dreary and grey at home, the Sunshine State welcomed us with a sparkling blue sky . We admired the view as the shuttle pulled away:








Our bags were some of the first off the carousel, so with those quickly in hand, the final order of business would be to collect our rental vehicle from Budget.


Some of you may remember that Budget let us down on our Christmas 2012 rental.....we were assigned a high mileage, visibly abused, previously-smoked-in vehicle that had been chemically treated to combat the odour. The “Stinky SUV” caused Jake to have an asthma attack every time we got inside it, once badly enough that we feared he would need medical care. After such a rotten initial experience (first impressions last a LONG time), it took us three years to find the courage to give them another kick at the cat. And it was courage with guarded optimism: quite honestly, it was just their price that this time convinced us to allow them the chance to redeem themselves. Booking through RBC Rewards (a perk of our Visa card with the Royal Bank of Canada), we were able to book an SUV in Canadian dollars for less than the price of a full size car in US funds (which would have effectively cost us an additional 40% on top of the American price).


We approached the rental with optimism: this time would be better. This time, we would get a great vehicle. This time, it would be different .


Boy, were we wrong!!


Stepping out of the elevator and into the concourse in front of the rental agency counters, the first thing to stand out was the MASSIVE line for Budget rentals.....and by massive, I mean easily more than 100 people snaking their way down through the queue and spilling out into the walkways of the airport. There was no notable line at Hertz, Avis, National, Alamo, Dollar, or any other company’s counter.....just Budget. And it was ridiculously long.


I had tried to add our Fastbreak/Rapid Rez information to our rental after booking it through RBC Rewards, but all of my efforts (via phone and email with Budget directly, and after they flatly refused to assist me, even through RBC) were for naught. Budget flatly refused to allow us to add the membership number (which would have allowed us to proceed straight to the garage) on a third party rental (I will note that we have been able to add membership numbers to 3rd party bookings with both Alamo and Dollar reservations in the past with absolutely no problems at all). Without our Fastbreak/RapidRez info added to our reservation, we had no other choice but to join the hoards of others waiting for their rentals and stand in the lengthy line. After watching a number of folks stomp frustratedly away from the counter announcing to the rest of us in line that we should not expect a vehicle once we finally get served, as Budget was apparently out of cars, I called RBC to see if they would transfer our rental to a different company under the current circumstances. After almost a half an hour on hold for an agent, my requests and pleas fell on deaf ears and we were forced to wait it out.


After over an hour in the Budget queue, we finally get to the counter to be served by the rudest, snottiest young blonde woman who didn’t have the customer service skills to even offer the most basic apology for the enormous backlog and delay. Instead, she chose to give us the hard sell on insurance (we declined, she argued), a difficult time about the size of our reserved vehicle (she insisted three adults would be too cramped in an intermediate SUV, we shut that down too), and if she had moved any slower in the process, I would have thought she was dead. Then, she sneers at us smugly and announces with an air of self-satisfaction “we don’t have a vehicle for you right now, you’ll just have to wait until one is ready. Please have a seat”.


Um, WHAT?!?!?


By now, it is an hour past when we should have been on the road in the first place. We were tired, hungry, and every last ounce of our good humour had been long since sourced out. But yet.....we were completely and utterly unable to do a dang thing about it. Our reservation was pre-paid in full, they already had our money, so we were stuck waiting it out until a vehicle magically appeared for our use.


Fa la la la la, la la, la, laaaaaaaaa!


We sat and checked emails, texts and Facebook using the free airport wifi. We texted our family members to let them know we had arrived safely. After another half an hour, I walked back over to stand in view of the counter and keep a watchful eye on the CSR who served us. Jake joined me after a while (Steve stayed with the luggage) and we chatted and laughed (heck, this really was an amusing start to a “magical” Christmas holiday!) while the Ms. Blonde & Arrogant worked hard to avoid my gaze.


She assigned a midsize SUV to the customer whom she was serving, handed them their paperwork, and gave them directions to the garage. I looked at Jake, and said to him....if she doesn’t call us over right now to tell us she has a vehicle for us, I am going to have a Clarke Griswold meltdown right here in the airport. He laughed....and she looks in our direction. She cooly states: “Your vehicle is ready” and hands me the paperwork. Now almost 2 hours past our assigned pick up time, there was still no apology, no kindness, no indication that they gave a crap at all.....no NOTHING....just a terse regurgitation of the spot number where we can find our rental and she lazily turns to summon the next person in line.


Never again, Budget. NEVER. AGAIN (and that, my friends, is a promise).


Mercifully, once at the garage we were relieved to find we had at least received a nice SUV: a 2015 Chevy Equinox with good options, low mileage and a clean interior. It’s a Christmas miracle. The boys loaded our luggage, we showed our paperwork to the gate agent, and we were on our way as quickly as we could go .


Breakfast was now a long, long time passed and our Blue Chips from the flight had long since worn off. Jake was looking for an immediate gratification meal, but we also wanted to soon just get to the Vistana and finally check in. We weighed our options as we drove, and Jake suggested we grab a quick and filling meal at Cici’s Pizza since it was literally across the street from the resort.....it would be an inexpensive, fast, satisfying lunch . Steve and I readily agreed, so that’s where we headed next.





The guys wasted no time in filling their plates and digging in. A nice surprise since our last Cici’s visit (which would have been August 2014.....the last time Jake came on vacation with us!) was that stuffed crust pizza was now on the buffet. Yum!





They also have changed their garlic bread....for the better. We got some all hot and cheesy from the oven, so it was really quite tasty.





The boys, in particular, ate an obscene amount of pizza (how Cici’s makes money off the hearty appetites of men, I have no idea) and then we sampled some of their dessert items: apple cinnamon pizza, brownies, and cinnamon buns. The brownies and cinnamon buns received top marks and were very, very tasty (those warranted seconds from the buffet)....however the dessert pizza was just “okay”.





I had a coupon for a buy one, get one free buffet so the total cost of our meal (three unlimited buffets and three large beverages) with tax and coupon, was $22.85.


Once the guys had finally had their fill (and everyone’s dispositions had improved dramatically), we piled back into the Equinox and zipped across the street to the Vistana. Pulling up to the Welcome Center, a calm just came over the whole three of us. We were finally “home” .

 

[Dynamoliz]

Coming out of lurkdom to educate everyone as to the origins of Boxing Day. Back in the day, in the UK, it was when servants of the house would receive their 'Christmas Box' from their employers, and also usually get the day off to enjoy 'Christmas' with their families ... of course always the day after Christmas as I'd assume the masters of the house would need them around on the big day to cook, serve, clean etc so they could enjoy their Christmas! Now it just refers to the day after Christmas, and is a stat holiday here in Canada, and the UK.

I always read along Gina, but rarely post. I enjoy your reports so much I think because a) I'm a fellow Ontarian and b) offsiter and c) like to do and dine other than in the major parks. I live vicariously through your reports as we only get to Orlando every 3 or so years. Last trip was 2013 and we did Halloween Horrors and MNSSHP that trip so I enjoyed hearing about your similar trip.

Happy New Year!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well what a start, enough to put a first timer off I'm sure! We always go with Alamo or Dollar and walk straight to the garage nowadays where the cars are ready and waiting. We just load our luggage in and the paperwork is checked at the exit, all driver information is given online beforehand. It's gratifyingly quick after normally been stood in the immigration queue for around 1 hour.

Like you we celebrate Boxing Day (normally with leftover turkey), I think it is a tradition to mainly Commonwealth countries. Looking forward to more as I know you all had a wonderful time

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Coming out of lurkdom to educate everyone as to the origins of Boxing Day. Back in the day, in the UK, it was when servants of the house would receive their 'Christmas Box' from their employers, and also usually get the day off to enjoy 'Christmas' with their families ... of course always the day after Christmas as I'd assume the masters of the house would need them around on the big day to cook, serve, clean etc so they could enjoy their Christmas! Now it just refers to the day after Christmas, and is a stat holiday here in Canada, and the UK.

I always read along Gina, but rarely post. I enjoy your reports so much I think because a) I'm a fellow Ontarian and b) offsiter and c) like to do and dine other than in the major parks. I live vicariously through your reports as we only get to Orlando every 3 or so years. Last trip was 2013 and we did Halloween Horrors and MNSSHP that trip so I enjoyed hearing about your similar trip.

Happy New Year!

Very interesting indeed. Here my mom always said it called Boxing Day because that's the day we box up the decorations until next year!! Thanks for the cool history lesson .

I am glad you came out of lurkdom to join in my report! For heavens sakes, don't be shy from here onwards....feel free to chip in or comment wherever you like . That's what makes these reports fun!

Well what a start, enough to put a first timer off I'm sure! We always go with Alamo or Dollar and walk straight to the garage nowadays where the cars are ready and waiting. We just load our luggage in and the paperwork is checked at the exit, all driver information is given online beforehand. It's gratifyingly quick after normally been stood in the immigration queue for around 1 hour.

Like you we celebrate Boxing Day (normally with leftover turkey), I think it is a tradition to mainly Commonwealth countries. Looking forward to more as I know you all had a wonderful time

Sigh...yup, that straight-to-the-garage experience with Budget was what we were SUPPOSED to have too (and what we enjoyed with the stinky rental in 2012, since we are Fastbreak members). My bad for not knowing that Budget likes to treat 3rd party rentals with less perks....shame on them, seriously! Defintely lesson learned, and we will be Dollar or Alamo patrons from here on out (we have one reservation with both companies for April....just trying to decide on which one to keep, a full size car or another SUV).