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

[Tricia's mom]

Always a great trip report.

Can wait to hear all about your sleepover guests .

 

[JaxDad]

You think so??? I have such a hard time seeing any sign of me in his physical features (aside from the crinkly eyes when he smiles ). I definitely have influenced his personality and attributes (ahem! OCD, I'm looking at you!) but when I look at him, all I see is a younger Steve.

Your son may have inherited his father's good looks, but he did not get his intelligence and common sense...

;-)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Always a great trip report.

Can wait to hear all about your sleepover guests .

Aw, thank you!!!

Stay tuned, that post is coming up shortly!

Your son may have inherited his father's good looks, but he did not get his intelligence and common sense...

View attachment 146703 View attachment 146702 ;-)

Ah, my Steve might play it cool, but he's really a big goof. The apple did not fall far from that tree!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We arrived back at the Vistana about 20 minutes before Dean and his Lovely came knocking on the door….perfect timing! They lugged in their overnight bags (they would stay the night so they could indulge in some adult beverages as we enjoyed the spectacularly warm night poolside) and we all sat around a bit and swapped stories about our adventures of the day. Eventually, we had to decide what to do about dinner….order in? Dine out? Or, dine at the Tacky Tiki Bar? Apparently we were all feelin’ a tad lazy, because dining out was nixed immediately by every single one of us. Pizza really didn’t appeal either (so there went Giordano’s or Flippers), so by process of elimination, the Tiki Bar it was to be. We grabbed our shoes and headed out the door to see what grub we could wrestle up.


Even that late in the day, it was still really warm outside. What a great night it would be to enjoy the pool!





We headed to the Tacky Tiki Bar & Grill first, to put in our food orders and allow the cooks to get started on our meals.








There was no one else dining in at the time, though there were several other guests standing around and awaiting their orders. It appeared most folks were either taking their meals back to their villa, or to one of the poolside tables to dine in the fresh evening air. It really was much to nice to be inside .





Once the orders were placed (which they said would take about 20 minutes), Steve and Dean mosey’d over to the bar to round up some refreshing beverages .








We ladies…..and Jake (he had to be an honourary lady….while he is drinking age in Canada, he had another year + 2 weeks to go in order to imbibe in the USA) proceeded to the fire pit outside to await our handsome knights.





This fire pit is much, much larger than the above photo suggests……so while this pic is a rather crappy quality, it will give you a much better idea of just how big around this thing is:





The fire itself was hot, hot, HOT!....and since the night was so warm, we were almost uncomfortable sitting around the rosy glow (but it set such a nice ambiance, we sucked it up and figured we’d cool off in the pool in short order). It wasn’t long before the boys returned with drinks in hand, including this one that my big bro bought for his little sister and her hubby to share:





I had been jibber-jabbering earlier in the night about these fun coconut cups that they had at the Tiki Bar, and in thanks for allowing them to crash for the night, Deano treated us to one as a souvenir. Silly boy….no thanks was necessary, but I must admit, I did fall instantly in love with this funky little guy! He now sits proudly on the bar in our rec room, a nice little reminder of our family fun time .





For anyone who happens to stay at the Vistana and decides to indulge in a drink from the Tiki Bar, let me forewarn you: those beverages are poured strong. VERY strong . I took one sip of the drink nestled in my coconut monkey and I swear, my hair curled . Dean and Steve enjoyed my reaction, and nodded knowingly….apparently they had watched the bartender free-pour all the drinks, and he was SUPER generous with the alcohol portion. This didn’t change as the night wore on, either. Two of those little fruity gems and I would have been passed out cold on the pool deck . I think I got a little tipsy just from the one mouthful .


We returned to the Grill after the stipulated 20 minutes to see if our meals were ready to be picked up, but nope….nothing yet. Another 10 minutes, nothing. …same thing for the others who were waiting, too . We kept checking, they kept apologizing and noting how busy they were that night. It was a full 45 minutes before our first items were finally brought out from the kitchen….almost an hour before Dean received the second part of his meal. By this time, we were half near starving and we had to stifle a cheer as we toddled to the fire pit to eat our food.


We had ordered mozzarella sticks and garlic bread sticks as appetizers to share among the three of us:





I had the chili dog and fries (though they initially forgot the chili, and we had to have it added to my otherwise naked wiener and bun before we carted away the tray):





The boys had burgers and fries. I totally missed taking a picture of one of them entirely (if I remember correctly, Jake began inhaling his after such a lengthy wait, and I was afraid if I approached too quickly I may lose a finger ) and this photo, unfortunately, is less than telling.





It was just….okay. Perfectly edible (great fries), but nothing super special. We added a soft drink to the three baskets and two appies, and our total was over $50 which seemed horribly steep for what we got. The service was painfully slow, which also certainly tainted our overall experience (and left us wishing we had, in fact, just gone with pizza from Giordano’s after all). Dean and his Beloved enjoyed their wings and calamari, and the setting (outside, cloudless night, nice fire) was sure enjoyable.....so that made up for the fact that the food was just not anything we would consider memorable. The company was pretty heartwarming, I must say…..fun times to be hangin’ with my bro over Christmas week in my favourite place in the whole world .


We returned to the villa to change into our swimsuits, and the rest of the night was spent swimming in the pool and lounging in the hot tubs. The pool, in particular, was exceptionally quiet, and by 10:30 pm we literally had the whole thing to ourselves. Peace on Earth, right there at the Vistana .


We hit the sack just before midnight, with Dean and his fiancé taking up residence on the pullout in the living room. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve Day, and we would be spending it in the swamp .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Yes when you think of the meal at Steak n Shake the bill and quality rubs a little however it did look a lovely evening and the fire pit inviting.

 

[dancin Disney style]

For anyone who happens to stay at the Vistana and decides to indulge in a drink from the Tiki Bar, let me forewarn you: those beverages are poured strong. VERY strong . I took one sip of the drink nestled in my coconut monkey and I swear, my hair curled . Dean and Steve enjoyed my reaction, and nodded knowingly….apparently they had watched the bartender free-pour all the drinks, and he was SUPER generous with the alcohol portion.

Get that guys name and work schedule.

LOL....we were in Myrtle Beach at nationals a few years back and our team went to dinner together. I ordered a vodka and cranberry, when I took a sip I yelled out holy sh#@. It was nearly pure vodka which I was not expecting. There were about 6 kids at the table between 10-12yrs old. The kids all burst out laughing while I choked on my drink.

 

[pigletto]

What I wouldn't give to be sitting poolside at the Vistana right now. I swear my trip longing is worse this time than it has ever been. Enjoying a bite to eat and hanging out by the pool for a whole evening would be heaven right now. I would take the tip and grab a pizza first if I was in a hurry to eat though .

And that coconut monkey!!!! Wow does that bring back memories! My grandparents LOVED Florida and had a place near Tampa while I was growing up. My grandpa had several of those guys hanging around the place. That is certainly where my love of Florida and family vacations began. What a sweet memory.

 

[pcstang]

Your son may have inherited his father's good looks, but he did not get his intelligence and common sense...

View attachment 146703 View attachment 146702 ;-)

I noticed that also JaxDad. At least Jake has good taste!

Great report as always Gina. I always enjoy reading them! Maybe we will all finally meetup for HHN this year!

 

[Monykalyn]

Get that guys name and work schedule.

LOL....we were in Myrtle Beach at nationals a few years back and our team went to dinner together. I ordered a vodka and cranberry, when I took a sip I yelled out holy sh#@. It was nearly pure vodka which I was not expecting. There were about 6 kids at the table between 10-12yrs old. The kids all burst out laughing while I choked on my drink.

A local restaurant did that super strong drink thing to me a while back-ordered a cosmo and it was a tinge of pink color-had to ask for a side of cranberry juice! As this was during happy hour that ONE drink lasted a couple hours (and still didn't finish it!).

Well I might have checked flights to Buffalo NY at end of July and they are quite reasonable right now...We will be in Portland OR in mid July for a Worlds Finest Chocolate meeting and then hubs goes off to Wisconsin for the cookie dough company meeting (he's in fundraising-and these are our 2 major product lines-and I am a nutritionist-irony anyone??) Since I flatly refuse to go to Wisconsin unless it's visiting family I am thinking solo trip to other coast???well I can hope/dream right?

The Orlando eye looks very cool at night and WOW at the Christmas VIP experience! Very Nice!

LOVE love love the coconut monkey! I am a sucker for specialty drink mugs/cups/cups-that-double-as-a musical-instrutment

 

[ArwenMarie]

Those types of pool bar/restaurants at hotels are always kind of slow in my experience. They must have a hard time staffing them right or something?

Still seems like a lovely night as we wait here for monster storm Jonas

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes when you think of the meal at Steak n Shake the bill and quality rubs a little however it did look a lovely evening and the fire pit inviting.

Oh, I know!! Places like Steak & Shake spoil us badly. But yet, it was marvellous to just enjoy a relaxing night, not worrying about having to drive or deal with traffic. It allowed us to make the most of our time with Dean, so that was worth it all on its own .

Get that guys name and work schedule.

LOL....we were in Myrtle Beach at nationals a few years back and our team went to dinner together. I ordered a vodka and cranberry, when I took a sip I yelled out holy sh#@. It was nearly pure vodka which I was not expecting. There were about 6 kids at the table between 10-12yrs old. The kids all burst out laughing while I choked on my drink.

Well Ms. Potty Mouth, I expect better behaviour from you at our Niagara Dismeet .

Ah heck, who am I kidding? I want to buy you a few of those vodkas and cranberries, and see how entertaining you get then .

What I wouldn't give to be sitting poolside at the Vistana right now. I swear my trip longing is worse this time than it has ever been. Enjoying a bite to eat and hanging out by the pool for a whole evening would be heaven right now. I would take the tip and grab a pizza first if I was in a hurry to eat though .

And that coconut monkey!!!! Wow does that bring back memories! My grandparents LOVED Florida and had a place near Tampa while I was growing up. My grandpa had several of those guys hanging around the place. That is certainly where my love of Florida and family vacations began. What a sweet memory.

You've been waiting a long time for this trip .....I can totally appreciate how you must be itching for the months to pass and spring to finally arrive!! The winter months always seem to go super slowly, too. January and February always seem endless.

I noticed that also JaxDad. At least Jake has good taste!

Great report as always Gina. I always enjoy reading them! Maybe we will all finally meetup for HHN this year!

Oh, NOW I get it!! @JaxDad , you must think I'm an idiot . I thought you were just commenting on the fact Jake is a goofball (which he is ), but it was the t-shirts!! For the record, Jake is an equal opportunity fan.....he has both Florida State University and University of Florida clothing (he actually picked up a beautiful Gator's hoody at one of the Nike outlets for an awesome price). I think he has a shirt from just about every college team going (or the more "famous" ones, anyway). He loves his college basketball!

Unfortunately, I doubt HHN will be in the vacation budget this year . By the time we buy tickets, book an RIP Tour, an add an additional 45% in exchange....the cost gets very prohibitive. If our dollar improves, then you never know....but I'm not holding out much hope. I would certainly be up for a drink at Margaritaville, though!

A local restaurant did that super strong drink thing to me a while back-ordered a cosmo and it was a tinge of pink color-had to ask for a side of cranberry juice! As this was during happy hour that ONE drink lasted a couple hours (and still didn't finish it!).

Well I might have checked flights to Buffalo NY at end of July and they are quite reasonable right now...We will be in Portland OR in mid July for a Worlds Finest Chocolate meeting and then hubs goes off to Wisconsin for the cookie dough company meeting (he's in fundraising-and these are our 2 major product lines-and I am a nutritionist-irony anyone??) Since I flatly refuse to go to Wisconsin unless it's visiting family I am thinking solo trip to other coast???well I can hope/dream right?

The Orlando eye looks very cool at night and WOW at the Christmas VIP experience! Very Nice!

LOVE love love the coconut monkey! I am a sucker for specialty drink mugs/cups/cups-that-double-as-a musical-instrutment

World's Finest Chocolate?!? Really?!? THEY HAVE THE BEST CHOCOLATE!!! There's an outlet in Campbellford, just a half hour or so from where we live. I am always glad its not closer, because I'd be there way too often!!!

Its simply hilarious that your husband works with fundraising yummies and you're a nutritionist . Irony at its best!

I think we soon need to talk dates so you could book that cheap airfare . Is everyone thinking mid or late July?

Those types of pool bar/restaurants at hotels are always kind of slow in my experience. They must have a hard time staffing them right or something?

Still seems like a lovely night as we wait here for monster storm Jonas

Oh no....I heard about that storm on our local radio station this morning . They said it could be the second biggest winter storm in the history of that area. I hope you have lots of supplies to get you through in case you're housebound until the snow passes. Please stay in and stay safe!!!

 

[JaxDad]

Oh, NOW I get it!! @JaxDad , you must think I'm an idiot

I definitely don't think you're an idiot, but you must have thought me a bit mean to imply your DS is not so intelligent nor have much common sense! I'm sorry about the misunderstanding! We love our college rivalries down here.

 

[bankr63]

Agree 100% on the speed of food service at most of the Vistana venues (the Marketplace isn't too bad for a deli sandwich). But the food is generally not too bad if you are willing to wait, and since the drinks are strong, by the time it arrives you probably don't care too much? Most of our experience is with poolside snacks, and while soaking up the Florida sun, I don't really seem to care that it takes a good bit of time...

Having worked in the restaurant industry through college, I suspect it is mostly because the volume of food generally is not high enough. Most large restaurants have lots of stuff prepped and ready for final touches. Harder to do if you have no idea how much or how often an item will sell. Likely there is minimal prep food on hand, and you quickly move to made from scratch. Funny thing is that this is seen as a "feature" in a really high end restaurant. I contrast this with my worst meal in Orlando at Bongo's in DTD. You should be worried when you full meal arrives 5 minutes after you order it, and it is luke-warm at best. Can you say "warm off the steam table"?

 

[dancin Disney style]

Well Ms. Potty Mouth, I expect better behaviour from you at our Niagara Dismeet .

Ah heck, who am I kidding? I want to buy you a few of those vodkas and cranberries, and see how entertaining you get then .

I like to play the one for me, one for you game. Come prepared!

 

[Lynne G]

Ah, for hot dogs and fries, we would have been long gone before the food arrived. My kids would have begged to order pizza or do a run to the nearest fast food.

Awesome pictures.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I definitely don't think you're an idiot, but you must have thought me a bit mean to imply your DS is not so intelligent nor have much common sense! I'm sorry about the misunderstanding! We love our college rivalries down here.

Oh gosh no, I didn't think you were being mean. We, as a family, have mastered the art of being able to laugh at ourselves.....and Lord knows there is generally lots to laugh at. Jake's crazy faces in the photos don't exactly make him look like the sharpest pencil in the box .

I always forget about the college rivalries in the US.....partly because its a non-issue with our Canadian teams, and partly because I'm not much of a sports fan (outside of our Toronto Raptors, Blue Jays, and Maple Leafs, of course). The latter of that group often makes me want to give up watching sports altogether .

Agree 100% on the speed of food service at most of the Vistana venues (the Marketplace isn't too bad for a deli sandwich). But the food is generally not too bad if you are willing to wait, and since the drinks are strong, by the time it arrives you probably don't care too much? Most of our experience is with poolside snacks, and while soaking up the Florida sun, I don't really seem to care that it takes a good bit of time...

Ha! That was exactly what Dean and Steve said .

I like to play the one for me, one for you game. Come prepared!

Let me tell ya, that game would be over before it started. After 10 years on strong seizure meds and doctors orders to stay away from alcohol (which elevated levels of the medication in the blood), I never really regained any taste for the hard stuff. One drink and I'd be slurring my words and flush faced. Two, and I'd be passed out cold on the table.

Ah, for hot dogs and fries, we would have been long gone before the food arrived. My kids would have begged to order pizza or do a run to the nearest fast food.

Awesome pictures.

If the guys hadn't been enjoying a few drinks, we might have made the same decision. But, we ladies weren't navigating us anywhere.....I don't enjoy driving in my own hometown, and I sure as heck don't want to be piloting the rental around the Christmas traffic in Orlando. Plus we had that lovely fire.....I do enjoy a night around a fire pit!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

My apologies, friends....not sure I'll get an entry up today. My boy dropped in to have lunch with me at work today, so my trip reporting time became Mom & Son time (which there is not near enough time for these days). I couldn't help but toss my plans to the wind when a cute young man shows up with fresh pizza in hand.

Stay tuned, though, I will try and get started on another post by tomorrow night at the latest.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Let me tell ya, that game would be over before it started. After 10 years on strong seizure meds and doctors orders to stay away from alcohol (which elevated levels of the medication in the blood), I never really regained any taste for the hard stuff. One drink and I'd be slurring my words and flush faced. Two, and I'd be passed out cold on the table.

I guess that means no Tequila shots???

 

[Callie]

How sweet Jake stopped to have lunch with you! I miss moments like those with my mom now that she lives 2 hours away.
I would have been upset having to wait an hour for food.

 

[pigletto]

My apologies, friends....not sure I'll get an entry up today. My boy dropped in to have lunch with me at work today, so my trip reporting time became Mom & Son time (which there is not near enough time for these days). I couldn't help but toss my plans to the wind when a cute young man shows up with fresh pizza in hand.

Stay tuned, though, I will try and get started on another post by tomorrow night at the latest.

Awww! Totally understandable. With dd away at university I know what it would mean to me to have a surprise lunch visit.