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

[Callie]

I would have ran over the snake, and then possibly felt bad.
It was nice to hear my family isn't the only one that gets into a funk on vacation. Its usually my mom, sister and I and we always have that one day when everyone is annoyed with each other.

 

[Monykalyn]

Nice to know everyone hits a funk/wall sometimes-even on a vacation. Through painful experience I've learned to build absolute, do nothing, downtime days into our family vacations. Sometimes sleep really is a cure-all...

I still don't love snakes but I have (mostly) accepted them now-and learned to be careful digging in my raised garden beds as there was a critter who liked to hide under my sage bush and tomato plants. He startled me more than once but must have been too cozy in the warm dirt to move much.

Some very cool pics of the cypress trees!!

 

[pepperandchips]

Yup, sounds like everyone has a bad day (even in their happy place) now and then. We had a meltdown in October on the family trip and while this most recent trip had fewer personalities so less tension, there are still times when we needed quiet time or a snack break or a moment to read books. (This is one of the reasons we have a two drink minimum at dinner on the bigger family trips! Haha.)

Glad everyone was back to their rested and happy selves the next day. That's the important part!

 

[chiamarie]

I love that you aren't a vindictive person! Odds are it wasn't the same snake anyway!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I can relate to a day like yours- I also have a family of just men- DH and 2 DS. I guess I learned like you- just to let it be- it will pass. Men do not want to talk, share, or vent. It's frustrating to us girls, but the nice thing is all is forgotten moments later. And no good vacation can happen unless there is a family meltdown at some time!
Off topic, I know you are Vistana Resort owners, but do you have any info on the Vistana Villages? I found a great unrestricted rate there for June( you've influenced us to possibly venture offsite!)

I haven't personally stayed at SVV, but its the sister resort to SVR. The room layouts are similar, and so are the resort amenities (though the resort itself is more compact and less sprawling than the Vistana Resort). It looks like a lovely place for sure (we've driven by it many, many times on our way to SW). If you got a great rate there, I would say give it a try for sure!! We'd actually like to stay there some time too, just to see the differences between the two properties.

The only good snake....is a dead snake!!!!

With my luck, though, there'd be some sort of snake protection law that would have resulted in us being locked up by the local sherrif. It wouldn't surprise me if they were an endangered species or something like that. Don't we still protect seagulls here in Canada??

Well I'm super happy to hear that it's not just my family that hits walls/need space/gets into a funk at times on vacations. We really had such a wonderful Christmas trip-it was truly amazing, but after a long road trip to Orlando (14 hrs) and spending almost every waking moment together for a week and half, our family definitely had our share of mini-breakdowns. Good news is that a month later I can only remember the good parts and have forgotten the bad. Well, most of the bad...lol
And sorry for the loss of your dad. I've lost both my mom and dad and I understand completely about missing a parent at holiday time.

The holidays are the worst. I mean, I miss my dad every day (not just on the special ones), but it seems just a little more raw during Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. I don't suppose that will ever change. Big hugs to you, my friend, for you have it doubly as painful with both your parents now passed .

Okay, so I was catching up on the post and the kids saw the picture of the peacock. "Oooh, how pretty!!" They all ooh'd and aaah'd over it. I then scroll down. "EEWW!! What is THAT?" "Is that a spider?" I tell them that it is a picture of the peacock's rear end. They thought it was both funny and gross! LOL!

LOL, sorry about that!! If my butt looked that good, though, l'd post a picture of it too . Oh, to be a peacock!!

Oh goodness I can relate. Someone has a meltdown on every vacation. It's pigletto family vacation law actually. I have to have one "I don't know why I even bother" cry per trip. As the years have wore on sometimes it's just a day like yours where everyone is "off". Or sometimes someone is really sick, or sometimes someone is just behaving horridly (including me). We're family, we love each other, and we get over it. I'd be more surprised if the Bo Bina family didn't have a day like that once in awhile.

You know, it has been super comforting to read everyone's "yep, we've been there too!!" comments to my post this afteroon. Not that misery loves company, but sometimes these boards perpetuate the perfect trip, and in reality that's almost impossible to achieve. Things go wrong that are out a person's control (like the pot smokers), weather washes out the plans, sickness obliterates the itinerary, or.....our human-ness just takes over. Sometimes, we're not perfect (and I'm perfectly OK with admitting that). Like you, sometimes *I* am the one who needs the time out chair . But you know, even our bad moments are good moments....because we were together. And we get through it. And it makes the days that follow that much sweeter .

This sounds so familiar Gina. Back in the early 90's when our children were young and my wifes parents were still alive, we started our family tradition of going to WDW for the Christmas holidays. My wife was lonely for her parents at Christmas. Then her Mom died and later her father, and we kept going and she was always soo sad on Christmas Eve/Day but she now realizes that she was WITH HER FAMILY. Your pain is totally understandable. If only we had IPhones 20 years ago. BTW....so my kids don't do that to us, we pay for their way down at Christmas. 2017, here we come

[/QUOTE]

You are a good Dad, my friend . And you are so right. I was with my guys in body, and with both my mom and dad in spirit .

And yay you for already planning for Christmas 2017!!! What an awesome gift, to have your family all together in Orlando! Feel free to adopt me if you feel the need for another daughter. Despite my contribution to the Christmas Eve crash, I am really quite charming .

Sounds like you guys were tired and hot and it all caught up to you.

I remember one time we were stuck in traffic forever by Marriott World Center coming from Disney going back to Grande Vista. All of a sudden my very mild-mannered husband says quietly, "Why do we keep coming here? I hate it here" and I was like, "I know, what's wrong with us?" Like it just seemed absurd the torture we were putting ourselves through. It wasn't funny at the time but looking back we crack up.

Your swamp picture are super pretty, I love those cypress trees, so Florida.

Some of those dreadful moments do turn into the funniest memories .

Snakes......ugggggh, definitely not something I would want to encounter either.

Glad you managed to shake off the mood and wake up raring to go. The last few Christmases in Florida we have been been in MK on Christmas Eve and stayed until the park closed, it good to be shooed out of the park in a nice way).

Looking forward to your day at SW.

We never did hear if the Disney parks closed to capacity over Christmas this year or not. Did you happen to read anything about it on the boards? A little bird told me that SW reached capacity on Boxing Day (December 26th for my American friends) so I am guessing Disney must have been bursting at the seams, too. I bet MK is pretty magical on Christmas!!! Main Street, in particular, must be so lovely!

I would have ran over the snake, and then possibly felt bad.
It was nice to hear my family isn't the only one that gets into a funk on vacation. Its usually my mom, sister and I and we always have that one day when everyone is annoyed with each other.

Ha ha!! You're a better woman than I .... I wouldn't even attempt a vacation with MY sister. I am sure you'd be reading about my arrest on CNN the following morning . There isn't enough alcohol or chocolate with which to self medicate that would get me through that kind of an ordeal!!

Nice to know everyone hits a funk/wall sometimes-even on a vacation. Through painful experience I've learned to build absolute, do nothing, downtime days into our family vacations. Sometimes sleep really is a cure-all...

I still don't love snakes but I have (mostly) accepted them now-and learned to be careful digging in my raised garden beds as there was a critter who liked to hide under my sage bush and tomato plants. He startled me more than once but must have been too cozy in the warm dirt to move much.

Some very cool pics of the cypress trees!!

I had thought we did have enough downtime built into the plans, but obviously not enough . I do think the heat and humidity played a part....we surely didn't expect it to be quite that hot.

Ugh, snakes in the garden . If I ever find one lounging under one of my hostas, I'm tearing out the plants and filling everything in with decorative mulch. Plastic plants, anyone?

Yup, sounds like everyone has a bad day (even in their happy place) now and then. We had a meltdown in October on the family trip and while this most recent trip had fewer personalities so less tension, there are still times when we needed quiet time or a snack break or a moment to read books. (This is one of the reasons we have a two drink minimum at dinner on the bigger family trips! Haha.)

Glad everyone was back to their rested and happy selves the next day. That's the important part!

View attachment 147684

Hee hee....maybe we should have drank MORE . We did leave several bottles of Christmas cheer in the fridge for the cleaning staff to enjoy......

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I love that you aren't a vindictive person! Odds are it wasn't the same snake anyway!

Oh, I am sure it was the same snake. I think he winked at me as he slithered in front of our bumper .

 

[bankr63]

So there you have it, friends. One of our not-so-perfect family moments, but as we have learned from experience (generally once on every week long vacation): one moment does not a complete disaster make. We live, we learn, we grow, and we own our human-ness. It happens.


Our “Silent Night” ended with a round of hugs (family rule: no one goes to bed mad…and ya know, despite our stinky moods, there was still a lot of love hangin’ around in that villa) and everyone agreeing that a good, long night’s sleep would cure whatever the heck had befallen us that afternoon and evening. As the Irish Proverb goes: “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for everything” .


The sun was out when we awoke the following morning: both in that big, beautiful Florida sky AND in our much-improved dispositions . We had all slept like rocks and felt like a million dollars. There were smiles and laughs all around as we reminisced over our cereal bowls about the evening prior….because, hey, we can find humour in ourselves most times, even at our less-than-stellar moments .

You know Gina, that is what I love about your crew. I am a glass half-full kind of guy, but you can make an ocean from a droplet of water at the bottom of the glass. I too know how it feels to hit the wall, and try to sensitive to everybody's rhythm. But the next day is always a whole new adventure!

Speaking of adventures, our March trip is slowly starting to gel. But with all of the excursions etc, we may only spend an actual 3 full days in Orlando! Too many side trips planned, and A+ wants to take her time both directions. So for 9 days total, 4 will be spent on the road, arriving Sunday afternoon. We'll do a full day on our regular excursion to Siesta Key, and we are adding Friday at St. Augustine for sure now. Will probably meet DS in Myrtle Beach on Saturday for breakfast (he is attending a 2-week track and field training camp there), and then point the car back North again. Orlando attractions will probably include a day at Typhoon Lagoon in the lazy river and one full day at MK for Pin Trading for A+ (although I might substitute Epcot; it's been a while for that park). Last day will probably be a bit of shopping and down time by the pool. We're also hoping to finish the second half of the Skyline Drive this trip (we only did the bottom half two years back) weather permitting...

 

[bankr63]

Thought I would post this one just for you Pigletto:

We found this great specimen up camping this summer. Or rather, he found us. A+ was first up in the morning and ran into his web spun across the INSIDE of the door in the camper as she exited. The strands were like steel. I managed to find him nestled underneath a curtain nearby and gently relocated him outside. This photo was taken about 24 hours later once (s)he had established a new web.

And in keeping with the Anhinga comment, I thought I would throw in this photo of the Common Canadian Loon (okay technically American since we were camping in NYS when I took this).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You know Gina, that is what I love about your crew. I am a glass half-full kind of guy, but you can make an ocean from a droplet of water at the bottom of the glass. I too know how it feels to hit the wall, and try to sensitive to everybody's rhythm. But the next day is always a whole new adventure!

Speaking of adventures, our March trip is slowly starting to gel. But with all of the excursions etc, we may only spend an actual 3 full days in Orlando! Too many side trips planned, and A+ wants to take her time both directions. So for 9 days total, 4 will be spent on the road, arriving Sunday afternoon. We'll do a full day on our regular excursion to Siesta Key, and we are adding Friday at St. Augustine for sure now. Will probably meet DS in Myrtle Beach on Saturday for breakfast (he is attending a 2-week track and field training camp there), and then point the car back North again. Orlando attractions will probably include a day at Typhoon Lagoon in the lazy river and one full day at MK for Pin Trading for A+ (although I might substitute Epcot; it's been a while for that park). Last day will probably be a bit of shopping and down time by the pool. We're also hoping to finish the second half of the Skyline Drive this trip (we only did the bottom half two years back) weather permitting...

Oh wow, what a cool and diverse trip!! I would love to hear about your time in St. Augustine, especially. It looks like such a charming little town. Are you taking both kiddos on this adventure, or just DS from MB onward?

I'll admit that I have the odd glass-half-empty day too, but thankfully they're rare. Life's just too darn short, and really.....in the grand scheme of the world, I have so much to be thankful for .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thought I would post this one just for you Pigletto:

We found this great specimen up camping this summer. Or rather, he found us. A+ was first up in the morning and ran into his web spun across the INSIDE of the door in the camper as she exited. The strands were like steel. I managed to find him nestled underneath a curtain nearby and gently relocated him outside. This photo was taken about 24 hours later once (s)he had established a new web.

And this is EXACTLY why I don't go camping.

Shudder.

 

[pattyw]

I haven't personally stayed at SVV, but its the sister resort to SVR. The room layouts are similar, and so are the resort amenities (though the resort itself is more compact and less sprawling than the Vistana Resort). It looks like a lovely place for sure (we've driven by it many, many times on our way to SW). If you got a great rate there, I would say give it a try for sure!! We'd actually like to stay there some time too, just to see the differences between the two properties.

Thanks, Gina- we'll be sure to report back on our experience there in June!

And those spiders! ick! I guess it is one benefit to living here in frosty Buffalo, NY- we don't get those mega spiders and even the snakes I've seen are small and harmless.

 

[Ritchielace]

Coming out of lurkdom to say loving the post! Your writing is so amusing and I can't get enough of the banter between you and everyone, especially Dancin Disney. Going to have to catch up and read some of your other trip reports.

 

[Lynne G]

Ahhh the bugs and bees, and oh, snakes. Yeah, we saw several on our walks from Shades of Green to the Poly. I told my kids to walk faster. Luckily, also harmless snakes, but didn't care either. And watching a PBS nature show, I know the difference between harmless and not. If yellow touches red, stay away. There's another snake that looks like coral snake, a king snake, but it's red and black stripes are not touching. But easy to confuse. The copy cat snake does so, so that those that eat snakes, think it's a coral snake and don't eat it. Either way, I wouldn't be looking too closely, I'd be going the other way.

I don't mind camping. Never saw a spider or snake, but what we didn't realize, when setting up tents late in the evening in the summer one year in Yellowstone, the next morning, we were surrounded by bison. We found another place to pitch the tents later that day.

We actually like the holiday time. Granted, we didn't do Disney, but I have a DH that doesn't mind traffic, and goes at a slow pace.
And yes, we too get a funk at least once during vacation. I think it happens more when it's hot out. Deciding where we want to stay this year. And patiently waiting for SW to open flights for December. While we enjoyed SD, it was a long flight, and FLA is so much closer, and in the same time zone, we're ready to go back to Orlando.

Ready for some more trip report!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks, Gina- we'll be sure to report back on our experience there in June!

And those spiders! ick! I guess it is one benefit to living here in frosty Buffalo, NY- we don't get those mega spiders and even the snakes I've seen are small and harmless.

Can't wait to hear what you think about SVV! By the way, I meant to ask....where did you get the great unrestricted rate from? We would like to add on a couple of extra days to our October trip, so we're looking for affordable options .

Coming out of lurkdom to say loving the post! Your writing is so amusing and I can't get enough of the banter between you and everyone, especially Dancin Disney. Going to have to catch up and read some of your other trip reports.

Ritchielace! Glad you have emerged from lurkdom to join in the chatter .

Yes, that @dancin Disney style is rather a bit of hoot....she keeps me on my toes for sure . Someday I'd like to meet her husband. He's got to be a very special guy indeed .

Ahhh the bugs and bees, and oh, snakes. Yeah, we saw several on our walks from Shades of Green to the Poly. I told my kids to walk faster. Luckily, also harmless snakes, but didn't care either. And watching a PBS nature show, I know the difference between harmless and not. If yellow touches red, stay away. There's another snake that looks like coral snake, a king snake, but it's red and black stripes are not touching. But easy to confuse. The copy cat snake does so, so that those that eat snakes, think it's a coral snake and don't eat it. Either way, I wouldn't be looking too closely, I'd be going the other way.

I don't mind camping. Never saw a spider or snake, but what we didn't realize, when setting up tents late in the evening in the summer one year in Yellowstone, the next morning, we were surrounded by bison. We found another place to pitch the tents later that day.

We actually like the holiday time. Granted, we didn't do Disney, but I have a DH that doesn't mind traffic, and goes at a slow pace.
And yes, we too get a funk at least once during vacation. I think it happens more when it's hot out. Deciding where we want to stay this year. And patiently waiting for SW to open flights for December. While we enjoyed SD, it was a long flight, and FLA is so much closer, and in the same time zone, we're ready to go back to Orlando.

Ready for some more trip report!

We found Christmas this year to be very, very civilized.....the traffic was quite tolerable and crowds were much smaller than we anticipated. Better than in 2012! (unless our expectations this time were just more in line with reality.....that might be the case too ).

Southwest wont open up for December until when.....June-ish? I know Jetblue opens February 7th for October. I have my fingers crossed that flights for fall are affordable.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Christmas Day: Friday, December 25th:


For those of you who haven’t read any of my previous trip reports, we had spent Christmas Day at SeaWorld on our family vacation in December 2012, and it was hands down our favourite day of that whole trip. Crowds were light, the decorations were stunning, and the atmosphere was amazingly festive….so when it came to choosing how to spend Christmas Day on this family getaway, we all unanimously wanted to return to SeaWorld. Thankfully, the BOGO annual pass deal on Black Friday 2015 made the purchase of tickets affordable, so the itinerary was updated and the planning officially began .


As our vacation drew closer, though, we started to wonder if the best kept secret in Orlando had perhaps gotten out: would everyone else also know that SeaWorld was an amazing place to spend Christmas Day? Would crowds be much higher than we remember? Would Orlando visitors have figured out that all the special holiday events were not only awesome, but also included free with your regular admission to the park? It was forecasted to be yet another spectacular day weather-wise (sunshine, warmth and very little chance of rain) so that should bring people out in itself.


Would the popularity of the BOGO annual pass offer be a double edged sword?


We would soon find out…..





Christmas morning traffic was non-existent as we made the short drive from the resort to the SeaWorld parking lot. We arrived about 8:40 am, which was 20 minutes prior to park opening, but the parking booths were still closed and lines were slowly building up at each one. Five minutes later, at exactly 8:45 am sharp, the booths were opened and cars began filtering through. There were tons of parking staff in the lot directing vehicles to the various areas, so despite the initial influx of traffic it the whole parking experience was very well organized and civilized. We secured an excellent spot just steps from the main entrance (always appreciated after a long day on our feet!), and the parking itself was free of charge as annual passholders.


Security was really tight at the park gate, with bag checks being done very thoroughly and guests being wanded upon entry. But the process was being carried out with remarkable efficiency and a cheerful attitude by security staff, so we were on our way into the park with very little delay.





The magnificent tree at the front of the park was a perfect first sight for a Christmas Day visit!





We stopped for photos just inside the park entrance, all of which were included with our purchase of the annual Photokey (activated at Aquatica a few days prior).







Some of the pictures taken by the photographer were “magic” photos, where they had us put our hands together as if we were holding something. Unfortunately they forgot to add the magic element, and we had to return to the park the following day to have the missing graphic manually added in. In doing so, the date which is pre-populated on the photos automatically changed to the date of the edit….and there was no way for them to override it, apparently. That’s why you’ll note the incorrect date on our pictures with baby Shamu. Of course, after issues activating the Photokey at Aquatica three days prior, and none of our digital purchases from either Madame Tussauds or The Orlando Eye working out either, the missing magic certainly wasn’t a surprise here at SeaWorld!!!


Following our quick stop for family pictures, we proceeded straight Guest Services to pick up our Christmas Celebration Reserved Seating dining Packages (which included a meal at one of the restaurants and reserved seating at all the evening Christmas shows), our Christmas Village dining package (which included a meal at the restaurants, plus a souvenir mug of hot chocolate and our choice of snack from the Christmas Village), and our Quick Queue passes. All three items were pre-purchased in advance, so we just had to swap out our email confirmations for the dining cards, reserved seating lanyards, and QQ wristbands. We also donated $5 each to the SeaWorld Conservation Fund to upgrade our paper AP’s to some very nice hard plastic, credit-card type passes .... we figured it was a win-win for all: the money would go to a very good cause, and the plastic AP’s would hold up far better than their paper counterparts over the next 365 days. It was nice to get all the “housekeeping” tasks out of the way, right off the bat, so we could enjoy the balance of the day in the park without any more paperwork to worry about.


By this time, the guys were eager to take their first spin on Manta, so with their Quick Queue passes in hand they made a beeline for the ride entrance.





As you know, I’m not a coaster girl by any stretch, so I enjoyed poking around the animal exhibits while they indulged in their thrill fix.











There is also a great aquarium right at the Manta coaster (put there just so ride chickens like me don’t feel left out, I suspect!) so I enjoyed a few moments mingling among the fishes there .





Strolling back to the Manta exit, I awaited their ride photo to put on our Photokey.....and it popped up on the screen just as they emerged from the ride.





The park was still quiet enough that they were running the ride partly empty....so the boys had a whole row to themselves (very comfy for big shouldered fellas like them). They were all smiles as they raved, yet again, about how Manta was their single favourite coaster at any theme park we’ve ever visited. Judging by their enthusiasm and excited jibber-jabbering, we couldn’t have kicked off our morning in any better way .


Since SeaWorld is a fairly regular park for us to visit, we were in no real panic to hit each and every ride and attraction, particularly on Christmas Day. We had a wish list of things that were absolute must-do’s for the day (most of which were the special Christmas Celebration events and features) but our “touring plan was flexible and relaxing by design. We would take the day as it came, prioritizing in the most logical order possible. With the exception of the new Clyde & Seamore show (which was new since our most recent visit), the balance of the regular daytime shows were not really on anyone’s must-do list (we would be back in April to watch them with Jake’s Sunshine when we introduce her to our favourite park in Orlando!)….so that would help us make the most of the other attractions in the park.


After Manta, we made our way to the Waterfront, and snapped this “crowd photo”:





Ah, Christmas Day at SeaWorld…..we love you . If anyone was wondering if it pays to get to a park for opening, this confirms it .


Directly across from Voyagers Smokehouse:





….they were taking photos inside a giant snow globe. We had family pictures taken inside the snow globe at SeaWorld on our Christmas 2012 visit, and they among my favourite souvenirs of that trip. Not surprisingly, then, this was a must-do on my Christmas list again this year, and my guys were more than willing to humour me. As you may have guessed from the above crowd photo, there was absolutely no one else there so the photographers were happy to see some guests and welcomed us in for pictures.












Much more to come!!

 

[Lynne G]

HehHe. I used the buy one get one picture and did the snow globe at SW SD. Was fun and I gave one to my DM and kept the other. Great souvenir. I'll have to look at the annual Photokey, as we'll be doing all the parks this trip too. Including BG Tampa too. We had a really good time at all 4 last time, so repeat is fun too. We spent Christmas Day at Discovery Cove, so maybe Christmas Day at SW this year. We did Christmas Day at SW SD, and was pretty crowded as the day went on, but we did see and do everything we wanted, and since I paid for all day dining, with small discount, we ate the whole day, and it was great, even having to wait one hour between feeding. It was a lot of food. I'll also look into the Christmas with seat meal, as last time we did the dinner with Santa. While it was nice, we most likely won't do again.

Great update, as I always like to see Christmas decorations.

 

[bankr63]

Oh wow, what a cool and diverse trip!! I would love to hear about your time in St. Augustine, especially. It looks like such a charming little town. Are you taking both kiddos on this adventure, or just DS from MB onward?

I'll admit that I have the odd glass-half-empty day too, but thankfully they're rare. Life's just too darn short, and really.....in the grand scheme of the world, I have so much to be thankful for .

Adults only. DD is finishing up college, so her break doesn't align. She gets the honour of house sitting the wee beasties instead. Don't feel too bad for her; I'll probably gift her a week away as a graduation treat, and she is already spending reading week in Toronto staying at my DSis' place.

DS is leaving for MB the same night as us, but about 3 hours later. But he will be on a bus loaded with maybe 39 other 16-19yo athletes and they will be driving straight through. At 17 I'm sure this sounds like a lot more fun to him than a berth in the back of the family hauler... His training camp lasts two weeks, so our breakfast visit is meant to be a mid-trip treat for him, and a chance for a worried dad and step-mom to make sure he is getting enough to eat etc. This is his first trip "solo" (and not sure how much supervision the coaches actually provide), but it's a good thing since he will soon be off to college and fending for himself anyway. Luckily A+ and I have been to Myrtle, and actually stayed across the street from the training facility they are using; we know where he can get his special dietary requirements already, and have provided him directions. I still expect we will end doing groceries with him that morning though. That kid can consume food at an alarming rate!

 

[pattyw]

Can't wait to hear what you think about SVV! By the way, I meant to ask....where did you get the great unrestricted rate from? We would like to add on a couple of extra days to our October trip, so we're looking for affordable options .

In the weekly All Ears newsletter they had a Family Fun deal at SVR and SVV through 6/14/16.
January 19 - February 11 & April 18 - June 14: $139/night plus tax

February 12 - April 17: $169/night plus tax -All for 2 BR villas!

I would have preferred SVR but their rate needed the full amount paid upfront with no cancellations. The AAA rate was alot more with no restrictions. SVV offered the deal and also an AAA rate- just $20/more a night with no deposit required upfront. I'm just very leary to pay upfront with no cancellations- too much could happen!

Hopefully, these discounts will be offered for fall as well so it works with your October trip!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

So the SW parking lot isn't open 20 minutes prior to park opening? How can that be?

 

[Vestmama4]

So I used to adore all thrill rides when I was younger and the older I get, I now just like them (not love and won't seek them out as I did before.) We also got to Sea World first thing Christmas morning for our first visit ever to this park and my oldest child saw there was no wait time for Manta as we were passing and asked if I would go on with him. I had no idea what this ride was like, but I like coasters and it was Christmas, so I said sure, why not...Holy moly!!! It's probably a good thing I didn't know anything about it before getting on. It was one of the most intense rides I have ever been on (with Rip Ride Rockit at Universal earlier in the week also being on that list.) With that being said, I agree with your boys...definitely a favorite coaster for us now in any theme park. It was awesomely scary lol. Kraken was fun too, but not like Manta. Wow.