Oh, The Places We’ll Go! From the “stars” to the “sea”: Universal, SeaWorld & beyond - Spring 2016

[ArwenMarie]

Beautiful! I'm so happy you saw dolphins. Must be neat to see them free in the wild (no offense to SeaWorld)

 

[pepperandchips]

Well it's a good darn thing I made some hash brown casserole over the weekend (after reading your yummy food-laden TR and another good dining report I was jonesing for some comfort breakfast foods and went crazy this weekend!) because your Cracker Barrel installment would have totally had me in a terrible craving. Pulled some of the casserole out of the freezer for dinner tonight. R is working, crappy tragic news out of Orlando over this whole last week, and a night to myself mean CARBS for dinner!!! Can't wait to see the Jays game.

 

[KathyM2]

I just went back and read the beginning of this report...I have to admit, one of the reasons I love your TR's (in addition to the great writing and pictures of course) is your reviews of all these American restaurants that we Canucks don't have )

We are looking forward to visiting Sweet Tomatoes for lunch again in October. When Steve and I travel as just a couple, its become our arrival day tradition.

YUM!!! Yes, It's definitely on my list each time I go to Florida too.

Lunch at Cracker Barrel is next

This is another one of my faves too. Love the rocking chairs out front and that peg game too...my son has more than once persuaded me to bring the game home...and then proceeded to lose all the pegs...sigh...

Looking forward to hearing more about the Jays

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Looking forward to your reports on Ferg's and the Trop!

We didn't end up making it to Ferg's this time.....we opted to eat at Cracker Barrel instead (we had a gift card for CB which helped sway our final decision). We would love to return for another game, though, if the Jays schedule coincides with our vacation again on future trips, and if that happens.....Ferg's it shall be!

Beautiful! I'm so happy you saw dolphins. Must be neat to see them free in the wild (no offense to SeaWorld)

No offense taken . I know exactly what you are saying. And you are right on the money.....seeing them in their natural habitat was absolutely incredible!

Well it's a good darn thing I made some hash brown casserole over the weekend (after reading your yummy food-laden TR and another good dining report I was jonesing for some comfort breakfast foods and went crazy this weekend!) because your Cracker Barrel installment would have totally had me in a terrible craving. Pulled some of the casserole out of the freezer for dinner tonight. R is working, crappy tragic news out of Orlando over this whole last week, and a night to myself mean CARBS for dinner!!! Can't wait to see the Jays game.

I've always eyed that hash brown casserole on the CB menu and wondered if it was as good as it sounded. Now I am wishing that I had ordered it instead of the mashed potatoes.

I hear you on the serious need for comfort food to help deal with all the sad news of the week. Orlando has suffered greatly this week, and those that live there (in body or in spirit....of which most of us fall into the latter category) have painfully felt the loss.

I just went back and read the beginning of this report...I have to admit, one of the reasons I love your TR's (in addition to the great writing and pictures of course) is your reviews of all these American restaurants that we Canucks don't have )

YUM!!! Yes, It's definitely on my list each time I go to Florida too.

This is another one of my faves too. Love the rocking chairs out front and that peg game too...my son has more than once persuaded me to bring the game home...and then proceeded to lose all the pegs...sigh...

Looking forward to hearing more about the Jays

LOL, I know many of my American friends read my reports and go "Seriously? You ate there? WHY?!?!?" because many of our favourite chains are very prevalent south of the border and I'm sure they can dine there anytime they feel the urge. For us Canucks, though, some of the chain restaurants are seriously the bees knees.....especially when compared to similar types of chains here in the North. Give me Chili's over Montana's any single day, or Olive Garden over East Side Marios. They just don't compare, in either food quality or value.

The only Canadian restaurant I truly miss while travelling in the southern US is Tim Hortons. No one makes coffee like we do.

 

[dalmatian7]

The only Canadian restaurant I truly miss while travelling in the southern US is Tim Hortons. No one makes coffee like we do.

And Tim Hortons is the best reason to visit Canada!! I live in NEPA and we actually have a Tim Hortons just south of the NY border north of us, but I swear the quality is no where near what it is in Canada. (this is a really small one attached to a gas station so that may be the reason). We used to buy our coffee for home there but it is 35 minutes from our house so we only got it when one of us happened to drive by. But they now carry it in the Wegmans that we shop at so we proudly drink Tim Hortons everyday now. Pricey but worth it.

One of my friends got her Masters from the University of Guelph so she introduced me to Tim Hortons on my first visit up there to see her. I had been to U of G in college but really didn't start drinking coffee until I was a senior in college. (and I may have been more focused on the lower drinking age in Canada at the time heheheh )

It is funny but the family she rented a room from in Canada always joked that they were going to move to Florida to open a Tim Hortons because of all the Canadians there for the winter.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

And Tim Hortons is the best reason to visit Canada!! I live in NEPA and we actually have a Tim Hortons just south of the NY border north of us, but I swear the quality is no where near what it is in Canada. (this is a really small one attached to a gas station so that may be the reason). We used to buy our coffee for home there but it is 35 minutes from our house so we only got it when one of us happened to drive by. But they now carry it in the Wegmans that we shop at so we proudly drink Tim Hortons everyday now. Pricey but worth it.

One of my friends got her Masters from the University of Guelph so she introduced me to Tim Hortons on my first visit up there to see her. I had been to U of G in college but really didn't start drinking coffee until I was a senior in college. (and I may have been more focused on the lower drinking age in Canada at the time heheheh )

It is funny but the family she rented a room from in Canada always joked that they were going to move to Florida to open a Tim Hortons because of all the Canadians there for the winter.

I seriously don't know why someone hasn't opened a whole series of Tim Hortons stores in Florida.....Orlando, Tampa, Fort Meyers, Miami, Jacksonville, Sarasota. I would think, with the number of northern visitors, that they would be an instant success! (As long as they use bottled water to brew it.....Timmie's coffee made with Florida water is blech )

One of the things we do enjoy about staying at the Days Hotel at the Buffalo Airport is that there is a Tim Hortons right next door. If we absolutely have to come home from vacation, at least that makes it a little more bearable .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, April 30th: the conclusion


Getting to the baseball stadium was ridiculously easy. Hats off to the city of St. Petersburg, because they had signage EVERYWHERE on game day directing fans to the parking area. Even our directionally-challenged, vacation-weary trio couldn’t managed to get off-course as we navigated our way to the Tropicana Field parking lots. As part of the incredible, awesome and generous gift of tickets to this game from a dear friend of ours, we also had been gifted a parking voucher so that cost was also covered when we arrived .





We were there nice and early, so we got a great parking space not far from the entrance doors. The doors weren’t quite opened just yet, so we milled about the outside of the stadium and enjoyed the gorgeous (albeit hot) spring day .





We could not help but notice the remarkable number of other Jays fans waiting alongside of us…..of the growing crowd outside the stadium, there had to be at least 40% decked out in Blue Jays jerseys and t-shirts.





Steve and Jake were all a-twitter with excitement…..win or lose, this would end up being “THE” experience of the vacation for them. Some other fun things that we did would come close, but the Jays game would ultimately surface as their favourite activity of the entire trip .





They opened the doors at precisely 4 pm, and we were all given a free souvenir program as our tickets were scanned and we were granted admittance to the stadium. It was also a special promotion day, so we each received a Chris Archer “K-Counter” bobblehead.

With all of our goodies in hand, the guys made a bee-line to our seats. They were really, REALLY excited about how close we would be to the action…..we not only had been gifted seats to this game, but the seats were fieldside box……Row B! We would literally only be separated by one row from the field!





Or……maybe not?


Finding our section, we made our descent down the stairs to our row. Down, down, down, all the way to the fieldside boxes (which had some nice, comfy padded chairs I might add…..not the basic plastic ones in the general seating area) only to find………there is no Row A .


Whaaaaaaaa? WE HAD SEATS RIGHT ALONG THE FIELD! It was literally us, the waist-high barrier, and then the players. Steve and Jake almost passed out .





They were playin’ it cool for the photo, but these two were almost beside themselves. As many games as we have attended over the years, and as many fantastic seats as we have been lucky enough to enjoy, this was by far the most amazing game view we’d ever had .





The Jays players all came by our section, signing autographs and offering a fist bumb for a lucky few. Jake managed to make the acquaintance of the amazing Jose Bautista, complete with a friendly handshake and a brief exchange of conversation. Day made, right there .






Finally, it was game time!





A few notable things about watching a Jays game at Tropicana Field: firstly, is that when the Jays score a run, there’s almost as much cheering as when the Rays score a run. Remember when I said we saw a LOT of Jays jerseys outside the stadium while we waited to enter? Well, apparently it wasn’t just the early birds who were from out-of-town. There were a LOT of Toronto fans in attendance. A LOT. When a Jays player hit a home run, the crowd erupted in cheers. It was very odd, considering that we were 2300 kilometers (1500 miles) from home.





Another oddity: there were a lot of empty seats. A LOT. I guess we are used to Toronto crowds (where most games are sold out and the fans pack the Rogers Centre to the rafters) so it was odd to see soooooo many empty seats.





The third oddity was that crazy roof: it was definitely different than our dome at home, and it was really, REALLY hard to see a ball when it was hit high. I lost count of how many times we were peering into the air, asking “Where did it go? Can anyone see it?”.





Their between-inning entertainment was pretty sparse, but they did have a bottle race during one of the breaks in play. Aquafina ended up taking out the bottle of chocolate milk to claim top spot.





The game itself was pretty tight right up until the final inning. Though they entered the 9th at a 3-3 tie, our Jays didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for and they ended up losing 4-3. That said, it was still a fun watch and we had an awesome time .





Other than a refillable beverage cup to share, we didn’t buy a single thing to eat at while we were at the game…..we were all still recovering from such a heavy, home style lunch at Cracker Barrel before we went to the stadium. By the time the game was over, though, everyone was starting to feel a bit peckish. We decided that we’d just stop and grab some fast food somewhere along the drive back. It took us FOREVER to get out of the parking lot (OMG, what a snarly traffic mess that was! ) but once we were on our way, it was smooth sailing back to Orlando. Finding a fast food restaurant that had a dining room open after 10 pm, though…..now THAT was a challenge that eventually proved impossible. After several attempts, we eventually gave up the hope of eating a hamburger at an actual table and just whizzed through the drive thru at a Wendy’s just off the I4 in…..Lakeland?, I think. It was unremarkable, and it was eaten in the car, but it was food…..and by that point we were STARVING, so filling was the only basic requirements for the meal .


It was around 11:30 pm when we arrived back at the resort. We skipped any pool or hot tub time that night, as tomorrow would be an early (and busy) morning as we checked out of the Vistana and into our room at the Residence Inn SeaWorld for the final two nights of our vacation.





Our Sunday adventures are up next .

 

[go2grl]

I've finally gone through and read your TR and I loved it! Thank you so much for all the info and pictures you provide and just your obvious love of the adventure. I got really excited when I saw your photos of the high school bands since the first one, North Stafford High School (Big Blue Band) is where both my boys graduated from (2009 and 2013) and they were both in the marching band. I still live in Stafford.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I've finally gone through and read your TR and I loved it! Thank you so much for all the info and pictures you provide and just your obvious love of the adventure. I got really excited when I saw your photos of the high school bands since the first one, North Stafford High School (Big Blue Band) is where both my boys graduated from (2009 and 2013) and they were both in the marching band. I still live in Stafford.

What a cool co-incidence! It sometimes is a small world after all .

That school has an incredible band program, if the group we saw is any indication. They were fantastic. Those students should be super proud.

Thank you for the kind comments on my trip report thus far. So glad to have you joining in the chatter, and I hope you will join me for the rest of the entries....there is still lots more to come. Stay tuned!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, May 1st:


I think I speak for all of us when I say we hated to get up that morning . It was rather a cruel vacation joke to have to be up and efficient (to be checked out at a decent hour) when we were weary from both a late night before and a full week of holiday fun. Yet, we had big plans for the day (we would be spending that Sunday at Aquatica! ) and before we got that underway, we wanted to have a hearty breakfast and get checked in at our SeaWorld hotel. So, like it or not, we were up and at ‘em … and surprisingly, we were out the door as early as (or maybe even earlier than) we had hoped .


It’s always hard to bid our beloved Vistana goodbye, but it helped a little knowing that we would be back again in October…..and that we still had a few more days of family fun to squeeze in before we made our journey home to Canada.


Today was also Steve’s and I’s wedding anniversary: married on May 1st, 1993, we were celebrating 23 years of love and commitment. Had you asked us 23 years ago, when Steve was just 21 and I was the tender age of 19 (and had never been on a plane, or even out of the province, let alone the country) if we would be vacationing regularly in Florida by the time 23 years had passed, we would have laughed at the notion. Yet, here we were. Who would have thought .

Our early start and busy morning called for a hearty breakfast, so I let the guys choose where they wanted to go……and they quickly agreed on Steak & Shake, which was perfect as it was nice and close to our resort and not far out of the way. We decided to eat first and check in at the hotel afterward.





Kenny, sadly, was not on duty yet that morning (there goes our entertainment! ) but we were seated and attended to by a very friendly and capable young fellow, Daniel, who provide us excellent service throughout the meal. We quickly perused the menu and gave him our orders. Beverages were delivered promptly (chocolate milks for the guys, white milk for me) and our entrees weren’t far behind.


Steve had the “Country Skillet”: billed as a hearty breakfast of shredded hash browns topped with a buttermilk biscuit, sausage patty, sausage gravy, Cheddar cheese and two eggs. It was $5.99.





Jake and I both had the “Cheddar Scrambler”: three farm fresh eggs, scrambled with shredded Wisconsin Cheddar cheese, premium sausage crumbles, and grilled onions. Served with choice of hash browns and choice of buttermilk biscuit, toast or bagel. Each were $4.99.





Jake’s was ordered minus the onions and with toast as his side. Mine was ordered without any changes or substitutions (shocking, I know! ) and with a buttermilk biscuit.





Why this place is not packed from corner to corner during the morning hours is the question of the year . The portions are MASSIVE in comparison to, say, a McDonald’s breakfast meal and yet the price is the same (or lower). The food quality isn’t even anywhere on the same level (this was so, SO much better) and the dining experiences don’t even compare. This has to be the best bang for your breakfast buck in Orlando…..and we vowed to return in October at least once. Maybe twice .


That biscuit that came with my scrambler? Seriously melt-in-your-mouth and probably one of the best biscuits I have ever eaten . I totally didn’t see that coming. I made sure I ate every last crumb of that biscuit, covered in some pretty yummy strawberry jam, even though I couldn’t come anywhere near to finishing my scramble or the hash browns.


Our bill totalled $23.16 with tax, excluding tip. I honestly have no idea how they do it . But yet....I am glad they do .


We were beyond stuffed as we rolled ourselves out the door. There may have been a little friendly belly poking going on……the “vacation stomachs” were starting to show .





With the car loaded full of our luggage, we headed directly to the Residence Inn SeaWorld. Arriving at about 8:45 am, we knew we’d most likely be far too early to check in, but we hoped we could complete the check-in process and at least be able to leave our luggage at the hotel and have them take it up for us when the room was ready later that day. We didn’t want to leave all of our stuff in the hot trunk while we enjoyed what we hoped would be a long and relaxing day at the waterpark.





Steve pulled up to the entrance doors and let Jake and I out. He would find a place to park the car while we got started with the front desk.





While we hadn’t stayed at this property since December 2012, the entrance foyer was exactly as we remembered it….minus the Christmas trees, of course .





We approached the front desk, which was currently being staffed by a friendly young fellow and an assistant manager. The young man took charge of verifying our reservation as we explained that we knew we were probably too early to actually check in to our room, and inquired as to whether they would be able to store our luggage while we spent the day at Aquatica. He began scrolling down the inventory for one bedroom suites, but the furrowed brow was a quick indicator that there was likely going to be no room available just yet. The assistant manager, Mindee, came up behind him to survey the screen as well, and as he scrolled, she pointed to something we couldn’t see. “There”, she said to the front desk clerk. “Put them in that room”. He looked at her questioningly, and said “That’s okay?”. She nodded, and he proceeded to give us our keys and directions to our specific room. Stopping briefly at the Expedia desk to pick up our Quick Queue vouchers for tomorrow’s visit to SeaWorld, we were on our way to our room by 9 am. Awesome!








As soon as we opened the door, it was clear that we had been pixie dusted with an unexpected upgrade: Mindee, in her kindness, had instructed that we be placed in not the one bedroom suite that we had requested, but rather a TWO bedroom suite with two full bathrooms .





The suite was super spacious and far beyond what we had ever thought we would have for our final two nights of our vacation. The first bedroom had two queen beds with its own separate bathroom:








(the shower/tub and toilet were separated from the sinks and dressing area):





The second bedroom had one queen bed with a work space/desk area and its own separate dressing areas and bathroom.





The main living area featured the kitchen and dining spaces on one end, and a living area with a pull-out sofa on the opposite side of the room.








There were three flat-screen TV’s in the room, and some pretty fast wireless internet. It was neither elegant nor super-stylish, but exactly what you would expect from a Residence Inn anywhere in North America. We would definitely be VERY comfortable here….and we were exceptionally grateful for Mindee’s unexpected surprise .


Happy Anniversary to us!

We took a bit of time to settle in and unpack, then headed out to the car for the VERY short drive to our destination for the day:





Highs were forecast to hit the mid-90’s and there was nothing but sun blazing overhead. It was the perfect day to seek comfort in the cool waters of our favourite Orlando waterpark.


Next up: sliding and splashing the day away at Aquatica .

 

[angryduck71]

Those are darling wedding pics!
I have to say though -- that is ONE UGLY BASEBALL STADIUM! Now, seriously, when you DO come to KC for your baseball visit, you will see a beautiful fountain-filled stadium (played OUTDOORS at the game is meant to be). LOL.

 

[Raeven]

You're wedding pictures are adorable and it's awesome you got a room upgrade and good food to make getting up early worth it.

I just changed one of our December reservations to 1900 park fare for breakfast. We had a bad dinner there last trip, but yours and other positive reviews have sold me on the breakfast. Now I just need to sell my boyfriend on it haha

 

[pigletto]

Super speedy updates Gina! The dolphin cruise looked like a blast and the Jays game seats were great!!! That dolphin cruise is something we would consider for sure.

 

[pepperandchips]

Baseball pants from the first row

The game itself was pretty tight right up until the final inning. Though they entered the 9th at a 3-3 tie, our Jays didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for and they ended up losing 4-3. That said, it was still a fun watch and we had an awesome time .

The only fortunate thing about cheering for the visiting team and then having them lose is that you're less likely to get beaten up on the way out!

Today was also Steve’s and I’s wedding anniversary

Happy belated anniversary! I love the wedding pictures.

 

[JaxDad]

We could not help but notice the remarkable number of other Jays fans waiting alongside of us…..of the growing crowd outside the stadium, there had to be at least 40% decked out in Blue Jays jerseys and t-shirts.

Professional sports events in Florida tend to have lots of fans from the other teams. We just have so many transplants from other states (and Canada) as well as visitors in town, plus some of the professional teams here are relatively new and are still building a generational fan base. Also, pro sports are generally less well-attended in Florida, in part due the availability of other outdoor activities. When the Rays play the Yankees or Red Sox, the Trop is definitely fuller and the other teams fans definitely outnumber the locals.

I personally don't follow pro sports much, as I prefer college sports. If we can ever get the timing right AND actually get tickets, I would love to take you and your family to a Gator or Seminole football game. You would see the few visiting fans confined to their small areas and the masses of home team fans filling the rest of the stadium to capacity!

 

[Lynne G]

That Jays game you saw looked like a great day at the park. Seemed tiny to me compared to our local park. Sadly, since our team is not doing well, we too have empty seats sometimes. I don't think there will be any sports in session when we go in December. Since my DS is now going to be a college kid, and a fall birthday kid, we may see when the Orlando soccer team has home games, and see one in their local stadium. Something to think about.

Awwww, nice pictures of your wedding day. Particularly liked the priest's face in the second picture. Ahhh, and the hair - I remember that style. Married 1 year and 1 month earlier than you two.

I will definitely put S&S on my menu both in the fall and winter vacations. For some reason, always thought we'd eat there, but never have. The ice cream place will be repeated though, maybe in both trips.

What a great upgrade! Congrats on being sea dusted. We enjoyed our stay at that hotel too. This year, we're going to try the new hotel up the street.

Thanks for the update. Was fun to see all the pictures.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yay for a free upgrade! That's an awesome one too.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Those are darling wedding pics!
I have to say though -- that is ONE UGLY BASEBALL STADIUM! Now, seriously, when you DO come to KC for your baseball visit, you will see a beautiful fountain-filled stadium (played OUTDOORS at the game is meant to be). LOL.

Those pictures are definitely a walk down memory lane. We look so YOUNG! (LOL, I guess we WERE "so young"!)

Tropicana Field is definitely an older building....built in 1990. Of course, I can't imagine watching a baseball game in a stadium with no roof.....I am so used to the dome at Rogers Centre in Toronto. With my luck, we'd book tickets to a game and it would pour all day!!

You're wedding pictures are adorable and it's awesome you got a room upgrade and good food to make getting up early worth it.

I just changed one of our December reservations to 1900 park fare for breakfast. We had a bad dinner there last trip, but yours and other positive reviews have sold me on the breakfast. Now I just need to sell my boyfriend on it haha

Oh, I think you guys will really like it! The food was really, REALLY good.....and the characters were fun (and plentiful).

It's going to be tough to walk past that beach area, though, after what happened earlier this week with the alligator attack. Just looking at my photos of the beach area makes my heart ache for that poor young family.

Super speedy updates Gina! The dolphin cruise looked like a blast and the Jays game seats were great!!! That dolphin cruise is something we would consider for sure.

Absolutely, definitely worth the drive and a day away from the parks. It's made me a fan of sailing, that's for sure!

Baseball pants from the first row

The only fortunate thing about cheering for the visiting team and then having them lose is that you're less likely to get beaten up on the way out!

Happy belated anniversary! I love the wedding pictures.

LOL on the baseball pants .

I have to say, the Florida fans were pretty friendly and welcoming. We were surrounded by them in their section, and had some very nice chats with them all. Super folks that didn't make us feel out of place (or evil ) at all.

Thank you for the anniversary wishes. I can hardly believe how fast time has passed!

Professional sports events in Florida tend to have lots of fans from the other teams. We just have so many transplants from other states (and Canada) as well as visitors in town, plus some of the professional teams here are relatively new and are still building a generational fan base. Also, pro sports are generally less well-attended in Florida, in part due the availability of other outdoor activities. When the Rays play the Yankees or Red Sox, the Trop is definitely fuller and the other teams fans definitely outnumber the locals.

I personally don't follow pro sports much, as I prefer college sports. If we can ever get the timing right AND actually get tickets, I would love to take you and your family to a Gator or Seminole football game. You would see the few visiting fans confined to their small areas and the masses of home team fans filling the rest of the stadium to capacity!

Confession time: I've never seen a football game . Ever. Not live, or on TV. I'm sure that's going to be a question on our work visa application some day and when I answer no, I'll get my application back with DENIED stamped in red .

I would love to see a college game someday.....of any sport. Your college teams have so much spirit and such amazing fan support. Much more so than their Canadian counterparts.

That Jays game you saw looked like a great day at the park. Seemed tiny to me compared to our local park. Sadly, since our team is not doing well, we too have empty seats sometimes. I don't think there will be any sports in session when we go in December. Since my DS is now going to be a college kid, and a fall birthday kid, we may see when the Orlando soccer team has home games, and see one in their local stadium. Something to think about.

Awwww, nice pictures of your wedding day. Particularly liked the priest's face in the second picture. Ahhh, and the hair - I remember that style. Married 1 year and 1 month earlier than you two.

I will definitely put S&S on my menu both in the fall and winter vacations. For some reason, always thought we'd eat there, but never have. The ice cream place will be repeated though, maybe in both trips.

What a great upgrade! Congrats on being sea dusted. We enjoyed our stay at that hotel too. This year, we're going to try the new hotel up the street.

Thanks for the update. Was fun to see all the pictures.

You could always try and catch an Orlando Magic game in the fall. The Amway Center is awesome and so easy to get to! We loved watching them play the Raptors when we were there in 2012.

Definitely give Steak & Shake a go at least once......you'll be pleased with either breakfast, lunch or dinner. And they serve shakes 24/7!

The minister that married us was actually a last-minute fill-in when ours fell ill. Poor fellow was a good sport but a bit of a different duck . He kept us laughing, even when he wasn't trying to be funny .

Yay for a free upgrade! That's an awesome one too.

It WAS! So unexpected too. It sure made leaving our two bedroom, two bath villa at the Vistana a little less painful. We love having our own space at the end of a day with a lot of "togetherness" .

 

[go2grl]

What a cool co-incidence! It sometimes is a small world after all .

That school has an incredible band program, if the group we saw is any indication. They were fantastic. Those students should be super proud.

Thank you for the kind comments on my trip report thus far. So glad to have you joining in the chatter, and I hope you will join me for the rest of the entries....there is still lots more to come. Stay tuned!

They do have a great program! I told my youngest about the coincidence and he reminded me that they went down to Universal when he was in the band too. So much for my memory. I'll definitely be reading along with everyone else to see how the rest of your trip went...and to find out about this stuffed dolphin!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, May 1st: Aquatica, part 1


It took us under 5 minutes to commute from the hotel to the Aquatica parking lot . We received complimentary parking by showing our annual passes at the parking booth, and with beach bags in hand were quickly on our way into the park.


Photokey photographers were in two different spots as we made our way to the cabana check-in, so we stopped and got photos at both locations with our photo card.





LOL…this one makes me laugh. Steve has the “OMG, I’m melting in this heat, get me to the water!” look of impatience on his face!!





Knowing that we would probably arrive after park opening that day due to the change over from the Vistana to the Residence Inn, we had booked our cabana online the night prior. Normally we would reserve one long before our travel dates even crept up on us, but we hadn’t been certain which day of the vacation we would slot in our Aquatica day….it was a toss-up between Monday the 25th of April or Sunday, May 1st. After we had opted for SeaWorld on the Monday, in the busy-ness of our holiday, I totally forgot to book the cabana earlier in the week. I was shocked, then, to log into the Aquatica passmember sight after returning from the baseball game to see that the lowest priced cabanas were already sold out for the following day. I had always toyed with the idea of paying a little more to upgrade us to a cabana on Roa’s Island, but now…..I guess the decision was made for me. It was my next most affordable option, so I reserved and paid for it online ($149.99 less a 10% discount for pass holders……$134.99 plus tax for a total of $143.77). Arriving at the park to check in for our cabana location, I was surprised to see this:





Between 11:45 pm the night before and our arrival that morning, EVERY cabana was now sold out . Thank goodness for some advance thinking on our part……the guys would have been totally bummed to have missed out on a cabana rental entirely (we have yet to visit Aquatica without one, though this is the most we had ever paid for the privilege).


As we stood in line, looking around at the guests that were pouring into the park, we mused that it was looking very much like it was going to be an unusually busy day. We had never been to the park when every cabana was spoken for….even (and perhaps “especially”) the pricey “Ultimate” ones. When we were checking in for our cabana and the TM offered us the opportunity to purchase Quick Queue (a brand-new product that was introduced for the first time a couple of weekends prior to our visit), we thought it might be worth the added cost for Steve and Jake (I’m not a slide girl…..you’ll find me in Roa’s). They had two options for the QQ bands: unlimited/all day or their version of “once per slide” (which really meant six front-of-the-line opportunities at the slide(s) of your choice….six different slides or six times on the same one, whichever you choose). QQ was not offered at either Dolphin Plunge or Tassie’s Twisters, regardless of the option you chose. We opted for the more budget-friendly once-per-slide: after they had done every slide once, they tended to gravitate more to Roa’s Rapids and the wave pool anyway.





The TM’s affixed the bands on their wrists and they were HUGE. The top featured tear-off tabs for the slides, while the bottom offered additional tear-off tabs which entitled the bearer to various in park discounts on photos, souvenirs, food and beverages.


Once we were all set to go, the first order of business was to check into our cabana, so we headed straight to Roa’s Island .








Entering the cabana area, the first thing we noticed is that it wasn’t as shady and lush as the less expensive Cutback Cove area (where all of our other cabana rentals have been before that date). Very nice, still, but it felt much less secluded and private.





We had Cabana #14, which was about half-way down the walkway and directly bordering the Rapids.





This was our view looking out of the back of the cabana, or from the sides.....and yes, you could hear the happy shrieks and screams of park-goers (all day long!! ) as they were swept along by the swift current.





I don’t want to give the impression that this area wasn’t lush and green (it was….take a look ):











…..but the cabanas themselves felt more open to each other…..we could easily see what our “neighbours” were doing…..and it was definitely a noisier area by nature than the Cutback Cove area (which sits between one of the wave pools and the Omaka Rocka slide). The entitlements within the cabana itself here on Roa's Island were exactly the same as those in Cutback Cove: 4 rental towels, 12 bottles of water, a large locker in the cabana and our own private fridge. Food delivery service, too, if desired.





We helped each other slather our pasty white exposables with SPF 100 sunscreen (which we knew from experience would STILL not be enough protection for our northern bodies) and then the boys set off to slide while I went on tour with my camera. They figured they would slide as much as possible without using their Quick Queue entitlements, and then start using their bands once crowds and lines increased beyond acceptable stand-by waits.





We have been to Aquatica several times now, including some might hot days in late August. Oddly enough, this May Sunday was busier BY FAR than any other day we’ve been there ……and considering it was still low season as far as park guests go (falling between the busy Easter and summer peak weeks), I can only assume the increase in visitors was due to the locals bringing their families out to beat the heat on a beautiful spring weekend afternoon.


The kids area was hopping with guests big and small. It looks like a super fun place for families of all ages!








On such a hot day, I was actually rather surprised to find the water mushroom empty.






Considering it was only mid-morning, Roa’s Rapids were even pretty full……though it would be packed by mid-afternoon.








These tables were empty then, but filled by the lunch hour……and people even took up residence on towels in the empty space between them.





The toddler area was hopping, and the lifeguard staff were keeping a watchful eye to ensure everyone had a safe and fun day in the sun .





There always looks to be SO MANY beach chairs at Aquatica, but they were definitely filled as the day wore on. The people who got stuck on the ones in full sun all day must have been burnt to a crisp by the time they left the park. While some chairs receive shade (at least for a portion of the day), many others do not. Another good reason to arrive early!











Tons more Aquatica coming up!