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

[dixonsontour]

How can I have missed you starting. Looking forward to this.

 

[dixonsontour]

All caught up. Glad the hotel was quiet, the curse is lifted

As soon as I saw you ordering 3 appetisers at CF I thought noo you will never make dessert. We over order at first takes time to adjust to US portions.

Yes to the GPS meltdowns at MCO. We also have the added fun of being awake about 20 hours at that point.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I think they only way anyone can improve on chocolate is to add caramel . Or maybe peanut butter.

I hope you are able to get it at your local OG!!

It says it's available. I think I'll be eating at OG next week in New Jersey with my sister. I'll report back with how it tastes.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So glad to hear that your stay at the Days Hotel went well for you guys!

Love The Cheesecake Factory! Their portions are HUGE! (I still miss the white chocolate/blueberry cheesecake though.)

We like Cici's too! We used to have a few Cici's near our house, but they all closed up. We do stop at the ones near Disney on occasion though, especially when we have a Groupon.

The Cici's Groupon deals are almost criminal.....my boss bought one for $15, and it included four buffets and four beverages. It seriously doesn't get any cheaper, anywhere, than that!

You broke the Days' curse! I guess management can't do much about your family's snoring, which is too bad. BTW, I see you are using your new Emoji options!

Great that you had a fairly restful night and a smooth flight! CiCi's as a first stop as a meal is pretty funny. It is a bargain though!

Since there has been a trend of showing the back or our car's Disney side, I thought I'd throw mine in too!

LOL, yep, Cici's as our arrival lunch certainly wouldn't have been my pick....you can tell it was selected by a 20 year old guy .

And yes, I am lovin' that new emoji site .... @bankr63 knew exactly what he was doing when he shared that link!!

I love, love, LOVE the bumper sticker!! You guys are really making my car feel naked, though. I desperately need some window bling ... you guys have convinced me. Here's hoping that Amazon Canada can help me out with some minion clings.

How can I have missed you starting. Looking forward to this.

All caught up. Glad the hotel was quiet, the curse is lifted

As soon as I saw you ordering 3 appetisers at CF I thought noo you will never make dessert. We over order at first takes time to adjust to US portions.

Yes to the GPS meltdowns at MCO. We also have the added fun of being awake about 20 hours at that point.

Stephanie!! Glad to have you joining in!

You guys definitely have it far worse than we do, with the time difference and the much longer flight . It will make Steve feel better to know that its not only his GPS that has issues adjusting to its arrival in Florida!

It says it's available. I think I'll be eating at OG next week in New Jersey with my sister. I'll report back with how it tastes.

We expect a full review here after your dinner next week . Pictures too, please!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sorry, everyone, for the lack of updates yesterday. I was super busy at work, and my renos at home are just being finished. I will be back tomorrow with another entry, for sure......maybe tonight even, though I won't guarantee it.

I will try to keep things rollin' along....there's nothing worse than a trip report that doesn't keep moving!

 

[dalton165]

Can't wait to read more.... You reports are addicting!

 

[bankr63]

And yes, I am lovin' that new emoji site .... @bankr63 knew exactly what he was doing when he shared that link!!

I love, love, LOVE the bumper sticker!! You guys are really making my car feel naked, though. I desperately need some window bling ... you guys have convinced me. Here's hoping that Amazon Canada can help me out with some minion clings.

Yes, I apologize to everyone for that!

Just be sure you get good ones. A lot of that window bling is really cheaply made and peels off as fast as you put it on. The Disney ones are quite expensive, but very good quality. I have the Disney family on the other side of the back window, and they are now 4 years old. They are starting to look a little shabby, but still easily recognizable for what they are. And that's after 4 full Canadian winters. My Mickey is only about 1 year old now.

My lime green Mickey magnet (symbol of the DISboards - surprised no one said anything!) is looking really rough now, but he is also at least 4 years now, maybe five, but I don't leave him on all the time.

 

[JaxDad]

Sorry, everyone, for the lack of updates yesterday. I was super busy at work, and my renos at home are just being finished. I will be back tomorrow with another entry, for sure......maybe tonight even, though I won't guarantee it.

I will try to keep things rollin' along....there's nothing worse than a trip report that doesn't keep moving!

Gina trying to satisfy the multitude of trip report followers...

 

[tgropp]

Sorry, everyone, for the lack of updates yesterday. I was super busy at work, and my renos at home are just being finished. I will be back tomorrow with another entry, for sure......maybe tonight even, though I won't guarantee it.

I will try to keep things rollin' along....there's nothing worse than a trip report that doesn't keep moving!

Great report so far. Take your time.......Slow and Steady wins the race !

 

[LovingDisny]

great start. looking forward to the rest of your adventure.

 

[Callie]

This report made me hungry for Cici's. So since I'm home this weekend we went. It was just OK, but man do I feel yuck afterwards. So much good sweet stuff!

 

[Joanna71985]

Yay, new TR! Looking forward to following along (*especially* for food pictures)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Can't wait to read more.... You reports are addicting!

Aw, shucks....thanks for that!

I am just super grateful to have you all reading along. It's good post-vacation therapy to do a little trip reporting, and everyone that joins in the chatter here makes my threads a lot of fun.

Yes, I apologize to everyone for that!

Just be sure you get good ones. A lot of that window bling is really cheaply made and peels off as fast as you put it on. The Disney ones are quite expensive, but very good quality. I have the Disney family on the other side of the back window, and they are now 4 years old. They are starting to look a little shabby, but still easily recognizable for what they are. And that's after 4 full Canadian winters. My Mickey is only about 1 year old now.

My lime green Mickey magnet (symbol of the DISboards - surprised no one said anything!) is looking really rough now, but he is also at least 4 years now, maybe five, but I don't leave him on all the time.

I'm thinking the ones I have located on Amazon are not the highest quality.....at $2 each or so, they can't possibly be too terribly rugged. I am going to keep my eyes peeled, in the event that something a little better surfaces.

I did find these as well, which are pretty stinkin' cute:

http://www.familystickers.com/minion-stickers.html

My only connundrum would be....which minion would best represent Jake?

Gina trying to satisfy the multitude of trip report followers...

View attachment 168397

That made me LOL!

Great report so far. Take your time.......Slow and Steady wins the race !

Steady I can totally get into, but slow drives me batty . Yeah, I know my OCD is showing .

great start. looking forward to the rest of your adventure.

Thank you! More to come soon...I am working on the next entry as we speak .

This report made me hungry for Cici's. So since I'm home this weekend we went. It was just OK, but man do I feel yuck afterwards. So much good sweet stuff!

I have had the after-Cici's yuckies on more than one occasion myself. Self-control is not always my best attribute! I hope it doesn't last long.....the weekend is a terrible time to feel icky.

Yay, new TR! Looking forward to following along (*especially* for food pictures)

Thank you Joanna! to the thread!

There will definitely be lots of food photos....I think Cici's was one of the only ones I didn't take pictures of. Stay tuned! (Red Robin is our next meal up)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, April 24th: part 2


We parked in the well-marked VIP check in area at the Lakes Gallery, and headed inside to see if “Mark”, (our personal concierge who had emailed us in advance of our arrival) was ready to check us into our home away from home for the next week. Even if we had to wait for a little bit (we were 30 minutes earlier than we had originally anticipated), we would still be settling into our villa marvellously early .





I had always wondered what was inside this building, as it always seemed to be unused. Now we finally knew its purpose!





We stopped and gave our names at the receptionist’s desk, and were informed that we were early (yes, we knew that….but not ridiculously so). Apparently Mark “was with another family” and was going to be a while. I asked if we should wait, and they suggested that we leave them with our telephone number and they would call when he was ready to see us. I tried to gauge a timeline….would it be a half hour? An hour? More than that? They seemed bewildered by the question, and repeated that if we just left them our number, they would call when Mark was ready.


We pondered what to do. Walk around the resort? Go for a drive? In true Bo-Bina family fashion, we decided to shop…..so it was onward to Kissimmee .


We figured the Nike Clearance Store was close enough to the resort that we could slip back as soon as the magic call was received. Traffic wasn’t too crazy from the airport so didn’t figure we’d get caught in any backlogs within that short distance. Jake, as you can imagine, was delighted that with the impromptu change of plans.....he had been saving his pennies for months.





Look at that happy face, LOL!


Again this visit, the Nike Clearance Store did not disappoint. While I found the women’s selection to be a bit underwhelming, both Steve and Jake snagged tons of great clothes as some freakishly good deals. There was also an additional 30% off the lowest ticket price, so the discounts were beyond substantial as compared to what we pay for similar items back home. There were multiple suitcase-sized bags hauled out of the store and into the back seat of the Kia: with all of our luggage still loaded in the car, Jake was forced to get nice and cozy with his purchases!!





We checked the phone numerous times as we shopped, but no call .


We hit up several of the stores in that same little strip mall, basically killing time more than anything else. Eventually, we decided to head back in the direction of the resort in the hopes that the phone would ring en route.


It didn’t.


With still no call, we stopped at the Lake Buena Vista outlet mall and paid a visit to the Under Armor and Nike Stores there, since we obviously had the time. More shopping…..more bags crammed into the back seat….but no call from the VIP check-in folks. We started to wonder....maybe they copied our number down wrong?


By this time, we had shopped for a solid two hours and decided just to head back to the Lakes Gallery, certain that the phone call we were waiting for must have just been missed during their busy Sunday. I work in an office, and hey....it can happen. It was now heading toward 3 pm, and they had expected our arrival at 1 o’clock. We parked, headed inside, and approached the receptionist who informed us that Mark was still with the other family. Two hours later? We asked if another concierge could check us in…..really, we just needed our room keys and parking pass….but we were told Mark had everything which applied to our specific arrival so we had to wait for him personally. They invited us to sit in the lounge until he was finally freed up, which we decided to do because the early morning, two hours of mogging around the outlet stores, and sharp transition to the hotter climate was starting to take its toll. We were all getting weary (and some of us, a little bit cranky). We would wait in the lounge and try to mentally will Mark to wrap it up, wherever he was.





The VIP check-in lounge offered an assortment of tables with chairs, sofas and other similar furnishings. There was a flat screen TV featuring some advertising for the various Orlando attractions, and magazines on the table which highlighted the same. The windows on one end overlooked the Lakes pool area:





An assortment of snacks were provided at a tidy little self-service area. Assorted bags of chips, cookies (oatmeal raisin….blech), coffee, tea, bottled water, and a fountain soda station (“pop” to us Canucks) were all laid out for guests to serve themselves.





A staff member also came around and offered us wine, which we declined (kind as it was, we did not want alcohol, we just wanted our room). We snacked a bit as we waited.


And waited .


And waited .


And waited .


I checked several times with the front desk…..Is there still no sign of Mark? He can’t possibly still be with the same family? Can someone, anyone else not help us? Can we just go to the Welcome Center (as we always have done) and have them give us our keys and parking pass? There were multiple apologies, multiple assertions that someone would be with us as soon as they could, multiple offers of wine (for pity’s sake, WE ARE TIRED! WINE IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THIS BETTER! ) but no Mark.


By the time 3:30 had come and gone, my good humour and patience were both running thin. Steve had long since fallen asleep on one of the sofas, Jake was close to doing the same as he texted friends back home. I went one final time to the receptionist’s desk, and was rather matter of fact:


We have been waiting to check in since 12:30 pm.


Mark is now almost 3 hours late for our scheduled “VIP experience”.


We have been up since 4 am and travelled 1200 miles to get here.


We have been patient and understanding this far (delays happen), but we were quickly running out of patience. We don’t need wine, a sales pitch, more snacks, or any kind of goodie bag of coupons and area maps. I gestured toward the lounge and noted that we had been waiting so long, my husband was now asleep. I suggested they find us our villa keys and parking pass, and we would be happy to forego any further VIP “benefits” and just get into the room.


Low and behold, a short time later they managed to locate our check-in items and a spare saleswoman who offered to speak with us in Mark’s absence.....we were finally moving forward .


I woke Steve up and we listened to the spiel.


Unfortunately, this enhanced check-in process which was touted as both personalized and more efficient fell woefully short on both counts. As the chatty saleswoman launched into several long and explanatory monologues, we had to continually remind her that we were owners. Yes, we had stayed here before. No, this is not a first visit. Yes, we know the resort has daily scheduled activities. No, we didn’t want to earn $100 and attend a timeshare presentation (that one had to be told to her 4 times? Maybe more? ). Steve was growing increasingly annoyed when she finally appeared to be closing off this awkward attempt at “enhanced service”, and she asked us....do you have any questions that I could answer for you before you leave here today?


I only had one: if it’s offered to us on a future stay, can we opt out of the VIP Check In and just go to the Welcome Center as we always have done (with never a problem or delay)? She was completely taken aback, and I felt a little bad. I hadn’t asked her in anger or annoyance, it was a honest question as we had another vacation already in the works for later this year. She assured us that our experience today and the lengthy delay were both highly unusual and that most guests rave about the personalized service provided by the VIP Experience....but if we really wanted to, we could refuse VIP and check in at the Welcome Center on future arrivals. That was good enough for us. We took the villa keys, our parking pass, and finally made our way to Fountains building 4.





This was our building from the front....





....and from behind:





Instant mood changer. We were HOME.....and it felt So. Darn. Good.


A tour of our villa is next.

 

[Raeven]

That sounds like an awful VIP experience! I can see why you'd never want the VIP experience again (and who gives their VIPs oatmeal raisin cookies?)

Maybe they were trying to get you drunk so you'd forget how long you's be waiting

 

[squirrel]

They need to change their VIP way of doing things. Nobody should have to wait that long! Hard to believe that they couldn't have someone get the package from Mark and talk to you. Receptionist could have all the packages and then as guests arrive they go to the scheduled person, if that one is busy, then find the next available one.

 

[mickbrett]

Hi Gina
I have read many of your trip reports but haven't really commented. We are planning a three week Orlando holiday in December next year so I have especially loved reading your Christmas trip reports. Funny enough, we are staying at Sheraton Vistana, so I have loved those photos, too. Thanks for the awesome trip reports! They are such a help!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Shame on Sheraton for the awful check in! I would have been suitably annoyed and may even have tried normal check in just to get in the villa!! Travel day for us is tiring with the long trek from the UK so we can be cranky if things start to go awry, I admire your patience

 

[kittylady1972]

Oh wow that wait must have been horrible. I would have done the same thing about asking for somebody else and I probably would not have been nice about it after waiting as long as you did. Can't wait for the fun parts of your TR now!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I just love your trip reports! What a terrible experience! We own at Wyndham and some resorts are better than others about taking "no" for an answer to their sales pitch. I'm thinking Mark didn't want to let you go in case he could sell you something (which he apparently was selling the entire resort to the people before you) and he didn't want to miss out on the commission or give it to someone else, but when word got back to him that you just wanted your room keys and to get out of there, he figured someone else could help you...

It's so funny that I can be so annoyed and fired up (especially after being patient for so long) and getting into your room (the official start to the vacation) makes all the frustrations and stress melt away.

Looking forward to more!