Sun, Shopping, Sand, Surf, Sweat & Shamu: A Splashin Summertime Sabbatical at SVR!

[pigletto]

Looks great Gina! We plan to hit a lot of the same places. I know we plan on Woodgrill Buffet, Giordano's, and Millers Ale House for sure. We also want to try that Twistee Treat place that was in your last trip report. My boys are huge ice cream fans. DD is lactose intolerant (and it's especially bad when we are in the U.S. for some reason) so she'll find something else hopefully.

One I don't see on your list that we are going to try is the Market Street Cafe in Celebration. It gets some good reviews here and we like what we've seen of the menu online.

It will be nice to have the kitchen to keep fruit and veggies and healthier snacks onhand to balance out all the heavy meals!

 

[Lynne G]

Mmmmm food. My kids had on the Simpsons the other day, so that's a Homer - Mmmmmmmm food.

We like Cici's. Cheap pizza. During our Christmas trip, I had groupons, so even cheaper. Haven't seen any groupon for it lately, but in the hotels, there's always coupons.

We're not big on buffets.

We have TGIF restaurants around where I live. We've never been impressed with their food, so I doubt we'll hit the one in Florida. I had a groupon for the one in Niagra Falls, and service and food were sub-par, so it will be a long time before I step place in one again.

The Ale House we've never been to, but that one we may try.

And I agree, the food in Disney water parks is nothing to write home about. I may stop in DTD and get some earl sandwiches and eat them in the park. We're planning on spending 2 days in TL.

Hope you have a great week-end. Disney sent the we shipped your bands. I can't believe how fast the summer is going.

 

[greenclan67]

Miller's Ale House is on our plan for next trip as well. Our tradition is always Sweet Tomatoes once we arrive in Orlando. We can never ever leave Chili's out, it is our go to rest. We just returned from our Virginia trip, Golden Corral, Ihop, Carrabas,(new fav) and Chilis.
Got our fix until March. (working on sneaking a xmas trip in there without my kids knowing, hubby is trying to make it work to do a weeks vacation the 19th to 26th, short for us) we should know by next week. We always do a homemade advent calendar for Xmas, I make my own, so every day they get a choc. or something tiny! My plan, if we go ahead, is on the 17th when they do it, is to have their SeaWorld Platinum passes ready for that day, we already have them, but they will figure it out, when they take them out!!
Gina, your plan looks great, and I too suffer from helping way to many people for Florida vacations. I just did 6 bookings for March, and you can't make everyone happy, I just tell them after the resort is booked, you are on your own!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Looks great Gina! We plan to hit a lot of the same places. I know we plan on Woodgrill Buffet, Giordano's, and Millers Ale House for sure. We also want to try that Twistee Treat place that was in your last trip report. My boys are huge ice cream fans. DD is lactose intolerant (and it's especially bad when we are in the U.S. for some reason) so she'll find something else hopefully.

We've never tried Twistee Treat just yet. We've been to the Krispy Kreme store, had slushies (regular and orange sherbert) at Showcase of Citrus, been to the Dippin Dots store, ate ice cream many times at Friendly's....but a visit to Twistee Treat still eludes us! I hear its awesome, though, and we might squeeze it in this trip . I know other Disers have raved about it.

Mmmmm food. My kids had on the Simpsons the other day, so that's a Homer - Mmmmmmmm food.

We like Cici's. Cheap pizza. During our Christmas trip, I had groupons, so even cheaper. Haven't seen any groupon for it lately, but in the hotels, there's always coupons.

We're not big on buffets.

We have TGIF restaurants around where I live. We've never been impressed with their food, so I doubt we'll hit the one in Florida. I had a groupon for the one in Niagra Falls, and service and food were sub-par, so it will be a long time before I step place in one again.

The Ale House we've never been to, but that one we may try.

And I agree, the food in Disney water parks is nothing to write home about. I may stop in DTD and get some earl sandwiches and eat them in the park. We're planning on spending 2 days in TL.

Hope you have a great week-end. Disney sent the we shipped your bands. I can't believe how fast the summer is going.

I am glad ya'll agree with me about the food at TL. I hate sounding like I'm picky, because we're really pretty easy to please. I am really, reallly liking the Earl of Sandwich idea (or something similar). I have a brand new, soft side cooler that I could take with us just for that purpose. Assuming we have room in the luggage, I think I'll pack it.

Isn't Cici's ridiculously cheap? I have a "buy one buffet and two drinks and get a free buffet" coupon, so the 4 of us will cost about $20. Insane! Dining in the States is soooo much cheaper than here at home.

TGI Fridays in Niagara Falls is a complete bust (as are all the American chains on the Canadian side of the border). The Denny's in Niagara is an embarrassment . I don't know why we can't make our versions of your great restaurants the same ... clearly we Canucks are doing something wrong!! As for TGI Fridays, we love the Orlando ones.......I would make the trip just for their Reeses Peanut Butter Pie alone:

Miller's Ale House is on our plan for next trip as well. Our tradition is always Sweet Tomatoes once we arrive in Orlando. We can never ever leave Chili's out, it is our go to rest. We just returned from our Virginia trip, Golden Corral, Ihop, Carrabas,(new fav) and Chilis.
Got our fix until March. (working on sneaking a xmas trip in there without my kids knowing, hubby is trying to make it work to do a weeks vacation the 19th to 26th, short for us) we should know by next week. We always do a homemade advent calendar for Xmas, I make my own, so every day they get a choc. or something tiny! My plan, if we go ahead, is on the 17th when they do it, is to have their SeaWorld Platinum passes ready for that day, we already have them, but they will figure it out, when they take them out!!
Gina, your plan looks great, and I too suffer from helping way to many people for Florida vacations. I just did 6 bookings for March, and you can't make everyone happy, I just tell them after the resort is booked, you are on your own!

Oh, another Christmas trip!!! Lucky girl! I hope the plans all work out exactly as you are hoping for. We have booked Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls for Christmas, so we definitely won't be as warm as you . Looking forward to our first winter visit to the Falls, though.

I have always wondered about Sweet Tomatoes. Is it true that its a vegetarian buffet? I am afraid my meat eaters would be sorely disappointed.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina: Wood Grill Buffet is awesome. A little more money than GC but also a bit more upscale. The best ice-cream that I have had at a buffet rest. They do stir fry to order, you select what you want and the amount and they do the rest, they even bring it to your table.

You're making a very good case for the Wood Grill Buffet! I have a 10% off coupon for WG, so that would probably negate the price difference between it and Golden Corral. I don't even mind paying regular prices, though, as they're still so reasonable as compared to here.

We might just be lucky, but we have yet to feel like we haven't received our money's worth at an offsite restaurant. Some have been better than others, and service always varies, but for the most part....they've all been very much worth a go.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

A little update on the parking pass for SeaWorld and Discovery Cove purchased through DC .......

Here is the email that I sent to DC earlier this week:

“We have a Discovery Cove reservation for Monday, August 25th (see the email below which confirms our purchase details).

When speaking with a Discovery Cove telephone agent (Judy) earlier today, she noted that the parking pass I received in PDF format (purchased in January 2014 for our August visit, as noted below on the invoice) will not be accepted at either SeaWorld or Aquatica as it was purchased more than 28 days before our visit.

To avoid any issues at the start of our vacation (since we will be visiting both parks before we visit Discovery Cove), could someone confirm if the e-parking voucher that I have ready to take with us will or won’t work?

And if it turns out that the PDF voucher is no longer acceptable, how do I go about obtaining a valid pass in replacement?”

I also provided a copy of my confirmation of purchase showing the $30 charge for the pass.

This is the reply I received today:

“I spoke to our Call Center and had them resend you your confirmation/voucher for your parking pass to the e-mail you provided us. Please let me know if you have any issues or concerns.

Thank you for contacting Discovery Cove.

Best regards,

Emily | Guest Relations”

The promised email did indeed come through. However…it had attachments of our Discovery Cove reservation, and our e-tickets for SeaWorld & Aquatica, but no parking voucher.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

It also showed my order confirmation, which strangely no longer lists the parking pass as a booked component, but yet the total price that’s reflected is the price with the parking pass still factored in.

So I picked up the phone and called Emily, and explained that I did receive the email but there was no updated parking pass. I questioned if it was because we were still not at 28 days out (that would be this coming Monday) as originally suggested by “Judy”. She seemed to have no knowledge of the 28 day policy and even asked another agent (without putting me on hold I might add) for clarification. The other agent, who I could hear fairly clearly in the background, also seemed to be completely baffled.

Emily was getting kind of flustered at this point (I think I had truly stumped her), and stated it was just probably easier to put a note on my reservation that a pass could be picked up at DC when we arrived in Orlando. I noted again that I already had a parking pass, printed from the original PDF file sent to me in January, and that I was just trying to determine if it was valid. She then asked me to send her the e-parking voucher number in an email and she would escalate my question to someone who handles the parking at the other two theme parks.

So I have sent her the requested information late this afternoon and am now waiting her reply (she only worked until 2 pm today but is back in again Saturday).

I am really hoping I can avoid a special trip to DC just to pick up a pass…..surely, one way or another, they should be able to confirm that my current pass is still valid *or* send me a new one via email at that magic 28-day point. Fingers crossed.

All I can say is……this certainly is turning out to be a lot of fiddling for one little parking pass!

As for the countdown....22 days to go!

 

[greenclan67]

Twistee treats is our favourite!! We are really hoping to sneak in that xmas trip. Fingers crossed. Having a hard time finding a rental at our price point. We lucked out last yearand got a rental for $550 for 10 days at Orange Lake booked in March.
Sweet tomatoes, we love it. There is meat in the soup. Chunks of chicken, a chili soup. Bacon to do potatoes with. Some pasta.

 

[pigletto]

We've never tried Twistee Treat just yet. We've been to the Krispy Kreme store, had slushies (regular and orange sherbert) at Showcase of Citrus, been to the Dippin Dots store, ate ice cream many times at Friendly's....but a visit to Twistee Treat still eludes us! I hear its awesome, though, and we might squeeze it in this trip . I know other Disers have raved about it.

Well now I'm stumped because I was sure it was your trip report!. Not too many people write offsite trip reports so I have no idea where I heard about it. Then again, I spend so much darn time reading current and old threads on the Dis that it could be a mishmash of things I read that my tired old brain has lumped together. Well we both have to try it then! It looks really good.

Your parking pass situation sounds aggravating. I hope it all gets worked out for you!

 

[Portugal1000]

We love Sweet Tomatoes. They have quite a few non vegetarian options such as chilli's, soups etc but to be honest I love all the salad, pastas and they have the best jacket potatoes, both normal and sweet potato ones. Its also the only place where I will actually sneek some food home in my bag! I know its wrong but if you taste their little chocolate muffins you will understand. They are simply wonderful. My son loves them too especially with the sift whip ice cream. It really is a great budget option.

 

[Lynne G]

We are going to try the twisty place. I am one that enjoys ice cream, and it looks like there is one near the go cart place that I have a groupon for my kids to ride and feed the gators. That will be new to us too.


We enjoy Sweet tomatoes. I get coupons in my email weekly. We also find meat items and we enjoy the salads and desserts.

Sorry to hear about the run around with the parking pass. Baffling.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Twistee treats is our favourite!!

Well now I'm stumped because I was sure it was your trip report!. Not too many people write offsite trip reports so I have no idea where I heard about it. Then again, I spend so much darn time reading current and old threads on the Dis that it could be a mishmash of things I read that my tired old brain has lumped together. Well we both have to try it then! It looks really good.

I was telling Steve that we were chatting about Twistee Treat here in my trip report, and he said to tell you all that he will make the ultimate sacrifice and investigate it thoroughly on our upcoming trip, all in the name of research for my DisFriends . That's my Steve, always willing to take one for the team!

We love Sweet Tomatoes. They have quite a few non vegetarian options such as chilli's, soups etc but to be honest I love all the salad, pastas and they have the best jacket potatoes, both normal and sweet potato ones. Its also the only place where I will actually sneek some food home in my bag! I know its wrong but if you taste their little chocolate muffins you will understand. They are simply wonderful. My son loves them too especially with the sift whip ice cream. It really is a great budget option.

I wonder where the closest Sweet Tomatoes to the Vistana is? Not that I think we'll be able to squeeze it in on this trip, but I'm thinking I might like to give it a try on a future one (particularly our first no-kids vacation.....which is coming sooner than I want to admit).

We are going to try the twisty place. I am one that enjoys ice cream, and it looks like there is one near the go cart place that I have a groupon for my kids to ride and feed the gators. That will be new to us too.

Is the Groupon you purchased for Kissimmee Go-Karts? (the one that has the go karting, gator feeding and arcade tokens as part of the package?)

Its a great little deal. We did it two years ago, and have bought the Groupon again this year upon request from the boy. He's finally able to drive the Indy karts now that he's fully licensed (he only had his learners permit when we were there in 2012). Steve will also drive the Indy karts, but Sweetie and I will be sticking with the regular karts........we have absolutely no "need for speed" .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are officially at the 3-week mark. 21 days to go!

I have officially kicked off my search for a couple of new swim suits for our vacation. Not my favourite part of the planning process (let's just say my body shape doesn't lend itself well to a lot of styles) but with all the swimming we have planned, it must be done.

I envy the men, who can literally just pick out any old pair of swim trunks and be on their way.

 

[pigletto]

I was telling Steve that we were chatting about Twistee Treat here in my trip report, and he said to tell you all that he will make the ultimate sacrifice and investigate it thoroughly on our upcoming trip, all in the name of research for my DisFriends . That's my Steve, always willing to take one for the team!

That Steve of yours is a stand up guy!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That Steve of yours is a stand up guy!

What can I say....he's a real trooper!

Steve and I (and the cat ) just finished watching National Lampoons Vacation....its become a bit of a tradition for us to watch it in the weeks before our next family getaway.

Always makes me glad that we're flying to Florida and not driving!!!

 

[greenclan67]

The closest Sweet Tomatoes to you is very close. It is down where the Hooters restaurant, Johnny's Hideaway, mini putt, Buffalo Wild Wings. It is right at the end of that whole strip of rest! Right next to the mini putt.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The closest Sweet Tomatoes to you is very close. It is down where the Hooters restaurant, Johnny's Hideaway, mini putt, Buffalo Wild Wings. It is right at the end of that whole strip of rest! Right next to the mini putt.

Wow, I had no idea there was one that close by. I know exactly where the Hooters/mini golf is (I travel with two guys, remember!!)....so I can now visualize Sweet Tomatoes location, too .

We're down to 20 days....time is flying!

One week from today I can submit my Diamond Lane request. That excites me just a little . Okay, more than a little!

 

[dancin Disney style]

We are officially at the 3-week mark. 21 days to go!

I have officially kicked off my search for a couple of new swim suits for our vacation. Not my favourite part of the planning process (let's just say my body shape doesn't lend itself well to a lot of styles) but with all the swimming we have planned, it must be done.

I envy the men, who can literally just pick out any old pair of swim trunks and be on their way.

3 weeks....I wish I was going too. I knew I'd really be missing it. In particular, with this stupid weather we have had. The summer conditions today are a hot and disgusting 24 (there's no sarcasm smiley face but insert it here).

Ditto on the bathing suit comment. I think the bathing costume should come back into style.


I also second or third or whatever, on Sweet Tomatoes. We visit at least once on every trip. Sign up on their website for coupons and then after you dine there you will get more coupons with your receipt.

We also go to CiCi's every trip. DH hates pizza....can't understand why but we make him eat there anyway. Last year they had a white pizza with spinach....it was the best I've had there yet. As weird as it looked the mac n' cheese pizza is also really good.

 

[Lynne G]

Yep, Kissimmee go carts is the groupon. My kids are ready to ride. The twistee ice cream place looks right near the go carts on google maps. I love looking at those maps!

Yep, I too like the Mac and cheese pizza at cici's. I always find some odd combo that I like. You can also ask them to make a pizza. Their salad is good, even if just basic.

I cannot believe it will be August soon. Time is flying.

Stormy Sunday on tap today. High winds and chance of hail. Oh fun. Sunny right now. The calm before the storm......

 

[pigletto]

Wow, I had no idea there was one that close by. I know exactly where the Hooters/mini golf is (I travel with two guys, remember!!)....so I can now visualize Sweet Tomatoes location, too .

We're down to 20 days....time is flying!

One week from today I can submit my Diamond Lane request. That excites me just a little . Okay, more than a little!

I am so excited for you!! And excited for me because your trip report will keep me going another 4 months until it's my turn!
We are going to try Sweet Tomatoes too. Any kind of buffet is usually a great choice for us because dd has been a vegetarian for 5 years and buffets give her way more choices. Yep.. travelling with the lactose intolerant vegetarian is always an adventure. Believe it or not she isn't the one that's hardest to please. She'll have seafood occasionally on vacation if she's stuck for a choice. Ds10 was a pretty particular eater for a number of years, so finding something for him was sometimes a challenge. That kid rates every restaurant by the quality of their chicken fingers.
Lately though he's been on this awesome "Hey let me try that" kick! I swear we all try not to make a big deal of it so we don't scare him away from the broccoli that I was sure he would never touch, but inwardly I do a little dance because he's not going to live the rest of his life liking about 10 things.

I can't wait to see what section of the resort you get this time! And TWO weeks!! That entire first week you won't even have to think about going home! You can start the "5 days left.. 4 days left …" countdown your second week.

 

[ZehnJahren]

20 days is just right around the corner! It's so exciting when you know you have a vacation coming up and it's going to be both fun and relaxing!

What requests are you going to make? I don't know if we can make requests since it was through Interval International... There's already a number on our documents of our supposed room...