TVG's Pre-Trip Report Teaser

[thevolcanogod]

Greeting to all you Disney fanatics, lesser deities and ancestral spirits – it is I, your friendly, (nearly) always benevolent Volcano God. Over the next two-and-a-half weeks I will be your narrator, guide and friend as I take you through the details of our exciting Florida honeymoon. Please, feel free to call me TVG – all of my friends do – at least the ones that can stand to visit regularly. Some just don’t care for the heat, but I always say that it’s a dry heat.

First, let me take you back to the beginning…….no, not that far…...ok….ok…..STOP. Here we are – June 19, 2004. On a bright sunny day, I was married to the beautiful Ms. Volcano God (who has recently had to change her name to Mrs. Volcano God – and will be henceforth referred to as Mrs. TVG in my report). It was a perfect day – temperatures were hovering just above 1100 degrees Celsius and the sweet smell of sulfur dioxide, coconut and magnolia mingled in the air above our crater. Ahhh, I can still hear the happy screams of the villagers as we processed down from our home to play in the ocean (hmmm, on second thought, those might not have been HAPPY screams, but you know, sometimes you just can’t tell).

In any case, I digress – this is about our upcoming trip, not about the wedding. Back years ago before I even proposed, Mrs. TVG and I decided Florida would be the perfect place for the honeymoon. Both she and I, being big Disney fans (she’s a true blue Disney fan – you should see our guest bathroom – I just love going to the parks and stuff) decided that a trip to Florida could not be complete without paying homage to The Mouse (just please don’t tell the other gods – I don’t think I could live that down – I’d be having to put up with the jokes for millennia).

So it began. Now, one thing you have to know – Mrs. TVG is quite impulsive and really doesn’t like following a schedule – I on the other hand am the absolute picture of obsessive planning. If it were up to me, eruptions would occur every 500 years on the tick, but unfortunately (for you all) that’s HER department. But anyways, we first decided on a proper length of stay – we figured 18 days was a nice round number and should give us enough time to plan a really monumental honeymoon. We talked about some of the things we both wanted to do and came up with the following outline:

- Disney Cruise
- One day in each of the 4 Disney parks
- One day in a Disney water park
- One day in each of the 2 Universal parks
- One day in both Sea World and Busch Gardens
- A few days to relax on the beach
- A few days to just relax and shop

Beyond that, our priorities were to stay in nice resorts without paying a fortune and to eat at really nice places without having to worry about looking at the prices. Given these priorities, I was given carte blanche to plan out our adventure. As you can see from the itinerary I developed (posted below at the bottom), I think I covered all of those bases and then some.

A few notes: we decided to do the 7-day land and sea package for the cruise. We probably could have saved some money if we planned it separately, but oh well. We booked some of the hotels under the rates listed on mousesavers.com and we booked the Dolphin under the teacher’s discount, which gave us a pretty good rate. Also, we have been using the Disney Visa like maniacs over the past year and have managed to rack up over $200 in Disney Reward Dollars, not to mention the $50 onboard credit for booking our cruise on the card.

What’s next: Well, the suitcases are out and we have started packing things little-by-little. We have all of our heavy clothes packed (I have heard temperatures can be as low as the mid-80’s there so we need to be prepared – we usually keep our house at a toasty 900 degrees Celsius so we have to be prepared for the cooler temps). We are going to be bringing 2 X 48 packs of bottled water and 4 X 24 packs of soda with us – that should sustain us through the 18 days, I hope. This Friday, the last items get packed and the suitcases go in the car so we can be ready for an early departure Saturday morning.
Trip reports: Unfortunately this teaser will be the last report until we get back. Afterwards, I plan on going day-by-day and listing what we had planned to do first, and what we actually did second. I will give you all impressions of what we thought including reviews of all of the hotels and restaurants we ate at and an extensive trip report of the cruise. I hope you will all enjoy reading these reports and I will write you all in about 3 weeks.

Here is our itinerary – some of you have seen this before when I posted it here about a month ago:

Day 1 – July 31, 2004

6:00AM – Leave Volcano – TVG Drives
8:30AM – Stop for fast food Breakfast – $12
10:00AM – Switch Drivers – Mrs. TVG Drives
1:30PM – Stop for fast food Lunch – $15
2:00PM – Switch Drivers – TVG Drives
5:30PM – Switch Drivers – Mrs. TVG Drives
6:30PM – Stop for sit-down Dinner – $30
9:00PM – Stop for night in Valdosta, GA. – $75
Gas: $75
Total: $207

Day 2 – August 1, 2004

9:00AM – Check out of Road Hotel - Leave Valdosta, GA
10:00AM – Stop for fast food Breakfast – $12
12:00PM – Arrive Tampa, FL
12:30PM – Eat fast food Lunch – $15
1:00PM – Check into Doubletree Hotel – $231.95
- 11310 North 30th Street
Tampa, FL. 33612
(813) 971-7690
1:30PM – Head to Fort De Soto Park
6:00PM – Depart for Island Way Grill
7:30PM – Dinner – Island Way Grill – $75
- 20 Island Way
Clearwater Beach, FL. 33767
(727) 461-6617
9:00PM – Return to Doubletree Hotel
Gas: $25
Total: $360

Day 3 – August 2, 2004

8:30AM – Leave tip for housekeeping, leave for Busch Gardens
9:30 AM – Enter Busch Gardens, Tampa – $7 Parking
- Bring pre-printed Safari tickets with bar code
- Check in immediately at the Guided Tour Center in Morocco (third gift shop on the left from park entrance) to receive tour and meal vouchers.
12:00 PM – Lunch – In Park – $30
12:45 PM - Serengeti Dining Safari
- Tour begins at 1:00 PM
5:00 PM – Dinner – Crown Colony Restaurant – use vouchers from Safari
7:00 PM – Park Closes – Return to Doubletree Hotel
Total: $37

Day 4 – August 3, 2004

6:30 AM – Check out of Doubletree Hotel - Leave for Orlando (Heavy Traffic)
9:30 AM – Enter Sea World, Orlando – $7 Parking
- Bring pre-printed Luau tickets with bar code
- Head to Seafire Inn to check in and receive tickets for Luau (in new Waterfront area of the park)
11:30 AM – Lunch – Shark’s Grill – $60
6:15 PM – Polynesian Luau
- Show time will be determined at time of check in but is estimated to be around 6:30PM. Head to Seafire Inn to begin dinner show.
10:00PM – Park Closes – Drive to Hotel
10:30 PM – Check into Radisson Royal Parkway – $351.72
- 2900 Parkway Blvd.
Kissimmee, FL. 34747
(407) 396-7000
Gas: $25
Total: $437

Day 5 – August 4, 2004

7:45AM – Leave tip for housekeeping – Leave for Disney Beach Club Resort
8:15AM – Arrive Disney Beach Club Resort
8:30AM – Cape May Breakfast Buffet – $40
10:00AM – Enter Typhoon Lagoon – $45 (ADM+SNACK)
5:00PM – Enter Winter/Summerland Mini Golf – $32
6:30PM – Leave for Hotel – Quick Shower/Change
7:00PM – Leave for Downtown Disney
7:30PM – Dinner – Bongo’s Cuban Café - $65
8:30PM – Desert – Ghirardelli’s - $20
Total: $202

Day 6 – August 5, 2004

8:30AM – Leave tip for housekeeping – Leave for Universal Studios
9:00AM – Arrive at Universal Studios – $8 Parking
12:00PM – Lunch – In Park – $30
7:00 PM – Arrive at Emeril’s Universal City Walk – $120
9:00PM – Park Closes – Return to Hotel
Total: $158

Day 7 – August 6, 2004

8:30AM – Check out of Radisson Resort Parkway – Leave for UIOA
9:00AM - Arrive at Universal Islands of Adventure – $8 Parking
12:00PM – Lunch – In Park – $30
7:00PM – Dinner – Mythos Restaurant - $60
10:00PM – Park Closes – Leave for Dolphin Resort
10:30PM – Check into Dolphin Resort – $260
Total: $358

Day 8 – August 7, 2004

9:00AM – Leave tip for mousekeeping – Leave for Mrs. TVG’s Choice
12:00PM - Lunch – $30
2:00PM – Arrive at Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf – $32
6:30PM – Arrive in Downtown Disney - Dinner – Fulton’s Crab House – $120
8:00PM – Arrive in Pleasure Island - $40
Total: $222

Day 9 – August 8, 2004

Begin Cruise Package
8:00AM – Check out of Dolphin Resort
8:30AM – Arrive at Port Orleans Riverside – get tickets/passes
- * Purchase E-Ride Night Tickets for 8/9 - $25
9:30AM – Enter MGM Studios
12:15AM – Arrive at Hollywood Brown Derby – Lunch – $50
8:45PM – Arrive at California Grill – Dinner – $136
Total: $211

Day 10 – August 9, 2004

8:30AM – Leave tip for mousekeeping - Leave for Magic Kingdom
9:00AM – Enter Magic Kingdom
1:00PM - Lunch – In Park – $35
8:15PM – Arrive at Polynesian – Ohana - Dinner – $59
10:00PM – Enter Magic Kingdom for E-Ride Night
12:00AM – Leave Magic Kingdom – return to POR
Total: $94

Day 11 – August 10, 2004

7:30AM – Leave tip for mousekeeping – Leave for Disney’s Animal Kingdom
7:45AM – Arrive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
7:50AM – Arrive at Donald’s Breakfastosaurus – Breakfast – $42
- Note: This breakfast occurs before park opening at 9AM – have ID and Reservation Number ready when arriving at front gate.
6:00PM – Leave Animal Kingdom for Animal Kingdom Lodge
7:15PM - Arrive at Boma – Dinner – $59
8:30PM – Tour Animal Kingdom Lodge – Arrive in Wine Bar – $50
Total: $101

Day 12 – August 11, 2004

8:30AM – Leave tip for mousekeeping – Leave for EPCOT Center
9:00AM – Enter EPCOT Future World
12:00PM - Lunch – Tangerine Café – $30
2:30PM – Arrive at the Garden Grill – Ice Cream Social – $25
7:30PM – Arrive at Canada – Dinner – La Cellier – $93
9:00PM – Leave EPCOT World Showcase – return to POR
Total: $148

Day 13 – August 12, 2004

8:00AM – Check out of Port Orleans Riverside – Leave for Polynesian Resort
8:30AM – Arrive at Kona Café – Breakfast - $22
9:30AM – Depart for Port Canaveral
10:30AM – Arrive at Port Canaveral – Check In – Await Boarding
10:30AM - 1:00PM – Embark – Disney Wonder
- Book Diner at Palo and Spa Treatments
- Palo - $20
- Surial Bath – evening of 8/13 - $68
- Tropical Rainforest – 3 Day Pass - $70
Gas: $25
Parking: $45
Total: $250

Day 14 – August 13, 2004

9:30AM – Disembark at Nassau, Bahamas
- Bring snorkel vouchers for trip
- Tour straw market and port area
11:45AM – Arrive at Tourist Information Center
12:00PM – Board Stuart’s Cove Bus for snorkel adventure
6:20PM – Arrive at Tourist Information Center – reboard Disney Wonder

Day 15 – August 14, 2004

8:30AM – Disembark at Castaway Cay
4:00PM – Begin embarkation to Disney Wonder
6:30PM – Begin distributing tips to cast members

Day 16 – August 15, 2004

7:30AM – Disembark Disney Wonder
8:00AM – Begin Driving to Cocoa Beach
8:30AM – Arrive at Cocoa Beach, FL
12:00PM – Eat Fast Food Lunch – $20
1:00PM – Check into Doubletree Hotel – $158.40
- 2080 North Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL. 32931
(321) 783-9222
7:30PM – Dinner – The Mango Tree Restaurant – $90
- 118 North Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL. 32931
(321) 794-0513
Total: $269

Day 17 – August 16, 2004

10:00AM – Check out of Doubletree Hotel
12:00PM - Eat Fast Food Lunch – $20
5:00PM – Depart Cocoa Beach – TVG Drives
7:00PM – Eat Sit Down Dinner – $30
8:00PM – Switch Drivers – Mrs. TVG Drives
10:00PM – Arrive at Road Hotel – $75
Gas: $50
Total: $175

Day 18 – August 17, 2004

8:30AM – Check out of Road Hotel – TVG Drives
12:00PM – Eat Fast Food Lunch - $20
12:30PM – Switch Drivers – Mrs. TVG Drives
4:30PM – Switch Drivers – TVG Drives
7:00PM – Eat Sit Down Dinner - $30
9:00PM – Arrive in Volcano.
Total: $100

 

[disneyisfun]

How do you know about the Island Way Grill in Clearwater?

 

[thevolcanogod]

Island Way Grill: I read up on recommended dining in the Tampa/Clearwater area and got all of the information for all of the places I found. Then I went around checking web sites and figuring out what would be a nice place to eat for our first night down in florida. The restaurant sounds nice and I like the idea of being able to watch the boats come in while we dine. Other than that, I have never been there, so I'm hoping it's nice. Have you been there/know anything about it?

 

[WDWLinda]

That is QUITE the plan! You really did your research - hope all goes to plan and your trip ERUPTS with LAVA-hot romance and the good times FLOW! (sorry, that's all the volcano terms I can think of).

Have a great trip - and we want to see the projected costs vs. actual, please!

~Linda

 

[tinawv]

Can't wait for the trip reports. Have a fantastic time.

 

[tweetylori]

Wow, and I thought I was a planner! We were just down there last week and I believe SeaWorld parking was $8 like the rest of the parks. Universal is now offering "priority parking" for an extra $4. Is it worth it? Probably depends on what time you get there and how crowded they are. You can actually pay less than you're expecting to pay for Universal tickets. They had a deal going for $97 for both parks for 2 days plus the third day free. (not that you're planning on going there 3 days). Do you have AAA? It will save you all over Universal!
I realize this is your honeymoon, and saving money might not be a main objective, but if you haven't prepaid the hotels that aren't Disney ones, have you thought of using Hotwire? You could stay in as nice of places or better, for considerably less than you're gonna pay. I did a quick check on Hotwire for Tampa on your dates. They have a three star hotel near Busch Gardens for $52 a night and a three star downtown for $57 a night. Their three-stars are usually Holiday Inns or Doubletrees. Something along those lines. I didn't see any 4-stars available for those dates.
You could try Priceline though and put in 4-star and a lower price than you're paying and see if you get it. Normally their rates are about 40% off.

In Orlando, there's a 3 and 1/2 star availalbe in the WDW area for $72, and a 4-star for $117. There was a 3-star for $53 and a 3-star near Universal for $67. You could take those price ideas, go to Priceline and shoot for a 4-star for less than any of those.
Just a suggestion.

One more suggestion and then I'll MMOB, if you're looking for a place to get cooled off and have a tasty lunch Finnegan's at US is nice. It's nice to just stop into to cool off and have a drink also.

Have a GREAT time! I envy you! I can't imagine an 18 day vacation!!!

 

[disneyisfun]

Island Way Grill: I read up on recommended dining in the Tampa/Clearwater area and got all of the information for all of the places I found. Then I went around checking web sites and figuring out what would be a nice place to eat for our first night down in florida. The restaurant sounds nice and I like the idea of being able to watch the boats come in while we dine. Other than that, I have never been there, so I'm hoping it's nice. Have you been there/know anything about it?

Yes, I have been there the restaurant is about a 25 minute drive from my house. It is very nice..it is partially owned by Mike Alstott who plays for the Tampa Bay Bucs!! I think you will like it especially with the water and boats. Another restaurant that you might like (but is a bit farther) is called the Salt Rock Grill. It is also on the water and very cool as well.