Walking on Sunshine : Celebrating Spring at Universal & SeaWorld - an April/May 2016 PTR

Dear little Sunshine returned from Kitchener this afternoon in time for her to enjoy my family's Easter feast, and she came bearing these:

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God love this girl, she also brought a matching bouquet for my Mom.

She gave me the biggest hug, and told me how appreciative she was of all the things we do for her.

Totally off topic as far as trip reporting goes, but it was such a sweet gesture from this young lady, I thought it was worthy of a share :).
 
Dear little Sunshine returned from Kitchener this afternoon in time for her to enjoy my family's Easter feast, and she came bearing these:

God love this girl, she also brought a matching bouquet for my Mom.

She gave me the biggest hug, and told me how appreciative she was of all the things we do for her.

Totally off topic as far as trip reporting goes, but it was such a sweet gesture from this young lady, I thought it was worthy of a share :).

Sunshine is SO sweet! That is wonderful she even thought of your mom!!!

I am off to stalk you on FB now so I can keep up with you when you go on your trip... If you see a friend request from a Melinda who looks suspiciously like a blonde chick that was photographed in California Grill with a bearded man you will know who I am :laughing:
 

Gina, Sunshine sounds like a lovely and thoughtful girl! :goodvibes I bet she is going to love and appreciate this trip so much!

This morning I woke up and it's official.. I am in that "wiggle with excitement" place. :banana:
I want to start packing, I want to put on my flip flops, I want to go wait at the airport, I want to feel the Florida sunshine!!!!

This is going to be a looonnnnggggg month. There's no reigning it in from this place. The countdown is on!:cool1:
 
This morning I woke up and it's official.. I am in that "wiggle with excitement" place. :banana:
I want to start packing, I want to put on my flip flops, I want to go wait at the airport, I want to feel the Florida sunshine!!!!

This is going to be a looonnnnggggg month. There's no reigning it in from this place. The countdown is on!:cool1:
And rubbing it in is loads of fun:laughing:
 
Sunshine is SO sweet! That is wonderful she even thought of your mom!!!

I am off to stalk you on FB now so I can keep up with you when you go on your trip... If you see a friend request from a Melinda who looks suspiciously like a blonde chick that was photographed in California Grill with a bearded man you will know who I am :laughing:

Yay!! I am always up for more Facebook friends :teeth:.

It didn't surprise me at all that Sunshine also brought a bouquet of flowers for my mom....she is just that kind of a sweet and thoughtful soul. One of the many things that I love about her. I gave her a big hug when she left at the end of the evening, and whispered to her that it made my heart smile to see her be so kind to my mom. She just grinned broadly and said....I love Nanny too, you know. :goodvibes

Three things come to mind....
1. black with red hearts
2. I knew I called you G for a reason
3. I don't know but 3 things sound better than 2

You almost got it. Its red with black hearts :D.

Gina, Sunshine sounds like a lovely and thoughtful girl! :goodvibes I bet she is going to love and appreciate this trip so much!
This morning I woke up and it's official.. I am in that "wiggle with excitement" place. :banana:
I want to start packing, I want to put on my flip flops, I want to go wait at the airport, I want to feel the Florida sunshine!!!!
This is going to be a looonnnnggggg month. There's no reigning it in from this place. The countdown is on!:cool1:

Man, do I hear you on the excitement part! I was thinking this morning....probably a bad sign that I'm starting to get antsy and fidgity at work when there's still the better part of 4 weeks to go. It doesn't help that its freakishly cold here this morning....only on the freezing mark!!!

I need to be warm. 4 weeks is too long, LOL!

Hopefully time will pass more swiftly than either of us are expecting. Always ironic, though, of how slow the last couple of weeks seem to go but then how FAST the vacation days pass!!
 
25 days and counting :hourglass.

I made the final adjustment to the plans this morning, so I now consider things "complete" :). We decided over the weekend to cancel the all-day dining passes that we had pre-purchased for our second day at SeaWorld (we still kept the ones for our other SeaWorld day intact) and opted instead to book Dine With Shamu. This will be our last full day of vacation and is on the same day as our Behind The Scenes Tour.....so we will end off this Epic Adventure with a real bang, God willing. Since the kids may not be back to Orlando for quite a while (depending on where their young adult lives happen to lead them from here), and there are so many changes coming down the pipes at the SeaWorld parks (some we already know of and more, we suspect, to come) we wanted to give them this experience while we still can. Poor Sunshine almost cried with excitement when she heard of the proposed change: Dine With Shamu was the one thing at SeaWorld that she had desperately wanted to do when she traveled to Orlando three years ago with her family, but it didn't get worked into their plans. Jake and I had talked about it quite a bit on Sunday afternoon when the two of us enjoyed some rare quality mom-and-son time together, and then we pitched the idea to Steve on our way to Mom's yesterday afternoon. Let's just say it didn't take much "pitching".....our trio LOVED this meal on our Christmas 2012 trip, and have always been wanting a chance to do repeat the experience. Needless to say, Steve was thrilled with the idea and the decision was officially made. With our AP discount, Dine with Shamu actually came out $20 cheaper than our all day dining passes, so we will use that savings to apply to lunch at SeaWorld's new Pretzel Kitchen (a location which has been firmly on Jake's wish list but isn't included on the all-day dining plan). I called this morning and a wonderful SW customer service rep helped me make the switcheroo.....super easy!

A revised itinerary is definitely in order, so I will try and get that posted by the end of the day.
 
So now we know what bankr63 wears. I think that falls into the TMI category.

Who said ours were white? :rolleyes2 :ssst:

Well, mine are white with brown racing strips after riding Dragon Challenge.


Ooohhh.....very excited about the gas prices!! Its going to be a cheap 10 days of driving in the south!

My C$70 fill ups were running US$35ish down there!

I've gotta say, I think your booty-shaking bunny is the cutest thing I've seen on the Dis in a while. Is there some sort of emoji upgrade that I'm missing??

You don't want me shaking my booty after that underoos comment.

I am almost fearful to give you this site Gina. Your posts may never be the same. Don't tell anybody, :hyper2: but the secret site is http://www.freesmileys.org/ Find the smiley you want and just cut and paste the forum code into your message. It used to have a search function that seems to have disappeared, but it can be hours of fun browsing through them.

@bankr63 and @dancin Disney style are finally back.....and I have to admit, I missed their amusing contributions while they were in Orlando. It's nice to have them home and shocking us once again :rotfl:.

I don't know about DDS but there are people in Orlando still laughing at my amusing contributions while I was there. Except the person who rode Dragon Challenge after me. No. Laughing. There...

I do the new underwear, new socks too for trips. It just seems like a good time to buy them!

I have to admit I read too quickly sometimes. I processed this as "I do not wear underwear" :scared1:

Talk about TMI. Then I went back and read more carefully.
 
I am almost fearful to give you this site Gina. Your posts may never be the same. Don't tell anybody, :hyper2: but the secret site is http://www.freesmileys.org/ Find the smiley you want and just cut and paste the forum code into your message. It used to have a search function that seems to have disappeared, but it can be hours of fun browsing through them.

@bankr63 has created a new monster

 
I don't know about DDS but there are people in Orlando still laughing at my amusing contributions while I was there. Except the person who rode Dragon Challenge after me. No. Laughing. There...

I was very well behaved while in the great state of Walt Disney World. :littleangel:
 
Finally got all caught up. Apparently, I hadn't read any of your updates since March 9. o_O
Congrats to Steve on his new job! Shift work isn't so bad if it's always the same shift but to switch between days and nights is a nightmare! I worked overnights in my twenties and couldn't even hack it then. There's no way I'd be able to do it now a days.

About Shamu, I think you summed up my thoughts on that whole situation too. Although, I was sort of wondering if the breeding has more to do with not having a wide enough gene pool to pick from. I'm thinking about doing Dine with Shamu on our September trip. Duncan LOVES Orcas!

I'm glad you scheduled the dolphin tour. We did one years ago on a sail boat and loved it.

Dryers, UGH! We just had to get a new one last week. Ours broke after being moved for new flooring. Now my washer and dryer don't match. I bet we'll end up with a new washer before the end of the year. ;)

It sounds like Sunshine would be a great daughter in law some day!
 
Well, mine are white with brown racing strips after riding Dragon Challenge.

My C$70 fill ups were running US$35ish down there!

You don't want me shaking my booty after that underoos comment.

I am almost fearful to give you this site Gina. Your posts may never be the same. Don't tell anybody, :hyper2: but the secret site is http://www.freesmileys.org/ Find the smiley you want and just cut and paste the forum code into your message. It used to have a search function that seems to have disappeared, but it can be hours of fun browsing through them.

I don't know about DDS but there are people in Orlando still laughing at my amusing contributions while I was there. Except the person who rode Dragon Challenge after me. No. Laughing. There...
I have to admit I read too quickly sometimes. I processed this as "I do not wear underwear" :scared1:

Talk about TMI. Then I went back and read more carefully.

LOL, what has happened to this thread?

Considering all the panties chatter lately, I can't help but share this....

4b1d25691286932ca852b46f3edf62310c11494aef7a28980b38ee0ca2f58394.jpg


Thank you so much for sharing your secret smiley site......I must admit, I've just spent way too much time perusing the wonderful selection there. Stay tuned for more new emojis coming soon to this trip report (you know I won't be able to help myself!) .


@bankr63 has created a new monster


So far, I haven't found any minion smileys though . I'm a little gutted.

Hey now....I want monkey nut drinks too.



(its not too late to plan a last-minute, super-spontaneous, early Spring trip.....just sayin')

I was very well behaved while in the great state of Walt Disney World. :littleangel:



Finally got all caught up. Apparently, I hadn't read any of your updates since March 9. o_O
Congrats to Steve on his new job! Shift work isn't so bad if it's always the same shift but to switch between days and nights is a nightmare! I worked overnights in my twenties and couldn't even hack it then. There's no way I'd be able to do it now a days.

About Shamu, I think you summed up my thoughts on that whole situation too. Although, I was sort of wondering if the breeding has more to do with not having a wide enough gene pool to pick from. I'm thinking about doing Dine with Shamu on our September trip. Duncan LOVES Orcas!

I'm glad you scheduled the dolphin tour. We did one years ago on a sail boat and loved it.

Dryers, UGH! We just had to get a new one last week. Ours broke after being moved for new flooring. Now my washer and dryer don't match. I bet we'll end up with a new washer before the end of the year. ;)

It sounds like Sunshine would be a great daughter in law some day!

Thanks Shannon :goodvibes . Glad to have you back.....you were missed!! I loved your trip report entries and all your photos.....I hope there's a few more of those coming up sometime soon :thumbsup2.

Great news on our dryer....the technician was here earlier, and thinks he found the problem. If he's right, all it cost me was a $40 service call (discounted down from his $65 normal charge since he was just here a few weeks back). It didn't need a new belt after all, apparently. Keep your fingers crossed and ssay a little prayer that the old girl has been revived once again!

I was thinking minions undies myself.

Girl, if they came in my size, I'd seriously buy a different pair for every day of the week .
 
I've been creeping through your Oct 2015 trip report the last little while, getting info for HHN and our Oct Universal trip. Between that research and flipping back into Disney planning mode and our upcoming fastpass booking days and figuring out plans with family that we are travelling with.. well my head is spinning and it's been one heck of a trip planning day. This is with all of the usual real life craziness rolled in. I need a vacation! (or two!).

Glad your dryer was a quick fix! I will keep my fingers crossed for you! And I like your Dine With Shamu change. I can't wait to see what Sunshine thinks of it :).

ETA) Oh and a meet up isn't out of the question at all. It's just that with 9 of us going the itinerary might be a little inflexible but I would be willing to try! :)
 
After a couple of hectic work days (one of the bosses is heading to Myrtle Beach for two weeks in the near future, so the push is on to get everything done ahead so he can relax without thinking about the office), its high time for a trip planning update. Today is exciting because we've finally hit "the 20's"!



The biggest.....and most exciting......news on the trip planning front is that one of the angels in our lives has surprised us with the Superstar Character Breakfast on our third Universal park day (Friday, April 29th). Yes, the infinite blessings that have been bestowed on us for this vacation have continued yet again, and my heart is so full of gratitude for the kindness and generosity that we have been shown :hug:. We all have been working very hard to pay forward this unbelievable thoughtfulness in our everyday lives, but even I have to admit at this stage that I can't imagine we will EVER be able to repay this level of generosity. We are truly touched and humbled beyond measure, and I can only hope the person who has made this possible for us truly can feel how appreciative we all are.

Knowing that you all are well aware of how much I love the minions, I know you will all appreciate my excitement for this event. I could hardly sleep the night we got the news :blush:. Yes, I freely admit that I am 42 going on 5.

I might be too excited that day to even eat!!! :hyper:

With that most recent add-on now booked and on the itinerary, getting matching Minion shirts for that park day is an absolute MUST. A good friend and fellow Diser was awesome in pointing us in the direction of Kmart for shirts (even ones in Big & Tall sizes to fit my big Steve!), and as an added bonus....they are all on half price right now! Sunshine and I picked out which ones we wanted to order for everyone (the guys didn't care :rotfl:, I can imagine that shocks you all!) so I will put that through tomorrow since its the last day for the sale pricing. I had called the Buffalo Kmart to see if they would hold the order for us until April 23rd if we do the ship-to-store option (versus shipping it to our park and fly hotel), but they said they would only keep it 7 days before sending the items back to the warehouse. So, shipping to the Days Hotel it will be, and I will just have to show them my appreciation for their patience in keeping it for us for such a long stretch once we arrived. Perhaps I will bring them some coffee and donuts to enjoy, unless I can come up with a better thank-you plan between now and then. Each shirt will only be $9.99 each, so if Jake decides he wants to relegate his to a pyjama top after the trip, there's no big loss.

Sunshine and I need a couple of new pairs of sunglasses for the trip, and thanks to @pepperandchips , we discovered some really fun ones (for such a crazy low price....and on sale this week to boot!) at gojane.com . Placing that order is on my to-do list for the weekend as well. Its been so dreary and grey here all winter, good sunglasses for that Florida sunshine are essential :sunny: . Jake has his Oakleys and Steve just bought a new pair a month or so ago, so both the guys are well prepared in that area already.

My clothes dryer (which you may remember gave me grief a couple of weeks ago and required a repair) continues to give me some grief. A rather annoying squeak has returned that can't seem to be remedied despite Steve's best efforts. I am trying to determine now if I should fix it a second time or consider just buying a new one. I hate to have to purchase a whole new unit right before our trip yet I am struggling with the good sense in dumping more money into the old girl if she just isn't fixable. I am trying not to sweat the small stuff, though.....its just a dryer.

Especially after this week's snow and ice storm, I must admit I can't WAIT for the warm breezes, bright sun, and lush greenery of Orlando. While the next 29 days are sure to pass by pretty quickly, they cannot pass by soon enough for me!!

I hope you are all set to enjoy a blessed Easter weekend with family and loved ones. Its a quiet one here (Jake works day shift at the residential facility ttoday, Saturday and Sunday, while Steve works his last three night shifts all three days) but we will mark the holiday on Monday with a grand feast at my Mom's. My brother and his crew will be there too, so it should be a loud but fun time for all.

So far, I have managed to keep all chocolate and treats completely out of the house, though the temptation to indulge in some Easter goodies has been a real killer for our sweet tooths! I just picture what our Aquatica pictures will look like and that's all the motivation I need to skip the sugar and head to aqua fit. Nothing like envisioning swimsuit photos to keep the willpower firmly in place! :rotfl:

Ahhh what a special treat from the vacation fairies! You guys were already going to have an amazing time but this is like the cherry on top!!! I can't wait to read all about your trip!!!

Speaking of Facebook, if any of my Dis friends want to also be Facebook friends, feel free to PM me for my last name (if you haven't already figured it out) and you can send me a friend request. I tend to post there a little more often than here on the Disboards while we are actually on vacation, so if you want more frequent updates and photos while we are away, Facebook is your best way to get 'em :) .

Gonna do! You're pretty awesome so I can imagine live updates/pics being even better!

PS: Did you see they did away with the Simpsons Couch Photo Op?? BOOO!
 





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