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

I love those Vistana pics. We so enjoyed our stay there in December 2014. I hope to be back one day. We were in Cascades and I don't think we even saw more than half the resort. It's so large with so many great areas! We were perfectly happy where we were but I do regret not at least walking and seeing more of the resort. It was bitterly cold that trip so a stroll wasn't in the cards.
 
The Vistana is looking lovely. We stayed at the Villages quite a few years ago now in a 2 br which was really nice, but with 3 of us it was too expensive for a 3 week stay.

Has your snow melted yet?

Sadly, we still have snow......and after yesterday, probably 30-40 mm of rain on top of it (so now its a slushy, wet, slippery mess). Temperatures are supposed to hover just above the freezing mark this weekend, though, so hopefully that will help get rid of a little more of it. Its a long process.......and never a quick one, LOL!

I love those Vistana pics. We so enjoyed our stay there in December 2014. I hope to be back one day. We were in Cascades and I don't think we even saw more than half the resort. It's so large with so many great areas! We were perfectly happy where we were but I do regret not at least walking and seeing more of the resort. It was bitterly cold that trip so a stroll wasn't in the cards.

You know, I've still never seen certain parts of the resort, even after all these stays. I've yet to see the Springs pool, for example. I hear there are some pretty waterfalls on the south side of the resort as well. One of these days, I want to rent one of their surrey bikes and go on tour for an hour.....I think it would be a great way to check out all the little nooks and crannies at SVR!
 
Sadly, we still have snow......and after yesterday, probably 30-40 mm of rain on top of it (so now its a slushy, wet, slippery mess). Temperatures are supposed to hover just above the freezing mark this weekend, though, so hopefully that will help get rid of a little more of it. Its a long process.......and never a quick one, LOL!
We had a very weird weather day yesterday too. Started out with huge snow flakes that came down hard from about 6am to noon. With some hail like stuff thrown it the middle. Then pouring rain and strong wind until well after 8pm. Due to the recent cold snap everything was frozen solid so all that rain just puddled up everywhere. I found out that I have a brand new swimming pool in my backyard.

Now this morning it's snowing hard again.
 
Yesterday was crazy here. We had some snow on Tuesday, then tornado warnings last night. What a crazy winter (although I guess I will take it over the normal "polar vortex" winter)

Great pictures as always!
 

We got snow! We got snow! It's a snow day here in the sunny south of Canada!
When I went to bed at midnight there was a green lawn out thereimage.jpeg
 
I love your pics of the Vistana! :lovestruc Maybe if we ever decide to stay off-site for one of our trips we can check it out :thumbsup2
 
We had a very weird weather day yesterday too. Started out with huge snow flakes that came down hard from about 6am to noon. With some hail like stuff thrown it the middle. Then pouring rain and strong wind until well after 8pm. Due to the recent cold snap everything was frozen solid so all that rain just puddled up everywhere. I found out that I have a brand new swimming pool in my backyard.

Now this morning it's snowing hard again.

Yesterday was crazy here. We had some snow on Tuesday, then tornado warnings last night. What a crazy winter (although I guess I will take it over the normal "polar vortex" winter)

Great pictures as always!

I hope you guys are getting sunshine today like we are. Its colder than the Arctic, mind you, but at least its bright and cheerful. The gloom of the last few days has been a real killer.

We got snow! We got snow! It's a snow day here in the sunny south of Canada!
When I went to bed at midnight there was a green lawn out thereView attachment 153039

I wish I could muster that same enthusiasm and excitement!! I look outside, see the muddy snow piles, and all I can do is muster a groan. I am crossing my fingers that we get the above-zero temps they are calling for later this weekend and the melt begins in earnest.

I love your pics of the Vistana! :lovestruc Maybe if we ever decide to stay off-site for one of our trips we can check it out :thumbsup2

Its a beautiful resort.......so lush and pretty. It always feels marvelously peaceful and quiet. I love the way they have designed walking paths throughout the entire property so you can stroll around and take in the atmosphere.

Love the pictures of the Vistana! :thumbsup2 We definitely want to stay there one day! ::yes::

I think you'd love it! :teeth:
 
My apologies, friends, for being lax on the updates lately. This week has been a killer for me at work (I work for two investment advisors, and this is the last week of RRSP season for us Canucks....the last day to contribute for the 2015 tax year is Monday, so this final part of the month has been CRAZY) plus I've had some meetings and other commitments in the evenings. It's been a bit stressful, to be honest, but I've muddled through and made it to Friday :teeth:.

This was so me yesterday afternoon:



My clothes dryer decided to start sounding like an angry bear this morning, so I had to call in the repair guy this afternoon. I was anticipating I'd be laundry appliance shopping this weekend.....my current set is around 10 years old and served me well thus far, but with their age I was wondering if a repair would be financially sensible or possible....but I'm happy to report she's working once again and quiet as a mouse. Including parts, labour, and tax, I'm only out of pocket $85 and heaving a big sigh of relief! I was thinking this was going to be one of those big financial disasters that always seem to crop up before a vacation, but so far, I think we dodged a bullet this time :thumbsup2 .

I am going to try and get an entry up this weekend which will finish off our accommodations for the May portion of our spring getaway. Stay tuned, I promise to be more chatty in the days to come!
 
Happy Friday! We made it!!! Those hot tubs look quite lovely right now! Even though we aren't going to Orlando in April, our days to our next vacation are similar to yours, so it is fun to count down with you. We hit 60 days officially today!
 
We hit 14 days officially at noon today (but who's counting :p). This time two weeks from now, we hope to be nestled into a hotel somewhere around Hagerstown MD.
 
It's uncanny but that hamster looks like the wizard's beard in your picture! :rolleyes1

Hope you are having a relax this weekend :goodvibes
 
Full size car trick.....actually any size car....
If all the luggage doesn't fit in the trunk use the front seat for bags and have 3 passengers sit in the back. Remember that the ride from the airport is reasonably short. We have even had carry on's sitting on the owners lap.

Okay I wish I had thought of this on our trip from Disney to Port Canaveral in November! We had a very cozy ride to the cruise terminal and of course I was the goober stuck with the garment bag in my lap....

I am going to try and get an entry up this weekend which will finish off our accommodations for the May portion of our spring getaway. Stay tuned, I promise to be more chatty in the days to come!

This week was a serious doozy. Glad it wasn't just me. Hope you enjoy your weekend!
 
Sorry to hear about the work stress, Gina. :hug: Hope you have a relaxing weekend ahead!

Our dryer decided to stop working this week too. Thank God my DH was able to fix it! Glad your dryer was an affordable fix as well. :goodvibes

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip! :thumbsup2
 
We hit 14 days officially at noon today (but who's counting :p). This time two weeks from now, we hope to be nestled into a hotel somewhere around Hagerstown MD.
Two weeks from now I will be wearing my shorts and heading to dinner at Beaches and Cream after a long hard day at the pool.
 
Happy Friday! We made it!!! Those hot tubs look quite lovely right now! Even though we aren't going to Orlando in April, our days to our next vacation are similar to yours, so it is fun to count down with you. We hit 60 days officially today!

Yay for the 60 day countdown! :banana: (well, 59 now.....so an even bigger yay! You've hit "The 50's"! :woohoo:). If you don't mind me being nosy, where are your vacation travels taking you this time?

We hit 14 days officially at noon today (but who's counting :p). This time two weeks from now, we hope to be nestled into a hotel somewhere around Hagerstown MD.

Lucky ducks! The last two weeks always FLY by ::yes:: . We will all be looking for a few "live updates from Orlando" while you're away. We want to see a selfie or two ;) .

It's uncanny but that hamster looks like the wizard's beard in your picture! :rolleyes1

Hope you are having a relax this weekend :goodvibes

Today was crazy busy (my Saturdays usually are), but tomorrow should be a tad less hectic. Sundays are always my favourite day of the week.

And.....the weatherman says we could see double-digits tomorrow! :cheer2: So maybe a little more of our snow will bite the dust, too :thumbsup2 . If it gets as warm as they say it will, I'll be heading out for a walk to soak up the fresh air while its still breathable (apparently we're headed back to the cold as the week progresses, so its an enjoy-it-while-it-lasts type day).

Okay I wish I had thought of this on our trip from Disney to Port Canaveral in November! We had a very cozy ride to the cruise terminal and of course I was the goober stuck with the garment bag in my lap....

This week was a serious doozy. Glad it wasn't just me. Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Ugh, sorry to hear you had a stressful one as well! I hope you are enjoying some R&R this weekend to recoup and recharge :thumbsup2 .

We have already informed the kids, if they opt to bring a carry on, plan to sit with it on their lap in the car (prepare them for the worst, hope for the best, right?). They are just so happy to be going, neither one of them minds the thought of that at all! Of course, that might change if we're all tired and cranky from no sleep the night prior :rotfl:. We'll just throw ourselves at Dollar's mercy at that point and plead for whatever upgrade then can sell us at that particular moment :car:.

Sorry to hear about the work stress, Gina. :hug: Hope you have a relaxing weekend ahead!

Our dryer decided to stop working this week too. Thank God my DH was able to fix it! Glad your dryer was an affordable fix as well. :goodvibes

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip! :thumbsup2

Well, it was certainly a bad week for dryers!! Yours makes the THIRD one this week that I've heard has had issues. If misery loves company, I guess we can all rest easy that we're not alone! Awesome that your hubby was able to fix yours. I suspect that saved you at least $85, if my repair bill is any sort of guideline.

If all goes as planned, another trip reporting entry should be posted sometime tomorrow! :)

Two weeks from now I will be wearing my shorts and heading to dinner at Beaches and Cream after a long hard day at the pool.

It's a tough, tough life you lead ;).

We can expect a few selfie pics from you, too, right? :teeth:
 
I have been a lurker for a while and I love your trip reports Gina! You have given me so many great ideas and tips for deals for our first trip to Orlando this winter. I just discovered this thread and read all 10 pages!

The foreign exchange definitely hurts so we will probably have to cut Discovery Cove. But my kids will only be 8 and 10 so I think we will probably have another trip to Orlando in us. I (I mean the kids) are super excited to go to Universal and compare DisneyWorld to Disneyland.pixiedust:

Sorry to hear about all the snow you guys are experiencing back east. I'm in Vancouver so we don't get the cold, but we have endured four months of rain (so far).:sad2:
 
I have been a lurker for a while and I love your trip reports Gina! You have given me so many great ideas and tips for deals for our first trip to Orlando this winter. I just discovered this thread and read all 10 pages!

The foreign exchange definitely hurts so we will probably have to cut Discovery Cove. But my kids will only be 8 and 10 so I think we will probably have another trip to Orlando in us. I (I mean the kids) are super excited to go to Universal and compare DisneyWorld to Disneyland.pixiedust:

Sorry to hear about all the snow you guys are experiencing back east. I'm in Vancouver so we don't get the cold, but we have endured four months of rain (so far).:sad2:

:welcome: Tmarmac! Glad to have you joining in :goodvibes .

Sorry to hear that DC is a casualty of the exchange rate :sad1: . Its tough to cut some of the splurges but yet, it's sometimes the responsible thing to do when the dollar is so low. I will keep my fingers crossed that Discovery Cove will be on your itinerary for a future trip.....its a most amazing experience, for sure!

So this is your first trip to Orlando? Very fun! :banana: Your kids are going to LOVE it....both Disney and Universal. Both offer such different experiences, so its cool you get to enjoy both on the same vacation!

We've actually not had a super terrible winter really, I'm just a complainer when it comes to the snow :blush: . I envy you guys in BC....your moderate winters are much more my style. At least you don't have to shovel the rain! (and its much less stressful to drive in .... do you guys even bother with snow tires like us Ontarians?)
 
Thanks Gina! It will be amazing and while we will need to make some adjustments to the plan I made when the dollar was at par, I'm sure we will be having too much fun to lament anything that got cut.

I used to have snow tires because I lived in between two ski hills in North Vancouver and we were so high we did get snow. Now we live closer to sea level so no snow tires needed! Strange to say I kind of miss shovelling snow - it was one of the rare times I got alone time!
 
It's a tough, tough life you lead ;).

We can expect a few selfie pics from you, too, right? :teeth:

I know..right? As usual I'll be taking one for the team.

Pics could be a possibility. I'm currently looking to purchase a new(used) IPhone so if I find one prior to the trip then I will be all over the selfies. My IPhone 4 :scared1: (yes I'm that far behind) takes really bad pics and is now acting wonky.


Anyone want to sell a 6 for a price that does not require a bank loan and government subsidy?
 














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