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

[ElenaJane]

We are trying DisneyLAND. I went a long time ago with my dad, but it was before I became theme park obsessed. Now I feel like we are making a trip to the Mother Land! We will be doing three full days in Anaheim, mainly DL and CA, but will also try our hand at flying a 737 one morning. http://flightdeck1.com/boeing-737/

It is so weird, planning a trip to DL vs WDW. The park hours are not even out yet!! I am used to making ADRs 180 days in advance. We thought about going to Universal in Hollywood also, but it is just so far when you factor in traffic. We will be going to Orlando though at the end of September for HHN! Our WDW annual passes and Universal premier passes expired last weekend. We did get 3 trips out of them. It was still pretty sad letting them go!! But I do think we will get them again in a year or two (if I can get my way!!).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

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 (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?

Jake has a 6+ . His term with Telus will be up in October, and he will be eligible to get another free phone. I'm already working on planting the idea in his head to gift his "old" phone to his most awesome mom or dad, both of whom are stuck in the dark ages with our 5c's. Of course, I may need to arm wrestle Steve for it .

We are trying DisneyLAND. I went a long time ago with my dad, but it was before I became theme park obsessed. Now I feel like we are making a trip to the Mother Land! We will be doing three full days in Anaheim, mainly DL and CA, but will also try our hand at flying a 737 one morning. http://flightdeck1.com/boeing-737/

It is so weird, planning a trip to DL vs WDW. The park hours are not even out yet!! I am used to making ADRs 180 days in advance. We thought about going to Universal in Hollywood also, but it is just so far when you factor in traffic. We will be going to Orlando though at the end of September for HHN! Our WDW annual passes and Universal premier passes expired last weekend. We did get 3 trips out of them. It was still pretty sad letting them go!! But I do think we will get them again in a year or two (if I can get my way!!).

What a cool trip! You must be so excited! It's fun to try something new and different every now and again.....it makes you appreciate your old favourites that much more .

You did well to get three trips out of your old AP's. I hear you on the sadness of letting them expire, though. I know we'll be a little misty-eyed when our Universal Premier AP's end on May 1st. Hopefully SW continues to offer theirs on a BOGO basis each Blue Friday, because I can totally see us keeping those ones long-term.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Accommodations, part 2:


Choosing a hotel for our extra two days in Orlando was a tough job, quite honestly. There are soooo many options, with so many variables: having too much choice often makes things worse than having only a limited selection to pick from!


When this vacation was originally booked as a trip for two, we made an initial reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn SeaWorld: we snagged an unrestricted rate of $79 a night for a king room, which we thought was an excellent value. This particular HGI is an official hotel of SeaWorld, so by staying there we would get the perks reserved for onsite guests such as free Quick Queue at SeaWorld. Knowing we would be putting our SW AP’s to good use on this trip, this hotel made perfect sense .


Then, our trip for two morphed into a trip for four and that king room was no longer going to cut it. We cancelled the Hilton Garden Inn and began researching a more suitable alternative. Since we needed to short-list our options somehow, we decided to narrow the scope of possibilities to within the SeaWorld area, knowing that at least a few of our final few days would be spent enjoying those parks.


Our wish list for these accommodations was pretty extensive:

- It must have a separate sleeping area for the kids (Steve is a snorer, so keeping him out of earshot from Jake and Sunshine was a must ).

- It must have free parking and free internet.

- It must have a pool and hot tub.

- There must be more than one TV in the room.

- It must be a good price (when all factors, such as resort fees, are added in).

- It would be super awesome if it included a great free breakfast, and some sort of a kitcheny area (fridge, microwave, etc.).


Yeah, we don’t ask for much!!


It took me a while, but I managed to come up with a GREAT rate at the Residence Inn SeaWorld. For $97.85 plus tax per night (a grand total of $220.16 USD, taxes inclusive) we snagged a one bedroom suite that covered every item on the wish-list AND had the added bonus of also being another one of SeaWorld’s official hotels.....so yay! Free Quick Queue for all of us on at least one of our SW park days! (at about $20 pp, per day, that's a decent savings on all its own!)


We really like Marriott’s RI properties in general: we have not been disappointed yet in the consistent quality and good value-inclusions that are part of the Residence Inns throughout North America. As an added point in their favour, we have stayed in this specific RI before, back on our Christmas 2012 trip: so we know exactly what to expect.








The hotel has a rather nice “homey” feel to it, with lots of rocking chairs scattered about if you just want to kick back and relax while breathing in some of that fresh Florida air.





They also have a lovely outdoor patio and courtyard if you wish to enjoy a meal or beverage in the open air. They even have some decent gas grills if you wanted to enjoy an affordable meal in.














The recreational amenities are quite good for the price point, too. There’s a great sport court where the boys can enjoy a game of 1-on-1:





The pool is on the smaller side, but adequate enough for a two-night stay.











The hot tub there was really quite large, too....and since this is generally the place we like to spend our evenings, a big ol’ hot tub is probably even more important to us for a short stay than the pool.




(LOL....my boys, 3.5 years and a few pounds ago!!)


Now, it’s not the Vistana by any stretch, but it’s going to more than suit our needs for a two-night add-on. Considering it was less for two nights at the Residence Inn than one night at the SVR, plus we get to enjoy a (very excellent) free breakfast buffet and free Quick Queue on top of the savings, staying here was a no-brainer . We enjoyed it very much on our Christmas stay a few years back (comfy and clean rooms, great staff, surprisingly expansive breakfast buffet), so we are hoping we will be equally impressed again this time.







My biggest disappointment? No in-suite laundry....which means we'll be coming home with dirty clothes. Sometime, though, a sacrifice is called for.

55 days to go!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Jake has a 6+ . His term with Telus will be up in October, and he will be eligible to get another free phone. I'm already working on planting the idea in his head to gift his "old" phone to his most awesome mom or dad, both of whom are stuck in the dark ages with our 5c's. Of course, I may need to arm wrestle Steve for it .

I have an IPhone 4....not a 4S or a 5 or a 5S/C. I'm 5 models behind so who's in the dark ages? I can no longer update the iOS, my screen lags and the battery lasts about half a day.

I have a pretty good idea that one of you will get that 6+.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Nice! I've looked at that Residence Inn a few times, will have to keep it on the list. We've stayed at them up here and never been disappointed.

Soooo....what is your secret for sleeping with Steve in the room if he is a snorer? Asking for a friend

 

[ElenaJane]

How can a Residence Inn not have laundry facilities?! On our week long trips, we also like to do laundry towards the end. I swear the suitcase feels lighter when the clothes are clean! The grounds of the Residence Inn look beautiful! The Residence Inn in my town is nothing you would want to photograph! I never knew the about the QQ deal if staying at a SW resort. Cool perk! Though I think the EP at the Universal Resorts are my favorite perk. But the cheapest room at the RPH is still not cheap!

I love the Blue Friday deals!! That's how we got our awesome DC passes....which we loved! I got to see my three favorite animals all in one day, a Sloth, an Anteater and an Armadillo. My head almost exploded. Here is the Sloth hamming it up for the camera.

We still have our Busch Gardens APs. We have Williamsburg's BG's Platinum Pass which offers admission to Williamsburg, but also Sea World and all the other BGs! We won't be letting those go any time soon!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I have an IPhone 4....not a 4S or a 5 or a 5S/C. I'm 5 models behind so who's in the dark ages? I can no longer update the iOS, my screen lags and the battery lasts about half a day.

I have a pretty good idea that one of you will get that 6+.

Yeah, I am pretty sure Jake's "old" phone will end up as the Big Guy's "new" phone. Steve has worse eyesight than I do, and struggles with the smaller screen on the 5c. So much as I would have more FUN with the 6+ (for the picture quality alone....the camera on the 6+ is incredible!), he needs that mega screen worse than I need a fancier phone camera.

Jake's good about spreading the wealth with his old cast-offs. He tells us all the time how appreciative he is for everything we did for him as a kid (rep ice hockey/inline hockey/ball hockey, rep basketball, baseball, soccer, etc.) and how we have supported him (financially and otherwise) throughout his college years. He keeps telling us how much he looks forward to being able to "repay" us in some way. I know when the time comes, it will give him a lot of satisfaction to pass down his old technology. He often wonders how we make it through life with such archaic hardware, LOL!

Nice! I've looked at that Residence Inn a few times, will have to keep it on the list. We've stayed at them up here and never been disappointed.

Soooo....what is your secret for sleeping with Steve in the room if he is a snorer? Asking for a friend

24 years of practice?

That, and there are certain places of the body where you can nudge or kick with a moderate amount of firmness that motivates a person to roll over and sleep a little more....silently . The trick is to nudge hard enough to initiate the repositioning but not so hard as to wake the bear from his slumber. It's a science .

How can a Residence Inn not have laundry facilities?! On our week long trips, we also like to do laundry towards the end. I swear the suitcase feels lighter when the clothes are clean! The grounds of the Residence Inn look beautiful! The Residence Inn in my town is nothing you would want to photograph! I never knew the about the QQ deal if staying at a SW resort. Cool perk! Though I think the EP at the Universal Resorts are my favorite perk. But the cheapest room at the RPH is still not cheap!

I love the Blue Friday deals!! That's how we got our awesome DC passes....which we loved! I got to see my three favorite animals all in one day, a Sloth, an Anteater and an Armadillo. My head almost exploded. Here is the Sloth hamming it up for the camera.

We still have our Busch Gardens APs. We have Williamsburg's BG's Platinum Pass which offers admission to Williamsburg, but also Sea World and all the other BGs! We won't be letting those go any time soon!

The RI does indeed have laundry facilities (and lots of 'em....18 washers and 16 dryers, if I remember correctly) but they're all on the first floor. I'm spoiled with having a washer and dryer in our villa, and always hate the thoughts of dragging everything downstairs with a handful of quarters in tow. LOL, that makes me sound rather lazy, doesn't it?

Love the picture of you and the sloth.....what an engaging little fellow. He seems to know he's the star .

 

[dancin Disney style]

24 years of practice?

That, and there are certain places of the body where you can nudge or kick with a moderate amount of firmness that motivates a person to roll over and sleep a little more....silently . The trick is to nudge hard enough to initiate the repositioning but not so hard as to wake the bear from his slumber. It's a science .

I like the elbow to the back of the head. Mine snores no matter how he's lying.....both sides and back. The latest game in town is turning to face me and snore right in MY FACE. I've been begging for years for him to go to the Dr. and do something about it. He claims that he doesn't snore but the bags under my eyes say otherwise.

Why is it that the person that snores falls asleep first?

 

[vrajewski10513]

Wow, thats a great deal for a one bedroom suite! The added bonus of the free Quick Queue is the icing on the cake. The hotel looks really nice as well from your older pictures.

 

[Lynne G]

Nice. We enjoyed our time at that Residence Inn too. Was going to stay there again, but we're going to try the SpringHill Suites this time. Since about the same price, we thought, maybe not as nice a grounds, we spent little time at the resort, and enjoy a free breakfast and the free quick que. Both are very very close to the three parks.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I like the elbow to the back of the head. Mine snores no matter how he's lying.....both sides and back. The latest game in town is turning to face me and snore right in MY FACE. I've been begging for years for him to go to the Dr. and do something about it. He claims that he doesn't snore but the bags under my eyes say otherwise.

Why is it that the person that snores falls asleep first?

Definitely one of the mysteries of the universe.

Wow, thats a great deal for a one bedroom suite! The added bonus of the free Quick Queue is the icing on the cake. The hotel looks really nice as well from your older pictures.

The free Quick Queue makes it a real steal. I just looked up the QQ prices for the dates of our stay, and its $29 pp. That means that one night in the suite (which includes the buffet breakfast in addition to the quick queue) is actually cheaper than the price of Quick Queue alone. Awesome!

Nice. We enjoyed our time at that Residence Inn too. Was going to stay there again, but we're going to try the SpringHill Suites this time. Since about the same price, we thought, maybe not as nice a grounds, we spent little time at the resort, and enjoy a free breakfast and the free quick que. Both are very very close to the three parks.

I actually looked up rates at all of the other official hotels first, in an effort to try something new. For whatever reason, nothing else could come close to the RI price ..... so as much as I wanted to dare-to-be-different, we couldn't ignore the savings. I agree with you....the proximity to the SW parks is simply awesome! Its nice to be so close to the hotel at the end of a long and busy day.

 

[Monykalyn]

I like the elbow to the back of the head. Mine snores no matter how he's lying.....both sides and back. The latest game in town is turning to face me and snore right in MY FACE. I've been begging for years for him to go to the Dr. and do something about it. He claims that he doesn't snore but the bags under my eyes say otherwise.

Why is it that the person that snores falls asleep first?

Breathe right strips (for the DH) and ear plugs for me...took some trial and error finding plugs i liked but I can't sleep without them now. Nice for traveling too.

Gina getting so close now!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Breathe right strips (for the DH) and ear plugs for me...took some trial and error finding plugs i liked but I can't sleep without them now. Nice for traveling too.

Gina getting so close now!

Yep, tried the Breath Rights. They help a little but he still snores. I always travel with ear plugs because I've got about a 65% guarantee of noisy hotel neighbours. At home though, I prefer to be able to hear my kids come home at night.

 

[pigletto]

Another earplug sleeper here. Dh isn't too bad for snoring , but I've always been a light sleeper and dd18 stomps around the house until the wee hours when she's home. At least I stay asleep once I fall asleep with the earplugs.
That's a great rate you got for the RI Gina. Good job! It looks like a good property and the added benefits for SeaWorld will be fabulous.
We just hit the 60 day mark for our trip and everyone is really excited! I am already plotting the next one, which will likely be a surprise for the kids . I am thinking I will buy the Universal tickets for that one today to have it out of the way while the exchange rate is up a little. I think the focus on that surprise trip will be Universal and we will upgrade to Power Passes, a day or two at Aquatica if the temperatures cooperate, and other offsite attractions like maybe Tussaud's/Eye/Sealife Aquarium.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Breathe right strips (for the DH) and ear plugs for me...took some trial and error finding plugs i liked but I can't sleep without them now. Nice for traveling too.

Gina getting so close now!

I know!!! I was thinking last night.....I have to get back to re-focusing on the tasks at hand. I have let the trip planning slip quite a bit during the latter part of RRSP season here at work, but now that that's over, its full steam ahead to April. We have been sprinkled with a little extra pixie dust lately, which has changed a few of the original plans up a bit (in very nice ways)....so I will try and post a little more on that later today.

Yep, tried the Breath Rights. They help a little but he still snores. I always travel with ear plugs because I've got about a 65% guarantee of noisy hotel neighbours. At home though, I prefer to be able to hear my kids come home at night.

Yeah, they didn't do much for Steve's nightly nose noises either. We tried them a few trips back (for Jake's sleeping sake, not mine!) but alas, they weren't nearly as effective as I had hoped.

Another earplug sleeper here. Dh isn't too bad for snoring , but I've always been a light sleeper and dd18 stomps around the house until the wee hours when she's home. At least I stay asleep once I fall asleep with the earplugs.
That's a great rate you got for the RI Gina. Good job! It looks like a good property and the added benefits for SeaWorld will be fabulous.
We just hit the 60 day mark for our trip and everyone is really excited! I am already plotting the next one, which will likely be a surprise for the kids . I am thinking I will buy the Universal tickets for that one today to have it out of the way while the exchange rate is up a little. I think the focus on that surprise trip will be Universal and we will upgrade to Power Passes, a day or two at Aquatica if the temperatures cooperate, and other offsite attractions like maybe Tussaud's/Eye/Sealife Aquarium.

I think you'd really like the Merlin trio of attractions......its a great value at $39 pp. Skeletons: Animals Unveiled is also a very worthwhile attraction (and also in the same complex), and I've seen it on Groupon at least a few times, so its worth keeping an eye out for. When would your surprise trip be (tentatively, of course) scheduled for?

I'm a little bit excited to see our dollar nudging up a teeny tiny bit. While it still has miles to go, at least its finally going in the right direction. Many economic predictions seem to suggest its going to still slide backwards again though, so I think you're wise to buy those Uni tickets now just in case.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not only thinking of the trip on the horizon, but also the one after that . In many ways, I am harboring the same level of excitement for October as I am the one in April! Probably a bad thing when that trip is still seven and a half months away . Settle down, Gina!!

 

[Vestmama4]

I've finally caught up (life's been busy in my house.) Loving all your plans so far and it is so nice to read about your "pixie dust sprinkles." Warms my heart. It looks like you will have a fantastic trip!
I am another fan of 1900 Park Fare (but I also love Cape May, so maybe keep that on your radar in the future.) The character interaction at 1900 is great and I love Mary and the Mad Hatter. I try to have something planned to ask the characters to make the interaction more fun (I don't make them up- I usually look online and get great ideas.) My kids love when I do this. The characters are always on it and play right along with us.
My girls went to an Alice and Mad Hatter tea party this past Christmas at the Floridian. Afterwards we walked to the Poly along the water. We passed the wedding chapel (which was fun to see and we took pictures) and then got a Dole Whip once at the Poly. Where you get the Dole Whip is outside and so we took ours to the beach and sat on the swings there. It was perfect and so relaxing. We also rode the monorail that day- super fun.

 

[pigletto]

I know!!! I was thinking last night.....I have to get back to re-focusing on the tasks at hand. I have let the trip planning slip quite a bit during the latter part of RRSP season here at work, but now that that's over, its full steam ahead to April. We have been sprinkled with a little extra pixie dust lately, which has changed a few of the original plans up a bit (in very nice ways)....so I will try and post a little more on that later today.



Yeah, they didn't do much for Steve's nightly nose noises either. We tried them a few trips back (for Jake's sleeping sake, not mine!) but alas, they weren't nearly as effective as I had hoped.



I think you'd really like the Merlin trio of attractions......its a great value at $39 pp. Skeletons: Animals Unveiled is also a very worthwhile attraction (and also in the same complex), and I've seen it on Groupon at least a few times, so its worth keeping an eye out for. When would your surprise trip be (tentatively, of course) scheduled for?

I'm a little bit excited to see our dollar nudging up a teeny tiny bit. While it still has miles to go, at least its finally going in the right direction. Many economic predictions seem to suggest its going to still slide backwards again though, so I think you're wise to buy those Uni tickets now just in case.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not only thinking of the trip on the horizon, but also the one after that . In many ways, I am harboring the same level of excitement for October as I am the one in April! Probably a bad thing when that trip is still seven and a half months away . Settle down, Gina!!

No don't settle down Gina! You make me feel normal when you plan two trips at once .
I did it! I bought the Buy2 Get 1 Park to Park tickets from Undercover Tourist this morning! Even with exchange and credit card fee it was preferable to buy them from UT than any Canadian sources. We'll upgrade them to power passes when there.

The plan at this point it to make this a Christmas surprise. The tickets are the kids big present. We would drive this time, leaving sometime around the 12/28. So we would be in Orlando from December 30th until the 7th. I wouldn't even attempt to set foot in any park until the weekend was over. I still expect it to be busy after that, but not unmanageable as many people go back to school/work on the 3rd. We will do a few offsite attractions, a day at Aquatica hopefully, and then a few days at Universal toward the end of the week. I will turn those tickets into powerpasses as we leave and the plan will be to return one more time in 2017 for a Universal trip.

And we are most certainly staying offsite. I'm going to try to get the Vistana for a decent rate (though decent is relative when talking about that time of year) and we may do one night onsite at Universal for the front of the line benefits.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So, with yet another winter storm bearing down on our little corner of Ontario (actually, a BIG stretch of the province.....I am sure many of my fellow Canucks on this thread will also be buried by this time tomorrow).....I am sitting at my desk, in the afterglow of another RRSP season come and gone (can I hear a hallelujah from the crowd? ) and dreaming of Florida .

Over the course of the craziness of the last week, I (make that, "we") have been once again wonderfully blessed by a dear friend who wished to make our upcoming vacation a little extra special. I had several days last week that were particularly challenging.....I had some issues crop up with a loved one that was putting a real burden of worry on my heart, and I was so busy at the office that I felt like I might totally come unraveled. By the time I arrived home from work, most days I had barely enough brain cells left to even figure out what to cook for dinner. Eventually, I'd get the chance to check my emails, and every so often (usually on one of those days where I wasn't sure if I had reached the point of laughing or crying or just turning to chocolate for moral support) there'd be a little surprise waiting from this very dear friend: each time it was something specifically for our upcoming vacation. In almost every case, it was something I would have wanted to do in "normal" circumstances but likely would have skipped with the current state of our dollar. Every gesture was very personal and given with such kindness that they made my heart sing and my eyes overflow all at the same time. Every single thing made us feel very loved and am still struggling at how to properly to say thank you for such undeserved and unexpected generosity. I now know what having a fairy godmother must feel like.....it was as if I was celebrating my birthday multiple times in one week.

While I have tried to properly convey my appreciation to this wonderful and beautiful soul, I know that no words can ever properly say thank you. Just knowing she was there for me to vent when I needed her (which was a lot this past week!) was gift enough. These little blessings sprinkled here and there to make me smile were just.....well, I don't know what the word is. Let's just say there are angels among us. And I will be working extra, extra hard to pay forward all these blessings. Perhaps that's the greatest lesson or message to take out of all that goodness: spread all those sunshine and smiles around. The world needs more goodness .

Of course, this means I need to revamp some of our original plans.....but for fun reasons rather than discouraging ones (which is usually why the plans get sent back to the drawing board.....for things like unexpected car repairs and appliances that go kaplooie at the completely wrong times!). We will be adding a few wish-list dining experiences into the mix (Margaritaville, TGI Fridays, and woohoo! Breakfast at Sweet Tomatoes) and a couple of fun activities we weren't expecting, too . Over the next few days, I am going to be reviewing the itinerary and making the adjustments to the plans. As Jake so succinctly put it, "this trip is shaping up to be rather epic ". Yes, indeed.


We are doubly excited and blessed for the extra inclusions as Sunshine gets to enjoy them all, too! She is getting so incredibly excited as the days tick by, and I simply cannot WAIT to introduce her to "our" Orlando!! I love her adorable enthusiasm, she is just a joy to be planning with . I called Disney Dining the other day to add her birthday to our character breakfast reservation, and have put a reminder in my phone to order her a cake from Carlos' Bakery the week before we go. What I haven't been able to figure out is what to get her for a birthday gift (and before you say "the trip is the gift!", I still want to get her something besides a cake....she deserves it ). I can't really buy her clothes (different body types and a much younger taste!), so I'm wiffle-waffling between a card with some US cash inside so she can indulge a little more while shopping at the outlets, or an extra experience I know she would enjoy. The cash seems kind of impersonal, but the extra experience would end up being for all of us (so would that feel personal enough either? Even if its something she specifically has mentioned she wanted to do?). At any rate, I'm still pondering that one. I am sure the right answer will come to me eventually!!

So at 53 days to go I am enjoying being able to catch my breath again and resume over-planning, over-thinking, and getting over-excited. For anyone in the north that's expecting the same storm that has started here, stay safe!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I've finally caught up (life's been busy in my house.) Loving all your plans so far and it is so nice to read about your "pixie dust sprinkles." Warms my heart. It looks like you will have a fantastic trip!
I am another fan of 1900 Park Fare (but I also love Cape May, so maybe keep that on your radar in the future.) The character interaction at 1900 is great and I love Mary and the Mad Hatter. I try to have something planned to ask the characters to make the interaction more fun (I don't make them up- I usually look online and get great ideas.) My kids love when I do this. The characters are always on it and play right along with us.
My girls went to an Alice and Mad Hatter tea party this past Christmas at the Floridian. Afterwards we walked to the Poly along the water. We passed the wedding chapel (which was fun to see and we took pictures) and then got a Dole Whip once at the Poly. Where you get the Dole Whip is outside and so we took ours to the beach and sat on the swings there. It was perfect and so relaxing. We also rode the monorail that day- super fun.

That's a great suggestion for the character interaction.......I never thought of looking online for some ideas of what to talk about. Of course, Sunshine is very social so I am sure she won't have a problem finding something to say ....she is definitely not shy. I would like to think of something that we could bring to the breakfast to have signed....something she could keep. Maybe a t-shirt? Do you think that it would be cumbersome to have at the table?

I am guessing we'll do something similar in regards to taking a walk around the resorts. That's a down day for us, so we'll have lots of time to relax and poke around. I didn't even know they had a wedding chapel at the Poly! Wouldn't that scare the crap out of Sunshine's parents....a picture of Sunshine and Jake holding hands in the chapel, with the caption "wish you were here" or "what happens in Florida, stays in Florida" ? (yeah, I have a warped sense of humour )

No don't settle down Gina! You make me feel normal when you plan two trips at once .
I did it! I bought the Buy2 Get 1 Park to Park tickets from Undercover Tourist this morning! Even with exchange and credit card fee it was preferable to buy them from UT than any Canadian sources. We'll upgrade them to power passes when there.

The plan at this point it to make this a Christmas surprise. The tickets are the kids big present. We would drive this time, leaving sometime around the 12/28. So we would be in Orlando from December 30th until the 7th. I wouldn't even attempt to set foot in any park until the weekend was over. I still expect it to be busy after that, but not unmanageable as many people go back to school/work on the 3rd. We will do a few offsite attractions, a day at Aquatica hopefully, and then a few days at Universal toward the end of the week. I will turn those tickets into powerpasses as we leave and the plan will be to return one more time in 2017 for a Universal trip.

And we are most certainly staying offsite. I'm going to try to get the Vistana for a decent rate (though decent is relative when talking about that time of year) and we may do one night onsite at Universal for the front of the line benefits.

You're in bad, bad shape if you are using me as a measurement of normalcy .

Lucky you on a Christmas trip, your kids will be over the moon! If I happen to see a great rate on SVR, I will be sure to let you know. Have you thought about looking at the TUG Marketplace for rental listings? You might be able to get a week from an owner at a reasonable rate (just for the amount of their maintenance fees), but that week will probably fill quite quickly so you would want to check that out sooner rather than later.

One of the things I love about the kids getting older is that you can do these experiences in lieu of traditional holiday gift givings. Kind of makes seeing their childhoods ending a little easier to bear .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Once again it is lovely to hear that you have been blessed. You thoroughly deserve it and I think your openness, friendliness and generous spirit are evident when joining you in your trip reports. Enjoy!!