We'll have joy, we'll have fun, we'll have Christmas in the sun...TR Complete!

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thursday, December 27th.

After some busy, busy, busy days taking in the various sights and attractions of Orlando, we had promised the boy a morning of shopping at the Florida Mall. In an effort to avoid a parking nightmare in the after-Christmas crowds, we opted to get up early enough to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and still make it to the mall just prior to opening. And success! We did it. We arrived about 20 minutes before the stores opened up, allowing us to get a prime parking space right outside the food court entrance.

What can I say about our morning of shopping? It was successful. Nothing like a little retail therapy to kick start the day!

We really like the Florida Mall........it has all the stores the kiddo likes (and doesn’t have back home) like Champs and Hollister. He had dutifully set aside a nice sum of his own money to ensure he had ample cash available for his purchases, so we walked and shopped and just enjoyed a leisurely morning. We didn’t find a huge amount of “deals”, per se, but the selection of items was great and we got everything we went for.

No Florida Mall trip is complete without a stop at M & M World:

The boy and his mall haul, including the NCAA hoodie and his new toque. Who the heck goes to Florida and buys a toque, anyway?

With the shopping drive satisfied, we grabbed some lunch at Cici’s (a favourite of my fellows) and then decided to enjoy a round of mini golf in under the glorious sunny skies of the early afternoon. It was off to the nearby Hawaiian Rumble, a picturesque course on the south end of International Drive.

We had pre-purchased a Groupon for this location, so the costs were covered upon our arrival. With score card and pencil in hand, clubs selected, and ball colours chosen, we were soon on the green. And oh, so green it was.........this is a pretty course to golf, and just challenging enough to be fun AND competitive (and yes, we are VERY competitive.......there are bragging rights on the line, you know).

Now, let me explain (for those that have not had the benefit of reading my previous trip reports) that mini golf is a staple of every family vacation. The boys LOVE it. I tolerate it. I’m not really that good at it, and quite frankly, I don’t care that I’m not good at it. But because the guys love it, I play along (pardon the pun) and am the happy-go-lucky between my two serious, highly intense professionals. I am well known for taking six shots to accomplish a par 2 .

Well, I have no idea what happened on this particular day, but I was good. Really, really good. Like simply amazing on my first 9 holes. I was shocked, the boys were stunned.......and ya know what happened? It was certainly a Christmas miracle, for I won my first game of mini golf, EVER . For all the skeptics out there, let me assure you that the victory was by a healthy margin, no less. The boys were left speechless. And Steve insisted on a photo with the score card to commemorate the occasion, because it may never happen again during the course of my lifetime.

Musta been the pink ball.

With our Cici’s meal successfully golfed off, and the boys sufficiently embarrased by my golfing amazingness, we loaded into the truck and headed to SeaWorld..........we were excited to have reservations for dinner later that evening for Dine With Shamu . It was a good thing we packed our patience, because we were going to need it...........the Christmas crowds had hit the park!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Arriving at SeaWorld about 2:45 in the afternoon, we were not surprised to see the parking lot packed to the gills. After hearing multiple reports that Magic Kingdom had been experiencing daily stage closures of various levels since Christmas Eve Day, we figured it was just a matter of time before the excessive crowds also caught up with the SeaWorld parks. We had a voucher for preferred parking, and it wasn’t available when we arrived. We couldn’t even get standard parking in the lot, and we were redirected by park staff to the overflow parking area across the street, adjacent to the Renaissance hotel. We ended up finding a space WAY back, past the Renaissance pool/waterpark area, so a lengthy walk to the front gates was in our future. A tram was supposedly running to shuttle guests to the park entrance, but it was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, police were on hand to ensure visitors were able to cross the street safely and keep order among the chaos.

We redeemed our Quick Queue vouchers at the Information Desk, and were on our way.


Our plan for park activities today was……to have no plan. Other than Dine With Shamu, our time at SeaWorld was wide open. I had thought that they boys might want to ride some more, but after a full day of activities on Christmas and a busy morning of shopping and golfing, they were much more interested in just strolling around the park and soaking up the atmosphere. Note that they did attempt to ride Manta on arrival, and after being seated and belted in for the next ride, the coaster experienced technical difficulties and was shut down for an extended period. Ah well, it happens.

We took a look at the park map to see what we had missed on our Christmas day visit, and decided to tour the Christmas Market.

It was blissfully quiet in here........

.........so we took some photos and then decided to enjoy a holiday beverage.

Jake selected white chocolate hot chocolate, while Steve opted for a Reindeer Shirley Temple. I got to share with both, and let me tell you, they were yummy!

We moved on to the game play area, which is always an appeal to my fellows. After paying out of pocket for a few different games, we opted to purchase one of their cards for $20 that gave us $25 worth of games (should have done that initially…..d’oh!). The guys had a blast showing off their talents and in no time had won us an armload full of prizes. And I mean an armload!!! Things became rather cumbersome to carry, so we strolled over to the Polar Express gift shop and a wonderful staff member gave us a big brown bag with handles to help carry our winnings. She laughed at the abundance of items and joked that we could come back and see here when we needed bag #2 .

Having amassed enough stuffed toys for a dozen kids (what were we going to do with them all, anyway?!?!?) and the afternoon sun getting low in the sky, we decided to go in search of the Dine With Shamu area.

We were captivated by the underwater viewing area, and had a wonderful time just watching those majestic creatures swim leisurely in front of the glass. We remarked that they almost seemed to know they were being watched and admired. Gorgeous.

It wasn’t long before it was time to check in for our 5:30 reservations. We were assigned table 17 (which was dead centre of the pool, right along the glass) and had our complimentary photo taken by the DWS photographer. Then we were off to be seated, and ready for dinner to begin!

Oh Jake, you try to be such a toughie.....but your Mama knows you better than that .

Up next.........a full review of Dine With Shamu!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Not long after being seated by a greeter, our very bubbly server came over to introduce herself and get our drink order and explain how the Dine With Shamu worked (what drinks were included, when the whales would come out with the trainers, what dishes were on the buffet, etc.). It wasn’t long before our requested beverages were delivered in big glasses with lots of ice.

We joined the masses of people in line for the buffet (apparently everyone was very hungry!). We found the food selection to be excellent (even Jake, our super-picky eater, found lots to enjoy…..even the fish!), the quality was great, and everything was piping hot. The buffet area, though, was rather narrow and seemed to get pretty congested at times, particularly with lots of young kids running amok with full plates.

While the whales were released into the Dine With Shamu pool immediately following the conclusion of One Ocean, we had ample time to enjoy a good portion of our meal (and make an extra trip up to the buffet for a refill) before the whales and trainers began their show. Darkness fell, the lights came on, and the whales did not disappoint.

The “show” was part information, part acrobatics, part “let us show you how smart these animals are”. There was a very big emphasis on our role and in preserving the environment, which I thought was great. The whales themselves made appearances in all areas of the pool, so it didn’t matter where you sat….you were going to get a great view of what they were doing (and the trainers were awesome to say “Kayla is going to make a big splash in just a second on the left side of the pool, so get your cameras ready!”).

While some folks were still dining when the show concluded, we had more than had our fill and packed up our things (the family photo had been delivered to us part way through the meal). Now well into the evening, the air had cooled considerably and we were starting to shiver in the chill despite our sweaters. Did we want to stick around and take in some shows? Rides some rides? After a little contemplation (okay, not much!) we opted to ditch the holiday crowds and return to the resort for some vacation R&R. The hot tub was beckoning!

Not to mention, we had good reason to respect a decent bedtime that evening. We would be up bright and early tomorrow for our “Disney Day” (though admittedly, there would be no park visit……not in the Christmas masses ). We had breakfast reservations with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch at Ohana. It’s a family favourite we were super excited to repeat!

 

[LindaBabe]

SO glad I stumbled on your trip report - you guys are FUN!

I have an idea what you can do with your swag on your next trip - because I just know your boys are going to win you some! "Give kids the world" down the road behind walmart on 192 would just LOVE to have all those toys for the Make a wish kids.

Can't wait for your next installment

 

[reelmom]

So.........for all you reading along, it turns out that Glennie5's husband and my husband did, in fact, go to elementary school together (and its a tiny little elementary school in a small town....what were the chances of THAT?).

If you need either one of us this evening, we'll be sitting in our respective living rooms (which are only a few miles apart), each humming "Its A Small World After All"!

That is so awesome!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

SO glad I stumbled on your trip report - you guys are FUN!

I have an idea what you can do with your swag on your next trip - because I just know your boys are going to win you some! "Give kids the world" down the road behind walmart on 192 would just LOVE to have all those toys for the Make a wish kids.

Can't wait for your next installment

Well, thank you, LindaBabe! LOL, I have been described as strange, odd, and a little off the wall, but FUN is a first! You made my day!

What an awesome idea you had.....I never would have thought about donating those prizes to Give Kids the World. We will *definitely* keep that in mind for the next trip!!! (speaking of which, I am longing to book a "next trip"......I am having vacation planning withdrawal in the most painful way.... )

That is so awesome!

Isn't it, though?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Friday, December 28th……our “Disney Day” had arrived!

I rallied the troops fairly early in the morning. Happily, they were not hard to rouse…..they were as excited as I was for our morning plans. Our character breakfast at the Polynesian was actually THEIR idea, plucked from both their “vacation wish lists” when we were planning our Christmas getaway. We had done this meal at Ohana on our Disney trip in 2009, so it held fond memories for us all. We celebrated a little when I was able to snag a reservation for us during the super busy Christmas week, even well after the 180-day mark had passed.

So…..we were up, dressed, and out the door, into the glorious sunshine. The GPS said it was a 15 minute drive. We allowed over an hour to get there.

And thankfully so. Shortly after departing our I-Drive location and heading toward Disney property, we descended into traffic hell.

Oh. My. God. Thousands of cars jammed the road. We crawled along at a snail’s pace. The closer we got to Magic Kingdom, the worse it became. We fretted that we would never make it in time for our reservation. You can imagine our relief when we finally reached this:

We pulled into a parking space at the Polynesian a whole 3 minutes before our reservation time. One brief stop for a “hey, we made it!” photo before we sprinted into the building.

There was a bit of a line up to check in, but the staff didn’t seem to worried that we were a few minutes beyond 9:40. They gave us a pager, then had our family photo taken. We didn’t have to wait long until our pager went off to notify us that they were ready to seat us……..perhaps 5 minutes or so. And it was a good thing, too…..’cause my boys were ready to chew the legs off the chairs.

We were given a great table right by the window. We could see the Grand Floridian from our seats, and that magical castle we all know and love:

First came the POG juice……pomegranate, orange and guava…….that Jake remembered so fondly. I think, over the course of the meal, our server refilled his glass at least six times. Thank goodness its good for him.

Next came the bread, then the fruit (which was sooooooo good……their fresh pineapple is the absolute best). Jake waited patiently (okay, not so patiently) for the “good stuff”. With that yummy smell in the air, I could hear his belly rumbling away.

And then it arrived. This photo makes me laugh right out loud. It makes me think of the king and his feast.

So, we dined. And the characters started to come, entertaining as always. Stitch was picking boogers from his nose and wiping them on the various guests. Mickey gave me a big smootch. Lilo was sweet as always. And Pluto…well, he was his normal rascally self.

More to come!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The potatoes and meats were a huge hit with the guys, so we ordered a refill on those. We also received a complimentary sampling of their “lighter fare” menu items at no cost, as they were looking for feedback (good and bad) on the various items they were introducing. Unfortunately, most of that came out cold so we couldn’t say much positive about it. Steve did enjoy the grilled veggies.

This meal was a ton of fun, the food was fabulous, the characters were engaging, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely once again. If I can fault the experience at all, its that our server was complete overkill on the “cousin” theming. While it was nice to be greeted as “cousins” upon arriving, virtually every statement she uttered for the entire meal ended with the same word. Where are you from, cousins? Do you have snow at home, cousins? It is your first time here, cousins? Do you want more juice, cousin? Can I refill your coffee, cousin? Have you seen all the characters yet, cousins? While she was super efficient and wonderful otherwise…………the “cousin” needed to be pared back, at least a smidge. Jake laughed near the end of the meal that he was afraid to ask for more to drink, because if he hear the word cousin one more time, his head might explode.

We covered the bill, gathered our things, and rolled our bloated bellies out the door of O’hana. Before heading back into that silly traffic, we did a little tour of the Poly, as it’s just too pretty not to stay and enjoy a little, particularly when it’s all dressed up for the holiday season. Some photos of the atrium:

I love the theming here. If we were ever going to do a Disney deluxe, this is where we would stay, hands down.

And some pics of the outside (taken after our meal, since we had no time to stop and admire the scenery due to our traffic woes and tardy arrival):

Comin’ up……..a little more shopping. And our adventures at Downtown Disney. 'Cause this is our DISNEY DAY, remember?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Following our fantastic breakfast, we felt refueled and ready to take on the Orlando holiday traffic. We opted to head to the Premium Outlets on International Drive for another dose of retail therapy. 30,000 other folks apparently had the same idea . I think all those people who were turned away at Magic Kingdom decided to go shopping instead.

We parked at the Festival Bay mall and walked up to the outlets. It was a short walk (which we definitely needed after all that bacon!), and I can guarantee you that we made it there before all the cars in line did. And we actually FOUND a space at the far end of the Festival Bay lot (closest to the outlet mall). I am guessing some people were still driving around, looking for a space, when we were LEAVING .

Shopping was successful . Jake got some great deals, as did Steve and I. Stores were packed (as we expected), and the walkways were crammed with people. But the pain was worth the gain, and we left with bags of clothing at a fraction of the cost that we would pay back home . At this rate, those three empty carry ons which came with us were going to go home absolutely stuffed!

While gawking at the signs in the store windows and trying to avoid all the bodies in the walkways, Jake managed to smash himself right into one of these festive fellows which adorned various areas in the common spaces:

Don't worry, no harm done to either Jake nor the reindeer, unless you count his pride .

Of course, that couldn't help bring to mind a holiday song we all know and love. So if you happened to be at the outlet mall early that afternoon, and you saw three pasty white Canadians giggling loudly while belting out "Jacob got run over by a reindeer", that was us!!!

Jake, of course, was not nearly as amused as we were!!

We grabbed a quick lunch at Sonic, then we were off to brave the Disney masses once again. Afternoon plans included fun (and more shopping ) at Downtown Disney, and dinner at T-Rex . Roar!

 

[LindaBabe]

YUP! This last post confirms it - you guys are FUN! Not even whining over the traffic - the guys let you take photos at will - and happy eaters. What more could one ask for?

I'm going to Gatorland next week on your recommendation.

You just need to adopt an American granny for your next trip,

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

YUP! This last post confirms it - you guys are FUN! Not even whining over the traffic - the guys let you take photos at will - and happy eaters. What more could one ask for?

I'm going to Gatorland next week on your recommendation.

You just need to adopt an American granny for your next trip,

Ah, that wonderful traffic........what could you do? Us grouching would not make the masses move any faster. Thankfully we knew, at least somewhat, to expect a certain amount of congestion (though there was more than even we had anticipated..........oh my). But it was Christmas. We were all together. And we were enjoying life in the beautiful southern sun. The traffic was no big deal . Even if we were late, we would eventually get to where we were going.

I so hope you have an awesome time at Gatorland!!! Come back and let me know how you enjoyed it! And if Wrestler Tim still has both his arms . And his nose .

We would love to adopt an American granny!!! We have tried, with zero success, to get my mom to come with us on our getaways but she flatly refuses to get in a plane. She even made us get our wills done before our Disney trip in 2009, the first time we flew as a family, because she was sure we would crash into the Atlantic . I have always thought it would be great fun to have a multi-generational trip. Hey....we are considering a return getaway in August (thinking a week at Holiday Inn Orange Lake.....still in the discussion stages.....its between that and Kalahari in Sandusky). Wanna come?

 

[mtmbyck]

Hey Gina. All caught up. Looks like an awesome trip. I heard Orlando has had amazing weather this winter. Hope if stays nice for March Break! Hey, my DH and I celebrate 20 years this April ( I think you mentioned this in your original post). love how you aren't stressed by any holiday mishaps - traffic, crowds, line-ups........

So when is the next big trip?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey Gina. All caught up. Looks like an awesome trip. I heard Orlando has had amazing weather this winter. Hope if stays nice for March Break! Hey, my DH and I celebrate 20 years this April ( I think you mentioned this in your original post). love how you aren't stressed by any holiday mishaps - traffic, crowds, line-ups........

So when is the next big trip?

Hey there! Thanks for dropping in! The crickets have been deafening in here at times .

I have my fingers crossed that the weather will be spectacular on March Break . Just please be sure to bring back some sunshine and warmth to share with the rest of us when you come home!!! You must be starting to get excited.......March Break is roaring up on us!!!

1993 was obviously a good year to get married! You will celebrate just a little bit ahead of us.....our anniversary is May 1st. This is a "big" year for me, all things considered. Not only do we celebrate our 20th, I also happen to turn 40 . Then in January 2014, our boy will turn 18. That's a lot of "old lady" milestones to absorb in one 12 month period. I may need a good therapist by this time next year!!!

Ah, the next big trip. That's the question of the day. The boys initially said they wanted to do something different in the summer, after 3 holidays in Florida in 2012. Now they are not so sure, and have shortlisted it as a possiblity once again . We have been looking at a few resort properties in Orlando and are thinking it might be a good value vacation for the last week of August again . Decisions, decisions. I will continue to do some research and see what comes of it. I know I sure would like to see a ticker in my signature again!!!

 

[gillenkl]

Thanks for your recommendation for gatorland and the airboat. Definately doing these on our next trip!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks for your recommendation for gatorland and the airboat. Definately doing these on our next trip!

Fantastic!

They really are a nice combination to fill one day. Will you do Wild Willy's Airboats or a different provider?

 

[LindaBabe]

Can I just *second* wild Willy's? I bought a private tour with Willy. It was AWESOME and he was WILD! Saw one alligator bigger than ME and that's saying something.

Gina, at 40, you are a mere BABE.

 

[gillenkl]

Fantastic!

They really are a nice combination to fill one day. Will you do Wild Willy's Airboats or a different provider?

I really liked Willys website and will probably do the private tour. Did you have directions from gatorland to willys....a way with less traffic?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, at 40, you are a mere BABE.

HEY! I'm still 39 until November.......let's not rush things .

I really liked Willys website and will probably do the private tour. Did you have directions from gatorland to willys....a way with less traffic?

I don't think I kept them.......I am so sorry! Wild Willy's emailed me awesome directions when I booked our tour (and at our request, the directions were from Gatorland as they knew we were doing a "Gator Day" and were spending the morning there). I would bet if you called, they could zip you off something very quickly.

 

[Glennie5]

Loved your photo's of Ohana's - it is our favorite character breakfast and a must do on every trip. The cousin thing would have weirded my son out too! John told me to make sure and say hi to Steve, so hi to Steve from John.

 

[bankr63]

HEY! I'm still 39 until November.......let's not rush things .

Hey, what a coincidence! I've been 39 since January! (2002) - okay, so I'm really not rushing things...

Having fun living vicariously through your TR Gina. We'll be back in Orlando for 9 glorious days this March too! That's 8 weeks from TODAY!! Okay the big (39ish, but closer to 50, okay I really am 50) kid can't wait. We still haven't taken in Gatorland, and it still might not make the cut. There's 8 days left on our Disney tickets, and I just picked up 2+1 Uni tickets. We have to make the annual day trip to Sarasota, and everyone wants a day of shopping therapy. Pretty soon we're going to have to start on multi-week vacations.