Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
Hello everyone,
to my trip report!
For those of you who have kindly read along and taken part in any of my previous reports [for the sake of any new readers, the links to each of those threads can be found in my signature…..feel free to check ‘em out!], thank you so very much for coming back to participate in this one as well!
For those joining in for the very first time, a very special hello to you all, too! There’s always room for another friend!
Please don’t be shy: I welcome everyone to jump in with your comments, questions, or anything else you would like to add (I particularly enjoy seeing photos of your pets……hint, hint
). It’s always nice to listen to someone else talk but me. Heaven knows I do enough of that, right? 
This report will focus on our festive fun from December 16th to December 24th, 2016
. We were blessed to be able to throw together a third trip for the calendar year, with the other two occurring in May (one week) and October (two weeks). Since we had already enjoyed three weeks in Orlando over the course of the year, the initial intent of this “extra” getaway was to be both frugal AND festive: it would be imperative to secure inexpensive accommodations, find affordable flights, utilize our existing annual passes (to avoid purchasing additional pricey park admissions), and keep this trip ON BUDGET while enjoying as much holiday cheer as we could. Our only splurge was planned to be tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: a must-do for both of us, as despite enjoying two amazing previous family Christmas vacations in Orlando, our arrival dates had always been after the final MVMCP had concluded.
It was a good theory, and we had the best of intentions
. Honest 
. Not surprisingly, though……..the vacation grew bigger and grander as the months ticked by.
I blame my friend, @dsmom
.
You see, we had another reason for planning an extra trip to Florida: we wanted to spend time with some people who had grown very dear to us over the course of 2016. Kerry (aka @dsmom here on the boards) and I had developed a wonderful friendship despite the physical distance that separated our two families. She and her two guys called Florida home while Steve, Jake and I were native Canucks. When we learned that they would be able to join us in Orlando in December if we could make the dates happen on our end, the whole trip became less of a dream and more of a mission.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
. There were also a lot of prayers and more than a sprinkling of faith as we worked to make it all come together.
Of course, by the time this trip actually rolled around, it was probably at the worst possible timing that it could have been. As my regular readers know, from the point of commitment for this trip (back in July, when we pulled the trigger and booked our non-refundable flights and accommodations) to the point of travel, our lives were turned upside down when Steve was offered, and accepted, a promotion and transfer to his company’s facility in southeast Michigan. While there was no inclination of what was to come in the summer, our December flight to Orlando ended up being exactly one month to the day before we bid Canada adieu for a new life in the USA.
Life is funny like that
.
While our trip originally started out as a budget one-week festive getaway with friends, as I mentioned above, it morphed into quite an incredible Christmas Extravaganza that encompassed the best holiday events at all of the three major park families: Disney, Universal and SeaWorld. It also ended up being extended quite unexpectedly by an additional day [there will be more details on that little wrinkle as the report officially unfolds]. Before the last post is penned, you can expect to read about the following events:
SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration (complete with our first experience at Santa’s Fireside Feast and the all-new-for-2016 Rudolph’s Christmastown)
The Wild Artic Tour (a first experience!) as well as the Dolphin Encounter (a repeat of a favourite) at SeaWorld Orlando.
All the Grinchmas events at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, including the super-dee-dooper-awesome breakfast with the Grinch himself.
The Macy’s Holiday Parade and Mannheim Steamroller in Concert at Universal Studios.
A first visit to Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at Universal’s Citywalk.
Our first time at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.
A private Illuminations Cruise at Epcot, preceded by dinner at Beaches & Cream (where we ate everything including the Kitchen Sink!).
Our first time at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue.
The Holiday Show at Capone’s.
ICE! at Gaylord Palms
A week-long stay at a new-to-us resort (Marriott Grande Vista).
Dismeets with 5 (!!) different Dis-ers …. Two of whom I had met in person before, and three who we got to meet for the very first time.
I’ll warn you now, there will be a LOT of photos
. In my defense, the parks are so pretty at that time of year, I seriously couldn’t help myself: the festive décor and special events just begged to be immortalized in digital images for time eternal 
. Remember when I said I tended to talk too much? I also tend to take far too many pictures 
. I suppose many will find that annoying, but I like to think both oddities are part of my charm.
So, without further adieu, let’s proceed with the initial introductions and get this show on the road. For the most part, this report will feature myself (Gina) and my husband, Steve:
Both in our early to mid 40’s, we’re married 24 years next month and we’re Orlando enthusiasts. We have one amazing son (not quite 21 at the time of our trip), who works as an Outcome Support Facilitator with special need children and adults. While he loves to travel with his mom and dad, he had just moved into his own apartment in the fall and had work commitments for the Christmas season, so he was unable to make the trip with us this time. We would be sure to bring him home a little something special from his favourite shop in Orlando: the Nike Clearance Store.
The other stars of this report will be introduced as we roll along. @dsmom , @greenclan67 , @Joanna71985 , and @chiamarie ..... let me know if you are NOT okay with me sharing any pictures of the time we spent together over the course of that week. I don't want to violate anyone's privacy if it makes you uncomfortable, but would love to include those photos if its okay with each of you. @Lynne G ... I am not sure how we missed getting ANY pictures at our breakfast date?!?!? A repeat will be necessary.
That's pretty much the end of my long-winded preamble. Now,
Next up: "Oh, the weather outside is frightful".....
to my trip report!For those of you who have kindly read along and taken part in any of my previous reports [for the sake of any new readers, the links to each of those threads can be found in my signature…..feel free to check ‘em out!], thank you so very much for coming back to participate in this one as well!
For those joining in for the very first time, a very special hello to you all, too! There’s always room for another friend!
Please don’t be shy: I welcome everyone to jump in with your comments, questions, or anything else you would like to add (I particularly enjoy seeing photos of your pets……hint, hint
). It’s always nice to listen to someone else talk but me. Heaven knows I do enough of that, right? This report will focus on our festive fun from December 16th to December 24th, 2016
. We were blessed to be able to throw together a third trip for the calendar year, with the other two occurring in May (one week) and October (two weeks). Since we had already enjoyed three weeks in Orlando over the course of the year, the initial intent of this “extra” getaway was to be both frugal AND festive: it would be imperative to secure inexpensive accommodations, find affordable flights, utilize our existing annual passes (to avoid purchasing additional pricey park admissions), and keep this trip ON BUDGET while enjoying as much holiday cheer as we could. Our only splurge was planned to be tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: a must-do for both of us, as despite enjoying two amazing previous family Christmas vacations in Orlando, our arrival dates had always been after the final MVMCP had concluded. It was a good theory, and we had the best of intentions
. Honest . Not surprisingly, though……..the vacation grew bigger and grander as the months ticked by.I blame my friend, @dsmom
. You see, we had another reason for planning an extra trip to Florida: we wanted to spend time with some people who had grown very dear to us over the course of 2016. Kerry (aka @dsmom here on the boards) and I had developed a wonderful friendship despite the physical distance that separated our two families. She and her two guys called Florida home while Steve, Jake and I were native Canucks. When we learned that they would be able to join us in Orlando in December if we could make the dates happen on our end, the whole trip became less of a dream and more of a mission.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
. There were also a lot of prayers and more than a sprinkling of faith as we worked to make it all come together.Of course, by the time this trip actually rolled around, it was probably at the worst possible timing that it could have been. As my regular readers know, from the point of commitment for this trip (back in July, when we pulled the trigger and booked our non-refundable flights and accommodations) to the point of travel, our lives were turned upside down when Steve was offered, and accepted, a promotion and transfer to his company’s facility in southeast Michigan. While there was no inclination of what was to come in the summer, our December flight to Orlando ended up being exactly one month to the day before we bid Canada adieu for a new life in the USA.
Life is funny like that
. While our trip originally started out as a budget one-week festive getaway with friends, as I mentioned above, it morphed into quite an incredible Christmas Extravaganza that encompassed the best holiday events at all of the three major park families: Disney, Universal and SeaWorld. It also ended up being extended quite unexpectedly by an additional day [there will be more details on that little wrinkle as the report officially unfolds]. Before the last post is penned, you can expect to read about the following events:
SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration (complete with our first experience at Santa’s Fireside Feast and the all-new-for-2016 Rudolph’s Christmastown) The Wild Artic Tour (a first experience!) as well as the Dolphin Encounter (a repeat of a favourite) at SeaWorld Orlando. All the Grinchmas events at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, including the super-dee-dooper-awesome breakfast with the Grinch himself. The Macy’s Holiday Parade and Mannheim Steamroller in Concert at Universal Studios. A first visit to Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at Universal’s Citywalk. Our first time at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. A private Illuminations Cruise at Epcot, preceded by dinner at Beaches & Cream (where we ate everything including the Kitchen Sink!). Our first time at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. The Holiday Show at Capone’s. ICE! at Gaylord Palms A week-long stay at a new-to-us resort (Marriott Grande Vista). Dismeets with 5 (!!) different Dis-ers …. Two of whom I had met in person before, and three who we got to meet for the very first time.I’ll warn you now, there will be a LOT of photos
. In my defense, the parks are so pretty at that time of year, I seriously couldn’t help myself: the festive décor and special events just begged to be immortalized in digital images for time eternal . Remember when I said I tended to talk too much? I also tend to take far too many pictures . I suppose many will find that annoying, but I like to think both oddities are part of my charm.So, without further adieu, let’s proceed with the initial introductions and get this show on the road. For the most part, this report will feature myself (Gina) and my husband, Steve:
Both in our early to mid 40’s, we’re married 24 years next month and we’re Orlando enthusiasts. We have one amazing son (not quite 21 at the time of our trip), who works as an Outcome Support Facilitator with special need children and adults. While he loves to travel with his mom and dad, he had just moved into his own apartment in the fall and had work commitments for the Christmas season, so he was unable to make the trip with us this time. We would be sure to bring him home a little something special from his favourite shop in Orlando: the Nike Clearance Store.
The other stars of this report will be introduced as we roll along. @dsmom , @greenclan67 , @Joanna71985 , and @chiamarie ..... let me know if you are NOT okay with me sharing any pictures of the time we spent together over the course of that week. I don't want to violate anyone's privacy if it makes you uncomfortable, but would love to include those photos if its okay with each of you. @Lynne G ... I am not sure how we missed getting ANY pictures at our breakfast date?!?!? A repeat will be necessary
. That's pretty much the end of my long-winded preamble. Now,
Next up: "Oh, the weather outside is frightful".....
). Thrilled to find another trip report underway!!!!.........
.
. And trip reporting is a great way to pass my long days while Steve is at work. There's only so much kitten play I can handle in a day 
.
.
. No wonder we were so tired when we finally came home!! 
