Joy to the World: an offsite Christmas extravaganza at Disney, Universal & SeaWorld – Dec. 2016 TR

[bankr63]

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?

What's that you say? A new trip report? And kittens are welcome? We are absolutely on the edge of our seats!



BTW - nothing wrong with talking with yourself, it's only an issue when you start answering back in a different voice...

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Oh no! You're so close to getting the heck out of dodge but Mother Nature had other plans. I can't even imagine that much snow in just one hour. That coming from a place where we might (if we're lucky) get like 1/2 inch every ten years or so when a freak storm hits us.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Yikes - page three already and I haven't said hi yet. Hi Gina and Steve!

And then, Mother Nature decided to mock us

I've said many times, Mother Nature is bi-polar and not medicated. Until she's ready to get some help, she will continue to roar!!!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I bet yòu couldn't believe the weather. So glad you got off.

I remember landing in Bangor many years ago to refuel and the snow was piled either side of the runway, the maintenance crew came to the door and said refuel and get straight off otherwise the plane would freeze, so I understood how some must have been feeling.

 

[iona]

Yay another Gina TR! So glad you managed to finally get in the air despite all the snow. We muse occasionally about moving to Canada from the UK but I'm not sure I could cope with -18. It was -0.5 earlier this week and I could be heard complaining vociferously (although that was mainly because we're over half way through April!).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I brought my quote from the last report This was me in 9th grade too. My science class required us to summarize articles, I seem to recall doing several using the Mariners Magazine game program. My downfall was my summary would be 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the article, not much of a summary

Because there are too many cats in the report already Here's an old picture of Dude snuggled up not wanting to get up. He's not a morning dog, I can't imagine who he got that from

Too many cats?!?!? Say it isn't so!!!

Just kidding, of course. Your Dude is adorable . I feel his pain......I'm not a 'morning dog' either some days .

Yay, another trip report!

, my friend! Thanks for joining in once again!

On board for another trip report
I hope to do much better at keeping up with this one !
I'm glad to see you eventually got off the ground in Buffalo. It's always wise to try to get out ahead of the storm in my opinion. You can be delayed for days and days if you wait too long . We've left a day early ourselves before a winter storm.

Hey, no worries....I know life gets in the way and sometimes its easy to get behind. The good thing is, these threads generally seem to stick around for a while so you can always get caught up if you fall behind a page or two. I'd rather have you late than not at all .

I always hate playing weather roulette. The big storms rarely seem to behave as they are forecast to, and it always ends up being either much worse than expected or much ado about nothing. And regardless of which way I place my bet, I usually end up being wrong.

Saving my spot

! I was hoping you would find us and join in!

Looking forward to this report as well! However I leave early Saturday a.m., crack of dawn early for the most amazing place in the U.S.! Yes on my way to Disney. So I will catch up on the report when I return. Love your trip reports!!!

Lucky, lucky!!! Safe travels to you, and all the best for an amazing trip!! Be sure to pop in here when you get back and tell us all about it. Better yet, check in for a live update now and again if you get the opportunity!!

Our trips we're so close this time we narrowly missed each other in December. We left around when you got there!

Isn't that how it always happens?

We had a great interaction with the Grinch! We didn't end up doing the breakfast but I can't wait to hear about it.

we love it there. Can't wait to hear how you liked it!

Ooo sounds fun!

Oh no! In our area we didn't get a lot of snow until those weird late Feb/early March storms. But this was my worry when leaving in December.

oh no!

Yep, winter travel is always a gamble. One of the reasons we love April/May......we generally don't have the same weather concerns as other times of the year.

The Grinch breakfast was a highlight of the trip. If you get a chance to do Christmas at Universal again, try to fit that event in if you can. I don't think you would be at all disappointed. Everything from the Whos to the food was incredibly well done.

Wow sounds like a doozy. Deicing the plane always makes me a bit nervous and I would've had the same fears about take off amidst the snow. But hooray for an extra day of vacay!

Yes, as they say.....all's well that ends well . A bonus Orlando day is never a bad thing!!

Yay! another trip report! Your departure was just so stressful!

scottishgirl1! Departure was definitely more chaotic than what we had envisioned, but we held onto the theory of "poor start, good ending". We hoped we were getting thee worst out of the way right off the bat!

Gotta love living in Buffalo! Love my home, but the weather is intersting!! Even in March- what a big storm we got then- @dancin Disney style remembers only too well!!

They deal with it well in Buffalo, though. I don't think any other airport is as well prepared for a storm. They certainly take it all in stride.

Is it bad that I live in Buffalo and don't recall this storm
It's always a toss up flying in the winter when you live in the Northeast. I feel anything from November-March is a gamble lol
I'm glad you guys we're able to get out on a Friday, albeit delayed a few hours. Hopefully poor Steve was able to snooze on the plane for a few hours!

Poor Steve was beat. He turned on a movie and was sound asleep within minutes. I didn't even have the heart to wake him up when he started to snore....the people across the aisle would just have to deal with it .

Not at all- they all blend together for me after a while! You only remember the really big ones and for us, there's not many of those because we still have to go to work, etc. for most of the storms!

How many years ago was it that ya'll had the "snowmageddon" storm that dumped 7 feet in some places? I guess those kinds of blizzards make storms like Decima look weak in comparison.

Hi Gina! I'm sorry I'm a little late to the party. I'm also sorry again we had to cancel our DISmeet next week... We will have to try again later.

I've tentatively rescheduled our next trip for mid-June. Hopefully, my son will be off crutches by then!!!

Absolutely no worries (though I am disappointed we won't get the chance to say hello........both Steve and I were looking very forward to our breakfast plans!). Fingers crossed that you manage to get your June trip off the ground as you are hoping to. On a good note, maybe you'll be able to experience Volcano Bay while you're there? That would be a pretty cool consolation for missing the original April getaway.

Yikes!! Am so glad you made it out ahead of the worst part of the storm! The snowy airplane window looked ominous...

I am not ashamed to admit, my heart was in my throat during take-off. I am a nervous flyer under good conditions, and I'm downright terrified under adverse conditions.

okay I am new - loved your report. have a couple of cats but having trouble putting them on the computer so can't share yet. that say more cats - the more the better.

Ah, a woman after my own heart . Crazy Cat Ladies unite!

to the thread......I am glad to have you reading and posting!

I was in search of some Sea World informatoin which led me to your last report. I read your last trip report in it's entirety, though with little commenting. I enjoyed it so much I had to mosey over here to take a gander at this one too!

Glad you made it out safely! Now on to sunnier weather!

Hey there, glad to have you joining in a second time!! When are you planning your trip to SeaWorld? I think you will LOVE it there......its one of our favourite parks in Orlando.

What's that you say? A new trip report? And kittens are welcome? We are absolutely on the edge of our seats!



BTW - nothing wrong with talking with yourself, it's only an issue when you start answering back in a different voice...

Oh, what a great photo!!!! Perched perfectly on the edge of that chair.....that takes some amazing balance . Or some spectacular timing on the part of the photographer .

Those whiskers are something else. I can't stop looking at that face .

Oh no! You're so close to getting the heck out of dodge but Mother Nature had other plans. I can't even imagine that much snow in just one hour. That coming from a place where we might (if we're lucky) get like 1/2 inch every ten years or so when a freak storm hits us.

I swear, bears have the right idea . We should a just hibernate from October to April. Or fly south like geese: preferably to Orlando .

Yikes - page three already and I haven't said hi yet. Hi Gina and Steve!

I've said many times, Mother Nature is bi-polar and not medicated. Until she's ready to get some help, she will continue to roar!!!

, my dear! It's about time you got here......page 3, sheesh . You'd think you have a busy life or something .

I guess I shouldn't complain too much about Mother Nature...while she caused a lot of havoc on that departure day, she's given us 12 incredible trips worth of weather while actually in Orlando and enjoying our vacations. Perhaps I am asking too much by wanting our travel days to be without incident, too.

I bet yòu couldn't believe the weather. So glad you got off.

I remember landing in Bangor many years ago to refuel and the snow was piled either side of the runway, the maintenance crew came to the door and said refuel and get straight off otherwise the plane would freeze, so I understood how some must have been feeling.

Living this far north, we always know that winter travel can be problematic, but yet....we're always so hopeful that it won't be. Perhaps the cold freezes the reasonable parts of our brain? Or we're all just eternal optimists. It's a toss up LOL.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yay another Gina TR! So glad you managed to finally get in the air despite all the snow. We muse occasionally about moving to Canada from the UK but I'm not sure I could cope with -18. It was -0.5 earlier this week and I could be heard complaining vociferously (although that was mainly because we're over half way through April!).

That -18 was almost inhumane. It sure made the prospect of getting to Florida mighty appealing . No wonder we're always so blue about coming home: its hard to leave the warmth and sunshine for a deep-freeze .

A big aboard, by the way . Glad to have you joining in again!!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Hey there, glad to have you joining in a second time!! When are you planning your trip to SeaWorld? I think you will LOVE it there......its one of our favourite parks in Orlando.

My immediate family is a bit spread all over the country, so every year we try to do a vacation together. Mostly to just spend time together. This year the 'grandparents' (my parents) rented a swanky house in Orlando in June that we can all fit in. The one request from some family members was to check out SeaWord, so we are planning a day trip there during our week stay. I had been a long time ago (maybe 13-15 years ago) and we had a good time, but there was a lot of construction while we were there. Looking forward to checking out everything with 'like new' eyes!

 

[vrajewski10513]

How many years ago was it that ya'll had the "snowmageddon" storm that dumped 7 feet in some places? I guess those kinds of blizzards make storms like Decima look weak in comparison.

Now THAT one I remember. Snowmageddon was in November 2014. That one and the October storm in 2006 are the two big ones that come to mind in recent years for me.

 

[eyehartdisney]

Following along.

Pets, huh? I have a few to show...

>>

First we have chickens...

And the farm dog

And cats...

More cats...

Even more cats...
http://imgur.com/KecfyRd
We have a few goats...

and bunnies...

Plus a whole lot more, but I think that's enough for this thread, lol. Let me tell you it's hard to get a babysitter for them all.

 

[Les4533]

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".....

 

[chiamarie]

Oh man, you're quick at (well in that you just finished your oct TR) to start the next! I didn't even notice....its looking like this week will be very similar to next week for my sunday-tuesday schedule (joy).

Andd....I honestly don't even remember when I saw you in December! Or what we did, is that bad?

 

[Les4533]

Hi Gina, I just finished reading your other trip report and am very excited to read this one. I'm usually a lurker to this board. We always stay at the Vistana villages but this summer trip we are staying at the grande vista for the first time so I am looking forward to reading your report on it!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

My immediate family is a bit spread all over the country, so every year we try to do a vacation together. Mostly to just spend time together. This year the 'grandparents' (my parents) rented a swanky house in Orlando in June that we can all fit in. The one request from some family members was to check out SeaWord, so we are planning a day trip there during our week stay. I had been a long time ago (maybe 13-15 years ago) and we had a good time, but there was a lot of construction while we were there. Looking forward to checking out everything with 'like new' eyes!

It's changed A LOT since our first visit in 2012, so I can only imagine how different it will be from what you remember. It will be like a completely new park!

Now THAT one I remember. Snowmageddon was in November 2014. That one and the October storm in 2006 are the two big ones that come to mind in recent years for me.

I don't think I'll ever forget the images from the 2014 storm. The banks in front of the houses, and the streets that were reduced to tunnels through the snow, were just insane. We've lived through some doozie storms, but nothing, NOTHING like that.

Following along.

Pets, huh? I have a few to show...

>>

First we have chickens...

And the farm dog

And cats...

More cats...

Even more cats...
http://imgur.com/KecfyRd
We have a few goats...

and bunnies...

Plus a whole lot more, but I think that's enough for this thread, lol. Let me tell you it's hard to get a babysitter for them all.

A big to you!! Glad to have you joining in!

Not sure if its my computer or not, but I can't see any of your photos . I also tried viewing them on my phone and I'm just getting the little "IMG" box. Is anyone else able to view the actual pictures?

I can't even imagine the cost of having someone look after that many pets!! My duo sets me back enough each trip for the Pet Nanny. The firm provides an excellent service but she doesn't come cheaply.

Oh man, you're quick at (well in that you just finished your oct TR) to start the next! I didn't even notice....its looking like this week will be very similar to next week for my sunday-tuesday schedule (joy).

Andd....I honestly don't even remember when I saw you in December! Or what we did, is that bad?

It was just a brief hello while you were making sure Big Chris got a good snack . I was feeling sorry for the poor fellow because of his eyes.

Hi Gina, I just finished reading your other trip report and am very excited to read this one. I'm usually a lurker to this board. We always stay at the Vistana villages but this summer trip we are staying at the grande vista for the first time so I am looking forward to reading your report on it!

Not to give a spoiler before that part of the report, but I think you will really like it there. Our villa was spacious and well appointed, and the resort is very beautiful. I can't wait to share my pictures of the resort......especially when it was all decorated for Christmas.

I'm glad that you've come out of lurkdom and decided to post here on my thread! I hope you'll continue to join in the chitchat as we roll along!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Friday, December 16th (continued)


By the time we landed in Orlando, the stresses of the journey and our ridiculously early morning were starting to take a noticeable toll. While we were relieved to finally have our feet firmly on Florida soil, we were both falling victim to a bad case of the crankies even though we collected our baggage and obtained our rental car with no delays or other issues (thankfully, the last-minute addition of the extra day to our rental didn’t increase the overall total to anything too ridiculous…..it was one of the things we fretted about when we originally contemplated the switch from the Saturday flight to Friday). By the time we were driving out of the parking garage at MCO, it had been more than 12 hours since we had left the house and Steve was still functioning on just 4 hours sleep the night prior and a nap on the plane . Our only semi-decent meal of the day had been breakfast at the Anchor Bar, and we were both getting more than a little hangry. We had shared two of the “Eat Up” boxes on the flight [which, oddly, the inflight crew wouldn’t accept payment for…..when I tried to hand the flight attendant our credit card, she waved it away with a smile and said “no charge!”] but we were overdue for something more sustaining than crackers, cheese and sliced meats.


Steve was worried about the fact that we still didn’t have a hotel for the night, and thought we should maybe go in search of a room before we addressed our rumbling tummies. I had a feeling that task might go poorly on empty stomachs, so I assured him that another hour or so wouldn’t make a difference, and suggested that we have dinner first and discuss our lodging options while we ate. I must have been very persuasive because he readily agreed to that plan.


I left the choice of restaurant up to Steve. I was okay with literally anything at that point. It was Friday night, just 9 days before Christmas, so we knew it would be busy at all the higher-end places, but we weren’t feeling very high-end ourselves at that point in the endless day . All we were looking for was something (relatively) fast, filling, and well….frugal would be good, too . With a pricey, splurge-laden week stretching out before us, we wanted to keep this “bonus” night in Orlando within budget. He pulled the SUV into the Friendly’s parking lot, and that made me happy .


We sank into a booth and perused the menu. We were both too tired to be adventurous, so we ended up sticking with some old favourites. We have never had to wait long on any of our previous visits for our food to arrive after our orders were placed, and thankfully today was no different. We had barely began to discuss our lack of lodging dilemma when our entrée platters were placed in front of our droopy faces by our chipper young server.

Steve had picked one of their burger entrees: I honestly can’t remember which one, but it was a mighty size with two thick meat patties, bacon, cheese, and an abundance of other toppings. He upgraded his meal to include waffle fries which were fully loaded with cheese sauce and bacon. Perhaps it was a good thing we had dined lightly for the balance of the day .

.

I kept things simple with a chicken tenders and waffle fries platter as my selection. Waffle fries are an additional 99 cent upcharge but are worth that times five……they are SO good .


While we tucked into our meals, we talked about our options for our night’s lodging: we would be able to check into the Marriott Grande Vista tomorrow, so we could make do with a standard hotel for such a short stay. Steve had been accumulating IHG reward points while staying in Michigan since mid-September, so we verified his account balance and confirmed we had more than enough points for a king room at one of the Orlando properties. We had planned to visit Universal the following day (to purchase and activate our new annual passes) so it made sense to select an IHG brand hotel that was within the general vicinity of the Universal entrance. Holiday Inn Express is generally our preferred budget hotel of choice (since they all offer a pool, a free hot breakfast, complimentary wi-fi and no charge parking) so we searched for availability and found a king room at the Holiday Inn Express Closest to Universal Orlando:

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/orlando/mcomb/hoteldetail


The amount of points they were asking for the single night’s stay seemed rather excessive, but we weren’t exactly in much of a position to be picky. We both agreed that this was our best option, so with a plan finally formulated, we decided to celebrate with ice cream.

Steve, after much consideration, chose a chocolate Fribble: he’s a milkshake lover and would just as rather drink his ice cream as eat it. You can just tell from this picture that his mood was significantly improved . With a full stomach, our hotel conundrum all but remedied, and a fresh Fribble in hand, life was looking much brighter indeed .


I ordered a Hunka Chunka Peanut Butter Fudge sundae: peanut butter, chocolate and ice cream happen to be three of my most favourite foods on earth, so something that combined them all into one ooey, gooey glass cup was a slam-dunk in my book . I just wish this photo conveyed how AMAZING this thing tasted . I had almost passed up dessert since I was so full from my main course, but suddenly I was oh-so-glad that I had taken the glutton route .

We didn’t dilly-dally long after our dinner had concluded: we beckoned our server to request the bill, and after covering the check, headed back to the parking lot to plug the HIE address into the GPS. The prospect of a warm shower and a big, comfy king sized bed was getting more and more appealing as the minutes ticked by.


Coming up: A holly, jolly stay at the Holiday Inn Express.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So......I am not certain why this report was put in the "completed trip reports" archive. While I can understand the mods decision to move it to the trip reports section of the site, I would think it should be placed where the other active, in-progress reports are being posted. I have reported this concern to the moderators and hopefully they will move this thread to a more appropriate location. In the meantime, I hope you can all find me wherever the thread happens to get shuffled around to!

 

[Inhislove]

Yeah! Gina's back!! How has your transition been going? I love Orlando at Christmas- we already have our sea world passes for this year and look forward to enjoying their Christmas celebration in 2017

 

[jennasmommyinMS]

I was wondering myself why they moved it to "completed trip reports." Hopefully it will get straightened out.

That food looks amazing!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well Steve is doing well on the lack of sleep. I find you get an added ooooomph on leaving the airport, it revitalises you after a long day (we always end up been on the go for at least 18 hours or more with a little snooze on the plane if we can manage it on arrival day).

Friendlys waffle chips look really good, it's on my list of still to do

 

[iona]

That meal looks like just what you needed. I tend to get hangry too.

Glad you were able to find somewhere to stay that fitted your needs.

ps My husband just looked over my shoulder and enquired where the food was from - I think he fancies Steve's dinner and your sundae!