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

Awesome trip report! Thanks so much for sharing!!

Hope your new job is going well!

Wow, I had no idea I had missed so many messages!! Can you tell I haven't been on the boards much these days?

The new job is going okay......I'm still there :laughing: (I know, ya'll are shocked!!) so that's a good start. I am not entirely certain its my true "place", if you know what I mean, but for now, I'm sticking with it. My coworkers are kind and its my place for right now.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading, as always! Bring on the next TR!!

Aw, thank you! :goodvibes I was just thinking this morning....should I start another report, or no? :scratchin Your encouragement gives me motivation!

Hi Gina,

We're all jonesing for a new trip report! Hope you're getting well prepped for the next trip.

Thought I would ask how Jake's trip went (think he's back now?). Did he get impacted much by Irma?

I am so sorry I missed your message earlier this month! For some reason, I have stopped getting notifications of posts on this thread :confused:.

Jake had an amazing time in Florida, as did his GF. She is officially as hooked on Orlando as we are! (I jokingly told her, I guess we can keep her around long-term now :rotfl2:..... she passed the test! :teeth:) They flew out the Sunday AFTER Irma, so their timing could not have been better. The Vistana was a huge hit, and they had a ball at SeaWorld, Aquatica, the Orlando Eye, Sea Life Aquarium, Madame Tussauds, and Congo River. The shopping was a bit disappointing this trip, but otherwise, it was a huge win.

They are already saving their pennies to return again, hopefully next time with mom and dad :banana:.

Just popping in to wish Gina and Steve a Bon Voyage. Pretty sure this weekend marks the beginning of their next adventure. Bring us back lots of fun stories!

We had another GREAT trip! Despite a dismal forecast on departure (it said rain EVERY single day) we had another poncho-free vacation. We did a MNSSHP, Halloween Horror Nights with a RIP tour, a day at Volcano Bay with a cabana rental, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Capone's Dinner and Show. We had a rather frightening arrival at Fort Lauderdale airport :crazy2: (I'll save the full story for my trip report) but otherwise, we had a ton of fun!

Hope you are doing well and had a fabulous trip!!

Thank you! :goodvibes You guys are all so sweet to still be thinking of my and checking in. I need to spend more time here on the Dis!!
 
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We had another GREAT trip! Despite a dismal forecast on departure (it said rain EVERY single day) we had another poncho-free vacation. We did a MNSSHP, Halloween Horror Nights with a RIP tour, a day at Volcano Bay with a cabana rental, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Capone's Dinner and Show. We had a rather frightening arrival at Fort Lauderdale airport :crazy2: (I'll save the full story for my trip report) but otherwise, we had a ton of fun!

Can't wait to read the TR!
 
Came back by to see if I missed the start of a new TR. Hopefully the lack of updates on the DIS means real life is busy, happy, and all things are good with the Bo-Binas. I love seeing what y'all have been up to on Facebook but am missing my Gina narratives that provide the Orlando escape I so desperately need (and love!) as no one does a TR like Gina. I was thinking about you this week as I contemplated whether to pull the trigger on booking Vistana through Priceline versus something better known to me and a bit more pricy. Ultimately I decided we might need a room earlier than the timeshare resorts can turn them over so we'll be at the Swan in January, but nevertheless of course I was thinking of the biggest Vistana cheerleader and wondering how your last trip was. I hope the holiday season is treating you well :flower3:
 


Came back by to see if I missed the start of a new TR. Hopefully the lack of updates on the DIS means real life is busy, happy, and all things are good with the Bo-Binas. I love seeing what y'all have been up to on Facebook but am missing my Gina narratives that provide the Orlando escape I so desperately need (and love!) as no one does a TR like Gina. I was thinking about you this week as I contemplated whether to pull the trigger on booking Vistana through Priceline versus something better known to me and a bit more pricy. Ultimately I decided we might need a room earlier than the timeshare resorts can turn them over so we'll be at the Swan in January, but nevertheless of course I was thinking of the biggest Vistana cheerleader and wondering how your last trip was. I hope the holiday season is treating you well :flower3:

Aw, you are too sweet. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I know I've been woefully absent for the last while, and for that, I apologize. I've been a terrible contributor to @bankr63 's SVR thread, which I really feel badly about. I hate leaving that big task for him to carry all by his lonesome. Even though you didn't opt to book the Swan for your upcoming trip, I hope you'll keep it on the 'maybe' list for a future vacation! It's awesome as always....and over the course of 2017, we've made SVR fans out of Steve's brother and SIL, as well as our son's GF. Each of them had a chance to experience the Vistana for the first time this past fall, and they've all fallen as in love with the property as we have (ha ha, okay....to be fair, I probably take the love a little further than most :rotfl:) but they're surely smitten nonetheless.

It is my New Year's resolution to get back to the boards on a regular basis once our crazy Christmas has passed. I've had to take a bit of a break from the Dis this year for an assortment of reasons........our move cross-border has been more emotionally taxing than I ever anticipated it would be. We've also spent a full year exploring and being out and about, taking me away from the computer and out into the greater SE Michigan area (and beyond). I've had the chaos of new jobs (3 of them :rotfl2: .... thankfully the third one seems to be the charm ;)), making new connections, and finding my new 'place' here in America. And honestly, I have felt completely unwelcome on the Universal boards (there are a couple of regular posters there who seem to take offense to any opinion I offer up) and their sharp remarks on more than one occasion left me without any desire to join in any discussion, let alone have the audacity to pen a trip report of our Universal adventures. With all the other 'stuff' going on, I didn't need that nastiness.

To top it all off, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, which caused her to sell her home and move in with my sister (not a good change IMHO)......and my in-laws sold their family farm and have relocated to the city. It's just been a swirl of change and all the emotions that come along with it. My inspiration for writing just got sucked completely out of my heart. But.....2018 is the year :thumbsup2. We're currently planning for a May 2018 trip, with a new twist or two.....so its time to kick off a PTR. After, of course, we travel back to Canada to celebrate Christmas with family: even though it won't be a traditional one by any stretch, we'll be with our boy, and that's our only Christmas wish this year.

So, stay tuned! I vow to return, fresh and rested, to share our 2018 plans with you all in January :goodvibes.
 
Life always seems to throw something at you, good and bad. Sorry about your mum, my MIL had Parkinson's and memory problems and my own mum has memory loss and dad prostate cancer so it's not a smooth road to be sure.

I'm so sorry to hear about the trouble on the Universal boards, I don't often go on there but I'm sure if you started a Universal report with all your followers we would more than make up for it. We love ❤️ your reports don't you know. We would smother them with love and kindness!

Well I hope you and Steve enjoy your Christmas, especially with your not so little boy, have a lovely time in Canada :goodvibes
 
Life always seems to throw something at you, good and bad. Sorry about your mum, my MIL had Parkinson's and memory problems and my own mum has memory loss and dad prostate cancer so it's not a smooth road to be sure.

I'm so sorry to hear about the trouble on the Universal boards, I don't often go on there but I'm sure if you started a Universal report with all your followers we would more than make up for it. We love ❤️ your reports don't you know. We would smother them with love and kindness!

Well I hope you and Steve enjoy your Christmas, especially with your not so little boy, have a lovely time in Canada :goodvibes

Aw, I am so sorry to hear about your mom, dad and MIL's health struggles and concerns. It really does stink to see our parents age :sad2:. Makes a person feel so incredibly powerless.

I really hated not to do reports for our last two Universal trips, as we had a few new experiences there that were really worth sharing. Maybe I'll just incorporate them into my PTR for spring, as something to pass the time when there's nothing else happening. Heaven knows I've got around 2000 photos that ya'll haven't seen yet :laughing:. At least we won't have a lack of things to chat about once I get the trip report ball rolling :p.

Thank you for the good wishes for Christmas....the same goes to you, all the best of the holiday season to you and your little family :goodvibes. It's going to be an exciting new year for the Bo-Bina's.......let's just say that in addition to planning for Florida, it looks like I'll also be helping to plan something else! (bet you can guess :teeth:) Never a dull moment!
 


I was so happy to see you pop up in the alerts today. I haven't been keeping up with my lurker reading of trip reports and thought I may have missed something. I think you give sound, even trip reports. How could there be something to take offense at?
I am glad to hear that while things have changed for you, they seem to be on the upswing. Sometimes the new "normal" is hard to get used to. Particularly, when the glow of old memories is strong. Glad to see you have new adventures coming up and a little secret of some sort. Wishing you all a happy Christmas season and safe travels!
 
Hi Gina- this is my first post on one of your reports after reading them all over and over again! I'm not a weird stalker, I promise; it's that your family's touring style seems a lot like what my husband and I would enjoy if we were ever to visit the Orlando area. I've been busy reading your reports and making an actual list titled "Orlando Ideas"! As fellow Canadians, we also share the "pain" of an often-less-than-stellar exchange rate into US$. I love reading your reports and hope to have one of my own some day soon :)
 
I have been MIA from Dis too, just too much going on in life, but now that we're planning our Disney trip for 2018, I've been back. I am sorry to hear about your mom, aging parents is a difficult thing to grasp at times. When are you guys making your trip in 2018?
 
Hi Gina,

Wishing you, Steve, your family, and your BIG extended family following along here a safe and happy holiday season! All the best for 2018 too!

May the New Year bring many new adventures for everyone!
 
Sorry to hear about your mom Gina. I lost my dad to parkinsons and dementia a few years ago. He moved back home to Michigan after he retired so we mostly talked on the phone, which got harder as things progressed which is the one thing I can offer to prepare for. We didn't have the best of relationships to begin with so phone conversations were never that fantastic but it's hard to have a one sided conversation.

In happier news I have two disney trips planned. Paris is May and WDW in November to run wine and dine again. (I know I'm sure I said on one of your trip reports it would be a one and done but I ran another half last summer and have one planned for one so...).

I'm looking forward to your PTR and anything you post about your other trips in it. Please post the link here so we can find it :) I miss the chatting between everyone that happens on your trip reports.

Merry Christmas everyone!
 

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