kittylady1972
Disneyholic
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2003
WARNING: I am TERRIBLE at remembering to update my Trip Reports...so BUYER BEWARE!
BACKGROUND: We are a family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 kids ages 16, 13 and 11 and normally Disneyholics by nature. However we are going to attempt, once again, to make this a NON-Disney trip since we already have a Disney trip planned for November 2016 with extended family. I think this time we can succeed...unlike last time I planned a NON-Disney trip.
PLANS: Well I'm known for being a crazy vacation planner, I will make and cancel a zillion (not quite...but close) reservations between the time I decide on a trip and the time we leave. Case in point, last night I told my DH at dinner that I was sure I had finally made some definite plans for our trip...and he wouldn't EVEN LISTEN. He just wants me to let him know when we leave where he should go!
We live in MD so we are planning to drive for this trip because the cost of 5 RT plane tickets is more than I'm willing to part with, especially since we have a big honking SUV (that we just put a brand new transmission into...wonderful) and gas prices are pretty reasonable. My kids are fairly well seasoned in travel by car for long trips, as we've done it many times. With tons of electronics to keep them entertained...it's not the hardship it was when *I* was a kid and we did long drives...with on an A/M radio on whatever music my parents wanted to hear!
Anyway...the kids last day of school is a Thursday in June. This is a 2-hour early dismissal day so they will by done by 1pm at the latest. However if they don't have exams that day, or don't have any that afternoon, we can pull them out as early as possible and hit the road. Original plan was to leave on Friday, but that's a waste of a good day! We know we can do the drive-all-day-and-into-the-night thing as we've done it before. Our last drive to Florida was July 2015 and we drove until about 11pm, stopping overnight in Jacksonville, FL.
PARKS: Right now our highest priority is both Universal parks. Our last visit there was when the kids weren't even big enough to ride all the BIG stuff. That was back in June 2011:
Now that they have all reached magical roller-coaster height (about 52 inches) they can't wait to do it ALL! Back then, I know we must have ridden the Simpsons ride about a half-dozen times...that was a big hit for them. We only did I think one or two park days at the time, which was enough for them.
So we are planning on getting 3-day Park2Park tickets for Universal, and we are staying two nights at Royal Pacific Resort (right now ) so that we get FOTL access. That was key for this trip, as we've been to Florida and Universal in June...we know lines will be long. Our other HIGH priority is Busch Gardens Tampa, as our last time there was during that NON-Disney trip (also our first time there) and we just LOVED it there. We've been wanted to go back...this is our chance and I have a friend living in Tampa area who has opened her home to us to stay for a few nights. She'll most likely be joining us with her son, who I think is about 7 or 8 years old. She may even join us for one night at Universal as well. I'm not sure yet.
As I've gone over ticket prices a million times, I finally looked into Discovery Cove for the first time this week and the Ultimate Package which includes 14-day park tickets to BG/SW/AQ/AI and so I thought...why not? Kids love the water, they would love to do the helmet dive (they wanted to do this activity offered at a few places on our last cruise, but I told them we could do it elsewhere) and it seems like a nice place to relax after several long amusement park days. It isn't booked quite yet, but that's the plan.
Next UP: Breaking it down day by day!
BACKGROUND: We are a family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 kids ages 16, 13 and 11 and normally Disneyholics by nature. However we are going to attempt, once again, to make this a NON-Disney trip since we already have a Disney trip planned for November 2016 with extended family. I think this time we can succeed...unlike last time I planned a NON-Disney trip.
PLANS: Well I'm known for being a crazy vacation planner, I will make and cancel a zillion (not quite...but close) reservations between the time I decide on a trip and the time we leave. Case in point, last night I told my DH at dinner that I was sure I had finally made some definite plans for our trip...and he wouldn't EVEN LISTEN. He just wants me to let him know when we leave where he should go!
We live in MD so we are planning to drive for this trip because the cost of 5 RT plane tickets is more than I'm willing to part with, especially since we have a big honking SUV (that we just put a brand new transmission into...wonderful) and gas prices are pretty reasonable. My kids are fairly well seasoned in travel by car for long trips, as we've done it many times. With tons of electronics to keep them entertained...it's not the hardship it was when *I* was a kid and we did long drives...with on an A/M radio on whatever music my parents wanted to hear!
Anyway...the kids last day of school is a Thursday in June. This is a 2-hour early dismissal day so they will by done by 1pm at the latest. However if they don't have exams that day, or don't have any that afternoon, we can pull them out as early as possible and hit the road. Original plan was to leave on Friday, but that's a waste of a good day! We know we can do the drive-all-day-and-into-the-night thing as we've done it before. Our last drive to Florida was July 2015 and we drove until about 11pm, stopping overnight in Jacksonville, FL.
PARKS: Right now our highest priority is both Universal parks. Our last visit there was when the kids weren't even big enough to ride all the BIG stuff. That was back in June 2011:
Now that they have all reached magical roller-coaster height (about 52 inches) they can't wait to do it ALL! Back then, I know we must have ridden the Simpsons ride about a half-dozen times...that was a big hit for them. We only did I think one or two park days at the time, which was enough for them.
So we are planning on getting 3-day Park2Park tickets for Universal, and we are staying two nights at Royal Pacific Resort (right now ) so that we get FOTL access. That was key for this trip, as we've been to Florida and Universal in June...we know lines will be long. Our other HIGH priority is Busch Gardens Tampa, as our last time there was during that NON-Disney trip (also our first time there) and we just LOVED it there. We've been wanted to go back...this is our chance and I have a friend living in Tampa area who has opened her home to us to stay for a few nights. She'll most likely be joining us with her son, who I think is about 7 or 8 years old. She may even join us for one night at Universal as well. I'm not sure yet.
As I've gone over ticket prices a million times, I finally looked into Discovery Cove for the first time this week and the Ultimate Package which includes 14-day park tickets to BG/SW/AQ/AI and so I thought...why not? Kids love the water, they would love to do the helmet dive (they wanted to do this activity offered at a few places on our last cruise, but I told them we could do it elsewhere) and it seems like a nice place to relax after several long amusement park days. It isn't booked quite yet, but that's the plan.
Next UP: Breaking it down day by day!
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