# Carnage, Mayhem & Pixie Dust:  a “frightful” & delightful Halloween-Inspired, Offsite TR (Oct. 2015)



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hello everyone!   to my latest trip report.


Some of you may have followed me over to this thread from the PTR for this vacation, which was located here on the Universal boards:


http://www.disboards.com/threads/october-2015-ptr-a-“halloweenie”-and-her-fearless-companion-conquer-their-first-hhn.3428838/


As annual passholders, this was supposed to be another Universal-only getaway…..until it morphed into something a little more diverse (our vacations tend to do that  …. I blame Groupon and the Disboards ).


Other readers may know me from some of my former trip reports, the links for which can be found in my signature (feel free to check ‘em out if I start boring you on this thread!).


For those that are making my acquaintance for the first time, thanks so much for reading along and (hopefully) joining in the chatter.  Don’t be shy, if you have a question or a comment or a “suggestion for next time”, feel free to add your thoughts whenever the spirit moves you.   Everyone’s input and contributions are always appreciated .


Let me first make introductions.  This trip involves just two adults:  myself and husband Steve.







Having celebrated 22 years of wedded bliss this past May, we have long since deduced that the secret to our success (and sometimes the bane of our existence!! ) is that we are nothing alike.  I tend to zig when he zags, I will fret when he’s calm, and he’s very much a “go with the flow” guy while I’m a planner at heart.  He’s tall, I’m short.  I’m emotional and he’s very reserved.  We are the classic example of two entities that are totally different but yet complimentary at the same time.  Like chocolate and peanut butter.  Or thunder and lightening .  Differences aside, we are the best friends:  our common goals never differ.   Each of us puts the other ahead of ourselves without even thinking about it.







We are the proud parents of a fine young fellow, our Jake, who is in his final year of college.  While he was invited to join us on this vacation, he opted to stay home:  it was his reading week, and he wanted to enjoy some fun with his college buddies while picking up a few extra shifts at his job at the YMCA.  He kept the home fires burning (and my mom well cared for) during our absence, complete with daily weather updates from the chilly north .  He will travel with us to Orlando for our next trip in December, and we’re super excited after two kid-free holidays to have our whole little family together for the holidays .







Jake is simply just a great kid.  Hard working, a dedicated student, and a gentle heart.  He’s our lonely only, so he holds a special place in our heart just on that fact alone, but he’s grown into a young man of whom we can be exceptionally proud.  And yes, he definitely looks like his dad!







This trip was number two of three in 2015. While we love our trips southward, we’re not generally able to travel quite that much within a 12 month period…..it’s taken a lot of good budgeting on our part, especially considering our dismal Canadian dollar .  Where there’s a will, though, there’s  a way……and we were on a missing to check out a whole new time of year for us.  With Jake in college (and then choosing not to come along), we were no longer tied to the rigid school calendar that kept us restricted to Christmas, summer or March Break vacation weeks.  We had always wanted to visit when the Halloween festivities were in full swing, so we wasted no time in planning our first autumn getaway.


The initial plans called for visiting the Universal parks, with a much-anticipated (by Steve) Halloween Horror Night.  This “Halloweenie” was just along for the ride .


Then there was an RIP Tour added.  And the Scareactor Dining Experience.  Carpe Diem and all that .







Somewhere along the line, I convinced Steve to add a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party to the mix, decked out in full costumes of course (because you’re never too old to act like a kid at Disney…if you believe their commercials, anyway ).  Then that morphed into two parties, because we had to get the value out of those costumes, right?  (Disney math is a dangerous thing )







We added in mini golfing and gator feeding at Congo River, a tour at World of Chocolate Museum and Café, and some leisure time at the newly-revamped Disney Springs.  We tacked on a park-and-fly package to the front of our trip (an early flight from Buffalo made that a necessity) and a night in Niagara Falls on the end.  We indulged in a therapeutic amount of retail therapy at the outlet malls and a couple other little quirky places tossed in for good measure, and as the title of this thread indicated, we stayed offsite at our beloved timeshare resort.  We dined both onsite (Universal and Disney) and offsite, and even chowed down in our villa a few mornings.  So when it came time to decide where this mish-mash of a trip report should go, I figured if it was going to fit anywhere, it was going to be here on the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board.  The mods can move it elsewhere if they see fit.


Those that know us best know that we love ORLANDO as a city.  It’s our family mission to do something new on every trip, and to not box ourselves in to just the major theme park families.  We adore exploring the lesser known offsite attractions, so for those looking for a Disney-centric report, I will warn you now:  this thread might not be for you.  There’s going to be a whole lotta everything thrown in .


So feel free to sit back, relax, and join me in reliving the memories of two quirky Canadians’ 8th trip to the Sunshine State .  I hope to make you smile and keep you entertained along the way .


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## Rubbertops

Looking forward to reading your report!


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## thr33boys

I've been patiently waiting for this, looking forward to hearing all the details. Your reports are always a great read. I'm in


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## tink1957

I'm here...can't wait to read about your Orlando adventures   this is gonna be fun.


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## RocketCityMama

Yay in for the read! I can't wait! Jake is handsome, think he'll find another love soon enough


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## Princess Leia

Hi Gina

Looking forward to reading about your latest adventure.


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## JaxDad

Nothing better on the DIS than a Gina trip report!


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## pigletto

Here I am!! On the first page even!

I can't wait to follow along on your most recent adventures ! I'll live vicariously through your trip report until it's our turn!


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## mandas08

So excited to follow along again. We also love all things Orlando..there is just so much to see and do. Excited to follow along!!


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## MyTalula

Love it!! So excited to read along!!


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## Gr8t Fan

Yay!!!  Another trip report.  Definitely following along. 

We'll be at Vistana in just about 30 days for Thanksgiving (can't wait to give it a try) and to visit our DD who's right next door at Vista Way for DCP.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Rubbertops said:


> Looking forward to reading your report!





thr33boys said:


> I've been patiently waiting for this, looking forward to hearing all the details. Your reports are always a great read. I'm in





tink1957 said:


> I'm here...can't wait to read about your Orlando adventures   this is gonna be fun.





RocketCityMama said:


> Yay in for the read! I can't wait! Jake is handsome, think he'll find another love soon enough





Princess Leia said:


> Hi Gina
> 
> Looking forward to reading about your latest adventure.





JaxDad said:


> Nothing better on the DIS than a Gina trip report!





pigletto said:


> Here I am!! On the first page even!
> 
> I can't wait to follow along on your most recent adventures ! I'll live vicariously through your trip report until it's our turn!





mandas08 said:


> So excited to follow along again. We also love all things Orlando..there is just so much to see and do. Excited to follow along!!





MyTalula said:


> Love it!! So excited to read along!!





Gr8t Fan said:


> Yay!!!  Another trip report.  Definitely following along.
> 
> We'll be at Vistana in just about 30 days for Thanksgiving (can't wait to give it a try) and to visit our DD who's right next door at Vista Way for DCP.



Welcome everyone!!  Thanks for joining in!  It's so much more fun to do these reports if I don't feel like I'm talking to myself  .

The next entry is coming right up.  I appreciate you all letting me know you are reading along  .


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Gr8t Fan said:


> Yay!!!  Another trip report.  Definitely following along.
> 
> We'll be at Vistana in just about 30 days for Thanksgiving (can't wait to give it a try) and to visit our DD who's right next door at Vista Way for DCP.



You're at the Vistana and your daughter is at Vista Way?  You can't get more convenient than that!!

I think you might be at the resort just in time for their 35th anniversary celebrations.  I can't wait to hear your impressions of your stay!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Day 1 – Friday, October 9th*


I set the alarm for 6 am so we could get a nice, early start on our long list of morning tasks.  We (okay, maybe that’s more of an “I” ) wanted to give the house a good top-to-bottom cleaning before we left home, and there was a little bit of laundry to wash and dry as well.  We had finished our packing the night before and the suitcases were ready to load, so we showered and breakfasted and got right to work.  We wanted to be out the door absolutely, positively no later than noon.....and so we were very happy when we were in the Journey and on the road just minutes after 11 am.  Jake had no classes that day so it was nice to have him around for the morning before we left (it was probably more important for mom than the boy!!) and we knew that a buddy was coming over in early afternoon to eat pizza and watch the Blue Jays game, which made me feel less like I was abandoning him.


Yes, he’s 19.  And yes, he’s independent and responsible.  But what can I say?  He’s still my baby .


My mom lives in the next town down the highway (in the same direction as we were travelling), so we stopped, picked up lunch and dropped over for a short visit and quick meal with her before officially setting off on our long commute.  We called her to let her know we were on our way, and she was like a little kid....all excited that (a) we were bringing her favourite lunch and (b) that she got to spend some extra time with us before we left.  With an extended drive ahead of us, though, we kept the visit reasonably short and headed out from her house by about 12:30 .







By early afternoon, the sunny morning had given way to thickening clouds and weather reports were threatening rain.  I was growing doubtful that our stop at the Falls would work out as planned, but while I was a bit disappointed, it wasn’t bringing me down.....I was just happy to be officially on vacation .


The autumn colours were peeking out from along the side of the roadway.  It was really starting to feel like Thanksgiving was in the air!  (remember, we Canucks celebrate in October......much earlier than our American friends)







Considering it was the Friday of a holiday weekend (Thanksgiving was Monday, October 12th) we figured that traffic had a strong potential to be nightmarish in Toronto and through to Oakville and Burlington.  There would be many folks heading north to close their cottages for the winter, and thousands of others travelling to or from the city for weekend festivities and massive turkey dinners with family and friends.  It was an easy decision to opt to travel via the toll Highway 407 and bypass all the snarls and slowdowns.  Between transitioning from the 401 to the 407, we made a brief stop for a washroom break in Pickering and Steve grabbed some road trip snacks:







Then we were on our way.   As we expected, it was smooth sailing and clear lanes all the way from one end of the 407 to the other.  Worth every penny of the ridiculously expensive bill that will pop up in our mailbox in about a month.  (In the event that I’m crabbing about the price when the invoice arrives, remind me how marvellous I was feeling about the commute at the time )


Once off the 407 and onto the QEW, we made another stop in Stoney Creek for a visit with Steve’s sister, brother-in-law, and our two nieces.  Busy family and work life for both our households, combined with the distance that physically separates us, means we don’t get the chance to see each other as often as we’d like.  As a result, we always make a conscious effort to try to get together whenever we are en route to the Niagara Region, since their home is just minutes off the highway and literally right on the way.  We arrived just when their girls were getting home from school, and spent a lovely hour or so getting caught up on what’s been happening in each other’s lives.  Facebook is a wonderful way of keeping in touch, but a personal face-to-face visit is just so much better!  My wonderful SIL had a huge plate of her home baking for us to enjoy while we chatted, so we left full and high on sugar for the balance of our pilgrimage to Buffalo.


An hour and a half after arriving in Stoney Creek, we were back in the Journey with our park and fly hotel address plugged into the GPS.  We had planned to cross the border at either the Rainbow Bridge at the Falls (or normal go-to crossing) or the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie.  The GPS, however, had other ideas and directed us here:







Turns out Ms. GPS is brilliant indeed:  we were through customs in a flash .  Other than _where are you going_ and_ when are you coming back_, the customs official barely gave us a second glance.  Before we knew it we were switching the speedometer from kilometers to miles per hour and cruising through the streets of New York State .







Those clouds were looking mighty ominous, though, and I wasn’t feeling like risking a soaking if the rain decided to materialize.  We made the joint decision to nix the Niagara Falls stop and keep moving onward toward Buffalo.  Considering we dilly-dallied a bit longer at Mom’s and Steve’s sister’s than we had originally anticipated, it was probably a prudent decision anyway.


The only traffic we encountered on the entire drive was in Buffalo itself.  Nothing major (certainly not  the kind of congestion we see when passing through Toronto) but enough to delay our arrival by a teeny bit.  All that said, we made it safely to the Days Inn Buffalo Airport and were happy to have arrived at our first night’s destination.


*Up next:  the Days Inn Buffalo Airport, dinner that started as a disappointment and ended with applause, and a sleepless night we’d rather forget.*


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## Lynne G

ooh a not so good Buffalo visit.  Oh well, you win some, loose some.  Great start though.  My kids missed me, but not much!  Teenagers, gotta love them.  They're still my little ones at times too.  

No rain when I left the next day, so I was lucky.  I was not happy when the train was late to the airport, but I gave myself plenty of time, and no issue, except that Southwest had it's network down, and there was talk of not being able to take off.  But, as it was, we did, and were 45 minutes late into Orlando.  Oh well.  When I could take my pants off and trade them for shorts, I was a happy camper.

Carry on.


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## keishashadow

joining in, don't forget to stop by my much abbreviate TR lol

must say that you & DH look like a happy couple!


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## thr33boys

Great start!!

My parents are exactly the same way when they know we're coming.  My mom will actually call when she suspects we're on our way just to see if we have left yet.  Mind you, it's a 500km drive, so I think she's on pins and needles waiting for our arrival the whole time.  We're treated like royalty, my sisters who live in the same city as her, not so much


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## JaxDad

Gina, the photo of the McDonalds Chicken McNuggets and sauces takes "food porn" to a whole new level!


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## toystoryduo

Woohoo! You started your trip report!!!  Looking forward to reading about your trip, Gina!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> ooh a not so good Buffalo visit.  Oh well, you win some, loose some.  Great start though.  My kids missed me, but not much!  Teenagers, gotta love them.  They're still my little ones at times too.
> 
> No rain when I left the next day, so I was lucky.  I was not happy when the train was late to the airport, but I gave myself plenty of time, and no issue, except that Southwest had it's network down, and there was talk of not being able to take off.  But, as it was, we did, and were 45 minutes late into Orlando.  Oh well.  When I could take my pants off and trade them for shorts, I was a happy camper.
> 
> Carry on.



Those kinds of rough starts just make the whole vacation thing a whole lot sweeter, don't you think?  But arriving late is kind of a bummer.  You don't want to waste a moment of the fun!!

I am so incredibly sorry that I missed the chance to meet you in person.  Any possibility that you might be back next October, same-ish time frame?



keishashadow said:


> joining in, don't forget to stop by my much abbreviate TR lol
> 
> must say that you & DH look like a happy couple!



Yes ma'am, I will certainly be popping in to read up on your grand adventures!  Can't wait to see your pics!

Steve and are I very lucky to have each other .  There's nothing better for the soul than sharing your life with your best friend.



thr33boys said:


> Great start!!
> 
> My parents are exactly the same way when they know we're coming.  My mom will actually call when she suspects we're on our way just to see if we have left yet.  Mind you, it's a 500km drive, so I think she's on pins and needles waiting for our arrival the whole time.  We're treated like royalty, my sisters who live in the same city as her, not so much



My mom and I are two peas in a pod.  She adores by brother and sister as well, but she and I have an *extra* special bond.   We only live 25 minutes apart, so we see each other at least weekly and we talk every day.....but she worries about us like CRAZY when we're gone.  She's always particularly terrified about us when we fly.  The first time we went to Florida, she insisted we get our wills done before we left in the event that our plane ended up in the ocean .  Gee, I wonder why I'm a nervous flyer!! 



JaxDad said:


> Gina, the photo of the McDonalds Chicken McNuggets and sauces takes "food porn" to a whole new level!



Hey, we had to have some pics of our "fine dining" moments along the way  .

Fear not, the food porn will get better from here.....well, most meals anyway (I don't want to talk about Pinnochio Village Haus just yet ).  The chicken nuggets will just set the bar nice and low so there's no other place to go but up!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

toystoryduo said:


> Woohoo! You started your trip report!!!  Looking forward to reading about your trip, Gina!



Welcome aboard!  Happy to have you joining in!


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## bankr63

Lynne G said:


> Oh well.  When I could take my pants off and trade them for shorts, I was a happy camper.
> 
> Carry on.


 
Did you put the shorts on after you traded with someone, or did you just camp in your gitch?  And who would you trade with?  Someone going back North no doubt?

Sorry, but you did say to carry on...


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## bankr63

And (obviously) reporting for duty ma'am.  I'll do my best to keep up this time, I promise. 

Hardest part is finding out where you are going to post your next TR.  Always a mystery...


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> Did you put the shorts on after you traded with someone, or did you just camp in your gitch?  And who would you trade with?  Someone going back North no doubt?
> 
> Sorry, but you did say to carry on...



Ah, one of my favourite witty Canucks has joined us .  Welcome, my friend!  

I just had a feeling that when @Lynne G mentioned about taking her pants off, this thread was poised to head in a whole different direction  .

In fact, speaking of witty Canucks....I'm wondering where @dancin Disney style is.....this sounds like its shaping up to be her kind of party.......


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> And (obviously) reporting for duty ma'am.  I'll do my best to keep up this time, I promise.
> 
> Hardest part is finding out where you are going to post your next TR.  Always a mystery...



Unpredictability is part of my charm  .

I am so happy you found my report....its always nice to have a guy's perspective .


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## JaxDad

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am so happy you found my report....its always nice to have a guy's perspective .


 
I'll just keep providing a gal's perspective...


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

JaxDad said:


> I'll just keep providing a gal's perspective...



hee hee .... I didn't forget that you're a guy too.  But gentlemen, on the whole, are a fairly rare commodity around here.  So its notable and nice when ya'll come around and chat on my TR threads.


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## ArwenMarie

Yay, found the new Gina trip report!

You and your husband are so cute. 

Looking forward to the rest!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Yay, found the new Gina trip report!
> 
> You and your husband are so cute.
> 
> Looking forward to the rest!



Yay!  You decided to join in!    So happy you're here .    

Hope all is going well in your busy life!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Check-in at the Days Inn was quick and easy.  We walked right up to a front desk clerk, who quickly found our reservation.  The park and fly package had long since been pre-paid (I’m a bit anal about having as many expenses pre-paid as possible before travelling) so there wasn’t much to do except register our vehicle for the long-term lot.  We didn’t end up parking it just then…..we still had dinner to attend to…..but we filled out all the necessary forms and took one of the permits for the dash.  They handed me a package that I had had shipped to the hotel (saving me a nice chunk of change on duty and shipping fees) without me having to ask about it, which impressed me a tiny bit.  Normally I always have to ask the front desk for packages when we arrive (then get that blank stare that says _Package?  You had a package shipped here? _).


We brought all of our luggage from the Journey to our room on the 5th floor.   By early evening, it was windy and damp and just plain miserable outside.  We had a king room reserved for the night, and that’s exactly what we were assigned.






















This is an older property, and the décor is pretty dated.  I have to say that the bedspreads they are now using (which are different from our last stay at this hotel in 2012) look like they are straight out of 1977.  Definitely not my taste.  BUT…..it was super clean, which is my biggest requirement .  It looked clean and it _*smelled*_ clean, so for that reason alone, we were satisfied.  Everything was in good condition, just ugly (I hope I’m not insulting anyone here).


We had a view of the airport from our room.  I am amazed at how BUSY this airport is.  There were planes coming and going constantly…..including all through the night.











The hotel has a decent sized pool and a nice hot tub.  We didn’t end up swimming anytime that evening…..too full and too lazy after dinner …..but again, the area was well maintained, clean, stocked with lots of towels, and I had no complaints.   Had Jake been travelling with us, I can guarantee we would have all been in that hot tub after dinner to soak the car trip stiffness from our legs.  We just opted not to have to stick wet swimsuits in our luggage in the morning, because hung on the shower rod or not, they never seem to fully dry overnight.

















After stretching out on the bed for a bit (checking the Jays score, emails…..) we donned our jackets and headed out for dinner.  Plans called for us to visit the Cheesecake Factory for the first time, so we plugged the address for the Walden Galleria into the GPS and headed to the mall.


There were a lot of cars in the Galleria parking lot, so we were less than surprised when we saw the HUGE line that stretched out the door of the Cheesecake Factory and snaked its way down the hall.  To be fair, we inquired as to how long the wait for a table would be and our question was met with an apologetic smile from the greeter and a response of “30 minutes?  Maybe an hour?” (complete with question marks).  I asked Steve if he wanted to wait, and without hesitation he said no.  From there, we checked out the menu of PF Changs (we’ve seen their commercials on TV) but the offerings really didn’t appeal to either of us, so we gave that one a pass too.  We strolled around a bit more, vetoed the Italian place and a few other restaurants, and browsed a few shops as we laughed at our obvious picky-ness.  We went back to the car and opted to tour the area for something that appealed to our fussy palates.


We spied an Olive Garden just a stone’s throw from the mall, but again….we could see the line winding out the front door and into the cold (if we had to wait outside, it’s definitely off the list ).  However, glimmering in the darkness across the parking lot from OG, there stood a Smokey Bones that seemed to be calling to us on the frosty breeze……







Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly calling us .  That might have just been our rumbly tummies that we heard.  But by this time, we were feeling noticeably hungry, and there was no line out the door .  The name suggested there would be an ample stock of meat dishes from which to choose, so Steve would no doubt have his meatatarian appetite satisfied.  A fellow Dis-er (@schumigirl ) has spoken highly of this chain in Orlando, so we were reasonably certain that it must be decent....her dining reviews haven't led us astray yet.  So, Smokey Bones it would be!

Next up:  the diet goes out the window.   But calories don't count when you're on vacation.....right?


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## Lynne G

right, no counting money or calories when on vacation!


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## Ruthie5671

I've enjoyed reading all of your trip reports.  I've already mentally added the Orlando Eye to our vacation next year based on your review.  I think we might need a longer trip than originally planned!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Ruthie5671 said:


> I've enjoyed reading all of your trip reports.  I've already mentally added the Orlando Eye to our vacation next year based on your review.  I think we might need a longer trip than originally planned!



Hi Ruthie!  Good to have you join us!!  Glad that you have picked up a new idea or two from my past reports  .

I think you will really enjoy the Orlando Eye....we're super excited to give it another whirl (pardon the pun ) in December.  I hope its all lit up in red and green lights for the holidays .

People are shocked that we're still able to do new things this many trips later.  I swear I could go for a month and never run out of things to do!  If you run out of time to conquer all the attractions you hope to visit on this trip, you'll just have to start planning another vacation  .


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## sk8jdgca

Glad I found your new trip report. We are back to Orlando and Shereaton Vistana Resort on Jan 3. It's my kids Christmas present ( it's ok they don't come to Disboards.) My son is in the Nutcracker at the Four Seasons with the National Ballet of Canada and it runs from Dec 12-Jan 3 but I got him out of the Jan 3 show. We are flying out of Buffalo for the first time as we will leave Toronto after the Sat night show and fly out early Sun morning. We come back on Jan 10 which is the day we have to drop him back off in Toronto for school. My daughter will have to miss school but she only has 3 courses. I'm a little concerned as it is a few weeks before exams but she just has Art, Yearbook and English this semester so she should be able to catch up quickly. It really sucks to have your two kids on different holiday schedules!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> Glad I found your new trip report. We are back to Orlando and Shereaton Vistana Resort on Jan 3. It's my kids Christmas present ( it's ok they don't come to Disboards.) My son is in the Nutcracker at the Four Seasons with the National Ballet of Canada and it runs from Dec 12-Jan 3 but I got him out of the Jan 3 show. We are flying out of Buffalo for the first time as we will leave Toronto after the Sat night show and fly out early Sun morning. We come back on Jan 10 which is the day we have to drop him back off in Toronto for school. My daughter will have to miss school but she only has 3 courses. I'm a little concerned as it is a few weeks before exams but she just has Art, Yearbook and English this semester so she should be able to catch up quickly. It really sucks to have your two kids on different holiday schedules!



Thanks for joining us over here....glad to have you along!

And a big WOOHOO on another vacation in the works!    You'll be arriving a SVR not long after we've gone home (we're there the 19th to 26th of December).   Too bad our dates don't overlap a little, it would have been fun to meet up at the Tiki Bar for a beverage  .

What attractions are on deck for your family for January?  Your kiddos are going to be so excited when they hear what Santa has planned!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Smokey Bones was busy, but there were still a few open tables so they were easily able to seat our party of two within just a few minutes.  I literally had enough time to tame my wind-tousled hair (at least somewhat) in the ladies room before the greeter escorted us to a booth.







Okay, so maybe I didn’t do such a good job at taming it after all!!  


Inside the restaurant it boasted a very warm, comfortable, casual décor.  Lots of wood.  The smell of meat and barbecue sauce was prevalent in the air and it kick started the taste buds in to a state of salivation.







There were TONS of menu choices so it took us a bit to read through them all and decide what we wanted to order.  Our server brought us drinks (lemonade for moi, Coke Zero for Steve).  After placing our entrée order (we decided on no appetizer that night.....portions being brought out looked large enough that we weren’t sure we had sufficient stomach capacity to handle that much food) our meals were delivered to our table surprisingly swiftly.  No much wait at all.







I had the brisket platter (brisket is my favourite way to eat beef) with fries, beans and garlic toast ($16.49).  It was DIVINE .  The brisket was sooooo tender, super flavourful, and supremely delicious.  The beans were smokey and yummy.  Everything was hot and fresh and in larger portions than what the photos show.







Steve threw his healthy eating initiative right out the window, and opted for a ceasar salad (not so bad):







And the “Smoke Stack” burger (very naughty):  *“We triple burger dare you. Three (THREE!) 1/2 lb patties + cheddar + pile of pulled pork + onion rings + onion tanglers + cole slaw + toasted bun. Take the ultimate carnivore challenge”.*  ($19.39)







He checked the calorie content (2699!!!) and almost fell to the floor  .  But we're not counting calories on this trip.  Right?   Thankfully he ordered a Coke Zero and nothing stronger, lol!












Calories aside, he RAVED about this burger.  It was so good, he said it was even better than the Hash House burger that he had enjoyed on our May trip….and at the time, he didn’t think that one could ever be equalled (let alone exceeded).


Believe it or not, he ate the whole thing .  I was not so successful with my plate, and even with Steve’s assistance, there was still a portion of that brisket that couldn’t be eaten.  So. Much. Food.  Thank heavens we had the good sense not to order an appetizer.


The total bill, with beverages and tax, was $46.30 (plus tip).  We rolled ourselves out the door, grateful for the somewhat lengthy walk between the building and the Journey.  We made the short drive back to the hotel, stowed the car in the secure long-term parking lot, and spent the remainder of the evening just chillaxing and watching TV.  We marvelled at how quiet the hotel was, and opted to turn in for the night around 10:30 pm knowing that our wake-up call would rouse us at a painfully early 4:15 the following morning.


Wait a minute......Quiet?  Did we say *quiet?* 

Well, weren’t we in for a rude awakening….in a very literal sense .


----------



## sk8jdgca

Hey Gina we bought universal annual passes with the photo connect annual pass, so we are going to spend lots of time there. I've booked ICE for Jan 3 when we land and probably will have brunch there. I've applied for us all to spend a day volunteering at Give the Kids the World. I'm hoping they will take us. We also want to spend lots of time at the resort too. I'm sure we will be back to Congo Golf as we loved it last year.   Oh yes and of course shopping!


----------



## sk8jdgca

That burger looks amazing but how did he get it into his mouth?


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

I can't wait to read more!  My daughter and I are doing our own Gina-inspired trip in May, and I'm looking forward to getting more ideas from you!


----------



## keishashadow

I wish my local smokey bones served food that looked as good as you were served!


----------



## Pixiedustspreader

I'm in too Gina!  Great read so far!  It's also really cool to think back and reminisce on our own trip as it pretty much mirrored yours as far the time frame.  We are lucky that the kids and my teacher wife have a fall break and absolutely love October in Orlando - mostly Disney, I'll admit, but we really enjoyed starting this trip off with 2 and a half days at Universal...I see us definitely doing that again.  Sounds like you enjoyed your October trip...add me to the "hope to meet up with you next year" list...I owe you a dole whip for the sub $160 8 day Alamo rental I snagged


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> Hey Gina we bought universal annual passes with the photo connect annual pass, so we are going to spend lots of time there. I've booked ICE for Jan 3 when we land and probably will have brunch there. I've applied for us all to spend a day volunteering at Give the Kids the World. I'm hoping they will take us. We also want to spend lots of time at the resort too. I'm sure we will be back to Congo Golf as we loved it last year.   Oh yes and of course shopping!



Sounds like a fantastic trip you have secretly planned!  I am very interested to hear about your volunteer experience at GKTW (assuming your application is approved....fingers crossed for you!) .... considering your own personal circumstances and experiences, I think that a day working there would be an incredibly awesome thing to do  .    What an experience it would be for your kids.



sk8jdgca said:


> That burger looks amazing but how did he get it into his mouth?



He had to disassemble it a bit.  He ate the pulled pork and coleslaw off the burger, and the big honking onion ring.   Then he cut it into chunks with the dagger they provided.  It was a messy job, especially with his "pirate beard"  .



jennasmommyinMS said:


> I can't wait to read more!  My daughter and I are doing our own Gina-inspired trip in May, and I'm looking forward to getting more ideas from you!



lol, that's awesome!      What things are on your itinerary so far?  



keishashadow said:


> I wish my local smokey bones served food that looked as good as you were served!



Not a fan of Smokey Bones at home?  We don't have them here in the Great White North....in fact, I didn't even realize they had them in Buffalo (we just happened to stumble on it).  

We are hoping the one in Kissimmee is equally as pleasing.....we were considering taking Jake there when we travel again at Christmas. 



Pixiedustspreader said:


> I'm in too Gina!  Great read so far!  It's also really cool to think back and reminisce on our own trip as it pretty much mirrored yours as far the time frame.  We are lucky that the kids and my teacher wife have a fall break and absolutely love October in Orlando - mostly Disney, I'll admit, but we really enjoyed starting this trip off with 2 and a half days at Universal...I see us definitely doing that again.  Sounds like you enjoyed your October trip...add me to the "hope to meet up with you next year" list...I owe you a dole whip for the sub $160 8 day Alamo rental I snagged



Welcome, my Transportation Board friend!  Happy to have you venture over and join us!

Wasn't that weather that we had simply *spectacular*??  It was so nice, I almost felt a little guilty......especially when the weeks before our dates seemed to be plagued with rain.  I was sending up many a sincere thanks to the weather Gods for smiling on us for our entire vacation  .

October was definitely a winner for us in all ways.....weather, special events, crowd levels.   We already have end of April/first of May booked for 2016, but we still have our 2nd week at SVR to use.....and I'm pretty sure, judging by Steve's enthusiasm for this most recent getaway, that "same place, same time" next year is a strong possibility.  I may even tentatively book our villa for October 2016 later today  .....I can always change it up later if need be.  As for the Dole Whip, that would be an offer I can't refuse  .   Those little bowls of deliciousness are highly addictive!!

I am so glad you were able to get a great rate on a rental for your trip!!  I must admit, we love Alamo.....we have yet to have a problem with them (except for their website, which is dreadful, lol).  I don't think our December rental will come anywhere even close to our October prices.....they are double or worse for Christmas week right now.....but I'm still holding out hope for a last minute drop.  After all, Christmas is the season for miracles, right?


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

In addition to Discovery Cove, Sea World, and Aquatica, we're doing some stuff on International Drive--Titanic, CSI, and the Skeleton Museum.  We're also planning on some mini golf, but we haven't picked the one we want to do yet.  I also wanted to try a restaurant we've never heard of, so we'll be going to Germans Restaurant off of 192.  We can't completely skip Disney, so we'll be visiting Epcot for one day.

My daughter has this dream of swimming in a pool completely alone, so I found a house near 192 and 27 for us to rent.  A pool for her, and a hot tub for me--sounds like a winner!


----------



## toystoryduo

That brisket platter looks yummy!  I can't believe how BIG that burger is! My DH would love that burger for sure!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

jennasmommyinMS said:


> In addition to Discovery Cove, Sea World, and Aquatica, we're doing some stuff on International Drive--Titanic, CSI, and the Skeleton Museum.  We're also planning on some mini golf, but we haven't picked the one we want to do yet.  I also wanted to try a restaurant we've never heard of, so we'll be going to Germans Restaurant off of 192.  We can't completely skip Disney, so we'll be visiting Epcot for one day.
> 
> My daughter has this dream of swimming in a pool completely alone, so I found a house near 192 and 27 for us to rent.  A pool for her, and a hot tub for me--sounds like a winner!



Your plans sound fabulous!   I am itching myself to get back to the SeaWorld parks....its been too long....so we're hoping that the Blue Friday sale will allow us to squeeze in a day on our Christmas trip.

Hmmm.....haven't heard of German's Restaurant, but I'm always intrigued by a new dining option.  I might have to check it out!

I am glad you found the perfect accommodations for you and your DD  .  I bet you will make some great memories enjoying the pool and hot tub on those warm Florida evenings!



toystoryduo said:


> That brisket platter looks yummy!  I can't believe how BIG that burger is! My DH would love that burger for sure!



We always fret over how some of the food pics don't seem to convey just how much food there was on the plate.....but in the case of this burger, it even looks huge in the photos!!    Thankfully, taste was not sacrificed for size  .  Big is only good if its yummy too.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Around 10:30 pm, we figured we’d better get ourselves to bed since the following morning was going to start so freakishly early.  No sooner had we turned out the lights and started to drift off to dreamland then the fracas across the hall erupted.  At first, we assumed it was just a noisy, keyed-up family arriving for an overnight stay following a late-ish arrival at the Buffalo airport.  We cut them some slack….we heard kids voices in the boisterous mix, and being parents ourselves, we know how tough it can be to get younger ones to settle down….but the hullaballoo continued on.  And on. 


We called down to the front desk after the first hour.  They assured us they would speak with the offenders and apologized for the disturbance.  We settled back down to try and sleep (though Steve was _thoroughly_ annoyed at the inconsiderateness of the folks across the hall and as such had grown a tad agitated…..so I sleep was not going to come as easy as we’d hoped).


Not long after the call to the front desk, they added slamming doors, high-pitched shrieking, and spurts of whoop, whoop, whooping to the booming voices.  We wondered how on earth we could hear them so loudly…..from peeking out through the peep hole in the door, we could see they were just across the hall, but still??  Then another peek noted that their door had been propped open…..all the way…..and people were strolling in and out, shouting out to friends at the opposite end of the hall (presumably their door was propped open as well?).  Apparently there was a par-tay and we weren’t invited .


Call #2 to the front desk, and I wasn’t quite as easily mollified this time.  “Dave” assured me he would pay a personal visit to the room and direct the obnoxious guests to tone it down.  Indeed, we heard him speak with the offenders within 15 minutes of our call, and we thought to ourselves finally!  That should do it.


Wrong .


When I had to make call number 3, I was seriously annoyed.  I got Dave again, and he was swift and sincere in his apologies……and even swifter making his way to the 5th floor with yet another stern directive.  Unfortunately for us, by this time it was after 2 o’clock in the morning…..and our wake up call was set for 4:15..  What a way to start a trip .


It was a scant few hours later when like two bleary-eyed zombies, we showered, dressed, locked the suitcases and made our way down to the lobby to grab breakfast before catching the shuttle to the terminal.   Steve had awoken with what we thought was an allergy attack….kind of odd considering his allergies are generally seasonal in nature, and the cold weather normally stops his symptoms, not increases them….so he took a dose of his medication and assumed (hoped?) it would kick in soon.


Arriving down on the main level of the hotel, while being checked out at the front desk by “Dave”, he gave us a flyer for discount off park and fly packages on future stays.  Since we had the hotel already booked for our trips in December and April, through my brain fog I asked if he could apply the price reduction to those reservations which were already in his system.


Then the lightbulb went off, and Dave says _“Oh my goodness!  You’re the lady who had to call us so many times about the people on the 5th floor!  I recognize your voice.  And I’m sooooo sorry about the disruptions”. _ He was genuine in his apology, and I appreciated at least having the issues recognized and validated.


He asks me, _are you having breakfast before heading to the airport? _ I tell him yes, and he says to go enjoy something to eat and he’d meet me over in the breakfast room on a few minutes.  He indicated that wanted to see what he could do for us for the inconvenience, but rather than stand and wait, he wanted us to relax over our morning meal and he’d seek us out.  I assured him it wasn’t necessary…..I didn’t want to make a big fuss over it, that’s not generally our style….but he insisted.  And I was too freakin’ tired to argue.


By the time I sat down with my waffle, Dave came over with revised billings in hand and another round of profound apologies.  He explained how difficult it was to handle these types of guests….if the staff physically kicked them out, police would be called and a whole new can of worms would be opened, often causing an even bigger disturbance to hotel guests….and told us he had adjusted both our current bill (refunding $45 USD to our credit card, since the package was prepaid before our arrival) and crediting us an additional sum off our April 2016 park and fly costs (he opted to take the other lump sum off April versus December since December was already paid in full but April was not).  No, it didn’t make up for the sleepless night but it was a nice gesture regardless…..especially when we didn’t have to make any kind of a fuss to have them take responsibility.


We finished breakfast (surprisingly good for a ‘freebie’….make-your-own waffles, sausages, eggs, yogurt, fruit, cereal, breads, muffins, coffee, milk, juice) and beckoned the shuttle.  The distance between the hotel and airport is super short, so we were there before our bottoms even managed to warm up the bus seats.  We dropped our bags, zipped through security (love that Buffalo is soooo quiet in the early mornings and lines are generally non-existent) and planted ourselves wearily at the gate.







We were too tired for conversation .  Let’s just say our customary pre-flight momentum was seriously lacking.   And Steve’s eyes and nose continued to run and ooze while he sneezed uncontrollably.  I am sure the other folks at our gate were just praying their seat assignment wasn’t next to Snots .







The sun finally started to come up just before we boarded.  Our plane, Blue Chip, was ready to whisk us off to paradise.  Exhausted or not, we were totally ready to leave the crisp autumn weather of the north behind for a week.







The flight?  Well, it was a bust too.  We rocked and shook and bumped our way in a trail of turbulence all from NY state to Florida.  We ascended and descended in an effort to find a smooth pocket of air, but it eluded us the entire journey.  The seatbelt signs never turned off, and the pilots finally came over the intercom to apologize for the rocky flight, while admitting there apparently wasn’t a darn thing they could do about it.  Fabulous .


Even the onboard TV’s had issues.  They had to reset their entertainment systems a full three times.  Our ‘issues’ at this point were almost comical.


On a positive note, Steve did manage to enjoy Jurassic Park 2 along the way (with a couple of breaks for the TV re-sets) and I didn’t pee my pants.  With literally no opportunities to use the onboard loo to empty my bladder and a rough ride to boot, that was definitely one of the positives of the whole experience!! 


We arrived at MCO within about 10 minutes of our scheduled arrival, so “late” but not by much.  We hit the first bathrooms we saw, collected our luggage, and strolled straight to the garage to pick up our rental vehicle.  We had done the online check-in with Alamo before our departure, so we were comfortably settled in a white Ford Fusion and heading toward the Vistana in a flash.


Steve was still sneezing, his eyes and nose were still running, and we were both dog tired.  But…we were here .


----------



## ArwenMarie

Rough start! I agree, that was nice of them to be pro-active about trying to make things right about the noise, but nothing can really make up for losing a night's sleep unfortunately.


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I had the brisket platter (brisket is my favourite way to eat beef) with fries, beans and garlic toast ($16.49).


 
Wait, let me check...
That would be C$22.00



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> And the “Smoke Stack” burger (very naughty):  *“We triple burger dare you. Three (THREE!) 1/2 lb patties + cheddar + pile of pulled pork + onion rings + onion tanglers + cole slaw + toasted bun. Take the ultimate carnivore challenge”.*  ($19.39)


Wait, let's check the rates now...
That's now C$60.10



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> The total bill, with beverages and tax, was $46.30 (plus tip).


 
Wait, latest conversion update.
Okay that's C$185.20

Man this dropping dollar is just brutal!




Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> It was a scant few hours later when like two bleary-eyed zombies, we showered, dressed, locked the suitcases and made our way down to the lobby to grab breakfast before catching the shuttle to the terminal.


"Stopping only for a few quick toots on our vuvuzela's as we exited our room."



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> By the time I sat down with my waffle, Dave came over with revised billings in hand and another round of profound apologies.  He explained how difficult it was to handle these types of guests….if the staff physically kicked them out, police would be called and a whole new can of worms would be opened, often causing an even bigger disturbance to hotel guests….and told us he had adjusted both our current bill (refunding $45 USD to our credit card, since the package was prepaid before our arrival) and crediting us an additional sum off our April 2016 park and fly costs (he opted to take the other lump sum off April versus December since December was already paid in full but April was not).  No, it didn’t make up for the sleepless night but it was a nice gesture regardless…..especially when we didn’t have to make any kind of a fuss to have them take responsibility.


 
Well there you go, by morning that $45 was worth a whopping C$365.22, so your dinner was free.  Way to play the exchange game Gina!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> On a positive note, Steve did manage to enjoy Jurassic Park 2 along the way (with a couple of breaks for the TV re-sets) and I didn’t pee my pants.  With literally no opportunities to use the onboard loo to empty my bladder and a rough ride to boot, that was definitely one of the positives of the whole experience!!


 
Oooh, I know how much you dislike a rough ride in the ATOD*.  Hopefully you avoided having to use the handy white bag in the seat back pocket, placed there for your comfort and convenience...

(*aluminum tube of death (C) nebo)


----------



## pigletto

Well that was a crappy first 24 hours!!

I just can't believe the selfishness of people to have to be told to be quiet THREE times. I mean the first time you could think that maybe they were just excited and unaware. After that... obviously they didn't care. Grrr.

And poor Steve. My son has really bad hayfever, and we didn't stop giving him his meds until this week just in case. But it's sounding like there is a bit more to this Steve story.

What a rocky start overall. Your attitude about it all was  graceful and upbeat as always, but I'm sure it was a disappointing way to begin. I hope things improve for you from here.


----------



## thr33boys

Not a good start at all. 

I can totally relate to having inconsiderate hotel neighbours. It's not fun and the more upset you get the harder it is to ignore. And as much as they deserve a taste of their own medicine, you just can't pay them back. However, I might have taken the time to phone their room as I was checking out at 5am...no I wouldn't do that but I would think it. 

I may be way off, as there is definitely no MD initials after my name, but sounds like Steve may have a dust/mold allergy perhaps? Since it's an older hotel, I'm sure there are dust particles embedded in the drapes and carpet. Given that you say he has seasonal allergies, that's my diagnosis! (where's a Dr emoticon when you need one)

I hope it's a more positive update next....I keep wondering how many stuffies you came back with this time


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Rough start! I agree, that was nice of them to be pro-active about trying to make things right about the noise, but nothing can really make up for losing a night's sleep unfortunately.



Ugh, you are so right.  We always find travel days to be kind of tiring even when conditions are perfect.  Without a good rest the night before, its even more taxing than normal.



bankr63 said:


> Wait, let me check...
> That would be C$22.00
> 
> Wait, let's check the rates now...
> That's now C$60.10
> 
> Wait, latest conversion update.
> Okay that's C$185.20
> 
> Man this dropping dollar is just brutal!
> 
> "Stopping only for a few quick toots on our vuvuzela's as we exited our room."
> 
> Well there you go, by morning that $45 was worth a whopping C$365.22, so your dinner was free.  Way to play the exchange game Gina!
> 
> Oooh, I know how much you dislike a rough ride in the ATOD*.  Hopefully you avoided having to use the handy white bag in the seat back pocket, placed there for your comfort and convenience...
> 
> (*aluminum tube of death (C) nebo)



Aluminum tube of death indeed!!  I am pleased to report, though, that no handy white bags were employed on our travels .  We have become very good at timing the Gravol dosage so that it takes effect just as prior to boarding and wears off just shortly after we land.   Despite the bouncing and rattling, all the contents of my stomach stayed right where they were supposed to  .

It was really, really hard not to think about the exchange rate when we were there.  We pay cash for most everything, and a very large portion of the money for this vacation was converted before the dollar took the massive plunge.  But oh, it was hard knowing that every $10 item was more like $13.50.  I wish we could at least get back to 85 cents or so.  But I doubt we will will see that kind of a recovery before either our December or April trips.



pigletto said:


> Well that was a crappy first 24 hours!!
> 
> I just can't believe the selfishness of people to have to be told to be quiet THREE times. I mean the first time you could think that maybe they were just excited and unaware. After that... obviously they didn't care. Grrr.
> 
> And poor Steve. My son has really bad hayfever, and we didn't stop giving him his meds until this week just in case. But it's sounding like there is a bit more to this Steve story.
> 
> What a rocky start overall. Your attitude about it all was  graceful and upbeat as always, but I'm sure it was a disappointing way to begin. I hope things improve for you from here.



Fear not, thing got much better eventually.  I'm with you though, what the heck is wrong with people?!?!?  Obviously their momma's didn't impart many manners on 'em.

I try not to stoop to the level of the inconsiderate idiots among us....though its hard.  If I had a pair of cymbals packed in our luggage, I may have considered hosting my own mini parade down the hallway as we left the following morning  .



thr33boys said:


> Not a good start at all.
> 
> I can totally relate to having inconsiderate hotel neighbours. It's not fun and the more upset you get the harder it is to ignore. And as much as they deserve a taste of their own medicine, you just can't pay them back. However, I might have taken the time to phone their room as I was checking out at 5am...no I wouldn't do that but I would think it.
> 
> I may be way off, as there is definitely no MD initials after my name, but sounds like Steve may have a dust/mold allergy perhaps? Since it's an older hotel, I'm sure there are dust particles embedded in the drapes and carpet. Given that you say he has seasonal allergies, that's my diagnosis! (where's a Dr emoticon when you need one)
> 
> I hope it's a more positive update next....I keep wondering how many stuffies you came back with this time



Hey, you're a Mom.   As such, you have an honourary MD after your name!!    I had not considered a mold or dust allergy .....I must keep that in mind for next time....but we did eventually determine the source of his issues (that's coming up within the next few posts).    Stay tuned for that update!

I am happy to report that things got drastically better after this crazy, crappy beginning.  My mom always said "poor start, good ending".   As for the stuffies, I'll give you this little teaser to tide you over until that topic comes up later in my report  :


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> As for the stuffies, I'll give you this little teaser to tide you over until that topic comes up later in my report  :



I _knew_ you wouldn't be coming home empty handed


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, October 10th:*


After picking up the rental car, we pulled out of the airport and rolled off toward SVR .  Our GPS must have been tired, too, because she had a tough time picking up a signal as we exited the parking garage.  Steve insisted we didn’t need the GPS....he knew his way around well enough, ya know ...yet somehow we ended up on a residential street, in the parking lot of a church, plugging in the address for the Vistana.


He blames it on the fact that he was tired.  Sure, we’ll go with that  .


Happily, the GPS got us right back on track (how did people ever travel without them??). As we pulled off of the I4 in Lake Buena Vista, we detoured into the Crossroads for a hearty and healthy lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.







It was only early afternoon and there was still tons of time before the official Vistana check-in time of 4 pm, so there was no need to rush to get to the resort.  We figured it was a much better plan to fill our grumbling stomachs right there and then, because once we got to our villa we likely wouldn’t want to leave it.


The skies were really clouding in by this point, and the bright sunshiny greeting from Mother Nature upon our arrival was starting to wane.  A chance of rain or a thunderstorm was in the forecast, so we’d have to see how this played out.


This was our second time at Sweet Tomatoes, with the first visit being on our arrival day on our May trip.  This time, we knew exactly what to expect and how the foods were laid out.  It wasn’t super busy, so we had lots of choices as to where to sit.  As with our inaugural experience, the staff were very friendly, the buffet was super clean and well stocked, and the food exceptionally fresh.







October was “Mac Month”, so there were several different mac ‘n cheese inspired dishes to indulge in.







Somewhere in the photo taking, our plates and bowls materialized into a Mickey Head.  It was not intentional but rather fitting nonetheless :







We rationalized that our stressful morning earned us the right to indulge in dessert without guilt.  I may have made myself a butterscotch sundae with oreo topping , and the chocolate mini muffins (still hot from the oven) were the perfect accompaniment.  I almost wished I had started at the dessert bar first.







To wash it all down, we opted for strawberry lemonade to drink.  Think real, thick strawberry puree added to lemonade.....this drink actually had some texture.  And a very potent flavour.  I think I must have had a whole serving of fruit just from that beverage alone.


We used a coupon for a “$10.69 lunch combo” (drink + buffet), so the total bill with tax but excluding tip was $22.78 (the coupon saved us $4.18 before the tax was applied).


It was spitting a bit when we walked to the car, though there were still enough breaks in the clouds that we could see blue sky here and there.  Would we get wet bringing our luggage into the villa?  


Check-in at our “home away from home” is next.


----------



## mulanrouge

I love reading your trip reports!!  Can't wait to read the rest!!  I'm going with my daughter in January again....and of course staying at Vistana...and am considering writing my very first trip report...after at least 12 trips to orlando over the past few years!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

mulanrouge said:


> I love reading your trip reports!!  Can't wait to read the rest!!  I'm going with my daughter in January again....and of course staying at Vistana...and am considering writing my very first trip report...after at least 12 trips to orlando over the past few years!!



You should absolutely give trip reporting a try!  I find its a good way to beat the post-vacation blues  .    With 12 trips under your belt, you are a far more experienced veteran than I am !!  

Which section of the Vistana do you like best?


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> In fact, speaking of witty Canucks....I'm wondering where @dancin Disney style is.....this sounds like its shaping up to be her kind of party.......


I'm always the last to know


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> I'm always the last to know



I was beginning to think I was going to need to stand on your front lawn with a trumpet in order for you to notice me.


----------



## mulanrouge

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You should absolutely give trip reporting a try!  I find its a good way to beat the post-vacation blues  .    With 12 trips under your belt, you are a far more experienced veteran than I am !!
> 
> Which section of the Vistana do you like best?



It is a toss up for me....I love the Super Pool and Zimmies the best, but I am not overly fond of the Cascades section (I find the second bedroom a little small), and the parking is a little tight if you get back after 9pm.  I love the Lakes section the best especially building 7.  However it is the furthest away from my favorite pool.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Well I am late joining the party so a lot to catch up on.

I saw you mentioned Burlington in your driving to the airport post, we stayed there when we were in Canada and drove to Niagra Falls from there before we stayed in Toronto for a few nights !!

The airport hotel was a bit of a nightmare I hope you and Steve managed to knock your suitcases against their door, cough loudly and generally wake them up on your early departure 

Glad you arrived safely and I can't wait to hear about your Halloween adventures, we loved our visit in October, the weather was so much more settled than when we went in July this year. Looking forward to your next instalment.


----------



## toystoryduo

I'm sorry to hear about the neighbors at the airport hotel.  I'm glad that they gave you a credit and future discounts, but losing sleep because of noisy neighbors must have been hard.

We love, love, love Sweet Tomatoes! That is one of our favorite restaurants in the Orlando area. It used to be a super good deal for us because our family of 4 (with 2 kids under 12) could eat dinner there for under $30 with a coupon. Now that our girls are older, that particular coupon doesn't apply anymore. It does cost us a bit more, but we always end up going multiple times each trip. We love it!


----------



## ArwenMarie

How did we survive without GPS? Remember those big atlases we had? And actually used. And I can't believe I used to drive without a cell phone, like long distances? Crazy! 

Steve looks very relieved to be at Sweet Tomatoes.

Still wondering what caused his allergy...I guess I will have to wait for the next installment!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

mulanrouge said:


> It is a toss up for me....I love the Super Pool and Zimmies the best, but I am not overly fond of the Cascades section (I find the second bedroom a little small), and the parking is a little tight if you get back after 9pm.  I love the Lakes section the best especially building 7.  However it is the furthest away from my favorite pool.



Have you thought about requesting Spas? (assuming you have a Friday check-in)   It's very convenient to the Super Pool and Zimmies, and the villas are larger than Cascades.  We stayed in Spas on our first trip and thought it was a great area.



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Well I am late joining the party so a lot to catch up on.
> 
> I saw you mentioned Burlington in your driving to the airport post, we stayed there when we were in Canada and drove to Niagra Falls from there before we stayed in Toronto for a few nights !!
> 
> The airport hotel was a bit of a nightmare I hope you and Steve managed to knock your suitcases against their door, cough loudly and generally wake them up on your early departure
> 
> Glad you arrived safely and I can't wait to hear about your Halloween adventures, we loved our visit in October, the weather was so much more settled than when we went in July this year. Looking forward to your next instalment.



October was great for being warm/hot but not with the intolerable humidity of summer.  Having been three times in the oh-so-oppressive month of August, I'm not sure I would want to give July a try!!

lol, your suggestions for the neighbours were tempting....but we opted to take the high road .   It wouldn't hurt my feelings if karma catches up with them, though, and teaches them a lesson on our behalf  . 



toystoryduo said:


> I'm sorry to hear about the neighbors at the airport hotel.  I'm glad that they gave you a credit and future discounts, but losing sleep because of noisy neighbors must have been hard.
> 
> We love, love, love Sweet Tomatoes! That is one of our favorite restaurants in the Orlando area. It used to be a super good deal for us because our family of 4 (with 2 kids under 12) could eat dinner there for under $30 with a coupon. Now that our girls are older, that particular coupon doesn't apply anymore. It does cost us a bit more, but we always end up going multiple times each trip. We love it!



I can't believe it took us so many trips before we gave Sweet Tomatoes a try!!  I don't think it's really going to be Jake's cup of tea, so we'll probably take a pass on it in December, but you can bet your boots we'll be back in April  .



ArwenMarie said:


> How did we survive without GPS? Remember those big atlases we had? And actually used. And I can't believe I used to drive without a cell phone, like long distances? Crazy!
> 
> Steve looks very relieved to be at Sweet Tomatoes.
> 
> Still wondering what caused his allergy...I guess I will have to wait for the next installment!



Funny story about the GPS's....or lack thereof.

On our first trip to Florida, we actually saw a man who had a map fully opened and laying across his steering wheel.  His eyes were glued to that map, and he barely looked up....how he was managing to drive in a straight line, I will never know.  In fact, I can't figure out how he managed to turn the steering wheel under it .  

I kind of miss the days of atlases, though.  My dad was a huge geography buff, and he loved to pour over maps with us kids.  The year before he died, just before our first trip to Disney, we spend many visits with Dad and his atlas, with the pages opened to the map of the USA as we dissected our proposed journey from Ontario to Florida.   Good memories, indeed.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After lunch, we headed directly to the Vistana to see if our villa was ready early (check-in was not officially until 4 pm, and at that point it was just around 1:30 or so).   We had been contacted earlier in the week by someone named “Sunny” from SVR, who told us she would personally be handling our arrival and check-in and to seek her out at the Welcome Center when we got there.   To make a long story short, it turns out Sunny’s sole role apparently was to ensure that we signed up for the owners’ update (stressing how important it was given the recent separation of the timeshare ownership business from Starwood into “Vistana Signature Experiences”).    We turned her down....politely, of course, but firmly enough that we left no room for additional discussion, regardless of what kind of “amazing” incentives they were offering....and she was quick to then turn us over to a regular front desk staffer for the normal and customary check-in process that we accustomed to.

I really didn’t like that they tried to bamboozle us into the owners’ update by masking it as a “personalized check-in experience”.   I don’t know why, but that annoyed me a little.    Alas....perhaps it was just that we were super tired and our patience was limited at best.

After transitioning over to one of the check-in pods designed for Diamond Lane arrivals, we were happy (and a touch relieved) to learn our villa was ready and waiting for us and we could get settled in right away.  We were given our parking pass, room keys, area maps and activity schedules and were soon on our way to our oasis for the next 7 nights:  Fountains building 12, villa 1341.





We had asked for, and received, a top floor villa again this trip.  While there are several flights of stairs to navigate to the third floor, it’s well worth the extra steps for us to have vaulted ceilings with that spectacular skylight to let in all the Florida sun.  Another perk:  it means we never have the pitter patter of little feet (or scraping of chairs, or the stomping of elephants) above us as we try to sleep.  We also tell ourselves the stairs help counterbalance some of our dietary indulgences over the course of our vacation.....hey, whatever makes us sleep better at night, right?





Having stayed in the Fountains before, there were no surprises as to the layout or amenities in our villa....though this is the first time we had the opposite floor plan (every other stay, we had the left-side villa where this time we were on the right, so for the first while, it took some time to get used to things feeling “backwards”).   In addition to our living and dining area:





......we had a full kitchen:









The master bedroom featured a king sized bed:





And the ensuite had both a stand up shower and Jacuzzi tub.









A spacious dressing area (which I promptly claimed, sorry Steve!) was handily located between the bedroom and the master bath:





We also had a second bedroom with two double beds with its own separate bathroom attached.









A screened in balcony which overlooked the water was one of my favourite places to kick back and relax.













Steve-o, who was feeling crappier by the moment, hauled all of our luggage up the stairs and into the villa (bless his heart) while I took the requisite photos.   It was about that time when he wondered if perhaps his suspected allergy attack wasn’t allergies at all....his runny nose, weepy eyes, and sneezing seemed to be getting no better (and perhaps had even worsened) despite his healthy dose of allergy medication at breakfast.   Suspecting that he might have developed a nasty respiratory infection, we located the Tylenol Cold in the luggage and he swallowed a dose before stretching out on the sofa.   He was passed out within minutes.   I let him snore away while I fully unpacked the suitcases and put all of our “stuff” in its place, including hanging our MNSSHP costumes in an effort to get the wrinkles out.  Shortly after the empty suitcases had been allocated to the closets, the skies grew dark and murky and I could hear the grumble of thunder growing closer and closer.   In true Florida fashion, the skies seemed to open up almost instantly and the rain beat down with a vengeance:





Steve was still sawing logs on the couch in the living room, so I stretched out for a few moments on the bed.  I fully intended to just relax for a bit, maybe check the weather on the TV......but the absence of sleep the night prior apparently had caught up with me.   I, too, was out like a light.   Our first day in Orlando officially began with a nap .


----------



## mulanrouge

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Have you thought about requesting Spas? (assuming you have a Friday check-in) It's very convenient to the Super Pool and Zimmies, and the villas are larger than Cascades. We stayed in Spas on our first trip and thought it was a great area.


Unfortunately we will have a Sunday check in....I would love to stay in the Spas section ....too bad it is only a Friday check in area as it would be perfect for us.  I was thinking of MAYBE requesting a room in the Springs section.


----------



## dancin Disney style

I'll share my little noisy hotel neighbour story.  

We had a room with the connecting door.  The first night all was quiet (prob no one in that other room).  Second night around 11:30pm we hear loud voices and running in the corridor. Our neighbours had arrived!  They were in the room yelling at each other and slamming doors and drawers.  It went on for about an hour.  We said nothing because there were little kids in there and we figured they would be going to bed soon.  The next morning at about 6am didn't it all start up again.  The yelling and slamming.  Well, DH got up to tinkle and as get walked past the connecting door he tripped on the carpet (Gods honest truth) and as he tried to stop himself from falling his hand smacked into that connecting door with a really loud thud.  It was instantly silent from the other side and we never heard another sound for our entire stay.


Gina, your first day nap is pretty much what happened to me last September.  It might have been you that talked me into taking the early morning flight. We stayed in the same hotel the night before and I never slept at all that night.  I had the pleasure of listening to DH snore loudly enough to wake the dead....ALL NIGHT LONG.  I was just starting to doze off when the alarm rang.  So up and at em at 4am with 5 minutes sleep.  We were luck enough to get into our villa as soon as we arrive and it was nappy time for me.  I got up for dinner.


----------



## jump00

Hello Gina,

Wonderful trip report as usual.  Excellent pics and great story telling.  I'm in!!!

Jump00


----------



## thr33boys

Very sneaky of Sunny. I don't blame you for being annoyed either, especially in your sleep deprived state. I'm sure having your villa ready early, quickly put that smile back on your face.

Glad that Steve was able to get the luggage in before the rain. Given how this trip was going, it didn't sound too promising. Ahh, respiratory infection, that's not good. 

Nothing wrong with starting a vacation with a nap. It is a much better use of time to rest than fight it and pay the price later. Besides, it's not like this is your first trip, nor your last (we all know that ) so no need for you guys to have to cram things in. Honestly, I envy you for being able to have that option. With 3 active boys in tow for us, we don't get luxury.


----------



## bankr63

Just love those photos; takes me back "home" every time.  Not surprised that Sunny was really about clouding your arrival with an owner's update offer.  It's the same as the VIP checkin (Very Interesting Prospect).  But as usual, letting them know that "no means no" calls off the dogs.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> I'll share my little noisy hotel neighbour story.
> 
> We had a room with the connecting door.  The first night all was quiet (prob no one in that other room).  Second night around 11:30pm we hear loud voices and running in the corridor. Our neighbours had arrived!  They were in the room yelling at each other and slamming doors and drawers.  It went on for about an hour.  We said nothing because there were little kids in there and we figured they would be going to bed soon.  The next morning at about 6am didn't it all start up again.  The yelling and slamming.  Well, DH got up to tinkle and as get walked past the connecting door he tripped on the carpet (Gods honest truth) and as he tried to stop himself from falling his hand smacked into that connecting door with a really loud thud.  It was instantly silent from the other side and we never heard another sound for our entire stay.
> 
> 
> Gina, your first day nap is pretty much what happened to me last September.  It might have been you that talked me into taking the early morning flight. We stayed in the same hotel the night before and I never slept at all that night.  I had the pleasure of listening to DH snore loudly enough to wake the dead....ALL NIGHT LONG.  I was just starting to doze off when the alarm rang.  So up and at em at 4am with 5 minutes sleep.  We were luck enough to get into our villa as soon as we arrive and it was nappy time for me.  I got up for dinner.



I think noisy neighbours are probably more common than anyone thinks.  Perhaps we should be more appreciative when we get a restful night's sleep in a hotel!!

I would almost have been grateful for DH to snore loudly that night....it may have helped to drown out the party animals.....

Does this mean you wouldn't take that early morning flight on future trips??  We have done afternoon flights as well, but it was kind of depressing arriving late and basically only having time for dinner before bed.  I guess there are positive and negatives to both scenarios.



jump00 said:


> Hello Gina,
> 
> Wonderful trip report as usual.  Excellent pics and great story telling.  I'm in!!!
> 
> Jump00



 jump00!  Glad to have you reading along!



thr33boys said:


> Very sneaky of Sunny. I don't blame you for being annoyed either, especially in your sleep deprived state. I'm sure having your villa ready early, quickly put that smile back on your face.
> 
> Glad that Steve was able to get the luggage in before the rain. Given how this trip was going, it didn't sound too promising. Ahh, respiratory infection, that's not good.
> 
> Nothing wrong with starting a vacation with a nap. It is a much better use of time to rest than fight it and pay the price later. Besides, it's not like this is your first trip, nor your last (we all know that ) so no need for you guys to have to cram things in. Honestly, I envy you for being able to have that option. With 3 active boys in tow for us, we don't get luxury.



Yes, we were definitely smiling when we learned we could check in early  .  I think poor Steve may have collapsed in the middle of the Welcome Center if it wasn't .

Spontaneous napping is definitely a benefit of travelling without little folks in tow .   Don't worry, though, your boys will be teenagers soon enough....and then at the very least, you'll be able to sleep in without guilt (and do the crazy late park nights....you'll be closin' the place down!).



bankr63 said:


> Just love those photos; takes me back "home" every time.  Not surprised that Sunny was really about clouding your arrival with an owner's update offer.  It's the same as the VIP checkin (Very Interesting Prospect).  But as usual, letting them know that "no means no" calls off the dogs.



Yup, they were very good about leaving us alone after that.  One "last chance to join in an owners' update" phone message left later in the week, and that was the sum total of how often we were hassled.  I know many guests complain about the "constant phone calls" but we've NEVER found that to be the case.

Will you be returning in March for a week at SVR, or are you taking a year off due to our bleak Canadian dollar?


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I think noisy neighbours are probably more common than anyone thinks.  Perhaps we should be more appreciative when we get a restful night's sleep in a hotel!!
> 
> I would almost have been grateful for DH to snore loudly that night....it may have helped to drown out the party animals.....
> 
> Does this mean you wouldn't take that early morning flight on future trips??  We have done afternoon flights as well, but it was kind of depressing arriving late and basically only having time for dinner before bed.  I guess there are positive and negatives to both scenarios.



I never say never but if I did take that 7 or 8am flight again I would probably just stay home and drive to BUF in the morning.   Better to have a couple of hours sleep than none.  I don't sleep all that well when I have to get up at stupid o'clock anyway so I think I'd rather stay home and get up at 3am. 

My ideal flight time would be in the 10-11:30am time frame.  For a 10am flight we could leave home at 6am and still get to BUF with plenty of extra time.

My Dec. trip we fly out at 11:45am which is good except for the fact that this is only a 3 day trip....getting out earlier would be a bonus.   My March trip we fly out at 7:40pm.  This is actually perfect as we can go right after work/school and still take advantage of the lower mid week fare.  If the kid decides she can take an extra day off school we will fly out on the same flight but a day earlier.


----------



## ArwenMarie

Very nice villa pictures, I wish they had 3 br units there!

Love the rain picture too. I love that crazy Florida rain (not the lightning though!)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> I never say never but if I did take that 7 or 8am flight again I would probably just stay home and drive to BUF in the morning.   Better to have a couple of hours sleep than none.  I don't sleep all that well when I have to get up at stupid o'clock anyway so I think I'd rather stay home and get up at 3am.
> 
> My ideal flight time would be in the 10-11:30am time frame.  For a 10am flight we could leave home at 6am and still get to BUF with plenty of extra time.
> 
> My Dec. trip we fly out at 11:45am which is good except for the fact that this is only a 3 day trip....getting out earlier would be a bonus.   My March trip we fly out at 7:40pm.  This is actually perfect as we can go right after work/school and still take advantage of the lower mid week fare.  If the kid decides she can take an extra day off school we will fly out on the same flight but a day earlier.



I envy you being so close to the Canada/US border.   Can I move in and live in your basement?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Very nice villa pictures, I wish they had 3 br units there!
> 
> Love the rain picture too. I love that crazy Florida rain (not the lightning though!)



I often wonder why they didn't make any of the phases at SVR with a three bedroom option (even if it was a two bedroom + one bedroom lock-off kind of set-up).  I bet many families would benefit from that kind of a configuration.

I am always shocked by how HARD it can rain, yet be sunny and gorgeous an hour later.  I'm with you though, that lightening can be unnerving.....as we commuted up the I4 to Universal, we saw the Avanti resort that was hit by lightening earlier in the year.  One of the buildings is just a shell....no roof, burned out.  So sad.  A powerful reminder of the damage the lightning can do.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I’d like to say our arrival day morphed into something exciting and memorable, but the true fact is:  it didn’t.  After I finally awoke from the much-needed siesta, I let Steve snooze until early evening and then decided it was time to get him up and moving (fearing if he rested much longer, he might find he didn’t sleep all night long).


Between the time I woke up and when I woke Steve, I took some time to sit out on the balcony (the rain had long since passed and a left a lovely, comfortable evening in its wake) and called both Jake and my mom to have a chat and let them know we were safely settled.  I had texted them both when we landed, but otherwise hand’t spoken with either since we left the day prior.  As I had suspected, they had spent the day together (Jake drove up and took Mom for lunch, then grocery and Walmart shopping, and Mom treated them both to Chinese food for supper afterward) so both had lots of funny stories about the other and were eager to give me a full report of their adventures.  After hanging up from the second call, as darkness descended over the resort, I woke my sleeping bear and proposed that we go off in search of dinner.  If we didn’t take the horse by the tail and get moving at this point, we would probably have decided to skip the evening meal altogether.


Original plans were to hit up Bahama Breeze for dinner on night #1....this was still on Steve’s restaurant wish-list, and not something we knew Jake would enjoy (not his kind of cuisine)....so that’s where we went first.  Pulling into the lot, there was a huge line out the door and what seemed like dozens of patrons milling about outside as they waited to be called for an available table.  We had no inclination or patience for any kind of a lengthy wait on this particular evening, so we quickly scrapped Plan A and dusted the fog from our brains to formulate a spontaneous Plan B.  Looking around at what was in our immediate vicinity and where we might be able to be seated without too much of a delay, we chose Flippers Pizza (which also happened to be on our dining to-do list for a future trip, though not originally planned for this particular vacation).  Sometimes, flexibility is key .







We were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome upon entering the restaurant, and were offered our choice of where to sit.  We chose a booth along the wall where there were few other patrons.  A quiet meal was just what the doctor ordered.  It smelled really, really good in there.....we didn’t think we were that hungry until the aroma of garlic and freshly baking pizza crust hit our nostrils, then suddenly, we were starving.


We ordered a pair of Coke Zeros to drink.....the caffeine would probably be very advantageous to our lazy bodies and brains.  After surveying the menu, we decided to keep it simple and go with two shareables:  Toscana cheese bread for an appetizer, and a large Flippers “Big Pie” (pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, ham, ground beef, smoked bacon, mushrooms, green pepper, red onions, and meatballs as a substitute for the black olives).  We had a nice chat with our server, who explained that everything is house made (desserts excepted) and freshly prepared, so we were looking forward to putting their pizza and breads to a taste test.


The Toscana cheese bread came out first (and really quite quickly)......piping hot, lots of cheese, and oh-so-flavourful:







The marinara sauce on the side was *da bomb*.....literally lick-the-inside-of-the-little-bowl fantastic (no, we didn’t...but we thought about it, lol! ).  Between the cheese bread and our pizza, we ate every last drop of that warm and garlic-y, tomato-y awesomeness.


Our pizza was brought to the table within minutes of our cheese bread being devoured.  We had ordered thin crust as that’s our preference.







We were not disappointed in the size or quality of the pizza.  Hot, fresh, and soooo tasty.  We are big fans of Giordano’s Pizza, and this is totally different in style, but we were pleased to note that we liked it equally as much.   We commented how much Jake (for whom pizza is food group  ) would love this place!


With such a great meal thus far, our moods had improved significantly from earlier in the day.  Our lazy nap session + a successful dinner = much happier travellers, even if Steve was still feeling under the weather.  We debated dessert...._should we, shouldn’t we?....._and decided, what the heck.  YOLO  (and hadn’t we earned it with such a testing start?)


Strawberry cheesecake for Mr. Sniffles, chocolate cake for the lady.







These were the only components of our dinner that weren’t made in-house.  Our server told us that would change soon, as they were currently in a recipe testing phase for an assortment of baked goods that they will be creating for guests in their wood-fired ovens.  That said, the desserts were still good....not knock-our-socks-off incredible, but very yummy nonetheless.  The chocolate cake looked, on first glance, like it was sweet and rich enough to kill a small child, but it turned out to be really quite nicely balanced.  There was neither a speck nor crumb left from either dessert plate, so they were obviously quite passable.


We were stuffed.  Super, uncomfortable stuffed.  Our server offered us a take-out box for the rest of the pizza, which Steve was quick to accept.   Nothing says “breakfast the next morning” like left-over pizza.


We paid the bill ($46.16 including tax, excluding tip) and headed to the car.  On the way back to the villa, we stopped at Publix and picked up the scant few groceries we needed for the week (coffee cream, sugar, bananas, yogurt, a case of bottled water, and milk.....we had brought a box of cereal and a package of Tim Hortons coffee with us in our checked baggage) and then headed back to the resort.  Still too weary (and Steve too sick) for a soak in the hot tub or swim in the pool, we turned on the TV, set the timer, and it was lights out.  We slept like rocks.


And that rain earlier in the day?  It was the only precipitation we’d see all week long.  No kidding.  Thank you, Mother Nature.  


Tomorrow we would rise and greet the day with a fresh and rested start.  Sunday at Islands of Adventure is next.


----------



## cantoine

Yes another TR from Gina! Glad you guys made it back to Orlando! Sorry to hear about the rough start! Can't wait to read some more about your trip!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I envy you being so close to the Canada/US border.   Can I move in and live in your basement?


Well, actually I just rebuilt my back shed.  It's a sassy little solid wood bachelor with western views. Tons of privacy and and only a short walk to transportation and the restaurant.  After the eviction of the previous tenant it was completely sanitized and repainted.  It's move in ready!


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## Conway733

Love these trip reports!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

cantoine said:


> Yes another TR from Gina! Glad you guys made it back to Orlando! Sorry to hear about the rough start! Can't wait to read some more about your trip!



Welcome aboard, my friend!  So happy that you are joining in on my latest ramblings  .

We did get off to a bit of a rocky beginning, but things definitely ran smoother thereafter.  A much more positive day was ahead, so stay tuned!



dancin Disney style said:


> Well, actually I just rebuilt my back shed.  It's a sassy little solid wood bachelor with western views. Tons of privacy and and only a short walk to transportation and the restaurant.  After the eviction of the previous tenant it was completely sanitized and repainted.  It's move in ready!



But...but.....aren't you saving that for one of the boyfriends?    (for your girls, not _your_ boyfriends......just to be clear......)



Conway733 said:


> Love these trip reports!!



Thanks conway!   .

I am super excited for your upcoming trip to SVR!    I noticed that your only Diamond Lane request so far is a top floor villa, and you hadn't yet decided on a particular section of the resort.  May I suggest that you consider asking for a top floor villa that has a skylight....I know Lakes and Fountains both do, Spas does not.  It makes a HUGE different in the feel of the size of the room (the skylight villas have lovely vaulted ceilings), and is so much brighter .  That's just my two cents, of course!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, October 11th:*


The day dawned bright and sunshiny and warm .  We had slept like the dead, and awoke feeling rested and refreshed, even though Steve’s cold seemed to be hanging on pretty much unchanged.  Even with all his symptoms, though, he felt better to a certain degree just having such a fitful night’s sleep (and the whole afternoon the day prior too ).  We were ready and raring to go for a day at Universal’s theme parks .


We showered and grabbed a swift breakfast at the villa, then stopped at the Walgreens next to the resort for more cold medication before hitting hopping the I-4.  We wondered if the construction on the highway would impact our commute, but we were happy to note that it was clear sailing all the way.  We showed our Premier passes and ID at the parking gate, and were off in a flash toward the Preferred parking area.  Bag check was quick and painless, and Citywalk wasn’t yet too crazy at the earlier hour of the morning though there were plenty of people streaming in.  While Islands of Adventure was to be our primary focus that day (its Steve’s favourite park of the two, so I thought it would be nice for him to make that our first park day) we opted to enter through Universal and visit Diagon Alley before hopping the Hogwarts Express to IOA.


Just as we were through the turnstiles, we spied Woody Woodpecker off to the side.  We didn’t get a chance to meet him when we were there in May, and there was virtually no line up…..so we wasted no time in seizing the chance to say hello.







Right at the entrance to the park, on the corner of Hollywood, there were some excellent performers offering upbeat entertainment to arriving guests.  I love the streetmosphere acts…..they just create such a fun and cheery vibe for park visitors.  These fellows were really good, too, and we stopped to listen for a few moments before moving on through Hollywood toward the Simpsons area.







As we snaked our way past Mel’s Diner and Café La Bamba, the first signs of HHN décor appeared in the corridor between Hollywood and Springfield.  It was awesome to see the first glimpses of what Halloween Horror Night would have to offer!



























We also got full view of the Jack show stage…..it was enormous:







While we were in Springfield, we stopped for a tour on the Twirl & Hurl since it was a walk-on.  A very kind team member noticed us snapping some pics of each other, and offered to take our photo together…..we are always so appreciative of those kind gestures.







After Twirl & Hurl, we strolled around Simpsons for a bit and Steve eyed up the Sledgehomer game.  Unfortunately, they only had the large Duff beer cans and bottles as prizes, which just didn’t appeal to us (nope, we’re just not big beer folks).  We stopped to inquire if we could swap out the gigantic beer bottle for a couple of smaller Simpsons characters in the event that Steve hit the target (something we were able to do last May), but the young man who was running the game seemed confused by the question.  We didn’t bother to press the issue and opted to continue on toward London....there would be plenty more opportunities for prize over the course of the upcoming week.


Arriving at the Knight Bus, we noted there were only two other family’s waiting to meet the Shrunken Head, so we took advantage of the quiet morning and decided to stop for pics too.   As always, the Head (I think his name is Dre?) was super entertaining, and the Knight Bus Conductor was awesomely in character.  They always make a big fuss when they hear we’re from Canada, and inevitably comments about our cold weather ensue.







Before heading into Diagon Alley, I asked Steve whether there were any rides at Universal that he wanted to hit up before taking the train to IOA.  My poor sick Steve, all doped up on Walgreen’s finest cold meds, just took my hand, gave me a big grin, and said _“Sweetheart, I don’t care whether I ride a single thing this entire trip. I am just so happy that I’m here, spending time with you”._   Gosh, I love that guy.  He then proceeded to tell me he just didn’t feel like a bunch of rides today:  he wanted to focus more on experiences and atmosphere than being flipped around with his head full of mucous.  I couldn’t blame him.  Not a big ride girl myself, I love taking in all the "little things"throughout the parks that the ride commandos often miss.....and I was with my beloved, so our day was shaping up to be just perfect .

Diagon Alley was our next destination.  These two muggles needed a cold cup of Butterbeer!


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Will you be returning in March for a week at SVR, or are you taking a year off due to our bleak Canadian dollar?


 
Jury is still out on where we go for March break this year.  We have our Vistana week posted on the electronic bulletin boards at both our works, but only a couple of soft nibbles so far.  We are now at the point where our deposit value is declining, so I doubt we will deposit it in RCI this year.  If we don't find a taker, we will probably use it and just drive down again to save some $$$.  If we do entice a co-worker to take it, we have a ton of points on deposit with RCI so will pick something that won't set us out of pocket too much.  Originally the plan was to visit the US Southwest, but now we are leaning back towards visiting Mexico. 

Enjoyed your latest update over lunch, and am I glad it was lunch!  Those foodporn pictures you post make me awfully hungry.  That cheese bread and pizza look so good I almost licked the screen.


----------



## nancipants

Checking in on your report! The weather was great while you were here, wasn't it? 

So glad you liked Flippers. It's one of my favorite pizza places in the area. (Another good option is NYPD pizza, but it's not as close to the Vistana.)

I love walking around the parks, just taking in the atmosphere as well.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

nancipants said:


> Checking in on your report! The weather was great while you were here, wasn't it?
> 
> So glad you liked Flippers. It's one of my favorite pizza places in the area. (Another good option is NYPD pizza, but it's not as close to the Vistana.)
> 
> I love walking around the parks, just taking in the atmosphere as well.



NYPD pizza is closer to Universal, correct?  I think I've seen it on Groupon now and then.  Perhaps we'll have to give it a whirl at some point, too.

A big welcome, by the way!  Glad you could join us.  You always have such great contributions as an Orlando local!  



bankr63 said:


> Jury is still out on where we go for March break this year.  We have our Vistana week posted on the electronic bulletin boards at both our works, but only a couple of soft nibbles so far.  We are now at the point where our deposit value is declining, so I doubt we will deposit it in RCI this year.  If we don't find a taker, we will probably use it and just drive down again to save some $$$.  If we do entice a co-worker to take it, we have a ton of points on deposit with RCI so will pick something that won't set us out of pocket too much.  Originally the plan was to visit the US Southwest, but now we are leaning back towards visiting Mexico.
> 
> Enjoyed your latest update over lunch, and am I glad it was lunch!  Those foodporn pictures you post make me awfully hungry.  That cheese bread and pizza look so good I almost licked the screen.



I would love to see your co-workers reaction to you licking your computer screen  .   Oh, to be a fly on the wall!!

Of course, I read somewhere that a computer keyboard is supposed to have more germs on it than you'd find in the average toilet bowl.  I would think that a screen would be almost as bad.   Licking is therefore strongly discouraged  .

I will admit, though, browsing those pizza photos sure made my brown bag lunch today pale in comparison.  Never look at food porn before eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  Its a real let down, lol!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Even after having just enjoyed a Universal-focused vacation a short five months earlier (which featured lots of park devoted to Diagon Alley) it still left us a little….okay, maybe even *a lot*…in awe when we entered the area again on this trip.  It’s a wonder people don’t get trampled as they all stop to gawk at the dragon perched atop Gringott’s Bank, and all the little details on the shops that line the narrow walkway.  Every time we go in that section of the park, I have to literally will my feet to keep moving.  I just want to stop and stare and soak it all in.












With a much more relaxed pace for this trip, having conquered most of our must-do’s in May, it was fun to stop and chat with some of the incredible TM’s that work in Diagon Alley.  Some of them were so well cast for their particular role, it was hard to believe they had a life outside of Universal Studios.  This wizard, who was stationed outside of Leaky Cauldron, was not only adorable but a very entertaining soul with whom to chat.   I swear he just walked right out of one of the Harry Potter movies and into Diagon Alley.







We strolled over to the Hopping Pot for a much-anticipated first Butterbeer of the trip:  cold, of course (price with Premier AP discount = $4.52 including tax).  A very sweet young man who was standing nearby with a stroller graciously offered to snap our photo together, and we gratefully accepted.






It was marvellously quiet and enjoyable as you can see from the people, or lack thereof, in the background of the above picture…..so rather than hurry to the Hogwart’s Express, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around Diagon Alley as we savoured every last sweet and foamy mouthful of that beautiful Butterbeer.  Gosh darn it, it’s good stuff .











The detail of both Harry Potter sections gets me every time.  So fabulously well done.  We were so busy soaking up and pointing out all the little things that were catching our eyes that I didn’t, unfortunately, get a whole lot of photos that morning.  Sometimes you just have to put down the camera and embrace the moment.  Don’t worry, though, I would get plenty more pictures later on in the week……I had a trip report to write, remember .


With our Butterbeer long since gone, we eventually made our way to Kings Cross Station to catch the train to Hogsmeade.







There were no lines, so we just kept on walking through the well-themed queue until we reached Platform 9 ¾ .












The medication was beginning to alleviate some of Steve’s cold symptoms…..or the Butterbeer was a help, we’re not sure!!....but he was feeling noticeably better as the morning wore on :












This train was just leaving as we reached the platform, but the next train was not far behind.  We had to wait just a scant few minutes at best.

















We had a lovely ride…..the other passengers were great, none of the annoying flash photography/stinky snacks/personal space issues that we have experienced on other trips between stations.   It really makes a person able to enjoy the experience the way it was meant to be enjoyed when others are respectful of sharing that tiny space with strangers .


We disembarked at Hogsmeade Station and were on our way to Hogwarts castle!



























The cloud cover of the early morning had broken, and the sun was lighting up the park.  It was also getting much warmer as a result….we’d see high 80’s before the day was done.







A stroll around Hogsmeade and my first tour of the castle is next.


----------



## nancipants

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> NYPD pizza is closer to Universal, correct?  I think I've seen it on Groupon now and then.  Perhaps we'll have to give it a whirl at some point, too.
> 
> A big welcome, by the way!  Glad you could join us.  You always have such great contributions as an Orlando local!



Thanks! I like living vicariously through your trips. 

There's an NYPD in MetroWest on Hiawassee, which is closer to Universal. It might be worth a trip in December! 

I love Diagon Alley so much. Whenever I consider cancelling my Universal AP (we don't go nearly as much as we go to Disney, because it's much easier for us to get to Disney), I see Diagon Alley pictures and I change my mind.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> But...but.....aren't you saving that for one of the boyfriends?    (for your girls, not _your_ boyfriends......just to be clear......)



My boyfriend said it's not really the love nest sort of a place.  However, if Jake wants to move in after the wedding I can remove the lawnmower.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> _“Sweetheart, I don’t care whether I ride a single thing this entire trip. I am just so happy that I’m here, spending time with you”._


Someones auditioning for husband of the year.....and he won!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

nancipants said:


> Thanks! I like living vicariously through your trips.
> 
> There's an NYPD in MetroWest on Hiawassee, which is closer to Universal. It might be worth a trip in December!
> 
> I love Diagon Alley so much. Whenever I consider cancelling my Universal AP (we don't go nearly as much as we go to Disney, because it's much easier for us to get to Disney), I see Diagon Alley pictures and I change my mind.



We're really on the fence about whether or not to renew our Universal AP's when they expire next May  .  If Seaworld offers their BOGO AP's this Black Friday, we probably won't keep the Uni passes going (our Canadian dollar is just too low to justify both.....and we're desperately missing SW).  But, if no BOGO or deeply discounted AP's are announced for SeaWorld and Aquatica, you never know.....we might just renew after all.  I'm glad we have until May 1st to decide!!  (and save )



dancin Disney style said:


> My boyfriend said it's not really the love nest sort of a place.  However, if Jake wants to move in after the wedding I can remove the lawnmower.



I just laughed so loud, one of my bosses just stuck his head out of his office with an eyebrow raised.  You'd think I'd learn not to read your replies while I'm still at work  .



dancin Disney style said:


> Someones auditioning for husband of the year.....and he won!


----------



## ArwenMarie

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Before heading into Diagon Alley, I asked Steve whether there were any rides at Universal that he wanted to hit up before taking the train to IOA.  My poor sick Steve, all doped up on Walgreen’s finest cold meds, just took my hand, gave me a big grin, and said _“Sweetheart, I don’t care whether I ride a single thing this entire trip. I am just so happy that I’m here, spending time with you”._



You lovebirds are too cute!


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

empty space in Diagon Alley, can't believe it. You couldn't move in July so for me it took some of the beauty away, it was like a cattle market! 

Sounds like your trip is right on course and you're having a wonderful time


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I just laughed so loud, one of my bosses just stuck his head out of his office with an eyebrow raised.  You'd think I'd learn not to read your replies while I'm still at work  .
> 
> 
> /QUOTE]
> Get it together sister or else no more $300 bonuses


----------



## dancin Disney style

Well not really sure what happened in that last post but it's clear that I'm doin' some high tech ninja stuff today.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> empty space in Diagon Alley, can't believe it. You couldn't move in July so for me it took some of the beauty away, it was like a cattle market!
> 
> Sounds like your trip is right on course and you're having a wonderful time



Later in the day, Diagon Alley was not nearly so quiet.  Sure makes hauling our tired bodies out of bed early all worth while!!


dancin Disney style said:


> Get it together sister or else no more $300 bonuses



No kidding!!   Wouldn't want them to think I was goofing off while on the job  .



dancin Disney style said:


> Well not really sure what happened in that last post but it's clear that I'm doin' some high tech ninja stuff today.


----------



## bankr63

Wow three posts in one day.  Slowdown bunny Ninja...


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We ordered a pair of Coke Zeros to drink.....the caffeine would probably be very advantageous to our lazy bodies and brains. After surveying the menu, we decided to keep it simple and go with two shareables:  Toscana cheese bread for an appetizer, and a large Flippers “Big Pie”* (pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, ham, ground beef, smoked bacon, mushrooms, green pepper, red onions, and meatballs as a substitute for the black olives).*



I have to say, for me anyway, part of the charm of your famous trip reports are the details you like to include and nothing says that more than the above quote  I don't know what your trick is to remembering all the fine details...right down to the substitution.  Perhaps, Steve is well versed in shorthand but I'm not even sure what I had for dinner yesterday.


----------



## thr33boys

As much as I want to see Diagon Alley for the first time in a few weeks, I can't look away from your wonderful photos.


----------



## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We're really on the fence about whether or not to renew our Universal AP's when they expire next May  .  If Seaworld offers their BOGO AP's this Black Friday, we probably won't keep the Uni passes going (our Canadian dollar is just too low to justify both.....and we're desperately missing SW).  But, if no BOGO or deeply discounted AP's are announced for SeaWorld and Aquatica, you never know.....we might just renew after all.  I'm glad we have until May 1st to decide!!  (and save )
> 
> 
> 
> I just laughed so loud, one of my bosses just stuck his head out of his office with an eyebrow raised.  You'd think I'd learn not to read your replies while I'm still at work  .


I want to go back to universal so bad. But the price of tickets terrify me. Our Sw platinum passes expire next month but they just keep rolling over so I will leave them for our Xmas trip. 10 Yeats ago we paid $99 for 7 day tickets at Uni.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> Wow three posts in one day.  Slowdown bunny Ninja...



Whoops....I may have gotten a bit carried away yesterday  .  Sometimes, I get chatting away and its awfully hard to stop .   You have to admit, though, its better than those trip reports that suck you in and then stall for days (or even weeks) without any updates.  Those drive me bonkers!



thr33boys said:


> I have to say, for me anyway, part of the charm of your famous trip reports are the details you like to include and nothing says that more than the above quote  I don't know what your trick is to remembering all the fine details...right down to the substitution.  Perhaps, Steve is well versed in shorthand but I'm not even sure what I had for dinner yesterday.



Well, part of it is that I'm just a wee bit crazy and can remember a lot of those little useless details without even trying.  Then you add in that I take a LOT of photos, and keep my receipts (yep, even the dining ones) so I can refer to those as I hit each specific spot in my report.   For some of those really obscure nuggets of info (like what was on Steve's burger at Smokey Bones, or the toppings on the Flippers Big Pie), I double checked with each restaurant's website...thank God they put the menus online!!  

The substitution was easy to remember.....olives (green OR black) make me gag .  So gross.



thr33boys said:


> As much as I want to see Diagon Alley for the first time in a few weeks, I can't look away from your wonderful photos.



Ah, and those were just a teaser!!   Much better pics to come .   You are going to be WOWED when you see it live and in person.



greenclan67 said:


> I want to go back to universal so bad. But the price of tickets terrify me. Our Sw platinum passes expire next month but they just keep rolling over so I will leave them for our Xmas trip. 10 Yeats ago we paid $99 for 7 day tickets at Uni.



Our Premier AP's were $434.99 pp.   The same tix are now $479.99.....plus the exchange is a LOT worse now than when we bought.   

That said, we've really got some good value out of our passes, and they have been well worth the cost.  Free parking, free HHN tickets, 20% off everything we have purchased in the gift shops or restaurants, a discount off our HHN tour, the ability to book the Scareactor Dining Experience.....plus unlimited admission with no black outs for at least 3 trips.  I can swallow the price if we get the value out of the tickets that we were expecting.....even if it may put a big dent in my wallet at the time!!

BOGO AP's for Seaworld/Aquatica would make me a VERY happy girl.  My potential Christmas Day at SeaWorld is riding solely on a good Blue Friday sale!!


----------



## PrincessCooper's Mom

My husband has refused to go back to Disney next year and since my daughter (age 8) and I went 4 times last year, maybe it is time for something new.  I was strongly protesting until I found your trip reports.  In the last week I have read your trip reports from August 2014, May 2015, and this one.  Your trip reports are full of great information.  We have never done SeaWorld and Discovery Cove looks awesome.  Tell me more about the BOGO AP's for SeaWorld and what is a Blue Friday sale!!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

PrincessCooper's Mom said:


> My husband has refused to go back to Disney next year and since my daughter (age 8) and I went 4 times last year, maybe it is time for something new.  I was strongly protesting until I found your trip reports.  In the last week I have read your trip reports from August 2014, May 2015, and this one.  Your trip reports are full of great information.  We have never done SeaWorld and Discovery Cove looks awesome.  Tell me more about the BOGO AP's for SeaWorld and what is a Blue Friday sale!!!



Hi PrincessCooper's Mom, thanks for joining in!

Every Black Friday for the last several years, Seaworld offers a "Blue Friday" sale with deeply discounted admission passes, tours, dining, etc.  Every year the deals are slightly different, but last year they offered buy one, get one free annual passes (and actually, that offer was extended right through until the end of February if I remember correctly).  You had one year to activate the passes, and then once activated they were valid for a full 365 days.

Here's a link to what they offered last year:

http://attractionsmagazine.com/get-exclusive-deals-blue-friday-seaworld-orlando/

And this thread shows what they offered in 2013:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/blue-friday-special-seaworld.3203296/#post-50173423

If you are planning a Seaworld parks trip, there are often some awesome deals to be had!!

Super Grover passes through Sesame Place also generally come on sale (usually 20% off or better) on Black Friday too.  They act like seasons passes for all the Orlando and Tampa parks owned by Seaworld Parks & Entertainment, meaning they also entitle you to passmember rates at Discovery Cove.   If you were wanting to visit Busch Gardens and their water park (Adventure Island), they might be a consideration too (but they are based on calendar year usage versus 365 day usage):

http://sesameplace.com/en/langhorne/book-online/tickets/season-passes/






*Unlimited visits in 2016 and the rest of 2015 FREE, free preferred parking, ride again privileges, and access to 11 parks. *
_

*Sesame Place benefits include:*
_

_Unlimited visits now through 12/31/16_
_Save on in-park food, merchandise & character dining (Save 30% in 2015; Save 25% in 2016)_
_Free preferred parking (based on availability; available at Sesame Place Only) and general parking_
_Save on single-day admission for guests_
_Sesame Street character meet & greets (May-Oct)_
_Ride Again privileges on select attractions_
_Early park entry for extra ride time_
_Advance seating at select shows_
_Exclusive Season Pass Member events_
*Additional Super Grover Benefits:
*

*Unlimited visits to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, SeaWorld's Waterpark, Adventure Island and Water Country USA through 12/31/16*
*Free general parking (based on availability)*
*Save 10% on food & merchandise (restrictions apply)*
*Special rates at Discovery Cove (based on availability)*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Arriving in Hogsmeade, our first "attraction" were the _public conveniences_……let’s just say the Butterbeer we drank in Diagon Alley needed to be addressed .







I don’t think I ever have as much fun going to the washroom as I do in Hogsmeade.  Listening to Moaning Myrtle whine is such a cool little touch.   Does it make we weird to say I enjoyed our bathroom break?  Probably  .  I am totally okay with that  .


Following our much-needed stop at the loo, we headed to Hogwart’s for a tour of the castle.  This would be a first for me….while both Steve and I Jake had rode Forbidden Journey on our visits in 2012 and earlier in 2015, I had not.  It’s definitely not my kind of ride (remember, I sometimes puke on the plane….can you imagine me on FJ?!?!) and Steve had no interest riding it on this trip, either....it had bothered his head and stomach in May far more than he remembered from the first time he rode it in January 2012.  I don’t know why I had missed the tour of the castle in the past....its not like it was something new... but it had long since been declared a must-do for this vacation so we wasted no time in entering the queue.  With such magnificent detail on the outside, I was super excited to see how the inside measured up!







My photos from the inside are dark and grainy at best, but hopefully you get the picture (pardon the pun).   It was SO WELL DONE inside .  No detail spared, everything just as if the castle had been plucked from the movie and dropped into Islands of Adventure.  The moving photo frames were exactly as I expected and so awesomely realistic.












JK Rowling did a great job bringing Ron, Harry and Hermione into the experience as well.  I won’t go into specifics (I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t yet visited), but I LOVED the effect when one of Ron’s spells went awry.  So well done!!


After our castle tour was complete…_..we spent far more time inside than I had anticipated, taking in all the little details!!._...we strolled around Hogsmeade for a bit, enjoying time in the area while it was still not too busy.  Later in the day, that would change….it always does!

















Heading out of Hogsmeade to Jurassic Park, they had a PhotoConnect photographer taking pictures on the bridge.












We were glad we stopped at that point in the morning, because later on in the day the bridge was jammed with people and the PhotoConnect photographers were nowhere to be found.  I am sure they must just give up on trying to get decent shots when the crowds descend on that part of the park.  You know what I wonder, though?  Why PhotoConnect doesn’t offer Harry Potter-themed borders for the pics taken in that part of the park.  That would be a nice touch.   Oh well, one for the suggestion box.


By the time we were leaving Hogsmeade, our light breakfast had worn off and we were ready to sit and enjoy a quick snack.  We had reservations for lunch at Mythos, but it was still early enough in the day that we knew we’d need something to tide us over in the interim.  I let Steve pick where he wanted to go for our nibbles, and he asked if I minded a bit of a stroll.  It was a perfect, gorgeous morning so I assured him I didn’t mind at all.  Off we went, through Jurrasic Park….







…..en route to Port of Entry.


Steve’s sweet tooth had obviously kicked in, and he led us straight to his favourite IOA indulgences at Croissant Moon Bakery .


I have to say, if there’s anything truly painful about Croissant Moon it’s deciding what to have.  Oh my Lord, their stuff looks mouth watering….and we know from past experiences that the taste equals the presentation.   It was paining me to pass up my favourite Napoleon bar (with Mythos on deck for lunch, I didn’t want to overdo the snackage) but I had to be at least somewhat dietarily responsible.


After much consideration (and letting half a dozen other folks pass us in line while we considered our options), I finally decided on a Brookie (a chocolate chip cookie baked into a fudge brownie):







Steve picked a chocolate éclair:  yes, this little darling was filled with a smooth and sweetly delicious chocolate cream that was soooo yummy:







We added a bottle of milk to share to wash all that rich goodness down.  They applied our AP discount (20%) and our total cost with tax was $8.30.







This bakery hasn’t disappointed us yet.  The brookie was even better than the one I had on our May trip….the brownie bottom was super stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth fudgy, and the soft cookie center perfectly balanced it out.   Steve’s éclair was feather light, sweet, and superbly delicious.  I’m sure there were a million calories on that tray but what the heck.  Life is too short to pass up desserts.  And calories don't count on vacation.   We'd end up walking off those calories anyway.  Oh....let's throw a *YOLO!* in there too.   Yep, I could (and would) rationalize our indulgence in any way needed.  It was worth it  .


With happily full tummies and both of us bordering on a sugar high (wheeeeeee! ), we bounced off in the direction of our next must-do of the day:  a meet-and-greet like we’ve never had the chance to experience before.  _*Secure your valuables and take small children by the hand, because we were about to come eye to eye with a velociraptor!*_


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

On our way back to Jurassic Park, we passed through Toon Lagoon and I captured some photos.  In general, this area is not my cup of tea…..well done, yes, and nicely themed…..just not my “type” of theming so to speak.  I’ve never been a much into the retro cartoon thing.  I’m also not a big fan of rides that soak me to the gills….I guess there must be a certain amount of vanity lurking in my subconscious because there’s no way in heck that I’m walking around the park in wet clothes and sopping hair.



























Arriving in Jurassic Park, we headed straight to the Raptor Encounter and joined the line that was being monitored by a TM.







The line wasn’t_ hugely_ long, but there were still multiple families in front of us.  We guessed perhaps that there’d be about a 20 minute wait, and opted to stay put as the queue would only grow longer as the day progressed.  Not long after we got in line, they took the raptor back for “a feeding” and promised that she would return within a few minutes.  A few families jumped ship at that point, irritated at the delay, so we moved up quite a bit as a result.  True to their promise, “Kilo” emerged a few moments later, roaring and rearing her head to the delight of the small crowd.

















The TM working this attraction was downright fantastic.  He was so “in character” and made the whole experience very realistic.  He would nervously tell parents to keep their children in front to ensure they’re protected, and urged everyone to move slowly with no sudden movements.







When it was our turn to approach the roaring beast, she immediately went for Steve’s hat, much to his delight.  The handler tells us she was “challenging him for dominance” .







Eventually, she settled down and we were posed for photos.  Kilo continued to give my big Steve all the attention, breathing in his ear and nuzzling his hat.  I don't think he expected that he would be the subject of her adoration .





[/URL







It was such a fun little encounter, and we both agreed this was a fabulous addition to this section of the park.  Definitely a must-do for fans of the movie, and absolutely worth the short wait in line.  We wished Jake had been there to experience it with us….he would have LOVED it!  We both agreed we couldn’t wait to show him the photos when we arrived back at the resort.


Steve wasn’t feeling a ride on Jurassic Park River Adventure just then, so we just strolled around for a bit and soaked up the atmosphere.  We love the themed music, the lush surroundings, the whole “vibe” of this section of IOA . 












Having satisfied our inner dino’s, we decided to make our way back toward the Marvel area of the park…one of Steve’s beloved “Islands”.  Somehow, I knew a little “mayhem” might soon ensue .


----------



## ArwenMarie

I saw that raptor. I didn't wait in line, just watched the people interacting. So neat. We also saw a live baby Triceratops in the Discovery Center. A scientist was carrying her and she was so cute 

Now I want all the sugar after seeing those desserts! Sigh, why can't I eat like I'm on vacation every day?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> I saw that raptor. I didn't wait in line, just watched the people interacting. So neat. We also saw a live baby Triceratops in the Discovery Center. A scientist was carrying her and she was so cute
> 
> Now I want all the sugar after seeing those desserts! Sigh, why can't I eat like I'm on vacation every day?



Aw, that baby triceratops must have been cute to see!!  We've only been in the Discovery Center once, and there wasn't anything much happening (though we still enjoyed poking around).  I think that's a place where timing is everything.

As for the sweets, our waistlines took a complete beating on this trip.  Steve gained 12 pounds!! (I didn't check...I don't wanna know).  Then we brought home all that candy from MNSSHP .    So, its been back to the gym for us in an effort to atone for our dietary sins.  I packed up a whole bag of the Halloween candy and sent it to work with Steve.  And now we try to "be good" for the next 50 days until we embark on our Christmas trip.....but oh, its soooo hard!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Strolling toward Marvel, I could see that Steve’s eye was drawn to the sledgehammer game that’s conveniently located in the transition area between Toon Lagoon and Marvel Superhero Island.  The agonizing decision of *to play or not to play? *became an easy one when we spied what prizes they were currently offering to those who manage to hit the “100” target:  *PIRATE MINIONS*!!!!   


Minions on their own are fantastically awesome, but pirate minions just take it to a whole new level.  It was like I was meant to have one of those precious fellows….after all, we were dressing as pirates for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties that we had scheduled for later in the week.  Steve had been growing his beard for two months to ensure he looked as authentic as possible, and he had been perfecting his pirate-speak around the house for weeks (yes, more than once he yelled “Ahoy, me matey!” as he walked in the door after a 12 hour shift at work).  Pirates had become quite a fun focus for us over the past 8 weeks or so.


And now there were pirate minions smiling at us as we approached.  He decided I had to have one .


Considering he was still not feeling his normal self (the cold medication had helped, but his symptoms still persisted), he was a bit worried he might not be as successful in his attempts as he was this past May.  I assured him that all the sugar from the Butterbeer in Diagon Alley and his chocolate éclair from Croissant Moon would more than make up for the effects of his cold.  He took of his hat and his lanyard, handed me his phone and his wallet, paid the attendant his $5, and warmed up his muscles.  This was serious stuff.


First swing, he hit 96.  So close.  But he was not impressed.  







Determined not to feel the shame of needing the 3rd swing to win, he smashed the target on swing number two and the bell rang out loud and clear.  That woke up the game attendant …..I get the feeling she wasn’t needing to get up from her chair much that morning…..and she asked which prize he wanted to select.  Now, there was also a second minion that was superbly and awesomely special….a Kevin minion dressed as the banana from the recent minions movie….so while the pirate minion was a clear choice under the circumstances, I was sorely wishing he’d play twice .   That said, we weren’t dragging two of these fellows around the park so one pirate minion it would be.







We strolled around Marvel for a bit, browsing the shops and hoping to maybe meet up with a character or two, but our timing was off and the only one we saw was the Green Goblin.  In true pesky form, his only mission was to run from group to group causing havoc and being a general nuisance.  Getting him to pose for a photo was difficult to impossible at best.  So, we enjoyed watching him interact with people for a bit and then gave up on getting a picture and moved on toward Port of Entry.  We had some time left before our Mythos reservation at noon and Steve wanted to do some shopping.


It was soooo quiet in Marvel without the Hulk running.  Eerie, almost.  Steve was painfully missing that coaster as it is one of his favourites.







Just adjacent to Cinnabon, Woody in his Islands of Adventure garb was greeting guests and there was no line whatsoever.  Even though we saw him at Universal earlier that morning, we seized the chance for another quick pic:







At the Port of Entry Trading Company, Steve made a bee line for the pins (he’s started collecting them for his hat) while I not surprisingly gravitated to my favourite display:







I also found some little pirate minions for those visitors who weren’t travelling with their own version of HeMan:







Shockingly, though, these little fellas boasted a price tag of $24.95 each plus tax …..and our behemoth was only $5 for the game play!  The size difference was ridiculous!







While paying for our purchases, the TM at the check-out asked if we wanted to check our items….including our beloved Pirate Minion….so that we didn’t have to carry them around for the balance of the day.  We jumped at the chance, and handed over the big guy who was bagged and tagged and stowed with our other souvenirs.  Had we known we could check our winnings, I would have had Steve try for the Banana Minion after all!!  However, with our arms empty once again, we circled the lake in the opposite direction toward Seuss Landing…..we had just enough time for a ride or two before lunch.


----------



## ArwenMarie

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Aw, that baby triceratops must have been cute to see!!  We've only been in the Discovery Center once, and there wasn't anything much happening (though we still enjoyed poking around).  I think that's a place where timing is everything.
> 
> As for the sweets, our waistlines took a complete beating on this trip.  Steve gained 12 pounds!! (I didn't check...I don't wanna know).  Then we brought home all that candy from MNSSHP .    So, its been back to the gym for us in an effort to atone for our dietary sins.  I packed up a whole bag of the Halloween candy and sent it to work with Steve.  And now we try to "be good" for the next 50 days until we embark on our Christmas trip.....but oh, its soooo hard!!



The baby triceratops was so cute. Definitely just luck. We were in there just trying to cool off for a few minutes and he came around with it. I got some great pictures, very fun.

I gain two pounds (real pounds, after the water weight comes off) every single trip to Orlando. Even when I'm walking all of those miles a day in the parks. I guess it's not that bad considering what I eat down there! 

But yeah, getting it off, ugh.


----------



## ArwenMarie

Pirate Minion was a good choice considering the theme of your costumes  

When will they come out with an It's So Fluffy mug??? I like the Minions but I need something pink haha.


----------



## toystoryduo

Love the pirate minion! Way to go, Steve! 

Looking forward to reading more!


----------



## tgropp

*Another great read Gina. I can sympathize with your husband. I had a nasty virus then also. Too bad about your neighbours in the hotel. I probably would have knocked on their door in the morning before getting on the elevator. Looking forward to your Christmas report. My favorite time of year in Florida !*


----------



## KaraLyn

Jumping in to follow along  I love your pics. We haven't travelled yet in October looks like a great time to go to get your spook on


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> I gain two pounds (real pounds, after the water weight comes off) every single trip to Orlando. Even when I'm walking all of those miles a day in the parks. I guess it's not that bad considering what I eat down there!
> 
> But yeah, getting it off, ugh.



Isn't it bizarre how you still gain weight with all that walking?? I swear some days we trudged at least 5 miles just in the parks alone!!  Then there were the stairs to our villa  .



tgropp said:


> *Another great read Gina. I can sympathize with your husband. I had a nasty virus then also. Too bad about your neighbours in the hotel. I probably would have knocked on their door in the morning before getting on the elevator. Looking forward to your Christmas report. My favorite time of year in Florida !*



Hee hee.....it was tempting not to "accidentally" bang our luggage against their door in rapid succession.  But we're just not wired that way.  They'll get their karma.....I just won't be around to enjoy seeing it.  

I can't wait for another Christmas visit either!  When we were at the airport this trip, I was envisioning those gorgeous big Christmas trees that grace the terminals.  So festive!


KaraLyn said:


> Jumping in to follow along  I love your pics. We haven't travelled yet in October looks like a great time to go to get your spook on



Welcome KaraLyn!  October was "spooktacular"...I can't wait until I get to the parts of my report where I can share our pics from Halloween Horror Nights and MNSSHP.    The Halloween events made it a very special trip!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We strolled around Seuss Landing for a bit before heading for our lunch reservation at Mythos.  I didn’t have my camera out at that point, but we hit up the Trolley Train, and I *finally* managed to get Steve on Cat in the Hat.  He was pretty worried about the spinning....his last recollection was from 2012, when the spinning was much more intense....but glad to learn that the spins were now tolerable.  He enjoyed himself, and I was relieved .


We arrived at Mythos about 15 minutes before our reservation time, and there was already a sizeable crowd waiting around the reception desk with pagers in hand.  We patted ourselves on the back for having the foresight to make a reservation....it turned out to be a very wise decision.  We checked in with the greeters, who indicated that they should be able to get us in for our noon seating but probably not much earlier.  They gave us a pager, and we toured around some of the shops in the Lost Continent.  They sell some really unique stuff there.....some pretty cool, others kind of odd.   Very different from the souvenirs found in other locations within the park.


Almost exactly at 12 noon, our pager went off and we were escorted to our waiting table.  We were in the rear of the restaurant, next to the large windows with a wonderful view of the park.












We ordered our beverages (just waters this time, we were desperate for some pure rehydration), and perused the menu for a bit before ordering.  The offerings were a bit different than other theme park restaurants, so it was hard to decide what to have.  Our server brought us some fresh bread to nibble on while we made our final decisions.












For our appetizer, we decided on Mediterranean Meatballs (ground lamb, tomato-pepper ragù, falafel waffle, frisée salad, with mango-créme fraîche dressing).







I had never had lamb before, nor falafel, so these were some entirely new tastes for my palette.  But they were good....surprisingly so!







For entrees, I wasn’t nearly as adventurous.   I had a grilled chicken BLT sandwich, without all the crap on it that I don’t like (no lettuce, tomato jam, pickled red onions or cheese):







I had ordered parmesan fries versus plain, but they forgot to add that request to my order.  I mentioned it to the server, but decided not to bother to have her replace them (it appeared, from her reaction, that it was going to be a bigger undertaking than I would have thought).  I was a bit disappointed, though.


Steve had the Mythos Signature Lamburger (“hand-packed ground lamb with grilled onion, shredded lettuce and fresh tomato topped with feta-olive aioli served with French fries”).  His parmesan fries upgrade apparently made it to the chefs....so he was happy







Overall impressions:  our service was fine, our food was very good, and everything was brought out in a timely manner....there were no lengthy waits for anything, despite the fact that the restaurant was quite busy.  For all the hype this place gets, though, I think maybe I had expected more .  We had a perfectly nice lunch, but we didn’t find it any more spectacular than Confiscos or Finnegans (and in fact, we agreed that Mythos would rank third behind the two aforementioned establishments in our overall preference for table service in the Universal parks).







We paid our bill.....$33.93 including tax, excluding tip (includes a discount of $5.62 with our AP discount) and we were on our way for more park time under the shimmering sun.   Time to release our inner child and return for more whimsical fun in Seuss Landing  .


----------



## ArwenMarie

We were sort of disappointed in Mythos in August. I'm a big fan of their pad thai and it was not good this time   I think everyone else's food was ok. The waitress was fine but not friendly or cheerful. It was too crowded and we kind of had a crummy table (I like where you guys sat!).

Anyway, I would still go back there but it was a bit diminished in my eyes. I still love the interior though. And the desserts were good!


----------



## JaxDad

Hi Gina!  I'm just checking in on your latest *awesome* trip report!  I can't believe you let them slip some green stuff on your appetizer plate at Mythos!
;-)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> We were sort of disappointed in Mythos in August. I'm a big fan of their pad thai and it was not good this time   I think everyone else's food was ok. The waitress was fine but not friendly or cheerful. It was too crowded and we kind of had a crummy table (I like where you guys sat!).
> 
> Anyway, I would still go back there but it was a bit diminished in my eyes. I still love the interior though. And the desserts were good!



I think we were just prepared for something "more" (though I'm not sure what more we were seeking) as a result of all the hype.  It was definitely a unique decor, and everything else was good.....but nothing was knock-yourself-out remarkable.  

Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert (and we had indulged in that brookie and eclair earlier in the day).....but they did have some nice looking options.   That will give us a reason to go back  .



JaxDad said:


> Hi Gina!  I'm just checking in on your latest *awesome* trip report!  I can't believe you let them slip some green stuff on your appetizer plate at Mythos!
> ;-)



Aw shucks, thanks for the compliments  .  I always wonder_, too much detail?  Too many pics? _ I tend to talk a lot, which means I also tend to type a lot if I allow my thoughts to be spit out on the computer screen like they are rolling around in my brain.  I have a hard time keeping anything concise.

I must admit, I didn't eat any of the greenery that came on the meatballs.   Frankly, I'm not even sure what it was.....some sort of bean sprouty thing?  It was interesting to look at but not something I'd consume.  What was that commercial where the guy with the Swedish accent says "We have that back home on the farm, but we don't eat it!"?    lol, that's totally me  .


----------



## sk8jdgca

I had the same chicken sandwich as you...it was...ok. But my son had the pork chop....now that was amazing, should have ordered it...next time


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> For entrees, I wasn’t nearly as adventurous.   I had a grilled chicken BLT sandwich, without all the crap on it that I don’t like (no lettuce, tomato jam, pickled red onions or cheese):


 
So basically your BLT was just a "B".


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> He took of his hat and his lanyard, handed me his phone and his wallet, paid the attendant his $5, and warmed up his muscles.  This was serious stuff.



Gotta love man logic....some how emptying your pockets and partially undressing makes you stronger.  It must be why they walk about shirtless.

My DH has turned into 'that guy'.   One day this past summer I was looking out the window and see him heading down the street with a shovel in his hand and no shirt.  He is now the guy on the street that never wears a shirt.  I even noticed one night at dinner that there was a hairy moob on the dinner table.  That was the final straw....I had to call him on it.  Is it asking too much for a shirt at the dinner table?  I think not!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> I had the same chicken sandwich as you...it was...ok. But my son had the pork chop....now that was amazing, should have ordered it...next time



Some of their heavier dishes did look pretty yummy.....the gnocchi sounded great (though I've never had it before....but I like all of the components, so it sounds good in theory anyway!!) and the steak tips also looked good.  Being there for lunch, though, that just seemed like too much food.  Perhaps the next time we'll have to go for dinner and put the pork chop entree on our to-try list  .



bankr63 said:


> So basically your BLT was just a "B".



Geez....some people have to get so literal.  

Who makes jam from tomatoes, anyway?  Ewww.



dancin Disney style said:


> Gotta love man logic....some how emptying your pockets and partially undressing makes you stronger.  It must be why they walk about shirtless.
> 
> My DH has turned into 'that guy'.   One day this past summer I was looking out the window and see him heading down the street with a shovel in his hand and no shirt.  He is now the guy on the street that never wears a shirt.  I even noticed one night at dinner that there was a hairy moob on the dinner table.  That was the final straw....I had to call him on it.  Is it asking too much for a shirt at the dinner table?  I think not!



He rationalizes that "de-cluttering" makes his swing more effective.   I'd say he's crazy but hey, I can't hit the dang target at all so what do I know?  

You have a problem with shirtless men at your dinner table?   Maybe he was just planning on being "dessert"?   

(I can't believe I just said that)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Stuffed full from lunch, we decided to stroll around Seuss Landing for a bit and indulge our inner child.  I love this particular area of the park….it’s so well themed, so bright and cheery, and so fun.  It makes me feel like I’m 5 years old again.


Despite it being early afternoon and right in the busiest part of the day, stand-by for the attractions were all only 5 or 10 minutes.   There was lots of room to roam about, which we loved.







We made our way around the area in a circle, first riding the Trolley Train again (and this time, we got the opposite side from our ride before lunch, so we ended up experiencing both tracks in the same day).












We even got the front row!    Where's my train whistle?












Steve made me put my camera away after that photo, though…..our official Mr. Stickler-For-The-Rules, he didn’t want to see me ousted from the park for not obeying the reminder of no photography or videotaping while on the ride.


We popped into some of the shops (our favourite is the one with all the books…..they bring back so many fun memories from our childhoods!.....followed by Snookers & Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers) between riding the Caro-Seuss-el, One Fish Two Fish, and lastly Cat in the Hat again.  We hoped to see a character or two but there wasn’t anyone out and about.   Timing is everything  .







From Seuss Landing, we meandered toward Port of Entry to collect our Pirate Minion from parcel pick up.  We had decided to return to Hogsmeade, take the Hogwarts Express to London, and exit via Universal Studios.







Parcel pick up was easy peasy, so with the Minion and our purchases firmly in hand, we snaked our way back through Marvel (this sign made Steve soooo sad):







….and headed toward Toon Lagoon.


You know what that means, right?  We had to pass the sledgehammer game again .


You can see where this is going.  I know it.


Steve says to me, as we are approaching the area where the carnival games are stationed*…..*_you really wanted that Banana Minion too, didn’t you?  _


_Well, yeah.  Who wouldn’t??  But we already have a Pirate, so I’m good ._


_But you wanted the Banana.  It’s Kevin, right?  You have to have Kevin.  You don’t have anything like him at home, either.  Here, hold my wallet.  And my hat.  And my lanyard._


A few folks with raised eyebrows notice that he’s pulling another $5 bill out to hand to the attendant, and they stop to watch.  I’m already holding the huge Pirate, so I’m feeling a bit greedy at this point.


He grabs the hammer, deep breath, big swing, and ……. *D I N G ! *







This is just too easy .


With each of us carrying a minion, we wound our way through Jurassic Park (which was CROWDED  as compared to the morning….the line for the Raptor Encounter was more than double what it had been that morning) and into Hogsmeade.  We boarded the train (stowing the minions on the top shelf….thank God for that storage space!) and arrived back in Diagon Alley (which had also grown much more densely crowded since the early morning).  We convinced ourselves that all of our walking had earned us another Butterbeer to share, so we made a brief stoppage at the Hopping Pot for a beverage to-go ($4.52 with the Premier AP).


After enjoying our drink while we milled about Diagon Alley (we enjoyed watching the young guests cast spells with their interactive wands), we headed toward the park exit.  We had timed it just right to catch a showing of the new streetmosphere show, Straight Outta Food Truck…..so we stopped to watch:







I have to say, we LOVED this little show .  We’re not big fans of rap music in general, but the cast is excellent and they carry off the performance beautifully…..they have it put together in such a way that rap lovers or not, it’s well worth seeing.  Neither one of us wanted to be part of the entertainment so we stood a safe distance away.  They pull multiple people from the audience to be centerpieces in the show. 







After that, we exited the park and dragged our weary feet back to the parking garage.  We had covered a lot of ground, and our legs were feelin’ it .







That hot tub was going to feel mighty good later on .


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

We really have to get back to Universal one of these days!  I've worked and worked with my budget, but there's just no way it will let me squeeze it in for next year.  I suppose I'll have to include it for 2017!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

jennasmommyinMS said:


> We really have to get back to Universal one of these days!  I've worked and worked with my budget, but there's just no way it will let me squeeze it in for next year.  I suppose I'll have to include it for 2017!



They are both such fun parks.....you will love it when you get there  .  It's definitely tough on the budget to incorporate two different park families on one trip....ticket prices for shorter visits (2-3 days each versus a 7 day ticket) are so much more expensive.

Think of it this way, though.  If you do wait until 2017, Kong will be open.  Hulk will be refreshed and re-opened.  The new Jimmy Fallon attraction will have replaced Twister.  Disaster will be the new Fast & Furious attraction.  And Nintendo will be well on its way.  Exciting times!


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

That sounds great!  I can see it now--4 days at Disney and 3 days at Universal.  Now we just have to hope for a soft opening for the new ride at Sea World for next May!


----------



## ArwenMarie

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I think we were just prepared for something "more" (though I'm not sure what more we were seeking) as a result of all the hype.  It was definitely a unique decor, and everything else was good.....but nothing was knock-yourself-out remarkable.
> 
> Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert (and we had indulged in that brookie and eclair earlier in the day).....but they did have some nice looking options.   That will give us a reason to go back  .



Yes, next time save room for dessert. 

We've done three trips to Universal and went to Mythos each time. The first two times (February 2014 and August 2014) were really good. A year later in August 2015, it was disappointing.

I still think the decor is awesome so I think I would go back and just order differently, but I hope they get the food and service back up to where it was.


----------



## ArwenMarie

Yay! Another minion!

Love Seuss Landing. It really feels like you're in the books.


----------



## keishashadow

I lost you!  Forgot this is on another board lol.  How nice the park was uncrowded, doesn't happen very often.

We love mythos, I stick w/the risotto of the day, but dream of the long-gone blueberry pork chop.

know what u mean re being soggy in the parks from the water rides.  I schedule them right before we plan on leaving park, still feel goofy slushing out.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Yay! Another minion!
> 
> Love Seuss Landing. It really feels like you're in the books.



Another minion seemed like a good idea until we reached that moment where we realized.....he's not going to fit very well in our suitcase......



keishashadow said:


> I lost you!  Forgot this is on another board lol.  How nice the park was uncrowded, doesn't happen very often.
> 
> We love mythos, I stick w/the risotto of the day, but dream of the long-gone blueberry pork chop.
> 
> know what u mean re being soggy in the parks from the water rides.  I schedule them right before we plan on leaving park, still feel goofy slushing out.



Blueberry pork chop?    Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like an odd combination?  Of course, I don't like the "LT" of a "BLT" as bankr63 so eloquently pointed out, so admittedly.....I'm a tad off strange from a dietary standpoint.  Okay, strange from several standpoints!! 

Never had risotto....but I like rice, so I wouldn't mind giving it a whirl some time.  Their gnocchi sounded tempting but again, I've never had it.  It sounded good in theory, though.

I have to put Popeye & Bluto's on our April to-do list.  I want to be sure I go at lest once, soaking or not.  I'll be hiding the camera, though, so no one sees me in my drowned rat pose.  Some moments should simply not be recorded!!  lol


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After returning to the Vistana (and I should point out, we had zero issues on the commute up the I4 both to and from Universal….and that was the case over our entire trip…..smooth sailing with no delays every single time) we freshened up a bit and enjoyed getting off our weary feet for an hour.  When we were sufficiently rehydrated and rested, we decided to head to Kissimmee for some retail therapy and dinner.


Our shopping destination was, as those of you who have read my previous trip reports will know, the Nike Clearance Store.  We consistently get really, really good deals here on shoes and sportswear for the guys specifically (I have also found some good clothing prices from time to time, but not so much of late….but then again, there’s only so many dri-fit t-shirts I want in my closet at any one time).  It’s situated in a little strip plaza that also houses a Dollar Tree, a Disney outlet, and a few other name brand stores.


Steve was in search of a few specific items for himself, so I set him loose in pursuit of his stuff while I focused on looking for something to bring back for Jake.  I knew he wanted a new pair of shoes, so I short-listed his options based on his very specific criteria, then called him to let him know what he had to choose from.  If anyone has ever raised a teenager, you’ll know it was easier to let him have the final say rather than to waste money on something he might not wear.  He was at my mom’s enjoying her Thanksgiving feast (my sister and brother and their families were there as well) and I think he was glad for the phone call and a few moments of respite from the holiday fracas.   He was delighted with the shoes he picked out (especially since they were being paid for by mom and dad….one of the “souvenirs” we brought him home!!) and we were happy with the super cheap cost.  The Jordans he decided on retail for $200 back home (plus 13% tax).  We paid $55 USD and only 6.5% tax.  Even with our horrible exchange rate, it was still a win.


Steve made a whole bag of purchases as well….shoes, shirts, and athletic bottoms specifically.   We left with two giant shopping bags in tow as we quietly mused about how we may have a crisis on departure day considering there were two minions who would be taking up the bulk of the room in the empty suitcases.  Oh well, we would worry about that later.


We browsed through the Disney outlet as well before leaving the plaza, but didn’t find anything that caught our eye.  They had a good selection of items, though, and some pretty good prices.



Dinner was our next task…..our Mythos burgers had long since worn off…..and Chili’s in Kissimmee was what we chose as our destination.







We love Chili’s…..we have consistently good meals there, and the prices are shockingly affordable.  I would give my right arm to have this chain here in Canada.  Seriously, I think I’d eat there every week.



We were greeted warmly on arrival, seated immediately, and our beverage order filled right away (strawberry lemonade for moi, Coke Zero for Steve).  We decide to go with the 2 for $20  offer, and selected Texas cheese fries as our appetizer:







They were brought out from the kitchen really quickly, piping hot and very tasty. 


For entrees, I had the Cajun chicken pasta (it, and their crispy chicken tenders, are my Chili’s favourites):







…and Steve had steak (upgraded to a 10 oz from 6 oz for an additional $4):







As we have come to expect, everything was great.  Servers were super friendly, the food was delish (Steve’s steak was cooked exactly to order) and portions were very large.  The atmosphere is so comfortable and relaxed, and we enjoyed being able to leisurely enjoy our meal after a busy day of mugging around the parks.


We had other plans for dessert, so we paid the bill ($31.66 including tax, excluding tip), thanked our server, and headed out.


We didn’t have far to go in search of our sweet treats for the evening.  It was literally just a couple of parking lots over……







Mmmm…….donuts…….


And not JUST donuts.  Monster donuts .







Just when you think that Krispy Kreme can’t get any better, they create some Halloween masterpieces that we simply could not pass up.  Since we were super full from dinner still, we took our half dozen donuts to go and made the short drive back to the Vistana.  They would be our late-night indulgence after a much-anticipated evening soaking in the Fountains pool and hot tubs.


It was a perfect, gorgeous night.  We stayed out enjoying the amenities for a good couple of hours……swimming in the pool for a while, then relaxing in the hot tubs, then back to the pool…..until the hot tubs had sapped what was left of our energy and we could barely keep our eyes open.


It was donuts and milk before bed, then off to dreamland .  Tomorrow was another busy park day, and we needed our beauty sleep.


----------



## JaxDad

Whoa girl!  My trained eye was immediately drawn to the *LIT* "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign on the right side of the Krispy Kreme!  Please don't tell me that you did NOT sample a glazed doughnut plucked hot right off the line!?!?!


----------



## CdnKayDee

Hi Gina, loving your trip report!  Do you not have Chilis in Ontario?  We have one here in Regina.


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## Gr8t Fan

I always love your trip reports because they have so much detail and you finish them in record time!


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## ArwenMarie

Chilis is very good especially for the price. 

When we stayed at the Omni there was one right on the exit road from the resort as you go towards I-4. A nice new one too. I think we ate there about four times that trip. And the bill was SO much less painful than the theme park prices, love it!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

JaxDad said:


> Whoa girl!  My trained eye was immediately drawn to the *LIT* "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign on the right side of the Krispy Kreme!  Please don't tell me that you did NOT sample a glazed doughnut plucked hot right off the line!?!?!



     We didn't even notice that!!

The blame lies with the Halloween donuts....they stole my concentration.....I couldn't focus......

There's always December  .



CdnKayDee said:


> Hi Gina, loving your trip report!  Do you not have Chilis in Ontario?  We have one here in Regina.



No Chili's in Ontario  .  You guys have all the good places out west.  I believe you have Olive Gardens, too!!  If it weren't for your wacky, intense winter weather, I might just be convinced to relocate .



Gr8t Fan said:


> I always love your trip reports because they have so much detail and you finish them in record time!



Thank you!!  Not sure how many updates I'll get done over the Halloween weekend, but I try to keep them coming as best I can.  Nothing worse than a report that stalls indefinitely and leaves you hanging!!  (plus, I have to get it done before we leave again.....in 49 days!!!!!! )


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Those Texas cheese fries looks delicious, followed by donuts sounds like food heaven!!


----------



## keishashadow

I am floored by the scrumptious looking steak @ the Orlando Chilis.  The one nearby us is horrid, as is the Smokey Bones, which another DISer gives consistent high marks.  May have to give the orlando sites both a whirl.

lol re the blueberry porkchop, the fruit was just an acccent, really a great combo with the mac & cheese that accompanied it.  

since you mention I4, thought i'd ask you if you ventured north of Universal this trip.  We are flying in Sanford next week (1st trip on allegient, couldn't pass up opening day fare promo), wondering if construction still in the area.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You have a problem with shirtless men at your dinner table?   Maybe he was just planning on being "dessert"?
> 
> (I can't believe I just said that)



Ok...so you went there.

I'd prefer this....

nothing like a well fitted suit!!!!!!


----------



## pepperandchips

Joining in! Looks like you guys had a GREAT time!!


----------



## Lynne G

Yeah, do not think our Chili's, which is 5 minutes from my house, is as good with the food or service.  We used to have KK donuts near us, but most have closed and only some found in the city.

We have Nike outlets in 2 of our outlet centers.  DS usually gets a pair of sneakers and ones I would have never thought he would wear.  Yep, teen boys.  Both kids can pack a bag from the underarmour store.  We have them in the 2 close outlets too.  It is why I do not shop there often.  Oh, and where we live, we do not tax most clothing or shoes, just no essential ones that the Puritan basis our tax base came from, like bathing suits.  Lol, it is kinda sillily, but many from ohio and New York come to shop in our clothing stores. 

Great update!


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Steve made a whole bag of purchases as well….shoes, shirts, and athletic bottoms specifically.   We left with two giant shopping bags in tow as we quietly mused about how we may have a crisis on departure day considering there were two minions who would be taking up the bulk of the room in the empty suitcases.  Oh well, we would worry about that later.



We have the benefit of being allowed 5 suitcases among us (we usually only travel with 3) but my boys do not like shopping at all. Taking them shopping while on vacation would be torture for all of us. Taking time to go and shop by myself would be a holiday within a holiday but really wouldn't feel like a family vacation if that makes any sense.  Instead, I'll be thankful for all the money I save from not shopping. 

Sounds like you got some great deals, despite our dreary dollar.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We love Chili’s…..we have consistently good meals there, and the prices are shockingly affordable.  I would give my right arm to have this chain here in Canada.  Seriously, I think I’d eat there every week.



There was one in Vaughan but it didn't last. However, you may be able to find one closer to home but still not close enough.

http://m.mississauga.com/news-story/3135396-chili-s-sets-sights-on-mississauga


----------



## bankr63

Boys can enjoy a certain amount of shopping if they are motivated.  DS is a distance runner (mid to long in track, and cross-country).  We spent a fair bit of the last trip in search of a certain style of Mizuno track shoes.  These things are like bikinis - they less they weigh, the more they cost.  These were VERY light shoes.  Ultimately we had to abandon our search as we could not find a "real" runners store in the area.  But he still managed to fill up on clothing at Nike, UA, and Adidas stores.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Those Texas cheese fries looks delicious, followed by donuts sounds like food heaven!!



They were all divine .  I only wish vegetables tasted that good!!! 



keishashadow said:


> I am floored by the scrumptious looking steak @ the Orlando Chilis.  The one nearby us is horrid, as is the Smokey Bones, which another DISer gives consistent high marks.  May have to give the orlando sites both a whirl.
> 
> lol re the blueberry porkchop, the fruit was just an acccent, really a great combo with the mac & cheese that accompanied it.
> 
> since you mention I4, thought i'd ask you if you ventured north of Universal this trip.  We are flying in Sanford next week (1st trip on allegient, couldn't pass up opening day fare promo), wondering if construction still in the area.



We only took the I4 between the Vistana and Universal...no further either south or north.  We did notice that there were signs stating construction just beyond our turn off for Uni.....so I'm guessing the snarls may have started shortly thereafter.

Definitely give the Orlando Chili's and Smokey Bones a try.  They might rekindle your appreciation of both!! (if they don't, you can send me a virtual smack upside the noggin).



dancin Disney style said:


> Ok...so you went there.
> 
> I'd prefer this....
> View attachment 131860
> nothing like a well fitted suit!!!!!!



Oh my....he looks like he's Jake's age.... .  I'd say he's attractive but I'd be a cradle robber .  I will admit, the suits pretty sweet.



pepperandchips said:


> Joining in! Looks like you guys had a GREAT time!!



   Glad to have you reading along!!

We had a simply marvelous vacation .  There's lots more trip report to come, so stay tuned....I've barely scratched the surface so far!



thr33boys said:


> We have the benefit of being allowed 5 suitcases among us (we usually only travel with 3) but my boys do not like shopping at all. Taking them shopping while on vacation would be torture for all of us. Taking time to go and shop by myself would be a holiday within a holiday but really wouldn't feel like a family vacation if that makes any sense.  Instead, I'll be thankful for all the money I save from not shopping.
> 
> Sounds like you got some great deals, despite our dreary dollar.
> 
> There was one in Vaughan but it didn't last. However, you may be able to find one closer to home but still not close enough.
> 
> http://m.mississauga.com/news-story/3135396-chili-s-sets-sights-on-mississauga



lol, we shop so regularly in Orlando, we find it doesn't feel like a vacation if we skip out on an outlet run  .  When we didn't go shopping in May, we were like the minions........whaaaaaa? 

There's a Chili's in Mississauga?!?   I had no idea!  They have a Krispy Kreme too, I think  .  Hmmmmm.......are you thinking what I'm thinking?  What's a 2.5 hour drive each way?  



bankr63 said:


> Boys can enjoy a certain amount of shopping if they are motivated.  DS is a distance runner (mid to long in track, and cross-country).  We spent a fair bit of the last trip in search of a certain style of Mizuno track shoes.  *These things are like bikinis - they less they weigh, the more they cost. * These were VERY light shoes.  Ultimately we had to abandon our search as we could not find a "real" runners store in the area.  But he still managed to fill up on clothing at Nike, UA, and Adidas stores.



Now there's a perfect analogy if I've ever heard one!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Yeah, do not think our Chili's, which is 5 minutes from my house, is as good with the food or service.  We used to have KK donuts near us, but most have closed and only some found in the city.
> 
> We have Nike outlets in 2 of our outlet centers.  DS usually gets a pair of sneakers and ones I would have never thought he would wear.  Yep, teen boys.  Both kids can pack a bag from the underarmour store.  We have them in the 2 close outlets too.  It is why I do not shop there often.  Oh, and where we live, we do not tax most clothing or shoes, just no essential ones that the Puritan basis our tax base came from, like bathing suits.  Lol, it is kinda sillily, but many from ohio and New York come to shop in our clothing stores.
> 
> Great update!



I'm always jealous when I hear of your no tax on clothes  .  Combine that with American outlet pricing and its a teenager's dream.  

Funny how the chains are good in some places and dreadful in others.  Obviously the individual management of each location either makes or breaks the experience.  For Orlando's franchises, I think all the readily available competition helps keep each place working hard to provide great meals and service.  But that's just my guess!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Oh my....he looks like he's Jake's age.... .  I'd say he's attractive but I'd be a cradle robber .  I will admit, the suits pretty sweet.


No, no....I'm just going for the suit, not the occupant.

If it's the suit AND the occupant how about this.....
 

or this....


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> No, no....I'm just going for the suit, not the occupant.
> 
> If it's the suit AND the occupant how about this.....
> View attachment 132100
> 
> or this....
> View attachment 132101



Hmmm....I dunno.....I think the guy on the bottom looks better like this:


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hmmm....I dunno.....I think the guy on the bottom looks better like this:


My birthday is just right around the corner. So if you're buyin'.....I'll get the shed warmed up.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope you are all having a “Not So Scary” celebration this Hallow’s Eve.  No tiny trick-or-treaters in our house anymore....Jake and his fellow Justice Studies classmates are actually working as part of the Safe Streets Team for our city, so they’ll be out and about this evening ensuring the kids have a safe and fun night while we hand out candy at the door.  I miss the excitement of getting him dressed and ready, with the requisite pre-event photos.  Those moments go by much too quickly.


And now, back to the trip report (lots of pics in this one....hope not _too many _):


*Monday, October 12th*


It was Columbus Day in the USA, Thankgiving Day for us Canucks.  We wondered aloud how that would affect crowd levels as we enjoyed some Tim Hortons coffee and a light breakfast in the villa before heading out for another day at Universal.


The sun was shining, the air was warm, and another rain-free day was in the forecast. Steve was still feeling the effects of his pesky cold but the medication from Walgreens was keeping his symptoms at bay .


Once again, our commute up the I4 was quick and free from any delays .  We parked for free in the preferred section of the garage (thank you, Premier AP’s), sped through bag check, and made our way through Citywalk to the Universal gates.












We stopped for the PhotoConnect photographers again this mornig, just as we try to do each time we arrive.  We got a really fun photographer, an older fellow this time, who you could tell just LOVED his job.  He took the one I featured in post #1, plus this one which we thought was great:







I just love the magic shots!   I wish Universal had more of them_ (though we did have to stop at the PhotoConnect store in the hub the next day to have them add Gingy to the pic.....the magic was completely missing.....but a wonderful young lady was quick to get us fixed up in a jiffy)._


The park was surprisingly quiet at opening, considering it was a holiday Monday.  We took in more of the HHN decor as we strolled through toward Springfield.....Steve, in particular, was growing so excited about our RIP Tour coming up on the Wednesday evening.  Me.....I was getting more stressed out just thinking about it!  












Early mornings are such a nice, peaceful time to be in the parks.  You can enjoy the areas so much more when you’re not shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers.  Springfield was delightfully empty as we made our way toward the Twirl ‘n Hurl for a quick spin.







After the Twirl ‘n Hurl (which I suppose goes without saying was a walk on....in fact, we rode twice, back to back, with no line):







...we talked ourselves into enjoying a Big Pink Donut from Lard Lad (it was a short conversation.....I’m sure that doesn’t surprise anyone ).  We purchased one donut and a bottle of milk to share ($7.86 with tax, no discount at Lard Lad) ....







....and found ourselves a nice quiet spot along the water to sit and savour our snack.












They must freeze the donuts (or at the very least, refrigerate at super cool temperatures) and then take them out in the mornings, because unfortunately ours was super cold and didn’t have that “bakery fresh” texture as a result.  Had it not been so darn frosty, it would have been super delish.  I guess that’s what we get for indulging our sweet tooths (teeth?) so early in the day.







It was still good, though, and we somehow managed to eat the whole thing in that single seating .


It was dawning into a stunningly beautiful day , and the view was equally as pleasing, so we didn’t rush away as we soaked up the views and the wonderful atmosphere:






















Once we finally got moving again, we strolled around for a bit:  browsing through the Kwik-E-Mart, taking pics with some of the icons, and checking out the carnival games (though Steve was simply *not* allowed to play....we had a Pirate Stuart and a Banana Kevin with first dibs on the luggage space).












There was no one getting pictures at the PhotoConnect location, so we stopped to have our photos done on the infamous Simpson sofa.  They didn’t turn out super well, but they were fun to do anyway.   One of the joys of having the AP Star Card is that we can stop and get them taken, and regardless of the quality, it doesn’t “cost” us anything (just our time, which we had oodles of):






















After our Simpsons fix, we moved onward toward Men in Black. 







Steve’s stomach wasn’t ready for the spinning (3/4 of a Big Pink Donut will do that to a person ), so we headed in the direction of Diagon Alley.


U-No-Poo anyone?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> My birthday is just right around the corner. So if you're buyin'.....I'll get the shed warmed up.



You have a birthday soon?  That means you're a fellow Scorpio then, correct?  That would definitely explain a lot  .

What day were your born on?  Maybe we are birthday buddies.   Mine's November 16th.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You have a birthday soon?  That means you're a fellow Scorpio then, correct?  That would definitely explain a lot  .
> 
> What day were your born on?  Maybe we are birthday buddies.   Mine's November 16th.


So maybe my corner and your corner are a little different.  I'm December 15th...Sagittarius.   My birthday is not my favourite day of the year anymore but if you buy me Johnny Depp for sure it will be fun again.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> So maybe my corner and your corner are a little different.  I'm December 15th...Sagittarius.   My birthday is not my favourite day of the year anymore but if you buy me Johnny Depp for sure it will be fun again.



Well, at least you're not asking for anything big  .


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Well, at least you're not asking for anything big  .



Would I do that?


----------



## BadgerGirl84

Another great trip report, Gina! I'm enjoying it like all the others. Keep up the great work!


----------



## ArwenMarie

They freeze those donuts? I would have never thought! I wonder why. They seem so fresh.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> Would I do that?



Don't pull that innocence act on me.  I know you better than that  .



BadgerGirl84 said:


> Another great trip report, Gina! I'm enjoying it like all the others. Keep up the great work!



Thank you!    Glad to have you following along .



ArwenMarie said:


> They freeze those donuts? I would have never thought! I wonder why. They seem so fresh.



Our Big Pink in May was perfect....no sign of refrigeration or freezing.  Maybe they just undersold the day before and they kept the extras cool in order to save them for the following day?  I don't know.  The icing was fine cold, but the donut part was somewhat hard.  I'm glad it wasn't our first time trying a Big Pink, because I doubt we'd have given it a second go.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Diagon Alley was very, very manageable once again....no big crowds, lots of room to move and soak in the sights....so it was fun to mill about and check out all the nooks and crannies of the area.  We particularly enjoyed the opportunity to browse in the shops when they were decently uncrowded:  it’s so much nicer to look around when you don’t feel like you’re crammed between other shoppers .







Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes had a ton of unique items, and I was especially drawn to the U-No-Poo that was available in a variety of sized jars.  Those who are also raising teenaged boys will know why .







The creativity of JK Rowling is really something incredible.  How she came up with some of her ideas is beyond me....and how accurately she implemented them from the books and movies to Diagon Alley is genius .

















I also really enjoyed the cool collection of clothing they offered for sale to the muggle guests....and though I’m not a Potterhead by any stretch, I couldn’t help thinking I would have looked pretty awesome this winter sporting a Gryffindor scarf:







I didn’t buy it, though (despite Steve’s insistence to do so), because all I could think of was that people would think I’ve gone mad or entered my second childhood.  Of course, the latter might be fairly true .


It surprised me that even after being through Diagon Alley multiple times in May and now twice this trip, we were still pointing out all the little details to each other that we were just noticing.  I’m sure I’ll be saying that same thing 5 visits from now, too.



























We were milling, making our way in the general direction of Knockturn Alley, when I heard that marvellous rumble that I had been so hoping to hear......so I grabbed the camera and finally got a shot of the Gringott’s dragon breathing her mighty fire :







Knockturn Alley is so darn dark, it’s tough to get any decent photographs with a park-friendly camera...but I tried grabbing a few despite the muted lighting.












Eventually, we emerged back into the daylight and continued our stroll back out through to London.












Crowds were still light as we wound our way through to the New York section of the park:












We have yet to try a turkey leg on any trip (they don’t really appeal to me....I’m not a big fan of dark meat) but Steve vowed he would have one sometime in the near future.  Just to say he did.  I reminded him of the calorie content and the fact that one leg is supposed to have a full day’s worth of fat (not to mention the zillions of grams of salt ), and he shot me the stink eye  .  Apparently I can be a Debbie Downer at times!!







_Next, we would hit up an attraction that we’ve never done on previous trips....and not a moment too soon...for it would be closing forever within a few weeks of us returning home._


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope you are all having a “Not So Scary” celebration this Hallow’s Eve.  No tiny trick-or-treaters in our house anymore....Jake and his fellow Justice Studies classmates are actually working as part of the Safe Streets Team for our city, so they’ll be out and about this evening ensuring the kids have a safe and fun night while we hand out candy at the door.  I miss the excitement of getting him dressed and ready, with the requisite pre-event photos.  Those moments go by much too quickly.
> 
> 
> And now, back to the trip report (lots of pics in this one....hope not _too many _):
> 
> 
> *Monday, October 12th*
> 
> 
> It was Columbus Day in the USA, Thankgiving Day for us Canucks.  We wondered aloud how that would affect crowd levels as we enjoyed some Tim Hortons coffee and a light breakfast in the villa before heading out for another day at Universal.
> 
> 
> The sun was shining, the air was warm, and another rain-free day was in the forecast. Steve was still feeling the effects of his pesky cold but the medication from Walgreens was keeping his symptoms at bay .
> 
> 
> Once again, our commute up the I4 was quick and free from any delays .  We parked for free in the preferred section of the garage (thank you, Premier AP’s), sped through bag check, and made our way through Citywalk to the Universal gates.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We stopped for the PhotoConnect photographers again this mornig, just as we try to do each time we arrive.  We got a really fun photographer, an older fellow this time, who you could tell just LOVED his job.  He took the one I featured in post #1, plus this one which we thought was great:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just love the magic shots!   I wish Universal had more of them_ (though we did have to stop at the PhotoConnect store in the hub the next day to have them add Gingy to the pic.....the magic was completely missing.....but a wonderful young lady was quick to get us fixed up in a jiffy)._
> 
> 
> The park was surprisingly quiet at opening, considering it was a holiday Monday.  We took in more of the HHN decor as we strolled through toward Springfield.....Steve, in particular, was growing so excited about our RIP Tour coming up on the Wednesday evening.  Me.....I was getting more stressed out just thinking about it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Early mornings are such a nice, peaceful time to be in the parks.  You can enjoy the areas so much more when you’re not shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers.  Springfield was delightfully empty as we made our way toward the Twirl ‘n Hurl for a quick spin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After the Twirl ‘n Hurl (which I suppose goes without saying was a walk on....in fact, we rode twice, back to back, with no line):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...we talked ourselves into enjoying a Big Pink Donut from Lard Lad (it was a short conversation.....I’m sure that doesn’t surprise anyone ).  We purchased one donut and a bottle of milk to share ($7.86 with tax, no discount at Lard Lad) ....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ....and found ourselves a nice quiet spot along the water to sit and savour our snack.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They must freeze the donuts (or at the very least, refrigerate at super cool temperatures) and then take them out in the mornings, because unfortunately ours was super cold and didn’t have that “bakery fresh” texture as a result.  Had it not been so darn frosty, it would have been super delish.  I guess that’s what we get for indulging our sweet tooths (teeth?) so early in the day.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was still good, though, and we somehow managed to eat the whole thing in that single seating .
> 
> 
> It was dawning into a stunningly beautiful day , and the view was equally as pleasing, so we didn’t rush away as we soaked up the views and the wonderful atmosphere:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Once we finally got moving again, we strolled around for a bit:  browsing through the Kwik-E-Mart, taking pics with some of the icons, and checking out the carnival games (though Steve was simply *not* allowed to play....we had a Pirate Stuart and a Banana Kevin with first dibs on the luggage space).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There was no one getting pictures at the PhotoConnect location, so we stopped to have our photos done on the infamous Simpson sofa.  They didn’t turn out super well, but they were fun to do anyway.   One of the joys of having the AP Star Card is that we can stop and get them taken, and regardless of the quality, it doesn’t “cost” us anything (just our time, which we had oodles of):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After our Simpsons fix, we moved onward toward Men in Black.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Steve’s stomach wasn’t ready for the spinning (3/4 of a Big Pink Donut will do that to a person ), so we headed in the direction of Diagon Alley.
> 
> 
> U-No-Poo anyone?



I haven't done the Twirl n Hurl. I had to sit out on our last trip as I can't do spinning rides. My husband was very impressed with it however as were the boys. Not sure, if I'll try it this time. Ever since my first episode of vertigo, I can't even look at things that spin let alone be on or in something that spins....no thank you!

I'm very strongly considering the star card for this trip, given the current promo they have. We would love to get some Simpson photo's and some ride ones too.

The pink donut is on my must try list. I'll try to make sure we have it in the afternoon and let the breakfast folk finish off the day old's.


----------



## thr33boys

I hope we have the low crowds when we're there. I'm not counting on it though. However, having the EP will be handy 

I have to agree, I don't get the fascination with Turkey Legs either...blech!

BTW, you share a b-day with my Mom


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

thr33boys said:


> I haven't done the Twirl n Hurl. I had to sit out on our last trip as I can't do spinning rides. My husband was very impressed with it however as were the boys. Not sure, if I'll try it this time. Ever since my first episode of vertigo, I can't even look at things that spin let alone be on or in something that spins....no thank you!
> 
> I'm very strongly considering the star card for this trip, given the current promo they have. We would love to get some Simpson photo's and some ride ones too.
> 
> The pink donut is on my must try list. I'll try to make sure we have it in the afternoon and let the breakfast folk finish off the day old's.





thr33boys said:


> I hope we have the low crowds when we're there. I'm not counting on it though. However, having the EP will be handy
> 
> I have to agree, I don't get the fascination with Turkey Legs either...blech!
> 
> BTW, you share a b-day with my Mom



I'd definitely recommend the Star Card when its so ridiculously cheap.  Even if you only get a half dozen really "good" pics, its well worth the money (and you can easily get a LOT more than that if you make a conscious effort to stop for the photographers and also get your ride pics added to the card).  Some of the character locations have photographers (Transformers, Sponge Bob, Shrek, Captain America, Spiderman, etc.) and then there are the Simpsons, ET, and other stationery locations which can round out your photo haul.

Can you tell I like the PhotoConnect products?  

If its any help, Steve has a real problem with spinning rides, but has no issues with Twirl & Hurl.  Think Dumbo at Disney, and its very similar.  Its cute (especially if you are Simpsons fan) so hopefully you'll be able to give it a "whirl" (pun intended).

So your Momma and I are birthday buddies, huh?   November birthday's kind of stink....the weather's cold and dreary, and our birth stone is ugly.  The only saving grace is that our city generally hosts its annual Santa Claus parade on my birthday weekend.   Perhaps that's where my love of Christmas came from!


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I also really enjoyed the cool collection of clothing they offered for sale to the muggle guests....and though I’m not a Potterhead by any stretch, I couldn’t help thinking I would have looked pretty awesome this winter sporting a Gryffindor scarf:


 
And see, I would have picked you to be a Hufflepuff. 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We were milling, making our way in the general direction of Knockturn Alley, when I heard that marvellous rumble that I had been so hoping to hear......so I grabbed the camera and finally got a shot of the Gringott’s dragon breathing her mighty fire :


 
Easily the best shot of this I have ever seen!  Wow!  



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We have yet to try a turkey leg on any trip (they don’t really appeal to me....I’m not a big fan of dark meat) but Steve vowed he would have one sometime in the near future.  Just to say he did.  I reminded him of the calorie content and the fact that one leg is supposed to have a full day’s worth of fat (not to mention the zillions of grams of salt ), and he shot me the stink eye  .  Apparently I can be a Debbie Downer at times!!


 
See, told you!  Hufflepuff.

Those Turkey legs are pretty tasty, but we shared one 4 ways, so I don't think we got too much of a fat and sodium load.


----------



## Lynne G

Every time I see those Turkey Legs, I think eww and wow at the same time.  Never had the urge to eat even a piece of one either.  Funny time I saw was when a very small kid was eating one, and had his whole face in it.

I always enjoy potter lands.  I think every time I go, I see things I did not.  Even got to see the puppet show, which I had not before.  Never gets old when you feel like your in a movie.  

Follow on.  Great pictures!


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I'd definitely recommend the Star Card when its so ridiculously cheap.  Even if you only get a half dozen really "good" pics, its well worth the money (and you can easily get a LOT more than that if you make a conscious effort to stop for the photographers and also get your ride pics added to the card).  Some of the character locations have photographers (Transformers, Sponge Bob, Shrek, Captain America, Spiderman, etc.) and then there are the Simpsons, ET, and other stationery locations which can round out your photo haul.
> 
> Can you tell I like the PhotoConnect products?
> 
> If its any help, Steve has a real problem with spinning rides, but has no issues with Twirl & Hurl.  Think Dumbo at Disney, and its very similar.  Its cute (especially if you are Simpsons fan) so hopefully you'll be able to give it a "whirl" (pun intended).
> 
> So your Momma and I are birthday buddies, huh?   November birthday's kind of stink....the weather's cold and dreary, and our birth stone is ugly.  The only saving grace is that our city generally hosts its annual Santa Claus parade on my birthday weekend.   Perhaps that's where my love of Christmas came from!




I bit the bullet and bought the star card with the promo. I know I won't be disappointed, I just needed a little push 

I'll consider Twirl & Hurl and we'll see how I feel when the time comes.

I gotta say, I agree November is a blah month. I'm trying to think of something positive to say but nothing is coming to mind. You really did get the short end of the stick in terms of birthstone.


----------



## ArwenMarie

I don't mind the calories but the sodium in those legs are crazy! 

Great pictures of DA!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> And see, I would have picked you to be a Hufflepuff.
> 
> Easily the best shot of this I have ever seen!  Wow!
> 
> See, told you!  Hufflepuff.
> 
> Those Turkey legs are pretty tasty, but we shared one 4 ways, so I don't think we got too much of a fat and sodium load.



Ha ha!  You are so right!!  Brave and daring I am not, so perhaps Gryffindor is the wrong house for me after all.  Good thing I didn't buy the scarf  .

If Gryffindor is off the table, then Hufflepuff it would be .

Thanks for the compliment on the dragon pic....I was kind of disappointed I wasn't more to the side when I snapped it (where you could see it's face a little better....my shot ended up to be one Great Ball of Fire) but it turned out not bad regardless.  Oddly enough, we never timed it right to see it breathe fire again on the rest of the trip.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

My apologies for no updates today, I've had a bit of a Manic Monday  .  Work was crazy, I had a couple of extra personal tasks to attend to....and then we got the go ahead from our Memory Maker Share Group that we could go ahead and download our photos.  The few of you who are my Facebook friends will get a sneak peek of the Photopass pics as I posted those earlier tonight.  The rest of you will have to hold tight until I get to that part of my report.

Fingers crossed that Tuesday is less chaotic, and another update will materialize very soon!


----------



## Callie

Gina, I just love your reviews! I've always been a lurker, but I enjoy them a lot. I take quite a few ideas for when we travel.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Callie said:


> Gina, I just love your reviews! I've always been a lurker, but I enjoy them a lot. I take quite a few ideas for when we travel.



 Callie !  Glad to have you reading along!  Even more glad that you came out of lurking and decided to post, too  .

Any questions, comments, or general thoughts you want to share, don't be shy  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

When we were at Universal in May, we had planned to take in the Disaster attraction but upset tummies changed our plans at the last minute (note to self….don’t eat so much Butterbeer ice cream until your stomach is fully awake ).  We were so disappointed, just shortly thereafter, when they announced its closure to make way for Fast & Furious.  We had had our chance and we blew it!!  


With the rumoured impending closure of Twister (to prepare for the new Jimmy Fallon New York-themed ride) we didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Today was our day, and the time was now…so that was our next must-do of the trip.  We waited a whopping 8 minutes to enter (just until the next show) so it was basically a walk-on.







I won’t say Twister was “bad”, per se, but in comparison to the other things that Universal has to offer, it didn’t take much to see why Universal had opted to retire it.  I am sure the special effects may have been notable in its day, but with state-of-the-art rides like Gringotts in the same park, Twister very much felt old and worn out to us.  That said, we were glad we had a chance to experience it before it was shuttered.


The former Twister gift shop had been converted to the official store of HHN, so that’s where Twister spit us out once it was over.







They had a lot of cool artifacts in there from various horror movies throughout the years, and we spent quite a bit of time pouring over all the neat stuff.  It was a bit like an HHN museum.  The very nice thing about touring that store in the daytime versus during HHN is that we had the place to ourselves…..so we could lazily browse and poke about without being in anyone’s way.






















On our way towards Shrek (which was next on our attraction to-dos), we stopped to check out Monsters Café, since we would be dining there on Wednesday night for the Scareactor Dining Experience.












We figured it would be pretty hectic on Wednesday with the special event going on, and doubted we would have as much room to gawk and move around.  Turns out that was a brilliant idea on our part….it was darn near empty as we walked through now, and PACKED at the Scareactor Dining!!







Steve was being naughty so I sent him to the electric chair.







There are lots of cool tributes inside to monsters of yore.  I am sure the Creature from the Black Lagoon was one that haunted my dreams as a child.

















We were just leaving Monsters Café when the Blues Brothers came rolling through, much to the delight of the crowd:







And speaking of crowds….here’s a crowd pic of mid to late morning….maybe 10:45-ish?







Shrek may have been next on our attraction list, but as we walked up toward the building the first thing we noticed is that the queue was PACKED.  Lines for Shrek like we’ve never seen!  The posted wait said 20 minutes, but there’s no way that could have been accurate.  We wondered what was causing such a back-log (wait times were low to none on our trip in May, and while park crowds may have been a tad heavier on this vacation, the difference was nothing extreme), but we didn’t learn the answer until our RIP Tour on the Wednesday night.  Apparently they close one of the Shrek theatres to use for one of the HHN houses, essentially cutting the attraction capacity in half….so now that silly long queue makes perfect sense.  Not to be deterred, we opted to skip the ride (or is this classed as a show?) and head outside to meet our favourite ogre and his trusty sidekick instead .












We had just joined the short line when they announced that Shrek and Donkey would be taking a quick break and returning in 5 minutes or so.  A few folks grumbled and left (for a 5 minute delay?  REALLY?! ) so we expressed up a few feet.  We had a great chat with a couple from the UK to pass the time (they were so freakishly excited to meet Shrek and Donkey, it was absolutely adorable) and the characters reappeared exactly when promised.


I have to say, the characters and their handlers were super, super awesome.  There was a family just a few folks before us who had a young man in their party who I am guessing had autism (or something similar).  My heart was so awesomely warmed by the kind and gentle way that they interacted with the young fellow……even Donkey (who can be quite a rascal) kept in character while doing so in a way that it engaged and delighted him within his comfort level.  It was just so neat to watch .


Just like that, it was our turn, and as usual….Donkey ran the show!!







It was Donkey's idea for us to hold hands for the photo as he yapped away about us being love birds from Canada, which in turn made us "snow birds".  He's such a goof.

We still had some time to kill before our noon reservation at Finnegans, so there was more fun to squeeze in before lunch.  Stay tuned!


----------



## toystoryduo

That pink donut you guys had looks huge! My DD would love that! (The Krispy Kreme donuts too. LOL!)

Yay for another minion!

My other DD shares a birthday with you. Very cool! 

I'm really enjoying your trip report, Gina!  We've been talking more seriously about our vacation for next year, and my DH is pretty set on not doing the Disney parks. You guys do so much more than Disney, and you have given me some great ideas for our non-Disney (although I think we may stay at Beach Club for a day or two) trip next year. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

toystoryduo said:


> That pink donut you guys had looks huge! My DD would love that! (The Krispy Kreme donuts too. LOL!)
> 
> Yay for another minion!
> 
> My other DD shares a birthday with you. Very cool!
> 
> I'm really enjoying your trip report, Gina!  We've been talking more seriously about our vacation for next year, and my DH is pretty set on not doing the Disney parks. You guys do so much more than Disney, and you have given me some great ideas for our non-Disney (although I think we may stay at Beach Club for a day or two) trip next year. Thanks for sharing!



Our motto has always been:  try it once, and see what you think.  You may find something new that you love, or you might find your place truly is at Disney.  Either way, you at least get the chance for a new experience which is often fun all on its own. I will be interested in hearing what you decide on....there are so many choices in Orlando!

Mentioning Beach Club reminds me....I've always wanted to give the character breakfast at Cape May a try, but for some reason, its never made it onto our itinerary.  I think I'll have to work at changing that in 2016!


----------



## keishashadow

As if this wasn't a great trip report, the pics of mr depp put it over the top! lol


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

keishashadow said:


> As if this wasn't a great trip report, the pics of mr depp put it over the top! lol



Ah, then just wait for the part when I get to writing about our first MNSSHP night.....there's more Captain Jack where that came from  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After our meet and greet with Shrek and Donkey, we were in a bit of a character hunting mood.  We decided to take stroll through Hollywood and see who might be out and about.  Scooby and Shaggy were out, but the line was fairly lengthy.  Ditto for the Simpsons.  Considering we had met them all in May, we trundled on in the hopes that we would see someone new.


Betty Boop was happily blowing kisses to the crowd as we approached, and since there was no one waiting to see her, we stopped to say hello.  Steve is a big fan .







Dora and Diego were just a short distance away from Betty Boop, but on the opposite side of the street.  Neither are characters that we have ever had much interest in...Jake was more of a Barney guy when he was small...but since we didn’t have character pics with them yet from any previous trips, we grabbed a quick Dora photo with little to no wait.  Why not?







Just as we were finishing up with Dora the Explorer, we heard the unmistakable music that we’ve come to know and love .... “I want candy” .... and an little impromptu mini-parade came rolling out:







Now, I use the word _parade_ rather loosely.  This wasn’t the Superstar Parade that winds its way through the park and features all the different characters and floats.  It was only the Hop characters and with their sole parade float, but they were accompanied by some of the parade dancers who were all decked out in their colourful gear.  They just pulled out from the side lot by Cafe La Bamba, parked and did a little mini-show for the guests who just happened to be in that right place at the right time.  Very informal and impromptu and full of energy!  So FUN! 







The characters gathered in various areas around the candy float while the performers continued their drumming, dancing and acrobatics.


I was super happy to get a chance for a character meet with these guys!  We hadn’t timed it right in May to get pics with any of these characters, so this was a great score .


First up was Phil (I adore him and Carlos.....they can bust a move and dance better than most people I know):







Then we met E.B.:







The Pink Berets were next....and a very kind TM offered to get a photo with both of us and the bunnies:







My only complaint was that there were no roving PhotoConnect photographers in sight.  These characters are so fun and colourful that they would make for some great pictures on the Star Cards.   Ah well, we’ll just say that’s one for the Universal suggestion box!


By this time, it was about 11:45 and we thought it was prudent to head toward Finnegan’s.  The sun was zapping our energy and we were desperately in need of something to drink.  We were also looking forward to the chance to rest our weary feet...we had done a ton of walking yet again!!


Lunch time crowd pic as we headed back to the New York section of the park.....look at that sky!:







Our mid-day meal at Finnegan’s is next.


----------



## sheboz

Really enjoying your trip. Love your advice on saving some money and the factoring in of the exchange rate.


----------



## thr33boys

I love how you both always take everything in stride. Always a half full type couple 

Really enjoying the TR so far but I must admit I'm waiting for the meat and potatoes of this trip.    Bring on the HHN and MNSSHP pics! I know it must be coming up soon...right


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## ArwenMarie

Great pictures with the Hop characters. How cute. I love when things just happen like that, that you don't plan for.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sheboz said:


> Really enjoying your trip. Love your advice on saving some money and the factoring in of the exchange rate.



Thanks sheboz!  Glad to have you joining in  .

The exchange rate is such a killer....if we ever rebound to the 90 cent range again, It's going to seem like we've died and gone to vacation heaven  .



thr33boys said:


> I love how you both always take everything in stride. Always a half full type couple
> 
> Really enjoying the TR so far but I must admit I'm waiting for the meat and potatoes of this trip.    Bring on the HHN and MNSSHP pics! I know it must be coming up soon...right



  It's coming up VERY soon  .  I'm currently on Monday the 12th, and our first MNSSHP is Tuesday the 13th (followed by HHN on Wednesday the 14th).  You are about to soon get Halloweened to death!! 



ArwenMarie said:


> Great pictures with the Hop characters. How cute. I love when things just happen like that, that you don't plan for.



Yep, the spontaneity is my favourite part .  No Fast Passes required!  lol


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

thr33boys said:


> Really enjoying the TR so far but I must admit I'm waiting for the meat and potatoes of this trip.    Bring on the HHN and MNSSHP pics! I know it must be coming up soon...right



Here's a little teaser to tide you over....





*It's one of the "magic" videos.....I hope it works, never posted a video before......someone click on the darn thing and let me know if it comes up properly!*


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>


Ok really....I thought we had a discussion about posting my picture??????


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> Ok really....I thought we had a discussion about posting my picture??????


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Here's a little teaser to tide you over....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *It's one of the "magic" videos.....I hope it works, never posted a video before......someone click on the darn thing and let me know if it comes up properly!*



Sorry it didn't work for me   I'll try on my home computer tonight.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

thr33boys said:


> Sorry it didn't work for me   I'll try on my home computer tonight.



Well, that stinks!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Finnegan’s was surprisingly busy when we arrived, and I think the number of people who were seeking a table was even a bit of a surprise to the staff.  When we checked in for our reservation, we were given a pager and asked to have a seat as they were waiting for additional servers to arrive.  We could hear the Blues Brothers doing their streetmosphere show just outside the restaurant, so while I checked emails and responded to a couple of text messages from the boy, Steve went out to watch their performance for a few minutes (while we have no pics of this…..he didn’t take the camera with him…..he did note that he thought they were very good).







About 12:10 pm (10 minutes later than our reservation time, but nothing too horrible), our pager went off and we were escorted to our table.







We ordered beverages (iced waters….we were soooo thirsty) and an appetizer while we perused the menu for our entrees.  Our server (“Ernie”) was a nice fellow and attentive to our needs throughout the meal.


First to arrive, along with our drinks, was the complimentary loaf of Irish soda bread.  It came with whipped butter for traditionalists and house made apple butter as well.  The two spreads work perfectly for us, as I prefer the plain butter while Steve is all about the apple.  No sharing required!    We love this bread, and between the two of us we finished the loaf by the end of our meal.







For our appetizer, we had quite a time deciding between the potato and onion web (which looks delish) or the Cornish pasties (which we have always wanted to try).  We ultimately decided on the pasties (which apparently we were pronouncing wrong….we said “paste-ies” and were corrected to “past-ies”) and they were super yummy!!  







The stuff in the centre is an apple beat salad.  Steve liked it a lot.  I’m not into beats (blech!! ) so I gave it a pass.


Not long after the appy’s bit the dust, our entrees appeared.  I had really planned on trying something new this time, but May’s meal was so good, I opted to have the same thing again…..Newcastle Chicken with mashed potatoes (hold the root vegetables…..they’re not my style either….they offered me extra mash or another side of my choice in lieu of the rooty things, but the potatoes and meat were more than enough):







Steve was eager to indulge in a healthy portion of their old fashioned fish and chips, so that’s what he picked:







Once again, we were super impressed by the quality of this meal.  We couldn’t come up with a single criticism, and were as full as ticks when we left.  We covered the bill ($29.84 including tax, excluding tip…..our Premier AP’s saved us $4.95) and headed back out into the sun .


We had eaten too much to do anything intense after lunch, so we headed to Springfield and rode the Twirl & Hurl twice, followed by ET twice.  By then, we were yearning for a swim in the pool and a soak in the hot tub before returning to the park later that evening.  The Grand Plan had us returning to enjoy more time in Diagon Alley between 7 and 8 pm (which was park close), then joining up with some fellow Disers for dinner at Margaritaville.


On our way out of the park, we stopped to see if we could get a few moments with a minion and score!  There was absolutely no one waiting to see them, and we walked right up for pics .






_My poor hair was feelin' the effects of the heat and humidity by this point in the day.  Oye!_

Just as we were walking away, a whole crush of people exited from the ride and formed a huge line for the meet-and-greet.  We couldn’t have timed it more perfectly if we tried.


CityWalk was super quiet when we headed out …. maybe right around 2 pm? ….. so we were able to get some uncrowded photos around the iconic rotating globe.












The design of this area is really quite pretty and picturesque, especially on such a beautiful day.   It almost felt “serene”.

















We returned to the resort....the I4 was very civilized....and Steve enjoyed a half an hour on the sofa to let his lunch settle while I took a stroll around the property.  It was much too nice of a day to be inside, and the grounds of the resort are much too pretty not to be appreciated.  This seriously is my happy place.  If we ever win the lottery, we’re buying ourselves another 50 weeks and never leaving.
































Once Steve felt capable of motion again, we donned our swimsuits and made our way to the Fountains Pool.  It was busy (lots of people tanning in the sun) but not super crowded.  Music was playing at the Tiki Bar and it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon!!





















Vacation moments at their finest .

The conclusion of our Monday is next!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Waterlogged and refreshed, we eventually dragged ourselves out of the pool and back to the villa for showers before getting dressed and ready to return to Universal.  We were inside the park gates at about 6:40 pm, with lots of time to enjoy Diagon Alley in the dark (we had never experienced that area after the sun had gone down) before hopefully tracking down the other Disers for our dinner date.


Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…...


It turned out that Universal didn’t close at 8…..it closed at 7 .  As we approached the bridge to London, we were informed by TM's that the park was closing…..whaaa????   As we eventually exited the park, it seemed the entire world had descended into CityWalk.  Thousands upon thousands of people .  We hung out for a bit around Margaritaville, trying to reach fellow Dis-er Lynne G by text to no avail.  Adding insult to injury is that I had no idea what anyone looked like…..so one of the Dismeet crew could have been standing right next to us and I would have had no idea.  Eventually we gave up hope on the meet-up….it was evident that finding anybody would be like a needle in a haystack.  CityWalk was still mobbed (and seemingly growing busier by the minute) so getting a table for 2 anywhere was an impossibility without a lengthy wait.


We made the difficult decision to abandon ship.  I felt awful, especially since I was one of the people spearheading the meet up.  I was so disappointed!  


Since Steve and I still needed dinner, we tried Olive Garden, TGI Fridays and Bahama Breeze on I-Drive but the lines were out the door at all of those places as well.  Tired, hungry and running out patience, we eventually settled on Golden Corral …. though for some reason, I didn’t even take out my camera.  Not one pic!!       As is normal in GC, it was pandemonium to an exponential degree, so that was probably one of the biggest reasons the camera stayed under wraps….but the food itself was plentiful and good quality and that offset the chaotic atmosphere.  It was also freakishly under budget, in comparison to what we had set aside for Margaritaville:  two adult buffets, two unlimited soft drinks totalled $31.02 with tax, excluding tip (we had a 10% off coupon which saved us $3.24).  Steve was able to enjoy an abundance of steak (which returned him to a euphoric state of good humour), and we had really great service from a very hardworking young fellow….so despite the less-than-quiet dining conditions, it still turned out to be a good meal.


We returned to the villa, touched base with both my mom and Jake by phone, and spent a half hour in the Fountains hot tub before calling it a night.  We were dead tired and slept like rocks .  It was a good thing, too, because we needed our beauty sleep:  tomorrow was our very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we were poised to be rockin’ the Magic Kingdom until the late hours of the night!  







_Postscript for this entry:  it turns out the reason I couldn’t reach Lynne G by text is that something wonky occurred with the switchover of our cell service in Canada (Telus) with the American provider (T-Mobile).   As soon as we crossed back over the border on the 17th of October, phone notifications started pouring in.  Lynne G’s messages were among them.   Isn’t technology grand?_


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Well, that stinks!



I take it back...it does work.  It was probably my work restrictions. Looks great!


----------



## Lynne G

Yeah, the best laid plans.  We will meet up one of these days.  

Great pictures!  It was absolutely awesome weather.  
​


----------



## thr33boys

Haha, as I was reading, I was pronouncing it 'paste-ies' too...opps. Must be a Cdn thing 

Your pictures are beautiful. 

So sorry to hear that your meet up didn't work out. While you may not have known what anyone else looked like, I'm sure they all knew what you looked like, and of course Steve. I'd wager that Steve is the most popular spouse on the Dis  I guess with such a large crowd, it was just too hard.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Yeah, the best laid plans.  We will meet up one of these days.
> 
> Great pictures!  It was absolutely awesome weather. ​



I'm still marvelling at how the weather gods smiled on us.   We were all so very lucky!



thr33boys said:


> Haha, as I was reading, I was pronouncing it 'paste-ies' too...opps. Must be a Cdn thing
> 
> Your pictures are beautiful.
> 
> So sorry to hear that your meet up didn't work out. While you may not have known what anyone else looked like, I'm sure they all knew what you looked like, and of course Steve. *I'd wager that Steve is the most popular spouse on the Dis*  I guess with such a large crowd, it was just too hard.



lol, Steve will get a huge kick out of that  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, October 13th*


Sleeping in was a wonderful indulgence that morning, and we awoke feeling like a million bucks.  I can’t say enough about the Westin Heavenly Beds in the Sheraton villas.  Soooooo comfy .


I had planned for us to have breakfast at the villa that morning, but Steve’s tummy apparently had other ideas.  He was thoroughly enjoying our lazy start to the day, and wanted it to continue .... preferably with steak tips and eggs over easy  .  He twisted my rubber arm, and once we were showered and dressed, we headed out to IHOP.







We had to go to Disney Springs at some point that morning to swap out our paper MNSSHP tickets for the hard plastic tickets (to facilitate our Fastpass selections between 3:30 and 6:30 pm), so IHOP was a super convenient breakfast pick.   Just a short drive up the road from the Vistana, and basically right outside the Disney Springs gates.


The restaurant was packed, as it was when we were there in May, but they were able to find us a table for two within just a few minutes of our arrival.  Steve ordered an orange juice (still trying to keep his cold at bay.....the extra vitamin C couldn’t hurt) and I had a milk.







Our beverages were brought out quite quickly, and our breakfasts followed very shortly thereafter.  They always seem to get the food on the table here in an amazingly short  amount of time.


As I already suggested, Steve had a true man feast of steak, eggs, home fries and pancakes:







Once again, he raved about the steak being cooked to perfection and did everything but lick the plate.  The pancakes were fluffy, his eggs were perfect, and Steve was a happy man .


I had signed up for the IHOP email club before our trip, and was sent a coupon for a free meal:  the “Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity Pancakes”.  After some serious consideration.....it was a tough decision so early in the morning:  peaches, cinnamon apples, or strawberries? ....I opted for the cinnamon apple compote, but on the side rather than on the pancakes.  I am one of those weirdos who generally prefers a little separation of those textures.







I’ve gotta say, IHOP makes the *best* pancakes.  Fluffy, perfect, and delish.  I tried out all the syrups:







...and learned I’m a bit of a purist.  The Old Fashioned was definitely my favourite, followed by the Butter Pecan.  The strawberry and blueberry syrups were painfully sweet, and that’s saying something coming from a sweet tooth like mine!


For some reason, our server had to get manager approval on our voucher for the free pancake meal, so it took a little bit before the final bill arrived.   I seem to have lost the receipt for that meal, but I’m certain it was only about $20 before tip for the two beverages, Steve’s entree and my freebie.  The coupon saved us about $8.  Silly cheap in comparison to what the same meal would cost us here at home.


Full and rested and ready to greet the day, we headed to Disney Springs.  Considering the Magic Kingdom was our afternoon destination....we were so excited about our first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party....it seemed fitting that our morning was also gearing up to have a distinctly Disney focus.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Great start to the day and the blue sky makes me long for a bit of sun. Looking forward to the night ahead.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Great start to the day and the blue sky makes me long for a bit of sun. Looking forward to the night ahead.



Amen on the need for some pure Florida sunshine .  November in Canada is the pits.  We've been having some unseasonably warm days here in south eastern Ontario, but the dullness and drear that comes along with many of those more moderate days is a real buzz kill.

I am going to try and speed through the Disney Springs visit and our lunch that followed so that we can finally get to the MNSSHP pics and report .  Stay tuned!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

From IHOP, we headed straight to “Disney Springs”…..and I will freely admit it’s going to be tough to get used to using the new name.   Old habits die hard, and I think Downtown Disney it may always be to me .







For those of you that read my May trip report, you will know that we were less than impressed with the progress made between our August 2014 visit and our May 2015 trip.  The whole area was still a chewed up, dog’s breakfast of a construction site and was a huge disappointment (considering all the hype).







We were pleasantly surprised, then, to see the evolution of the area from May to October.   Disney Springs just won its way back into our good books, at least a little .







We followed the signs to the shiny new parking garage, and were VERY impressed at how easy and painless parking the car turned out to be.  It may have taken what felt like a zillion years to build that baby, but at least they ended up with a very functional and impressive finished product .







We had “business” to attend to on this visit, so after parking the car we headed straight to guest services.  I did take some pictures along the way, though.







We passed Jock Lindsay’s new Hangar Bar:







The (freakishly expensive but super cool) amphicars at the Boat House:







Fulton’s Crab House:







We strolled over the new pedestrian bridge:












….and finally arrived at Guest Services with our paper MNSSHP tickets in hand.  There was no line, so we walked right up to a delightful young CM who enthusiastically and efficiently put the tickets for both of our parties on hard plastic cards.  She was so excited to find out these were our first parties ever, and even more delighted to learn we were dressing up.  She bubbled over with some of her best tips (where to find the best candy stops, to arrive by 4 pm, suggestions on where to view the fireworks from) and sent us on our way with matching Mickey and Minnie cards in hand.  Quick, easy, painless.  Perfect .







Since we were here, we figured we’d mill around a bit more now that many of the eyesore construction walls were down (don’t get me wrong, there’s still lots of them there….but there was a noticeable improvement!!).   Steve had started collecting pins for his hat (one from each place or special event that we visit on our travels, so he geeked out for a bit in the pin store.  A strange but interesting new side of my big guy!!  He has so much fun selecting just the right Disney pins.












Look!  They even had Canada Mickey Heads for us Canucks, *eh!*







We browsed around the Marketplace.  I adore the Christmas store.







The carousel always makes me wish I was travelling with some little ones!  Anyone have a toddler I could borrow for December?  







We took some photos with Mr. Potato Head and Buzz Lightyear at World of Disney:












We also picked up some fun, Disney-inspired treats for friends and family at Goofy’s Candy Company (my boss *loved* the Mickey Head shortbread cookies that we brought him home).  They had tons of fun looking, Halloween-inspired goodies in the long glass showcases.....if we hadn't had such a HUGE breakfast, I would totally have purchased a mummy Mickey Head!!












We made the requisite stop at Ghirardelli’s:







…..and had some yummy free samples.  These little caramel gems were DIVINE .







We strolled around a bit more, taking in the very pleasant, relaxing vibe in the absence of any kind of crowds.  It was a gorgeous day and we were just loving _being _together .    I love my boy (and can't wait for him to come along with us next month) but couples trips are really special in their own right.


We stopped to admire the topiary gardens.  They were absolutely superb.  I would love to know how much time and money is spent on such gorgeous displays...the amount for each would probably floor me.  I can grow hostas and marigolds, but not much else!!

















Eventually, we took our purchases and headed back to the garage to collect the car.







We made the short drive back to the resort, changed into our swimwear, and headed back for a pre-lunch dip in the Fountains pool.  After such a large breakfast, we still weren’t ready for lunch just yet….despite all the walking we had just undertaken.   A mid-day swim was exactly what we needed.


I won’t lie, we were getting excited….after lunch, we would be headed to the Magic Kingdom!!


----------



## bankr63

Better be careful with that pin trading Steve.  It is an addiction just waiting to happen.  A few years ago, Disney gave a free pin coupon with your parking receipt.  Well that got us our first four pins for free, and things kind of took off from there.  Just like a drug dealer giving you your first hit for free...  I don't know that we ever would have caught the addiction without that first free hit.

A+ is a master collector.  Not sure how big her collection is now, but it is extensive and I am sure is easily in the thousands (of pins, and possibly dollars).  I have a lanyard and trade to complete one or two sets of pins each visit, but mostly my lanyard is filled with extra traders for when A+ fully depletes the one or two lanyards she brings in.  But it is a lot of good clean fun, and keeps the fun alive as she trades or purchases pins online all year round.  It's probably no more expensive than a Starbucks habit in the long run. 

And remember past-ies are for eatin', paste-ies are for twirlin'.  Never get the two mixed up, even if they are spelled the same.


----------



## Lynne G

Yep, even the kids and I both collect pins.  Only 1 Halloween one this year.  

Funny, we have IHOPs all over, and have never been to one for ages.  Guess, again, maybe better in FLA, but not here.

I enjoyed the party, and was fun to see the parade again, and I thought the fireworks were slightly different than last year, as well as the order of the parade.  Either way, I still came home with a bag of candy for the kids.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

I think you marigolds will go nicely with the topiaries 

Disney Springs has changed again since we were there in July. We enjoyed the live music at night and even managed to get in the garage one night although traffic was a nightmare round there on an evening.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> Better be careful with that pin trading Steve.  It is an addiction just waiting to happen.  A few years ago, Disney gave a free pin coupon with your parking receipt.  Well that got us our first four pins for free, and things kind of took off from there.  Just like a drug dealer giving you your first hit for free...  I don't know that we ever would have caught the addiction without that first free hit.
> 
> A+ is a master collector.  Not sure how big her collection is now, but it is extensive and I am sure is easily in the thousands (of pins, and possibly dollars).  I have a lanyard and trade to complete one or two sets of pins each visit, but mostly my lanyard is filled with extra traders for when A+ fully depletes the one or two lanyards she brings in.  But it is a lot of good clean fun, and keeps the fun alive as she trades or purchases pins online all year round.  It's probably no more expensive than a Starbucks habit in the long run.
> 
> And remember past-ies are for eatin', paste-ies are for twirlin'.  Never get the two mixed up, even if they are spelled the same.



I am probably going to be sorry that I asked....but what's a _twirlin' pastie_???  

As for the pin trading, I have already told the big guy that when the hat is full, he's cut off of his newest past time  .  Don't be surprised if he swaps out his current chapeau for a Mexican sombrero to help make room .


----------



## snoopboop

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am probably going to be sorry that I asked....but what's a _twirlin' pastie_???



Ummmm.... who's going to field this one for Gina?


----------



## Lynne G

oooh Gina, I might get banned for showing you what a twirlin' pastie is - but think what hula dancers do with their hips, is done with the top half instead, with little coverings of well, you know what.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

All my good intentions to get a second entry up today are probably going down the tubes.  Its been another wonky day at work, and I'm out of the house all evening.  My boy learned about a week ago that he has won himself another scholarship through the college, and tonight's Awards Night  .  I'll be celebrating his accomplishments this evening rather than posting on the Dis.  Ya never know, I may pop in later with a proud mom photo .


----------



## snoopboop

....think........tassels.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

snoopboop said:


> Ummmm.... who's going to field this one for Gina?





Lynne G said:


> oooh Gina, I might get banned for showing you what a twirlin' pastie is - but think what hula dancers do with their hips, is done with the top half instead, with little coverings of well, you know what.



  

See, I knew I'd be sorry I asked  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Clearly I am the innocent one among all you more....ahem!....knowledgeable folks!!  

Yep, a little naive I am .   Ah, the things I learn here from my Dis friends.


----------



## Lynne G

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> See, I knew I'd be sorry I asked  .



That's what Disers are for!  

On with the regular channel please!


----------



## Lynne G

A big shout out to DS for the scholarship.  Proud mom indeed.  Enjoy the night, and don't worry, the DIS will be here waiting. (and so will we )


----------



## KathyM2

Loving your TR so far!! Especially from a fellow Cannuck!!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Plans called for us to visit the Cheesecake Factory for the first time, so we plugged the address for the Walden Galleria into the GPS and headed to the mall.



One of my all time faves. In fact, I may or may not have driven from Toronto just to go there for lunch.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> nd the “Smoke Stack” burger



Wow. That is the hugest thing I've ever seen.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> healthy lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.



Love this place. We always go in Fort Lauderdale.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I would give my right arm to have this chain here in Canada



We did have Chili's for a while up off the 400...but I guess it went the way of the Olive Garden in Canada...sigh...



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Just when you think that Krispy Kreme can’t get any better



Another healthy option we Cannucks don't have anymore lol



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> we headed out to IHOP.



Love the IHOP!! You are hitting all my "Canadian in the US" faves!!


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> All my good intentions to get a second entry up today are probably going down the tubes.  Its been another wonky day at work, and I'm out of the house all evening.  My boy learned about a week ago that he has won himself another scholarship through the college, and tonight's Awards Night  .  I'll be celebrating his accomplishments this evening rather than posting on the Dis.  Ya never know, I may pop in later with a proud mom photo .



That is awesome! Enjoy your evening.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Hope you all had a great night. Your 'boy' is doing good!!!


----------



## dancin Disney style

bankr63 said:


> And remember past-ies are for eatin', paste-ies are for twirlin'.  Never get the two mixed up, even if they are spelled the same.



Excellent advice!   That gets 2 thumbs up.


snoopboop said:


> Ummmm.... who's going to field this one for Gina?





Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> See, I knew I'd be sorry I asked  .


Darn it....I miss all the good stuff


----------



## ArwenMarie

Sounds like a great day so far!
I'm hungry for pancakes now lol

Looking forward to your party report

PS Congrats to your son!


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

I'm really loving this trip report!  I do have a Groupon question or two, though, and I'm thinking that this might be a good place to ask since you are the Groupon Queen.  I've seen some things that we'd be interested in doing, but they seem to have an expiration on them.  Do you wait until a couple of months prior to your trip before purchasing items?  It does say that the amount paid doesn't expire--what does that mean?


----------



## Callie

Can't wait to see your review of the party! We went back in 2001 and I still remember how much fun it was.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> A big shout out to DS for the scholarship.  Proud mom indeed.  Enjoy the night, and don't worry, the DIS will be here waiting. (and so will we )



Thank you Lynne!!  It was a lovely evening.  It's so nice to see hard working young people (and some mature students, too) get rewarded for their hard work.



KathyM2 said:


> Loving your TR so far!! Especially from a fellow Cannuck!!
> 
> One of my all time faves. In fact, I may or may not have driven from Toronto just to go there for lunch.
> 
> Wow. That is the hugest thing I've ever seen.
> 
> Love this place. We always go in Fort Lauderdale.
> 
> We did have Chili's for a while up off the 400...but I guess it went the way of the Olive Garden in Canada...sigh...
> 
> Another healthy option we Cannucks don't have anymore lol
> 
> Love the IHOP!! You are hitting all my "Canadian in the US" faves!!



We get to see all the mouth-water advertisements for these places all year long (I think we probably watch more American TV than we do Canadian channels) 
so its always fun to actually dine there when we get the opportunity.  Good value (and good food) for sure!



thr33boys said:


> That is awesome! Enjoy your evening.





Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Hope you all had a great night. Your 'boy' is doing good!!!



Thank you both! 



dancin Disney style said:


> Excellent advice!   That gets 2 thumbs up.
> 
> Darn it....I miss all the good stuff



I can't believe that whole conversation occured without you, nor did you initiate it.  Shocking!!  



ArwenMarie said:


> Sounds like a great day so far!
> I'm hungry for pancakes now lol
> 
> Looking forward to your party report
> 
> PS Congrats to your son!



Thank you, my friend! 



jennasmommyinMS said:


> I'm really loving this trip report!  I do have a Groupon question or two, though, and I'm thinking that this might be a good place to ask since you are the Groupon Queen.  I've seen some things that we'd be interested in doing, but they seem to have an expiration on them.  Do you wait until a couple of months prior to your trip before purchasing items?  It does say that the amount paid doesn't expire--what does that mean?



I always check the expiry before purchasing to make sure that it will still be valid when we travel.   The vouchers can be all over the place with expiry dates....30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120 days, or even date specific ("December 17th").   Some we have even had a full year to use.  So its always worth looking  .

"The amount paid never expires" means that if you don't end up using the voucher before the promotional period is over (the expiry date), the vendor has to honour the voucher for the price you paid for it (at minimum).  So if you paid $10 for a mini golf voucher for two (worth $20), and it expires before you use it, the voucher is still worth the $10 you paid at that location.  So if you went to mini golf afterward, they would credit you $10 off the charges.  Its like the paper  Groupon voucher just became a $10 bill.



Callie said:


> Can't wait to see your review of the party! We went back in 2001 and I still remember how much fun it was.



I will try to get it up today.....cross your fingers that my day is less chaotic than yesterday!!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I can't believe that whole conversation occured without you, nor did you initiate it.  Shocking!!



Occasionally I actually have to work.  Perhaps in future you could could give me the heads up (or pasties up) when something is happening in my line of expertise.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> Occasionally I actually have to work.  Perhaps in future you could could give me the heads up (or pasties up) when something is happening in my line of expertise.



My pasties will be staying right where they are, thank you very much  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I hope you will permit me a few pics of my young man from yesterday's Undergraduate Awards Ceremony.  A long night (those types of things always are) but it came with a wonderful honour and a much-needed $1000 cheque....so well worth enduring the speakers and dignitaries!!













(Yes....that's the new girlfriend....and we ADORE her, she is awesome!)


----------



## Gr8t Fan

Congrats to your DS and congrats proud mama!


----------



## Lynne G

Than new GF needs a different than sweetie as her code name.  

Very nice pictures and any money towards school is always appreciated.  Way to go!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Gr8t Fan said:


> Congrats to your DS and congrats proud mama!





Lynne G said:


> Than new GF needs a different than sweetie as her code name.
> 
> Very nice pictures and any money towards school is always appreciated.  Way to go!



Thank you both!! 

Lynne, funny you mention the code name.....Steve just looked at me last night and says _"we can't call this one Sweetie.....so what ARE we going to call her?!" _.  

We will have to put our thinking caps on  and come up with something appropriate.....'cause using her actual name just seems so *wrong* .   The suggestion box is officially open for your best ideas.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

It was a perfect day for swimming.  Sunshiny and hot , but with very reasonable humidity.  It wasn’t an oppressive, sticky day…..rather, just delightfully warm and ideal for a couple of hours by the pool.


Eventually we decided we should grab a quick lunch before getting dressed for MNSSHP.  We had Fastpasses for 3:30-4:30, 4:30-5:30 and 5:30-6:30 pm, so it was doubtful we would take time to enjoy any Disney grub until at least 7 o’clock.  Neither one of us felt like heading offsite to dine right at that moment, so we opted to have our mid-day meal at the Tacky Tiki Bar & Grill, located right beside our beloved Fountains Pool.







Out of all our vacations at this resort, we had yet to try the Tiki Grill.  I think our epic fail at Zimmies on our first SVR stay made us a little gun shy.  It was high time we tested the quality of the vittles from the restaurant located in the section in which we own .







We had the place to ourselves when we arrived.  We walked right up to the counter, placed our order, and milled around for a bit while they cooked our food.  The young lady at the counter was super friendly and smiley and eager to please.  Very customary of the type of service we almost always have from SVR staff….on the whole, they are an awesome bunch .












The restaurant has a very beachy, surfer kind of vibe.  The music and décor all work very well together to be bright and fun and relaxing.  There’s lots of seating available, too.  Its a very casual atmosphere where you could show up in a swimsuit and cover up and still not feel out of place.






















Some of the tables were actual surfboards.  Kind of a fun touch.







I should also note…..the restaurant was SO CLEAN.  Like, eat-off-the-floor-at-your-momma’s-house clean .  I am not normally super impressed by the cleanliness of fast food establishments (because normally they never hit a standard that impresses me!), but this one was noteworthy.


Just outside the glass doors to the pool area, there’s a wonderful fire pit that’s lit every evening.  It’s definitely a popular spot for those looking for a warm place to relax with a beverage from the bar .







Our order was ready in about 10 minutes.   We kept it simple…..our big breakfast negated the need for a massive lunch.  Steve had a cheeseburger and fries:







I had the chicken fingers basket.







The pictures don’t show it well, but the portions were really quite decently sized.  There were additional chicken fingers under my fries, enough that Steve got to enjoy some too.  Speaking of the fries, they  were really, REALLY good…not sure if they were battered or coated in some way, or double-fried, or what…..but they were so crispy and tasty.   By the time we polished off our meals, we were seriously stuffed full (again).


Including the large fountain beverage that we shared, the total cost of our lunch with tax was $25.19.  I think we could have received 10% off with our SPG membership, but I totally forgot to apply it.  D’oh!  


After lunch, we headed back to the villa to transform ourselves from plain-old Steve & Gina to the much more exciting Blackbeard and his Pirate Wench .   Just as we were about to leave the villa, housekeeping knocked loudly and shouted their* "housekeeping!" *announcement (it was time for our mid-week tidy, apparently).  I opened the door looking like this:







And Steve was hot on my heels in full pirate garb:







The poor housekeeping staff almost fell backwards down the stairs .  I don’t think they were expecting anyone to be around in the mid afternoon, let along that two pirates would answer the door!!   They didn’t speak very good English, and we don’t speak ANY Spanish, so we had a comical and animated discussion (with lots of hand gestures) about our outfits that I’m sure neither side could understand.   Knowing that they wanted to get started on our room servicing, we hurriedly grabbed our accessories, ticket, wallets, car keys and headed out the door promptly at 3 pm….exactly when we had wanted to depart the Vistana, to ensure we had lots of time to get to the Magic Kingdom before 4 pm.  We had never driven to that park ourselves before, so navigating the TTC, the tram and then the monorail or boat would be new experiences for us.


We zipped along the roads and encountered no traffic or delays , so it wasn’t long before we saw this…..







….and then this…….







Let the party begin!!!


----------



## Lynne G

Cutie?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Cutie?



I like it!


----------



## bankr63

Lynne G said:


> oooh Gina, I might get banned for showing you what a twirlin' pastie is - but think what hula dancers do with their hips, is done with the top half instead, with little coverings of well, you know what.


 Thank you all for so tactfully answering the question.  I am ROFL in my office right now; I hope I'm laughing WITH you Gina because Lynne described that so well! It was cruel of me to drop that line at the end of lunch yesterday and then just disappear.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Arriving at the TTC parking lot, we gathered our belongings, locked the car, and in a true display of Disney magic, an empty tram pulled up to whisk us off to the main building.   Seriously, like right at _that very moment_.  We didn’t have to wait even 30 seconds to board.  As we made the short journey on the tram (and I was stowing Steve’s keys and wallet in our pirate bag) I realized that in our housekeeping haste I had forgotten to grab the cell phone .  I had plugged it in to charge before we went to the pool (so it would be ready for a long night at the parks….go figure!!) and totally forgot to put it back in my purse.  I had also walked out without the printed list of our fastpass selections….I was such an idiot!!  


Steve smugly asked if I had remembered the actual tickets .  I threatened to pierce his heart with my sword .  Smart alecks will walk the plank.  *Yes, I had the tickets.*  Sheesh.


I let Steve decide if he wanted to take the boat or monorail, and he picked the monorail without hesitation.  It turned out to be a marvellous choice as again we had absolutely no wait…..an empty monorail pulled up just as we approached the platform.


All this good timing meant that we danced up to the Magic Kingdom gates by 3:30 pm.  Despite the early arrival, there was a decent crowd of folks already waiting to gain entry with their party tickets in hand.  We joined the lines to await the opening of the turnstiles and had fun chatting with all the other excited party guests….we were getting tons of compliments on our costumes from both other visitors and CM’s alike.  Several little folks stopped to ask if our swords were real.  Steve greeted a couple other wee pirates with his best pirate *Arrrghhh!!!* which made a few of them giggle and scared the crap out of few more .  We were completely delighted when a cheer went up from the crowd…..at exactly 3:42 pm…..to signal that the turnstiles had been opened to party guests and we were on our way into the park.


We received our bands and trick-or-treat bags and we were off!! 







We stopped first at Town Hall to check our Fastpass times.  I knew which rides we had selected (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Big Thunder Mountain) but we weren’t certain of the order.  This turned out to be a much quicker stop than we expected as a friendly young CM directed us to a little kiosk (even provided us with a marker and paper to write on) and a quick tap of our tickets on the Mickey Head brought the list up for us to write down.


We were now free to enjoy the park at our own schedule….well, with the Fastpasses in mind, anyway .


It was so awesome to see the park, in person, all dressed in its Halloween finery.   I have seen many photos of the decorations for the Halloween Party, but seeing everything live and with my own eyes was a really cool experience.  Main Street is charming all on its own, but even more so when its decorated for MNSSHP .












It was crowded, though .  Holy moly .  All the people coming and going in that reasonably narrow area sure made us wonder if the throngs of people were going to dampen the enjoyment of the party .









We wormed our way through the bodies and headed in the direction of our first Fastpass:  very fittingly for us as party guests, it was the Haunted Mansion.

Even once we had made it down Main Street and away from the hub, it was still pretty crowded as we approached the Haunted Mansion.  The lengthy standby line (I think it was posted at 40 minutes) made us soooooo glad we had Fastpasses for the ride.  With the sun still out, and decked out in our costumes (even though they were made of light material), we were really feeling the heat.  It was wonderful to sail past the lengthy line of park guests and get on the ride with just a short and very tolerable wait.

I have to say, I think this ride is so cute and so well done.  Considering the theme, it also seemed like just the perfect way to kick off our very first Halloween party experience.  After back-to-back vacations where Universal was a very big focus, the “mildness” of the ride was a nice relief for me (I was afraid Steve would be asleep by the end, but happily, he enjoyed himself immensely as well…..he definitely let his inner child loose and approached our first Disney park day since 2009 with the gusto I was hoping for).


After the ride, we had our photos taken by the Photopass photographers that were stationed outside.  These HM Photopass pics are probably my least favourite photos taken by the park photographers over our both party dates, so I’ll only show you the one.  It’s the writer’s prerogative .







Taking a quick peek at the time, we knew that it would be almost exactly time for our Pirates of the Caribbean Fastpass by the time we made the short walk over there (especially since we were still trying to get the lay of the land…..it had been nearly 7 years since we’d set foot in MK, and our memories were cobwebby….and a wrong turn was probably likely somewhere along the way).  We stopped at a washroom en route (I do not recommend water rides when your bladder is full ) and then were ready for our next swashbuckling adventure.


More to come!


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Thank you both!!
> 
> Lynne, funny you mention the code name.....Steve just looked at me last night and says _"we can't call this one Sweetie.....so what ARE we going to call her?!" _.
> 
> We will have to put our thinking caps on  and come up with something appropriate.....'cause using her actual name just seems so *wrong* .   The suggestion box is officially open for your best ideas.



How about _Sunshine?_



[I]G[/I]ina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Including the large fountain beverage that we shared, the total cost of our lunch with tax was $25.19.  I think we could have received 10% off with our SPG membership, but I totally forgot to apply it.  D’oh!



That doesn't sound like you at all but I'm always impressed with how you manage all your discounts and promotions....you're allowed to slip every once in a while 




[I]G[/I]ina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> And Steve was hot on my heels in full pirate garb:



Awesome costumes 




[I]G[/I]ina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Let the party begin!!!



Cliffhanger......


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> Thank you all for so tactfully answering the question.  I am ROFL in my office right now; I hope I'm laughing WITH you Gina because Lynne described that so well! It was cruel of me to drop that line at the end of lunch yesterday and then just disappear.



Oh heck, I laughed like crazy!!!  If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?  

Thankfully, I have pretty broad shoulders.  Or I am reasonably well adjusted.  Or being a mother has helped me see the humour in embarrassing situations.  Regardless of the reason, I enjoy a good chuckle even if my naivete is the root cause  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

thr33boys said:


> How about _Sunshine?_



Oooohh....I like that!!  And it totally suits her adorable little happy disposition! 



thr33boys said:


> That doesn't sound like you at all but I'm always impressed with how you manage all your discounts and promotions....you're allowed to slip every once in a while



I was bemoaning my stupidity to Steve, who just looked at me (with well controlled exasperation) and said _Good grief Gina, we're talking about $2 here._ _Dont worry about it._   Always my voice of reason  .  But yet, it feels like I missed an open net in a hockey game.



thr33boys said:


> Awesome costumes



Thank you!  They were comfy too.  I was impressed by that!



thr33boys said:


> Cliffhanger......


----------



## Lynne G

bankr63 said:


> Thank you all for so tactfully answering the question.  I am ROFL in my office right now; I hope I'm laughing WITH you Gina because Lynne described that so well! It was cruel of me to drop that line at the end of lunch yesterday and then just disappear.




Oh I don't think it was cruel.    Though I thought my northern friend would already know.  But ya know, I've been known to be less tactful!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We arrived at Pirates of Caribbean at the perfect time to use our next pair of Fastpasses.  Once again, we were grateful for the foresight to book the ride times in advance as the standby line was much, MUCH longer that we would have been willing to wait in otherwise.  Steve, in particular, was SUPER excited about POTC since we were certainly dressed the part.  The ride was just as we’d remembered, and we exited through the gift shop fighting the urge to sing “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” at the top of our lungs.


What can I say?  That little song is kinda catchy .


After the ride, we took advantage of the big, empty Pirate of the Caribbean stage (where we guessed that Captain Jack Sparrow would greet guests once the party officially kicked off at 7 pm) and took some pictures of us in costume.  Being part of a Photopass share, we knew we wouldn’t get access to those pictures until a couple of weeks after our trip, and we had tons of people back home who were anxiously waiting to see what we looked like in our pirate gear.  We had to have a least a good one or two to post on Facebook to satisfy friends and family.












As we were capturing our individual pictures, a very kind lady stopped to compliment us on how great we looked, and asked if we wanted a photo of us on the stage together.  She said she’d be happy to take one for us with our camera.  We were very grateful for the kind offer and were quick to accept! 







As she was taking our picture, a couple of other families came and stood by the stage…..we thought they must have had the same idea we did, to get pictures there while it was nice and empty (making such a perfect back drop).  As I took the camera back from our very sweet volunteer photographer and went to put it back in the camera bag,  I assured them that we would be out of their way momentarily.  To our surprise, they asked if we would wait…..they didn’t really want to use the stage for themselves.  They were actually hoping that their kids could get their pictures taken with us, as they were so impressed with our costumes and they LOVE pirates.  So, awkward as it kind of felt (they were super nice people…..not strange or odd at all….just an odd situation, perfect strangers asking to have their kids pictures taken with us) we posed for some photos with a few other party-going families.


What happens at Disney, stays at Disney….right? 


I was kind of hoping afterward to squeeze the Jungle Cruise in between POTC and our BTMRR Fastpasses, but the standby line was 45 minutes!!  So we headed straight to Big Thunder instead.


We had a little bit of time to kill (it wasn’t yet 5:30 pm), so we strolled around Frontierland and caught the Country Bears Jamboree. We hadn’t watched this little show on our first visit in 2009,  so it was a good chance to squeeze something new in.












It was hokey but in a cute kind of way .  Glad we did it once.


We mosey’d on back to Big Thunder for our 5:30 FP time, and entered the queue exactly on the half hour.  Standby was 45 minutes.  Yay Fastpass!  


We love this ride……both Steve and me.  Its thrilling enough to bring a smile to Steve’s face but not so thrilling that I want to die.  I love that it’s fast and a little rough without any loops or drops.  This is easily my favourite Disney ride, and in the top 3 for Steve.


As we exited BTMRR, a very enthusiastic and FUN Photopass fellow (an older gent that obviously loved his job) cornered us for photos.  He made a huge deal to his partner about being fearful of pirates, and he assured us that he had nothing of value for us to pillage and plunder.  Top marks for this CM, he was simply a doll .  These are the pictures he captured:












And I love, love, LOVE this one!







We also got this little magic pic/video (I think you'll have to click on it to get it started):






It was fun to find those unexpected little photos and videos on our Photopass account after our party was over.   A nice little touch!

_
*We are just getting started…..lots more yet to come!*_


----------



## ArwenMarie

Love seeing the MK decorated especially for Halloween.

Wow you guys look amazing fully decked out in your pirate gear! Love it. And the pictures are really good. 

That's so funny about housekeeping. You think in Orlando they would be used to walking in on people in costumes LOL

Congrats to your son again!


----------



## thr33boys

That is hilarious, I'm sure it must have been incredibly awkward for you and Steve to have your picture taken with someone else's children. Just think about them showing their photos to friends and family..._and this one is of Jack and Jill posing with pirates. They claimed to be just visitors but I think they were the real deal. _Or at least that's how I imagine it will go 

Did you get wet on POTC? So many reports lately has me worried about my feet sitting in a small river.

That is an amazing pic of Steve. He looks ready for a Harley!


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Great start to MNSSHP, the costumes look fab  I hope you got some treasure by the end of the night!!


----------



## KathyM2

I love your costumes!! So much fun! What a great start to the party! The crowds look crazy though...we were there in early October too and it was nuts!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Love seeing the MK decorated especially for Halloween.
> 
> Wow you guys look amazing fully decked out in your pirate gear! Love it. And the pictures are really good.
> 
> That's so funny about housekeeping. You think in Orlando they would be used to walking in on people in costumes LOL
> 
> Congrats to your son again!



Thank you!! 



thr33boys said:


> That is hilarious, I'm sure it must have been incredibly awkward for you and Steve to have your picture taken with someone else's children. Just think about them showing their photos to friends and family..._and this one is of Jack and Jill posing with pirates. They claimed to be just visitors but I think they were the real deal. _Or at least that's how I imagine it will go
> 
> Did you get wet on POTC? So many reports lately has me worried about my feet sitting in a small river.
> 
> That is an amazing pic of Steve. He looks ready for a Harley!



lol....he would LOVE a Harley.....maybe if we ever can make our dream move to Florida and the weather would be suitable to drive it year round....

Our first ride on POTC, we were completely dry.  Our next 3, the water sloshed and oozed right over the side of the boat (we were in the last row, or second last row, on every ride).  Steve's feet were SOAKED.  Ditto to the seat of his pants.



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Great start to MNSSHP, the costumes look fab  I hope you got some treasure by the end of the night!!



Oh, we got a decent haul of pirate booty for sure!  Pic to come! 



KathyM2 said:


> I love your costumes!! So much fun! What a great start to the party! The crowds look crazy though...we were there in early October too and it was nuts!



Main Street was nutty when we arrived (and stayed that way for a good portion of the night), but once the party hours started, the rest of the park was very manageable.  5 minute waits for Splash and Big Thunder by the latter half of the night!


----------



## grantclaire

Rats! I got a late start on your trip report! Was it started in a different forum?  Another great report!  Love the pictures.  We will at The Vistana's sister resort,  the Villages for five days n December.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

grantclaire said:


> Rats! I got a late start on your trip report! Was it started in a different forum?  Another great report!  Love the pictures.  We will at The Vistana's sister resort,  the Villages for five days n December.



Hello, my fellow Canuck!  Glad to have you over here with us  .  My PTR was over on the Universal boards, but since the itineary expanded to be so much more than Universal, I thought this was a better place for the after-details.  

I hope to give the Villages a try some time, just to check out the differences between the two properties.  We considered it for last May's trip (since we could have had either resort for the same price through Skyauction) but Steve's heart was still at SVR.  Which dates are you there in December?  Perhaps we overlap!


----------



## grantclaire

We will overlap! Dec 18 to 22, You and Steve could come for a tour.  BTW how did you like flying out of Buffalo? We have done it 3 times on Southwest.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*My apologies for the lack of updates since Friday.  A busy weekend has ensued and I’ve neglected my trip reporting as a result.  Let’s see if we can get back at it this evening.......*


After our ride on Big Thunder Mountain, we decided to head back to see if Jungle Cruise still had a huge line.  Knowing it wasn’t open during the party, we thought it would be prudent to squeeze it in before it closed at 7.,...but alas, the wait was still listed at over 30 minutes.  Scratch that one off the list.  Instead, we headed to the Enchanted Tiki Room since we knew it, too, would close for the party (as it turned into a trick or treat location).  Added bonuses:  we hadn’t done this attraction on our 2009 trip either (so it would be another “first”) and there was barely any line....perhaps only another 6-8 people awaiting entry for the next show.







We sat down to peruse the party map while we waited, and it wasn’t long until this fellow popped out from behind the waterfall with the pre-show spiel:







In we went.  I would rate this particular attraction on the same level as the Country Bears.  Glad we did it once, not in a hurry to do it again.







As we exited the Tiki Room, we spied Aloha Isle and noted that they sold the infamous Dole Whips that we had heard so much chatter about on the boards.







Neither one of us was hungry enough for dinner yet, but the air was pretty warm and we thought a cool refreshment might be just the pick-me-up we needed to kick off the official party hours.  Let’s see what all the hype is about, shall we? 







I didn’t realize Dole Whips came in both cup and float versions.....so I made the executive decision and ordered a cup ($4.47 including tax).   I carried it over to where Steve was patiently waiting with all our stuff (he held on to the pirate bag and our swords while I fetched us our snack)...and we took our first bites.


The rest, shall we say, was history.  We had just found our newest Disney indulgence .  We were *in love *.  I don’t know what we were expecting, exactly.....but this exceeded it.  It was Disney’s answer to Universal’s Butterbeer.  We polished it off (dueling spoons for the last bites!) and wished we had purchased two cups instead of one to share.  We would have to return before the end of the night for another round .


As we savoured our treat, we people-watched and laughingly relived this episode from Family Guy:








No matter how hard we try to avoid it, whenever we talk about the Dole W*h*ip now, it’s with an emphasis on the *H* a la Stewie Griffin.  Yeah, we’re weird like that .


It was heading toward 7 pm by this point...not yet dark, but the sun was getting pretty low in the sky and the temperature was moderating quite nicely.  It was warm but not uncomfortable, even in our costumes.  We sent up a little prayer of thanks for the awesome weather that we were blessed with today , as the potential for rain (and the frustrating inability to do anything about the forecast) had been a big concern for us during the planning process.


It’s A Small World was a walk-on at that point, so we hopped into a boat and took “the happiest cruise that ever sailed” :












I know this ride doesn’t always get a lot of love, and I’m sure Steve groaned inwardly as I skipped my way into the queue, but I love it and he humoured me (and he enjoyed himself too, I will note ).


After It’s a Small World, we hit up Mickey’s Philharmagic (again, no line at all except that to wait until the doors opened for the next show).  I could be wrong, but I’m sure the show content has changed since we were there in 2009.  Some of you Disney regulars will know better than me, so if I’m incorrect, feel free to put me back in my place.  At any rate, we enjoyed what we deduced was a new-to-us version of the attraction and by the time we exited, we were definitely beginning to feel the Disney glow .


At this point, we decided it might be prudent to grab some grub before getting down and serious with all the official party events.  Neither of us were really that hungry, so we decided to go light and grab some flatbread to share at Pinnochio’s Village Haus.







More thirsty than anything, we also ordered two lemonades.  Since they sounded kind of good, we added on an order of pesto knots for good measure.







Sadly, I have nothing good to say about this meal.  It was soooo disappointing .  On a scale of one to ten, the food was a 3 at best.  It was _edible_, but completely tasteless:  the lemonades were most certainly the highlight of our dinner.  Since we paid for it (total price of the meal, with tax, was $20.84), we did eat it....but wow, were we suddenly extremely glad we had an ADR for The Plaza for the Friday night party.  If this is Disney’s idea of quick service, we wanted no further part of it.  Steve declared that we would simply have to survive on Dole Whips for the rest of the night .


Now, I have a confession to make:  about this time, I put away the camera.  I didn’t want to spend the whole party peeking out at the events behind a lens...I wanted to really enjoy it.  It was important to me to soak up the atmosphere, admire the costumes, wield my sword, and be the best pirate wench sidekick to my Blackbeard that I could be.  That means I didn’t get a huge amount of pictures for the balance of the party, so for that I will beg your forgiveness (but don’t worry....I did get *some*).  It did, however, mean that I really made the most of our first party experience......and I was glad that a good portion of the night was spent with the camera tucked safely away.


We headed over to Tomorrowland for a while, and we rode the Peoplemover, watched the Monsters Dance Party for a bit, snagged some candy at a trick-or-treat stop or two, and took in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin:







(ah, the concentration on those faces....yes, that was serious business! )


We also got some photos taken on the bridge entering Tomorrowland, which turned out quite nice with the castle lit up in the background:







This was also a location for some of the MNSSHP magic pics, with the Haunted Mansion dancing ghosts showing up for this video (click to view):







*Much more yet to come.....*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

grantclaire said:


> We will overlap! Dec 18 to 22, You and Steve could come for a tour.  BTW how did you like flying out of Buffalo? We have done it 3 times on Southwest.



Hey, that sounds like a plan!   Are you guys doing lots of park time or just taking it easy?

We loved flying out of Buffalo  .  So much less stressful than out of Pearson.  We had flown from Buffalo before, but not for some time....our last Buffalo flights were Christmas 2012.    Both Buffalo and Syracuse are really quite comparable for us.....both small airports, both long drives from home.....so we can fly from either one and be quite happy.  I do like the drive to Buffalo better than to Syracuse...more to look at, so even though its a teeny bit longer, it seems to go by faster......but the $36.07 bill for the 407 (just ONE WAY, I might add!) that I received this week was a bit of a downer  .


----------



## grantclaire

Most likely just taking it easy! The DS16 would like to go to a water park.


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Sadly, I have nothing good to say about this meal.  It was soooo disappointing .  On a scale of one to ten, the food was a 3 at best.  It was _edible_, but completely tasteless:  the lemonades were most certainly the highlight of our dinner.  Since we paid for it (total price of the meal, with tax, was $20.84), we did eat it....but wow, were we suddenly extremely glad we had an ADR for The Plaza for the Friday night party.  If this is Disney’s idea of quick service, we wanted no further part of it.  Steve declared that we would simply have to survive on Dole Whips for the rest of the night .
> 
> We headed over to Tomorrowland for a while, and we rode the Peoplemover, watched the Monsters Dance Party for a bit, snagged some candy at a trick-or-treat stop or two, and took in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (ah, the concentration on those faces....yes, that was serious business! )




I'm not a Disney dining connoisseur by any stretch, and what little we eat there is usually CS, but I don't generally rate much of it higher than a 5 anyway.

And, ahem, I do believe that proper DISBoards etiquette requires the posting of the score when reporting on a Buzz ride... (same for TSM).  Did all that concentration pay off?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

grantclaire said:


> Most likely just taking it easy! The DS16 would like to go to a water park.



Did you see that Aquatica currently has tickets available for $28.50?

http://aquaticabyseaworld.com/en/orlando/book-online/tickets/mostpopularoffers/?from=Booking_Widget

They will probably have dining discounts (and maybe even more admission deals) on their annual Black Friday sale later this month, too .



bankr63 said:


> I'm not a Disney dining connoisseur by any stretch, and what little we eat there is usually CS, but I don't generally rate much of it higher than a 5 anyway.
> 
> And, ahem, I do believe that proper DISBoards etiquette requires the posting of the score when reporting on a Buzz ride... (same for TSM).  Did all that concentration pay off?



Universal definitely has Disney's counter service beat.  I hate being so critical, but they could do sooooo much better.

As for Buzz, I can't for the life of me remember what our actual scores were, but Steve beat me (as usual).    I did manage a good late-game point surge, but sadly, it wasn't enough to pull ahead  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Before I go further, I think it’s worth mentioning (for anyone who hasn’t read my previous reports, and in case it hasn't yet become clear over this report so far) that we’re not commando-type park goers.  We don’t like having to follow touring plans, we’re not big on schedules.  We much prefer to go with the flow, take it as it comes, and just let the days unfold as they naturally do.  With that in mind, we had no real “plan”, per se, for the Halloween parties, except for three must-do items over the course of the two nights:  watch the fireworks, see the parade at least once, and meet Captain Jack Sparrow.


Captain Jack was most definitely on the top of the list, so that’s where we decided to head next .







We wondered if the line to meet him would be ridiculously long, but were happy to see that it wasn’t lengthy at all.  We probably waited only 10-15 minutes, which was awesome!


Jack Sparrow’s zeroed in on Steve’s bling right away, and was quick to admire his necklace in particular:







It was a *great* character meet from start to finish, and we were able to get both individual photos with our favourite pirate, as well as a group pic of all three of us together:






















My Steve was on cloud nine.  He was having the time of his life  (and for the record....I was too!).


After the meet-and-greet, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean for the second time that evening (10 minute wait), and got these Photopass pics after we exited the gift shop:







Splash Mountain was also a must-do for Steve, as it was closed for its annual refurbishment on our 2009 trip.  I really, really wanted to be sure he had the chance to ride it on this vacation, so from Pirates we headed straight there to see how long the waits were.  It had been 40 minutes when we rode Big Thunder with our Fastpass earlier on.....hopefully the line had decreased since the party started.


Happily, it was posted at 10 minutes, so he dashed off into the queue while I visited the trick or treat trail:







He came out with a grin a mile wide and gushing about how much fun it was.  He adores rides with those big, lose-your-stomach drops....so this was right up his alley.  Since the time he entered the queue for the first ride, the posted wait had dropped down to 5 minutes, so I encouraged him to ride it again .... seize the moment and all that jazz .  It didn’t take much convincing.







Apparently, he literally walked right on the second time.  Perfect!


Just as emerged from his second ride, we heard the beginning of the fireworks.....whoops, we had meant to be in a better viewing position at 10 o’clock, but here we were outside of Splash .  We scooted over as quickly as we could toward Tom Sawyer Island, and despite our miscue on time and location,l managed to have a pretty good view of the show after all .

















We conceded that no one does fireworks like Disney does fireworks.  They were truly incredible, and we were blown away with how well the music, the story, and the fireworks themselves were all perfectly woven together into this spectacular show.  So amazingly well done.

















The 180 degree perimeter fireworks at the end were the icing on the cake.  So. Freaking. Awesome. 


Crowds started dropping off noticeably after the fireworks concluded.  Tons of folks started making their way toward the exit.....I am guessing those with little ones in tow might have gone as far into the night as they dared, and opted to head back to their resorts before those little people crashed.  With the party goers thinning out, we opted for another ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which was now a walk-on.  What a different and FUN experience it was riding Big Thunder in the dark!   Definitely a *thrill* for this ride chicken, but an absolute blast for both of us .


When we came off of Big Thunder, I told Steve there was one more thing I wanted to do before we meandered back toward the parade route.  While waiting for him to come off Splash a little earlier, I had spied the Photopass location for the Hitchhiking Ghosts photo which was just next to the washrooms between Splash and Big Thunder Mountains.  There was no one there as we approached, so we were able to get this pic with absolutely no wait:







*The conclusion of our MNSSHP night is next!*


----------



## KathyM2

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Photopass location for the Hitchhiking Ghosts photo



Great update!! I LOVE this picture!! We went to the halloween party too...my DD was so obsessed with the trick or treating that we didn't get to meet nearly as many characters as I'd like or take advantage of low wait times for rides...sigh! You guys really seemed to make the most of that!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KathyM2 said:


> Great update!! I LOVE this picture!! We went to the halloween party too...my DD was so obsessed with the trick or treating that we didn't get to meet nearly as many characters as I'd like or take advantage of low wait times for rides...sigh! You guys really seemed to make the most of that!



We were fortunate to find low wait times at both parties for the rides.  We had already decided before the first night that we wouldn't be spending hours in line to meet Jack and Sally or the Pooh characters....it just seemed like such a waste....and the villians show in front of the castle didn't appeal to us either.  We probably weren't your typical party guests, that's for sure!

You know, we found the trick or treating to be surprisingly fun, so I can see why your DD loved it too .  Everytime Steve went to a TOT station, he'd growl his best pirate "Trick ARRHHHH Treat!" and the CM's loved it.  A few pretended to be all scared, and offered to give us their entire barrell as long as we didn't hurt them.   It made for such a nice experience!  We didn't do much trick or treating on the first night, but we went through many stations on the 2nd evening......and ended up bringing home a TON of candy.   We were testing the airline weight limits on this trip, that's for sure.

That photo is one of my fave's from the party, too .


----------



## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *My apologies for the lack of updates since Friday. A busy weekend has ensued and I’ve neglected my trip reporting as a result. Let’s see if we can get back at it this evening.......*


 
You're so funny. You're one of the QUICKEST TR updaters I've seen lol I follow some reports that take a month or more between updates lol



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> The rest, shall we say, was history. We had just found our newest Disney indulgence . We were *in love *


 
mmMMMMMmmmmm dole whip! I literally schedule a stop into aloha isle when we go to MK. One of the items on my bucket list is the rum dole whip at Animal Kingdom!!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I know this ride doesn’t always get a lot of love, and I’m sure Steve groaned inwardly as I skipped my way into the queue, but I love it and he humoured me (and he enjoyed himself too, I will note ).


 
I'm in the same boat at Steve. I dont really dislike the ride, its cute. I just hate having that song stuck in my head for the rest of the trip 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Sadly, I have nothing good to say about this meal. It was soooo disappointing . On a scale of one to ten, the food was a 3 at best.


 
I've heard that the pizza at Pinocchio's village haus was awful. Its definitely different than the other quick service Pizza I've come across.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Happily, it was posted at 10 minutes, so he dashed off into the queue while I visited the trick or treat trail:


 
I love that theres so many rides that are walk on at MNSSHP! We ususally take the first few hours to walk around and do rides, then watch the castle show and fireworks, then do meet and greets and the late parade. 

Great trip report so far!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>


"Don't make me put on my angry eyes"


Pinnochio's is probably the worst place you could choose to eat.  Not that any of the food at MK is outstanding but there are better places to pick.

On the Dole Whip front.....for future reference you can get them at the POLY outside on the Pineapple Lanai. No visit is complete without one or ten.


----------



## nancipants

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night is my absolute favorite thing in Disney World, period -- at least until Star Wars Land opens up.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Shame about the so so food. Columbia Harbour House is our go to counter service, I enjoy the tuna sandwich. I hope you enjoyed the Plaza, we have been there the last few times and enjoyed the food. DD loved the mint chocolate chip milkshake


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> "Don't make me put on my angry eyes"
> 
> Pinnochio's is probably the worst place you could choose to eat.  Not that any of the food at MK is outstanding but there are better places to pick.
> 
> On the Dole Whip front.....for future reference you can get them at the POLY outside on the Pineapple Lanai. No visit is complete without one or ten.



A definite lesson learned on Pinnochio's.  The new menu at Pecos Bill's didn't thrill us (we're not into Mexican food), and I hate fish (so Columbia Harbor House was out).  Cosmic Rays was passable in 2009, but we had hoped to try something different....just to say we did.  Next time, we'll stick with hot dogs from Casey's or something similar.....or we will hope for another ADR at the Plaza. 



nancipants said:


> Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night is my absolute favorite thing in Disney World, period -- at least until Star Wars Land opens up.



I am thinking I have to agree with you.....on the Big Thunder part, anyway .  it was a real hoot!  

I'm personally not a Star Wars fan, so I have no particular interest in that new development (Steve will, though......it is right up his alley ).



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Shame about the so so food. Columbia Harbour House is our go to counter service, I enjoy the tuna sandwich. I hope you enjoyed the Plaza, we have been there the last few times and enjoyed the food. DD loved the mint chocolate chip milkshake



As a bit of a spoiler, I will say that we were very pleased with the Plaza (of course, the bar was set pretty low after Pinnochio's so perhaps that helped manage our expectations!).  Seriously, though, the Plaza was very acceptable.  More to come (with lots of pics!) on that soon.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

vrajewski10513 said:


> You're so funny. You're one of the QUICKEST TR updaters I've seen lol I follow some reports that take a month or more between updates lol
> 
> mmMMMMMmmmmm dole whip! I literally schedule a stop into aloha isle when we go to MK. One of the items on my bucket list is the rum dole whip at Animal Kingdom!!
> 
> I'm in the same boat at Steve. I dont really dislike the ride, its cute. I just hate having that song stuck in my head for the rest of the trip
> 
> I've heard that the pizza at Pinocchio's village haus was awful. Its definitely different than the other quick service Pizza I've come across.
> 
> I love that theres so many rides that are walk on at MNSSHP! We ususally take the first few hours to walk around and do rides, then watch the castle show and fireworks, then do meet and greets and the late parade.
> 
> Great trip report so far!



A month between updates.....    My OCD just couldn't handle that .  Nor could my memory.....if I left posting that long, I'd never be able to recall what we even did on our vacation!!  


I am cheered to hear that not all Disney pizza is that awful.  I always thought that pizza was a food that's impossible to screw up.  

A rum Dole Whip?  Ya don't say?     Wait till my Steve hears about that one......


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

On our way to secure ourselves  a spot for the parade, we trick or treated at a couple of the treat stations including the trail that led through the Enchanted Tiki Room.  As we once again found ourselves outside Aloha Isle, I could see Steve’s eyes being drawn to the people carrying their Dole W*h*ips away from the counter.  I asked if he wanted another to share, and he readily accepted the offer.  Once again, he found a seat nearby and held on to our candy bags, swords and “stuff” while I fetched us a cup of that pineapple-y goodness.  I placed my order, and the young CM dashed away to fill it….but came back with a float versus a cup.  As soon as he handed it to me, he recognized his mistake….but I assured him it was fine, I would just pay him the difference (the floats were 50 cents more or so).  He instantly refused, saying that he would make me the cup I ordered and that I could just keep the float too.  Walking back toward Steve, with both the cup and float in hand, he raised an eyebrow and inquired “you decided to get us each one?”.  I explained the little faux pas of the CM, and offered him his choice:  float or cup.  He picked the cup, I had the float.







Of the two, both of us preferred the cup (though the float was equally tasty).  I guess we just prefer eating it with a spoon versus drinking it through a straw.


We sat for a bit, resting our weary legs and savouring our newest favouite park indulgence, and eventually headed over for a good parade spot next to Country Bears Jamboree.







We got an excellent spot with a great view, and timed it just right so that we really didn’t have to wait long at all before the Headless Horseman rode through.  Shortly thereafter, the parade itself started and we enjoyed an impressive combination of characters, floats and music.







Sadly, almost none of my parade pics turned out clear  …..except for the one above, they’re all blurry and dark.  You’ll have to take my word on how excellent the parade was, since I can't back up my praise with a boatload of photo proof.  Once again, it lived up to the hype and was well worth the time to watch.  We would be found singing the “Boo to You” and “It’s Good to Be Bad” songs more than once over the course of the balance of the week!!


After the parade, we were starting to get rather tired out after a long afternoon and evening on our feet.  We rode Aladdin twice (walk on the first time, then they invited us to stay seated and ride again since there was no one waiting), then opted to make our way toward the front of the park.  These two old poops were almost partied out .  We walked faster than the parade moved, apparently, and we got the chance to see virtually all the floats and characters a second time as we exited the Emporium (we had cut through the stores to avoid the parade crowds lining the street). 


Once at the front part of the park,  we were happy to note that the Halloween Photopass location that had a HUGE line when we arrived was completely empty at this later hour….so we were able to snag this last pirate picture of the night without any wait at all:







…..as well as this little video featuring the grave diggers (click to view):







We were soooo tired (and couldn’t wait to shower and drop into that big ol’ comfy king sized Westin Heavenly Bed) but at the same time, hated for the night to end.  It really was a magical time, and definitely restored our appreciation of the Disney parks (for the hard ticket events, anyway).


CM’s were handing out Dove chocolates (my gosh, they are *GOOD!*) and wishing everyone a Happy Halloween as we departed.  We sadly bid the Magic Kingdom adieu…..until Friday .






_(I love the colours in the above photo.  Its one of my favourite pictures out of all those I took at both parties)_

Since we deked out around 11:40 pm, we managed to beat the inevitable migration of the masses to the monorail and boats once the party ended at midnight....though there were plenty of people leaving as we were, too.  A monorail pulled up just as we approached the platform, and we were on our way back to the TTC with no wait.  Once at the TTC, we snagged a spot on the tram to the Villains lot right away, and were headed back to the resort far faster than we had anticipated.


The drive back was quick and delay-free.  Steve, in particular, had the after-party munchies (he had long walked off his second Dole Whip and needed some substantial man-food) so we rolled through the drive-thru at the Wendy’s at the entrance to the Vistana.  We picked up chicken nuggets for me, and a burger and fries for Blackbeard.  Back at the resort, we munched our late night snack and surveyed our trick or treat haul:







Considering we really didn’t trick or treat that much at all, we were shocked at the platterful of candy that we accumulated in those few stops.  Hundreds of thousands of calories worth…..oh, my hips….!!!  


All in all, it was a very productive night.  Our three must-do’s for the party….the parade, the fireworks, and meeting Captain Jack Sparrow….were all scratched off the list (and we even got to watch the parade a bonus second time too).  For rides, we were able to do Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice (once in the day, once in the dark), Pirates of the Caribbean two times, Haunted Mansion, Aladdin two times, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Country Bears Jamboree, It’s a Small World, Peoplemover, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, the Carousel (which I failed to mention in this report….it was somewhere after IASW), and Mickey’s Philharmagic.  We discovered Dole Whips, went Trick or Treating a little bit, got a nice selection of Photopass memories, and even survived dinner at Pinnochio Village Haus with only a little emotional scarring .   Best of all, we accomplished the whole lot at a relaxed pace where we could really savour every moment like it was meant to be enjoyed.   We declared the experience a resounding success .


It took us a while to decompress, so we didn’t hit the sack until about 1:30 in the morning.  We drew the black-out curtains tight so we could sleep as late as possible the next morning.  Tomorrow was scheduled to be another late night, as we completely switched gears and went from _*Not-So-Scary*_ to *absolutely terrifying*.  Tomorrow was Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, complete with an RIP Tour and the Scareactor Dining Experience.


I was already scared just thinking about it!


----------



## ArwenMarie

You guys got a ton of stuff done! What a great night. Really good pictures too.

I agree about Pinocchio Haus. I don't mind those flatbreads if I am really hungry, but meh. I think the QS in the Disney Parks is not-so-great in general, so we usually do ADRs in the parks and then go cheap for our other meal of the day.


----------



## Callie

This makes me really want to go back! We did it back in 2001, and then last year did the Christmas party...Now I want to do the Halloween again!


----------



## thr33boys

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *My apologies for the lack of updates since Friday.  A busy weekend has ensued and I’ve neglected my trip reporting as a result.  Let’s see if we can get back at it this evening.......  *



I was beginning to think Jake must be receiving the Order of Canada for you to be away so long  (goodness I hope you receive this with the sarcasm that it was written with and I also hope nothing was seriously wrong)

Looks like you had a great party. MNSSHP is definitely on my bucket list...so envious!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> You guys got a ton of stuff done! What a great night. Really good pictures too.
> 
> I agree about Pinocchio Haus. I don't mind those flatbreads if I am really hungry, but meh. I think the QS in the Disney Parks is not-so-great in general, so we usually do ADRs in the parks and then go cheap for our other meal of the day.



I will definitely never complain about Universal's counter service ever again (not that I would....we have always found it to be really good for theme park food).  In Pinnochio's defense, it did have the "cute" factor with being able to watch the riders in the boats for It's A Small World.  So it had one redeeming quality .



Callie said:


> This makes me really want to go back! We did it back in 2001, and then last year did the Christmas party...Now I want to do the Halloween again!



I would _*LOVE*_ to do the Christmas party some day.  We arrive one lousy day too late this year.....the last party is on the 18th, and we don't fly in until the 19th...but MVMCP is officially on our bucket list after having such a good time at their Halloween event  .



thr33boys said:


> I was beginning to think Jake must be receiving the Order of Canada for you to be away so long  (goodness I hope you receive this with the sarcasm that it was written with and I also hope nothing was seriously wrong)
> 
> Looks like you had a great party. MNSSHP is definitely on my bucket list...so envious!!



Ha ha!  Sadly, there was no Order of Canada being handed out ....just a freakishly busy weekend with Steve on 12 hour midnights and all sorts of wonky extra things cropping up (like helping my big bro shop for an engagement ring for his beloved.....he plans to pop the question on their Christmas trip to Tampa!!).

I hope a Halloween trip can be in your future sometime soon, and you don't have to wait until the kids are in college like we had to!!  I wish we had been able to take Jake to something like that when he was younger.....I will have to right that wrong with my grandbabies someday .  Steve is already talking about going back next year, so obviously it was a hit with him too!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Wednesday, October 14th*


After finally coming down from our MNSSHP excitement, we managed to enjoy a much-needed, restful slumber.  Our section of the resort was blissfully quiet, and we didn’t hear a peep from neighbouring guests all week, which on this morning allowed us to sleep quite a bit later than what we are normally accustomed to (I’m a hard core early-to-rise girl in particular, so “sleeping in” for me generally constitutes anything after 7 am!!! ).  We didn’t get up until after 9, and then enjoyed long showers and a leisurely breakfast in the villa before making our way to the Universal parking garage.


Plans for today called for the first portion of the day at Islands of Adventure before switching over to the Studios for Halloween Horror Nights.


We didn’t have any reservations for lunch on this particular day, so on our way through Port of Entry we stopped to book a noontime table for two at one of our favourite IOA establishments, Confisco Grill.  It was about 11:15 am at that point, so we had about 45 minutes or so before our seating time.  Neither one of us felt much like doing any rides just yet (we were still waking up after our late night!) so we strolled around a bit and enjoyed the gorgeous late-morning sun. 


We decided to head over to Marvel to see if we could meet up with Spiderman, as the interaction with him is always excellent.  We were surprised and delighted to find that there was a very short line for his meet-and-greet, so we hopped into the queue and were chatting away with our favourite Superhero (well, one of them anyway!! ) within just a few short minutes.







Spidey was chatty and personable and fun as always .  Steve wistfully remarked of how much fun it must be to work as a character at the parks….and vowed that someday he would be strolling Marvel Superhero Island as Dr. Doom (let’s just say he’s much too brawny to be wirey Spidey ).







Somehow, some way, after our session with Spiderman we ended up at the sledgehammer game just outside of the Marvel area .  Steve noted with broad grin that they had ANOTHER new minion hanging up and available to be won.


You can see where this is going .


For the record, I was the voice of reason.  _We have no more luggage space.  You have already won me two, I don’t need another.  Where am I going to put them all when (if?) I do manage to get them home?  Have I mentioned that we don’t have enough luggage space to accommodate another minion?_


_But it’s *TIM*, Gina.  You don’t have a Tim.  You *need *him, his friends need him.  We can’t leave him here._


One $5 bill, three swings of the hammer (just needed the first two, the third was just for fun) and up went a cheer from the small group that had stopped to watch.







Our minion haul had officially grown to 3, and packing to go home had just turned from a chore to veritable pain in the rump.  But yet….I was delighted nonetheless .  Go figure!


With Tim in tow, we returned to the front of the park to check in at Confisco.












The greeter confirmed our reservation, and we were quickly ushered to a booth in lovely quiet corner of the restaurant.  There were some minion cuddles happening .







It was fairly busy at Confisco's…..much more so than when we were there in May.  I do adore the décor in this restaurant.  Its casual and rustic and very much my style .







We ordered a pair of Coke Zeros to drink, and our server brought them out along with a complimentary basket of pitas with mystery spread:







As we nibbled away on the pitas, my cell phone rang and we were delighted to see it was Jake giving us a call.  We both took some time to chat with him individually, first me and then Steve.  We usually prefer a three-way chat via speaker phone, but that wasn’t an option right then with others dining around us.  He was eager to hear about our adventures at the Disney party, and we were eager to hear what he’d been up to over the last day or so.  I was missing my boy a little bit so this was a nice lunchtime surprise .  Tim sat patiently on the corner of our table as we talked, ate, and relaxed:







When our entrees arrived, we bid Jake adieu and promised to let him know all about HHN later that night.  He assured us he’d still be up at midnight and said to call him as we drove back to the resort, if we felt up to another chat.  


Ah, lunch .  It was absolutely delish .  Steve had the Confisco burger with cheese:







I had the BBQ pork sandwich (modified a tiny bit to have the coleslaw and onion straws on the side versus on the sandwich):







Two thumbs up all around on this meal…..once again, we were impressed with the quality and quantity of the food, the friendliness and efficiency of the service, and the overall atmosphere.  The pork was so tasty (and the sauce on the meat was some sort of peach barbecue sauce, and you could really taste the peachiness….but in a really nice way) and the corn on the cob was done perfectly and *so* flavourful.   Steve gave equally high marks to his burger and fries, and cleaned his plate (as well as helping me finish mine!!).


By mutual agreement, we opted out of dessert at Confisco’s since we had other plans for that .  We covered the bill ($31.02 including tax, excluding tip…..should have been lower, but our server erred in the discount with our AP’s and gave us the lower Preferred discount versus the one for the Premier passes….we didn’t bother to bring it to her attention) and then made our way to our immediate left:







Croissant Moon  .  We love it here .


After much consideration and a full perusal of the delicacies artfully arranged behind the long glass display cases, Steve opted for his personal favourite, the caramel cheesecake:







While they had so many new and different things that looked mouth-wateringly good, I too decided on a favourite that I rarely can find at any other bakery:  the delectable Napoleon bar:







So. Unbelievably. Marvelous .  For whatever reason, we’ve never found the staff here to be particularly friendly, but the sweet treats are so amazing that I would keep coming back regardless (not that they’re rude…..they just don’t seem to be up to the friendliness standards of the other workers within the park).   Total price for the two items was $8.41 including tax and our AP discount.


Stuffed full and on a bit of sugar high, we needed to walk off some of our dietary sins.  Seuss Landing was next on our agenda!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Seuss Landing was uncrowded and lovely in those mid-afternoon hours.  All of the rides were at either a 5 or 10 minute wait, so we got on each of them very quickly.  Starting with Cat in the Hat, we wound our way around and finished at the Trolley Train.  This one had the longest wait of the bunch, and even it wasn’t at the 10 minute projection:












We got a direct hit from one of those dang spitting fish , but my dear Steve turned himself into the spray of water to protect Tim from getting wet  (note he wasn't nearly as worried about ME getting a soaking ).  He ended up sporting a wet t-shirt for most of the afternoon as a result.  Thank goodness it was a nice, sunshiny day and perfect for air-drying .







We spent a good deal of time in the bookstore, pointing out each of our favourites from when we were children.  It was shocking how many stories we can still partly recite from memory, all these years later.   I bet I still have Jake's beloved copy of Green Eggs & Ham kicking around in a box somewhere in the basement.


Outside the bookstore, we happened upon the Cat in the Hat and Things 1 & 2.   The Things enjoyed a playful moment with Tim, tossing him back and forth to each other before the Cat intervened, then they all settled down just long enough for us to capture this photo:







We always find the Seuss Landing characters to be just a bundle of silly fun, perfect for the whole theme of that particular area .







While we lazily milled about, I noticed the Seuss topiaries for the first time.  I bet I walked right past them in May and didn’t even realize they were there.  Everything was turning brown and drying up at home, but the beautiful foliage was alive and well in sunny Florida!












We met up with “Guy” (I will admit, I had to ask a TM who this particular character was….I still have to look up and see which stories he is featured in!) and he took a particular shine to my big Steve.  He literally strode over, grabbed Steve by the hand, and started dancing with him right there in the middle of Seuss Landing.

















He told me if I posted these photos on Facebook, he would wring my neck.  He didn’t say anything about posting them here, but let’s just keep this our little secret anyway, okay?  


We also got a group photo with both Guy and Sam I Am.  There was no Photoconnect photographer there, but the awesome TM’s working with the characters were more than willing to use my camera for a good shot:







About this time, we decided it would be a good time to take Tim out to the car and secure him there for the balance of our day.  We sure as heck didn’t want to be carrying him around for the duration of HHN.  We enjoyed a lovely stroll through CityWalk which helped us feel far less guilty about our sweet indulgences at Croissant Moon a little earlier.  We were walking off all those calories....or at least, that was the theory .







With Tim safely stored in the trunk of the car (and our arms mercifully empty), we headed back to the parks and through the turnstiles at Universal Studios. Before we reached the gates, though, we noticed something very strange indeed....for the first time EVER, the surfboard wave in CityWalk didn’t have a soul standing on or around it.  This is the first and ONLY time we’ve ever seen that in all of our visits.  Every time we pass it, we always remark that we would get our photos on it if there wasn’t a huge line already waiting.  Its one of the only Universal "landmarks" we had yet to capture on camera..  We figured this was our once-in-a-vacation chance….so we stopped briefly to capture these:












We had just enough time to enjoy a few hours of daytime fun before the Studios transformed into something far more sinister and evil.  The carnage would be starting very, very soon……


----------



## Lynne G

yeah, when I got my funnel cake from Crescent Moon, the worker wasn't very friendly either.  However, the cake was delicious and a great use of one of my snack credit I had left.  

Yep, my kids still want to go to the Halloween Party.  Guess with the school calendars it's not happening.  Everyone is saying they made 2016 vacation plans.  Not me, I get that start around the end of January and will have a better idea of who's doing what and SW's air fare to consider.  And of course, with the older one going to college in the fall next year, my poor pocket book my not be so full for fun times.  We'll see.  Really enjoyed October, so hmmm, I'll have to keep that on the back burner.

Fun update.


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## BadgerGirl84

Thanks for sharing your MNSSHP feedback! It sounds like you had a great time! Is daily room cleaning standard at Vistiana? I've only stayed at WBC and they don't have it as standard there.


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## Mrs Doubtfire

We have been to MNSSHP but I am far too young to visit the scary Universal one...........


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## pepperandchips

I love all the photos! You're making me want to try universal next year!!! I'm just worried because I get very very motion sick on all simulator rides - it looks like you guys are having plenty of fun though and no simulators?! Can't wait for the Halloween horror nights details!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> yeah, when I got my funnel cake from Crescent Moon, the worker wasn't very friendly either.  However, the cake was delicious and a great use of one of my snack credit I had left.
> 
> Yep, my kids still want to go to the Halloween Party.  Guess with the school calendars it's not happening.  Everyone is saying they made 2016 vacation plans.  Not me, I get that start around the end of January and will have a better idea of who's doing what and SW's air fare to consider.  And of course, with the older one going to college in the fall next year, my poor pocket book my not be so full for fun times.  We'll see.  Really enjoyed October, so hmmm, I'll have to keep that on the back burner.
> 
> Fun update.



Ah yes, those dreaded college expenses.  I feel your pain!!     They definitely impact the vacation budget.   

Airfare is always the expense I worry about most.  We can always eat on a budget or even go with a resort-only vacation if money is tight (eliminating the need for expensive tickets) but we still have to get there.  I guess we _could_ drive there and back, but that truly would be a last resort.  We're just not big on road trips .  Fingers crossed that Southwest will come through for you with some awesome flight prices!



BadgerGirl84 said:


> Thanks for sharing your MNSSHP feedback! It sounds like you had a great time! Is daily room cleaning standard at Vistiana? I've only stayed at WBC and they don't have it as standard there.



As a timeshare owner, we get a mid-week tidy of the villa (they make the beds, take out the trash, replace the towels, do a light sweep/vacuum, etc.) but no daily housekeeping.  We could arrange for extra cleanings if desired, but we've never felt it necessary.   I actually like that no one is coming in and out every day......it feels more secure....and we've never felt that we "missed" anything by not having a daily cleaning.  We have no problem keeping the villa neat and orderly in between the check in and check out with the mid-week refresh.

That said, some of the booking methods DO include daily housekeeping.  When we booked our very first stay through Jetblue Vacations, daily housekeeping was part of the package.  Many of the "hotel" rates (nightly rates for a villa booked directly through Sheraton) come with daily housekeeping, though you can now trade that for a free breakfast for two at Zimmies if housekeeping isn't something you desire.  So it really depends on just exactly how you book as to whether or not your room will be refreshed on a daily basis.   Definitely not, though, for us timesharers.



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> We have been to MNSSHP but I am far too young to visit the scary Universal one...........



I will admit.....it was pretty terrrifying!!    But in a cool way, if that's possible .  It was interesting to me to see just how different Universal's Halloween event was as compared to Disney's.  I really appreciated the fact that neither was trying to copy the other.....in fact, they couldn't be more different if they tried.  I love it when the parks take their own individual direction....that's so good for the consumer!   Something for everyone .



pepperandchips said:


> I love all the photos! You're making me want to try universal next year!!! I'm just worried because I get very very motion sick on all simulator rides - it looks like you guys are having plenty of fun though and no simulators?! Can't wait for the Halloween horror nights details!



Simulators are a definite no-no for me, and I still find TONS to do at Universal.  You would have no problem with filling a couple of days even without the simulators factored in.   With the Harry Potter areas, the shows, the character meets, the non-simulator rides .... you might find you love it too!  I always suggest giving it a try once:  even if it turns out to be not your thing, you have at least had a new experience (and that's fun in itself!!).


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

When we arrived at Universal Studios, we noted that people were starting to get lined up for the afternoon Universal Superstar Parade.  We moved away from the more congested areas and found a quiet little spot on in Hollywood where we could sit and enjoy all the colourful floats and cheerful music as the parade wound its way slowly past.







It was HOT outside....probably our warmest day of the trip....and the sun was cooking us .  The parade characters were all dancing their hearts out...*so* much energy and enthusiasm, despite the temperature....and we commented that they must just be ready to drop by the time they headed back stage and the gates closed behind them.  I can't imagine how unbearable it must be for those team members in the summer months. 












You guessed it.....the Despicable Me float is my favourite, hands down!












Once the parade had concluded, we headed to ET for a couple of rides and then to Springfield for a spin on the Twirl ‘n Hurl.  By that point, it was time to head back to the front of the park.....it was late afternoon, and the park would be closing soon to regular day guests.   Our very first Halloween Horror Nights experience was about to get underway .







We would be kicking off our night of terror with the brand new Scareactor Dining Experience, a special event released just for HHN 25 and only offered on a handful of selected nights.

_*
Our "dinner with the damned" is next .*_


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## ArwenMarie

Love the Superstar Parade. You can't be in a bad mood when that is going by


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## KathyM2

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> There were some minion cuddles happening



So cute!! And awesome that he can win these so easily...but yeah...I'm not sure I'd have room for ONE of those guys in my luggage nevermind three...I'm interested to see how that went for you!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Seuss Landing was uncrowded and lovely in those mid-afternoon hours.



Wow, uncrowded...that's a word you don't hear often at parks!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You guessed it.....the Despicable Me float is my favourite, hands down!



Love this!!!


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## dixonsontour

I'm here and really enjoying it, only on page 6. Can't believe how much of your report you have done, I haven't even finishing unpacking after our trip yet.

We had the same man at the raptor encounter agree he was sooo into character. He told DH to be careful as raptor would attack an alpha male. I look terrified on our photos, I knew it wasn't real but it was so realistic.

Mythos was ok for us but DH had the same issue with the forgotton parmesan fries, how odd.

I love the photo of steve and his won pirate minion looks so pleased with himself.


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## Callie

Can we all borrow Steve to help us win those whack a prize games?


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## Callie

Also, I noticed our last two trips were right around your last two trips.
We went the first week of December 2014 and then again the second week of this May.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Love the Superstar Parade. You can't be in a bad mood when that is going by



Ain't that the truth!    Even just posting the photos, I have the songs running through my head!



KathyM2 said:


> So cute!! And awesome that he can win these so easily...but yeah...I'm not sure I'd have room for ONE of those guys in my luggage nevermind three...I'm interested to see how that went for you!



Oh....just wait....there's more to that story .



dixonsontour said:


> I'm here and really enjoying it, only on page 6. Can't believe how much of your report you have done, I haven't even finishing unpacking after our trip yet.
> 
> We had the same man at the raptor encounter agree he was sooo into character. He told DH to be careful as raptor would attack an alpha male. I look terrified on our photos, I knew it wasn't real but it was so realistic.
> 
> Mythos was ok for us but DH had the same issue with the forgotton parmesan fries, how odd.
> 
> I love the photo of steve and his won pirate minion looks so pleased with himself.



I have been trying to get through this report so I can focus on our December trip....its roaring up on us so fast!!  If I don't finish this October report before we leave on our next adventure, I'll never get the darn thing done  .

I loved how "real" that Raptor Encounter seemed, too.  Universal has done just a SUPERB job on that new park attraction .



Callie said:


> Can we all borrow Steve to help us win those whack a prize games?



Hee hee....he's for rent.  He works for Butterbeer .



Callie said:


> Also, I noticed our last two trips were right around your last two trips.
> We went the first week of December 2014 and then again the second week of this May.



2014 for us was the last two weeks of August.  December was in 2012 and then again this year, but we were there in May 2015 just the week before you!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sorry everyone....meant to get to this entry sooner, but Steve ended up at the hospital for most of the day (nothing serious, he’s going to be fine) and my day just got totally turned upside down as a result.  Better late than never!*


We made our way over to Monsters Cafe to check-in for our Scareactor Dining Experience.  This special event, being held for the first time at HHN 25, was only being offered on a small selection of dates (6 nights total, if I remember correctly, and all but two were in September) so we were completely delighted when we found out that October 14th was one of them.  You had to be either a pass member or have an RIP tour booked in order to be able to purchase tickets.  We qualified on both fronts, and quickly reserved our spaces when the event details were released.  The price was $49.99 per person, plus tax.....steep, yes, but it seemed like it had the potential to be a cool experience so we figured, what the heck?  







Check in was handled very well.  They verified that each person had both an HHN ticket for that evening as well as their ticket to the dinner, crossed-referenced us on a master list, and we were escorted inside just a few minutes later.   I want to give a huge shout out to ALL the staff involved in this specific special event:  they were quite possibly the friendliest, most delightful bunch of park employees that we’ve ever encountered.  Everyone from the greeters to the buffet servers were so sincerely welcoming, it was truly a great experience.


One of the inclusions of the dinner was a free Photo Connect download of one of the pictures taken with the Scareactors.  Before being escorted to the buffet line to make our dinner selections, we stopped to have a photo taken with The Caretaker , who was stationed near the entrance door for this purpose:







He was a quiet fellow, rather an introvert....he didn’t have much to say.  Creeeepy .


From there, we were directed to the line up for the buffet.  We were trying to remember what food items were on the menu when a TM came through the line with these handy dandy cards that listed all the buffet choices on the back:












These would have made just the most *awesome* souvenirs.  They were super well made....not cardstock, much heavier and sturdier....and I jokingly asked one of the TM’s if I could keep one.  She laughed and said I wasn’t the first one to ask that very question!!  (but the answer was still no  ...  )







They had an abundance of servers behind the buffet that were serving up the foods you selected onto your plate.   Being a fussy kind of gal, I really appreciated that they took the time to ask if I wanted certain things all on one plate together, or if there was anything I wanted kept separate.   The food smelled delicious and looked equally yummy, and the servers were generous with their portions (giving you as much or as little as you wanted).  They reminded us we could come back up for seconds (or thirds, or fourths) of our favourites, desserts included.


Steve’s tray:








My tray:







The menu included 6-7 different types of salads (spring mix, romaine, pasta, etc.), rosemary pork, beef striploin, rotisserie chicken, chicken marsala , gravy, hot pasta (it was vegetarian, if I remember correctly), corn on the cob, broccoli, rice pilaf, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, 2 "warm" desserts: peach cobbler & banana chocolate bread pudding (both served with ice cream) and 3 "cold" desserts: chocolate layer cake, strawberry cheesecake, and key lime pie.  A really nice selection of choices (something for literally every taste), and we enjoyed it all.  Unlimited fountain beverages were also included and provided.


We sat down to eat, and it wasn’t long before the creepy assortment of Scareactors started making their way from table to table.  In addition to The Caretaker (who they rotated out of the entranceway and into the restaurant from time to time), we also got a chance to get up close and personal with the Pumpkin Man (who proceeded to try and choke the life out of us with his deadly vines ):












The Body Collector was skulking silently about, wearing his bloody apron from his most recent endeavours :












There was a chainsaw-wielding clown in attendance (and yes, that chainsaw worked ....she ran it continually!!):












But our hands-down favourite was The Usher.  This guy was _incredible_  .







The Caretaker spoke very little (which was absolutely true to his character).  The Pumpkin Man and Body Collector didn’t talk at all.  The Chainsaw Clown was quite entertaining and engaging, but The Usher was in a whole league all his own.   We had the most awesome (though unsettling) conversation with this fellow, who made a point of telling Steve that what he thought was beef on his plate was actually Richard, his most recent victim .  He assured us that the meat should be tender, because “quite honestly, he was a little soft” . 


The Usher truly made the meal for us.  One of my favourite moments of the entire night!


There was apparently also a sixth Scareactor who was in attendance at the meal, but we didn’t spot him until we were literally walking out the door....and considering we got individual time with five of them, we didn’t bother trying to track down the final fellow.  Between the great food and the fantastic character interaction (plus the Photo Connect pics....have a Photo Connect AP, we got them all on our Star Card, and not just the freebies) we felt very much like we had got our money’s worth.


*Our HHN night was just getting started....much more to come!*


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## Callie

Ok, that is why I thought that. I saw you posting in the May Car Rental Thread, and went and read your December review from a few years ago!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After we had finished at the Scareacter Dining Experience, we grabbed a comfy chair in the holding area just outside the restaurant doors to soak up some of that wonderful late-autumn weather while we waited for the park to officially open to HHN guests.  It wasn’t very long before we were given the “all clear” to return to the park….perhaps 15 minutes?....and we were off to explore the various scare zones until it was time to check in for our RIP Tour.







Since we were already in that general area, ae headed into the *Psychoscareapy:  Unleashed* scare zone first, which was in the New York area of the park.   This area was described as:  _“The criminally insane inmates of Shadybrooke Asylum have escaped and unleashed their horror onto a Halloween block party in the streets of New York. Come join the party goers as the inmates kill for the best Halloween costumes for their very own special costume contest where you will be the judge.”_


We were pretty sure that some of the HHN props wouldn’t look so innocuous after dark .












This ambulance had “crashed” and billowed smoke throughout the event:





…..and this police car lay abandoned as well, with lights flashing continuously throughout the night (I am pretty sure the sirens rang out sporadically too):







We were just nearing the end of the street when we saw this group emerging from the backstage area…







This were about to get a little (okay, a LOT!  ) more unnerving.  The Scareactors had officially been released .


They wasted no time in commencing their eerie interaction with park guests.  It was not exactly terrifying in the daylight, but it could definitely be unnerving.  They tended to find their way up behind you, very quietly, and as soon as you turned…..wham!  There they were.  Literally THIS CLOSE to your face:







And sometimes with a chainsaw or axe in hand.







Steve was just gobsmacked at the age of the above Scareactor.  His eyes almost fell out of his head when he realized that yes, that was a genuine senior citizen and not someone made up to just look like one.  He kept saying to me……_Can you imagine your mom doing this?  Being a Scareactor at Halloween Horror Nights? _ Um, no .  Definitely not my soft, loveable, tender-hearted Momma.












The Halloween décor on the buildings within the park was minimal, but it was there and it “fit” just perfectly .







Some had some very subtle spooky touches.  I loved this wreath in particular.







Our creepy meter was just getting warmed up.  There was still the balance of the park to explore as the sun grew lower and lower in the sky.
_*
Another scare zone is up next!!  *_


----------



## JaxDad

okay!  This is starting to look really cool!  I can definitely see bringing my kids to this when they get a little older!  Great pics Gina!  And great TR so far, as always!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>


How nice...you had dinner with my in-laws


----------



## 1tripandIfell

I am excited to read your review on the HHN! This is something I am thinking I must do with my 16 yr old DS!!! He would absolutely love this!


----------



## bankr63

Well I hope Steve didn't pull his HammerSwingCep to land in the hospital!  I might want take him up on a butterbeer, but for a lesson.  I'm about his size, (6'3", 250, and in my 50's I still lift weights 3x per week) and don't think I could ring that bell that consistently, if at all.  Figure I may need some tips from a pro...

In all seriousness though, I hope the big guy makes a speedy recovery from whatever landed him there!


----------



## KathyM2

OMG that party looked AWESOME!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Scareacter Dining Experience



The food looked great too!! Too bad the requirements seem pretty tough to be able to even be eligible for tickets!!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Definitely not my soft, loveable, tender-hearted Momma.



Funny, I think my mom would totally do this lol


----------



## BadgerGirl84

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your husband! Glad he is doing okay. 

I can't wait to read the rest of your HHN review. I would really love to see it one day, because I love over-the-top themed stuff, but I'm such a chicken when it comes to scary things. I don't watch scary movies or go to any local haunted houses--no way. I will probably just live vicariously through reviews...


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

JaxDad said:


> okay!  This is starting to look really cool!  I can definitely see bringing my kids to this when they get a little older!  Great pics Gina!  And great TR so far, as always!



Thanks, my friend!  

If really was a great event.....sooooo different than MNSSHP, but equally as well done.  I'm betting your kiddos will love it once they hit their teens .  I know we commented all night long that Jake would have been absolutely blown away by HHN.  



dancin Disney style said:


> How nice...you had dinner with my in-laws



  



1tripandIfell said:


> I am excited to read your review on the HHN! This is something I am thinking I must do with my 16 yr old DS!!! He would absolutely love this!



I would totally recommend it  .  I am not ashamed to admit that I grew rather anxious about the event as our trip got closer and closer....but despite the fact that it really was ridiculously scary, I had a GREAT time.  I'd totally do it again.  And for teen boys?  They'd eat it up.



bankr63 said:


> Well I hope Steve didn't pull his HammerSwingCep to land in the hospital!  I might want take him up on a butterbeer, but for a lesson.  I'm about his size, (6'3", 250, and in my 50's I still lift weights 3x per week) and don't think I could ring that bell that consistently, if at all.  Figure I may need some tips from a pro...
> 
> In all seriousness though, I hope the big guy makes a speedy recovery from whatever landed him there!



Thanks for the well wishes for my Steve-o, I will be sure to pass 'em along.  He was at our family doc today for a follow up, and they're getting him all fixed right up.   We've got no time to waste.....just 36 days until we're on our way back to our favourite place on earth, and we need him to be feeling 100%!

He says to tell you he'd be happy to share his winning secrets on the sledgehammer game.  Apparently there is a definite methodology that seems to work (or so he has convinced himself).   We'll have to get you two chatting before your next pilgrimage to Universal.



KathyM2 said:


> OMG that party looked AWESOME!
> 
> The food looked great too!! Too bad the requirements seem pretty tough to be able to even be eligible for tickets!!
> 
> Funny, I think my mom would totally do this lol



I think the fact that there were so few of the Scareactor Dining Experiences made them wildly popular, so they had to put restrictions for tickets in place to thin out eligibility and interest to something more manageable.  We got a survey after we came home that asked for some very specific feedback on the event, and it sure sounded like they were considering making it a more regular thing for upcoming HHN's.   I think it would be great if they offered it on every HHN night.....I'd bet they'd still sell out (assuming tix were extended to the general public too) and surely they would make a killing (pardon the pun) at $50 a head.



BadgerGirl84 said:


> Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your husband! Glad he is doing okay.
> 
> I can't wait to read the rest of your HHN review. I would really love to see it one day, because I love over-the-top themed stuff, but I'm such a chicken when it comes to scary things. I don't watch scary movies or go to any local haunted houses--no way. I will probably just live vicariously through reviews...



Ha!  You sound like me!  But even as the World's Biggest Scaredy Cat, I had a great time.  Truly a unique (albeit totally unnerving) experience!


----------



## Lynne G

Great pictures, and glad to hear Steve is doing okay.  Wow, the December trip is coming up soon!  

While Mickey was fun and cute, I was amazed at the details Universal did for Halloween.  I hope you said the meal was too expensive!


----------



## dancin Disney style

bankr63 said:


> Well I hope Steve didn't pull his HammerSwingCep to land in the hospital!  I might want take him up on a butterbeer, but for a lesson.  I'm about his size, (6'3", 250, and in my 50's I still lift weights 3x per week) and don't think I could ring that bell that consistently, if at all.  Figure I may need some tips from a pro...
> 
> In all seriousness though, I hope the big guy makes a speedy recovery from whatever landed him there!





Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> He says to tell you he'd be happy to share his winning secrets on the sledgehammer game.  Apparently there is a definite methodology that seems to work (or so he has convinced himself).   We'll have to get you two chatting before your next pilgrimage to Universal.


The secret is out....it's all about emptying your pockets.  Therefore, the true secret....it's all about the wife!!!!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Great pictures, and glad to hear Steve is doing okay.  Wow, the December trip is coming up soon!
> 
> While Mickey was fun and cute, I was amazed at the details Universal did for Halloween.  I hope you said the meal was too expensive!



Yep, I did give feedback that we thought the price was a tad elevated. I mean, it is on par with Disney character dinners I guess.....but certainly it would be cost prohibitive for many families.   Universal dining is generally much more reasonable, price wise, than their Disney counterparts and I don't want to see that change.  I was hard pressed to offer any criticism on any other aspect of the meal.



dancin Disney style said:


> The secret is out....it's all about emptying your pockets.  Therefore, the true secret....*it's all about the wife!!!!!*



I do like to think of myself as his good luck charm  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

From the Psychoscareapy scare zone, we walked down toward the front of the park, and passed this fellow near Despicable Me:







He had been standing still for so long as we approached, I thought at first it was a statue that they had put into place….but then he moved .  I cannot imagine how *hot* it must have been inside that suit……the sun had started to set but it was still VERY warm in the early evening.


The next section we visited was the Icons of HHN scare zone.  This specific scare zone is set up with small stages for many of the event’s past icons.  There were various scareactors roaming the streets around the stages…..and throughout the night, at regular intervals, you could see one of the icons do a “live kill” on their stage.  We didn’t see anyone massacred as we went through at this early hour, but we caught the Usher’s kill after our tour later in the night (and a different one during the tour itself).  We saw these scareactors skulking about, though:
































Heading out of the HHN 25 scare zone, we made our way toward Springfield and through the Evil’s Roots scare zone.  The Universal Orlando Blog describes it like this:  _“*Evil’s Roots — *It’s time to be immersed in Halloween’s most evil traditions in the scare zone located in Central Park. Here you’ll find the event’s traditional jack-o-lanterns in the air as you encounter evil fairies, humanoid bats, scarecrows and more. Think “Grown Evil” from 2011 but on a whole ‘nother level!”_


There was a TON of fog already being pumped into this area, so even though it wasn’t dark, it was still difficult to see in places.  The scareactors here were really, REALLY good at jumping out at people as a result (plus, there were multiple barrels and wooden boxes lining the narrow walkway, so there were a plethora of hiding places in addition to the misty, foggy air).  There were many frightened screams and shrieks ringing out as we walked through (yep, a couple of them from yours truly ) and while the scareactors never actually physically touched you, they came really, REALLY close!!! 

The smokiness in my pics are the result of the fog…..I think it made for a nice effect in the photos.












We didn’t want to stray too terribly far from the park entrance at this point, as it was nearing our check-in time for the RIP Tour.  We decided to head back through the scare zones and perhaps grab a beverage to enjoy while we waited.  Steve opted to have one of the drinks from the HHN bars which were strategically set up throughout the park, and ordered himself a Long Island Iced Tea.  They asked him if he wanted it in a souvenir cup, and he declined…..then poured it in a souvenir cup anyway .  When they realized their mistake, he offered to pay for both the drink and cup, but they smiled and told him the souvenir cup was on the house.   He tipped extra well to make up for it  .







You can’t tell in the photo, but the cup lights up and/or flashes (it has a couple of different settings depending on how annoying you want it to be ).  It was a nice little keepsake from the event, anyway, and the cup is surprisingly well made (the flashing mechanism is all nicely sealed on the bottom to protect it from washing).


At 6:45 sharp, we made our way to the VIP Lounge to check in for our 7:15 pm tour.  We were given our RIP lanyards, provided with cards to identify our specific group (we were “Walker”), and then directed to relax and mingle while we waited for our tour to depart.   There was a full service bar in the lounge, and a lovely balcony with chairs and a view of the park entrance if you would rather sit in the open air.  We found a seat at one of the large round tables, and chatted it up with some of the other guests also awaiting the commencement of their tour.







Turns out we met some other folks from Canada (Oshawa, specifically) and one of them had parents that live in a little obscure village just north of our city.   It’s a Small World After All! (whoops, wrong park!! )


Our tour guide, Zack, made his rounds (all dressed in the RIP “uniform” which consisted of hospital scrubs) to greet us all individually and introduce himself.  He pointed out the location of the washrooms in the lounge and encouraged us all to make a pause for the cause before we headed out into the night.  I am guessing he didn’t want any of his charges peeing their pants at the first big scare .


Zack gathered us all together, and with his pumpkin light guiding us into the darkness, we were off.  God help us .


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Turns out we met some other folks from Canada (Oshawa, specifically) and one of them had parents that live in a little obscure village just north of our city.   It’s a Small World After All! (whoops, wrong park!! )


Tweed's not an obscure little village.  Everyone knows that Elvis is alive and well and living in Tweed!  No? Corbyville, the original home Corby Distilleries that went on to become Seagrams?  Ivanhoe or Roslyn - two of Ontario's best cheese factories? There's lots to distinguish small town Ontario!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> Tweed's not an obscure little village.  Everyone knows that Elvis is alive and well and living in Tweed!  No? Corbyville, the original home Corby Distilleries that went on to become Seagrams?  Ivanhoe or Roslyn - two of Ontario's best cheese factories? There's lots to distinguish small town Ontario!



Soooo close.  But you missed it by a hair.

Ever heard of Foxboro?   They don't have Elvis, beer or cheese....but they DO have a Foodland .


----------



## ArwenMarie

Only 36 days til your next trip? You guys are having the best travel year!


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Soooo close.  But you missed it by a hair.
> 
> Ever heard of Foxboro?   They don't have Elvis, beer or cheese....but they DO have a Foodland .


Yes of course!  That is a pretty small whistle-stop but yes it does have a Fooland too!  Sorry for the name correction, but the Foodland store in Buckhorn ON had a burned out letter for months, and has been known by our family as Fooland ever since...

ETA - yup checked the old Wicked Pedia and there is absolutely nothing of substance or notoriety to say about this community.  Sorry Foxboro.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Only 36 days til your next trip? You guys are having the best travel year!



It has been very special indeed .  Always so grateful for the opportunities.....you never know when life will throw a curveball and that will be it for a while.



bankr63 said:


> Yes of course!  That is a pretty small whistle-stop but yes it does have a Fooland too!  Sorry for the name correction, but the Foodland store in Buckhorn ON had a burned out letter for months, and has been known by our family as Fooland ever since...
> 
> ETA - yup checked the old Wicked Pedia and there is absolutely nothing of substance or notoriety to say about this community.  Sorry Foxboro.



Sadly, their only claim to fame is that all the good folks that live there ended up with waterfront properties in spring of 2014....but not the kind with a dock and a picturesque view.  The kind where all of a sudden your nice little bungalow is afloat like a bathtub toy .

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...looding-hits-eastern-ontario/article18054416/


----------



## samsteele

Foxboro is practically the twin sister of nearby Stirling and they have the Water Buffalo Food Festival. Yep, they make more incredible cheese from water buffalo milk. Not kidding. Really. I live and work in nearby Belleville so these are my people 

Loving your report! And living vicariously and dangerously through your Horror Nights step by step production. I can say with all honesty that I will never, ever do that. If someone jumped out at me with a chainsaw and screamed I would need new undies. Or they would. Whatever way it shook down, it wouldn't be pretty for anybody.  So this is an incredible treat to get a front row seat without having a skin in the game. Literally


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I do like to think of myself as his good luck charm  .



Noooooo....it's because you hold his stuff.   

No wife holding the stuff=no prize


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>


OMG.....Elvis is alive!!!!  and he photobombed the guy on stilts


----------



## bankr63

Lookee here Dancin'; I have an ex-wife who has done an excellent job of emptying my pockets, and she has not brought me any luck whatsoever. But you are right because A+ can hold my stuff anytime and that will certainly ring a bell!

And that can't be Elvis in the picture - I told you he lives in Tweed ON, about 20 minutes north of Gina.  Oh, wait, maybe Gina brought him along...


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

samsteele said:


> Foxboro is practically the twin sister of nearby Stirling and they have the Water Buffalo Food Festival. Yep, they make more incredible cheese from water buffalo milk. Not kidding. Really. I live and work in nearby Belleville so these are my people
> 
> Loving your report! And living vicariously and dangerously through your Horror Nights step by step production. I can say with all honesty that I will never, ever do that. If someone jumped out at me with a chainsaw and screamed I would need new undies. Or they would. Whatever way it shook down, it wouldn't be pretty for anybody.  So this is an incredible treat to get a front row seat without having a skin in the game. Literally



Well, well samsteele.....I happen to be a fellow Bellevegas resident.  Perhaps we're neighbours and don't even know it .  Do you live on the east end of the city, or the west?   I work in the downtown core, in the only building in the city with an escalator.  You know you live in a small town when..... .

There were indeed a few times I thought I'd need new undies, too, before the night was over .  I'm sure Steve sported more than a few bruise marks from my fingers digging into him!!



dancin Disney style said:


> Noooooo....it's because you hold his stuff.
> 
> *No wife holding the stuff=no prize*



Oh no.....she had to go there.... .



dancin Disney style said:


> OMG.....Elvis is alive!!!!  and he photobombed the guy on stilts



Huh?  I have to go back and check out that picture more carefully..... .



bankr63 said:


> Lookee here Dancin'; I have an ex-wife who has done an excellent job of emptying my pockets, and she has not brought me any luck whatsoever. *But you are right because A+ can hold my stuff anytime and that will certainly ring a bell!*



And this trip report has just been assessed a PG13 rating  .   For the record, dancin Disney style started it, though  .



bankr63 said:


> And that can't be Elvis in the picture - I told you he lives in Tweed ON, about 20 minutes north of Gina.  Oh, wait, maybe Gina brought him along...



True fact.  He's spotted there regularly.  I hear he likes frequenting the Tim Hortons  .


----------



## Callie

Catching up, hope Steve is feeling better!
Looking forward to hearing about the tour.
I hear the comment about costumes and the TM's having to be hot. During my internship, I had to dress up twice as a furry character. I even got to be inside, in a museum, and I was dying. The worst thing is every time you take a breathe, all your hot air blows right up back into your face. We thankfully had "fans" but all they did was help circulate the breathe air down a bit. No cooling at all!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Oh no.....she had to go there.... .
> 
> 
> 
> And this trip report has just been assessed a PG13 rating  .   For the record, dancin Disney style started it, though  .
> 
> 
> 
> True fact.  He's spotted there regularly.  I hear he likes frequenting the Tim Hortons  .



For once, and only once, I am truly innocent of all charges.  I was talking about stuff such as phone, wallet etc.   If I meant junk, I would have said junk.   Stuff and junk are two totally different things.   Then on the topic of ringing bells.....well hey  

Elvis does not live in Tweed.  I've been to Tweed many, many times and never saw him there.   He does however, live in Bracebridge and he works at Santa's Village.   My dad knows Santa and he said so.   He also said that Elvis' favourite hang out is in Sundridge at the Blue Roof.


----------



## dancin Disney style

bankr63 said:


> Lookee here Dancin'; I have an ex-wife who has done an excellent job of emptying my pockets, and she has not brought me any luck whatsoever. But you are right because A+ can hold my stuff anytime and that will certainly ring a bell!


Proof that I didn't start it .....for once


----------



## samsteele

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Well, well samsteele.....I happen to be a fellow Bellevegas resident. Perhaps we're neighbours and don't even know it . Do you live on the east end of the city, or the west? I work in the downtown core, in the only building in the city with an escalator. You know you live in a small town when..... .


I'm in the east end. Spent the morning putting up my Christmas lights. Gotta make hay while the sun shines. Nothing worse than up on a ladder stringing lights in the freezing rain. Been there, done that. Two DIS nuts in 1 little Canadian city. Who have thunk it?


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Enjoying your updates of the Halloween party Gina. hope all is well at home and Steve will be in tip top form for December


----------



## bankr63

Well, the only time I have actually seen Elvis was at Voyageur Provincial Park (Ontario/Quebec border).  And Michael Jackson was driving the car.  I kid you not!


----------



## dancin Disney style

For sure....MJ loves Poutine


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Callie said:


> Catching up, hope Steve is feeling better!
> Looking forward to hearing about the tour.
> I hear the comment about costumes and the TM's having to be hot. During my internship, I had to dress up twice as a furry character. I even got to be inside, in a museum, and I was dying. The worst thing is every time you take a breathe, all your hot air blows right up back into your face. We thankfully had "fans" but all they did was help circulate the breathe air down a bit. No cooling at all!



He has been feeling pretty decent this weekend .  Thank you so much for asking!  We're hoping he is officially on the mend.



dancin Disney style said:


> For once, and only once, I am truly innocent of all charges.  I was talking about stuff such as phone, wallet etc.   If I meant junk, I would have said junk.   Stuff and junk are two totally different things.   Then on the topic of ringing bells.....well hey
> 
> Elvis does not live in Tweed.  I've been to Tweed many, many times and never saw him there.   He does however, live in Bracebridge and he works at Santa's Village.   My dad knows Santa and he said so.   He also said that Elvis' favourite hang out is in Sundridge at the Blue Roof.





dancin Disney style said:


> Proof that I didn't start it .....for once



Hmmm.....I am not sure I believe your innocence claims.  I think you and bankr63 are in collaboration .

Your dad knows Santa?   Was that out of necessity, to negotiate getting you off the naughty list every year?  



samsteele said:


> I'm in the east end. Spent the morning putting up my Christmas lights. Gotta make hay while the sun shines. Nothing worse than up on a ladder stringing lights in the freezing rain. Been there, done that. Two DIS nuts in 1 little Canadian city. Who have thunk it?



Good grief, it is a small world.  We're east-enders as well.  I'll have a couple of 5' Christmas minions in my front yard within the week.  If you happen to spot my house (we're east of the Bayview Mall....so all the way on the far end of the city) do stop in and say hello!!



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Enjoying your updates of the Halloween party Gina. hope all is well at home and Steve will be in tip top form for December



Aw, thank you!  They have run a battery of tests to rule out anything nefarious (to be on the safe side) but all has turned up OK so far.  It's good to be cautious, though, just in case!



bankr63 said:


> Well, the only time I have actually seen Elvis was at Voyageur Provincial Park (Ontario/Quebec border).  And Michael Jackson was driving the car.  I kid you not!



Why am I not surprised?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Sorry about the lack of updates this weekend.....its been a busy one so far, with another busy day on deck for today.  It's my birthday weekend (I turn 29 for the 13th time tomorrow) so we've been enjoying some festivities to celebrate.   I have to share my cake pic from yesterday, courtesy of old friends.  It was so adorable, I almost hated to see them cut it apart (but OMG, was it good!!):





Today is the Santa Claus parade in our city, so as per Gina's Birthday Tradition, we'll be watching the parade and then enjoying dinner with my mom, Jake, Sunshine, and Steve's parents along for the fun.  I'll try and get another entry posted sometime before the end of the night, but in case that doesn't materialize, I will apologize now  .

On another happy note....I found out today on another thread here on the boards that SeaWorld will be offering their annual passes "buy one, get one free" on Black Friday again this year!!  Happy dance for me!!!    With our dreadful dollar right now, this was the news I had been so desperately hoping for.  That means we'll be enjoying SeaWorld on Christmas Day this year after all  .  

I hope you all are enjoying a spectacular weekend  .


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hmmm.....I am not sure I believe your innocence claims.  I think you and bankr63 are in collaboration .
> 
> Your dad knows Santa?   Was that out of necessity, to negotiate getting you off the naughty list every year?


Collaboration....can not comment

I grew up in the north....Santa was our neighbour.  Actually, no joke on that one.  We lived in Bracebridge until I was about 10 and Santa did in fact live on my street....Santa's Village Santa.   My dad reno'd his house. He lived as Santa full time/year round.  Very cool guy.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Sorry about the lack of updates this weekend.....its been a busy one so far, with another busy day on deck for today.  It's my birthday weekend (I turn 29 for the 13th time tomorrow) so we've been enjoying some festivities to celebrate.   I have to share my cake pic from yesterday, courtesy of old friends.  It was so adorable, I almost hated to see them cut it apart (but OMG, was it good!!):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today is the Santa Claus parade in our city, so as per Gina's Birthday Tradition, we'll be watching the parade and then enjoying dinner with my mom, Jake, Sunshine, and Steve's parents along for the fun.  I'll try and get another entry posted sometime before the end of the night, but in case that doesn't materialize, I will apologize now  .
> 
> On another happy note....I found out today on another thread here on the boards that SeaWorld will be offering their annual passes "buy one, get one free" on Black Friday again this year!!  Happy dance for me!!!    With our dreadful dollar right now, this was the news I had been so desperately hoping for.  That means we'll be enjoying SeaWorld on Christmas Day this year after all  .
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying a spectacular weekend  .


That is an awesome cake!  Someone has skills.   

Happy 29th Birthday....again!!!!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> Collaboration....can not comment
> 
> I grew up in the north....Santa was our neighbour.  Actually, no joke on that one.  We lived in Bracebridge until I was about 10 and Santa did in fact live on my street....Santa's Village Santa.   *My dad reno'd his house.* He lived as Santa full time/year round.  Very cool guy.



And here I thought they had elves for that  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> That is an awesome cake!  Someone has skills.
> 
> Happy 29th Birthday....again!!!!!



It was gorgeous....and tasted equally as amazing.  I can't imagine how much time went into preparing that.  I got the lady's name from my BFF....I will be using her for birthday cakes in the future, that's for sure  .

Thank you for the birthday wishes .  I am still enjoying one last day of being 28 again (or 29 still?).  Let's not rush the getting older thing, right?  

PS....if you tell me you're younger than me, I am going to have to hate you. Just a little.


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> And here I thought they had elves for that  .


My dad did have a green shirt and pointy shoes back then......I just thought that was the fashion.


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> It was gorgeous....and tasted equally as amazing.  I can't imagine how much time went into preparing that.  I got the lady's name from my BFF....I will be using her for birthday cakes in the future, that's for sure  .
> 
> Thank you for the birthday wishes .  I am still enjoying one last day of being 28 again (or 29 still?).  Let's not rush the getting older thing, right?
> 
> PS....if you tell me you're younger than me, I am going to have to hate you. Just a little.


No, I'm older.   That's my gift to you!    You are nippin' at my heals though.


----------



## KathyM2

Wow, BOGO on SeaWorld AP's? How awesome!! Love your updates! That HHN looks like a lot of fun!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KathyM2 said:


> Wow, BOGO on SeaWorld AP's? How awesome!! Love your updates! That HHN looks like a lot of fun!!



Thank you!!   It was indeed a most spectacular (and freakishly scary) night.  The full report is coming up next!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Our RIP Tour guaranteed that we would get front of the line access to all 9 houses, time in each of the scare zones, reserved seating at Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure, and Express Pass for all rides following the conclusion of the tour.  It was going to be a super busy night (with a projected time completion of about 4 hours for the tour inclusions), so Zack wasted no time in getting our group of 12 on its way at precisely 7:15 pm.


Due to the nature of the tour, the restrictions on photography and videography in the houses, and my sheer terror at the whole premise of the event.....my camera remained safely stowed in my purse backpack for the duration of the night.  That means we have precious few photos of the tour itself, so I’ll make my apologies for that now.  I wouldn’t have carried my phone or camera in hand if my life depended on it.....I needed those hands to clutch tightly to Steve as we made our way slowly through each dark, bloody, terrifying house .


Zack stopped our group just prior to arriving at each house, and gave us each a little back story on the history and theme as well as some neat trivia.... which was a really nice touch.   He was super knowledgeable about each of the movies on which they were based, and how they factored into the 25 year history of HHN.  It was much more than just “here we are at ______ House, let’s go”.  When we approached the entrance to each house, we literally received immediate admission (past the hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of people in both the standby and Express lines).....a TM would close off the regular line entrances, admit our group of 13 (the guide went through with us, generally first but sometimes last) and then re-open to the standby and Express guests.  This was particularly good for me because I didn’t have time to stop and fret before each one, I was tossed in immediately!! 


I am happy to report that despite my Halloweenie status, I survived 8 of the 9 houses and quite enjoyed them all.  The only one I didn’t do was the Asylum in Wonderland house, due to the lighting effects employed in the house.   My brain tumour of years passed has left me with a sensitivity to strobe lights in particular, and this house was billed as being extremely trippy....and considering this was our very first house of the night, I didn’t want to start off with either a migraine or seizure.  Zack, our guide, hung out with me at the exit of the house while we waited for the balance of our group, and we had a great little chat while the others went through.  Steve (who had wanted to wait with me outside, but whom I flatly refused to allow to do so....I was not raining on his Horror Parade!) emerged a short while later, and told me I had made a very, VERY good decision to skip it.....the lights would have killed me.  So, it was a smart call after all.


I will admit....those first couple of houses were tough for this big chicken.  Like *terrifyingly scary *.  I had no idea what to expect....I had never been through a haunted house in my life.....and OMG, they were realistic.  Definitely not for the faint of heart, and just as detailed and frightening as they were billed.   As we moved on, though, I really did get into it, and as much as I was having the CRAP scared out of me _(spoiler alert, the scares sometimes don’t end as you exit the houses.....more than once, a chainsaw-wielding creapazoid got me right as I was heaving a huge “I survived!” sigh of relief in the walkway leading away from the house, much to the delight of our little tour group),_ it started to get rather fun.


Our two favourite houses:  easily Insidious and the Purge.  We have both seen both movies, so that’s probably why.  The Body Collectors house was our #3.  The only one we were a bit disappointed in was the American Werewolf in London.....it was just “meh”.  It seemed to be missing something that the other houses had, though I’m really not sure what.


We made regular breaks in various non-public VIP areas for bathroom stops and “refreshments”.  One such stop was at Men in Black....the exclusive “Immigration Tour” that had us chilling with the aliens alongside our own private bar:






















We were also exceedingly thankful for the mid-tour stop at the Bill and Ted show.  Our legs were starting to feel crazily rubbery, and sitting down was marvellous.  Our seats were dead-centre to the stage, just a few rows from the floor, and absolutely perfect.  There was no photography allowed during the show, so all I could capture here was a pre-show picture of the stage:







The show?  Well, it was awesomely put together, very high-energy, and super entertaining.....but a tad risqué (definitely PG13) and not really my style.  I didn’t get some of the pop culture references, so that definitely affected my overall enjoyment.  That said, don’t take my comments as negative, as it was indeed a very entertaining production.  The seating area was packed full and we were extremely grateful for the front-and-centre view.  It was also a nice touch that the actors all hung out at the exit so you could get photos or chat with them on your way out.....I love that Universal does that .


It was just before 11:30 pm when we concluded our final house, The American Werewolf in London.  Once the tour was officially considered ‘over’, we tipped our guide and were released into the park with our RIP credentials allowing us front-of-the-line access to all participating rides and attractions.  By this time, however, we’d been in the park for more than 12 hours......and our legs were literally numb.  Not achy, not sore.....almost the “we can hardly feel them anymore” point.  While we would have LOVED to hang out in Diagon Alley or tour the park for another couple of hours, we knew we just didn’t have it in us.  We were almost toast.


We did, however, have just enough left in us for a few more highlights before calling it a day.  Steve hopped two consecutive rides on the Mummy with absolutely no wait at all .







We also toured the Psychoscareapy scare zone, which was crazy scary in the dark!!!!  Especially when all those scareactors now seemed to pop up out of seemingly nowhere with hatchets and chainsaws in hand .


This gazebo burned eerily throughout the night.....







.....and the bloody pumpkin carver was hard at work.







The apple bobbing station was drowning victim after victim.....







....and we had a ball exploring the entire area.  My nerves had even steeled enough that I could carry my camera in hand with relative confidence.....with the strap wrapped safely around my wrists just in case, of course .


To end off our night, we looped through the Icons of HHN scare zone, in the hopes of catching another killing.  We were absolutely delighted (why does that sound so wrong? Lol) to catch the Usher massacring his latest naughty theatre guest.

















What was super cool.....the Usher (who was the same Usher as we had chatted extensively with at the Scareactor Dining event earlier in the night), even in the darkened crowd, spotted us and acknowledged us with the “I’m watching you” eyes/finger pointing.  What a neat way to finish off a most unique and amazing experience.  Except the part where he licked the victim's blood off the window of the theatre......that was a bit gross .







We dragged our way to the parking garage, chatted with Jake via speakerphone on the way back to the resort, and made a brief whirl through the Wendy’s drive thru (yes, again!!) before limping our way up the three flights of stairs to the villa.   Why do those all seem so arduous after a 13 hours at the theme parks??  


This Halloweenie had survived the carnage.  Steve was beyond thrilled that I had not only endured, but enjoyed the event. 

*Oh, what a night.*  We’d need tomorrow to recouperate.


----------



## dixonsontour

Wow you were brave. HHN doesn't appeal to me at all, I'd be too scared.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

dixonsontour said:


> Wow you were brave. HHN doesn't appeal to me at all, I'd be too scared.



Gina I'm afraid I'm in this camp too. But how brave were you.....


----------



## ArwenMarie

Happy birthday!

Yeah, I definitely could not do HHN at all. Kudos to you for being brave!

PS that Minion cake is AMAZING!!!


----------



## samsteele

Wow! You are very brave! I agree with the PPs, too intense for me. But thank you for the safe little window seat you gave us. ps Happy Birthday!  I too am a bit older than you so there's a little pixie dust right there!


----------



## dixonsontour

It does look great fun though if you are into scary 

I do like bill and ted, I'd have to stay in there all night. You were very brave.


----------



## Lynne G

Weenie I still am.  Horror is not for me.

Oh, and Happy Birthday,  hope it was great.  Yeah, 29 is me too!


----------



## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> It was gorgeous....and tasted equally as amazing.  I can't imagine how much time went into preparing that.  I got the lady's name from my BFF....I will be using her for birthday cakes in the future, that's for sure  .
> 
> Thank you for the birthday wishes .  I am still enjoying one last day of being 28 again (or 29 still?).  Let's not rush the getting older thing, right?
> 
> PS....if you tell me you're younger than me, I am going to have to hate you. Just a little.


Happy birthday!!! Yippee for SeaWorld...maybe we will see u there. Our platinum passes expired this month but we are letting them roll over to.use in December.


----------



## toystoryduo

Happy Birthday, Gina! I love the Minion cake!

You were super brave to do HHN! I would have been scared silly! I think MNSSHP is more my speed. LOL! 

Speaking of MNSSHP, I love the costumes that you guys wore. So glad you had a good time there!

Congratulations to your son on winning a scholarship!

Hope Steve is feeling much better.

Have a wonderful birthday!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dixonsontour said:


> Wow you were brave. HHN doesn't appeal to me at all, I'd be too scared.





Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Gina I'm afraid I'm in this camp too. But how brave were you.....





ArwenMarie said:


> Happy birthday!
> 
> Yeah, I definitely could not do HHN at all. Kudos to you for being brave!
> 
> PS that Minion cake is AMAZING!!!





samsteele said:


> Wow! You are very brave! I agree with the PPs, too intense for me. But thank you for the safe little window seat you gave us. ps Happy Birthday!  I too am a bit older than you so there's a little pixie dust right there!





dixonsontour said:


> It does look great fun though if you are into scary
> 
> I do like bill and ted, I'd have to stay in there all night. You were very brave.





Lynne G said:


> Weenie I still am.  Horror is not for me.
> 
> Oh, and Happy Birthday,  hope it was great.  Yeah, 29 is me too!





greenclan67 said:


> Happy birthday!!! Yippee for SeaWorld...maybe we will see u there. Our platinum passes expired this month but we are letting them roll over to.use in December.





toystoryduo said:


> Happy Birthday, Gina! I love the Minion cake!
> 
> You were super brave to do HHN! I would have been scared silly! I think MNSSHP is more my speed. LOL!
> 
> Speaking of MNSSHP, I love the costumes that you guys wore. So glad you had a good time there!
> 
> Congratulations to your son on winning a scholarship!
> 
> Hope Steve is feeling much better.
> 
> Have a wonderful birthday!



Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone!  I officially became a whole year older at 5:30 this morning.  Judging from my reflection in the mirror, I have an extra grey hair or two to prove it  .

I hope to get another update posted later today, so long as my Monday doesn't go off the rails.  They tend to do that from time to time  .

Steve got our Christmas minions up in the front yard yesterday.  The countdown to the holiday season is officially on!!


----------



## nancipants

Happy birthday, Gina!

I did Halloween Horror Nights a few times many many many years ago. It is well done, but definitely not my style. I don't like being scared! (Also, way to many rowdy and drunk guests, and the lines are INSANE.) 

Mickey's Not-So-Scary is more my speed.


----------



## Gr8t Fan

Happy Birthday, Gina!  Your cake looked AMAZING.  Glad to hear that it tasted as good as it looked.

I'm a big Halloweenie myself.  We've been in Orlando many times when HHN was going on but I could never bring myself to go.  Maybe when DH and I are able to travel without the kids (or when the kids are old enough to do it themselves) we'll give it a try.


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hmmm.....I am not sure I believe your innocence claims.  I think you and bankr63 are in collaboration .


 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Why am I not surprised?


Honestly, it was surreal.  A+ and I were riding our bikes through the park when the car drove by.  We both turned to each other and said in unison - "did you see that ?!?!"  Of course we didn't have a camera along, so like the sasquatch sightings it cannot be verified...


And so today is the day!  Happy 29th Gina (once again)! 

So how old is Jake?  Wow!  You were really young! 

And I've got more than a decade on you, so you're no where near nipping at MY heels!


----------



## Callie

I saw the minons blow ups and thought of you!


----------



## vrajewski10513

First off, happy belated birthday!!


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> When we approached the entrance to each house, we literally received immediate admission (past the hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of people in both the standby and Express lines).....a TM would close off the regular line entrances, admit our group of 13 (the guide went through with us, generally first but sometimes last) and then re-open to the standby and Express guests. This was particularly good for me because I didn’t have time to stop and fret before each one, I was tossed in immediately!!


This is awesome! I've heard how long those lines can be, so to even be able to skip the guests with Express Passes must have been great! It's definitely better to just eb thrown into something your scared of rather than get into your own head as your waiting forever in line!


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am happy to report that despite my Halloweenie status, I survived 8 of the 9 houses and quite enjoyed them all.


Yayyyyy!


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> The only one I didn’t do was the Asylum in Wonderland house, due to the lighting effects employed in the house. My brain tumour of years passed has left me with a sensitivity to strobe lights in particular, and this house was billed as being extremely trippy....and considering this was our very first house of the night, I didn’t want to start off with either a migraine or seizure. Zack, our guide, hung out with me at the exit of the house while we waited for the balance of our group, and we had a great little chat while the others went through. Steve (who had wanted to wait with me outside, but whom I flatly refused to allow to do so....I was not raining on his Horror Parade!) emerged a short while later, and told me I had made a very, VERY good decision to skip it.....the lights would have killed me. So, it was a smart call after all.


Good call! Those strobe lights can get to people even without history of brain tumors. Better to be safe than sorry!


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Our two favourite houses: easily Insidious and the Purge.


I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of those movies. I'm really hoping those two houses stick around for next years HHN when we go.


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We made regular breaks in various non-public VIP areas for bathroom stops and “refreshments”. One such stop was at Men in Black....the exclusive “Immigration Tour” that had us chilling with the aliens alongside our own private bar:


I've always wanted to know how you get to go down there durign regular park days. I guess I just have been intereste enough to actually read up on it lol


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> This Halloweenie had survived the carnage. Steve was beyond thrilled that I had not only endured, but enjoyed the event.


I have a rule with things like this.. You should always try it atelast ONCE. If you do it once and dont like it then you never have to do it again. But you'll never know unless you try! I'm happy you enjoyed yourself!!


----------



## jump00

Happy Birthday Gina You and your dh are so brave. I'm such a scaredy cat I wouldn't make it through hhn. Although dh and I are huge Walking Dead fans.  Really enjoying your trip report!  My parents have a place in Picton - they just sold our cottage - and they now live close to town.  We love Sandbanks and all the little shops.

Jump00


----------



## ElenaJane

Happy birthday!  What an amazing cake!  

I just started reading tour TR yesterday and I am already caught up!  It reads like a really fun book!  Will and I were there just a few weeks before you, and we had many similar experiences!  We loved the Raptor encounter!





We only went to HHN because of the "free" ticket with our annual passes.  I thought, why in the world would I want people jumping out at me??!  But OMG, we had such a blast!!!





I became a Haunted House addict in short order (I had never stepped foot in one before HHN!), and went to local ones when we came back home several times.  Of course the production value at Universal's was amazing!  Our favorite house was The Purge.

Thank you so much for your TR.  You crack me up with the apologizing for being "late" in posting updates.  If you ever hear me complaining, just offer me a "refund".  lol


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

nancipants said:


> Happy birthday, Gina!
> 
> I did Halloween Horror Nights a few times many many many years ago. It is well done, but definitely not my style. I don't like being scared! (Also, way to many rowdy and drunk guests, and the lines are INSANE.)
> 
> Mickey's Not-So-Scary is more my speed.



Thank you for the birthday wishes!!

We didn't see one single rowdy or drunk guest.....I am thinking it might have been yet another perk of the RIP tour.  In our small group, we were kept moving from house to house and didn't have to ensure the problematic folks who were passing time (and drinking) in the regular lines.  Even afterward, though, when we milled around the park before heading home, everyone we saw was very well behaved.  Nothing like some of the reports I had read about!!



Gr8t Fan said:


> Happy Birthday, Gina!  Your cake looked AMAZING.  Glad to hear that it tasted as good as it looked.
> 
> I'm a big Halloweenie myself.  We've been in Orlando many times when HHN was going on but I could never bring myself to go.  Maybe when DH and I are able to travel without the kids (or when the kids are old enough to do it themselves) we'll give it a try.



That would be the perfect time to give it a whirl.  Those kiddos will be teenagers before you know it, and they'd probably jump at the chance to go to a scary event!

Poor Jake.....he would have LOVED to have come to HHN.  He looks at our pictures and he's very sad he missed out on the terror .



bankr63 said:


> Honestly, it was surreal.  A+ and I were riding our bikes through the park when the car drove by.  We both turned to each other and said in unison - "did you see that ?!?!"  Of course we didn't have a camera along, so like the sasquatch sightings it cannot be verified...
> 
> 
> And so today is the day!  Happy 29th Gina (once again)!
> 
> So how old is Jake?  Wow!  You were really young!
> 
> And I've got more than a decade on you, so you're no where near nipping at MY heels!



Thank you bankr63  .  

As for the age, its just a number, right?  "Young at heart" is now my goal .

My Jake will be 20 in early January......so yeah, I was a child bride .



Callie said:


> I saw the minons blow ups and thought of you!



 I couldn't pass them up when we saw them!!



vrajewski10513 said:


> First off, happy belated birthday!!
> 
> This is awesome! I've heard how long those lines can be, so to even be able to skip the guests with Express Passes must have been great! It's definitely better to just eb thrown into something your scared of rather than get into your own head as your waiting forever in line!
> 
> Yayyyyy!
> 
> Good call! Those strobe lights can get to people even without history of brain tumors. Better to be safe than sorry!
> 
> I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of those movies. I'm really hoping those two houses stick around for next years HHN when we go.
> 
> I've always wanted to know how you get to go down there durign regular park days. I guess I just have been intereste enough to actually read up on it lol
> 
> I have a rule with things like this.. *You should always try it atelast ONCE. *If you do it once and dont like it then you never have to do it again. But you'll never know unless you try! I'm happy you enjoyed yourself!!



That's our philosophy too.  YOLO! 



jump00 said:


> Happy Birthday Gina You and your dh are so brave. I'm such a scaredy cat I wouldn't make it through hhn. Although dh and I are huge Walking Dead fans.  Really enjoying your trip report!  My parents have a place in Picton - they just sold our cottage - and they now live close to town.  We love Sandbanks and all the little shops.
> 
> Jump00



Ah, the Sandbanks...such beautiful beaches!!  Picton is a super quaint little town, too.  Surprised at how many Disers know my little hometown area!!



ElenaJane said:


> Happy birthday!  What an amazing cake!
> 
> I just started reading tour TR yesterday and I am already caught up!  It reads like a really fun book!  Will and I were there just a few weeks before you, and we had many similar experiences!  We loved the Raptor encounter!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We only went to HHN because of the "free" ticket with our annual passes.  I thought, why in the world would I want people jumping out at me??!  But OMG, we had such a blast!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I became a Haunted House addict in short order (I had never stepped foot in one before HHN!), and went to local ones when we came back home several times.  Of course the production value at Universal's was amazing!  Our favorite house was The Purge.
> 
> Thank you so much for your TR.  You crack me up with the apologizing for being "late" in posting updates.  If you ever hear me complaining, just offer me a "refund".  lol



Great pics ElenaJane!!  Love the look on your face on the Raptor one!!  

We were so incredibly impressed at how well HHN was carried out.  At no point did the scariness border on cheeziness, which I worried about before we went.  Even if scares are not your thing, it would be hard not to be impressed with just how well it was all put together.  I am glad to hear you enjoyed the event as much as we did!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I also meant to add....a big thanks to everyone for the wonderfully sweet birthday greetings!  It was a wonderful day that left me feeling very loved indeed .  

Birthday festivities and work commitments kept me away from trip reporting yesterday, but I'm working on an entry as we speak.  I hope to have it up later this morning .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Thursday, October 15th*


Today was built into the schedule as a *rest and recharge* day.  The plans called for sleeping in and allowing our weary bodies to recuperate after back-to-back nighttime events (we’re not 19 anymore, remember….we can’t pull late nights on a regular basis without starting to suffer the effects!!).  We were starting to feel like we needed a vacation from our vacation …. so today was the day for that!  


We managed to sleep in fairly late, and weren’t really up and mobile until well after 10 am.  By the time we showered and dressed, we didn’t even bother to eat breakfast as lunchtime was already on the horizon.  Instead of a morning meal, we enjoyed a hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee on the balcony while soaking up the wonderful, sunshiny-warm weather .  Fully caffeinated and finally ready to greet the day with the gusto only good coffee can produce, we headed out to make a quick shopping stop before having an early lunch.


Jake had texted us earlier in the week with a photo of an item that he wanted us to pick up for him at Bass Pro Shops, so we decided this was a good time to cross that purchase off the list.  Rather than taking the I-4 this morning, we wound our way leisurely up International Drive since we had nowhere we needed to be at any particular time.  Arriving at the Artegon Marketplace, we easily found a parking spot and headed into the store.  While searching for Jake’s specific hat, Steve found a few items he wanted there, too, so it ended up being a very worthy stop all around.







By the time we left Bass Pro (which I hope to return to on our December trip….I hear we can get family photos with Santa there!) we were having a hard time hearing each other over our rumbling stomachs.  Since we were in the right vicinity (and hungry enough to do it justice), *and* we had both $45 in gift certificates from our August 2014 trip which were still waiting to be used plus a voucher for a free dessert, we chose TGI Friday’s as our  lunch destination of choice.












We made it in before the lunch rush, so the restaurant was really quite empty…..lots of places to sit, very quiet and relaxing, super nice all around.  Comfy and casual, just as we like it .


We ordered our beverages (lemonade for both of us) and Steve also opted for an appetizer…some sort of spinach dippy thing (a yuck for me ….not my taste, but he adores it so he ate it all himself….raved about it too ).







As Steve munched away on his appetizer, we checked in with Jake via text and watched the sports updates on the big TV’s.  Jose Bautista of our beloved Blue Jays had tossed a bat in celebration of a home run the day or two prior, and his gesture was causing quite the stir in the sports world….even on American TV.   While we were vacationing, we hadn’t been able to keep up on the games like we normally would at home (and let’s just say that when we planned this trip we sure didn’t expect our Jays to be still playing baseball in mid-October!!) so Steve enjoyed the chance to enjoy a little ESPN with his spinach dip.


Our mains arrived just as he polished off the last of his appetizer…perfect timing.  For his entrée, Steve went with the All American Burger minus the pickles (as per usual) with a side of French fries:







Since I was_ starving_, I ordered the parmesan crusted chicken breast with baked macaroni and cheese and French fries:







We have always had consistently great food at TGI Fridays, and this visit was no exception.  Everything was hot, fresh, flavourful, and delicious.  Portion sizes were very generous and service was excellent throughout the meal.  No complaints whatsoever!  


It came time for dessert, and I was super excited to indulge in a slice of my favourite Friday’s menu item….one of my favourite restaurant desserts of all time……their delectable Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie .






*(from the Bo-Bina photo vault, circa 2013)*


This is a must-have on each of our trips across the border, and I literally had been looking forward to it before we even left home.  Yep, it’s that good .


I couldn’t seem to spot my dream pie on the dessert menu, so I asked the server about it.  She looked apologetic, and said that item had been discontinued for the last little while.  What???   NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!     I was totally gutted.  Pass the tissues, this almost made me cry.  I thought about skipping dessert entirely…..no pie, why bother? ....but made a split second decision to console myself with something chocolately (it can’t hurt to try, right?).   I texted the news to Jake (he adored that pie, too), and we had a little pity session together while Steve gave his selection to the server.  A short time later, our desserts appeared from the kitchen.


Steve, as always, had the vanilla bean cheesecake (though he forgot to ask for the caramel sauce …..you can tell how upset we were about the discontinuation of Reese’s pie… we could hardly think straight!!):







My consolation option was the Brownie Obsession:







Oh. My. Lord .  May I be forgiven for the dietary sins I was about to commit .


First, Steve’s cheesecake review:  it was as awesome for him as always.  He loves Friday’s vanilla bean cheesecake, and compares many others against it.  Even without the caramel sauce, he adored it…..though after polishing off his burger and fries, as well as a tidy portion of my meal, he was starting to feel like he may blow up and bust.


Have you ever heard the saying *“Chocolate is the answer.  Who cares what the question is”?*  The Brownie Obsession should have that as their product motto.  Served in a skillet hot out of the oven, there was a moist and chewy fudge brownie that was warm right through, smothered in both chocolate and caramel sauces, topped with ice cream and candied nuts, and then finished off with more sauce .


If heaven truly exists, I am sure this is what they serve there every day .


The only problem was, I was getting full…..REALLY full .  Steve had to help with this one, too.


This lunch had turned out to be our longest, most leisurely meal of the entire trip (probably the most fattening, too!!).  By the time the bill came, we could have rolled ourselves out the door.    


We had signed up for the TGI Friday’s email club before our trip, so we had a voucher for a free dessert to apply to the meal charges (saving us $6.50).  We also had the $45 in gift certificates.   With both of those taken off the total tab, our out of pocket cost after tax was $5.99 plus tip (with the tip being issued on the full non-discounted amount of the meal, of course).


After an indulgence like that, a little walking was warranted.  Some much-needed laps around the outlet mall was definitely in order .


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

I could eat your chicken and mac meal ( and perhaps give the brownie a try  ) right now. It looked delicious!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> I could eat your chicken and mac meal ( and perhaps give the brownie a try  ) right now. It looked delicious!



It was superb!  I ended up with the fries because that meal normally came with some sort of tomato mozzarella salad, which is definitely not my thing....so they subbed it out for fries instead.    But the chicken was really, really tasty and the mac and cheese was delicious.  It was a lot of food for lunch, though, even without having eaten breakfast that morning!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Perhaps it’s because we had less going on and more time to let our minds wander, but it started to sink in on the Thursday that our time in Orlando was flying by.  We would be returning home in just two short days …..and tomorrow would be another whirlwind with our second MNSSHP.  We had wanted to do some shopping while we were in town, so unless we left it until Saturday (when our luggage had to pretty much be packed and ready to go), we pretty much had to take care of our retail obligations (aspirations?) on this otherwise empty Thursday.  It seemed like the perfect way to fill the otherwise empty afternoon .


We had already stopped at the Orlando Premium Outlets on Vineland earlier in the week (one day on our way back to the villa from Universal), though I think I failed to mention it in my report (whoops! ).  We did, apparently, get a couple of photos of that stop as well.  Don’t know how I missed ‘em.







Since we had crossed that mall off the list already (and didn't really come up with any reason for a repeat visit), we opted this time to head to the Lake Buena Vista Outlets instead.  We always find that bargains can be found in both locations, though sometimes more in one than the other.  On this stop, we made some purchases at Adidas, Under Armor, and Old Navy….so it was definitely worth the time.  Shopping here is always a little less stressful than the Premium Outlet locations, as parking is always easy and the crowds are much, MUCH thinner.







Right about now, I should have been worried about our luggage space, but I put it out of my mind for the time being.  Sometimes it’s nice to just live in my bubble .


After the LBV Outlet Mall (with our stomachs feeling MUCH better thanks to a lengthy walk around and around and around the stores), Steve inquired as to whether I was in a hurry to return to the resort or if I was interested in “a drive”.  He obviously had a destination in mind, but with no other plans vying for our time (and it being such a GORGEOUS day), I had no reason to object.  Take it away, Jeeves .


We meandered through Kissimmee, and as we drove, I eventually figured out where we were going .







I had forgotten that there were a few specific items from the country store that Steve had been chatting about with his dad prior to our departure, and had promised to bring him back if we happened to be near the orange grove on a future trip.  While we had taken the monster truck ride through the property on previous vacations, this stop was purely for retail purposes:  homemade sauces, orange grove honey, deep fried peanuts, a couple of Florida melted snowmen, and some grill rubs all ended up in the bag that we toted back to the car.  Did I mention that we might have a bit of a luggage space issue at this point?  







Check out these little cuties......they were only $5 at the Showcase of Citrus store, so I *had* to have one:

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Florida-Melted-Snowman-snowglobe/dp/B000YBHHQK


It really is a neat little country shop, and its fun just to poke around when you’ve got time to spare.  They have some rather unique items, if you’re brave enough to try them:







Steve did, indeed, sample the gator chili.  I most certainly did not .  He said he liked it, but then again, Mikey will often eat almost anything!! 


We got a good laugh out of some of the soda flavours for sale, and wished we could have brought Jake back a bottle of Kitty Piddle:







It was really quite hot outside, so rather than grabbing a bottle of water for the road, we opted for one of their World Famous Slushies instead.







On this particular day, they were offering both orange and tangerine varieties (tangerines must have been in season lately?) so since we have had the orange on both previous trips, we thought we’d give the tangerine one a try this time around.







It was very, VERY tasty….but wow, was it *tangerine-y*.  Like _make your cheeks implode_ tangerine-y .   We sipped it very slowly that afternoon, in little tiny mouthfuls, because it was potent enough to curl one’s hair .  The most intense slushy we’ve ever slurped!!!







On our way back to the villa, we made one last pit stop at Orange World for a souvenir or two:







…..and then we returned to the resort.  We dropped our purchases in a pile on the counter, threw on our swimsuits, and promptly hit the Fountains pool.  It was much, much too nice of a day not to spend a few hours soaking up that spectacular Florida sun …..and this would probably be our last opportunity of the trip to do so in any great amount.


We swam.  We hot tubbed.  We tried not to think about the fact that time was passing much, much too quickly.


*The end of our Thursday is up next.*


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Oh man I don't know how many times we must have drove by Orange World, but we have never stopped there! The Orange slushies are tasty, we had some after visiting Lake Louisa park which isn't far from there


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## ArwenMarie

I admire how you guys take days off from the parks to rest. I cannot do that when I am there!

I love that vanilla cheesecake at Fridays.


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## ArwenMarie

Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?


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## pepperandchips

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> deep fried peanuts



WHAAAAT?! I am from Georgia, land of peanuts, and have never heard of this. Excuse me while I scuttle off to google.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> It was very, VERY tasty….but wow, was it *tangerine-y*. Like _make your cheeks implode_ tangerine-y . We sipped it very slowly that afternoon, in little tiny mouthfuls, because it was potent enough to curl one’s hair . The most intense slushy we’ve ever slurped!!!



hahaha! this reminds me of the time we had the tangerine daiquiri at the Tangierine Cafe in Epcot. MISTAKE! 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We swam. We hot tubbed. We tried not to think about the fact that time was passing much, much too quickly.



NOOOOooooooooooooooooooo!  I am enjoying this TR way too much for it to end! I guess you will just have to write another one for your December trip....


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Oh man I don't know how many times we must have drove by Orange World, but we have never stopped there! The Orange slushies are tasty, we had some after visiting Lake Louisa park which isn't far from there



While the tangerine one was good, I definitely prefer the orange slushies.  I think I will be sticking with those from now on.

I am a sucker for big, gaudy, photo-worthy landmarks so Orange World was a must-stop several trips ago .  Its a bit ... ahem ... rustic inside (I don't think its changed in there since the 70's) but they have good orange juice and always a unique souvenir item or two.  



ArwenMarie said:


> I admire how you guys take days off from the parks to rest. I cannot do that when I am there!
> I love that vanilla cheesecake at Fridays.



Ah yes, we have learned from experience that we not only *should* have a day of rest on our vacation, but we need it.  We crashed and burned on each of our first two Florida trips....usually mid to late in the week.....after packing every single moment with park time or some sort of "scheduled" event.  One of us (or all three ) ended up in meltdown status.  We enjoy our vacation more (and are much nicer people ) when we have a recharge/down day on the latter part of our trip.  Plus, the more vacations we enjoy in Orlando the less we feel the need to pack every week 100% full....one of the happy bonuses of being able to go fairly often.  When we felt that there might not be a "next time", it was a whole different ball game, though.  It's a very fine line between not wanting to waste a moment of precious trip time and giving our bodies a chance to recover from vacationitis.



ArwenMarie said:


> Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?



As far as I can speculate (and for what its worth, my knowledge of the systems is poor at best!!) it shouldn't affect us for a while at least.  Our timeshare usage is based on float weeks versus points, and we don't plan on trading for any other resorts anytime soon, so I am guessing (hoping?) that we should be able to continue on with our float weeks at SVR without any change or interruption.   

On the whole, I am not sure if its a positive move or a negative one.....I haven't read up on the potential benefits/issues just yet....but they are certainly spinning it as being a win-win all around.  I will be checking out the comments on TUG to see what the experts have to say .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

pepperandchips said:


> WHAAAAT?! I am from Georgia, land of peanuts, and have never heard of this. Excuse me while I scuttle off to google.
> 
> hahaha! this reminds me of the time we had the tangerine daiquiri at the Tangierine Cafe in Epcot. MISTAKE!
> 
> NOOOOooooooooooooooooooo!  I am enjoying this TR way too much for it to end! I guess you will just have to write another one for your December trip....



The peanuts are deep fried in the shell, and apparently you are supposed to eat them shell and all.  Steve's parents were over this past weekend to celebrate my birthday with us, but I forgot to ask if his dad if he liked them or not.  They certainly didn't look appetizing to me but as a finicky eater, many things don't  .


Fear not, I still have lots more coming up before this report is concluded  .    A little more Universal, another MNSSHP, The World of Chocolate Museum and Cafe, Congo River mini golf (with my beloved gators ), and a few brand-new offsite dining locations are all on deck before the last entry is complete  .


I hope to do a Christmas report as well  ... TR's are a good way for me to combat the post-vacation blues.   It's kind of become a "thing" for me, so it would sure seem odd not to return to the boards to chat about our adventures.  I have grown to look forward to all the chatter on these threads....its a very enjoyable part of my day  .


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## jennasmommyinMS

Your description of the tangerine slushy was so good that it made my jaw actually ache!  Such a great trip report!


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> ArwenMarie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I can speculate (and for what its worth, my knowledge of the systems is poor at best!!) it shouldn't affect us for a while at least.  Our timeshare usage is based on float weeks versus points, and we don't plan on trading for any other resorts anytime soon, so I am guessing (hoping?) that we should be able to continue on with our float weeks at SVR without any change or interruption.
> 
> On the whole, I am not sure if its a positive move or a negative one.....I haven't read up on the potential benefits/issues just yet....but they are certainly spinning it as being a win-win all around.  I will be checking out the comments on TUG to see what the experts have to say .
Click to expand...


Actually, the Sheraton Marriott announcement should have very little to do with Vistana.  As you will recall, Sheraton spun off their Timeshare business a few months ago, branding it as Vistana across the line.  A few days prior to this announcement it was announced that Vistana was merging with the holding company for Interval International that IIRC is actually a division of Wyndham.

So it appears that Sheraton was positioning for a full business takeover all along and Marriott probably didn't want the timeshare part of the company.  What the new masters decide to do in terms of branding and merging of lines will be open to much speculation over the coming weeks.  I expect eventually that Wyndham will take on the Vistana part for operating efficiency, and that some consolidation and rebranding will happen to position the merged Marriott and Sheraton hotel property lines.  IMO the SPG program won't be much longer at Vistana though. 

Should probably post these thoughts over on the Vistana thread too!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

jennasmommyinMS said:


> Your description of the tangerine slushy was so good that it made my jaw actually ache!  Such a great trip report!



Thank you!!   



bankr63 said:


> Actually, the Sheraton Marriott announcement should have very little to do with Vistana.  As you will recall, Sheraton spun off their Timeshare business a few months ago, branding it as Vistana across the line.  A few days prior to this announcement it was announced that Vistana was merging with the holding company for Interval International that IIRC is actually a division of Wyndham.
> 
> So it appears that Sheraton was positioning for a full business takeover all along and Marriott probably didn't want the timeshare part of the company.  What the new masters decide to do in terms of branding and merging of lines will be open to much speculation over the coming weeks.  I expect eventually that Wyndham will take on the Vistana part for operating efficiency, and that some consolidation and rebranding will happen to position the merged Marriott and Sheraton hotel property lines.  IMO the SPG program won't be much longer at Vistana though.
> 
> Should probably post these thoughts over on the Vistana thread too!



And there you have it  .  I will start worrying when YOU start worrying  .

I'm with you on the SPG points being a non-issue.  At my current rate of accumulation, it will take me until I'm 85 to have enough to actually be useful.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We spent several glorious hours lounging in the pools and hot tubs, from the mid to late afternoon through to the early evening.  Eventually, we dragged our waterlogged bodies out of the water and returned to the villa to shower and change….we had a couple of tasks to attend to before heading out for dinner later that night.


Much as we hated to do so, we needed to take some time and start the initial packing process on that night since our final night at the resort would be fully taken up by our second MNSSHP.  We would be darned if we would return early from that event to pack, so tonight was the night:  and boy, was it going to be a challenge .  3 large minions, two pair of athletic footwear, two hats, 9? t-shirts, several hoodies,  snow globes, treats, pins, candles and more all needed to be stuffed safely into the luggage within the airline weight limits.  No easy feat, when we still had our costumes and normal clothing to accommodate too.


I washed and dried a couple of loads of laundry while we organized and sorted.....I refuse to return home with scads of dirty clothes.  


No matter how hard we tried, we had at least one minion who didn’t want to fit in the suitcases, regardless of how we positioned and allocated the other items.  We worked at it for an hour or so, making some decent progress (minus the minions!!) and decided to go for dinner and give our brains a break for a while….perhaps the minion solution  would miraculously come to us over a bowl of pasta.


We had originally planned on Millers Ale House for this particular night, but for some odd reason, Steve wasn’t feelin’ prime rib (it was the end of the world, I was sure of it!! ).  Apparently he had a hankering for Olive Garden, so that’s where we headed .







We put our name on the waiting list for a table upon arrival, and surprisingly we were seated within about 10 to 15 minutes.   We had anticipated waiting at least twice that long, so the swift admittance was a nice little surprise.


Our most excellent server (a very hardworking, and genuinely sweet young fellow) took great care of us throughout the meal.  As far as the food went, there were no surprises here:  we always order the same things from the menu, and today was no exception.  Creatures of habit we surely are .


Steve had some sort of peach tea as a beverage, while I had water to drink.  We both started with the Zuppa Toscana (our favourite of all their soups):







….and of course, the basket of warm breadsticks (which were camera shy, for some reason. My bad! ).


Steve chose his beloved Steak Gorgonzola:







And it was chicken alfredo for moi:







It was, without question, an excellent meal .  Steve’s steak was cooked exactly as he requested.  The service was beyond fabulous.  The pasta was hot and flavourful and the portions enormous.  The soup and the bread were so good, we could have made a meal on those two items alone.  As is customary for us when we dine at Olive Garden, we took a pass on dessert….we were much, MUCH too full for anything sweet.  The spirits were willing but our stomachs most definitely were not.


The total bill came to $37.25 with tax, excluding tip.  So ridiculously cheap, it almost seems criminal.  Don’t even get me started on what a lesser quality meal at an Italian restaurant would cost us back home .


We headed back to the resort, enjoyed another soak in the hot tubs under the stars (and some fun conversation with other owners from around the USA) and we hit the sack at a reasonable time.  Our restful day was over, and tomorrow we would be covering a ton of ground on yet another long, late day. 

*
Our Friday adventures are up next.  It would end up starting with a little peace, love and "mayhem" .*


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## dixonsontour

Good day, still lots of fun despite it being a rest day.
We did the monster truck tour a few years ago at showcase, nice place to visit and not too far. Tried olive garden this year and all enjoyed it.


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## dancin Disney style

Funny....I know you guys love Olive Garden but the last 2 times we went it was just meh.  I think we are officially done with it.   The only exception to that might be going for lunch to have the soup/salad/bread stick deal.


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## Lynne G

Yeah for me, I with Dancin.  Every time I visit an Olive Garden, I think meh too.  We too now only go for the soup and salad deal.  For some reason, we really like the salad.  

Nice update.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dixonsontour said:


> Good day, still lots of fun despite it being a rest day.
> We did the monster truck tour a few years ago at showcase, nice place to visit and not too far. Tried olive garden this year and all enjoyed it.



We always enjoy a rest day along the way.  Perhaps because it helps us enjoy our busy days so much more!



dancin Disney style said:


> Funny....I know you guys love Olive Garden but the last 2 times we went it was just meh.  I think we are officially done with it.   The only exception to that might be going for lunch to have the soup/salad/bread stick deal.





Lynne G said:


> Yeah for me, I with Dancin.  Every time I visit an Olive Garden, I think meh too.  We too now only go for the soup and salad deal.  For some reason, we really like the salad.
> 
> Nice update.



Hmmmm.....that's interesting .  Is it the Orlando ones that let you down, or locations closer to home?

Have either of you given Carrabba's a try?  We loved it there, too.   A little more expensive but a nicer experience overall and GREAT food.


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## Lynne G

Only ones in where I live.  I guess I don't look for chains very much, unless I like them at home, as we have about every chain you could think of around where I live.  Yes, I do like Carrabba's, but for us, much more expensive, but agree, better food, so we go there less often.  See, my DD could be happy with your DH, she hasn't met a steak or filet that she didn't like.  My kids seem to have champagne taste. 

Waiting to see the rest of your second party.  One night was fun to me, but never thought to do it twice.  Hmmm.  Asked DS if he wanted to go to WDW again, as he's a big SW fan.  Got a meh response.  I guess we're really done WDW for some time now. 

And yes, hanging in the pool and relaxing is a big part of our vacations too!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, October 16th*


After a restful night’s sleep, we decided to kick off our day with a new restaurant experience:  one that was recommended by a fellow Diser, @dixonsontour , in her awesome post-trip dining reports.  After showers and our morning Timmies, we hopped in the car and headed to First Watch Daytime Café, on Sand Lake Road (just off International Drive).







We had heard that they served some pretty awesome meals with nothing but fresh, quality ingredients, so we were eager to give them a try to see what all the fuss was about.


The restaurant itself is tucked away in a little strip mall in the Doctor Phillips area, away from the much more touristy I-Drive.   There was ample parking in the large lot, and it was evident when we entered that this place served way  more locals than it did vacationers.  It was quiet and relaxed and very casual, with virtually all the patrons being young to middle-aged adults.







We ordered our beverages….orange juice for me (which I will add was fresh squeezed that morning and oooohhhhh soooo goooood ) and coffee for Steve……then perused their menu:


http://www.firstwatch.com/menu/breakfastbrunch/fresh-starts


After much consideration (such tough decisions to make so early in the morning!!), Steve selected “The Traditional” _(two fresh eggs any style with your choice of grilled ham steak, thick-sliced bacon, turkey sausage or sausage links. Served with an English muffin and fresh, seasoned potatoes)._







I opted for the Farmhouse Hash (scrambled eggs on top of a potato/onion/bacon/sausauge-y mix all fried together on the grill) with a side of fruit and their signature artisan bread and housemade preserves:







The food was, without a doubt, as great as we had hoped.  Super fresh, incredibly flavourful, and brought to our table super fast.  I am not generally a fan of dark-style or wheaty breads, but this artisan bread was downright mouth-watering (and their homemade strawberry preserves was as good as my mom makes ).  The fruit was Florida fresh (always makes me jealous that our southern neighbours can enjoy locally grown fruits and produce so late into the season) and a nice, light accompaniment to the heavier potatoes and eggs.


Portions were super big, though (its generally the American Way) so there was no way I could come close to finishing.  Steve was _forced_ to help ….and fell in love with my scramble.  He pledged to order that the next time we visited.


Our server, Victoria, was cordial (though not knock-your-socks-off friendly) but wonderfully efficient, so we had no complaints as far as service was concerned.


Before our trip, we had signed up for the e-club and received a voucher for a buy one, get one free entrée, so we presented that when it was time to pay.  They had a bit of an issue keying it properly into their computer system, but eventually got it worked out with the help of a manager.   With the coupon applied (which saved us $9.59), the total bill for two entrees and two beverages, with tax but excluding tip, was an incredibly reasonable $16.89.


We had some time to kill between the end of breakfast and the time we would have to be back at the villa to ready ourselves for MNSSHP, so we took a few moments to debate what to in the interim.  Tomorrow would be our final day in Orlando (with a late afternoon flight back to Buffalo), and crowd calendars were projecting the Universal parks to be busy.  Being an HHN Saturday, we would be steering clear of the parks and avoiding those crowds, so we knew that our Universal time on this vacation was now limited at best.  Since we were already more than half way there, we thought it was prudent to take an hour or two and enjoy some Universal time once more before getting all pirate-d up for the party .


On the drive to the parking garage, we formulated a plan of action to maximize our limited time:  enter at the Universal gates, do our final souvenir stop at the Universal Store, ride Shrek, ET, and Twirl ‘n Hurl en route to Kings Crossing, take the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade, stop to allow Steve to ride Jurassic Park River Adventure, tour through Toon Lagoon and Marvel one last time, then head back to Lake Buena Vista.


Believe it or not, we didn’t deviate from that plan whatsoever.  Crowds were heavier than earlier in the week, but nothing insurmountable nor troublesome.  We had minimal and manageable waits at each attraction, nothing more than 10 minutes except Jurassic Park (which was at a very reasonable 15).  There was no rushing or dashing about……just a nice, relaxing final tour of the parks.  The line for the Hogwarts Express appeared congested, but thanks to the large ride capacity, we were boarding for the short trip to Hogsmeade before we knew it.


We got some last-minute pictures of Jack the Clown at the Universal Store:







That smile seriously creeps me out.  I’ve never liked clowns and now I like them less.







I didn’t even bother to have my camera out for the rest of the things we did, as I had captured a lot of photos on our previous visits earlier in the vacation.  I figured I would leave it firmly tucked away and my hands delightfully free.  And then, as we were on our way to the park exit, it happened:







I can justify this:  I really can .  You see, I’m a 70’s girl by birth but a 60’s baby at heart.  I totally missed my decade…..I adore tie-dye and flowers and long hair and the peace and love of the most wonderful era  (though there are, admittedly, *some* aspects of the 60’s that I don’t care to see repeated … ).  I would totally embrace the return of long flowy dresses, flowers in the hair, and the quest for world peace.  So when I spotted tie-dye Stuart flashing me the peace sign with his dress sparkling in the sun, I may have just screamed a little .


He had to come home with me.  *He had to *.


There was a young man with his girlfriend/wife already at the game, just paying for his turn for three swings with the hammer.  As per usual, a few folks stopped to watch to see if he’d be able to win his leading lady the prize of her choice.  She sweetly cheered encouragement from the sidelines, telling him enthusiastically *YOU CAN DO IT!!* while letting him know she really, really wanted a big prize to take home  (lol, no pressure sweetheart).

Despite this poor fellow’s best efforts, and much to his wife’s disappointment, he couldn’t hit any higher than 90 (but he did give it a valiant try).  He came out muttering about wasting $5 on a stupid game, she assured him that it was fine because _“no one ever wins at these silly games anyway….they’re fixed!”._  There were murmurs of agreement from the folks who stopped to watch, as Steve whipped out his wallet and handed his $5 bill over to the game attendant.


He hands me his hat, his wallet, his lanyard and sweetly promises “I’ll get you your tie-dye minion, honey”.  I am sure spectators thought he was a rather over-confident schmuck .


First swing, DING!  He hits 100 and doesn’t even look like he tried (apparently practice makes perfect).  The attendant lets up a big whoop in celebration and asks if he wants to use his other two swings just for fun:  “Maybe you can hit 100 all three times!”.  He accept the challenge, and sure enough….he rings that bell on both other attempts, as a couple of the people who were standing beside me remarked “well, I’ll be damned!” .  The attendant is having a ball, crying out “SEE HOW EASY THIS IS??” as people start whipping out their wallets.  Steve was good for business .







I don’t even want to talk about how we would get all of these home .







We took our time strolling through a very quiet Citywalk, and admiring the views for the final time on this vacation.  We would be back, soon, though! 







With Stuart in tow, it was back to the car.  






*A quick lunch was on deck, then it was party time!*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Only ones in where I live.  I guess I don't look for chains very much, unless I like them at home, as we have about every chain you could think of around where I live.  Yes, I do like Carrabba's, but for us, much more expensive, but agree, better food, so we go there less often.  See, my DD could be happy with your DH, she hasn't met a steak or filet that she didn't like.  My kids seem to have champagne taste.
> 
> Waiting to see the rest of your second party.  One night was fun to me, but never thought to do it twice.  Hmmm.  Asked DS if he wanted to go to WDW again, as he's a big SW fan.  Got a meh response.  I guess we're really done WDW for some time now.
> 
> And yes, hanging in the pool and relaxing is a big part of our vacations too!



Steve grew up on a dairy farm, so beef was a food group for his family all on its own.  Steak dinners in the USA are much more affordable than they are here in Canada, so he never passes up the opportunity to indulge on his favourite meat while we're in Orlando .

Two parties definitely took away the feeling like we should run, run, run from attraction to attraction.  We could slow down and enjoy it so much more.  But the real reason we booked two parties was weather....in the event one was a wash-out with rain (as many of the first parties were), the other was our "insurance".

Would DisneyLAND be an option for your DH?


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## Mrs Doubtfire

Now he's just showing off


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Now he's just showing off



  He was pretty proud of himself.  Until he got the bill to get them home......


----------



## Tricia's mom

Next trip try Maggianos in Orlando. Very good italian chain restaurant . Steve will love the cheesecake. Lol. 

We just got a chick filet on Long Island...so I can cross that off my list in the airport . 


Where do you put all this minion mayhem in your home ????


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Tricia's mom said:


> Next trip try Maggianos in Orlando. Very good italian chain restaurant . Steve will love the cheesecake. Lol.
> 
> We just got a chick filet on Long Island...so I can cross that off my list in the airport .
> 
> 
> Where do you put all this minion mayhem in your home ????



They currently line the mantle of the fireplace in my rec room.  They have two other buddies from April's trip to round out an even half dozen:





Steve's other strong man game prizes (the four Simpson's characters also from April 2015, and a large fire breathing dragon from January 2015) adorn my glider rocker next to the minion conga line  .  Jake won me the little turtle from SeaWorld in December 2012, but it just recently made it's way to Sunshine's dorm so no more turtle for mom.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

On our way back from Universal, we thought it would be prudent to grab a quick lunch before we started getting dressed for the party.  Nothing too major…..certainly no large plated meals or a buffet after our more than ample breakfast…..so we decided it was a good opportunity to try out another new place that had recently come on our radar:  the recently-opened Tom+Chee in the Crossroads.







Basically, it’s a grilled cheese and tomato soup restaurant, but with some interesting twists.  Their sandwiches go well beyond cheese and bread….to include items as traditional as bacon and as off-the-wall as potato chips (also grilled cheese donuts, which may taste just fine but sound hideous to me).  We had first learned of this new establishment on an episode of Attractions Magazine:  The Show (yes, I watch every week) and decided then that we would make this a stop at some point.  We love grilled cheeses!  (does anyone not???)







It’s a franchise, though not a super large one.  It started in Cincinnati in 2009 at the hands of two young entrepreneurs, and grew quickly from there.  We actually Googled the story and it’s quite an interesting one.  Worth a read if you ever have a few moments to fill.







For some reason, we both had a really, REALLY hard time deciding what we wanted to try:  probably partly because virtually everything sounded so good, and partly that we weren’t super hungry yet.  But eventually, we narrowed down our options and put in our orders.  Once you do so, they give you a number for your table so you can go sit with your beverages and wait for a staff member to bring your meal out from the kitchen.







Within just a few minutes, our lunches appeared.  I had chosen the Mac+Chee (yes, that be macaroni and cheese grilled between two slices of bread and more gooey cheese ......I decided on low cal ):







Steve had a BLT+Chee with a creamy tomato basil soup dipper:







We split a fountain drink, as I wasn’t particularly thirsty….we had grabbed a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade after disembarking from the train .







We really enjoyed this little lunch stop.  The food was excellent…..served up nice and hot and surprisingly quick (we barely had sat down when out it came).  Everything was very fresh, the staff were all wonderfully friendly, and it was *different*.  A refreshing change from the ordinary and sometimes monotonous pizza and burgers.   Again, it was more than I could eat (and even more than Steve could finish off…..that macaroni and cheese was surprisingly filling) but the portion I could handle was excellent.


My only regret:  next time there shall be bacon on the Mac+Chee.  An afterthought that would have taken it from awesome to incredible .


Total cost of the meal:  $16.90 including tax.


Arriving back at the Vistana, we got right to work getting ready for the party.  We left again at 3 pm sharp, en route to the Magic Kingdom!


----------



## nancipants

First Watch is my FAVORITE! I always get the Traditional. So, so good. 

We also like Tom and Chee.  

(Why is it that I always comment on the food portions of your trip reports...?  )


----------



## Tricia's mom

Mmmmmmmm. Sweet Jesus that sounds good. 

Dd HATES cheese ... So, this would be no good for us. She will tolerate mozzarella on pizza but, it's gotta be burnt and scarce.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

nancipants said:


> First Watch is my FAVORITE! I always get the Traditional. So, so good.
> 
> We also like Tom and Chee.
> 
> *(Why is it that I always comment on the food portions of your trip reports...? * )



Well, that's an easy one to answer!!  It's because:


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Tricia's mom said:


> Mmmmmmmm. Sweet Jesus that sounds good.
> 
> Dd HATES cheese ... So, this would be no good for us. She will tolerate mozzarella on pizza but, it's gotta be burnt and scarce.



What about the Pep+Chee?  That's kind of like pizza!


----------



## KathyM2

I can't believe how many minions you have!! Too funny! I'm so craving a grilled cheese now after reading your review!! That HHN looks like a lot of fun, I hope to do that one day! Can't wait to hear about your next party!


----------



## ArwenMarie

Now I need to know how all of those minions got home 

Love the quick run-thru of Universal! And the connecting train!


----------



## samsteele

Just catching up. I love your tie-dye minion! Could you not have each carried a minion onto the plane with you? And stuff the others in the suitcases? I've seen lots of kiddos doing this plus their carry-on so why not for us big kids? Or was it just minion overload on the plane? Eek. 

Have you watched the DIS Unplugged The Trip? With all the great off park restaurants you have been to, bet Teresa and JL would love to hear about your experiences. Plus, they are always reviewing spots so no doubt they would spark a new taste frenzy for you. Loving your posts!


----------



## bankr63

samsteele said:


> Just catching up. I love your tie-dye minion! Could you not have each carried a minion onto the plane with you? And stuff the others in the suitcases? I've seen lots of kiddos doing this plus their carry-on so why not for us big kids? Or was it just minion overload on the plane? Eek.


 It's not a minion miss, it's my travel pillow...


----------



## dixonsontour

Glad you enjoyed first watch. 

We know you got the minions home because you've shown us the proof. Bet that was fun packing. We always but too much then have the stress of packing and what to leave behind.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KathyM2 said:


> I can't believe how many minions you have!! Too funny! I'm so craving a grilled cheese now after reading your review!! That HHN looks like a lot of fun, I hope to do that one day! Can't wait to hear about your next party!



Yes ma'am, I have quite a collection going .  I also received a couple of new Minion items for my birthday, including a very awesome pair of hand-knitted Minion mittens.   Poor Jake thinks I've lost my mind....and he might be right! 



ArwenMarie said:


> Now I need to know how all of those minions got home
> 
> Love the quick run-thru of Universal! And the connecting train!



Ah, the mission to get those Minions back to Canada wasn't without its challenges.  More on that coming up soon .



samsteele said:


> Just catching up. I love your tie-dye minion! Could you not have each carried a minion onto the plane with you? And stuff the others in the suitcases? I've seen lots of kiddos doing this plus their carry-on so why not for us big kids? Or was it just minion overload on the plane? Eek.
> 
> Have you watched the DIS Unplugged The Trip? With all the great off park restaurants you have been to, bet Teresa and JL would love to hear about your experiences. Plus, they are always reviewing spots so no doubt they would spark a new taste frenzy for you. Loving your posts!



The problem with the Minions is that while they are excessively LIGHT....they weigh virtually nothing.....they aren't squishy.  You can't squash 'em down at all, so if they went in the suitcases, there was no way to compact them down like regular plush toys.  I don't know what they are stuffed with, but its a very, very dense material.   If we had carried them on the plane, they would have taken up either the whole space between us and the seats in front of us (if we kept them on our laps) or a huge amount of space in the over head bins. We each had a carry on, plus I had my purse and Steve had the laptop/electronics bag (which would count as our "personal items") so we decided not to push it.  I don't know how flexible the Jetblue in-flight crew would have been.....they might have been fine with it, but you never know.

I am a faithful viewer of The Trip and watch it every single Wednesday without fail!! (I adore Teresa....she's fantastic)   Its very cool to watch their episodes and be able to say "HEY!  I've been there!!" or to get ideas for new places to try.   Pirates Cove, the Orlando Eye, The Titanic, the Skeletons Musuem...they've reviewed several attractions that we've done on previous trips.  After watching the Shake Shack episode a couple of weeks ago, we might give that one a try in December .



bankr63 said:


> It's not a minion miss, it's my travel pillow...



I like my pillows a little less firm, but a good idea nonetheless! 



dixonsontour said:


> Glad you enjoyed first watch.
> 
> We know you got the minions home because you've shown us the proof. Bet that was fun packing. We always but too much then have the stress of packing and what to leave behind.



What's departure day without a little packing drama?  It keeps things interesting.....or that's what we keep telling ourselves.....


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We arrived at the TTC once again in great time.  The parking lot was a little fuller than Tuesday, so we wondered if the Friday night party might be more crowded as a result (perhaps even a sell out?  …. though it wasn’t showing as such right before we left the villa).  We caught a packed tram to the terminal and hopped the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  While busier than Tuesday, the process was just as efficient and we strolled up to the gates around 3:30 pm.  Once again, Disney CM’s offered up a little pre-party pixie dust by admitting partygoers at 3:45 pm …..15 minutes sooner than the 4 pm expectation …..much to the delight of the very substantial group awaiting entry.


We stopped to get our wristbands and treat bags, then made our way into the Magic Kingdom!  







Our first must-do was to stop and pick up the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards that are exclusive to the Halloween parties.  We hadn’t bothered to stop for them the first night, so we wanted to ensure we had those in hand this evening.  We figured one would make a nice souvenir of the event, and the other we could either sell or give away (do people really buy those on Ebay???).  The lineup was quite short for the cards at that early hour, so we had them in hand…..and our party bands marked accordingly…..in a jiffy.







I had been feeling rather guilty about taking so few photos on the first party night, so today made a conscious effort to capture more pictures of the party décor that adorned the park entrance.  Everything was so nicely done, it would have been a shame if I didn’t take the time to immortalize some of the Halloween finery with the camera.















































With enough photos to relieve my conscience, we made our way up a very busy Main Street:












One of our other must-do’s for this party was to get Photopass pictures on Main Street USA, with the castle in the background, before the sun set and darkness fell over the Magic Kingdom.  We had tried to stop after arriving for Tuesday’s party but a marching band went through and temporarily cleared the street….so we moved on to our Fastpass rides instead.  For some reason we never got back during the daylight hours and the chance was missed.


The wait for pictures was minimal:  the photographer we selected just had to finish up with one other family before moving on to us.  The Photopass CM was great fun, really playing up her “fear” of pirates, which really kicked the party off on a high note .   These are some of the pictures she captured:












The Haunted Mansion Dancing Ghosts made an appearance via a magic shot:







….and they also strutted their stuff in this little video:







We ended our session with our best pirate “Arrgghhhh!” (okay, well *I* did….Steve was apparently too cool for such silliness ):







With our pictures successfully added to our Photopass account, we had to decide if we still had enough time to squeeze in our Jungle Cruise Fastpass (3:30 – 4:30 pm) before making our 4:20 pm reservation at The Plaza.  We pondered it for a moment, briefly debating our options, and decided we would probably be pushing it…..it was already after 4.  Dinner would be next on the agenda .


*Coming up…..we enjoy our evening meal with a view of Cinderella’s Castle .*


----------



## ArwenMarie

Great pictures. The castle pictures came out really nice.

I like that scarecrow holding an Emporium shopping bag LOL. Even the decorations encourage shopping at WDW


----------



## pepperandchips

Gina I love the castle shot you got with the blue sky and Main Street looking so delightful in the foreground! It's a great reminder of how genius the    park's design is. I'm hopelessly glued to the poor minions' saga home...


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> Great pictures. The castle pictures came out really nice.
> 
> I like that scarecrow holding an Emporium shopping bag LOL. Even the decorations encourage shopping at WDW



Ha ha!  I didn't even notice that until you pointed it out!!  Subliminal messaging at its finest .



pepperandchips said:


> Gina I love the castle shot you got with the blue sky and Main Street looking so delightful in the foreground! It's a great reminder of how genius the    park's design is. I'm hopelessly glued to the poor minions' saga home...



I'm not a die hard Disney girl by any stretch, but Main Street and the castle choke me up every time.  I wholeheartely agree....the design of that area couldn't have been executed any more awesomely.

Stay tuned for the minion updates....they'll be coming up eventually!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We checked in at The Plaza podium just shortly after 4 pm.







They gave us a pager but noted that they probably wouldn’t be able to seat us until our reservation time of 4:20.  We told them that was perfectly okay, and opted for a restroom break while we waited to be called.  We no sooner emerged from the loo’s when the pager went off and we were escorted to a waiting table.   We were right along the windows, with a lovely view of Cinderella’s Castle  :







I was surprised by how close together the tables were.....we were in such close proximity to the folks next to us (both sides), I felt like we were part of their families.....but the inside of the restaurant was quite lovely despite the maximization of the seating _(don’t get me wrong....I totally understand the reasoning behind it.....when you have restaurants filling at 180 days out, you want to make sure you’re not wasting a square inch of space!!)._  The decor had a rather old-world “fancy” charm:







The servers were really busy, so it took a little bit before someone came to take our drink and entree orders.  We amused ourselves by taking photos.







_^^How’s that for a pirate sneer?^^_







We decided, since it was our last dinner in Orlando, we’d put aside any concerns about calories or healthy choices and splurge on milkshakes for our drinks.  Steve picked chocolate while I went with the no sugar added butter pecan.







They came out surprisingly fast....quick enough that I wondered how our server managed to get the order in, have those shakes blended, and then back over to our table in that short of time.  It had to be Disney magic at work .  All I know is, not only did we get those mouth watering shakes in the traditional glass cups (adorned with whipped cream and a cherry), but they also brought us an equal amount (and in my case, probably even more than an equal amount) in stainless steel cups with long spoons on the side.  That was a LOT of ice cream!!!  


As for the taste......simply amazing.  There was no way you would ever know that my butter pecan had no sugar added:  it was just as rich and creamy as any other premium ice cream I’ve ever had.  Those shakes were flavourful and smooth (though pieces of pecan did get continually stuck in the bottom of my straw) and completely yummy.   Well worth the $4.99 price tag and the bazillion calories which would no doubt find their way to my hips .


The family next to us had been complimenting us since our arrival on the detail of our costumes (she even noticed that Steve had a peg leg....I think she was the ONLY person to take in that little feature of his pirate gear), and when the shakes arrived the mom asked if we would like her to snap a photo of us together with our beverages.  Never ones to turn down a kind offer, we readily accepted.







Our entrees appeared a short time later.  Neither one of us were starving by any stretch, so we kept it simple.  Steve had the Angus chuck cheeseburger and fries:







I chose the cheese steak sandwich and fries, minus the onions, peppers and mushrooms on request:







After our dreadful meal at Pinnochio’s Village Haus at the first party, these seemed like fine dining!!   


They weren’t the _best_ burgers and sandwiches that we’d ever had, but they were tasty and filling and perfectly acceptable nonetheless.  Everything was served hot and fresh, and the service was very efficient (which we had worried about, considering it was a party night....we had read so many reports of painfully slow service that we almost considered cancelling in favour of quick service to maximize party time).  The atmosphere was quaint and very much in the “feel” of Main Street USA, the price was reasonable (for Disney), and the shakes were top notch.


The total bill, including tax but excluding tip, was $41.50.


After our meal, we stopped for some photos in the hub.  Despite our initial concerns when we noted the more congested parking lot, the park actually felt less busy than at the Tuesday party....which was completely against what the expert touring plan sites had predicted.  Go figure .

















The newly redesigned hub is really well done.  It felt very open and spacious....much nicer than we remembered from our last visit in 2009.












*Next up:*


----------



## ArwenMarie

Glad the Plaza didn't disappoint! Of course milkshakes always help 

The Hub did turn out really nice in the end.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

My DD loves the extra milkshake in the stainless steel container. Bonus!!  The tomato soup there always goes down well too. Glad you 2 pirates were having fun


----------



## samsteele

Always loved the Plaza. They have a veggie sandwich there that is wonderful. Of course, I pair it with a shake, float or banana split so healthy dining not.  But always great to change things up and "think" I am making the healthy choice.


----------



## Ruthie5671

Gina, I am continuing to enjoy your trip report with each new post.  You have an excellent writing style.  And I love your Halloween costumes!


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We decided, since it was our last dinner in Orlando, we’d put aside any concerns about calories or healthy choices and splurge on milkshakes for our drinks.  Steve picked chocolate while I went with the no sugar added butter pecan.



Whaaa?  I was never under the impression that you were particularly concerned about calories on this trip!  

I would put near the top of the "top 10 reasons" I read your TR's all those lovely food porn pictures and mouth-watering meals.  Heck I probably put on five pounds just reading one of your reports!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

samsteele said:


> Always loved the Plaza. They have a veggie sandwich there that is wonderful. Of course, I pair it with a shake, float or banana split so healthy dining not.  But always great to change things up and "think" I am making the healthy choice.



Well, to be fair, the shakes are made of ice cream.....and ice cream is made of milk.....which is full of calcium.....so it really *is* a healthy choice .

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  



Ruthie5671 said:


> Gina, I am continuing to enjoy your trip report with each new post.  You have an excellent writing style.  And I love your Halloween costumes!



Thanks you!! 



bankr63 said:


> Whaaa?  I was never under the impression that you were particularly concerned about calories on this trip!
> 
> I would put near the top of the "top 10 reasons" I read your TR's all those lovely food porn pictures and mouth-watering meals.  Heck I probably put on five pounds just reading one of your reports!



Aw heck, we're never concerned about calories on *any* trip!!    That's why we try to "be good" in our normal life, so we can splurge without guilt on vacation.  That said, if I can indulge and do so smartly (a la "no sugar added" butter pecan milkshake), then I can justify an extra Dole Whip somewhere along the way .

Hey, "Disney math" applies to calorie counting, too .

So....if food porn is among the top of the top 10 reasons, that begs the question.....what are the other 9?


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

_Just a short update tonight while we watch the Leafs game......priorities, ya know......:_


Heading in the general direction of Splash Mountain (which was our remaining Fastpass for the night.....we had skipped our Jungle Cruise FP, and hadn’t bothered to make one for the 4:30-5:30 pm time slot since we had the ADR for The Plaza) we stopped for a ride on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.







We considered also grabbing a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean en route, but the standby time was at 30+ minutes so we decided we’d return there once the party had started and the wait time shrunk.







As we passed by POTC, a maintenance CM who was sweeping up the walkways spied us approaching his general vicinity and made a big production about being afraid of pirates  .  We reassured him we were interested in neither pillaging nor plundering, so he feigned relief and strolled over to us to admire our swords and other accessories.  He asked if he could see our pirate maps, and we told him we didn’t think to bring one (but what a good idea that would have been!).  He looked shocked...gave us a little *tsk, tsk* with a shake of his head....and noted that it was a good thing we happened to run into him, then.  He motioned for us to come with him, and took us over to A Pirates Adventure:  Treasures of the Seven Seas where he assured us he _“had a friend who could fix us right up”._  He called out another CM by name, who emerged immediately and asked how she could help.  He explained that he had encountered a pair of rogue pirates who seem to be without treasure maps, and wondered if she could remedy that.  A big grin and an assurance of “absolutely!”, and she disappeared for a short time before re-emerging with an assortment of brown papers that she passed along to the maintenance CM who still had his broom and dustpan in hand.  He put down his cleaning tools, reviewed the paperwork quickly, then handed them over with a flourish.  He explained that they were official pirate treasure maps of the Magic Kingdom, all five of them different and absolutely necessary for any pirate who happened to be visiting Disney World on such a special evening such as this.   He smiled broadly, wished us a magical night, and promptly set off in the opposite direction that we were walking.






I am sorry to say that he initially caught us so off guard that we didn’t even catch his name during the whole animated exchange.  I would have loved to have put in a compliment to Disney so that he could be recognized for his kindness.  That CM was truly a shining example of the whole Disney pledge to enhance the guest experience .  That short interaction left us smiling like a pair of idiots and feeling very pirate-ish, indeed.


With our souvenir maps in hand, we continued our way toward Splash Mountain.

















Beginning at exactly the stroke of 5:30 pm, Steve rode twice back-to-back using both his FP and mine (drops are most certainly not my style.....I had no desire to partake in this attraction!!).  He was smiling and waving at me the whole time.....this was his favourite ride at the Magic Kingdom, and he enjoyed each and every moment.  To quote Walt Disney:  *“Adults are just kids grown up, anyway”.  *
















Yes sir, my Steve had very certainly found his inner child on this trip .







At that point in the day, Big Thunder was at a 35 minute wait.....so we would take a pass until later in the party.







*More to come.....this evening was barely underway.....*


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>



Supermodel work......work it!!!!


----------



## dancin Disney style

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>


There is something oddly appealing about this handsome fella.   
Gina I thought you were taller?????


----------



## JaxDad

Belated Happy Birthday Gina!

I love the trip report so far!

I just scrapped a mini-Orlando trip I sort of planned for next weekend. We're going to stay home and do all the fun Christmas decorating stuff instead and use the money we save for our trip to DC. I will also definitely be looking at the Blue Friday deals for future SW and AQ trips!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dancin Disney style said:


> There is something oddly appealing about this handsome fella.
> *Gina I thought you were taller?????*



I thought it would be highly inapprorpriate if I joined Jack on the table .  



JaxDad said:


> Belated Happy Birthday Gina!
> 
> I love the trip report so far!
> 
> I just scrapped a mini-Orlando trip I sort of planned for next weekend. We're going to stay home and do all the fun Christmas decorating stuff instead and use the money we save for our trip to DC. I will also definitely be looking at the Blue Friday deals for future SW and AQ trips!



I am super excited to find out what deals are included on SeaWorld's BF sale.  Another posted shared an email that she received which indicated the AP's would be offered BOGO again.  Hoping for Quick Queue, dining and reserved show seating discounts for our Christmas Day visit, too!


----------



## KathyM2

Those milkshakes looked so good!! I hope that the wait times did go down at the party!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After Steve’s tours on Splash Mountain, we took some time to explore the little nooks and crannies of Frontierland.

















This area is so well done....I love the “wild west meets Disney cuteness” theme .

















These fellows were out performing to the delight of the crowd.  They were very, very good and we stopped to enjoy their music for a little while as well.







We thought maybe we would take a ride on the Liberty Square riverboat, but for some reason, it wasn’t running at that point in the day (though it had been at the Tuesday party).







Tom Sawyer Island was operational, though:












Instead, we opted for a ride on Haunted Mansion, which had a very reasonable 15 minute wait posted (and the party had not quite yet begun) :







By the time we were finished at Haunted Mansion, the darkness had started to descend and the party was officially underway!







We made a better attempt to trick-or-treat over the course of this evening, hitting as many of the different treat stations as possible.  Even when the lines appeared lengthy, the party guests moved through them very quickly so the time in line never felt “wasted”.  We ended up with a TON of candy before the end of the night....both our bags completely full....and had to stop visiting any more ToT locations because we simply had no more room to carry any more.  The most productive trail was from the new Fantasyland to Tomorrowland.....they had 4 stops there, if I remember correctly, and they were giving out large handfuls at each one.







Having already done one of the parties, and crossing most of the must-do’s off the list at Tuesday’s event, this party was a little more leisurely for us as a result.  We pretty much just went wherever we wanted, and did whatever attractions we wanted that didn’t have any long lines.  Over the course of the night, Steve rode Splash Mountain twice, and both of us rode Haunted Mansion (twice), Big Thunder Mountain (twice), Pirates of the Caribbean (twice), Magic Carpets of Aladdin (three? four? times), It’s a Small World, the carousel, Buzz Lightyear (twice), The Peoplemover, and The Little Mermaid.  We shopped at some of the stores (Steve got his party pin), we watched the Monsters Dance Party (so cute!) and found a great spot to watch the fireworks.....with no camera in hand.  I think that was one of my favourite times in the whole night:  sitting side by side, holding hands, and watching Hallowishes with my favourite guy .


We got some Photopass pictures outside Ariel’s castle:












.....and we also did a few character meets, each with a 10 minute wait or less.   We met Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland:







....Goofy was greeting party-goers next to his ride in Fantasyland (_exceptional_ character interaction here too.....from him running and hiding as we approached....he is afraid of pirates, you know  .... to attempting to steal our candy bags ):












.....and Jafar was adjacent to the Aladdin’s Magic Carpets (and he was a walk-up....no line at all):












Rounding out the evening was a Dole Whip stop and the late parade.


At the conclusion of the parade, we knew we couldn’t hang in any longer.  We were exhausted and ready to make the trip back to the villa, though tonight it was with a little tinge of sadness.   Late tomorrow afternoon, we would begin our journey home.....and neither one of us was ready to see the conclusion of this awesome week together .


All good things must eventually come to an end, though.  Saturday would be our final day in Orlando....but the fun was not over yet.  We still had one more, fun-packed day to go .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KathyM2 said:


> Those milkshakes looked so good!! I hope that the wait times did go down at the party!!



The waits for the rides were great during the party  .  After the fireworks especially, they dropped right off.  The only two rides that seemed to keep consistently at 30 minutes or so were 7DMT and Winnie the Pooh.  Our second ride on Big Thunder was literally a walk on.

We thought the parties were absolutely worth the money.  I have virtually nothing bad to say about either night (Pinnochio's excepted)....the weather was perfect, the activities were a ton of fun, and we were so glad that we went!


----------



## ArwenMarie

That's a really nice picture by Ariel's castle.

I wish Splash had a non-drop version. It's such a great ride, and nice and long too, but if you don't like drops, you're out of luck. I will tolerate the drop for the rest of the ride but I don't like it. But without the drop, I could ride that all day.


----------



## dixonsontour

Another great party night, good idea to go twice then the pressure is off to get everything done in 1 night.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ArwenMarie said:


> That's a really nice picture by Ariel's castle.
> 
> I wish Splash had a non-drop version. It's such a great ride, and nice and long too, but if you don't like drops, you're out of luck. I will tolerate the drop for the rest of the ride but I don't like it. But without the drop, I could ride that all day.



I loved that photo, too.  The colours are spectacular .

I like your version of Splash Mountain.  Of course, there wouldn't be much "splash" to the mountain without the drop  but still, I think its a marvelous idea nonetheless!



dixonsontour said:


> Another great party night, good idea to go twice then the pressure is off to get everything done in 1 night.



It turned out to be a very good decision.  Not a cheap one  but definitely worth it for us!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, October 17th:*


Despite being up late from the party, we dragged our weary selves out of bed fairly early to allow us lots of time to finalize the packing.  It was fairly easy to complete with the exception of those marvellous minions who just would not, could not fit in the suitcases regardless of how we stuffed, squeezed or re-organized .


We finally opted to waive the white flag and decided to stop trying.  The Pirate Minion fit into one of the carry-ons (with some small items stowed in the tiny bit of space left around his legs and the top of his head) but Banana Kevin, Tim and Tie Dye Stuart would have to be bagged separately for the journey home.  We grabbed quick showers, enjoyed a speedy cup of coffee, and locked up the suitcases before loading everything in the rental.  The Minion Trio rode comfortably in the back seat while we headed to the Welcome Center.


We had hoped that they might have a large clear recycling bag that we could secure the remaining three minions in, but alas, they had nothing readily available that would work.  We did, however, give them their laugh for the day at our packing “mayhem”.  Even I had to admit that the situation was a little funny .


Publix didn’t end up having anything that would work for us either, but by a stroke of good luck, we managed to find super big garbage bags at the Dollar Tree across from the Vistana.  Without many other options, we purchased a small box of them and a roll of packing tape to keep everything held together.   Certainly not the most elegant way to be whisked back to Canada, but hey…..it was better than nothing.   With the minions prepped for the journey home (albeit in a rather rudimentary fashion), we headed in search of a hearty breakfast.  Steve, by now, was starving so I let him pick where we would dine.  Not surprisingly, we ended up here:







This location was the one in the former Wood Grill Buffet suite, near the Sheraton Vistana Villages.  Some of the Golden Corrals are really quite chaotic and showing their wear, but this one is sooo clean, bright, and “new” feeling.  It also didn’t suffer from the guest pandemonium that afflict many of the others, so we got to enjoy their fantastic selection in peace and quiet…..a perfect ending for our trip .







Everything was hot and fresh and very well stocked.  They have so many options, though, I always find it hard to narrow down what to eat, especially at breakfast.  I really don’t have the stomach capacity first thing in the morning to do that buffet justice.







Steve, on the other hand, has a stomach of iron and managed to enjoy all the finer aspects of the meat offerings, including fried chicken .  Yes, for breakfast .







Despite the early hour, the infamous Chocolate Wonderfall was already operational for anyone who wished to partake in a chocolatey-sweet ending to their morning meal.  Both of us took a pass….we would be on a plane later today, and I surely didn’t want THAT coming back to haunt me en route back to Buffalo!!  












Our server was excellent throughout the meal.  The total bill, with tax, came to $18.94 including beverages.  We left a nice tip and rolled ourselves out to the car.


After  a meal like that, we needed to get out in that beautiful Florida sun and get some much-needed exercise.  We didn’t have to have the car back to Alamo until 3 pm, so we had lots of time to enjoy a couple of last-minute attractions before our day was done.  Surprisingly, we were sad that the trip was over but the nasty case of the blues that normally hits me was staying reasonably well controlled.  The fact that we would return in just two short months was definitely helping me cope on the much-dreaded departure day.


Also helping keep the blues at bay was the fact that we had things planned to pass the time between now and the journey to the airport, so we weren’t sitting and clock-watching or debating what to do.  Just before the trip, we had secured a Groupon for mini golf and gator feeding for two at my beloved Congo River (after a couple of added discounts, credits, and our ebates cash back, it cost us less than a dollar out of pocket!) so that’s where we headed after Golden Corral.


There are multiple locations in the area, but we chose the one on I-Drive near Universal:












The weather was simply perfect that morning:  warm, sunny, breezy, gorgeous .  What an awesome day to spend mini golfing!












Surprisingly, aside from one other couple, we were the only ones on the course.  It was simply awesome to have the whole place virtually to ourselves…..like a private rental, without the private price!

















Those of you who have read my previous reports know it’s no secret that this is my favourite course in all of Orlando.  I adore the theming, the lushness, the music, and the courses are just challenging enough to be fun without being so challenging that I want to beat my head in with the club.  And to top it all off, they have gators ……so in my world, it just doesn’t get much more perfect than that.



























I love, love all the little thematic touches.  If you take time to notice them all, it’s really quite impressive!






















While I’ve never been a great mini golfer, I am definitely getting better with practice.  At the 17th hole, I was just one stroke behind Steve….though unfortunately I couldn’t pull off a hole in one on the 18th to secure the win.  It was a competitive, fun and close game nonetheless, and I felt a little victorious even as the loser .


*We weren’t done yet…..gator feeding was next.*


----------



## dixonsontour

The mini golf looks fun, have only played onsite at disney or universal so far. 

It was a glorious day, I can remember walking through citywalk and talking to DH about how nice it was, palmtrees against the blue sky is a big change for us from the cold grey north of England.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dixonsontour said:


> The mini golf looks fun, have only played onsite at disney or universal so far.
> 
> It was a glorious day, I can remember walking through citywalk and talking to DH about how nice it was, palmtrees against the blue sky is a big change for us from the cold grey north of England.



I am not sure if that kind of sparkling weather makes the last day harder or easier....rainy and dreary is certainly harder on the mental state, but being sooo nice makes it even more painful to go home!!  Yup, I can't be pleased!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

In other news.....I got my photo book today from Picaboo!!  

I will share it with you at the end of this report......stay tuned  .  I am really, really happy with how it turned out.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Gina I'm sure you must have let Steve win the mini golf


----------



## Tricia's mom

That GC is nice ???? What the heck ??
I will have to check that one out .


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## jennasmommyinMS

That's the exact Congo River that I've got planned for our May trip next year!  Now I'm even more excited about it!


----------



## afan

I've been lurking since your last TR, they are so much fun and helpful with the Universal side of my trip planning.  The Congo River info is great as well, since I jokingly mentioned feeding gators on our trip next fall and now need to add it   Along with mini golf, and this seems to be the best/easiest way to do it.  Good to know about the groupon too.  Do you know how long they are normally good for?  I'm not sure how far out I should start looking for things like that.  We'll have a couple of off site meals too.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Gina I'm sure you must have let Steve win the mini golf



LOL....yup....that was it  .



jennasmommyinMS said:


> That's the exact Congo River that I've got planned for our May trip next year!  Now I'm even more excited about it!



We also really like the one in Kissimmee.  We will often visit that location if we're at the Nike Clearance Store or getting donuts from Krispy Kreme.



afan said:


> I've been lurking since your last TR, they are so much fun and helpful with the Universal side of my trip planning.  The Congo River info is great as well, since I jokingly mentioned feeding gators on our trip next fall and now need to add it   Along with mini golf, and this seems to be the best/easiest way to do it.  Good to know about the groupon too.  Do you know how long they are normally good for?  I'm not sure how far out I should start looking for things like that.  We'll have a couple of off site meals too.



Groupon expiry dates are all over the board, but 60-120 days is pretty common.  Some will have a very specific "use by" date, others will give you 60, 90, 120 days after purchase.  I generally start watching Groupon about 3 months out and just check that fine print thoroughly before purchasing.  I also try to wait for sales....they run them all the time....to get an additional 20, 25 or even 30% off the already discounted Groupon price.  And don't forget to purchase through your Ebates account for cash back!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After we finished our golf game, we traded our putters for poles and our balls for some gator food.  The attendant forewarned us that the gators were a tad non-responsive that morning due to the low temperatures experienced overnight , and that they may be less than eager to snack as a result.












Nevertheless, we got right to work attaching the small pieces of wieners to the hooks to see if we coax our scaly friends into being a little social.












Our gator friends were, indeed, pretty out of it.  We sure didn’t find it cold overnight, but obviously those gators have a much more sensitive system than us hearty northerners.  A few of them didn’t bother to move a muscle, and the ones who did make an attempt to grab at the food just held it between their teeth after they nabbed it off the clip at the end of the pole.












The good part about the lazy gators was that our feeding fun was nicely stretched out versus the typical gobble-and-go when they’re starving.  It gave us a chance to watch and enjoy them for a little longer than we normally would.

















After gator feeding, we washed our hands to protect against gator germs and returned to the car.  It was nearing noon, so we could head back toward where we originally started our morning……right next to the Golden Corral…..for our next attraction of the day (our final one of the trip! ):






We couldn't think of a "sweeter" finale.


----------



## dalmatian7

This is my second trip report of yours reading.  Loving it.  I have to find the grilled cheese place.  We were in orlando last week, I only wish I had read this sooner so I could have found it.  I don't know what combo I would pick.

We had a horrible meal at Pinnochio Village Haus too.  yuck. the only redeeming quality was where we sat we could watch the boats.  

You write great trip reports.


----------



## jennasmommyinMS

I'm really looking forward to the gator feeding, since that's something we've never done before--your photos have me really excited about that!  That particular location works well for us because we'll be doing the Titanic exhibit and Skeletons on that day.  I'm a little sad, though, that your trip report is nearing its end.....


----------



## ArwenMarie

You guys are busy bees on the day of your flights! Mmm, chocolate....


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dalmatian7 said:


> This is my second trip report of yours reading.  Loving it.  I have to find the grilled cheese place.  We were in orlando last week, I only wish I had read this sooner so I could have found it.  I don't know what combo I would pick.
> 
> We had a horrible meal at Pinnochio Village Haus too.  yuck. the only redeeming quality was where we sat we could watch the boats.
> 
> You write great trip reports.



Thank you dalmation7  .  Glad to have you reading along!

Tom+Chee is easy to find....its right in the Crossroads, just across from the entrance to Disney Springs.  Very close to Sweet Tomatoes!



ArwenMarie said:


> You guys are busy bees on the day of your flights! Mmm, chocolate....



That was very deliberate onour part.  I tend to find departure day to be very emotional, and keeping busy helps keep that at bay.  If we have other things to focus on, I can manage the blues so much better.

The chocolate tour was very different from anything we had done in Orlando before!  I cant wait to post my pics!



jennasmommyinMS said:


> I'm really looking forward to the gator feeding, since that's something we've never done before--your photos have me really excited about that!  That particular location works well for us because we'll be doing the Titanic exhibit and Skeletons on that day.  I'm a little sad, though, that your trip report is nearing its end.....



Aw, thanks!    I always have fun writing them.....but fear not, there is still a lot yet to come.  I figure I should be able to keep up the chatter on this TR for at least a few more days!!  Then its only T minus 22 until the next adventure.......


----------



## ArwenMarie

We're the same way on the last day. Now I book a character meal for a late breakfast on the day before we go...gives me something to look forward to on the last night.

Looking forward to the chocolate pictures!


----------



## Callie

Finally catching up! Love all the minons but what a packing nightmare!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We arrived at World of Chocolate, and made our way into the cafe with our Groupons in hand (regular admission is $17.00 per person;  our Groupon price was $10 each less a 20% off promo, for a total of $8 per ticket).  Apparently the Groupons didn’t cover tax , so they processed our vouchers, we paid the tax, and the staff advised us that we had about 15 minutes to wait until the next tour.  They handed us these “golden tickets”:







.....and invited us to browse about the cafe and retail shop while we waited to be called for the tour.












As you might suspect, there were lots of chocolate bars and related gift items for purchase in the shop, but they were mighty pricey...... some of them well over $15 for one bar .  Premium chocolate with a sticker price to match. 


You could even purchase a dried cacao pod for that “hard to buy for” person in your life .







_(I must admit, I was left wondering....who would honestly want to buy one of these?  What on earth would you do with it when you got it home?)_


Within a short time a young guide appeared and called for the next group of tour participants to join him at a doorway at the far end of the cafe.  With our little group of 8 in tow, we were off to begin our chocolate education.


The attraction description on the website is as follows:   *Your tour starts off with a short presentation then we enter the tropical rainforest to learn a little more about cacao.  Our tour then takes you back in time to find out the origins of chocolate and its rich history.*


Just as promised, the first room featured a flat screen on the wall, and we watched a five minute video on the making of chocolate from its most basic stage:  the cacao pods growing on the trees.  The video was actually not as boring as the guide suggested it might be, and it was quite interesting to think that a Hershey bar might actually originate somewhere in an Ecuadorian rainforest.  With the basics taken care of, we moved on to the next stops on the tour.


Our guide was super knowledgeable, very casual, and welcomed comments and questions from the group as we went along.   We have nothing but great things to say about the personal young fellow....he did a great job keeping us entertained as we proceeded through the tour.


We were “treated” (pardon the pun....it’s a chocolate tour after all!!) to a little *chocolate through the ages *history lesson, complete with gold spray painted Victorian furniture (even the guide made a comment about this display being terribly cheezie):







With our chocolate making knowledge starting to bubble over like the Golden Corral Wonderfall, our tour took us next past a wonderful assortment of sculptures which were all made, as you might suspect, completely from chocolate.   No tasting, please .

















The Taj Mahal was the only sculpture which was fully constructed from white chocolate....which technically, isn’t really chocolate at all.....but that’s another story.  One of the little tidbits of knowledge we picked up as part of the tour.
































Steve (my little Dutch boy) took a particular shine to the beautifully constructed windmill:
































Whoever had the job of creating these beauties seriously has the best job in the world .  Making pretty things from solid chocolate...what could be better? 


We were given lots of time to mill around, take photos, and admire all the wonderful details of the sculptures.  Our guide was very knowledgeable about where they were crafted, how they were transported, how much they weighed, and how some of the unique colourings were accomplished while still using only pure chocolate in their construction.  I’m generally not much of an art aficionado,  but this was definitely my kind of museum .

*More to come!*


----------



## shoppgirl

I'm a little sad that your trip report is coming to an end!!!  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and love all the photos you posted.  I am in awe at all the Minions you got to bring home.    your photoconnect photos are amazing and I saw your post about the Black Friday sale.    I am very tempted to make the purchase for our upcoming trip!  Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

shoppgirl said:


> I'm a little sad that your trip report is coming to an end!!!  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and love all the photos you posted.  I am in awe at all the Minions you got to bring home.    your photoconnect photos are amazing and I saw your post about the Black Friday sale.    I am very tempted to make the purchase for our upcoming trip!  Thanks for the tip!



I always think the pictures make the report  .  Its certainly more fun to look at the photos than to read all the drivel that I type!!    They always manage to tell a much better story than I could ever hope to.

Have you been to the SeaWorld parks before?  The BF sale is such a great deal, it would be awesome if you could take advantage of it.  We _*love*_ SW and Aquatica.....they are such beautiful and fun parks!....so we are super excited to know we're going back to SW on Christmas Day .  Now we're just hoping that Mother Nature blesses us with a hot afternoon on our Christmas trip so we can squeeze in a few hours at Aquatica, too.  

Thanks for reading along and joining in the chatter!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

After finishing up in the sculpture room, the museum tour continued with a selection of chocolate “art” pieces:







There was also a section featuring various historic chocolate-making machinery from several different eras, and our young guide gave us a full explanation of how chocolate making production has evolved throughout the years.

















Near the end of the tour, we were ushered into the sampling room, where we had the opportunity to taste test a variety of different chocolates of varying intensities from around the world.












The most interesting thing that we took away from this particular part of the tour was that the more cacao that was in the chocolate, the less we liked it.  The very expensive, 70% cacao chocolates were super dark and very much not our style (Hershey bars, in comparison, only contain around 25% cacao....which is apparently around the minimum to be classed as “chocolate” and not chocolate-flavoured under USA guidelines).  A few of the samples had fruits or seeds blended into them for texture (again, not really our tastes).  All of the various options were for sale in the gift shop, so if you had something you particularly liked, you could buy a bar after the tour was over.  The tasting, though, was unlimited and our guide encouraged us to enjoy more of our favourites before moving on once again.







The final couple of rooms featured a variety of moulds in every shape and size imaginable (some of those Santas and bunnies bordered on scary, though!! ):

















......as well as glass displays of chocolate bars from every country around the globe.












The last feature of the tour was a sample of their house prepared hot chocolate, and reminder to all that it’s not only good for the soul....it’s good for the BODY...to eat chocolate!  







When the tour was over, we exited into the cafe and were offered an add-on of a trio of wine and chocolate tastings _(3 different wines and 3 truffles of your choice, or the staff would pair them for you based on their recommendations for your tastes)_ for a very reasonable $9.99 per person.  Considering we would be off to the airport soon, we opted to decline the wine and instead chose 4 truffles – 2 each – from their huge selection of flavours.  With tax, they cost right around the $8 mark, so the wine and truffle add-on was a great deal in comparison.












Our selections:






They were absolutely mouth watering........creamy, soft, flavourful and perfect .







The tour itself was about an hour in length, then we spent around half an hour in the cafe afterward....so it was at least 1:30 when we decided we should grab a quick lunch before heading back to drop the car at the airport and check in for our flight.  The car had to be back by three, and we didn’t plan to eat dinner until we had arrived back in Buffalo, so a good lunch was necessary to keep us going until later in the night.  Blue Chips and Skeeter cookies will only satisfy us so long!


We made the short drive from the World of Chocolate to our final must-do dining stop of the trip:  the new Freddy’s Steakburgers located at the far end of the Premium Outlets on Vineland, not far from Publix.







We weren’t particularly starved after our big breakfast at Golden Corral and our chocolate indulgences after the tour, so burgers and fries were just about right.  We loved the 50’s style decor from the moment we walked in the door:  it was so bright and clean too! 







Staff were super friendly, and were happy to allow us a few moments to peruse their menu.  It had a Steak & Shake kind of vibe (but “newer”, if that makes sense), with very similar menu offerings and equally as pleasing prices.  While we would have loved to have sampled some of their signature frozen custard, we would have to save that for another trip.....perhaps one day at the beginning of a vacation versus the end.


Steve chose a single steakburger and a hot dog with French fries and a soft drink, while I had the double steakburger combo (included fries and a beverage).  The total cost, with tax, a very affordable $16.38.







I have to say, I was very impressed with this little fast food gem.  The food was excellent for a quick service option (very similar to Steak & Shake in so many ways!), the prices were awesome, and there was a nice variety from which to pick.  Definitely one we hope to take Jake to when we’re in town during the Christmas holidays.







It was a quiet meal.  It felt rather like a vacation version of the Last Supper.  It was with great sadness that we piled into the rental car for the final time, and made the short drive to the airport.....but not before taking a few moments to stand out in the sun, look up at that bright and beautiful blue southern sky, and breathe in some warm Florida freshness.  Jake’s report via text from earlier that morning was that it was snowing back home .  This would be the last breath of summer we’d have for a while.



One bright spot on our bittersweet horizon:  we had pre-paid for a tank of fuel when we picked up the car from Alamo a week prior, so we could bring the Fusion back empty and not have to fiddle around with stopping for gas.  I have to say, this was the nicest indulgence.  The car was virtually on empty, so whatever we “lost” on the deal was more than made up in convenience factor....and the price we paid per gallon was cheaper than what was available at the stations outside the Vistana.  We would do this again in a heartbeat if its offered  by the other rental companies as well......fingers crossed that Budget has the same option for our SUV rental at Christmas!


We dropped the car and made our way to the Jetblue check-in desk with our luggage and the minion bag in tow.   While the Jetblue agents at the check in desk thought Jake’s 5’ pink dolphin in August 2014 was beyond adorable and they waived the charges to get him home, they were less than impressed by our big ol’ bag of minions .  They tried to get us to squish them into our luggage, since we were not overweight on those pieces and the large minion bag weighed under 3 pounds.  We explained that the minions weren’t squishable (lord knows we had tried!) and they even tried compacting the bag themselves, but no luck.....so, with a touch of annoyance, they told us we’d have to either leave the bag there (I think not!!) or pay an extra fee to fly them back to Buffalo.  I guess I should be grateful, because they didn’t charge us the oversize fee....just the $35 standard charge for the extra piece of luggage.  Add 35% exchange for us Canucks, though, and it was painful to swallow .


But, I couldn’t leave the boys there.  They were coming home no matter what it took .


Jetblue sent our luggage down the conveyor belt, and directed us to take the minion bag to the oversize luggage drop off area just a short way away.  The old fellow working that area went to pick up the bag, and grabbed it with such force he almost threw it out of his hands (based on size alone, it looked big and heavy, so I guess he was unprepared for its lowly 3 pound weight).  He eyed us suspiciously, and asked .... _What is in this bag, anyway?_


We somberly replied:  _“Minions”._ 


_Minions?_  He says with a raised eyebrow .


_Yup .  _


He regarded us for a moment like we were a pair of idiots, sighed loudly, and tossed the bag down the chute.  Safe travels, little fellows.  No mayhem on the plane, please .


*The final chapter is next.*


----------



## dixonsontour

$35 for the minions doesn't seem too bad and you couldn't leave them.

Freddys looks great, it was on my list but we never made it.


----------



## ArwenMarie

"Minions?" Gotta love MCO.

Love the chocolate museum pictures, very interesting. That makes sense about the cacao...dark chocolate is good up to a point but give me milk chocolate any day. 

Great trip report! And just think you'll be writing another one before you know it!


----------



## sk8jdgca

I'm thankful for the chocolate museum review. I too bought tickets on some site ( I can't remember where though) for our upcoming trip.


----------



## shoppgirl

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I always think the pictures make the report  .  Its certainly more fun to look at the photos than to read all the drivel that I type!!    They always manage to tell a much better story than I could ever hope to.
> 
> Have you been to the SeaWorld parks before?  The BF sale is such a great deal, it would be awesome if you could take advantage of it.  We _*love*_ SW and Aquatica.....they are such beautiful and fun parks!....so we are super excited to know we're going back to SW on Christmas Day .  Now we're just hoping that Mother Nature blesses us with a hot afternoon on our Christmas trip so we can squeeze in a few hours at Aquatica, too.
> 
> Thanks for reading along and joining in the chatter!



Thanks for the tip on SW!  We went to SW and Aquatica a few years ago and loved it too.   the "Blue Friday" sale seems like a great deal, but we unfortunately don't have time to visit the parks enough to make it worthwhile.  I'm still debating on getting the photoconnect star card though!  you are so lucky to make so many trips to Orlando!  We went in Dec last year to Disney and it was so magical!   Have an awesome Christmas trip!  I'm hoping with all my fingers and toes crossed that it will be warm enough for us to go to the hotel pools in March!

I hope Mother Nature is good to you next month!


----------



## KathyM2

The chocolate museum looked like a lot of fun and worth doing! I love all these offsite restaurant gems you are discovering! As much as I love the Disney Bubble...it's nice to see what else is out there too!! So sad to come back to the cold after a trip to FL...sigh...


----------



## samsteele

Thank you for your incredible trip report and all the effort that went into it! And I agree with PPs, the $35 US for shipping the minions wasn't too bad at all in hindsight. Are you decorating/dressing up your new minion buddies for Christmas?  After all, it is their first Christmas in Canada!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dixonsontour said:


> $35 for the minions doesn't seem too bad and you couldn't leave them.
> 
> Freddys looks great, it was on my list but we never made it.



You'll have to try to add that one to the list for the next trip .  Are you planning to return again for October 2016?



ArwenMarie said:


> "Minions?" Gotta love MCO.
> 
> Love the chocolate museum pictures, very interesting. That makes sense about the cacao...dark chocolate is good up to a point but give me milk chocolate any day.
> 
> Great trip report! And just think you'll be writing another one before you know it!



I can hardly believe that we're on our way again just three weeks from today .   The time is going to FLY by with all our pre-Christmas committments between now and then!!    I'm trying not to get panicked about how much I still have to do before we leave.  This weekend I plan to complete what little Christmas shopping I have to do (my mom, Steve's parents, a few friends) and *maybe* get it all wrapped.  Having all that done will definitely help me relax a little.



sk8jdgca said:


> I'm thankful for the chocolate museum review. I too bought tickets on some site ( I can't remember where though) for our upcoming trip.



Awesome!    I would now also like to visit the other chocolate attraction (Chocolate Kingdom, I think?) on a future trip to see how they compare.



shoppgirl said:


> Thanks for the tip on SW!  We went to SW and Aquatica a few years ago and loved it too.   the "Blue Friday" sale seems like a great deal, but we unfortunately don't have time to visit the parks enough to make it worthwhile.  I'm still debating on getting the photoconnect star card though!  you are so lucky to make so many trips to Orlando!  We went in Dec last year to Disney and it was so magical!   Have an awesome Christmas trip!  I'm hoping with all my fingers and toes crossed that it will be warm enough for us to go to the hotel pools in March!
> 
> I hope Mother Nature is good to you next month!



Thank you!      We have been exceptionally fortunate this year.....and we're savouring every last moment, because I doubt our travelling frequency will be sustained in future years.  For now, though, its fun to squeeze in the extra adventures when the budget allows.  Always so, so thankful for the opportunities we have had.



KathyM2 said:


> The chocolate museum looked like a lot of fun and worth doing! I love all these offsite restaurant gems you are discovering! As much as I love the Disney Bubble...it's nice to see what else is out there too!! So sad to come back to the cold after a trip to FL...sigh...



Coming home was a KILLER.  I could have cried when we got off the plane .    That blast of cold air hit us like a brick wall.



samsteele said:


> Thank you for your incredible trip report and all the effort that went into it! And I agree with PPs, the $35 US for shipping the minions wasn't too bad at all in hindsight. Are you decorating/dressing up your new minion buddies for Christmas?  After all, it is their first Christmas in Canada!



Ah, its not done yet!!  Stay tuned, there's still a few more posts to come before I wrap things up.

No minion decorating for Christmas on the inside (we're not really doing much decorating on the interior of the house since we're not home for the holidays), but I do have these fellows in my front yard:





Meet Bob and Dave!


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

Ah the true cost of the $5 challenge!! Not so bad for your beloved minions and at least they survived the journey home.

I didn't realise you were in Florida for Christmas Day, we have been a few times for Christmas and love it. I'll be watching out for any updates


----------



## samsteele

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Meet Bob and Dave!


Bob & Doug (Dave) McKenzie Minions from the Great White North?  Too cute.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Ah the true cost of the $5 challenge!! Not so bad for your beloved minions and at least they survived the journey home.
> 
> I didn't realise you were in Florida for Christmas Day, we have been a few times for Christmas and love it. I'll be watching out for any updates



Yep, we arrive the 18th and fly home on the night of the 26th.  We're doing a trip this year in lieu of a whole bunch of gifts we don't need.   Super excited to have the three of us together on this vacation.....it hasn't been just the three of us together since August 2013!!!  



samsteele said:


> Bob & Doug (Dave) McKenzie Minions from the Great White North?  Too cute.



Ha ha ... love it!  

.............................

Sorry I've been a little slower in finishing than I anticipated.  Steve had some minor surgery on Thursday so life's been a little chaotic here for the last couple of days.  I am hoping to get things wrapped up by early next week at the latest.  Thanks for being patient and hanging in there right to the end!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*The journey home:  *


To pass time while sitting at our gate, we chatted briefly with both Jake and my mom (who both warned us of the inclement weather we would be welcomed home by) before boarding and departing right on schedule.  Hearing their voices, both so eager and excited for us to return, that’s when the emotion hit me like a smothering and unstoppable avalanche.  It was also the 5th anniversary of my dad’s passing which made home feel like a zillion miles away, and sitting at the gate, it was all I could do not to lay my head on Steve’s shoulder and have a good, cleansing cry.


Our trip was over, and that was heartbreaking .

My Steve sensed my sadness...l knew he was feeling my dad’s loss painfully that afternoon as well.  He loved him, too .  We just quietly sat side by side, lost in our own thoughts, until the gate agents announced boarding for the Mosaic and Even More Space customers.  It turned out our flight was only 95% full and that Steve has both seats next to him completely empty.  With the flight crew’s approval, I pulled a quick switcheroo before take-off to Steve’s window seat, with the middle seat empty and Steve on the aisle.  Even More Space, indeed .







The flight itself was mercifully uneventful.  While we shook, rattled and did everything but roll with the turbulence on the way _there_, flying home was smooth as silk.   We stepped outside the plane to a burst of freezing cold air and a chorus of groans from our fellow passengers.  It was snowing .


We walked through the airport in our shorts and sandals past an array of hearty Buffalonians decked out in their winter coats and toques.   More than one raised an eyebrow at us and remarked “shorts?  Really?”.


Shut up .  We’re getting re-acclimated.


We collected our luggage......the TSA had literally shredded the minion package, and the boys appeared to be held together now more by a ridiculous amount of TSA packing tape than plastic bag....and beckoned the shuttle back to the hotel to collect the Journey.   Once back at the Days Inn, we loaded up, turned on the heated seats, and opted to grab dinner before making the short drive to Niagara Falls to check in for our overnight stay.  The weather was bad enough that apparently it was causing some issues on the highway in St.Catherines, so we patted ourselves on the back for having the foresight to delay the drive home until the following morning.


By this time, it was nearing 9 o’clock and we were starving.  Some comfort food was most definitely in order.







At the late hour, the restaurant was pretty empty.  It was quiet and comfortable and the kind of atmosphere we very much needed that night.  Our server was attentive without being intrusive, as if she could sense we wanted to just quietly enjoy a good meal.







We started out with a plate of their signature, hot-from-the-oven biscuits:







Our entrees were brought to the table a very short time thereafter.  I had the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes, country gravy and my Cracker Barrel favourite:  macaroni and cheese:







My meal came with third side that I neither wanted nor needed, so the waitress suggested she could bring it to Steve.  He readily accepted her offer, picked dumplings as his choice, and a chicken ceasar salad to go with it.







We washed it all down with a pair of bottomless strawberry lemonades served in their signature frozen mugs.


Everything was excellent and the portions were huge.  Pair the large entrees with the heavy biscuits and we were  much, much too stuffed to even consider dessert.  We covered the bill ($26.82 including tax), left a tip for our server, then headed for the Canadian border.


We stopped at Duty Free and then crossed at the Rainbow Bridge with virtually no wait...only 3 cars in front of us.  Within 5 minutes we were checking into our Niagara Falls hotel (which had been booked for free with our Visa points), and we were sound asleep within the hour.  Our travel day had taken its toll.


In the morning, we grabbed quick showers and began the journey home as early as we could.....though we did take the time to stop for breakfast and enjoy one of these:







Okay, so coming home wasn’t ALL bad .


The sleet and snow of the night before had moved out of the area, and it was a spectacular day for the drive home.  Traffic was non-existent, and we made it home in perfect time to eat lunch with our boy (who was very, very excited to see us).







*And that, my friends, is a wrap.  The official cost summary is next.*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*ADDING IT ALL UP…..*

_(actual amounts converted to Canadian dollars are in italics)_

Ø  Buffalo park & fly hotel:    $   80.03  _$  94.77 CDN_

Ø  Trip insurance (medical & general):    $   0.00   *(free with Visa points)*

Ø  Roundtrip, direct flights (Jetblue):    $   903.00  _$  1,156.06 CDN_ *(includes round trip upgrades to Even More Space seating)*

Ø  Car rental and prepaid fuel:      $  184.11  _ $  238.22 CDN_

Ø  Fuel for rental car:      $   8.00   _$  10.35 CDN_

Ø  Vistana Accommodations (maintenance fee)  $   906.88   _ $  1,036.20 CDN  _

Ø  Food, groceries and medications:    $  605.31

Ø  Tips (approximation):  $  70.00

Ø  Universal Premier Annual Passes:    $   0.00   *(free – paid @ May 2015 trip)*

Ø  Universal Photoconnect Annual Pass:  $  0.00   *(free – paid @ May 2015 trip)*

Ø  Halloween Horror Nights RIP Tour      $  306.70  _$  377.06 CDN_

Ø  Scareactor Dining Experience   $  106.48  _$  141.49 CDN_

Ø  MNSSHP Tickets – October 13th  $  157.62 _ $  207.25 CDN_

Ø  MNSSHP Tickets – October 16th  $  168.28  _$  221.25 CDN_

Ø  Parking (2 MNSSHP – Universal is free w/APs) _ $   40.00_

Ø  Memory Maker/Photopass Share  $  24.14 _ $  33.91 CDN _

Ø  World of Chocolate Groupons:    $  16.00 _ $  19.74 CDN_

Ø  Parking at Days Inn Niagara Falls – October 17th  $  5.65 CDN   *(room was free – paid with Visa points)*


*GRAND TOTAL:  $3,582.20*

*$179.11 per person, per day:  9 nights, 10 days total*


----------



## Rubbertops

Great report. Thanks.
Helps me look forward to our April trip to Universal.
Hopefully our dollar will be better by then...


----------



## grantclaire

Thanks for another great trip report! BTW when we stayed at the Vistana Resort a few years ago, some of the staff warned us about the gas station right across from resort.  They have been known to jack up the gas prices to hit tourists  and for not posting the correct price.  Will look into the prepaid option next time. Thanks again.


----------



## dixonsontour

Really enjoyed your report again and look forward to your December one.

DH has got off the plane in shorts to snow outside before, caused a raised eyebrow or two.

You are good to add everything up. I like a bargain and feel like we get good value on our trips but I fear DH would say never again if he saw it all as a list. 

Funny how your excahange is the other way. We knock 1/3 off so $300 is approx £200. Generally we find things a bit cheaper in US than England, not the same as the days when is was $2=£1. Eating out definitely is cheaper, we are the same as you all this food for only $30 or something.


----------



## afan

I enjoyed your TR!  I love the Tim Horton's cups with the hockey players on them!  And I didn't know they served hash browns now.  Though, the rare occasion I get to one I always get donuts   Very few places in the Seattle area to get donuts aside from the grocery store, I wish they would come down here.


----------



## bankr63

And so Gina's TR catches back up to real time.  Of course you're what, 3-weeks away from catching that next plane south?  Hardly even time to start a PTR! (And don't take that as a request - I know how much needs to be accomplished with the holidays AND vacation approaching!)

One suggestion regarding extraneous minions.  We have a good size duffle bag that folds into it's own compact pouch that always accompanies us down.  Probably big enough for 2 or 3 unexpected tag alongs - Bob and Dave MacMinion indeed.  It has transported all sorts of unexpected goodies back from the US and Mexico for us, and takes almost no space on the way down.  Ours is from Lands End, but I have seen very similar ones at Eddie Bauer too. It is always great to have an extra piece of luggage along just in case.

Have fun getting ready for your next adventure.  I'll bet Christmas will be special for all 3 of you this year!

BTW - we are now leaning towards another drive down for March break this year.  With the lousy dollar, we are having a hard time finding anyone to take our week off our hands.  I don't want to deposit it with RCI; I've already got 200 ETP's on deposit there - enough for another 10+ good vacations!  So we may end up using it ourselves after all.


----------



## JaxDad

Awesome report!

Soooo, when does the PTR start?


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

A great trip report Gina, thank you for sharing  I hope you all have a great Christmas trip and enjoy all the brilliant Christmas decorations and events.

I like your cost break down, I daren't do mine from our July trip, it was for 3 weeks and the flights alone are quite spectacular


----------



## ArwenMarie

Aw, lots of big feelings on leaving. I'm glad you got a little good-seat karma and a smooth flight. 

I admire that you itemize and add everything up like that. I do add it up but I only make five categories (flights, food/shopping, hotel, park tickets and rental car/airport parking). 

And hey'll you'll be back so soon and then you'll be really glad to get a break from the winter. I'm so wishing we had a trip planned but it's not to be this school year anyway with trying to (still) sell our house and move.

Looking forward to your next report! Put a link here when you start it so I can find it easily!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Rubbertops said:


> Great report. Thanks.
> Helps me look forward to our April trip to Universal.
> Hopefully our dollar will be better by then...



Thank you!!   And amen on the dollar value....it doesn't have to get back to par, but 85 cents or so would be fabulous.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed (but not holding my breath, lol!).



grantclaire said:


> Thanks for another great trip report! BTW when we stayed at the Vistana Resort a few years ago, some of the staff warned us about the gas station right across from resort.  They have been known to jack up the gas prices to hit tourists  and for not posting the correct price.  Will look into the prepaid option next time. Thanks again.



I am not surprised by the warning....some definite gouging going on.  I am really, really hoping that Budget has the prepaid option for our December rental....that's my homework for this week, to find out  .



dixonsontour said:


> Really enjoyed your report again and look forward to your December one.
> 
> DH has got off the plane in shorts to snow outside before, caused a raised eyebrow or two.
> 
> You are good to add everything up. I like a bargain and feel like we get good value on our trips but I fear DH would say never again if he saw it all as a list.
> 
> Funny how your excahange is the other way. We knock 1/3 off so $300 is approx £200. Generally we find things a bit cheaper in US than England, not the same as the days when is was $2=£1. Eating out definitely is cheaper, we are the same as you all this food for only $30 or something.



lol, my husband is always eager to know the final tally.  Once his eyes get back in their sockets, he usually just shrugs his shoulders and says "well, it was worth every penny.  I wouldn't have changed a thing".    

We put a cost summary in the back of every photo book from each trip.  Its fun to look back and see what we paid for things in 2009, 2012 and some of the earlier vacations.  Our Disney trip in 2009 was SO CHEAP compared to current prices!!



afan said:


> I enjoyed your TR!  I love the Tim Horton's cups with the hockey players on them!  And I didn't know they served hash browns now.  Though, the rare occasion I get to one I always get donuts   Very few places in the Seattle area to get donuts aside from the grocery store, I wish they would come down here.



The hash browns aren't my fave....their old versions were MUCH better (now they are just like McDonald's).

I think those cups were last year's Christmas ones.  They must have been trying to get rid of them, lol!  This year's are red with snowflakes.  Much as I love our Tim's brewed in the villa, its just not the same as enjoying my morning java from a Tim Horton's paper cup  .



bankr63 said:


> And so Gina's TR catches back up to real time.  Of course you're what, 3-weeks away from catching that next plane south?  Hardly even time to start a PTR! (And don't take that as a request - I know how much needs to be accomplished with the holidays AND vacation approaching!)
> 
> One suggestion regarding extraneous minions.  We have a good size duffle bag that folds into it's own compact pouch that always accompanies us down.  Probably big enough for 2 or 3 unexpected tag alongs - Bob and Dave MacMinion indeed.  It has transported all sorts of unexpected goodies back from the US and Mexico for us, and takes almost no space on the way down.  Ours is from Lands End, but I have seen very similar ones at Eddie Bauer too. It is always great to have an extra piece of luggage along just in case.
> 
> Have fun getting ready for your next adventure.  I'll bet Christmas will be special for all 3 of you this year!
> 
> BTW - we are now leaning towards another drive down for March break this year.  With the lousy dollar, we are having a hard time finding anyone to take our week off our hands.  I don't want to deposit it with RCI; I've already got 200 ETP's on deposit there - enough for another 10+ good vacations!  So we may end up using it ourselves after all.



You are not the first one to suggest the duffle bag....and I'm thinking it might be a good plan for April and beyond.  Though I have no idea where I'm going to put any more stuffies in my rec room  , its getting pretty full down there with all "the guys"!

I am so glad to hear that you have a trip in the works for March!!!     Dollar value be darned, go and have a great time.  Your kiddos are not getting any younger, either.  You will soon be in the same boat as I am, with those family trips being a rare treat.

I am not gonna lie.....we are super excited about our little family getaway.   I am savouring these moments.   I am just hoping that there are no freak snowstorms that bury Buffalo in another 8 feet of snow (a la 2014) to delay our depature.  It can keep us from returning from Florida all it wants, but please dont make it so we cant get there, lol! 



JaxDad said:


> Awesome report!
> 
> Soooo, when does the PTR start?



Hey, ya never know!  Maybe this week if I find my fingers yearning to return to the laptop. I am always kind of lonely when the reports come to an end!



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> A great trip report Gina, thank you for sharing  I hope you all have a great Christmas trip and enjoy all the brilliant Christmas decorations and events.
> 
> I like your cost break down, I daren't do mine from our July trip, it was for 3 weeks and the flights alone are quite spectacular



lol, it is most definitely tough to see the numbers when its all added in.  But you cant put a price on memories......so whatever it turned out to be, I would bet it was worth every penny  .



ArwenMarie said:


> Aw, lots of big feelings on leaving. I'm glad you got a little good-seat karma and a smooth flight.
> 
> I admire that you itemize and add everything up like that. I do add it up but I only make five categories (flights, food/shopping, hotel, park tickets and rental car/airport parking).
> 
> And hey'll you'll be back so soon and then you'll be really glad to get a break from the winter. I'm so wishing we had a trip planned but it's not to be this school year anyway with trying to (still) sell our house and move.
> 
> Looking forward to your next report! Put a link here when you start it so I can find it easily!



Thanks, my friend.  I was so glad to have you as part of this report!

Best of luck with the house sale and move.  I hope 2016 brings you all the things you are hoping for  .

I will absolutely post a link here if I can get a December PTR in motion.  I have managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done and wrapped this weekend, so I am starting to see daylight once again.   Bring on the holidays!


----------



## Hemlock

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!  I loved it and even went back and read your older trip reports. Steak n Shake and Congo River golf are officially on the list for our next trip.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hemlock said:


> Thanks for sharing your trip with us!  I loved it and even went back and read your older trip reports. Steak n Shake and Congo River golf are officially on the list for our next trip.



Thanks for reading along  .

Steak n Shake and Congo River are great choices....they never disappoint!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I had mentioned earlier in the thread that I finished my photobook a week or so ago, and I said I would post a link to it at the end of my report.  So....for anyone who wants to check it out, you can find it here:

http://www.picaboo.com/?share=15c73ef0d32ceb4568108c88af4d4ab2&version=664874&siteID=ViaPreview

The finished product turned out awesome!   I love picaboo products!


----------



## Lynne G

Photobook was neat to see.
I enjoyed the chocolate museum too.  Loved the savor suggestion.  I got the groupon deal with a cup of coffee and mug.  The mug was really nice and is a fun reminder.  It was packed in a box ready to take home.  The coffee was good too.


Just think, in less than a month, we will be on our way again.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Lynne G said:


> Photobook was neat to see.
> I enjoyed the chocolate museum too.  Loved the savor suggestion.  I got the groupon deal with a cup of coffee and mug.  The mug was really nice and is a fun reminder.  It was packed in a box ready to take home.  The coffee was good too.
> 
> 
> Just think, in less than a month, we will be on our way again.



I can hardly believe it.  It has roared up *so fast* .  Your family must be growing very excited, too!!   I know the fact that we're now only 18 days out is causing a lot of chatter among my fellows!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

With another trip officially under our belts, I had to revise the list of attractions we've visited and places we've dined.   Assuming I haven't missed anything, here's the update as of October 2015.  Always more to be added on future visits!

ATTRACTIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS:

    Magic Kingdom                                  
    Epcot
    Hollywood Studios
    Animal Kingdom
    Blizzard Beach
    Typhoon Lagoon
    Downtown Disney
    Universal Studios
    Islands of Adventure
    CityWalk
    Seaworld (incl. a VIP Tour and their Christmas Celebration)
    Aquatica
    Discovery Cove
    Showcase of Citrus
    Gatorland
    Wild Willy’s Airboats
    Titanic: The Experience
    Outta Control Dinner Show
    ICE! at Gaylord Palms
    Cocoa Beach
    Gator Golf
    Volcano Island Mini Golf
    Hawaiian Rumble Mini Golf
    Pirates Cove Mini Golf (2 locations)
    Congo River Mini Golf (2 locations)
    Mighty Jungle Mini Golf
    Haunting of Ghostly Greens Mini Golf
    Kissimmee Go-Karts
    Orlando Magic Game (Amway Center)
    Premium Outlets (Vineland)
    Premium Outlets (International Dr.)
    Lake Buena Vista Factory Outlets
    Nike Clearance Store & Nike Outlet (both in Kissimmee)
    Ron Jon Surf Shop (Cocoa Beach)
    Daytona Beach
    Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum
    Makaio Watersports – Jet Skiing (Lakes Minneola & Minnehaha)
    Orlando Eye
    Skeletons:   Animals Unveiled
    Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
    Halloween Horror Nights
    World of Chocolate Museum & Café


RESTAURANTS:

    1900 Park Fare (character dinner)          
    ‘Ohana (character breakfast)
    Tusker House (character breakfast)
    Chef Mickey’s (character dinner)
    Crystal Palace (character dinner)
    Pinnochio’s Village Haus
    Earl of Sandwich      
    Sci-Fi Drive-In
    T-Rex
    Mama Melrose
    Chili’s (2 different locations)
    Olive Garden (3 different locations)              
    TGI Friday’s (multiple locations)
    Buffalo Wild Wing (multiple locations)      
    Cici’s Pizza (multiple locations)          
    Golden Corral (multiple locations) (breakfast and dinner)          
    NBA City                                  
    Wolfgang Puck Express
    Giordano’s Pizza
    Friendly’s
    Shrek Feast @ Gaylord Palms (character breakfast)
    Dine With Shamu (SeaWorld)
    All-day dining at SeaWorld (Voyageurs, Seafire Inn, Mango Joes, Terrace Garden Buffet, Spice Mill)
    All-day dining at Universal (Circus McGurkus Café Stoopendous & ??)
    World’s Largest McDonald’s & Playplace
    Shoney’s (breakfast buffet)
    Sonic Drive-In
    Checkers
    Popeye’s
    Dunkin Donuts (multiple locations)
    Wood Grill Buffet
    Dick’s Last Resort
    Twistee Treat (3 locations)
    Steak & Shake
    Nascar Sports Grille
    Zimmies @ Sheraton Vistana Resort
    Krispy Kreme
    Hash House a Go Go (breakfast and dinner)
    The Knife
    Simpsons Fast Food Boulevard (Krusty Burger, Cletus’s Chicken Shack, Lard Lad)
    Confisco’s
    Leaky Cauldron
    Three Broomsticks
    Finnegan’s Irish Pub
    Mythos
    Monsters Café (Scareactor Dining Experience)
    Bubbalou’s Bodacious Barbecue
    Hog Heaven (Daytona)
    IHOP
    Margaritavilla
    Millers Ale House
    Carrabba’s
    Tom + Chee
    Freddy’s Steakburgers
    First Watch
    Flippers Pizza
    Tacky Tiki Bar (SVR)


On December's trip, we are poised to add Sea Life Aquarium, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Wild Florida and Fun Spot to the list as far as attractions go.  Hopefully Celebration's Now Snowing too!     On the dining side, NBC Sports Grill is on our to-do list.....not sure of any others yet.


----------



## Mrs Doubtfire

That's some list you've kept. I can't remember some of the places we've been and some of the restaurants have closed down, especially that Italian one in Kissimmee where the waiters came and sang some opera to you at your table. That was embarrassing!


----------



## samsteele

Thank you for your incredible report! Have you finished packing yet for your Christmas escape?  Some people love it (I do) and some people just don't. At all.

What an incredible list of attractions and restaurants. I didn't see Sonnys BBQ pit on there. Its a chain but the ribs are incredible. Some locations can be a bit rough around the edges (like so much else, depends on the neighbourhood) but I've been to the one in Vero Beach and one in Titusville and enjoyed. Pretty sure they have some locations in Orlando.

Have a great vacation & Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!


----------



## Gr8t Fan

Loved, loved, loved your trip report from beginning to end. 

We just returned from our first stay at SVR yesterday and had a great time.  The only thing we'd do differently is to politely INSIST on a top floor location because the group above us were like a herd of elephants the entire week.


----------



## dixonsontour

Definitely try and get to Celebration, we've done the now snowing a few times and enjoyed it.

If you are looking for bbq we tried 4 rivers and loved it at winter park, was about 20 mins drive north of Universal.

You need to take the boys to Teak too.


----------



## tdollar

Gina, I have been stalking your reports for a long time and want to finally come out and say thank you for sharing! I always enjoy reading your reports and have gained so much knowledge... I especially like your restaurant reviews! Thanks again for another great trip report, looking forward to reading the next one!


----------



## tristyp

Hi Gina

I know I have not checked in much but have read your report from start to finish. It was awesome as usual. Looking forward to the PTR. I am sure you are looking forward to another vacation and most of all having Jake along.


----------



## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I can hardly believe it.  It has roared up *so fast* .  Your family must be growing very excited, too!!   I know the fact that we're now only 18 days out is causing a lot of chatter among my fellows!!


Gina do you flynthe 18th or 19th? JetBlue from Buffalo? We are flying the 18th Buf to MCO and home the 26th. But I believe your 19th to 27th? We are early the 18th late the 26th.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Mrs Doubtfire said:


> That's some list you've kept. I can't remember some of the places we've been and some of the restaurants have closed down, especially that Italian one in Kissimmee where the waiters came and sang some opera to you at your table. That was embarrassing!



I think dining is one to-try list that we'll never be caught up on.  There are always new places opening to keep the list forever g-r-o-w-i-n-g !

lol, I'm not sure the opera singers would have been our cup of tea, either.  That would have caused us to lose our appetite all on its own  .



samsteele said:


> Thank you for your incredible report! Have you finished packing yet for your Christmas escape?  Some people love it (I do) and some people just don't. At all.
> 
> What an incredible list of attractions and restaurants. I didn't see Sonnys BBQ pit on there. Its a chain but the ribs are incredible. Some locations can be a bit rough around the edges (like so much else, depends on the neighbourhood) but I've been to the one in Vero Beach and one in Titusville and enjoyed. Pretty sure they have some locations in Orlando.
> 
> Have a great vacation & Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!



Thank you samsteele! 

Never heard of Sonnys BBQ pit, but my guys are meatatarians so we'll definitely keep our eyes open for it.  They've never met barbecue that they didn't like, lol!! 

I haven't even given a thought to packing yet....we usually don't break out the suitcases until the weekend before we leave.  We've become pretty well versed at packing for our Orlando trips, so we can usually whip things together in an evening.   Most of my recent efforts have been focused on shopping and wrapping for Christmas....I have to have everything done before we leave, and time feels very short when viewed from that perspective!!  Christmas cards are on my to-do list today  .



Gr8t Fan said:


> Loved, loved, loved your trip report from beginning to end.
> 
> We just returned from our first stay at SVR yesterday and had a great time.  The only thing we'd do differently is to politely INSIST on a top floor location because the group above us were like a herd of elephants the entire week.



Yup, that's us too  .  Top floor or bust.  So far, we've never had that request not honoured.....hopefully we never will.  

I am so glad you enjoyed your stay there!!   We love SVR!  



dixonsontour said:


> Definitely try and get to Celebration, we've done the now snowing a few times and enjoyed it.
> 
> If you are looking for bbq we tried 4 rivers and loved it at winter park, was about 20 mins drive north of Universal.
> 
> You need to take the boys to Teak too.



Ah yes, Teak!!  Those massive burgers!!  Ya never know, thanks to your reminder it might just make it on the itinerary for this Christmas trip!  (if not, April is a possibility too)

Is there lots of parking at Celebration?  That's the only thing we're worried about.



tdollar said:


> Gina, I have been stalking your reports for a long time and want to finally come out and say thank you for sharing! I always enjoy reading your reports and have gained so much knowledge... I especially like your restaurant reviews! Thanks again for another great trip report, looking forward to reading the next one!



Thank you tdollar!     Thanks for reading along!



tristyp said:


> Hi Gina
> 
> I know I have not checked in much but have read your report from start to finish. It was awesome as usual. Looking forward to the PTR. I am sure you are looking forward to another vacation and most of all having Jake along.



Aw, thanks tristyp  .   I am not ashamed to admit that I'm all giddy excited to have the three of us together in Orlando for the holidays.  That's a gift all in itself.



greenclan67 said:


> Gina do you flynthe 18th or 19th? JetBlue from Buffalo? We are flying the 18th Buf to MCO and home the 26th. But I believe your 19th to 27th? We are early the 18th late the 26th.



Yes ma'am, we are flying from Buffalo.  We fly to Orlando on Saturday the 19th (8:35 am departure from Bufflao) and we fly home on the 26th (8:05 pm departure from Orlando).   We have the exit row (12) on each flight.   Am I sensing a Dismeet???     Are you guys doing the SeaWorld parks on your trip?


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## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I think dining is one to-try list that we'll never be caught up on.  There are always new places opening to keep the list forever g-r-o-w-i-n-g !
> 
> lol, I'm not sure the opera singers would have been our cup of tea, either.  That would have caused us to lose our appetite all on its own  .
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you samsteele!
> 
> Never heard of Sonnys BBQ pit, but my guys are meatatarians so we'll definitely keep our eyes open for it.  They've never met barbecue that they didn't like, lol!!
> 
> I haven't even given a thought to packing yet....we usually don't break out the suitcases until the weekend before we leave.  We've become pretty well versed at packing for our Orlando trips, so we can usually whip things together in an evening.   Most of my recent efforts have been focused on shopping and wrapping for Christmas....I have to have everything done before we leave, and time feels very short when viewed from that perspective!!  Christmas cards are on my to-do list today  .
> 
> 
> 
> Yup, that's us too  .  Top floor or bust.  So far, we've never had that request not honoured.....hopefully we never will.
> 
> I am so glad you enjoyed your stay there!!   We love SVR!
> 
> 
> 
> Ah yes, Teak!!  Those massive burgers!!  Ya never know, thanks to your reminder it might just make it on the itinerary for this Christmas trip!  (if not, April is a possibility too)
> 
> Is there lots of parking at Celebration?  That's the only thing we're worried about.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you tdollar!     Thanks for reading along!
> 
> 
> 
> Aw, thanks tristyp  .   I am not ashamed to admit that I'm all giddy excited to have the three of us together in Orlando for the holidays.  That's a gift all in itself.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes ma'am, we are flying from Buffalo.  We fly to Orlando on Saturday the 19th (8:35 am departure from Bufflao) and we fly home on the 26th (8:05 pm departure from Orlando).   We have the exit row (12) on each flight.   Am I sensing a Dismeet???     Are you guys doing the SeaWorld parks on your trip?


We will be flying home together and probably having a sleepover at the Days??


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## Mrs Doubtfire

Gina we too love Celebration and have been at Halloween and Christmas. It can be busy, but parking is either on the street (although the Main Street is closed for the nightly snowing) or there is a small car park behind the shops, near to the hotel. We have always managed to find somewhere.

In July we ate at the Italian, D'Antonios and it was a lovely meal. Also enjoyed a few drinks and appetisers at the Celebration Town Tavern


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

greenclan67 said:


> We will be flying home together and probably having a sleepover at the Days??



That's so awesome!!!   I can't wait for my family to meet yours!  

We are going to spend the night at the Falls....we decided we'd rather tackle crossing the border at night versus during the day on the 27th. We'll make the short drive to Niagara and stay at the Country Inn & Suites.  We can get a nicer, larger room there than at the Days Inn, too....and after a week at SVR a regular hotel room is almost too much togetherness than we can stand  .



Mrs Doubtfire said:


> Gina we too love Celebration and have been at Halloween and Christmas. It can be busy, but parking is either on the street (although the Main Street is closed for the nightly snowing) or there is a small car park behind the shops, near to the hotel. We have always managed to find somewhere.
> 
> In July we ate at the Italian, D'Antonios and it was a lovely meal. Also enjoyed a few drinks and appetisers at the Celebration Town Tavern



We plan to go early in the evening, so hopefully parking won't be too woefully tough to find.  I have been watching youtube videos about the event and I'm getting really excited to visit!


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## KathyM2

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Some comfort food was most definitely in order.



I love me some Cracker Barrel every time we are in the US. Especially the sides... I could live on those alone.

Sad to see the trip come to an end...but it sure looked like a good one!


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## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> That's so awesome!!!   I can't wait for my family to meet yours!
> 
> We are going to spend the night at the Falls....we decided we'd rather tackle crossing the border at night versus during the day on the 27th. We'll make the short drive to Niagara and stay at the Country Inn & Suites.  We can get a nicer, larger room there than at the Days Inn, too....and after a week at SVR a regular hotel room is almost too much togetherness than we can stand  .
> 
> 
> 
> We plan to go early in the evening, so hopefully parking won't be too woefully tough to find.  I have been watching youtube videos about the event and I'm getting really excited to visit!



It will be neat to meet  we debated crossing as well and we usually stay at the Hampton inn River Road. But we don't feel the whole cleaning off the car and warming it up to drive across. Plus the return night they gave me $71.00 so figured it was easier. See u soon.


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## Ruthie5671

Ummmm, wait - so your trip report is done?  What will I do to pass the time until you get back from your next vacay??


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## ArwenMarie

Beautiful photo book. I love that quote, "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." That's the truth, I will have to remember that one. I also like that Irish quote on the Finnegan's page...ain't that the truth! A long sleep sure does feel like the cure for almost anything some days 

I also love that list, I am going to have to make one like that!


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## mandas08

Loved your TR as always, sorry I didn't take the time to comment as much as I would have liked but know I absolutely love following along. I learn so much through your reports. You also may have talked me into watching Despicable me 2 along with the new Minions movies  I have a restaurant recommendations for ya The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar. We actually visited one for the first time on a trip to NC and are very excited to visit the Orlando  location on our trip. When we were there we ordered the Bento box that had sliders, sushi, sweet potato fries and edamame. If you aren't into all that I have read great things about their burgers and hope to try one that I spied on the menu that had peanut butter on it...haha. but really their burger menu had quite the variety and everything  was so fresh and tasty. We seem to enjoy similar restaurants and I have nothing but great things to say about them so I think you all would like it as well


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## tgropp

*Another great trip report Gina. Enjoy your Christmas vacation with your family. It is my favorite time of year there. Anxiously awaiting the report. Merry Christmas!*


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## ElenaJane

Wait, I am not ready for your TR to be over!  I think you should start a daily blog.  Your writing is so entertaining.  Have you started a PTR for Christmas?


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KathyM2 said:


> I love me some Cracker Barrel every time we are in the US. Especially the sides... I could live on those alone.
> 
> Sad to see the trip come to an end...but it sure looked like a good one!



Brings to mind one of my favourite end-of-vacation quotes: _ "Don't cry because its over....smile because it happened" _ .3



Ruthie5671 said:


> Ummmm, wait - so your trip report is done?  What will I do to pass the time until you get back from your next vacay??



lol, the next one is not far off  .  If I ever manage to unbury myself at work, I might spend my lunch hours typing away again on a PTR.   For some reason, the last week or so has been absolutely NUTS at my office  .  Of course, it could be because I'm trying to cram my entire month of December into the first 17 days of the month  .



ArwenMarie said:


> Beautiful photo book. I love that quote, "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." That's the truth, I will have to remember that one. I also like that Irish quote on the Finnegan's page...ain't that the truth! A long sleep sure does feel like the cure for almost anything some days
> 
> I also love that list, I am going to have to make one like that!



We tend to forget some of the small stuff we've done on those earlier trips, so the list helps us keep a bit of a running summary without having to utilize too much brain power  .  It's our family mission to add at least one new thing to each side of the list on each vacation  .



mandas08 said:


> Loved your TR as always, sorry I didn't take the time to comment as much as I would have liked but know I absolutely love following along. I learn so much through your reports. You also may have talked me into watching Despicable me 2 along with the new Minions movies  I have a restaurant recommendations for ya The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar. We actually visited one for the first time on a trip to NC and are very excited to visit the Orlando  location on our trip. When we were there we ordered the Bento box that had sliders, sushi, sweet potato fries and edamame. If you aren't into all that I have read great things about their burgers and hope to try one that I spied on the menu that had peanut butter on it...haha. but really their burger menu had quite the variety and everything  was so fresh and tasty. We seem to enjoy similar restaurants and I have nothing but great things to say about them so I think you all would like it as well



Did you end up watching DM2 or the Minions movie??  I hope you loved them as much as I did!!

We're not sushi fans, but burgers are a food group for my Steve  .  Cowfish would be worth a try for that alone.  You never know, it may make it on our to-do list for April before our AP's expire (might as well save 20% while we can!!).  



tgropp said:


> *Another great trip report Gina. Enjoy your Christmas vacation with your family. It is my favorite time of year there. Anxiously awaiting the report. Merry Christmas!*



Thanks, my friend  .  I'm definitely already dreaming of a "Green Christmas"  .  I hope you'll join me again on that trip report as well!



ElenaJane said:


> Wait, I am not ready for your TR to be over!  I think you should start a daily blog.  Your writing is so entertaining.  Have you started a PTR for Christmas?



Aw, thank you ElenaJane!  I definitely lead a much too boring life to be a blogger, but I do enjoy sharing my trip reports with my Disfriends .   

No PTR just yet for our Christmas getaway, but I'm hoping to maybe get one started on the weekend.  Between being bogged down at work and trying to get all my holiday tasks done (shopping, wrapping, Christmas cards, and the list goes on!!) I will admit to sloughing off my PTR duties.  But its coming!  Eventually  .   I will definitely post a link to it here on this thread once it goes live.


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## disney ny

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your report- like always.  I didn't have time to comment much but have read the whole thing.  I thought of you on Black Friday and hoped Seaworld had a great sale for you.  The weather here in upstate NY has been very mild except for that short blast of winter the weekend you returned from Florida.  Maybe it will keep up and make travels at Christmas easy.  We fly out of Binghamton on the 26th to visit my mom in Ohio so I am with you on hoping for no weather worries in NY those days after Christmas!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

disney ny said:


> Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your report- like always.  I didn't have time to comment much but have read the whole thing.  I thought of you on Black Friday and hoped Seaworld had a great sale for you.  The weather here in upstate NY has been very mild except for that short blast of winter the weekend you returned from Florida.  Maybe it will keep up and make travels at Christmas easy.  We fly out of Binghamton on the 26th to visit my mom in Ohio so I am with you on hoping for no weather worries in NY those days after Christmas!



I have definitely let Santa know that all I want for Christmas is good travel weather  (well, that and some Florida sunshine  ... I have been a very good girl this year, after all!  ).   The 2014 "Snowmageddon" that hit Buffalo is always there in the back of my mind.    Last year, we were in Niagara Falls from the 20th to the 24th of December and it was so mild we didn't even wear coats as we strolled along the Gorge.  A repeat of that this year sure would be awesome!!

Fingers crossed for good travel weather for both of us  .


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## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I have definitely let Santa know that all I want for Christmas is good travel weather  (well, that and some Florida sunshine  ... I have been a very good girl this year, after all!  ).   The 2014 "Snowmageddon" that hit Buffalo is always there in the back of my mind.    Last year, we were in Niagara Falls from the 20th to the 24th of December and it was so mild we didn't even wear coats as we strolled along the Gorge.  A repeat of that this year sure would be awesome!!
> 
> Fingers crossed for good travel weather for both of us  .


 I am.hoping for the same travel weather as well. We travelled to buffalo right after that storm last year.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

greenclan67 said:


> I am.hoping for the same travel weather as well. We travelled to buffalo right after that storm last year.



Ugh.....that must have been awful!!!    Our commute is bad, but yours is even worse...how many hours does it take for you guys to get to BUF from home?  7 hours or so?    (makes our 3.5 - 4 hour seem pretty manageable in comparison)


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## greenclan67

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Ugh.....that must have been awful!!!    Our commute is bad, but yours is even worse...how many hours does it take for you guys to get to BUF from home?  7 hours or so?    (makes our 3.5 - 4 hour seem pretty manageable in comparison)


You nailed it. About 7 hours. Mind you we did this run last Friday night to take my 14 year old and her best friend (black Friday weekend) for her birthday weekend to see  Mariana's Trench in Niagara Falls, NY, we left Sudbury at 2,(1.5 hours from us) should have been in Niagara about 7 ish. got into our hotel room at 10:45 pm, because we hit rush hour on the 400, bloody nightmare, we have a company vehicle, so jumping on the 407 etr wasn't an option, head office gets the bill, but coming home, we said screw it, and we were in our driveway coming home, 6.5 hours later. I am not looking forward to doing the drive again. But oh well, it's better then crazy Pearson in the long run. Safe travels.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

greenclan67 said:


> I am not looking forward to doing the drive again. But oh well, *it's better then crazy Pearson *in the long run. Safe travels.



Amen, sister .  Safe travels to your fam as well!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

My December PTR is finally underway  .  I would love for you to join me here:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-holly-jolly-christmas-in-orlando-december-2015-ptr.3467454/


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## disneyAndi14

I found your report and really enjoyed reading all about your trip. I really enjoyed your detailed writing of all the things you did and also love the food reports. My DD 16 and I travel together and we love Universal, we were there last November and it was so quiet, we walked on everything.  We loved seeing Diagon Alley for the first time.  I will be looking forward to your next reports.  Love your minions!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

disneyAndi14 said:


> I found your report and really enjoyed reading all about your trip. I really enjoyed your detailed writing of all the things you did and also love the food reports. My DD 16 and I travel together and we love Universal, we were there last November and it was so quiet, we walked on everything.  We loved seeing Diagon Alley for the first time.  I will be looking forward to your next reports.  Love your minions!



Thank you!


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## dsmom

Another great TR Gina,  yours are the best!  Headed over to start your Christmas PTR. Just a heads up,  we have a Freddy,s near us that just opened and it is great,wonderful burgers,dogs, fries and ice cream.  Huge servings and very reasonable priced.  Sonnys is also great. We have been eating at one close to home for 25 plus years.  I love the chicken and ribs and husband and son love the sliced pork. They have all you can eat deals pretty cheap.


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## babynala

Enjoyed reading your TR.  Love your long list of places you have visited and dined!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dsmom said:


> Another great TR Gina,  yours are the best!  Headed over to start your Christmas PTR. Just a heads up,  we have a Freddy,s near us that just opened and it is great,wonderful burgers,dogs, fries and ice cream.  Huge servings and very reasonable priced.  Sonnys is also great. We have been eating at one close to home for 25 plus years.  I love the chicken and ribs and husband and son love the sliced pork. They have all you can eat deals pretty cheap.



Thank you!! 

Sonny's is one we've never heard of before.....is there one in Orlando that you know of?  If they have ribs, my boys would be down to give it a try!!   And you know how much we love adding a new experience to our trips!



babynala said:


> Enjoyed reading your TR.  Love your long list of places you have visited and dined!



Thank you!   That's one of our favourite things about Orlando....we never run out of new places to visit!


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## minniebeth

I absolutely love reading your trip reports, Gina! I didn't find this one until you were almost finished with it, but I loved reading all about this trip's adventures!
You have inspired us to do fun Orlando things outside of our Disney/USO bubble several times~
I loved reading about all the Halloween fun, loved your pirate pics, but the best is definitely all your Minion buddies! Just the best! 
I will love following your soon-to-be next adventure!


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## dsmom

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Thank you!!
> 
> Sonny's is one we've never heard of before.....is there one in Orlando that you know of?  If they have ribs, my boys would be down to give it a try!!   And you know how much we love adding a new experience to our trips!
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Gina!  Sonny's has several in Orlando- we've been to one on 92 and there is one on the Orange blossom trail.  There is supposed to be one near
> Celebration but have never tried that one.
> I am over on your Dec pre-TR- I think I am more excited than you about the trip!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

minniebeth said:


> I absolutely love reading your trip reports, Gina! I didn't find this one until you were almost finished with it, but I loved reading all about this trip's adventures!
> You have inspired us to do fun Orlando things outside of our Disney/USO bubble several times~
> I loved reading about all the Halloween fun, loved your pirate pics, but the best is definitely all your Minion buddies! Just the best!
> I will love following your soon-to-be next adventure!



Thank you minniebeth!     I have to agree with you on the minions....they *are* pretty awesome  .



dsmom said:


> Hi Gina! Sonny's has several in Orlando- we've been to one on 92 and there is one on the Orange blossom trail. There is supposed to be one near
> Celebration but have never tried that one.
> I am over on your Dec pre-TR- I think I am more excited than you about the trip!



I checked out the Sonny's website, and it DEFINITELEY looks like a place to put on our dining wish list! (if not for our upcoming Christmas trip, most definitely for a future one!)   Thanks so much for the recommendation .

I have been so busy with "life" and pre-Christmas commitments over the past month, it doesn't feel like I've hardly had time to get excited for this month's holiday getaway .   But I will admit....the excitement is starting to build now that we're only 8 days out.  By this time next week, this will be me:  ====>  !!


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