# It's Good to be a Passholder :-) - a January 2020 Trip Report



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hello everyone!  It's been a long time! A _*l-o-n-g*_ time!

For those veterans who might be reading along, you'll know its been an extended period since I embarked on a trip report.....they used to be one of my favorite leisure time activities.   Sadly, the last one I attempted to complete didn't even get completely finished:  we lost a family member to suicide and I never did get back to wrap it up once life got back to normal.  But, in my defense, it took a long time for life to re-balance after that.  Maybe it still hasn't completely?  But, I digress....

Fast forward one year, and here we are in quarantine because a global pandemic is wreaking havoc with our scheduled, organized, predictable lives.  The business I work for closed voluntarily almost two weeks ago, even before our state's governor ordered the closure of all non-essential services.  The first week it was easy to keep busy with all the tasks that had made their way onto my always-lengthy to-do list.  Now I'm starting to get stir crazy as my list has been depleted and there's nary a closet remaining to be cleaned nor a surface to be dusted.  I'm as caught up on yard work as Mother Nature has allowed (we are northerners, remember, so while the calendar says its spring, our actual weather often has different ideas) and I'm desperately seeking something to occupy my brain while we ride out the social distancing that will ground us for at least the next month.....and possibly beyond.  

So, I came up with the idea......a return to the Dis!  

Hmmm.....can I remember how to do this?     (Please bear with me as I get myself back in the swing of things again)

For the new folks that might be reading along, let me provide a brief introduction.   This trip features me (Gina) and my husband Steve.   I'd like to give a fancy description of us, but the fact of the matter is.....we're just a pair of grown-up kids.



I am the executive assistant at Michigan's largest craft and antique mall.   Steve is an Operations Manager for a global auto parts manufacturer.  We are Canadian-born and raised, moving to the Mitten 3 years ago when Steve's employer opened a new facility in metro Detroit.  We have one grown son who remains in Canada and works with special needs adults.  We also have two beautiful cats, Violet and Dash, whom we love as much (maybe more?) than we love some people . You'll probably get a few pics of them in the midst of my ramblings. Cat lovers, rejoice! Dog lovers, well......I'm sorry .



This was trip #19 for us (the first being in January 2009, when our love of Orlando was born) so we are no strangers to the City Beautiful.  On each visit, we have stuck to our mandate of doing at least one new thing....which has grown harder as the number of trips has grown substantially, but still isn't impossible.  It might be a new attraction, a new restaurant, or a new tour.....but every single vacation has featured something we've never done on a previous trip.  This most recent adventure was no exception.   

This vacation was an "extra".   Once we became empty nesters, we settled into a comfortable routine of traveling in the spring (around the beginning of May for our anniversary) and in October (for the Halloween events).   Devoted offsiters, we always stay at our home property, Sheraton Vistana Resort, where we own two float weeks [each in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa].   Following our trip in October 2019, I stumbled upon a getaway week with Interval International for the end of January at SVR for the all-in price of $336.80.....and we felt obliged not to take advantage of such a crazy low offer.  For reference, that's about 1/3 of what we pay in maintenance fees for each of our two ownership weeks......and it translated to a nightly rate of $48.11.

Our arm are made of rubber, so it was easy to twist them.  We knew we had some Skymiles banked that would reduce our flight costs, plus we had our Universal annual passes that were still active, so that vacation math kept making more and more sense (cents?).  We also hadn't been able to go home for Christmas (due to some processing delays with US Customs & Immigration) which was horribly disappointing, so we felt like we deserved this Florida escape in the middle of the winter's harshest grip.  If we couldn't see our families, we could at least still spend time with palm trees.

It seemed completely logical at the time.  You'll have to trust me on that!! 

This was initially supposed to be our "economical" trip.  Crazy cheap accommodations, reasonable flight prices, "free" admission to the Universal parks with our AP's.....but as it usually does, the planning took on a life of its own and the trip grew bigger as the countdown grew shorter.  SeaWorld annual passes were purchased, a few add-on activities were sourced through Groupon, and we ended up with a rather epic winter getaway.

I felt guilty at the time, but now?  We just cancelled our planned trip for next month due to the Coronavirus theme park closures, and now our end-of-May rebooking seems unlikely as well.  I'm glad, in hindsight, that we made the most of January because the countdown to our fall trip sits at a painful 199 days. 

I hope a few of you will join me as I recount our memories from our winter adventures.  Pour yourself a "quarantini" , find a comfy chair, read along and PLEASE join in the chatter [if we're all going to be locked down, we might better keep each other company!].  Your comments, input, suggestions, critiques and overall fun conversation is what makes these things so fun to do.  Don't be shy, we're all friends here!

*Coming up: * a 6 am flight _*seemed*_ like a good idea .


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## sk8jdgca

I’m first!!


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## I-4Bound

Yahoo! I'm 100 percent on board for a trip report with the Bo-Binas! Bring on the palm trees


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## bankr63

Yay!  Subbing in for the fun.

You know, I don't think I knew you had TWO weeks at SVR.  Now it makes more sense how you manage to get "home" so often.

And you know that NO ONE on the DIS ever has to rationalize a visit to the mouse, right?  It is ALWAYS the right thing to do.

BTW - a quick update that A+ and I did manage to get our March break visit in to Hilton Head, squeaking across the border as things were all shutting down.  We are now 9 days into our 14 day self-isolation, but we aren't as ambitious as you - although the house is probably half-way cleaned.  No rush, why do today what you can look forward to tomorrow?


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## Joanna71985

yay for TR!!!


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## dalmatian7

I’m here! We are currently booked for the beginning of Nov. we had the dates set before all this closure business.


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## MommyinHonduras

Yea, the Bo binas are back


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> I’m first!!



So glad to have you along!!  Hope you are keeping safe and well.  I am seeing crazy photos coming out of the GTA these days!!



I-4Bound said:


> Yahoo! I'm 100 percent on board for a trip report with the Bo-Binas! Bring on the palm trees



Ah, the palm trees  .  They are what I envision when I need a mental escape.  These days, that's pretty often LOL.

So glad to have you along!  You had a May/June trip planned as well, did you not?  Are you still (tentatively, obviously) planning for that?



bankr63 said:


> Yay!  Subbing in for the fun.
> 
> You know, I don't think I knew you had TWO weeks at SVR.  Now it makes more sense how you manage to get "home" so often.
> 
> And you know that NO ONE on the DIS ever has to rationalize a visit to the mouse, right?  It is ALWAYS the right thing to do.
> 
> BTW - a quick update that A+ and I did manage to get our March break visit in to Hilton Head, squeaking across the border as things were all shutting down.  We are now 9 days into our 14 day self-isolation, but we aren't as ambitious as you - although the house is probably half-way cleaned.  No rush, why do today what you can look forward to tomorrow?



Yes sir, we have two weeks at SVR.  We initially set out to purchase one via resale, but the sellers had two weeks so we decided to buy both (especially since they "cost" us nothing).  Someday we will likely pass one along to Jake and his girlfriend (probably wife by then!) but for now, we enjoy our twice a year escape.

I did feel an incredible amount of guilt initially when booking this January trip.  Not only did it feel excessive to have THREE weeks (hopefully) this year in Orlando, but I wasn't working at the time either.   The Customs delays resulted in my work permit lapsing, so I ended up with a 2 month employment hiatus.....so I certainly wasn't overworked to the point of needing an extra vacation.  So I rationalized it that I was going for Steve's sake!!  LOL

Your Hilton Head getaway looked AMAZING!!   The resort looked much like SVR, I assume it was a Sheraton also?  It appeared from your FB pics that the weather was stellar.  I'm so glad you had a chance to squeeze in your trip before things went to hell in a hand cart.  At the rate things are going, who knows when your next chance will be?



Joanna71985 said:


> yay for TR!!!



Welcome, my friend!  Thanks for joining in!



dalmatian7 said:


> I’m here! We are currently booked for the beginning of Nov. we had the dates set before all this closure business.



So glad to have you along!!  Surely by November life will have returned to some semblance of normal !!!

We set our October dates today (the 16th to 23rd).  If our May trip doesn't go off as planned, we will hopefully squeeze in our second SVR week in early December.  I almost cried, though, when I saw the "199 days until your trip" countdown on the Delta app.  Seems sooooooo far away.



MommyinHonduras said:


> Yea, the Bo binas are back



Glad to have you reading along!!!  Thanks for joining in!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th*

When we booked this trip, the initial focus was on value.  We wanted to get a good bang for our buck, and the best deals possible (especially when we were down my income, which for all intents and purposes is used for travel & fun).  Of course, there are a few things that my trusty co-traveler prefers NOT to scrimp on...and one of those things is flights.  I suppose if I were 6' 4" tall and 300 pounds, I'd probably have his same air travel requests....comfort on board is much harder for him to achieve than it is for short and stumpy me.    At any rate, he nixed the super cheap Frontier flights (and quiet honestly, so did I.....they can be unreliable at the best of times, and in the winter, we ran the risk of being stranded on one end of our trip or the other if things went awry) and insisted on Delta first class.  The only sensibly priced (and I use that term loosely) first class flight out that day was at 6 am, but we thought.....it won't be so bad.

Until the alarm went off at 2 am.  Aye yi yi.  

Now, to be fair, we planned things out as best we could......but oh, what an early start it was to the day.   Since I wasn't working, I had everything packed and ready before we hit the sack early at 8 pm (thank goodness its nice and dark at that time of day in the middle of January, at least it FELT like it was bedtime).  I took some Gravol since it makes me sleepy, so I managed a fairly solid 5 hours of sleep before Alexa announced it was time to get moving.  I don't go anywhere without a shower and drying my hair, so once the alarm sounded I had no time to waste before our airport driver arrived at 3:30 am [we had asked him to be there at 3:45, but bless his heart, Olu is ALWAYS early].    Having a driver handle our airport transportation is another of Steve's few splurges, and it was especially appreciated on the cold winter morning:  hopping into a warm vehicle and being whisked to the doors of the terminal without having to worry about road conditions, traffic [though certainly not at 3:30 am!! LOL] or even being fully awake was a nice way to kick things off.

We did learn that Olu is very much a morning person.  He wasn't bothered by the early start AT ALL, and chatted up a storm all the way to the airport.  He always jokes that he wishes we didn't live to so close to the terminal because he enjoys the conversation so much.  He is always an entertaining fellow with whom to start and end our trip.  And you know what, he's become a rather special friend of ours.....so much so, he always sends us off with a warm hug for me and a handshake for Steve.  Pretty sure he'd like to hug Steve-o too, but he's afraid he might get squished (he loves to tease Steve about his brute size!).

We live pretty close to the Detroit-Wayne International Airport, so we were at the terminal around 3:45.  Turns out that the Delta counters don't open until 4:15, so we ended up standing around yawning for a half hour before we could check our bags.  By the time they opened the counters up, a sizable line had formed of sleepy travelers with their luggage.....but we were fortunate to be standing with another Canadian family so we enjoyed sharing stories about home (with a whole lotta "eh's!" thrown in in all the right places).  Delta had lots of agents on, though, so the luggage process went quicker than what it initially appeared it might.    As a happy bonus, the ridiculously early hour meant that TSA was pretty much empty so once bags were dropped, we were through security in under 5 minutes.  While the freakishly early start did have its challenges, we couldn't help but admit that the 6 am flight also had its benefits.  At that point, however, the jury was still out on whether we'd attempt a similar flight schedule in the future.

We headed to our gate to wait for boarding.  Check out the the time!



The airport was eerily empty, and the cleaning crews seemed to equal the number of bleary-eyed travelers.  There were very few early flights to anywhere at that hour, it seemed.



On a positive note, our plane was parked at the airport overnight so it was sitting and waiting on the tarmac that morning, another factor of why we chose that first non-stop of the day to Orlando.  It was unlikely we would be delayed (unless due to weather), and as we hoped......we were not.  We did send up a sincere prayer of thanks for the great travel weather.....living in the north, its always a gamble to book winter flights.  



Since things had gone smoother than we expected (and we avoided the dreaded Home Alone moment of "WE OVERSLEPT!"......thank you Alexa!!), we were in good spirits as we waited for boarding.    



The gate crew were excellent and boarding was both on-schedule and reasonably efficient, though we always marvel at the number of times they have to announce for people to stow their bag and get out of the darn aisle.  I mean really, people.   Common sense!!



The in-flight crew came around to offer pre-flight beverages, and Steve threw all caution to the wind and ordered himself a Jack and Coke.   I gave him the side eye and said "um darling, you haven't even had breakfast yet" and he grinned at me and replied "anything goes on vacation, sweetheart".  He's not really wrong.  But for the record, *I* opted for OJ.



Once we were airborne, the flight attendants quickly set to bringing out our breakfast selections.  We have flown Delta first class several times now, but this is the first breakfast meal we've been on board for.  Honestly, it was WAY better than I expected.  



You get to make your advance selections from two different entrees, so our picks had been made online the week before.  Never sure exactly how the meals will be, we generally each go with a different choice so we can make trades where necessary.  I'm a very picky eater and Steve is restricted somewhat by his diabetes, but we can generally mix and match from each other's trays and both end up getting enough to tide us over.  I chose the cereal meal above (the Corn Chex were just "meh" but full disclosure:  I'm a Shreddies and Mini Wheats girl) while Steve had the breakfast burrito.



He loved the burrito enough that he actually wished there was more than one.  The fruit was EXCELLENT and I got to have all of his pineapple (a no-no for diabetics but a favorite of mine!).  I despise yogurt so I happily handed off my Chobani.   The coffee was hot and strong, and I appreciated the jolt of caffeine.    

And enjoying our morning meal with this view?  Priceless.   



If I had any regret about getting up in the middle of the night for this flight, at that moment, all doubts were erased.  At least temporarily.

After breakfast, we coasted through the balance of the flight by watching TV (we love Delta's onboard entertainment, their TV screens are huge!) and before we knew it, we were on the ground.

9 am and we were in Orlando!!  That was worth getting up at 2 am for, right? 

Right?    (yes, of course it was!!!)

*Next up:  heading to our Happy Place *


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## Worfiedoodles

Squee! I am so happy you are doing a TR, can’t wait to come along on your awesome adventure! 

You were off to a terrific start, and you look fairly happy for people who got up in the middle of the night. Arriving at 9am is a bonus indeed!


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## JaxDad

Hey Gina! It was so awesome to come across your trip report!  I look forward to following along.

I hope you and Steve are doing well!


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## Ruthie5671

Good morning sunshine!  As always, I adore reading your trip reports.  I'm sorry that your spring trip had to be postponed and most likely cancelled.  At least you have your fall trip to look forward to.  I cannot wait to revisit all the fun you had earlier this year!

HUGS!


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## DontRushMe

I'm here!  Bring on the adventures and sunshine!


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## froggibabey

Ahhh! I'm so happy to see you (and Steve, in a way) are back!


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## Joanna71985

I've never flown Delta before (I always go with JetBlue), but I could see me flying with them if needbe


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## vrajewski10513

Hey Gina!! I'm happy to finally be back for a Bo-Bina trip report!! I've been off of the Dis for a while too (I'm sure you've seen why ) so its wonderful to jump right back in here with you. I believe I said it on FB, but again, my condolences on your family's loss. 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> While the freakishly early start did have its challenges, we couldn't help but admit that the 6 am flight also had its benefits. At that point, however, the jury was still out on whether we'd attempt a similar flight schedule in the future.


We always take the first early morning direct flight down to Orlando. Its wonderful to get to MCO and have it still be around breakfast time! You get a full day of enjoyment on arrival day.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> The in-flight crew came around to offer pre-flight beverages, and Steve threw all caution to the wind and ordered himself a Jack and Coke. I gave him the side eye and said "um darling, you haven't even had breakfast yet" and he grinned at me and replied "anything goes on vacation, sweetheart". He's not really wrong. But for the record, *I* opted for OJ.


Its always 5 o'clock while on vacation 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> 9 am and we were in Orlando!! That was worth getting up at 2 am for, right?


Definitely!


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## Joanna71985

bankr63 said:


> And you know that NO ONE on the DIS ever has to rationalize a visit to the mouse, right?  It is ALWAYS the right thing to do.



One reason why I moved to FL!


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## bobbie68

Hi I was so glad to see you post a trip report!!! I have been wondering how you and Steve were. Thank you again for the Vistana recommendation, my family loved it and can't wait  to try it again. I am looking forward to following along. 

Long story short we were suppose to be moving to Orlando this summer. Brian was in the last interview for a big job with Universal, however the pandemic has put a hold on everything, so not sure when we can move. I put a reservation at Portofino for September for a week just in case we can't move before then. This will be our first  time at HHN. The boys will like it, Liv and I will do other stuff at night!

I am glad to see you and you guys look great!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Worfiedoodles said:


> Squee! I am so happy you are doing a TR, can’t wait to come along on your awesome adventure!
> 
> You were off to a terrific start, and you look fairly happy for people who got up in the middle of the night. Arriving at 9am is a bonus indeed!



Welcome aboard!  So glad to have you joining in!

For two adults, that crazy early flight is absolutely doable.  For families with little ones, I would think it would be quite a challenge to get kids up and dressed and to the airport in time.  That said, we saw TONS of families on our flight, so even with wee ones it CAN be done.   Landing by 9 into the sunshine and warmth sure was a great way to start our day!



JaxDad said:


> Hey Gina! It was so awesome to come across your trip report!  I look forward to following along.
> 
> I hope you and Steve are doing well!



Hooray!  I was hoping you'd stumble onto my report.  Glad to have you joining in again!

All is well here, hope you and your kids are none the worse for wear despite the current state of affairs.  These sure are trying times these days!!



Ruthie5671 said:


> Good morning sunshine!  As always, I adore reading your trip reports.  I'm sorry that your spring trip had to be postponed and most likely cancelled.  At least you have your fall trip to look forward to.  I cannot wait to revisit all the fun you had earlier this year!
> 
> HUGS!



Ah, sweet Ruthie <3.  I am so glad you're here.  No one makes me laugh with their quick wit quite like you do.  You're like a breath fresh air!  And Lord knows I surely need a laugh or two these days.

Yes, we are SO grateful to have our October plans already in place.  Even though its far away, having dates and flights mean we can at least work toward something concrete.  In the meantime, I'm still holding out a wee shred of hope that our late May trip might still materialize....I'm saying a prayer that the SeaWorld parks will want to reopen for Memorial Day weekend.  Fingers and toes all crossed.  I'm realistic, of course.....it's quite likely that they'll stay closed through the end of that month and perhaps even beyond.....but what can I say, I'm the eternal optimist ;-) .  It's part of my charm! (or proof of my insanity, take your pick LOL)



DontRushMe said:


> I'm here!  Bring on the adventures and sunshine!



Aw, my Michigan buddy! <3   Glad to have you reading along!

[PS:  as soon as this Covid-19 mess is over, we are planning another Sunday Funday adventure with the fellows}



froggibabey said:


> Ahhh! I'm so happy to see you (and Steve, in a way) are back!



Thank you!  Glad to have you joining in!



Joanna71985 said:


> I've never flown Delta before (I always go with JetBlue), but I could see me flying with them if needbe



Jetblue was our go-to airline when we lived in Canada, as they offered nonstops to MCO out of both Buffalo and Syracuse.....we loved flying JB!    Unfortunately for us, they don't fly nonstop from Detroit nor Flint, so that left us with Frontier or Delta.   I have to say, Delta has very much impressed us.   There's tons of flight options (Detroit is one of their hubs, and they have their own terminal here), their crew have provided us with superb in-flight experiences, and in times of less than ideal circumstances (like lengthy mechanical delays), they have stepped up and provided some pretty awesome customer care.    So far, there's very little I can fault them on.   



vrajewski10513 said:


> Hey Gina!! I'm happy to finally be back for a Bo-Bina trip report!! I've been off of the Dis for a while too (I'm sure you've seen why ) so its wonderful to jump right back in here with you. I believe I said it on FB, but again, my condolences on your family's loss.
> 
> We always take the first early morning direct flight down to Orlando. Its wonderful to get to MCO and have it still be around breakfast time! You get a full day of enjoyment on arrival day.
> 
> Its always 5 o'clock while on vacation
> 
> Definitely!



I am so glad you're here!  I wasn't sure if your wee miss allowed for momma to have much time on the computer these days (OMG, she's growing so fast!!), so its extra great to have you along.  Hope you are staying safe and well......are you off work during the self quarantine?

Did I read somewhere that you guys are planning to head to Orlando in the fall?  Will this trip be with the babe or adults-only?  Any chance your dates might overlap with ours?



Joanna71985 said:


> One reason why I moved to FL!



You're making me jealous, Joanna!!! ;-) 



bobbie68 said:


> Hi I was so glad to see you post a trip report!!! I have been wondering how you and Steve were. Thank you again for the Vistana recommendation, my family loved it and can't wait  to try it again. I am looking forward to following along.
> 
> Long story short we were suppose to be moving to Orlando this summer. Brian was in the last interview for a big job with Universal, however the pandemic has put a hold on everything, so not sure when we can move. I put a reservation at Portofino for September for a week just in case we can't move before then. This will be our first  time at HHN. The boys will like it, Liv and I will do other stuff at night!
> 
> I am glad to see you and you guys look great!!



Aw, bobbie, I'm so sorry to hear that your plans have been put on hold.  That's so frustrating.  There's nothing worse than being in limbo (except maybe being in quarantine LOL).  I hope we all manage to slow the spread of this terrible virus so life can return to some semblance of normal.

I am thrilled to know you still have some park time planned for the fall.  You are not going to give HHN a try?  (I really do think you'd like it!)  

Glad to have you reading along and joining in the chatter.  Its fun to have our big group all together again!


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## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> OMG, she's growing so fast!!


Too fast! 


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hope you are staying safe and well......are you off work during the self quarantine?


We are staying home as much as possible! Hoping for some more warm weather to get the baby out for some walks and fresh air! I’m actually able to work from home, so l haven’t missed any work. Jeremy is considered essential since he works for the railroad so he has been going to work as normal. 


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Did I read somewhere that you guys are planning to head to Orlando in the fall? Will this trip be with the babe or adults-only? Any chance your dates might overlap with ours?


We are! This is going to be an adults only HHN-centric trip. Just a long weekend, so the baby is going to stay with her Nana and Papa for a couple nights. Unfortunately our trips don’t overlap  we’re going 9/17-9/20


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## chiamarie

I'm here.   I haven't been on here in AGES!


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## halfpintpeggy

We did a 6 AM flight when we returned to Philly from Siesta Key this winter. Honestly, we were really hesitant about such an early flight, but couldn’t pass up the price we got!
Anyways....we ended up LOVING the 6AM. The plane was clean & like yours, was already parked at the gate.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

halfpintpeggy said:


> We did a 6 AM flight when we returned to Philly from Siesta Key this winter. Honestly, we were really hesitant about such an early flight, but couldn’t pass up the price we got!
> Anyways....we ended up LOVING the 6AM. The plane was clean & like yours, was already parked at the gate.



Yes, we would happily take that early flight again as well, especially if it comes with a cost savings.  Win, win!

Glad to have you along for this trip report!  Hope you are keeping well!



vrajewski10513 said:


> Too fast!
> 
> We are staying home as much as possible! Hoping for some more warm weather to get the baby out for some walks and fresh air! I’m actually able to work from home, so l haven’t missed any work. Jeremy is considered essential since he works for the railroad so he has been going to work as normal.
> 
> We are! This is going to be an adults only HHN-centric trip. Just a long weekend, so the baby is going to stay with her Nana and Papa for a couple nights. Unfortunately our trips don’t overlap  we’re going 9/17-9/20



That sounds like an awesome weekend away......and I bet Nana and Papa will delight in their alone time with the little miss.  They can spoil her extra rotten and you won't be there to protest LOL.  

Glad to hear you are able to work from home.  Miss K must be enjoying having mama around all the time.  We are FINALLY getting some sunshine here today, so hopefully your weather improves soon as well.   I don't know about Buffalo, but we've been dreary and cool here in Metro Detroit for far too long.  Now that is April, I have no tolerance for cold!  ha ha! 



chiamarie said:


> I'm here.   I haven't been on here in AGES!



I am so glad I was able to drag you out of your Dis retirement!!  Welcome aboard!

There will be lots that you recognize in this trip report ;-) .


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Alrighty friends, I really do owe you an entry before the end of the night!  I'll do my very best to get something posted later this evening.  Yesterday I managed to fill a whole day with house cleaning, laundry, yard work, and a whole host of little jobs (Wednesdays tend to be my cleaning days, quarantine or not.....even when Covid-19 is NOT a concern, I think houses should get a regular deep disinfecting). 

Today we finally got sunshine (its still a little cool, but the sun was spectacular) so we disinfected the inside of both vehicles while we had the opportunity.   Mine was still pretty clean (I have yet to put 400 miles on it.....and now that I'm off work, I literally haven't moved it in a week) but Steve's truck definitely was due for a spring cleaning.  

So, with a few more to-do's taken care of, I will refocus later on a new post.  Stay tuned!


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## dalmatian7

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Today we finally got sunshine (its still a little cool, but the sun was spectacular) so we disinfected the inside of both vehicles while we had the opportunity.   Mine was still pretty clean (I have yet to put 400 miles on it.....and now that I'm off work, I literally haven't moved it in a week) but Steve's truck definitely was due for a spring cleaning.
> 
> So, with a few more to-do's taken care of, I will refocus later on a new post.  Stay tuned!


 I am a Saturday clean girl and I did my car the first week of reduced hours because I have a brand new car sitting on the lot waiting for me an mine was in desperate need of attention too.  It definitely takes sun in order to see all the dinge in a car.  Ugh.  It came in in Feb (I work at a dealership) but I couldn't get it because I applied for a personalized license plate back in January and as of mid march it had not come back yet (I should have know better then to have done that .  Now our state is shut down and we have been closed for sales since the 20th so it doesn't matter. The whole place is closed now as of 4/1 so it is parked up front blocking the driveway. Oh well I said I didn't want it until Spring.

We love early flights, but we also fly out of a regional airport so in order to make connections in the big airports our flights are often early to get us to the big hubs.  We refer to it as getting up "Disney early".  Last year we went to a one day cow show and had to be on the road before 5am, my DD said are we getting up Disney early?  My normal (okay not right now) wake up call is usually at 4:45 so even on vacation I am up early for the first few days.  
I am so glad you have a trip report going.  I can't even take a few minutes of the news right now.  I am pulling an ostrich and sticking my head in the (Disney) sand.


----------



## I-4Bound

Trying desperately to add a quote, to no avail with my phone! Yes, we have a trip planned in June, but I have no idea if we'll actually get to go. So much up in the air right now I'm trying not worry about that too much.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th (continued)*

After we landed, we headed to baggage claim to pick up our checked luggage and were delighted to find that they were among the first dozen suitcases to come meandering down the conveyor belt.  Another thing that impresses me about Delta, they are the FASTEST airline that we've flown to get baggage off the plane and into the terminal.  We had ooodles ad ooodles of time, of course, but now that we were there we just wanted to get the bags, pick up the rental vehicle, and get the vacation started.

With bags in hand, we headed to pick up our rental with Alamo.  We experimented this trip and booked a truck for the first time....at $209 including taxes, fees, and a free extra driver (thanks to our Costco membership) the price of the truck simply could not be beat.   Our main vehicle at home is a truck, so that's what's "familiar" to us.  We figured we would have plenty of space for our luggage in the back seat, and we did.



With Alamo you get your pick of whatever vehicles are in the aisle of your booking class, but pretty much every standard truck was Nissan Frontier.  It was fine, though unremarkable.  It was fairly new (just 3000 miles on the odometer), clean and in good repair.  It wasn't decked out with too many bells or whistles, and was definitely smaller than Steve's Dodge Ram, but the back seat was spacious enough for the suitcases so we were more than satisfied.  

We loaded the luggage, breezed through the final checkpoint before leaving the garage (I had prepaid the rental with the fuel upgrade before we left home, so it was just flash the bar code and drivers license for verification and we were on our way), and within 30 minutes from the time the wheels of our plane hit the tarmac, we were on our way to the park.  I think we may have set a new personal record.

Since the Vistana's stated check-in time is not until 4 pm, we decided we were better of spending the day at the park rather than waiting around aimlessly for our villa to be readied.  Having purchased SeaWorld annual passes on the Blue Friday sales (which are offered over the Black Friday weekend), we were super excited to return to one of our favorite place in Orlando.  We hadn't been there in almost a year, and absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder!



Our timing turned out to be perfect, and we were able to arrive for park opening!  There were just small lines at the parking gates, so we were through pretty quick.  I must say, we liked the new overhead adornments that had been installed since our last visit the year prior.  People online had done a ton of complaining about the new signage, but we thought it looked great.  The yellow and blue were super striking together!



We had purchased Gold passes on the Blue Friday sale, but had decided just a few weeks prior that we would upgrade to Platinum one we arrived at the park.   Nevertheless, we still received preferred parking with the Gold passes so we got a plumb spot just steps from the entrance.  I never would have thought preferred parking would be that much of a perk, but I'm hereby convinced.  It's da bomb!  One of the nicest little upgrades that we enjoyed all trip long!



We activated our AP's at the turnstiles (which necessitated a quick pause for ID photos) and then we were in!  Since our annual passes also include a year-long Photokey, we opted to make the most of the photo ops in and around the entrance.





I don't think I've made much mention of the weather just yet, but it was SUPERB.  Probably a little on the cool side for my southern friends, but for us Canadian Michiganders it was like stepping from the dark days of winter into a perfect late May day.   Sunny, breezy, and temperatures in the low to mid 70's.....park weather at its absolute finest.   January in Florida can be pretty unpredictable so we packed for pretty much any weather, but boy, were we off to a fabulous start.

We made a longer-than-expected stop at Guest Services to upgrade our Gold passes to Platinum, which would provide us [in addition to the Gold benefits of no blackout dates, free annual Photokey, free animal encounter and free preferred parking] with unlimited admission to ALL Seaworld Parks & Recreation theme parks and free reserved show seating all each of those parks, as well as a free annual Photokey at Busch Gardens and free Animal Rescue Tour which is offered only to Platinum passholders.  We also neeeded to redeem some of our other pre-purchased upgrades which were purchased on the Blue Friday sales.   The longer-than-expected stop occurred due to the fact that we were given incorrect information by the call center in regards to the best process and overall cost of the pass upgrades that we were seeking.  Long story short, the call center had advised us on the best method of upgrading and told us it would cost approximately $150 total for the two of us.....but the actual cost was over $300 (a bit of a complicated story as to why.....I won't bore you with those details unless you really want 'em).  In a nutshell, we should NOT have waited to upgrade at the park as advised, but rather done so over the phone (with said call center agent who provided the bad advice) BEFORE those passes were activated at the gate.  No need to panic, however.....the amazing staff at SeaWorld had our backs.   A very nice supervisor came over to chat with us, and ended up processing the pass upgrades for us for only $90 all-in.  We were SO grateful for her kindness!  That was more than $60 less than we had been expecting, and less than the price of just one person's admission to Busch Gardens for one day.....and now we would get a whole year of admission to all these great parks plus the added benefits.  We thanked her sincerely and left the Guest Services desk with very happy hearts.  



With the "housekeeping" tasks all taken care of, Steve wanted some time just to walk around the park and soak in the peaceful atmosphere that we have come to love most about SeaWorld.  The park was super quiet on that mid-winter Friday, and it felt like we had the place all to ourselves.





_And.......I just got a message that I can only attach 10 file to each post......drat!  I will pick this up again later.  Be back soon!_


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Your Hilton Head getaway looked AMAZING!!   The resort looked much like SVR, I assume it was a Sheraton also?  It appeared from your FB pics that the weather was stellar.  I'm so glad you had a chance to squeeze in your trip before things went to hell in a hand cart.  At the rate things are going, who knows when your next chance will be?


The weather WAS great this time, thank goodness!  Our last (first) trip to HHI was very cold.  Like January in Orlando, March in South Carolina can be unpredictable.  But it was warm (not too hot) and sunny most days, so social-distancing by the pool was on order throughout our stay.  Things were pretty much getting into said handcart while we were there however, lots of stores closed on Monday, and restaurants were ordered closed on Wednesday.  
The resort was not a Sheraton; it was Coral Sands North (kind of like SVR, it has a newer section and an older section). We generally try for Gold Crown resorts in RCI, and knew this one as we stayed across the street at Waterside by Spinnaker on our last trip there.  The fit and finish was pretty much to Sheraton standards, however service was not as comprehensive.  We did have a bit of a problem with a "bait and switch" situation at checkin, but got it resolved by RCI (although I blame the resort).  I would certainly stay there again though and would recommend to others.  If you are interested and are on TUG, I have a review posted there.


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## Joanna71985

I absolutely love the preferred parking and PhotoKey with my AP!


----------



## juniorbugman

Welcome back Gina.   I will be reading along.  May not comment much but I do love reading your reports.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dalmatian7 said:


> I am a Saturday clean girl and I did my car the first week of reduced hours because I have a brand new car sitting on the lot waiting for me an mine was in desperate need of attention too.  It definitely takes sun in order to see all the dinge in a car.  Ugh.  It came in in Feb (I work at a dealership) but I couldn't get it because I applied for a personalized license plate back in January and as of mid march it had not come back yet (I should have know better then to have done that .  Now our state is shut down and we have been closed for sales since the 20th so it doesn't matter. The whole place is closed now as of 4/1 so it is parked up front blocking the driveway. Oh well I said I didn't want it until Spring.
> 
> We love early flights, but we also fly out of a regional airport so in order to make connections in the big airports our flights are often early to get us to the big hubs.  We refer to it as getting up "Disney early".  Last year we went to a one day cow show and had to be on the road before 5am, my DD said are we getting up Disney early?  My normal (okay not right now) wake up call is usually at 4:45 so even on vacation I am up early for the first few days.
> I am so glad you have a trip report going.  I can't even take a few minutes of the news right now.  I am pulling an ostrich and sticking my head in the (Disney) sand.



Especially since we were all placed under self-quarantine, I almost need the cleaning day consistency to bring some balance to an otherwise loosey-goosey life.  I thrive on schedule so all these days that just meld into the next are making me feel a little unhinged.  And though it makes me sound pathetic, I find great joy in a clean and tidy house.  Particularly under the current circumstances.....control the things you can, right?

I am so sorry you didn't get your new car on schedule......how disappointing to be facing such unknown delays for the immediate future!   Hopefully you'll be riding in style sooner rather than later (that's going to be a fun, post-quarantine reward).    What kind of a vehicle did you purchase?

I adore the term "Disney early".....I may have to borrow that phrase going forward!

And I totally hear you on the news......I've had to limit the amount I watch lately just to maintain my own sanity.  It's unbelievably depressing.  As you can imagine, the Detroit news, even in good times, is generally pretty eye-opening (ahem!) but I'd give anything to hear about drive by shootings, smash-and-grabs, and drug busts again.  Yes, that's how bad the world has gotten right now.  



I-4Bound said:


> Trying desperately to add a quote, to no avail with my phone! Yes, we have a trip planned in June, but I have no idea if we'll actually get to go. So much up in the air right now I'm trying not worry about that too much.



I have faith that it will happen for you.  I think you were wise to book for June and not any sooner.  Sounds like things will hopefully just be getting back to normal by then!



bankr63 said:


> The weather WAS great this time, thank goodness!  Our last (first) trip to HHI was very cold.  Like January in Orlando, March in South Carolina can be unpredictable.  But it was warm (not too hot) and sunny most days, so social-distancing by the pool was on order throughout our stay.  Things were pretty much getting into said handcart while we were there however, lots of stores closed on Monday, and restaurants were ordered closed on Wednesday.
> The resort was not a Sheraton; it was Coral Sands North (kind of like SVR, it has a newer section and an older section). We generally try for Gold Crown resorts in RCI, and knew this one as we stayed across the street at Waterside by Spinnaker on our last trip there.  The fit and finish was pretty much to Sheraton standards, however service was not as comprehensive.  We did have a bit of a problem with a "bait and switch" situation at checkin, but got it resolved by RCI (although I blame the resort).  I would certainly stay there again though and would recommend to others.  If you are interested and are on TUG, I have a review posted there.



Your photos sure did it justice.  It looked absolutely fantastic!!

South Carolina is on our bucket list.  I'd love to visit Myrtle Beach someday as well.



Joanna71985 said:


> I absolutely love the preferred parking and PhotoKey with my AP!



Those two inclusions alone absolutely warrant a Gold AP, in my opinion.  Though I guess I'm glad not everybody gets that tier of passes, otherwise there'd be not enough preferred parking to go around!

Our weary legs and feet were overjoyed at the end of each park day for that short shuffle to the truck.



juniorbugman said:


> Welcome back Gina.   I will be reading along.  May not comment much but I do love reading your reports.



So glad to have you reading!  Definitely chime in whenever you can.....its always good to hear from you!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th (continued)*

Our stroll around the park took us over toward Antarctica, which was virtually deserted.   It was a great chance for an unobstructed photo of the penguin wall.



Wait times for Empire of the Penguin were posted at 5 minutes, so we took advantage of the non-existent lines and headed in for an adventure with adorable Puck.






_(I have no idea why some photos are turned sideways.  Ugh!  Frustrating)_

We always choose the "mild" versus "wild" version of this ride, though we have done both in the past.  We just don't find the "wild" version enhances the ride experience at all.....it's more herky-jerky, but the ride is no more enjoyable. 



Let's be honest, though:  it's not the ride portion of this attraction that keeps us coming back again and again.  It's these little show-stoppers.  We are delighted to find they were as adorable as ever, and worth suffering through the cold exhibit for.





We stayed and watched them for as long as we could stand (for the first time that day, I was regretting wearing a sleeveless top LOL) and once we were half-frozen, we headed out of the main exhibit to the underwater viewing area.  Watching them swim is always mesmerizing to me......such awkward little bodies on land, but such speedy torpedos in the water!



Continuing our stroll through the park, we took a tour through Key West to visit the stingrays:



I am pretty sure they thought we might have some fish, because as we approached the side of the pool they all decided to swim over to say hello!



The babies (which are safely housed in a separated section of the exhibit) were particularly adorable, and oh-so-tiny.  I wish there was something else in this photo for size reference, as he (she?) was such a cute little button!



_[I'm hitting my photo limit again......more to come in the next post!]_


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

We still had some time to spare before we needed to make our way to our lunch reservation, so we hopped on over to Pacific Point Preserve to visit the seals and sea lions.



It was easy to see that they were thoroughly enjoying the warm and sunny day.  A few were stretched out on the rocks, content to quietly soak up the rays:



Others were splashing about in a large group, waving their flippers in the air and barking loud enough to wake the dead.



Bless their hearts, they are noisy little brutes!!!

We were happy to see Big Chris was still alive, well and thoroughly in charge.  He still swims with purpose and authority, despite his age and obvious physical challenges.....and his deep voice continues to echo throughout the exhibit.



We crossed over through the Waterfront, and perused through the beautiful shops (I could easily spend a FORTUNE in there......thank goodness I'm not a local, because the only reason I can have some self control is knowing that there's only so much luggage space for souvenirs).  They have some of the prettiest merchandise here!  And with our platinum passes, we receive 20% off any purchases.......another reason why its hard to not throw caution to the wind and buy it all!!



And after our gift shop walk-through, we even had time for a brief visit to Sesame Street (look at that sky!  Still perfect!)



Yes, we may be in our 40's but we are still very much in touch with our inner child.  Whether you're 4 or 44 _(or older, but let's not go there, k?_), when you spot your old friend Grover, you just HAVE to go in for a hug.



And just like that, my day was made.  Right there.  



After our chance meeting with the Sesame Street characters, a quick check of the time noted that we needed to move on......we had a special dinner date that we didn't want to be late for!    And it was just in time, too, because our stomachs were telling us it had been several hours since our early morning breakfast aboard flight 3025.  We had special plans for this day's lunch.....and it was sure to make a big splash!



*Next up:  a bountiful buffet poolside with some of our favorite park friends!  *


----------



## JaxDad

It's great to see your SeaWorld photos! I have not been in a couple years (maybe since the year of our DisMeet). We have had Universal annual passes in the meantime, so have hit those parks pretty hard. My kids have been to SeaWorld for school events and trips with friends since then, but I definitely need to do a family trip again. I was holding out for their new roller coaster, but I'm worried how SeaWorld will weather this whole pandemic and would like to support them if and when they reopen (and get in some Mako rides). 

We actually didn't have any big vacation plans this summer, which I guess is a good thing now. My son applied for an engineering and construction camp in Colorado scheduled for late June. If selected his travel would be free, and I was thinking about going out there with him and taking my daughter for a daddy-daughter trip. We'll see. It's not cancelled yet, but I'm not confident. One reason for no big plans this summer is we did a two-week trip to Alaska last summer, which started out on a budget but slowly ballooned to a "trip of a lifetime!" No regrets at all for the budget-busting. It was an awesome trip!

As always, thanks for sharing your trip with us! It's even more appreciated in these days of social distancing.


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## I-4Bound

Beautiful pictures! I bought our SeaWorld tickets right before all of the craziness started. I really hope we still get to go there this summer!


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## halfpintpeggy

LOVE the pic of you hugging Grover, sooo sweet! 
Those sea lions, geez they really have the life! <3


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## Joanna71985

Dine is one of my favorite things at SW! (probably one reason why I do it so often). And it was so nice seeing you there


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## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> South Carolina is on our bucket list.  I'd love to visit Myrtle Beach someday as well.


Myrtle is fun, but certainly consider HHI too.  We have stayed at Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle, you would be hard pressed to realize that you are NOT at Vistana.  Buildings are very similar to Cascades/Lakes.  SBP location is a bit far from the beach, and I think that is one thing we liked less about MB; it is a very long strip on the ocean, and getting around requires a car.  HHI is much more walkable if you choose a central location, and the cycling trails are great, we walk and ride pretty much everywhere.  HHI also opens the options of both Charleston and Savannah if you want day trips to explore historic cities, and the airports are certainly better for HHI (small one on the island, but Savannah is as close to HHI as it is to the city).  Both locations are on our "return to" list though.


----------



## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> That sounds like an awesome weekend away......and I bet Nana and Papa will delight in their alone time with the little miss. They can spoil her extra rotten and you won't be there to protest LOL.


My protests dont even stop it sometimes   



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Glad to hear you are able to work from home. Miss K must be enjoying having mama around all the time. We are FINALLY getting some sunshine here today, so hopefully your weather improves soon as well. I don't know about Buffalo, but we've been dreary and cool here in Metro Detroit for far too long. Now that is April, I have no tolerance for cold! ha ha!


Slowly but surely the temps are rising. We've been in the high 50's a few days but were supposed to get back into the 40's again next week 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> A very nice supervisor came over to chat with us, and ended up processing the pass upgrades for us for only $90 all-in. We were SO grateful for her kindness! That was more than $60 less than we had been expecting, and less than the price of just one person's admission to Busch Gardens for one day.....and now we would get a whole year of admission to all these great parks plus the added benefits. We thanked her sincerely and left the Guest Services desk with very happy hearts.


I'm glad everything worked out in your favor! Starting a vacation with great customer service is definitely a plus!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> With the "housekeeping" tasks all taken care of, Steve wanted some time just to walk around the park and soak in the peaceful atmosphere that we have come to love most about SeaWorld. The park was super quiet on that mid-winter Friday, and it felt like we had the place all to ourselves.


It definitely has a more relaxing feel than WDW or USO!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Let's be honest, though: it's not the ride portion of this attraction that keeps us coming back again and again. It's these little show-stoppers. We are delighted to find they were as adorable as ever, and worth suffering through the cold exhibit for.


This was one of my favorite parts of the park! Second only to the Shark Encounter 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> And after our gift shop walk-through, we even had time for a brief visit to Sesame Street (look at that sky! Still perfect!)


The first and only time we've been to Sea World we didn't have the best experience, so trying to get Jeremy back there has been a battle. I think the updated Sesame Street area may be our only saving grace on that. Baby K has daddy wrapped around her tiny finger, so if she loves Sesame Street I'm sure we will be back!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

JaxDad said:


> It's great to see your SeaWorld photos! I have not been in a couple years (maybe since the year of our DisMeet). We have had Universal annual passes in the meantime, so have hit those parks pretty hard. My kids have been to SeaWorld for school events and trips with friends since then, but I definitely need to do a family trip again. I was holding out for their new roller coaster, but I'm worried how SeaWorld will weather this whole pandemic and would like to support them if and when they reopen (and get in some Mako rides).
> 
> We actually didn't have any big vacation plans this summer, which I guess is a good thing now. My son applied for an engineering and construction camp in Colorado scheduled for late June. If selected his travel would be free, and I was thinking about going out there with him and taking my daughter for a daddy-daughter trip. We'll see. It's not cancelled yet, but I'm not confident. One reason for no big plans this summer is we did a two-week trip to Alaska last summer, which started out on a budget but slowly ballooned to a "trip of a lifetime!" No regrets at all for the budget-busting. It was an awesome trip!
> 
> As always, thanks for sharing your trip with us! It's even more appreciated in these days of social distancing.



I am REALLY hoping that SW chooses to reopen for Memorial Day weekend.  I'd love to see them be able to welcome back guests for their summer season, because I think this closure will hit them harder than any of the other parks.  The new coaster was SO close to being finished, it's a shame that it's now sitting idle after such a huge financial investment.  So far, Discovery Cove is showing as taking reservations beginning May 18th, so I'm saying a prayer that that's their target opening date (and that we all can get one step ahead of this dang virus by then so they don't have to defer it further).

I am so glad you all got to enjoy Alaska last year as a family.  Those opportunities will come less and less often as your kids get older, so I'm glad you took advantage of it while you could.  You know the old saying, so big or go home!  (that's my motto in Orlando LOL).  I will say a prayer that your son's camp is able to go off as planned......I can imagine he'll be horribly disappointed if it turns out to be another coronavirus casualty.



I-4Bound said:


> Beautiful pictures! I bought our SeaWorld tickets right before all of the craziness started. I really hope we still get to go there this summer!



I hope so too, my friend.  You'll love it!

How long are your SW tickets valid for, if the worst happens and you don't get to go in June as planned?



halfpintpeggy said:


> LOVE the pic of you hugging Grover, sooo sweet!
> Those sea lions, geez they really have the life! <3



I loved that the Sesame Street characters were just as warm and welcoming to us adults as they were to the little ones.  Sesame Street holds a special place in my heart, I was a faithful watcher waaaayyyy back in the 70's.  It's where I learned to count to 10 in Spanish!  Neither Steve nor I knew who the middle character was (Rosita was not on the show when we were children) but we both adore Grover and The Count.  It was also nice that we were not the only childless adults in the small line to meet the trio.  In fact, I think the adults-only equaled the families with kids!



Joanna71985 said:


> Dine is one of my favorite things at SW! (probably one reason why I do it so often). And it was so nice seeing you there



I thought it was SO awesome that we ran into you there!  What were the chances?



bankr63 said:


> Myrtle is fun, but certainly consider HHI too.  We have stayed at Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle, you would be hard pressed to realize that you are NOT at Vistana.  Buildings are very similar to Cascades/Lakes.  SBP location is a bit far from the beach, and I think that is one thing we liked less about MB; it is a very long strip on the ocean, and getting around requires a car.  HHI is much more walkable if you choose a central location, and the cycling trails are great, we walk and ride pretty much everywhere.  HHI also opens the options of both Charleston and Savannah if you want day trips to explore historic cities, and the airports are certainly better for HHI (small one on the island, but Savannah is as close to HHI as it is to the city).  Both locations are on our "return to" list though.



We have already promised Jake that he can have one of our weeks for his honeymoon when he ties the knot with his beloved, so that year we'll be looking to book an II getaway in place of that ownership week.  Perhaps we should consider giving South Carolina a try.  You've got me convinced!



vrajewski10513 said:


> My protests dont even stop it sometimes
> 
> Slowly but surely the temps are rising. We've been in the high 50's a few days but were supposed to get back into the 40's again next week
> 
> I'm glad everything worked out in your favor! Starting a vacation with great customer service is definitely a plus!
> 
> It definitely has a more relaxing feel than WDW or USO!
> 
> This was one of my favorite parts of the park! Second only to the Shark Encounter
> 
> The first and only time we've been to Sea World we didn't have the best experience, so trying to get Jeremy back there has been a battle. I think the updated Sesame Street area may be our only saving grace on that. Baby K has daddy wrapped around her tiny finger, so if she loves Sesame Street I'm sure we will be back!



Aw, I am sorry that Jeremy didn't enjoy his SeaWorld visit :-( .  The Sesame Street area is pretty fabulous, so if K turns out to be a fan, definitely plan to give the park another try.   Was the theme of the park just not his cup of tea?  Or was there something specific that happened to suck the fun out of the experience?


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## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Was the theme of the park just not his cup of tea? Or was there something specific that happened to suck the fun out of the experience?


I don’t think it was the theme. We loved the rides, we loved all the animals. We came across quite a few less than helpful, and some downright rude team members so that left a sour taste in his mouth.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th:  lunch time!*

In addition to the great price on the annual passes, one of the other deals we picked up on the Blue Friday sales over Thanksgiving weekend were tickets to SeaWorld's "Dine With Orcas".  Formerly Dine With Shamu (but now rebranded to fit more with the park's mandate of education), we had enjoyed this luncheon experience a few times before, so we didn't hesitate to book when offered at half price on the BF sales.  Normally $29..99 per person, we snagged passes for just $14.99 each.....which was a steal.

We took the bridge across the lagoon to head to the check in area.



There was a small line already formed when we arrived, so we found a spot along the walkway and a TM with clipboard walked along taking names and verifying reservations.  We only had to wait about 10 minutes before the doors were opened and they began ushering each party to their individual tables.  While we waited, I spotted @Joanna71985 in line ahead of us, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say hello!  That was a fun surprise because neither of us knew the other had reservations for that same date.



Once the doors were opened, we were directed to one of the greeters who brought us inside the open-air building (fully covered overhead but otherwise open to the elements) and showed us to our poolside table.



A server came over once we were seated and to take our beverage orders.  All non-alcoholic drinks are included, while beer and wine is also available at an extra cost.  We just went with a pair of Coke Zeros .... we were feeling the effects of our early morning a bit, so neither one of us felt like anything stiffer than pop.

With our drink orders placed, we were offered to partake of the buffet whenever we were ready.  Steve was starving so he didn't need to be told twice!



For a buffet, the offerings are extensive and the quality is pretty decent.  I'm a picky eater and there's tons of stuff I enjoy (which is saying something!).  Every item is obtained through sustainable sources, and there are lots of kid-friendly options for those with less advanced palates (and us BIG kids are free to enjoy the chicken nuggets, too!).



The only food item we didn't like, strangely enough, was the mac & cheese.  I'm not sure what they did different with it, but I couldn't eat it.  That's the joy of a buffet, though.....if you don't like it, leave it on your plate and help yourself to something else instead.  There were a whole lot of other foods that you don't see pictured on either of our plates....there was a make-your-own nacho bar, fresh fish, loaded mashed potatoes, hot dogs, rice and several other sides.

One major change since our last experience at Dine With Orcas was dessert.  They eliminated the buffet-style dessert options (which, if memory serves me correctly used to be various cakes, pudding, and cookies) and instead brought each table their own dessert tray consisting of small squares, cupcakes and cookies.



I actually really like this change.  The main course is extensive and filling, so the rich cakes featured in the previous format were really a bit much......and who feels like schlepping through the buffet line again when you're already so full?  This was enough to satisfy the sweet tooth and could be enjoyed at our leisure without having to leave our seats.  Our server offered coffee or tea to accompany the treats, which we declined but I kind of regretted afterward.  Since the tray was left for us for the duration of the meal experience, we sampled and snacked away throughout the rest of our time there and ended up eating most of it (those cupcakes were REALLY good......and the brownie was surprisingly yummy despite its rather unassuming appearance).  A cup of coffee or a glass of milk would have been a great accompaniment!

As we enjoyed our meal, we were treated to some pretty fun distractions in the pool on the other side of the glass.    Several whales frolicked and splashed, growing excited to show the luncheon guests some of their amazing talents and abilities.  



Once most folks had wrapped up the greatest portion of their dinner and were contently resting in their chairs, it was time to get an even better up-close glimpse of these amazing creatures.

_*The conclusion of Dine with Orcas is coming up next.*_


----------



## I-4Bound

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I hope so too, my friend. You'll love it!
> 
> How long are your SW tickets valid for, if the worst happens and you don't get to go in June as planned?



Looks like the tickets are good through February 2021, but I assume those dates would probably be relaxed with everything that has been going on.  I assume things will be back up and running by mid June, but I don't know if we are going to feel comfortable going out in big crowds then. It's just too hard to tell right now.

As a native South Carolinian, I am tickled to hear that you are interested in visiting our state! Make sure to hit me up for info before you plan a trip


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

vrajewski10513 said:


> I don’t think it was the theme. We loved the rides, we loved all the animals. We came across quite a few less than helpful, and some downright rude team members so that left a sour taste in his mouth.



Aw man, that makes me SO sad.  Those kinds of first impressions leave a mark, for sure.  We have been so fortunate to have met the most amazing Ambassadors at SeaWorld over the years (one you will read about in a future entry in this report), but there's always a few bad apples in every bushel.  Hopefully he will be ready to give the park another try at some point, and there will be some SeaWorld redemption!



I-4Bound said:


> Looks like the tickets are good through February 2021, but I assume those dates would probably be relaxed with everything that has been going on.  I assume things will be back up and running by mid June, but I don't know if we are going to feel comfortable going out in big crowds then. It's just too hard to tell right now.
> 
> As a native South Carolinian, I am tickled to hear that you are interested in visiting our state! Make sure to hit me up for info before you plan a trip



That's an offer I could not refuse!! 

I suspect the wedding will happen within a couple of years......he has the ring (!!!) and is just waiting for the right time to pop the question.  He had some fun plans that got nixed with the quarantine, so he's currently working on Proposal Plan B.  So its possible that we could head your way sometime in 2022!  Unless I can squeak in an extra trip in 2021.......

Edited to add......I thought "Michigander" was a mouthful, but "South Carolinian" has us beat!!


----------



## I-4Bound

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> That's an offer I could not refuse!!
> 
> I suspect the wedding will happen within a couple of years......he has the ring (!!!) and is just waiting for the right time to pop the question.  He had some fun plans that got nixed with the quarantine, so he's currently working on Proposal Plan B.  So its possible that we could head your way sometime in 2022!  Unless I can squeak in an extra trip in 2021.......
> 
> Edited to add......I thought "Michigander" was a mouthful, but "South Carolinian" has us beat!!



How exciting!! I saw a picture of the cute couple on your FB❤


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th:  Dine with Orcas, continued*

As I mentioned a little earlier, we had done this dining experience a few times before.....with Jake at least a couple of times, and just the two of us at least once.....so we knew what to expect.  I always find it interesting now to watch the reactions of some of the other guests once the post-meal information session with the whales gets underway.  While most folks are definitely thrilled with the presentation, there are always a few folks who are not quiet about their disappointment.  A surprising number of folks seem to expect that this dining experience features a show similar to One Ocean, but that's definitely not the case.  Dine With Orcas focuses much more on education and information:  it's an opportunity for the training staff to share cool facts and details on the behaviors, abilities, and natural personalities of the animals they support.



A large extended family sat a couple of tables down from us, and sadly they were among the completely underwhelmed.  Pretty sure, based on the conversation we could clearly hear, that they had promised massive jumps and intense splashes to the several children in their party......and the annoyance was palpable.  I felt rather bad for them, because they were so focused on what WASN'T happening that they were missing all the great things that were.



One of the things I love most about SeaWorld is how much the animal care staff truly love the animals they work with.  It's evident in their faces, their body language, and the responses of the animals.  Steve and I are very much "animal people", so those kinds of relationships really make our hearts full.   Watching the orcas show off their amazing intelligence and abilities is an absolute joy.



There's always lots of positive reinforcements going on during the sessions as well, as the whales enjoy the tasty rewards offered up by the trainers.   After each behavior that they exhibited for us.....from rolling over on their backs to allow for blood draws, to waving their fins at the wide-eyed children on the other side of the glass wall.....they were rewarded with a healthy handful of their favorite snack.



To the delight of the crowd, there were even a couple of flips and splashes to end off the dinner experience....not One Ocean caliber, but enough to make sure that everyone left with a smile on their faces.  How could you not?



Once dinner had concluded, we decided it was a good time to make our way back to the truck and head over to the Vistana to check into our villa.  Having been  up so early that morning to catch our flight, we didn't want to overdo things on day 1.....and we had another full day at SeaWorld on the itinerary to enjoy all the other great things the park has to offer. 



*Next up:  a wonderful "Welcome Home".*


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Wow, you really know how to pack the activity into a first day! I am so impressed with what you were able to accomplish. We haven't been to SW in awhile, and I can see we need to add it to our next trip. The penguin ride is new to us, that looks fun! And Sesame Street?! I have to, I cannot miss it! Dining with the Orcas looked both tasty and fun. What a shame some people had a different understanding of the experience. This is why reading is fundamental  You are off to a magnificent start, Thank You again for sharing your trip -- it comes at a time when we all need some sunshine!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Worfiedoodles said:


> Wow, you really know how to pack the activity into a first day! I am so impressed with what you were able to accomplish. We haven't been to SW in awhile, and I can see we need to add it to our next trip. The penguin ride is new to us, that looks fun! And Sesame Street?! I have to, I cannot miss it! Dining with the Orcas looked both tasty and fun. What a shame some people had a different understanding of the experience. This is why reading is fundamental  You are off to a magnificent start, Thank You again for sharing your trip -- it comes at a time when we all need some sunshine!



The park was so quiet, it seemed like we did a lot but it was at such a relaxed pace, it felt very low key.  The Dine With Orcas meal was ideal, really.....relaxing but still entertaining (and we were hungry enough that we could do the buffet justice).    We probably could have squeezed in a show on that day if we really wanted to, but we knew there would be plenty of time for that on other days.  We have definitely learned, over the course of all these trips, when to realize we have done "enough".  When we listen to those limits (and "enough" can be due to so many factors....heat, tiredness, crowds, etc.) we have MUCH better vacations!  And more fun in the end.

The penguin fun lacks a thrill (and has garnered a ton of criticism since opening) but the penguin exhibit itself is so awesome.  I'd be happy to have just the Penguins without the ride, so the ride just is a happy bonus!

Definitely plan to visit the park and tour Sesame Street......its adorably done.  We spent more time in that section of the park on other days of the trip, so I will have many more pics to share.  The parade is fabulous as well!   Wish we had have had more time to devote to seeing that from start to finish.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> There was a small line already formed when we arrived, so we found a spot along the walkway and a TM with clipboard walked along taking names and verifying reservations.  We only had to wait about 10 minutes before the doors were opened and they began ushering each party to their individual tables.  While we waited, I spotted @Joanna71985 in line ahead of us, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say hello!  That was a fun surprise because neither of us knew the other had reservations for that same date.
> 
> The only food item we didn't like, strangely enough, was the mac & cheese.  I'm not sure what they did different with it, but I couldn't eat it.  That's the joy of a buffet, though.....if you don't like it, leave it on your plate and help yourself to something else instead.  There were a whole lot of other foods that you don't see pictured on either of our plates....there was a make-your-own nacho bar, fresh fish, loaded mashed potatoes, hot dogs, rice and several other sides.



It was so nice seeing you! 

Also, I agree about the mac and cheese (I liked it better before)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> It was so nice seeing you!
> 
> Also, I agree about the mac and cheese (I liked it better before)



We will absolutely plan to say hello again next month if, by some miracle, our May trip actually happens.  If not, then for sure in October!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th:  Sheraton Vistana Resort*



From SeaWorld, we headed over to the Welcome Center at Sheraton Vistana Resort to check in.  It wasn't quite 4 o'clock yet, but it WAS mid-afternoon by this point so we felt pretty confident that our villa was likely ready.  We had sent in our pre-arrival requests several weeks earlier, asking for a 3rd floor villa "our" section (Fountains I) if at all possible, but since this was not one of our ownership weeks (where a Fountains villa is a guarantee) we knew we could realistically be placed anywhere within the resort.   That said, we had forged a pretty good relationship with the current pre-arrival coordinator, so we were hopeful that she might be able to keep us within our home area, especially during a slower time of year.  Heading into the Welcome Center, we were able to walk right up to a waiting check-in agent and were delighted to learn that we did, indeed, receive a top-floor villa in Fountains building 30.

The sales staff assigned us our parking pass and didn't even bother to try and get us to attend a "resort preview" (when we use our ownership weeks, they refer to the sales meetings as "owners updates".....but its the same dirt).  We were literally in and out within 15 minutes.....with most of that time being pleasant chit-chat with the woman who provided us with our keys, resort map, and activity schedule.



We first stayed at the resort in 2013 and it was love at first visit.  We purchased our two units resale in 2014, and the Vistana has become our home base ever since.  While we have stayed at other properties very occasionally since that time, our hearts definitely consider SVR "home".  We know the resort (particularly this north side) like the back of our hands, so we didn't need the color-coded map to locate our building.  



Time to haul our luggage up all those stairs! _(I have to say, that's always a bit of a bummer.....but wait until you see the inside of the 3rd floor villas.  It is definitely worth the extra muscle to have those gorgeous vaulted ceilings and the skylights to let in all that lucious Florida sun)._

We opened the door to this:



It was good to be home   .

It was sparkling clean and SMELLED fresh.  I was a happy girl.

We set about settling in, hanging up our clothes in the closet and our toiletries in the bathrooms.  But that's all boring stuff, so let me take you on a tour of our digs!

We had a full kitchen with breakfast bar:



A spacious open-concept living and dining area (seating for 6!) with french doors to the screened in patio:





The guest bedroom has two double (full size) beds.....always a shame to see it go unused, but we couldn't convince any friends or family to join us (though we tried).



The guest room also has it's own full size ensuite.  That second bathroom we DO use.  It's nice to have two bathrooms when traveling with your spouse!  LOL



The master bedroom has a king size bed, and direct access to the screened in balcony.  It's SO spacious and roomy!



*Continued in the next entry....I've hit my per-post photo limit!*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th:  Sheraton Vistana Resort, continued*

The master bedroom ensuite is one of my favorite features of the villas.  There is a separate dressing area between the bedroom and the master bath:



The bathroom has a large stand-up shower:



.....and a sizable jacuzzi tub.



The screened in balconies have an overhead fan and exterior lighting for those who enjoy early morning or late night relaxing in the open air.   We love the Fountains section because these villas have a back set of stairs which allows direct access to the pool in addition to the front stairs that take you to the parking area.  Rather than having to walk down the front and around the building, you can go straight down from the balcony and be right at the pool gate.  Perfect!



This was the view we enjoyed all week from the balcony.  This particular building is one of my favorites in the whole resort.....and this is one of the reasons why.



Ah, this photo makes me miss is so badly.  I absolutely hate knowing our May trip is so unlikely to happen.  I can't imagine having to wait to return until the fall......it seems like forever.

_But.....again I digress......_

We were actually quite efficient at getting unpacked (practice really does make perfect!) so that task took less time than we thought it would.  Once we had the suitcases emptied and stowed in the spare closet, we indulged in a short rest in the villa to recharge a bit and touch base with our family to let them know we were happily settled.   After a brief siesta, we decided to indulge in an early-ish dinner in case our 2 am wake up call started to catch up with us once the sun set.   One of the things I hate most about January is how DARK it gets so early in the evening.  Makes you want to go to bed at 8 pm because it feels like midnight.

Our next stop would be Universal's CityWalk.

*Coming up:  Run, Forrest, Run!*


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## bankr63

I agree, those photos make me "home"sick too!

We have now skipped 2 years at SVR, so itching to get back.  I really hope things have settled by next March and the borders are open again!


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## Joanna71985

That is one stunning hotel! I can see why you love to stay there


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## Worfiedoodles

Very nice digs, I can see why you love it so much! And 2 bathrooms on vacation is pampering for everyone. I love that they just sent you on your way and didn’t try to get you to attend the sales pitch. This first day just gets better and better!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> I agree, those photos make me "home"sick too!
> 
> We have now skipped 2 years at SVR, so itching to get back.  I really hope things have settled by next March and the borders are open again!



If the borders are not open by March, I will either be crazy or no longer living in the USA.  There is absolutely no way I can be separated from my family that long!!  



Joanna71985 said:


> That is one stunning hotel! I can see why you love to stay there



Its a beautiful resort.....and the amenities are lovely as well.   We never seem to have much opportunity to enjoy them with our hectic itineraries, but we could easily never leave the property and have TONS to do!



Worfiedoodles said:


> Very nice digs, I can see why you love it so much! And 2 bathrooms on vacation is pampering for everyone. I love that they just sent you on your way and didn’t try to get you to attend the sales pitch. This first day just gets better and better!



Steve says I have "the look" when I'm at the sales desk  .  The look that says "I've been up since 2 am and I don't have time for any baloney".  I, personally, think I'm delightful LOL.....but perhaps I don't hide my feelings well.  Seriously, just pass me my parking pass and I'll get out of your hair!


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## vrajewski10513

I always love seeing your rooms at SVR. Those third floor rooms are a hidden gem with the vaulted ceiling and sky light!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Friday, January 24th:  the conclusion*

It kind of seemed like it was a bit out of the way, but we decided to make the drive to CityWalk for dinner at one of our Universal favorites.  We have free preferred parking with our Premier Annual Passes, so we knew we'd get a good spot in the garage (even at that time of day) and have a pretty easy walk to our dinner destination.  Heading into the hub, there was absolutely no line for security so we walked straight up to one of the scanners, passed through, and were on our way to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company.



It took us a LONG time to try Bubba Gump's......like, 9 years and about 17 trips.  Neither one of us are seafood fans, so we always avoided it on the assumption that there'd be nothing on the menu that we'd eat.  It killed me a little, though, because Forrest Gump is one of my all-time favourite movies, so the theming has always had a wistful appeal leaving me yearning to give it a go.  A couple of trips ago, we threw caution to the wind and decided to have a meal there.....figuring it would be a one-and-done....but it was a winner.   Non-fish-lovers, take note!  There are other options for you besides seafood.



The restaurant was pretty much empty (that late January period really did turn out to be a low-crowd time of year!) so we had absolutely no wait to be seated.  In fact, we had hardly any "neighbors" in our section of the restaurant.  This pic was actually taken when it got busy(er) as our meal went on.



They have done a SUPERB job at the decor in this restaurant.  If you're a fan of the movie, even just a little bit, you won't be able to stop looking at the gobs of memorabilia that adorn every square inch of the interior.   It's a feast for the eyes!  I especially love the bathroom humor ("I gotta pee!") that they have woven throughout the building.....and yes, you can even buy a "I gotta pee!" t-shirt in the very cool onsite gift shop.



On every table, you'll find a large steel bucket filled with brown paper towel and an assortment of condiments that you might need during your meal.  There's also a set of license plates which act as a sign to your server:  if you display the blue Run Forrest Run side, the staff know you're all good and don't require any assistance.  Flip the plate to display the red Stop Forrest Stop, and you'll soon have a staff member at your table ready to assist (for drink refills, issues with your meal, you're ready for the check, etc.).  

On previous visits, we've had the servers engage us in some fun movie trivia, but this time the mood was a little more low-key.  That was okay with us, actually, since we were starting to feel our early morning and were happy for a peaceful first night meal.

We ordered a couple of drinks to start.  I *love* their cocktails....they are SO YUMMY!  This was, if I remember correctly, called Louisiana lemonade.....loaded with fresh strawberries.....and it was the kind of drink that I could easily have downed three of (but then I wouldn't have been able to walk without assistance LOL).  



An added bonus....the drink price includes the souvenir glass.   When you're finished your meal, you just head to the gift shop, show them your receipt, and they give you two brand new glasses all boxed and ready to pack in your suitcase.  They look great on our bar at home, and we actually use them quite often for our own drink creations.

We had learned, on our previous visits, that portion sizes were VERY generous, so we opted to skip any appetizers and just order entrees.   We often tend to over-order.....our eyes are bigger than our stomachs sometimes!.....and end up carting left-overs back to the villa.  They collect and pile up throughout the week (because we never seem to ever feel hungry in the late evenings, with all the dining destinations that we build into the itinerary), then we have a whole ton of food to throw away on our check-out morning which always makes us feel wasteful.  This time, we vowed to have less waste and order smarter!

As I said, neither one of us eat seafood (*shudder* ... I can't stand it).   Steve enjoys a good feed of fish-and-chips from time to time (in fact, that was what he had on his very first visit to Gumps) but today, he opted to try something different:  cue the rack of ribs, french fries and coleslaw.



I probably should have put a fork on the plate so you have a better point of reference as to the portion size, but you'll have to go just on my description this time.  These plates are HUGE, more like small oval platters.  The rack of ribs was definitely enough to satisfy even an appetite as healthy as my big Steve's.

I ordered my "usual":  Mama's Fried Chicken, which also happens to be a house specialty and one of their best-selling entrees.



Served with red skin garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, this meal is way more than I could ever eat in one sitting (though Lord knows I gave it my best shot).  The chicken is amazing, marinated and juicy on the inside with a nice, thick, crispy coating that is perfectly spiced.  Even if I actually liked a lot of the other things on the menu, I think I'd probably order this every time just because its so good.

While the dessert menu offers some pretty awesome looking options, there's no way we had room for such indulgences after such massive amounts of food (plus Steve is a diabetic, and generally avoids those kinds of "cheats", especially on vacation, to keep himself feeling good).  I'd love to give some a try someday, though. Perhaps I'll throw all caution to the wind, and on a future visit, let Steve eat his fill of meat while I skip the main course and have dessert for dinner.  What happens in Orlando stays in Orlando, right?  ;-)



A little budget tip for anyone who might consider going someday (and I would wholly encourage you to do so....it's well worth it!):  Sam's Club offers discounted Landry's gift cards which net you a sweet discount at Bubba Gump's.  For $75, you get three $25 gift cards plus a bonus $15 card.  Combine that savings with our passmember discount (which was, 15%?, I think?  Maybe 20%?) and its a VERY good value meal.



As we were heading out of the restaurant, I was more than a little thrilled to run into the Bubba Gump Shrimp!! <3  You know me, I have never met a character I didn't like.  We stopped for a quick photo after picking up our glasses in the gift shop, and then headed back to the parking garage to collect the truck.

Back at the resort, with our bellies full, our early morning start started to rapidly catch up with us.

We donned our swimsuits, went out to the hot tubs to enjoy a 15 minute soak under the stars, but then headed back to the villa.  It was a race to see who would fall asleep faster.....but neither of us stayed awake long enough to determine the winner.  Sleep came VERY easy that night.

It was a simply splendid first day.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

vrajewski10513 said:


> I always love seeing your rooms at SVR. Those third floor rooms are a hidden gem with the vaulted ceiling and sky light!



Those ceilings and skylights are the reward for all those stairs!  So worth it!

And let's face it, with everything we end up eating while we're in town, those extra stairs are probably necessary LOL.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Steve and I have been doing A LOT of soul searching about our May trip over the course of this past weekend.  We are still very much aware that whether or not the parks will even open by then is the question no one has an answer to right now (certainly Disney looks like a no, and generally SeaWorld and Universal follow similar paths).  And even if SW & UO *do* open by Memorial Day weekend.....will they be under significant enough restrictions & continued social distancing measures that it wont feel "right"?  Will we even WANT to go if a risk still remains (which I'm sure there will be still)?

It's such a hard decision,  but we are seriously considering moving that May trip to early December.   It would mean we have 2 trips quite close together (mid October and early December, so about 6 weeks apart) and a LONG time between visits (January already seems an eternity ago!).  But maybe it's the safest decision, in more ways than one?

Ugh.  So tough to know what to do.


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## ICan'tWait

Thrilled to see you're posting another a trip report. I love your reports and your tips over the years have been so helpful.


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## Joanna71985

I don't eat seafood either, but that chicken looks really good! So I might have to give this place a try


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## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Steve says I have "the look" when I'm at the sales desk  . The look that says "I've been up since 2 am and I don't have time for any baloney". I, personally, think I'm delightful LOL.....but perhaps I don't hide my feelings well. Seriously, just pass me my parking pass and I'll get out of your hair!


Yes, you ladies are very good at this.  I enjoy engaging with them a little bit to understand what the current offerings are.  A+ has no patience for it though, and any banter gets shut down pretty quickly.  There will be no presentations, give us the pass and we will be on our way.

I was shocked that she agreed to attend a presentation last year in Mexico.  However, the offering included covering our SUV rental for the week, and a dinner cruise, so it was probably worth the 3 hours it cost us (including transportation and breakfast time).  We toured a VERY high end resort on the Pacific Ocean that makes anything else I have seen look like a Motel 8.  But even with a very low ball offer, it was easy to walk away.  No way am I flying to Cabo every year for a vacation.


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> It's such a hard decision,  but we are seriously considering moving that May trip to early December.   It would mean we have 2 trips quite close together (mid October and early December, so about 6 weeks apart) and a LONG time between visits (January already seems an eternity ago!).  But maybe it's the safest decision, in more ways than one?
> 
> Ugh.  So tough to know what to do.


You know, not every trip has to be "go go go".  Maybe a week to just lie by the pool and enjoy frosty cocktails from Tacky Tiki?  You could even avoid crowded airplanes by driving there and back; with no agenda waiting, you don't feel the need to keep a strict schedule on the drive.  I have to say that our trip last month was not at all what we were expecting, but was a refreshing change because we did take it so much easier than usual.  Social distancing really wasn't that hard driving down either; there are a few strategies you can use.

Of course, that kind of trip makes for lousy trip reports, so maybe not?


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## I-4Bound

I'm right there with ya! Even if things do open back up, I don't know if I will feel safe in a crowd come mid June. I admit, I am starting to develop a bit of anxiety about going out even for small errands (grocery store run, etc.). I can't even imagine being shoulder-to-shoulder with Disney crowds right now


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Steve and I have been doing A LOT of soul searching about our May trip over the course of this past weekend.  We are still very much aware that whether or not the parks will even open by then is the question no one has an answer to right now (certainly Disney looks like a no, and generally SeaWorld and Universal follow similar paths).  And even if SW & UO *do* open by Memorial Day weekend.....will they be under significant enough restrictions & continued social distancing measures that it wont feel "right"?  Will we even WANT to go if a risk still remains (which I'm sure there will be still)?
> 
> It's such a hard decision,  but we are seriously considering moving that May trip to early December.   It would mean we have 2 trips quite close together (mid October and early December, so about 6 weeks apart) and a LONG time between visits (January already seems an eternity ago!).  But maybe it's the safest decision, in more ways than one?
> 
> Ugh.  So tough to know what to do.


We haven't been to Bubba Gump in a long time -- that totally looked worth a stop! Wow, I can't believe how yummy that fried chicken looks. 

So our current plan is to go to go HHN in October and Grinchmas in Dec. We were also there in January (earlier than you!), and this is our first year with APs so I wanted to get our money's worth. Of course now we're waiting to see all the fallout after Sheltering at Home...so if you do end up with 2 trips at the end of the year, I think the offerings (I remember how much you loved SeaWorld Holidays!), would be different enough you could really enjoy it. But of course, it does mean leaving the felines...we're not asking our kitties their opinion


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

ICan'tWait said:


> Thrilled to see you're posting another a trip report. I love your reports and your tips over the years have been so helpful.



Aw, thank you!    I am glad to have you reading along and joining in.  I hope this report has some useful elements to it as well!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I don't eat seafood either, but that chicken looks really good! So I might have to give this place a try



If you like the movie, its definitely worth a try sometime.  And the chicken is simply DELISH!!

Their gift shop is pretty fun, too  .



bankr63 said:


> Yes, you ladies are very good at this.  I enjoy engaging with them a little bit to understand what the current offerings are.  A+ has no patience for it though, and any banter gets shut down pretty quickly.  There will be no presentations, give us the pass and we will be on our way.
> 
> I was shocked that she agreed to attend a presentation last year in Mexico.  However, the offering included covering our SUV rental for the week, and a dinner cruise, so it was probably worth the 3 hours it cost us (including transportation and breakfast time).  We toured a VERY high end resort on the Pacific Ocean that makes anything else I have seen look like a Motel 8.  But even with a very low ball offer, it was easy to walk away.  No way am I flying to Cabo every year for a vacation.



We have probably done the presentation at least 4 times now.....it actually became a sport to see how quickly we could get out [in case you're wondering, it was 50 minutes and the payoff at that time was $150].  The last time we agreed to go, our salesperson ("Delores".....I will never, EVER forget her name) was downright rude.  Now, we've had salespeople that have been less than honest (and I've called them out on their erroneous statements ;-) ), and we've had salespeople that have been annoyed with us when we wouldn't agree to convert our float weeks to points.  But Delores?  She was NASTY .... and she messed with the wrong girl.  From that day forward, we vowed to never attend another Owner's Update as long as we continued to vacation there.  If one of the parking pass people tries to change my mind, I'll pointedly let them know  that the boorish behavior of their sales crew is the reason for my dissent.  That usually ends the conversation pretty quickly.

We have definitely seen a less than positive change in the attitude of the sales team since they were taken over by Marriott.  The Sheraton folks were far less abrasive.



bankr63 said:


> You know, not every trip has to be "go go go".  Maybe a week to just lie by the pool and enjoy frosty cocktails from Tacky Tiki?  You could even avoid crowded airplanes by driving there and back; with no agenda waiting, you don't feel the need to keep a strict schedule on the drive.  I have to say that our trip last month was not at all what we were expecting, but was a refreshing change because we did take it so much easier than usual.  Social distancing really wasn't that hard driving down either; there are a few strategies you can use.
> 
> Of course, that kind of trip makes for lousy trip reports, so maybe not?



Our biggest worry is that some of the amenities that we enjoy (the recreation areas, the Tiki Bar, etc.) would be off-limits or otherwise restricted while social distancing protocols were being enforced.  That would just suck the fun right out of a trip.  And if restaurants were still not back to operating normally, that would be a double kick in the pants.....dining out is a big part of our vacations.  And then there's the fact that we are generally not "lounging" kind of people LOL.  Have you noticed we have a hard time sitting still?  ;-) 

I can absolutely guarantee that Steve would NEVER agree to a driving trip.  It's flying or bust.  We did a family road trip adventure to Wisconsin Dells from Ontario back in 2010, and while it was an amazing vacation, we learned we are definitely not a road trip family.  We just don't have the patience.  Put us on a plane and get us there in 2.5 hours or less, please.  2 days in the car is 2 days too long!



I-4Bound said:


> I'm right there with ya! Even if things do open back up, I don't know if I will feel safe in a crowd come mid June. I admit, I am starting to develop a bit of anxiety about going out even for small errands (grocery store run, etc.). I can't even imagine being shoulder-to-shoulder with Disney crowds right now



We officially made our decision tonight.....we are bumping our May trip back to December.  I plan to make the adjustments to our flights and resort stay tomorrow.  Rather than be disappointed, I am focusing on the fact that we can now attend Seaworld's Christmas Celebration (which is SO AWESOME!), the Orlando Informer meet-up at Universal for the first time, and maybe even a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.   And hopefully, all the Covid-19 worries will all be a distant memory by then.



Worfiedoodles said:


> We haven't been to Bubba Gump in a long time -- that totally looked worth a stop! Wow, I can't believe how yummy that fried chicken looks.
> 
> So our current plan is to go to go HHN in October and Grinchmas in Dec. We were also there in January (earlier than you!), and this is our first year with APs so I wanted to get our money's worth. Of course now we're waiting to see all the fallout after Sheltering at Home...so if you do end up with 2 trips at the end of the year, I think the offerings (I remember how much you loved SeaWorld Holidays!), would be different enough you could really enjoy it. But of course, it does mean leaving the felines...we're not asking our kitties their opinion



I am actually quite excited about a Halloween trip and a Christmas trip......2 amazing times of the year to go.  Yes, we will have to wait a painfully long time, but I think time will pass quite quickly during the summer (when its easy to keep busy) and our vacations will hopefully be free of virus worries.  

Having an extra few months to save will allow me to splurge a little more, too.  Hoping for some good offers on the SW Blue Friday sales again this year!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th*

We had a couple of different fun things planned for this day, so it was easy to get motivated to get up and moving that morning (hitting the sack at an earlier hour also helped with that.......we felt rested and refreshed after a sound night's sleep in those comfy Westin Heavenly Beds!).

After breakfast, we would be off to SeaWorld again (though only for part of the day....we had special dinner plans that would take us outside of the park), but since we wouldn't be doing the all day dining, we opted to catch a quick breakfast on our way.   We were looking for somewhere that we could be in and out of fairly quickly, but was a tad higher quality than McDonald's or Burger King.  Hopping in the truck, we decided to drive until something inspired us.  Steve ended up here......a place we hadn't been to in forever, it seemed!



This used to be one of our son Jake's favorite stops on our Florida vacations.  We often were served by an unforgettable old fella named Kenny, who rapped us the menu on our very first visit there and forever captured Jake's heart.  We ran into Kenny on several trips thereafter, but not for the last couple of years.  Quite likely he's retired (for his sake, I certainly hope so.....he was definitely at that age).  We did, however, have a wonderfully friendly and attentive young man as our server but I suppose attentive was kind of easy because we were literally the only people in the building, besides the staff.



It had been a while since we'd dined here, so we took a few minutes to peruse the menu.  When we finally made our choices, we watched the cook set to whipping up our order in the open kitchen.    Coffee was delivered promptly, and the rest of our meals followed shortly after.



Steve went simple:  2 eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, and toast.   Breakfast basics but all perfectly cooked.  And the coffee was REALLY good:  we're rather hard to please where coffee is concerned (we like it strong but not bitter), and they got it right.  We both enjoyed a couple of cups with our meals.



I couldn't decide if I wanted sweet or savory, so I split the difference and had both.  Scrambled eggs, bacon and surprisingly large pancakes.  Definitely more food than I needed, but Steve helped me out a bit with the pancakes (even though they are a diabetic no-no......they were just SO GOOD) and to get any smaller meal, I would have had to order off the kids menu.  It's amazing the amount of food you can get here for under $5 a plate.

This turned out exactly as we'd hoped:  decent food, speedy service, great price.  Nothing fancy but we were full and ready to hit the ground running.   The sun was shining and it was a PERFECT day to enjoy more of one of our favorite Orlando parks!



I suppose I should give some sort of an explanation about our shirts, and perhaps a better view of the fronts:



We are members of a Facebook group for annual passholders at SeaWorld Orlando.   It's a super helpful group and we often get some good information from some of the regular contributors there, especially the locals who get to visit far more often than we do.   One of those good folks is a fellow who is originally from Puerto Rico, and often pokes fun at his spanish accent.  His running joke on the page is to call "people", "pipool" (insert spanish accent here LOL), spelling it out as he would pronounce it.  Some of us enjoy his fun sense of humor at his own expense.  Other people LOSE THEIR MINDS (threatening to report him to the moderators, threatening to leave the page.....it's ridiculous).    In his honor, we decided to make custom shirts for this trip (because y'all know we love the matching shirts on our vacations anyway!) and this is the design we came up with for our SeaWorld day......and of course, we had one made for Juan as well!  Unfortunately for us, he was in New Jersey visiting his sister for the month of January so we didn't get a chance to meet up with him as we had hoped.  We promised we would save his shirt for him and plan to meet on our next visit, which was obviously supposed to be April.  I guess it will now be an October gift.  He was super touched regardless and they got a lot of reactions within the Facebook group!  LOL

_Getting back to the report......_

Our timing was pretty much bang-on again, and we were there for park opening with an absolutely PERFECT preferred parking spot....the third space across from the entrance.  Bag check was quick and efficient, ticket lines moved well and boom!  We were inside the park once in record time, even on a busy weekend Saturday.





Since we were a little less weary than the day prior and had far more time at our disposal, it allowed us to enjoy the park at a much better pace.  We stopped to appreciate the vibrant colors of the flamingos as we made our way past the entrance.    Such gorgeous and regal creatures!



We also took time to visit the pelicans.  I wonder how many people walk right by this exhibit, on a mission to touch and feed the sting rays, and don't even realize it's there?



*More to come!

*


----------



## I-4Bound

Our local Steak and Shake closed over a year ago. I was really sad, but not surprised. Unfortunately, their service was terrible. We have been to Steak and Shake restaurants in Florida several times, but we haven't found the time to visit on a recent trip. That breakfast looked delish!


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> If you like the movie, its definitely worth a try sometime.  And the chicken is simply DELISH!!
> 
> Their gift shop is pretty fun, too
> 
> 
> We officially made our decision tonight.....we are bumping our May trip back to December.  I plan to make the adjustments to our flights and resort stay tomorrow.  Rather than be disappointed, I am focusing on the fact that we can now attend Seaworld's Christmas Celebration (which is SO AWESOME!), the Orlando Informer meet-up at Universal for the first time, and maybe even a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.   And hopefully, all the Covid-19 worries will all be a distant memory by then.
> 
> 
> I am actually quite excited about a Halloween trip and a Christmas trip......2 amazing times of the year to go.  Yes, we will have to wait a painfully long time, but I think time will pass quite quickly during the summer (when its easy to keep busy) and our vacations will hopefully be free of virus worries.
> 
> Having an extra few months to save will allow me to splurge a little more, too.  Hoping for some good offers on the SW Blue Friday sales again this year!



Well, I definitely need to visit then! (Plus, I haven't been to Universal period in over 3 years  )

I'm sorry to hear that! But as you mentioned, Christmas at SW is just the best


----------



## DontRushMe

I’m looking into Seaworld Christmas if we make it back in December. You are such a bad influence


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> Our local Steak and Shake closed over a year ago. I was really sad, but not surprised. Unfortunately, their service was terrible. We have been to Steak and Shake restaurants in Florida several times, but we haven't found the time to visit on a recent trip. That breakfast looked delish!



Our local Steak & Shake closed last spring.....like yours, their service was a hot mess.  For some reason, they attracted the WORST staff.   It got to the point that we used to place bets on what we'd actually receive after we ordered....because none of us ever seemed to get the correct meal.

We always find the Orlando location to be a completely different experience.   Honestly, its pretty rare we ever have  bad service in Florida.



Joanna71985 said:


> Well, I definitely need to visit then! (Plus, I haven't been to Universal period in over 3 years  )
> 
> I'm sorry to hear that! But as you mentioned, Christmas at SW is just the best



I am super excited to be headed to SeaWorld during their Christmas events!  It's official, I booked our flights tonight.  December 5th to 12th are our dates!



DontRushMe said:


> I’m looking into Seaworld Christmas if we make it back in December. You are such a bad influence



I should say I'm sorry, but I'm not ;-) .  You should definitely go!!  And usually on the Black Friday sales you can pick up all the great upgrades like reserved show seating, dinner with Santa, quick queue........

I think you should try to come on our dates, and we can get you in for free with our guest passes!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

So, I didn't get a chance to post a trip report entry today because I got wrapped up in finishing the final episodes of The Tiger King .... not a good excuse, but painfully true nonetheless.  I blame @chiamarie for getting me started on that bizarre series in the first place ;-) .  Once we started watching, we couldn't stop!

I also ended up spending 51 minutes and 5 seconds on the phone with Delta (seriously!) to book our December flights because the ecredits we were issued when moving our May flights to October weren't showing up in my Delta wallet.  While it was worth devoting almost an hour to save the $340 off our December flights, it certainly was a much more lengthy process than I was expecting.  But....it's now official.  May is cancelled and our countdown is now painfully long......BUT, we have both Halloween AND Christmas in Orlando to look forward to.

The other thing that is kind of exciting is that we purchased tickets tonight for two nights at the Orlando Informer Meetup in December!  It's kind of like a Disney After Hours, in the sense that it's a hard ticket event at Universal held after park close (though meetup guests can get access to the park at 5 pm each night, even though it doesn't close to day guests until 8 or 9), but it's a longer evening (until 1:30 am!!) and all food and beverages are included and unlimited (everything from burgers to tacos, butterbeer to pumpkin juice, butterbeer ice cream to big pink donuts, and all the other fan favorites).  We have always wanted to go to one of these meetups but the timing has never worked out.  We had tickets purchased for May before they cancelled the event and moved it to December, so this is making me feel better about rescheduling our trip.  I'm still working on convincing Steve to add in an MVMCP, but I'm sure I'll be able to talk him into it between now and whenever they release the dates and tickets.  I managed to somehow persuade him into a MNSSHP with the Cruella's Hideaway add-on for October while waiting for our Chili's to-go order on Sunday evening, so the Christmas party shouldn't be too hard of a sell!

I'm off to console two jittery kitties who are not happy with the thunderstorm that's currently raging outside.  I'll be back tomorrow with an entry, likely later in the evening.


----------



## DontRushMe

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Our local Steak & Shake closed last spring.....like yours, their service was a hot mess.  For some reason, they attracted the WORST staff.   It got to the point that we used to place bets on what we'd actually receive after we ordered....because none of us ever seemed to get the correct meal.
> 
> We always find the Orlando location to be a completely different experience.   Honestly, its pretty rare we ever have  bad service in Florida.
> 
> 
> 
> I am super excited to be headed to SeaWorld during their Christmas events!  It's official, I booked our flights tonight.  December 5th to 12th are our dates!
> 
> 
> 
> I should say I'm sorry, but I'm not ;-) .  You should definitely go!!  And usually on the Black Friday sales you can pick up all the great upgrades like reserved show seating, dinner with Santa, quick queue........
> 
> I think you should try to come on our dates, and we can get you in for free with our guest passes!


We would love nothing more than to join you and get to experience your love of Orlando but we are thinking that will be Katie’s finals week, we are hoping her last one is the 11th and we can fly out late that night. Our luck we will pass you in the airport on the 12th.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am super excited to be headed to SeaWorld during their Christmas events!  It's official, I booked our flights tonight.  December 5th to 12th are our dates!



Yay! I'll have to keep an eye out for you 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I also ended up spending 51 minutes and 5 seconds on the phone with Delta (seriously!) to book our December flights because the ecredits we were issued when moving our May flights to October weren't showing up in my Delta wallet.  While it was worth devoting almost an hour to save the $340 off our December flights, it certainly was a much more lengthy process than I was expecting.  But....it's now official.  May is cancelled and our countdown is now painfully long......BUT, we have both Halloween AND Christmas in Orlando to look forward to.
> 
> The other thing that is kind of exciting is that we purchased tickets tonight for two nights at the Orlando Informer Meetup in December!  It's kind of like a Disney After Hours, in the sense that it's a hard ticket event at Universal held after park close (though meetup guests can get access to the park at 5 pm each night, even though it doesn't close to day guests until 8 or 9), but it's a longer evening (until 1:30 am!!) and all food and beverages are included and unlimited (everything from burgers to tacos, butterbeer to pumpkin juice, butterbeer ice cream to big pink donuts, and all the other fan favorites).  We have always wanted to go to one of these meetups but the timing has never worked out.  We had tickets purchased for May before they cancelled the event and moved it to December, so this is making me feel better about rescheduling our trip.  I'm still working on convincing Steve to add in an MVMCP, but I'm sure I'll be able to talk him into it between now and whenever they release the dates and tickets.  I managed to somehow persuade him into a MNSSHP with the Cruella's Hideaway add-on for October while waiting for our Chili's to-go order on Sunday evening, so the Christmas party shouldn't be too hard of a sell!
> 
> I'm off to console two jittery kitties who are not happy with the thunderstorm that's currently raging outside.  I'll be back tomorrow with an entry, likely later in the evening.



Wow, sounds like a great trip so far!


----------



## dalmatian7

Wow you packed a lot into the first day.  Thank you I now want fried chicken sooooooo bad.  
We have been canceling so much around here lately too.  My DD is supposed to be attending her first girl scout camp the end of May.  It hasn't been canceled yet, but I can't believe they will even have it.  If they do have it, I really don't feel comfortable with her attending and me possibly attending as a chaperone.  Heck, I am nervous about my early Nov trip at this point.  We haven't been to WDW since 2017 but it is such an expensive trip, if the reopened parks end up with major restrictions or staffing issues I don't know that I will feel it is worth the vacation.  
I would love that "dine with an orca".  I wished I had paid better attention to that being a thing before we went to SW.  Can you talk with the trainers?  Having a farm, we were so interested how they care for the animals when we did Discovery Cove.  We had a great talk with a trainer after our swim.  She had a farm-ish background so could really relate to what we were asking.  

I think we are the only people who dont' have Netflix and therefore have not seen Tiger King. Although, I enjoy the memes on FB.


----------



## Joanna71985

dalmatian7 said:


> I would love that "dine with an orca".  I wished I had paid better attention to that being a thing before we went to SW.  Can you talk with the trainers?  Having a farm, we were so interested how they care for the animals when we did Discovery Cove.  We had a great talk with a trainer after our swim.  She had a farm-ish background so could really relate to what we were asking.
> 
> I think we are the only people who dont' have Netflix and therefore have not seen Tiger King. Although, I enjoy the memes on FB.



Yeah, it's possible to talk with the trainers after Dine. It's also sometimes possible to talk with one before/after the show too

(for the record- I don't have Netflix either)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

DontRushMe said:


> We would love nothing more than to join you and get to experience your love of Orlando but we are thinking that will be Katie’s finals week, we are hoping her last one is the 11th and we can fly out late that night. Our luck we will pass you in the airport on the 12th.



Well, DRAT!  That would have been fun to be there at the same time.  Though, the last time we flew together, my purse got puked on ..... .



Joanna71985 said:


> Yay! I'll have to keep an eye out for you
> 
> Wow, sounds like a great trip so far!



Most definitely!  We would LOVE to say hello!

Do you ever work a MNSSHP?  Perhaps we could catch you at MK as well!



dalmatian7 said:


> Wow you packed a lot into the first day.  Thank you I now want fried chicken sooooooo bad.
> We have been canceling so much around here lately too.  My DD is supposed to be attending her first girl scout camp the end of May.  It hasn't been canceled yet, but I can't believe they will even have it.  If they do have it, I really don't feel comfortable with her attending and me possibly attending as a chaperone.  Heck, I am nervous about my early Nov trip at this point.  We haven't been to WDW since 2017 but it is such an expensive trip, if the reopened parks end up with major restrictions or staffing issues I don't know that I will feel it is worth the vacation.
> I would love that "dine with an orca".  I wished I had paid better attention to that being a thing before we went to SW.  Can you talk with the trainers?  Having a farm, we were so interested how they care for the animals when we did Discovery Cove.  We had a great talk with a trainer after our swim.  She had a farm-ish background so could really relate to what we were asking.
> 
> I think we are the only people who dont' have Netflix and therefore have not seen Tiger King. Although, I enjoy the memes on FB.



Much as we adults are disappointed by all the the fun events that are also becoming casualties to this virus, its so much worse for kids.  I hope your DD's camp still runs, but like you I'd be doubtful at this point.  Our local area is cancelling so many major events for this spring and summer, some into the latter part of July.  It's crazy!  I'm confident your November trip will be a perfect time to go:  long enough after the reopening that hopefully things will be much  more close to normal than what I anticipate it will be this summer.  I have my fingers crossed for BOTH of us!

At Dine with Orcas, the trainers are on the other side of the glass from the guests.  It might be possible to hang back afterward, though, and catch one of them for a chat.....the SW animal care staff are wonderful about speaking with park visitors who have questions.  I'd bet your family would love the Killer Whales Up Close tour as well.  It's pricey but looks amazing!!   And there you would be able to chat with the trainers in a very personal setting.

Don't feel bad about Netflix, we let our subscription lapse after the last season of Stranger Things.  We resubscribed just to watch the Tiger King....and were delighted to see that there was another season of Atypical waiting for us as well.  Score!



Joanna71985 said:


> Yeah, it's possible to talk with the trainers after Dine. It's also sometimes possible to talk with one before/after the show too
> 
> (for the record- I don't have Netflix either)



There you go, @dalmation7 !  I had hoped Joanna might chime in on your Dine with Orcas question!

And Joanna....you've got to get a trial subscription just so you can watch Tiger King.  It's bizarrely riveting.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

So sorry I didn't get back last night as promised with an entry.....I had a couple of friends reach out who were facing some tough issues during this rotten quarantine and needed a shoulder to cry on.  I ended up spending most of the night on the phone.  This extended "stay home, stay safe" order is beginning to wear people down.

Hope you guys are all still healthy and well!

_Let's get back to the report......._

*Saturday, January 25th:  continued*



(Well, this is an annoying start!  Another one of my wonky I-cant-get-it-to-turn-the-right-way pics! Grrrrrrr.....)

We decided to head over to Shark Encounter to take a tour through the exhibit.  We always prefer to visit this attraction as early as possible in the day, as it tends to be emptier and its therefore much more enjoyable of an experience.  Most park guests are running to the headliner attractions and probably don't even see this little gem tucked away in Shark Wreck Reef.



This exhibit holds a special place in our hearts, as it was one of the first things we did on our first-ever trip to SeaWorld back in 2012.   It was one of Jake's favorite attractions, appealing to his life-long love of sharks.....he had literally dozens and dozens of books on sharks on his bedroom bookshelf that he read so often in his childhood that he could recite them all by heart.  They captivated him then, and they still captivate him now (Shark Week is something he counts down to every single year!!).  I always miss him a little extra when we walk into this building, knowing how much he loved this exhibit.  I can't wait for the day he is able to travel with us again!



As we had hoped (and as we somewhat suspected, given the early hour), there was not another guest in sight.  With the whole attraction to ourselves, we could spend as long as we liked admiring the coral and sea life without having to worry about being in anyone's way or holding anyone else up.  It was mavellous!



The crystal-clear tanks that span a full 180 degrees over your head are a sight to behold.   The colors are stunning and soothing all at the same time, and there are so many fun fish to try and spot as they swim by.



Moving into the next "room", we thought perhaps we might run into another early-bird guest or two, but nope.  Not another soul in sight.  They also didn't have the moving walkway turned on, so we weren't rushed out by the moving floor....so we indulged in extra time there.



Look up....look WAY up.......





#jawsome!!

If you have a keen eye and watch carefully, you can often catch a peek at one of the sawtooth sharks that also call Shark Encounter home.  Super cool!



One last fun and factual tidbit of information before we leave!



Heading back out into the glorious sunshine, we felt "on top of the world" .... so we thought we'd go there, in a rather literal sense.  On top of Sea"World", that is!

_*More to come....*_


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Most definitely!  We would LOVE to say hello!
> 
> Do you ever work a MNSSHP?  Perhaps we could catch you at MK as well!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At Dine with Orcas, the trainers are on the other side of the glass from the guests.  It might be possible to hang back afterward, though, and catch one of them for a chat.....the SW animal care staff are wonderful about speaking with park visitors who have questions.  I'd bet your family would love the Killer Whales Up Close tour as well.  It's pricey but looks amazing!!   And there you would be able to chat with the trainers in a very personal setting.
> 
> 
> 
> There you go, @dalmation7 !  I had hoped Joanna might chime in on your Dine with Orcas question!
> 
> And Joanna....you've got to get a trial subscription just so you can watch Tiger King.  It's bizarrely riveting.



While it is possible to work MNSSHP, it isn't likely (unless I traded). But it's so far in the future that I don't know my schedule yet

Yes!! I highly recommend the tour, as well as Dine

(I will see what I can do. That show is all everyone is talking about on FB)


----------



## chiamarie

I guess I need to text you to catch up on your Tiger King thoughts!   it's a good distraction from all this craziness.   Also there's apparently a new episode coming out on Sunday!!!!!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Wow, how nice to have the sharks all too yourself. I didn't realize it was possible to be there without the moving walkway. Note to self: head to shark encounter first!


----------



## Joanna71985

Worfiedoodles said:


> Wow, how nice to have the sharks all too yourself. I didn't realize it was possible to be there without the moving walkway. Note to self: head to shark encounter first!



It wasn't moving because it was broken (when I was there in March, it was moving again)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> While it is possible to work MNSSHP, it isn't likely (unless I traded). But it's so far in the future that I don't know my schedule yet
> 
> Yes!! I highly recommend the tour, as well as Dine
> 
> (I will see what I can do. That show is all everyone is talking about on FB)



So, curious minds want to know....did you decide to get the Netflix trial and watch Tiger King?

(Another excellent series on Netflix that I highly recommend is Atypical.....we are currently watching Season 3 as we speak)



Worfiedoodles said:


> Wow, how nice to have the sharks all too yourself. I didn't realize it was possible to be there without the moving walkway. Note to self: head to shark encounter first!



Shark Encounter is always quiet in the morning.  We always try to hit it up first thing at least one day on each of our trips.  

If you go later in the day, they will have the Shark Encounter photo station open....it is usually closed for the first hour or two after park opening.  The pics are fun and worth a stop!  Unfortunately, our timing stunk on this trip and we never did see the Sharks photos open, even in the afternoon.  Perhaps it was because it was off season?



Joanna71985 said:


> It wasn't moving because it was broken (when I was there in March, it was moving again)



Ah!  That explains it!  Here I thought it was just because it was so early in the day.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  continued*



From Shark Encounter, we headed back to the Waterfront for a ride on the Skytower .  It was a beautiful, sunny, clear day so we knew the views would be particularly spectacular.

Admission to the Skytower used to be included with park admission, but several years ago it moved to be an add-on attraction at an additional cost.  For passholders, however, it remains a complimentary perk.....which is nice (and a $5 per person savings).  While I personally think it should still be included for ALL park guests (especially when its the kind of attraction that can be enjoyed by almost every visitor, regardless of their age or thrill tolerance), on the plus side, it keeps standby times low.  Unless it's a very busy day, there's rarely a wait beyond the time it takes for the current ride to finish and riders to exit.



Because the ride is an add-on, you have to obtain a ticket in order to board.  Tickets are obtained from the bar that sits around the back of the Tower, and there is the nicest little oasis back there which I never knew existed until the ride became a ticketed up-charge.  One of these days, we are going to make the time to grab a drink from that bar and just sit and enjoy the views.  Perhaps and idea for our October trip!



The bartender scanned our AP's, printed us off tickets, and we were on our way around the building to the entrance of the ride.

As we suspected, there was no wait to board save for the time the current ride needed to wrap up.  Not only was there no wait, there was also hardly anyone else on board with us that morning....just one other couple.  They took their side of the ride vehicle, and we took ours. 


The SkyTower is the tallest observation tower in Florida and was built the same year I was born.   It's been around forever, which is probably why it takes so long to get parts for the darn thing when it suffers a mechanical issue.   We old girls aren't easy to fix when we're broken ;-) .



The Tower takes riders up 365 feet in the air (though the total height of the tower is 400 feet....including the flagpole).  It's fully enclosed and air conditioned, so while you're a LONG way up you don't feel the height (which is important for acrophobians like moi).



See that empty parking lot above?  That's a good indicator of how quiet the park was this day.

The views from the top are pretty awesome, and its a fabulous way to see the entire park.  We got a great aerial peek of the construction so far of the new roller coaster, Ice Breaker.



The ride takes around 15 minutes, including the time it takes to load.  It's a nice little peaceful break.  





Back on the ground, we got a text from our friend who works at SeaWorld.  She asked if we were in the park yet, and we responded with the affirmative (we knew she was too, as it was one of her scheduled work days).  She suggested we should make our way over to Dolphin Cove, and since we had not yet had the opportunity to say hello to her since we arrived, we agreed to do just that.  Besides, we were ready to admire her dolphins  .  Who can ever get enough of them?

*More to come......*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

chiamarie said:


> I guess I need to text you to catch up on your Tiger King thoughts!   it's a good distraction from all this craziness.   Also there's apparently a new episode coming out on Sunday!!!!!



I had no idea that another episode was coming out!!  I guess I know what we're doing tomorrow LOL.

Text away, my friend.  Steve and I have been dying to know if you've ever been to Big Cat Rescue!!


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> So, curious minds want to know....did you decide to get the Netflix trial and watch Tiger King?
> 
> (Another excellent series on Netflix that I highly recommend is Atypical.....we are currently watching Season 3 as we speak)



Still thinking about it! However, haven't had time to do anything yet, ironically (I'm working on a photo project for 2 friends, and I am digging through 5 years' worth of pictures  )




Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Back on the ground, we got a text from our friend who works at SeaWorld.  She asked if we were in the park yet, and we responded with the affirmative (we knew she was too, as it was one of her scheduled work days).  She suggested we should make our way over to Dolphin Cove, and since we had not yet had the opportunity to say hello to her since we arrived, we agreed to do just that.  Besides, we were ready to admire her dolphins  .  Who can ever get enough of them?
> 
> *More to come......*



This is where I saw you again! It was nice seeing you two days in a row


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## verleniahall

Catching up!! I cant believe it's been 2 years since we met!!


----------



## 3cmom

I am so happy to see you doing another trip report!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> Still thinking about it! However, haven't had time to do anything yet, ironically (I'm working on a photo project for 2 friends, and I am digging through 5 years' worth of pictures  )
> 
> This is where I saw you again! It was nice seeing you two days in a row



This self-quarantine time is a great opportunity to take care of those kinds of projects.  My first task when my employer closed was to finish the photobook from our trip.



verleniahall said:


> Catching up!! I cant believe it's been 2 years since we met!!



I know, right?!?!?  Time flies!

Glad to have you reading along  .



3cmom said:


> I am so happy to see you doing another trip report!



Aw, thank you!  So glad to have you reading along & joining in the chatter!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wanted to wish you all a very blessed Easter.  I can imagine it was less than ideal for most of you (we know, first hand, how hard it is to be away from family on holidays), but I hope you managed a happy day despite the circumstances.  Steve and I enjoyed much of the day outside, walking the trails before the big storm hits tomorrow......we covered more than 10 miles over the course of this afternoon and evening.    Caught a glimpse of these little beauties along side the main roadway on our way home tonight.





We had a non-traditional dinner.....



.....and are currently watching the bonus episode of the Tiger King.

This is the first Easter since we have been in Michigan that we haven't spent Easter Sunday at Greenfield Village, so it definitely didn't feel like a holiday, but.....it was a good day regardless.   We are healthy & well, so what more could we ask for? _ (well, maybe some chocolate would have been nice.!  Mmmmm.....a white chocolate bunny, specifically)_

I will do my best to get another entry up tonight.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:   dancing with dolphins*

One of the best things about the Disboards, for me, has been the opportunity to make some of the most wonderful connections with people around the USA (and even beyond).  Steve and I have been blessed to meet several of the posters from these boards, and our SeaWorld friend is one of those great people.

We met this beautiful girl back in....2013 (or thereabouts).   While we are able keep in touch via Facebook between trips, we try to connect with her whenever we get to Orlando, whether its meeting up with her for dinner or saying hello at the park.  While we try not to interfere with her work day.....she generally has her hands full with the animals that she cares for.....it's fun for us to see her in action [I swear she has the absolute BEST job in the entire world!].   So when she messaged us to let us know where she'd be at, we were eager to head over and see her.  We hustled ourselves over to Dolphin Cove where she was busy with "her" dolphins, Griffith & Nya.



The dolphins were playful that morning, and a whole group of them were swimming and splashing around the pool to the delight of park guests as the trainers readied their individual interaction stations for the day.   We headed over to the guest barrier to say a quick hi and chide her about her hoodie.....we northerners were basking in the warmth and sunshine, but she found the morning to be "cool" lol ...... and she asked us to hang out for a few minutes while she took care of a few things with her dolphins.  That was absolutely okay with us, as those gorgeous creatures were putting on quite a show for the growing crowd.....waving, dancing, and capturing hearts with those shining eyes and big smiles.



We never tire of watching the dolphins demonstrate their incredible intelligence through their range of behaviors.  Even when they don't do what they're asked to do (and I swear sometimes that's intentional on their part.....its like they are laughing at the trainers! LOL) they are SO entertaining.

We were enjoying their antics when she motioned us back over to the side wall.  We wiggled our way through the other guests who were also watching from the sidelines when she removed the rope and brought us in to the side of the pool.    Once inside, she treated us to some exclusive one-on-one time with Griff & Nya that was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip.

I have to admit, it felt VERY exclusive to be in there with just the other trainers.  I can only imagine what all the other people looking on were thinking.  It was so exciting!!



Not only did we get up close to those two beauties (and shall I say, they love their fish as much as our cats love their Temptations!!).....



.....we got to walk them through a few of their behaviors as well.    She taught us the directives to have them show us a range of their incredible skills, things such as vocalizing, spinning while holding their upper bodies out of the water, and waving their fins and tails.  We definitely aren't the most seasoned dolphin trainers (ahem!), so the behaviors we received weren't always the ones that we asked for (those poor dolphins were probably thinking to themselves, these people are TERRIBLE at giving commands!!)  but oh my word, it was just the most amazing time. 



Our favorite skills that we were able to do with Griffith and Nya were definitely when we "danced" with them and they "sang" to us.  Those two girls were the stars of the show.   We literally couldn't stop smiling.  And bless her heart, she captured a dozen different short video clips of our entire encounter on my phone while we just soaked up all that dolphin awesomeness.  So not only did we make some of the best memories to keep close in our hearts and mind, we literally had the best memories immortalized in digital form as well.  Day made, right there.



There is just no way to even begin to thank someone for being this kind.  

We did a lot of wonderful things on this trip, and this was absolutely one of our favorites.   An experience that was unforgettable in every single way.  She downplays her awesomeness as "just another day at the office", but I tell you....this touched our hearts more than she will ever know.

We took time for a photo before we parted ways, leaving her to get on with her workday without two nuisances to slow her down any further.  I'd say we took time for a "quick" photo, but Steve's selfie-taking skills are sometimes a little awkward ;-) ..... but when he has the longest arms and is the tallest (by far) of the 3 of us, he becomes Chief Selfie Photographer and we sometimes have to pack our patience. [To be fair, *I* often tend to test HIS patience as well.....let's just say I'm a bit picky about pictures with me in it!!]

It took us a few attempts but we finally got one that we are all mostly looking at the camera, it's basically in focus, and no one has their head cut off.  We call that a win!



Thank you, T, for these memories.  I hope you know how much we appreciate YOU.

There was a round of hugs, a tentative dinner date made for the end of the week, and then we were on our way.

*Coming up:  going "wild" over Jack Hanna!*


----------



## chiamarie

You included making fun of me for wearing a hoodie.    But seemed to leave the part out where you complained of having cold/numb hands after feeding dolphins.  

And you are tooo, too kind.   One very small perk of the job, is letting friends and family come play with the critters.  I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves.


----------



## Joanna71985

Griff and Naia are the best! I just love those girls


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

chiamarie said:


> You included making fun of me for wearing a hoodie.    But seemed to leave the part out where you complained of having cold/numb hands after feeding dolphins.
> 
> And you are tooo, too kind.   One very small perk of the job, is letting friends and family come play with the critters.  I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves.



Ooops, I *did* leave that part out, didn't I?     Okay, so it was a tiny bit chilly that morning ;-) (but in comparison to the 30 degree weather we left behind the day prior, it was still unbelievably bee-you-tiful!).   I have to say, those cold hands were oh-so-worth-it!

That "small perk" to you is the BIGGEST thing to us, my friend.  You deserve all the appreciation, and more.  I'm just bummed that our spring trip got axed and now we won't get a chance to enjoy dinner with you until October.  Unless, of course, you feel like a summer getaway in Michigan and we can show you all the highlights of Metro Detroit?



Joanna71985 said:


> Griff and Naia are the best! I just love those girls



Aren't they just the sweetest?  But I think they have a bit of a rascally side, too LOL.  You could see the mischief twinkling in their eyes!

And it looks like I butchered the spelling of Naia's name, huh?  Good catch on that!


----------



## KNJWDW

Hi Gina,  I thought I would come out of lurkdom to thank you for always sharing so much information about your trips.  Very useful and entertaining!  We have a non-Disney trip planned for this August (hopefully it will still happen.)  We plan on staying at SVR and have a reservation at Discovery Cove and also plans for SeaWorld and Aquatica.  Reading your trip report is making me all the more excited for it!

Amy


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## verleniahall

Chimaire - you have one of the BEST JOBS!!!! Between the Penguins and Dolphins - I think I could spend the day between the two areas and be happy!!

I *heart* Penguins - Sam (my hubby) even adopted me a penguin through WWF for Valentines Day a few years agao and we keep up the support


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

KNJWDW said:


> Hi Gina,  I thought I would come out of lurkdom to thank you for always sharing so much information about your trips.  Very useful and entertaining!  We have a non-Disney trip planned for this August (hopefully it will still happen.)  We plan on staying at SVR and have a reservation at Discovery Cove and also plans for SeaWorld and Aquatica.  Reading your trip report is making me all the more excited for it!
> 
> Amy



Hi Amy!  Thank you SO much for joining in!

Your trip sounds fantastic! (my favorite resort, AND some of my favorite parks!)  I have confidence that your vacation will happen as scheduled.....I really do think life will have leveled out by August.  Fingers crossed that all goes as planned!

If you have any questions along the way, don't hesitate to chime in  .



verleniahall said:


> Chimaire - you have one of the BEST JOBS!!!! Between the Penguins and Dolphins - I think I could spend the day between the two areas and be happy!!
> 
> I *heart* Penguins - Sam (my hubby) even adopted me a penguin through WWF for Valentines Day a few years agao and we keep up the support



You should definitely try to do SeaWorld's "Penguins Up Close" tour on your next visit to the park.  If you're a penguin lover, that tour will have you over the moon!  It's so fun!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  more dolphins!*

Okay, so I got a bit ahead of myself apparently (oops!).  I thought we were up to the point in the day of heading to see Jack Hanna, but I nearly missed a step along the way.   That's what happens when I start reminiscing about dolphins ;-) .... I lose my focus and end up in la-la land. 

Getting back on track, we'll start things off here:

Once we wrapped up things up with Griffith and Naia, we checked our phones and saw we still had a tidy bit of time to kill before we headed over to Nautilus Theater to see Jungle Jack's animal show, so we opted to keep the dolphin lovin' going and head over for the morning showing of Dolphin Days.



While it was nice and quiet earlier that morning, the masses had descended on the park as we had been captivated by Griffith and Naia, and Dolphin Theater was PACKED [not only was Jack Hanna in town, it was also an Inside Look weekend....so there were LOTS of great reasons to visit!].  Luckily, one of the perks of our new Platinum annual passes is free reserved seating at the shows in all 11 parks, so even on that busy Saturday we were able to get the best seats in the house:  dead center, just outside of the splash zone.  Perfect!!



This show is hands-down my favorite show at SeaWorld.   I know most folks tend to rank Orca Encounter (the killer whale show) as the premium show at the park, but Dolphin Days outshines Orca Encounter for me.  It's so fun, so upbeat, and has so much energy it just captivates me from beginning to end.



The dolphins in this show always seem to be having the time of their lives.  The jumps are huge, the splashes are impressive, and the full house that morning was totally into it.....clapping and cheering with every flip, dive and fin wave.



While we didn't know it at the time, we actually got to see one of the last shows where the trainers would be allowed to be pushed through the water on their feet by the nose of the dolphins.  SeaWorld announced right after our trip that they would be discontinuing that behavior going forward.  It was always impressive to see, but I'm sure the show will be adapted so well that guests will never miss that segment going forward.  I'll be interested to see, on our October trip, what they choose to replace it with instead.



And as if the dolphins aren't amazing enough on their own, the birds are always a show-stopper too.



Years ago, when SeaWorld changed the format of their dolphin show (retiring Blue Horizons and introducing Dolphin Days), I was happy to see they retired most of the "artistic" elements (such as the acrobats and outlandish costuming.....both seemed ill placed and a poor fit).  I was relieved, however, that they opted to work the birds into the new format.....they continue to be a perfect compliment (and contrast) to all those beautiful dolphins.  Watching them soar above the stadium and into the crowd is breathtaking!



This show is ALWAYS over too soon.   It's one of those things that I wish would be doubly as long (and I suppose, even then, I likely still wouldn't want it to end).



Once the show concluded and we exited the packed stadium with the masses, we had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before our date with Jack Hanna.  Popping over to Voyagers Smokehouse, we whisked through a surprisingly short line (considering the growing crowds in the park) and picked ourselves up some hearty SW-style barbecue.



When we purchased our annual passes back on the Blue Friday sale, one of the incentives being offered (along with the lower price) was a free meal voucher with each AP purchased.  While the voucher didn't include a beverage, it didn't have many other restrictions......so we were able to redeem it for these two entrees (one rib sampler and one brisket sampler), two of the most expensive quick-service meals in the park.

The food was good, but not the best we've ever had (either at Voyagers nor at SeaWorld).   The portion sizes were definitely smaller than we have been served at Voyagers in the past, but it was still more than enough food.  For an essentially free meal (hey, we would have purchased the passes even without that specific special offer) we were definitely not complaining.  I have to give special mention to the chicken.....much as I'm generally a brisket girl, that chicken was the best-tasting part of the meal.  Delish!

*Coming up:  Jack Hanna!  (and this time, I mean it ;-) LOL)*

Edited to add:  a huge shout out to @bankr63 for his tech support regarding the proper orientation of my photos.  Y'all have him to thank for being able to see all my pics the "right" way up.  You rock, my friend!


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## sk8jdgca

We got one of those platters and it fed all three of us. So good but so much food.


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## Worfiedoodles

You were on a dolphin bonanza day! Wow, so much fun to play with your own special encounter, and then fabulous seats for the show. I need to do the math, but I'm wondering if 2 visits and the Black Friday deal makes it a good value to get the AP? That was our standards for WDW or UO APs...

Based on the house rumors we are seeing, my husband may decide to punt on our October HHN trip and do Universal Mardi Gras instead. We've never been to HHN, so it would all be new to us. I'm game either way, since it look like our APs acquired in January will still be active next Mardi Gras season...He wants to be frightened out of his mind. I'd prefer to just be scared


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> We got one of those platters and it fed all three of us. So good but so much food.



Too much food is rarely an issue with I travel with Steve LOL.  I love that the portion sizes are so robust, at least it makes paying theme park prices a little easier to bear.



Worfiedoodles said:


> You were on a dolphin bonanza day! Wow, so much fun to play with your own special encounter, and then fabulous seats for the show. I need to do the math, but I'm wondering if 2 visits and the Black Friday deal makes it a good value to get the AP? That was our standards for WDW or UO APs...
> 
> Based on the house rumors we are seeing, my husband may decide to punt on our October HHN trip and do Universal Mardi Gras instead. We've never been to HHN, so it would all be new to us. I'm game either way, since it look like our APs acquired in January will still be active next Mardi Gras season...He wants to be frightened out of his mind. I'd prefer to just be scared



Any chance you could throw all caution to the wind and do both HHN *and* Mardi Gras?

'Cause you know, you have annual passes and all.  The more you use 'em, the more they're "worth".

Just sayin'  ;-) .


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  JUNGLE JACK IS IN THE HOUSE!!!*



While I was on my work hiatus from the end of November until February 1st, I spent some time indulging in a good book or two.....after all, it was winter in Michigan and we were long past the point of being able to get outside and enjoy a brisk walk in the middle of the day.   When I knew we would be visiting SeaWorld in late January, and that it was one of the rare Jack Hanna weekends that only happened a few times each year, I ordered a copy of his book _"Jungle Jack:  My Wild Life"_ and decided I'd learn more about this celebrity who was one of the most well-known animal advocates on the planet.

If you get a chance, do try to get your hands on a copy of his book.  It is very much worth a read.  He pens a captivating account of his very "wild" life, and it will keep you turning the page and yearning for more.

I told Steve early on that we would absolutely be making time to see his show (hence scheduling in a SeaWorld day for that Saturday, when normally we would avoid the major parks on the weekend because that's when they tend to be busiest), and Steve being Steve, he agreed without complaint.  If I give any indication that something is important to me (even if its ridiculous...which, even I have to admit, it often is!), he will always give it his full support.  I am incredibly blessed that way.   As the trip planning evolved, and we learned that park attendance was projected to be high (it was also one of SeaWorld's highly acclaimed "Inside Look" weekends, where they provided behind-the-scenes access and tours to guests of various areas within the park at no extra cost), we couldn't help but ponder if the newly released reserved show seating for Jack would be worth the cost of the upgrade.

Ah heck, why not.   If you're going to do something, don't do it half way, right?



We had two options for reserved seating:  one with a front-row guarantee, the other was reserved but not the front row (I think reserved seating ended up being the first 3 rows....so even the less expensive reserved option would still have provided an excellent vantage point).  We went with the front row seats, hoping that the splurge was worth it.  If I remember correctly, I think we paid around $30 per person with our passmember discount for that perk [I have learned it is AMAZING what one can talk oneself into with the rationale _"but we get our discount on that too, remember!" LOL_].

Nautilus Theater was PACKED as we approached, with lines snaking around toward Infinity Falls and into Shark Wreck Reef (one line from each door to the venue).  We looked at each other and immediately thought, that reserved seating seemed like a genius move right at that moment.  I had brought my copy of Jack's book with me, hoping I'd be able to catch him for an autograph, and was delighted to learn that annual passholders were allowed into the theater before the show to meet with Jack for photos and signings.  We hopped into the third massive line (for just the passholders waiting for the meet-and-greet opportunity) and slowly made our way up the ramp and to the doorway.  Unfortunately for us, they cut off the line (due to time) a mere 1 person before us :'(  so my hopes for him to sign my book didn't come to fruition.  It was disappointing, but what can you do?

All that disappointment melted away when we were escorted to our seats.   The view from that front row was, without question, AMAZING.



I'm just going to put this out there:  I'm offically a Jack Hanna fan.  A BIG Jack Hanna fan.  He was as engaging to watch and listen to in person as his book was to read.  He is captivating and has a presence that just keeps a person completely wrapped up in every word he's saying.   He's funny, he's knowledgeable, and his love of all creatures in the animal kingdom is both evident AND contagious.

My new mission is to visit the Columbus Zoo.  If Covid-19 can be brought under control, it's my goal to visit the facility that he pretty much built (or at the very least, made it into what it is today: one of the [if not "THE"] premier zoos in the country) sometime this summer.  Fingers crossed.

His presentation was chock full of tons of different animals, beginning with the beautiful American eagle pictured above.  Jack spoke about the animals themselves (their nature, behaviors, and unique qualities) but also of their struggles in the wild, about risks of extinction, and both nature and man's effects on their ability to thrive and survive.  There were no slow spots or dead spaces in his delivery.....the stories kept rolling, the animals kept coming, and every eye in the theater (which was packed to capacity:  they had to turn many folks away) was keenly riveted to the stage.



The sloth was definitely a fan favorite!



I know this wasn't a porcupine, but I forget the name of this prickly little creature (@chicagoshannon , you attended his show the following day......do you recall?). 



This guy (girl?), who we learned is a direct relative of the dinosaurs, was quite content to strut his stuff on stage.  Remarkably, he also seemed to respond to the verbal commands of his young trainer......pretty impressive for a bird!



The baby kangaroo, snuggled in a custom pouch made just for him, yielded a chorus of "awwwww"'s from the crowd.  Pretty sure every woman and child (and probably some of the men) wanted to go home and secure themselves a baby kangaroo as a pet following the conclusion of that show.  Strongly discouraged by Jungle Jack, however.....those little suckers can apparently pack quite a nasty kick.



This little monkey-like critter was quite a character:  he "flew" back and forth from his trainer's shoulder to Jack's shoulder and back, deftly soaring through the air as if he sported wings (which he definitely did not).  It was, oddly enough, the only animal that Jack Hanna seemed a bit uncomfortable with....perhaps he found the speed of the take off and landing a bit unnerving?  Take a peek at his face in the photo below......his expression says it all!



And this little penguin waddled his way into everyone's hearts.  Awkward yet adorable....now, why can't anyone say that about ME?  (ha ha)



_(continued in next post.....I've hit my 10 photo per entry limit)_


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  Jack Hanna, the conclusion*

The show went by WAY too quickly.  It wasn't that it was too short (in fact, it was longer than we had expected it would be), it was just so incredible that time FLEW by.   Much as all the animals that were featured in his presentation were all their own kind of awesome, there is absolutely no argument that they saved the best for last.  



The last animals showcased in Jack's show were two stunning male cheetahs, both of whom make their home at Busch Gardens in Tampa.  As a proud crazy cat lady, I was complete in awe.





These were two of the most gorgeous cats we had ever seen.   If someone had told us we'd be just steps away from those beauties in the front row of that theater, I'd have paid double for those reserved seats.  We felt almost close enough that we could have reached out and touched them.





They could not have come up with a better finale.  And my excitement for our very first Busch Gardens visit later that week instantly increased by about 1000% percent (poor Steve!  LOL).

We were all smiles as we left the Nautilus Theater......it had been a simply amazing day at SeaWorld.  We popped into the passholder lounge, located not far away from the Theater (just behind Infinity Falls) for a quick beverage before heading to the front of the park.



The Passmember lounge is a great perk for AP holders.  Offering complimentary Coke products, its a great place to rest, recharge and rehydrate on a hot day.  With the park being so busy on that splendid January Saturday, it was pretty full in the lounge.....





....so we just helped ourselves to some Coke Zero on ice and then continued on our way.  We really didn't have a lot of time to waste at that point anyway, as we had special plans for the evening and we wanted to be on time.

One of our personal travel commitments, when it comes to our Orlando vacations especially, is to do something new on every trip.  That night was one of those new experiences that we were excited to try, and was hand-picked by Steve.  He generally doesn't ask for much on our vacations, so when he mentions he might like to do something, I will move heaven and earth to make it happen.  

*Up next:  we're heading up International Drive to Orlando's newest dinner show.

*


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## CAPSLOCK

What a cool show and superb seats! Looks like your pokey mystery friend is an echidna?


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## I-4Bound

Steve sounds like my sweet hubby, always game to make his wife's dream a reality My dear hubs waited in line for 9 hours with me so I could ride Hagrid's on the last day of our vacation in June because he knew it was so important to me. We are blessed with great husbands!


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## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *Saturday, January 25th:  JUNGLE JACK IS IN THE HOUSE!!!*
> View attachment 487997
> 
> 
> 
> My new mission is to visit the Columbus Zoo.  If Covid-19 can be brought under control, it's my goal to visit the facility that he pretty much built (or at the very least, made it into what it is today: one of the [if not "THE"] premier zoos in the country) sometime this summer.  Fingers crossed.



That's Robin and Mattie! (Robin is one of the trainers at Shamu Stadium) 

My goal is to visit the Columbus Zoo too! I really want to see the baby polar bear


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## chicagoshannon

Hello!  I didn't realize you decided to do another report.  YAY!  I'll be back to read later.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

CAPSLOCK said:


> What a cool show and superb seats! Looks like your pokey mystery friend is an echidna?



I am hoping that SeaWorld offers similar seating for their Christmas shows during the holiday season.  For that kind of proximity to the stage, I'd happily shell out some $$$.

You may be correct on the animal ID!  I know it wasn't a porcupine but I'll be darned if I can recall exactly WHAT, in fact, it was.



I-4Bound said:


> Steve sounds like my sweet hubby, always game to make his wife's dream a reality My dear hubs waited in line for 9 hours with me so I could ride Hagrid's on the last day of our vacation in June because he knew it was so important to me. We are blessed with great husbands!



We are blessed indeed.  I am thankful every day to be loved by someone so unconditionally!

Steve did put his foot down on wearing Mickey ears on our October trip LOL.  Every once in a while I like to push the boundaries and see just how far I can go.  The ears were a definitely nope!!  ha ha!



Joanna71985 said:


> That's Robin and Mattie! (Robin is one of the trainers at Shamu Stadium)
> 
> My goal is to visit the Columbus Zoo too! I really want to see the baby polar bear



I figured you would recognize a few of the folks in the show!

Did you get a chance to see Jack Hanna that weekend?



chicagoshannon said:


> Hello!  I didn't realize you decided to do another report.  YAY!  I'll be back to read later.



Welcome!!  Where've ya been?  ;-)


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I figured you would recognize a few of the folks in the show!
> 
> Did you get a chance to see Jack Hanna that weekend?



I did! I was even able to have him sign my 5k medal (that was the same Sat he was there). I would have to say my favorite parts of the show were Robin and Mattie, and the cheetahs (they were sooooo cute!)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  The Rock Dinner Show*



As I mentioned earlier, this was one of Steve's rare requests.  He LOVES music...the louder, the "rock"-ier, the better....so when he caught wind of this new dinner show, he really wanted to give it a try.    When this "bonus" trip got scheduled, I thought it was an idea time to work it into the plans.  

Our overall out-of-pocket cost for the show, for 2 people, was $15 (how could we say no to that???).    At that time, they only had one tier of tickets....I see now, on their website, they offer 3 levels which guarantee you better seating with each higher price point....but back in January, it was simply "General Admission" with seating assigned at their discretion.   The regular price then was $65 each, but thank's to a fab Groupon offer, an extra discount code, and a Rakuten bonus, we whittled ourselves down to a $15 price tag.  So we were able to go into the event with the knowledge that even if the show was a bust, it wasn't coming at any kind of grand expense.  I love those low risk type of experiences!

The show is held at the Orlando Forum, which is on International Drive (past Sand Lake Road, more toward Universal).  It's a bit easy to miss because the building is sandwiched in among the hookah lounges and gift shops that span both sides of the street.  There is free parking behind the venue, which was a nice surprise as we had expected to pay extra for that (you pay for parking at Pirates Dinner Adventure, which is in a similar location).  In addition to The Rock Dinner Show, they have several other events held on various nights of the week in that same building, one of which is a Luau (the other shows currently slip my mind, but I know there were several advertised on posters outside of the door).

There was already a good assortment of people in line when we arrived, but the doors didn't open until about 30 minutes before show time.  It was a beautiful late afternoon, so it wasn't an issue to wait, though the air was starting to cool and I kind of wished I had brought a sweater or jacket.  They had a couple of gazebos there with padded seats if anyone needed to sit until they began to admit guests.  Both gazebos also had fire pits but neither was running.  It would have been nice to have those lit for both atmosphere AND warmth!

Getting guests inside seemed to take quite a bit of time but I'm not certain what the hold-ups were.  By the time it was our turn to check in, they scanned our Groupon and we were on our way quite quickly (after purchasing the Groupon, we had to call their box office to book our specific show date, so I'm not sure if the delays were due to people just showing up and paying at the door?).  Once inside the banquet hall, we found a nice atmosphere with a dark yet colorful theme.



Round tables accommodated a maximum of 8 people.  We weren't immediately stage side (nor did we expect to be at the Groupon price and the reasonably late booking) but we were only one row back and just to the left.  A good view for sure.

Taking a quick peek around, it was easy to see that the venue was "multi-purpose".  There was actually a large section behind us, with sofas and tables and it's own separate bar, that wasn't in use for this particular event at all.  While we didn't venture over to explore the other side, I suspect it may have been the same on the opposite end of the room a well.



The centerpieces were floral arrangements made with old cassette tapes.  Definitely "hand crafted" but we gave them points for remaining consistent in the musical theme.

Each seat had a beverage menu waiting, and a server was there promptly to take drink orders (unlike some of the dinner shows in Orlando, alcohol was not included with this meal).  



Drinks were pricey *but* they included your glass, which we always find to be a useful souvenir.  Since the tickets cost us basically nothing, we felt no guilt in ordering a couple of beverages to enjoy while we waited for the show to begin.



Steve had a beer, I had the "Hound Dog Hurricane".  Very tasty *and* a decent size.   The glasses were super cute and we knew we'd put those to good use at home on the nights we enjoyed a nightcap in the hot tub.

Also while we were waiting for the show to begin, a photographer came around to each table to snap a picture of each couple, family or group.    A little while later, she popped around with printed pictures and the option to purchase.  These were actually pretty well priced at $10 for a 5 x 7 in a Rock Dinner Show matte, and it was better than the silly selfies we had tried to take, so we decided to buy it.  While paying by card was an option, I was glad that I had brought along some cash as it was just easier to pay that way than to send her scurrying off to get the mobile credit card reader.



We thought, for the longest time, that we might be the only folks sitting at our table, but just before things got underway a party of 6 retirees were seated with us.  We were young enough to be any of their children, but they were a truly fun bunch of seniors and we got along famously with them despite our age gap.   Steve was quite impressed that they knew the lyrics to most of the songs and they clapped and sang along with all of them.  One of the gentlemen grew up in Michigan (very close to where we are currently living) so we had a nice chat with him about life in the mitten.  We couldn't have asked for any nicer table company, which definitely helped maintain the overall enjoyment factor of the night.  Communal seating can either be very good or very bad depending on who is seated next to you.

The show kicked off promptly with a sing-along of some rock-and-roll favorites with our host who played a piano on the far side of the building (sorry, no pic....I wasn't able to capture a good one from our spot across the room).  The songs were well chosen and as much as I would have cringed at the concept of a sing-along, it actually set the mood really well and got the dinner show guests really "into" the event.  I can't carry a tune in a bucket, so I always hesitate to sing when in the presence of other people (for their sake and mine LOL).  Steve, on the other hand, was in his element and was belting out the lyrics with gusto.

With the crowd jazzed up and food beginning to be served at some tables, we welcomed the first performer of the night:



This guy was fantastic, and easily our favorite performer of the entire evening.  He sang an assortment of songs by traditional rock artists (Bon Jovi, etc.) and did every single one of them justice.   The live band that played the entire night was equally as awesome, and we both agreed that we'd come out to see just this guy do an entire show all on its own if it were offered.    I wish I had been able to capture a good shot of the back of his jacket, where it said (in big, hand-painted white letters) "Rock & Roll Saved My Soul".



The special effects were also very well done, from the smoke machines to the lighting.   It rounded out the feel of the night really well.  Two thumbs up to the sound quality too....while it was loud (it was a Rock Dinner Show after all, so we rather expected that) it wasn't deafeningly so, and the speakers were well placed and well balanced.



During this initial number, some tables (in no particular order, oddly enough......some at the front, some at the back, it was very random) began to get the first course of food delivered.  Our server had long since come over to inquire as to whether we wanted soup or salad to start, but hadn't been back since.  Thank goodness the alcoholic beverages were large because service was a problematic issue throughout the night and I suspect getting refills may have been difficult to impossible once food service commenced.  The servers they had were working their tails off and were incredibly pleasant to deal with, but there was noticeably too few of them for the number of people in attendance.  Lunch time seemed a long time prior and we were starting to get very hungry (especially since we could smell the scents of dinner emanating from the kitchen).  I also tend to be a bit of a lightweight where alcohol is concerned and that Hurricane was going straight to my head on my empty stomach!



*More to come in the next post!*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  The Rock Dinner Show, continued*

The second performer of the night was "Adele".



Mercifully, at some point during Adele's numbers, our appetizers were finally delivered.  The poor old folks at our table were getting kind of cranky over the lack of something to eat (and I couldn't blame them) so I was extra happy, for their sake, that they were finally going to get some sustenance.  Someone needs to put in the suggestion box that they consider adding some sort of bread service (dinner rolls or something similar) to help mitigate the wait for the first course.  Man cannot live on music alone, lol!  

A few of our table mates requested salad, the rest of us (including Steve and I) got soup.  



As a picky eater at a plated meal where there is no choice nor advance forewarning of what is to be served, I was relieved to see it was chicken noodle soup.  It was hot and quite yummy, but the portion size was REALLY small.  That said, the salad serving was a joke (and our table mates were not impressed......one thing I love about seniors is that they tend to say what they think, without sugar coating their feelings!!).  Steve described it as "three leaves and a slice of cucumber) and while that drips with sarcasm, its not far from the truth.  If our soup seemed insufficient, they really shouldn't have even bothered with the salad.  They could have combined the three plates that were served to the 3 salad eaters at our table and it still wouldn't have totaled one normal side serving.

However, the show (and the meal) continued on.  Adele crooned away and covered all of her top hits, including "Hello" which was a crowd favorite.  I'm not a huge Adele fan (I know I'm in the minority but I find her music to be massively depressing) but I have to admit, this performer really did a great job with every one of her songs.  She sounded just like her.



Next up after Adele was Bruno Mars.



After Adele's more "serious" numbers, this guy was super fun.  His version of Uptown Funk had people literally jamming in their seats (and almost forgetting that half of us were still starving!!).  While the first two performers stayed largely on stage, "Bruno" spent most of his time in the spectator gallery, singing and dancing his way between the tables and pausing for selfies.  



This guy must have been exhausted at the end of his segment.  Two thumbs up on entertainment value, though.  And I was eternally grateful he kept to more of his "fun" songs and didn't opt to sing "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)"....one of the songs I despise for very personal reasons (it seemed to be the song I heard on the radio when my dad was dying and I was traveling back and forth to the hospital.....and to this day, I cannot STAND to listen to it). 



Following Bruno, it was time for Stevie Wonder to take the stage (or should I say, the piano).  The performers really did his entrance up right, having him escorted across the stage and down to the piano by "Adele" on one arm and "Bruno" on the other......because he's blind, after all ;-) .  I really, REALLY enjoyed that the music was not pre-recorded and that anyone who appeared to be playing an instrument actually WAS.  Stevie could not only sing, he could PLAY.  And he sounded an awful lot like the real thing.  The show was packed with some impressive talent.

Unfortunately, we were still starving......while some of the guests were finishing off their desserts at this point (the inconsistent food delivery persisted throughout the evening, with some tables getting served early and others, like ours, ridiculously far behind) we had yet to see our main course.    "Prince", the night's final act, had already started his portion of the show by the time our entrees finally, mercifully were placed on our table by noticeably weary serving staff.



Prince did not disappoint!!  Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about our entree :-( .



Both Steve and I chose the chicken.   There were other upgrades available for a fee, but chicken is always a safe choice and rarely gets served in a manner we won't eat.  The chicken came with mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli.....and several issues.

There was no butter (or seasoning) on the potatoes, nor was there any on the veggies.  The chicken was devoid of any kind of sauce as well, so the entire plate was dry.  The flavor of each item was good (and would have been delicious had it not been so "naked") but everything desperately needed butter, sauce or some sort of gravy.  And the portion size was REALLY small:  I knew that it would in no way satisfy Steve's appetite, even with me gladly passing him over my dry veggies.  With the entertainment being so wonderful, it was very disappointing to have the meal fall so far short.

Prince played on and was a nice diversion from our drab meal.



He was the true crowd pleaser of the night and invited the entire room to join him on stage for his last few numbers.  A surprising number of people didn't need to be asked twice (pretty much all of the tables who were served first and had already had a chance to eat their dinners) and the whole building was "Partying Like Its 1999".   This guy was easily our 2nd favorite, just a shade behind the first performer of the night.  The fun factor for this part of the evening was right up there!!

Dessert came around for us right at the end of the show.  Caramel cheesecake_ (whomp, whomp, whomp)._



Those of you who have read my reports in the past will know this disappointed me (again) but delighted Steve.  I don't eat cream cheese, sour cream, or anything white for that matter (with milk and marshmallow fluff being the sole two exceptions).  My dad always said "if God meant us to eat sour milk, he would have soured it in the cow".  Steve, on the other hand, LOVES cheesecake so he was more than happy to eat his portion and mine (especially he was left woefully unsatisfied from the first two courses).  He also declared that this was easily "the best part of the whole meal".  Of course, dessert didn't have much competition.  Sigh.

*Dang that 10 photo maximum!!  Final thoughts and pics in the next post!*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Saturday, January 25th:  the conclusion*

The show culminated with all performers on stage for final bows, and an opportunity thereafter for pictures with the entire crew:



We managed to get them all except for Bruno, who was fiddling around with a couple of other guests at the time.

It took us a very long time to track down a server to pay for our drinks, and I'm pretty sure that a few folks left without paying at all.  

Overall thoughts:  it was a fun night out, dampened only by the meal and service (the latter which I don't fault the staff, I fault the management).  The entertainment exceeded expectations while the food fell very short.  If they want to compete with the other dinner shows in the area they need to up their game where the food is concerned.  They have an excellent concept and great entertainers, so it's only the meal that needs tweaking.  And boy, does it need tweaking!!

For the price we paid, it was still a great night out despite the aforementioned issue.  At $65 + tax + gratuity + drinks we would have been woefully disappointed.

Steve offered to whiz through a drive thru on our way back to the Vistana for some emergency chicken nuggets, but by this point I wasn't interested.  A soak in the hot tub with one last beverage would be all I needed until morning.

_*Next up:  a day full of "character" at Universal Orlando Resort!*_


----------



## Joanna71985

oh wow! the show sounds amazing (that kind of thing is right up my alley), the food...not so much. What a mess


----------



## DontRushMe

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Steve did put his foot down on wearing Mickey ears on our October trip LOL. Every once in a while I like to push the boundaries and see just how far I can go. The ears were a definitely nope!! ha ha!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Too much food is rarely an issue with I travel with Steve LOL.  I love that the portion sizes are so robust, at least it makes paying theme park prices a little easier to bear.
> 
> 
> 
> Any chance you could throw all caution to the wind and do both HHN *and* Mardi Gras?
> 
> 'Cause you know, you have annual passes and all.  The more you use 'em, the more they're "worth".
> 
> Just sayin'  ;-) .



I would love it! But I think he'd expect me to give up Grinchmas, and that looks like the most fun to me...I don't think I can get him to do three trips that close togeher, sad to say.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> oh wow! the show sounds amazing (that kind of thing is right up my alley), the food...not so much. What a mess



I strongly believe that when you put yourself out as a "Dinner Show", both the "dinner" and the "show" should have equal importance.  No half way!

If you suck at the dinner part, lower the price, don't offer food, and tell people they are coming for just great music (which it was) and good drinks.



DontRushMe said:


> ❤❤



I even offered to get him one of the ear hats (thinking it would appeal to his masculine side)....and can you believe, he said he'd rather wear a hair band!  LOL  Then he clarified that that statement in no way meant he WOULD wear a hair band, but he thought the ear hat was even worse than option #1.

What a party pooper!



Worfiedoodles said:


> I would love it! But I think he'd expect me to give up Grinchmas, and that looks like the most fun to me...I don't think I can get him to do three trips that close togeher, sad to say.



Well, drat.  You can't blame a girl for trying, though!  LOL


----------



## sk8jdgca

I told my daughter you did something new by going to a dinner show...her reply, mom, Gina has gone to dinner shows before.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sk8jdgca said:


> I told my daughter you did something new by going to a dinner show...her reply, mom, Gina has gone to dinner shows before.



She's a quick one!! lol

We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list.  We have currently done:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
Outta Control Dinner Show
Pirates Dinner Adventure
The Rock Dinner Show

We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.

And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).

So that will only leave.....Sleuths?  I think that might be the only one left.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> She's a quick one!! lol
> 
> We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list.  We have currently done:
> 
> Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
> Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
> Outta Control Dinner Show
> Pirates Dinner Adventure
> The Rock Dinner Show
> 
> We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.
> 
> And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).
> 
> So that will only leave.....Sleuths?  I think that might be the only one left.



You've done more than me (and I live down here!). I've only done Hoop and Capone's (but I am content to do them multiple times, which I have). I do want to do Sleuths and the Titanic show (that is a dinner show, right?)


----------



## verleniahall

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> She's a quick one!! lol
> 
> We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list.  We have currently done:
> 
> Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
> Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
> Outta Control Dinner Show
> Pirates Dinner Adventure
> The Rock Dinner Show
> 
> We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.
> 
> And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).
> 
> So that will only leave.....Sleuths?  I think that might be the only one left.



Save your money - Spirit of Aloha is NOT worth the cost - we did it in January and liked Ohana better - the food is better and they have shortened the Show


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> You've done more than me (and I live down here!). I've only done Hoop and Capone's (but I am content to do them multiple times, which I have). I do want to do Sleuths and the Titanic show (that is a dinner show, right?)



I totally forgot about Titanic!  We visited the Exhibition (years ago.....maybe 2014?) but totally forgot they offered a dinner as well.   Another one to add to the list!



verleniahall said:


> Save your money - Spirit of Aloha is NOT worth the cost - we did it in January and liked Ohana better - the food is better and they have shortened the Show



There are few things at Disney that are actually "worth" the cost ;-) .... but yet, we are sucked in anyway!!!!  ha ha!  I'll be cringing more than slightly when I book Cruella's Hideway this week for our MNSSHP night.  I just keep telling myself, it's only money (and we make more every day, right?).

We are actually pretty excited to give it a try.....it's another thing that's been on Steve's must-do list for the last while.  We've never been to Ohana for dinner so we won't be comparing food between the two.  We plan to book the earlier seating so that we can catch the fireworks from the Poly after dinner (and maybe grab a Dole Whip before heading back to our resort).   As long as we have fun, it will be worth it.  And I have even ordered myself a pair of custom Hawaiian Mickey ears for the event!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal!  (but first, breakfast)*



We had set aside this entire Sunday for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  Our UOR annual passes were one of the reasons we talked ourselves into the January trip:  squeezing in an extra visit meant we could get more mileage out of those passes.  Having used them already in May 2019 and October 2019, they had already paid for themselves in parking, dining and shopping discounts, and, HHN admission alone.....park admission was just a happy bonus.

Before we headed to the parking garage, we opted to stop and have a hearty breakfast on the way so we could arrive fully fueled and ready to enjoy the day.  Steve was starving (and frankly, after our slim dinner the night before, so was I) so we opted for the ample and endless offerings at Golden Corral.



Now, Golden Corral is generally not one of my top choices for dining (they always seem to be chaotic, loud and dirty.....or at least the one near our home in Michigan is) but there is one location near the parks that is wonderfully NOT like the rest.  It actually used to be a Wood Grill Buffet when it originally opened, then was bought out by GC a few years later and the management there has been able to keep it in tip top shape.  It's quite close to SeaWorld (in the same strip plaza as the World of Chocolate Museum & Cafe) but far enough away from the main I-Drive/Sand Lake area that it doesn't seem to pull in as many out-of-control tourists as some of the other Orlando locations.  It's only open for breakfast on the weekends, and we've never found it very busy so we knew we could get a hearty meal in a jiffy and still make it to the parks to savor those quiet early morning hours.



I'll never get used to the idea of fried chicken for breakfast, but apparently that's the American Way so I guess I'm just a weirdo that way.  I'm happy with scrambled eggs and bacon, and because I was feeling indulgent (and naughty) I splurged on a cinnamon bun and some tater tots.  Oh yes, and pancakes with berries....though my eyes proved bigger than my stomach on the latter and I could only stand a few bites (even though it was pretty darn good).  Steve, of course, was quite on board with the fried-chicken-for-breakfast concept and as usual, his plate ended up being mostly meat.  I swear that man has an iron stomach.



Steve also managed to source some no-sugar-added cake from the buffet, and decided to take advantage of his diabetic-friendly find by indulging in a little dessert-for-breakfast.  Not exactly something I wanted to partake in (the Chocolate Wonderfall was also up and running, so my sweet tooth could have been indulged had I so chosen) but hey, it's vacation.   He was entitled to a cheat or two, and this was at least one of the better ones.  I savored an extra cup of coffee while he had his cake (and ate it too), then we headed to the Universal parking garage.



One of the things I love most about our Premier Universal AP's is the free preferred parking.  We got a great spot close to the hub, which meant a super short walk to the security check (our tired legs would be VERY grateful for that short walk at the conclusion of our park day).  Lines were pretty minimal and the security agents were working seamlessly to move people through the body scanners, so we hardly stopped walking from the time we left the truck until the time we breezed through the ticket turnstiles.

After stopping for a quick photo, we had a chance to say hello to the Yellow Taxi Driver.  If you haven't had a chance to make his acquaintance before, he's quite an engaging character.   He's always full of energy and ready to talk your ear off!



We then headed down a very empty Hollywood Boulevard, and ran into the beautiful Marilyn Monroe.



It was a SPECTACULAR January morning (and the forecast was calling for a very comfortable temperatures with nothing but sun), but there was a bit of a chill at that early point in the day.  This was the first time we have seen Marilyn in her fur coat......she is usually strutting and spinning down the street in just her trademark white dress.   I'm sure she shed that coat within a few hours, though!

We strolled on down to Springfield, and decided to grab a ride on the Twirl 'n Hurl.  Despite the name, it was an easy ride for our stomachs which were still feeling the effects of our big breakfast!



And of course, Steve *had* to stop and try his hand at the Sledgehomer game.....for old time's sake.  He didn't win a prize, but he DID hit 98 on the strength meter (which drew quite a fun response from the few folks that stopped to watch him swing the  hammer).  I swear that game is rigged now!!  Back in 2015 and 2016, he could ring that bell without even blinking an eye.



*More to come!*


----------



## mjhtvchick

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> She's a quick one!! lol
> 
> We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list.  We have currently done:
> 
> Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
> Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
> Outta Control Dinner Show
> Pirates Dinner Adventure
> The Rock Dinner Show
> 
> We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.
> 
> And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).
> 
> So that will only leave.....Sleuths?  I think that might be the only one left.



Have you ever done the Wantilan Luau at Universal?  I have heard some good things and bad things about that one and have often wondered about checking it out.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

mjhtvchick said:


> Have you ever done the Wantilan Luau at Universal?  I have heard some good things and bad things about that one and have often wondered about checking it out.



We have not.....but definitely debated between the Luau and Spirit of Aloha for this trip.  In the end, Spirit of Aloha won out as it seems to get better reviews overall, and we can watch the fireworks (assuming they have resumed those post-Covid 19) from the Poly beach afterward.

If Spirit of Aloha is a hit, though, I can see us trying the Wantilan Luau on a future getaway.


----------



## JaxDad

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> She's a quick one!! lol
> 
> We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list.  We have currently done:
> 
> Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
> Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
> Outta Control Dinner Show
> Pirates Dinner Adventure
> The Rock Dinner Show
> 
> We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.
> 
> And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).
> 
> So that will only leave.....Sleuths?  I think that might be the only one left.


Hey Gina! So, just curious, how would you rank the dinner shows? We've done Hoop-Dee-Doo, Shamu, Medieval Times, Outta Control, and Sleuths. I would probably put them in that order for our best to worst. I say "worst," but we did like Sleuths. It would have been even better with a more-involved table group. There was a 7-year-old at our table--he was well-behaved, but still a little distracted AND distracting. Hoop-Dee-Doo and Shamu are probably interchangeable for me at first place, depending on how I'm feeling! Hoop-Dee-Doo was a long time ago, but I still remember it as a great time. Outta Control is a favorite (the only one we've done twice), but it still falls somewhat short of Medieval Times just for the overall pageantry.

I guess I could have included Whispering Canyon and character meals at Disney too, but they are not quite the same as traditional dinner shows. The breakfast character meal at Polynesian was a big hit with my kids when they were very little.

The Rock is such a great concept. I hope they improve the food!


----------



## Joanna71985

I recommend Capone's! It's a really fun dinner show


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

JaxDad said:


> Hey Gina! So, just curious, how would you rank the dinner shows? We've done Hoop-Dee-Doo, Shamu, Medieval Times, Outta Control, and Sleuths. I would probably put them in that order for our best to worst. I say "worst," but we did like Sleuths. It would have been even better with a more-involved table group. There was a 7-year-old at our table--he was well-behaved, but still a little distracted AND distracting. Hoop-Dee-Doo and Shamu are probably interchangeable for me at first place, depending on how I'm feeling! Hoop-Dee-Doo was a long time ago, but I still remember it as a great time. Outta Control is a favorite (the only one we've done twice), but it still falls somewhat short of Medieval Times just for the overall pageantry.
> 
> I guess I could have included Whispering Canyon and character meals at Disney too, but they are not quite the same as traditional dinner shows. The breakfast character meal at Polynesian was a big hit with my kids when they were very little.
> 
> The Rock is such a great concept. I hope they improve the food!



Great question!!

We would probably rate them in this order (Best to Worst):

1.  Capone's
2.  Hoop-Dee-Doo
3.  Outta Control
4.  Dine With Orcas/Shamu
5.  Rock Dinner Show
6.  Pirates Dinner Adventure

Capone's and Hoop-Dee-Doo would be REALLY close to each other though, and rank well above the rest of the list.

I didn't even think about including Dine with Orcas (formerly Dine with Shamu) in the list of ones we've done, but you're correct that we probably should have.  So I've put it into my ranked list above.

The food (quality and/or quantity) are definitely what put #'s 5 & 6 in those slots.  At #s 1 through 4, we were as well fed as we were entertained.  While we have enjoyed all of them to at least some degree, the first 4 definitely stand out for best overall experience.


----------



## JaxDad

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Great question!!
> 
> We would probably rate them in this order (Best to Worst):
> 
> 1.  Capone's
> 2.  Hoop-Dee-Doo
> 3.  Outta Control
> 4.  Dine With Orcas/Shamu
> 5.  Rock Dinner Show
> 6.  Pirates Dinner Adventure
> 
> Capone's and Hoop-Dee-Doo would be REALLY close to each other though, and rank well above the rest of the list.
> 
> I didn't even think about including Dine with Orcas (formerly Dine with Shamu) in the list of ones we've done, but you're correct that we probably should have.  So I've put it into my ranked list above.
> 
> The food (quality and/or quantity) are definitely what put #'s 5 & 6 in those slots.  At #s 1 through 4, we were as well fed as we were entertained.  While we have enjoyed all of them to at least some degree, the first 4 definitely stand out for best overall experience.


Ha! I remember you guys did not like Pirates! I think I had it on our "maybe to-do list," but your review (and others on TripAdvisor) steered me clear!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I recommend Capone's! It's a really fun dinner show



Capone's is great value for your money.  The show is tons of fun, the food is good (and there's lots of it!), and the price is really reasonable for what you get.  The staff/actors are great as well.  We actually have gotten to know one of the 'gangsters' really well, and keep in touch with him regularly between visits.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Capone's is great value for your money.  The show is tons of fun, the food is good (and there's lots of it!), and the price is really reasonable for what you get.  The staff/actors are great as well.  We actually have gotten to know one of the 'gangsters' really well, and keep in touch with him regularly between visits.



Capone's is very underrated! I live literally 30 seconds away (so that's a plus). I also know several people who do the show, so it's always to see them when I go


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*

We managed to catch a portion of the little fountain 'show' (for lack of a better word) in the lagoon once we were finished rocking around Springfield.  I love that they have added an interest factor to that large, otherwise unused space in the park.  It's picturesque, yes, but it was begging for something more.  We really liked the Marathon of Mayhem fountain show during Halloween Horror Nights, and were super happy to see that they adapted the concept on a smaller scale for regular park days.  Supe



Did that darn duck not realize I was trying to take a photo??  Sheesh!  LOL



We were a bit early to ride ET, but that was our next must-do stop of the morning.  Heading over toward the ride entrance, we found one of the Trolls out greeting guests so we stopped to say hello.



No farting glitter this time, and I think Steve was more than a little relieved about that! 

Next, we took a walk around the kids area to get a better look at what is even back there.  All these visits and we've never hardly given that whole space a second look, save for taking in the Barney show at Christmas 2016.  It's HUGE!!  Much more spacious than I would have guessed!



It was extra nice that it was completely deserted, so I could snap some pictures without freaking out any parents.   I kind of wonder how many of today's little ones would even know who Curious George was, but his presence appealed to my inner child for sure!



The kids water ride (which, again, we had no idea was even there!) was running, but we wondered if they would have actually let anyone on it had there been kiddos willing to ride.  Gorgeous day that it was shaping up to be, it was still pretty chilly for water rides at that point in the morning, even for us northerners!



We rode ET when it opened (no wait, and, unfortunately, no photos!) then headed back toward Hollywood Boulevard.  My keen eye spied Doc on the vintage train near the Delorean......I have no idea why he was up there (and not down near the car) but no one else seemed to even notice him goofing around.  He gave us a big wave and shouted for us to come over, so (of course) we did!  He never did come down but we had a wonderful chat with him nonetheless LOL.  And his antics made for a fun photo!



Heading back down to Hollywood Boulevard, we found a plethora of character friends out greeting guests and posing for pics.  First, we said hello to Diego.......



.....and next, we ran into the lovely Betty Boop (who was conquering the chill of the morning by cuddling up in her sexy red fur coat).



We were delighted to find two of our favorite fellows, Scooby Doo and Shaggy, just chillin' in one of the doorways.  Interaction with Scoob & Shaggy is ALWAYS comical (they are such funny characters!!), and once again they did not disappoint!



_*More to come....*_


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued

*

Popeye was the next character we stumbled upon.  Every time we meet Popeye, he tells Steve he looks like Bluto.  Steve's never sure if he should find that funny or insulting ;-) .



Homer and Bart were also out, hanging out at the far end of the Simpsons bus.  If you were heading from the park entrance toward Springfield, you may have almost walked right by them and not realized they were there.



While we had been milling around, the rest of the Scooby Gang had also come out to greet guests, so we popped back for a photo with the whole team of meddling kids!  Jinkies!



*More to come.....*


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## Joanna71985

That is my goal picture (whenever I make it back to Universal)- the whole Scooby Doo gang!


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## I-4Bound

That train is from Back to the Future 3. I'm sure that's why Doc was climbing on it. I love all your character pictures! We hardly ever meet characters. Sometimes, I would like to, but my family usually vetoes it!


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## DontRushMe

I just wanted to say that we really enjoyed the Spirit of Aloha show.  Yes the show part was short, but the food was delicious and refills were plenty.  I Love the Poly and we enjoyed our time walking around the resort waiting for the fireworks.  Yes we had a Dole Whip before we left and stick around for the lighted parade (whatever it is called)  If you are up that late.    Another thing we enjoy doing there is renting the Sea Do Racers at the marina, it is another good way to get a view from the water.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> That is my goal picture (whenever I make it back to Universal)- the whole Scooby Doo gang!



They are SUCH a fun group....and always wonderfully in character.  We love talking with them about the entity that lives in our house, and how great it would be if they could drive the Mystery Machine to Michigan to investigate our ghost!

I hope you are able to get there soon!!



I-4Bound said:


> That train is from Back to the Future 3. I'm sure that's why Doc was climbing on it. I love all your character pictures! We hardly ever meet characters. Sometimes, I would like to, but my family usually vetoes it!



Ah, that would be it!  I am not sure if I've ever seen the whole movie (bits and pieces, yes, but never the whole flick start to finish).  Perhaps I need to make that a quarantine to-do!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

DontRushMe said:


> I just wanted to say that we really enjoyed the Spirit of Aloha show.  Yes the show part was short, but the food was delicious and refills were plenty.  I Love the Poly and we enjoyed our time walking around the resort waiting for the fireworks.  Yes we had a Dole Whip before we left and stick around for the lighted parade (whatever it is called)  If you are up that late.    Another thing we enjoy doing there is renting the Sea Do Racers at the marina, it is another good way to get a view from the water.



I checked to see if the Electric Water Pageant was being offered on our Spirit of Aloha, but sadly....it is not.  We will happily catch the fireworks after dinner, though!   Happy to hear you guys enjoyed both the food and the show.  We have similar tastes, as you know ;-) , so I'm sure we will enjoy it as well.

Renting the water mice has been something we have looked at doing more than once, but Steve is too heavy for us to ride together LOL.  I could definitely be convinced to have a ride in one of the amphibious vehicles at the Boathouse some day, though!!  It's ridiculously pricey (something like $125 for 20 minutes) but some day we'll throw caution to the wind and do it anyway!


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> They are SUCH a fun group....and always wonderfully in character.  We love talking with them about the entity that lives in our house, and how great it would be if they could drive the Mystery Machine to Michigan to investigate our ghost!
> 
> I hope you are able to get there soon!!



I sure hope so! The last time I've gone was in 2016, so I miss it a lot (I especially want to go again to do Hagrid's)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal*

While we were on Hollywood Boulevard, I cajoled Steve into getting some silly photos in the Darkroom Studio.   This was a fantastic addition to the My Universal Photo lineup, and doing some of the crazy poses definitely gives us both a good laugh.



None of the pics from that session turned out particularly well, but hey.....they only took 5 minutes out of the day and were definitely fun regardless of the less-than-appealing final products.  They were amusing to have taken, even if we did look goofy in the final products.  Happy memories and they didn't cost us a dime.







From the Darkroom, we headed over to Transformers to grab a ride while morning crowds were low and posted waits were at a delightful 10 minutes.   After the ride, we joined the short line to grab a quick pic with ..... Megratron?  (I think?)



I have zero interest in this movie so I never really know which gigantic heap of metal is who, but I do enjoy the ride and the character meets are always "larger than life".  I'm actually a little sad that I avoided this ride for the first many years of our visits to Universal, thinking it would be too intense for me.  I wish I had gave it a try long, long ago....it's really very fun! 

We made our way up the little side street next to Transformers and had the opportunity to say hello to even more characters.  Shrek & Donkey were out greeting guests, and we never pass up a chance for a hug from our favorite ogre!



Much like Popeye's regular comment that Steve reminds him of Bluto, Donkey never fails to point out that Steve bears a striking resemblance to his buddy Shrek.  That poor man, its a wonder he tolerates any of these character meets with me when he becomes the brunt of so many jokes!  But good sport that he is, he takes it all in stride.....and we always come away laughing at some off-the-cuff remark that Donkey made that could be taken much differently than it originally seemed intended.  I think Donkey has a very adult sense of humor under all that kid-friendly silliness lol.  

At that point in the day, with my character itch firmly scratched, we decided to hop the Hogwarts Express and spend a little time in Islands of Adventure.  While Universal is definitely MY favorite park of the two, Steve's heart belongs to Islands of Adventure.  With annual passes, we have park-to-park access on every visit so we generally try to split our day so that both of us get to be in our happy place for a while.   And taking the Hogwart's Express is always a must-do on our visits, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.



The queue was pretty empty as we walked through after having our AP's scanned by the ticketing agent.  There was no line of waiting guests, so we literally just had to keep walking until we made it up to Platform 9 3/4.



We thought perhaps we would encounter a line in the boarding area, but it too was completely empty.



We only had to wait long enough for the next train to pull into the station before we were being ushered into our car and preparing for our journey to Hogsmeade.   *All Aboard!*



*Next up:  Islands of Adventure*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I sure hope so! The last time I've gone was in 2016, so I miss it a lot (I especially want to go again to do Hagrid's)



Have you considered doing one of the "meet-ups" hosted by the other website that's devoted to Universal? (I am pretty sure we can't mention the name here or it will be starred out)

It's an after-hours event that includes all your food, including unlimited butterbeer.  They had one scheduled for May but ended up moving it to December due to the coronavirus.  They are actually hosting 2 weekends in December this year, and you can attend single nights OR double nights at a discount.  Might be a great time for you to experience Hagrids with MUCH less waits!  We are booked to attend one night on each weekend!


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Have you considered doing one of the "meet-ups" hosted by the other website that's devoted to Universal? (I am pretty sure we can't mention the name here or it will be starred out)
> 
> It's an after-hours event that includes all your food, including unlimited butterbeer.  They had one scheduled for May but ended up moving it to December due to the coronavirus.  They are actually hosting 2 weekends in December this year, and you can attend single nights OR double nights at a discount.  Might be a great time for you to experience Hagrids with MUCH less waits!  We are booked to attend one night on each weekend!



I've never thought about it before, but I will definitely have to look into it! The event sounds amazing


----------



## I-4Bound

I can't wait to hear a report on the meet ups! The event definitely peaked my interest, especially the food and beverage options!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I've never thought about it before, but I will definitely have to look into it! The event sounds amazing



If you have any trouble finding the details about it, let me know and I'll message you on FB!



I-4Bound said:


> I can't wait to hear a report on the meet ups! The event definitely peaked my interest, especially the food and beverage options!



We are SUPER stoked about finally getting a chance to attend one of these much-loved meetups!  We have always wanted to go, but the dates never seemed to work out for us.   This is definitely what we are considering the consolation of having to move our May trip to early December (that, and being able to go to SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration).  I will for sure let you know our thoughts after the event.  I'm just a bit worried it will spoil us in the same way Disney After Hours has spoiled us, and we will never want to do a regular park day ever again!  lol


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

In some pre-trip news......

Our October vacation is starting to take shape quite nicely, as I've been booking a few things now that we are past the six month point (meaning all things Disney have opened for reservations).  We have purchased our MNSSHP tickets as well as the Cruella's Halloween Hideaway upgrade, so after a less-than-stellar experience at the party we attended last fall, we are hoping that this year will redeem our opinions on that hard ticket event.  We also have bought our "costumes" for the party, though they are more Halloween themed clothing versus traditional costumes.   Last year we MELTED in our pirate wear and I definitely think that was a huge factor in our overall disappointment in the event.  This year we will be dressed cooler, have Cruella's Hideaway to escape to for a/c AND endless snacking, and access to all-you-care-to-drink wine.  It sounds like a winner already!  Ha ha!

Spirit of Aloha is reserved, which we are also excited about.  We secured tier 1 seating so hopefully we have a great view of the show.  I have ordered is matching Hawaiian shirts and a pair of custom Hawaiian Mickey ears, which I expect should arrive sometime this week.  I hope the ears are as cute in person as they were on the Etsy site!

We decided to do a day at Epcot this fall, so we bought one day tickets now in case the prices go up as the have customarily done in June.  We are hoping that the Food & Wine festival is running, but even if it's not we will enjoy eating and drinking around the World.  This would be our first time at Food & Wine, so fingers crossed that event isnt another Covid-19 casualty. 

I secured a breakfast reservation for Boma, which was on Steve's wish list.  It's his favorite breakfast on property and visiting AKL is always fun.  I will be interested to see what changes are made at the buffets following the pandemic.   I, for one, would be thrilled if they have servers dishing out the various foods versus a thousand hands on each serving spoon.

We have Whispering Canyon Cafe booked for our arrival night.  This will be a first for us so we are pumped to check out the Wilderness Lodge after all these years!

And finally, I reserved the Tiger Tour at Busch Gardens.  As cat lovers, this tour holds HUGE appeal......and we very much enjoyed both the tours we took in January at BG,  so we have high hopes for this one as well.

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot!  We have also booked Gatorland's Night Shine for our final evening of vacation.   This has been on our radar for several trips, and we got an excellent deal through Tickets at Work.  While we have been to Gatorland several times during the day, heading into the swamp at night with flashlights to feed the gators should be a wonderfully memorable experience to cap off our fall trip.  It's also worth mentioning that Gatorland has HUGE discounts right now on single day tickets, as well as a special offer on annual passes.  If you were considering a ticket, buying now during the pandemic closure could save you some significant $s......and their use-by window is extremely generous.


----------



## Joanna71985

sounds like a great trip so far!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*



Once we hopped off the train in Hogsmeade, we poked around a little bit, first checking out the standby time for Hagrids.  As we expected, it was LONG (2+ hours)....even though the Studios had seemed almost empty.  Now we knew where all the people were at!

Steve didn't feel like devoting that much of the day to standing in line (despite my encouragement to do so), so we stopped to say hello to the Hogwarts Express conductor instead.



We poked around some of the shops a bit, ducking into Honeydukes to browse, but it seemed really crowded in that area of the park (perhaps that only felt that way because the Studios had been SO quiet) so we opted to move on.

We walked through Jurassic Park.  It was on my list of to-do's to meet Blue, but lines were pretty lengthy for that experience as well (likely due to the overflow from the very busy Hagrids/Hogsmeade), so we opted to leave that for another day.  I think Steve thought I was disappointed (even though I wasn't....."there's always tomorrow") so he stopped to try and win me a dinosaur at one of the carnival games.   He's quite adept at the balloon toss and easily snagged me my choice of small prizes.  I love that the TM working the game decided to strike a pose for the picture!



With my new little friend along for the journey, we carried on through Jurassic Park and stopped for a ride on Kong (which only had a 15 minute posted wait, but was actually pretty much a walk on).

Once we arrived in Toon Lagoon, we detoured a bit to the area behind Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges.  We had watched a Tim Tracker video before we left on vacation where he recommended popping back there for some pretty lovely views (and some nice photo backdrops).  We had never had reason or opportunity to stroll back there before this trip, but Tim Tracker has never let us down yet.....so, we made a pledge before we left Michigan to check it out this visit.  Boy, was he right on the money.......seeing the park from that vantage point was spectacular!!





We took some time to walk all around that hidden area, and also discovered "Me Ship, The Olive" for the first time.  Super cute!  [We are filing these spots away in the back of our brains for when we hopefully travel some day with grandbabies]



There is also a great spot for watching riders get SOAKED on Bilge Rat Barges.  Most of the rafts were running empty on the cooler winter day, but a few brave souls were giving it a whirl.  Either they didn't know just how wet they were going to get, or they didn't care!  LOL. Judging from the look on this guy's face,  I'd say the water wasn't very warm.



By the time we popped back out onto the main walkway, I could tell Steve was a bit off.....and I quickly deduced that he was likely a tad hangry.  I thought it might be time for a sit down and refresh with something to eat and (even more important) something to drink.  I asked if he was interested in grabbing a light lunch, and he jumped at the offer.....while breakfast had been substantial, my big guy still needed a mid-day top up.



We chatted a bit about our options for lunch, and I could instantly tell that none of the quick service places that we talked about were tempting his taste buds.  Since I suspected we were more in need of the break than we were for the food, I thought that a table service location might hold more appeal than Cafe 4, Thunder Falls Terrace or Circus McGurkus.   I asked what he thought of sharing some appetizers at Confisco's.....and bingo!  I hit the bullseye.



More to come!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*
> 
> View attachment 490260
> 
> Once we hopped off the train in Hogsmeade, we poked around a little bit, first checking out the standby time for Hagrids.  As we expected, it was LONG (2+ hours)....even though the Studios had seemed almost empty.  Now we knew where all the people were at!
> 
> Steve didn't feel like devoting that much of the day to standing in line (despite my encouragement to do so), so we stopped to say hello to the Hogwarts Express conductor instead.
> 
> View attachment 490261
> 
> We poked around some of the shops a bit, ducking into Honeydukes to browse, but it seemed really crowded in that area of the park (perhaps that only felt that way because the Studios had been SO quiet) so we opted to move on.
> 
> We walked through Jurassic Park.  It was on my list of to-do's to meet Blue, but lines were pretty lengthy for that experience as well (likely due to the overflow from the very busy Hagrids/Hogsmeade), so we opted to leave that for another day.  I think Steve thought I was disappointed (even though I wasn't....."there's always tomorrow") so he stopped to try and win me a dinosaur at one of the carnival games.   He's quite adept at the balloon toss and easily snagged me my choice of small prizes.  I love that the TM working the game decided to strike a pose for the picture!
> 
> View attachment 490264
> 
> With my new little friend along for the journey, we carried on through Jurassic Park and stopped for a ride on Kong (which only had a 15 minute posted wait, but was actually pretty much a walk on).
> 
> Once we arrived in Toon Lagoon, we detoured a bit to the area behind Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges.  We had watched a Tim Tracker video before we left on vacation where he recommended popping back there for some pretty lovely views (and some nice photo backdrops).  We had never had reason or opportunity to stroll back there before this trip, but Tim Tracker has never let us down yet.....so, we made a pledge before we left Michigan to check it out this visit.  Boy, was he right on the money.......seeing the park from that vantage point was spectacular!!
> 
> View attachment 490265
> 
> View attachment 490266
> 
> We took some time to walk all around that hidden area, and also discovered "Me Ship, The Olive" for the first time.  Super cute!  [We are filing these spots away in the back of our brains for when we hopefully travel some day with grandbabies]
> 
> View attachment 490267
> 
> There is also a great spot for watching riders get SOAKED on Bilge Rat Barges.  Most of the rafts were running empty on the cooler winter day, but a few brave souls were giving it a whirl.  Either they didn't know just how wet they were going to get, or they didn't care!  LOL. Judging from the look on this guy's face,  I'd say the water wasn't very warm.
> 
> View attachment 490269
> 
> By the time we popped back out onto the main walkway, I could tell Steve was a bit off.....and I quickly deduced that he was likely a tad hangry.  I thought it might be time for a sit down and refresh with something to eat and (even more important) something to drink.  I asked if he was interested in grabbing a light lunch, and he jumped at the offer.....while breakfast had been substantial, my big guy still needed a mid-day top up.
> 
> View attachment 490273
> 
> We chatted a bit about our options for lunch, and I could instantly tell that none of the quick service places that we talked about were tempting his taste buds.  Since I suspected we were more in need of the break than we were for the food, I thought that a table service location might hold more appeal than Cafe 4, Thunder Falls Terrace or Circus McGurkus.   I asked what he thought of sharing some appetizers at Confisco's.....and bingo!  I hit the bullseye.
> 
> View attachment 490274
> 
> More to come!


Wow, those were some great views! You've convinced me, next trip we are absolutely going to check that out. It's interesting how hungry you can get just walking around a theme park. I think hunger plus sensory overload, and a break is an excellent solution! We ate at Confisco for the first time in January, I can't wait to hear what you had and what you thought!


----------



## Penguinempress

I'm so excited to see you back Gina! I just came across your trip report today and it provided some much-needed entertainment for my afternoon. Sounds like a great trip so far and with all the uncertainty from the virus, I'm glad you were able get a trip in before all that started, especially since your spring trip has now been rescheduled. I'm eager to hear how your Busch Gardens day goes - it's a park that I've been visiting my whole life and while it's definitely gone downhill in recent years, I still have a lot of love for it. 

Oh, and I agree that the hammer game at Universal is rigged! My husband is a big strong guy and he can always hit 100 on those things (I have the giant stuffed animals to prove it!) but the last few times he's tried at Universal, no luck...though I didn't really want to carry around a giant stuffed Duff can all day so I was kinda relieved!


----------



## mjhtvchick

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> If you have any trouble finding the details about it, let me know and I'll message you on FB!
> 
> 
> 
> We are SUPER stoked about finally getting a chance to attend one of these much-loved meetups!  We have always wanted to go, but the dates never seemed to work out for us.   This is definitely what we are considering the consolation of having to move our May trip to early December (that, and being able to go to SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration).  I will for sure let you know our thoughts after the event.  I'm just a bit worried it will spoil us in the same way Disney After Hours has spoiled us, and we will never want to do a regular park day ever again!  lol



I am thinking the same thing Gina!  We have an August trip booked that we will almost surely cancel but I am thinking that if things start to improve, I will try to scratch something off my bucket list and head to Orlando for the first week of December to catch a meetup and some Christmas fun!



ETA:  That is a great place for views - even better if you climb to the top of Me Ship, The Olive:



There are also great views from behind Mythos:



And right across from Port of Entry:



My favorite place, which is closed now due to the construction, was behind the Jurassic Park Discovery Center:



I always try to get shots from these locations on my trips!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Worfiedoodles said:


> Wow, those were some great views! You've convinced me, next trip we are absolutely going to check that out. It's interesting how hungry you can get just walking around a theme park. I think hunger plus sensory overload, and a break is an excellent solution! We ate at Confisco for the first time in January, I can't wait to hear what you had and what you thought!



Sorry to leave you hanging for so long!  Confisco is one of our favourite places to eat in IOA.....how did you guys like it?



Penguinempress said:


> I'm so excited to see you back Gina! I just came across your trip report today and it provided some much-needed entertainment for my afternoon. Sounds like a great trip so far and with all the uncertainty from the virus, I'm glad you were able get a trip in before all that started, especially since your spring trip has now been rescheduled. I'm eager to hear how your Busch Gardens day goes - it's a park that I've been visiting my whole life and while it's definitely gone downhill in recent years, I still have a lot of love for it.
> 
> Oh, and I agree that the hammer game at Universal is rigged! My husband is a big strong guy and he can always hit 100 on those things (I have the giant stuffed animals to prove it!) but the last few times he's tried at Universal, no luck...though I didn't really want to carry around a giant stuffed Duff can all day so I was kinda relieved!



Busch Gardens was a HUGE hit for us.....we just wish we hadn't waited all these years to visit.  We enjoyed it so much, I'm pretty sure we will schedule in a day there on every trip from here on out.  We are excited to visit for their Howl-O-Scream in October and Christmastown in December this year!

I can't tell you how happy it makes me for your DH to have the same experience at the Sledgehomer game!  Like you, I had dozens (literally) of HUGE prizes, some we even had to buy new luggage to get home!, from trips during the 2015-2018 timeframe.  Steve would EASILY ring that bell first try.  Now?  He's whacking for all he's worth and comes super close (like, 98) but can never reach 100.  Before we moved to Michigan, we donated 14 of the massive Minions to our firefighters Christmas toy drive.  I have never seemed to find the right spot in our Michigan home for the rest of them, so I suppose it's a good thing he cant win any more of them now!! LOL



mjhtvchick said:


> I am thinking the same thing Gina!  We have an August trip booked that we will almost surely cancel but I am thinking that if things start to improve, I will try to scratch something off my bucket list and head to Orlando for the first week of December to catch a meetup and some Christmas fun!
> 
> ETA:  That is a great place for views - even better if you climb to the top of Me Ship, The Olive:
> 
> View attachment 490485
> 
> There are also great views from behind Mythos:
> 
> View attachment 490486
> 
> And right across from Port of Entry:
> 
> View attachment 490487
> 
> My favorite place, which is closed now due to the construction, was behind the Jurassic Park Discovery Center:
> 
> View attachment 490488
> 
> I always try to get shots from these locations on my trips!



WOW!!!  Those photos are BEAUTIFUL!

They are also a good reminder to all of us that slowing things down a bit, and taking in those off-the-pathway spots, can offer a peaceful respite to an otherwise chaotic park day.  Well worth taking a theme park "time out" for some soothing views and stunning shots!

If you happen to decide to book the meet-up, be sure to let me know which weekend you pick!  I would love to at least have the chance to say hello if we are both in the park at the same time!

If you end up sc


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Just popping in with a quick apology for the lack of updates all weekend long.  We actually got some nice weather over the weekend (shocking, considering we've had snow flurries on and off for the last two weeks!) so we literally spent Friday night through Sunday afternoon outside and working on what we have affectionately dubbed "Pandemic Project #1".   Everything but the Tiki Men sourced online (found those in the garden center at Meijer yesterday morning, my impulse purchase of the week!) and put together bit by bit as Mother Nature allowed.  Here is where we started:



And this is the (almost) finished product:









And by night, with the torches lit:



By the time we finished working on it in the evening, and grabbed a walk along the trails after a quick dinner, I was asleep by 10 every night!  Between the fresh air and physical labor, this old girl was pooped.  I am hoping to get back on track either later today or FOR SURE tomorrow though, so you can expect an entry within the next 24 hours or so.  I appreciate your patience.....we here in the north have to make hay while the sun shines, because heaven knows what the next weekend will bring (and for that matter, I have Pandemic Project #2 brewing.......poor Steve LOL!).

In other pre-trip planning news, I somehow managed to snag an Ohana reservation for dinner on the night we arrive in October.  We have always always wanted to try that restaurant for dinner (we have enjoyed their breakfast on multiple visits) but could never snag one of their elusive ADR's.  It meant I had to cancel Whispering Canyon Cafe, but I think it was a good trade-off (and it's a new experience for another new experience, so an "equal" trade that way).  I had to back-door the ADR booking a bit (there was no availability for a party of 2, but there was for a party of 3.....so I booked the 3, then logged back in and changed the number of persons which worked just fine) but I was pretty excited we could make it work.  It's a later ADR (9 pm) which isn't super ideal, but I'm going to keep looking for an earlier time slot in the event that the predictions of low attendance are correct and something opens up between 8 and 9.  Otherwise, 9 is absolutely workable.....a small sacrifice for finally being able to cross another item off of our Disney Bucket List!


----------



## Joanna71985

that looks awesome! makes me wish I had a backyard


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## I-4Bound

We really liked Ohana for dinner! I hope y'all will, too.


----------



## sdoll

I had been following your trip reports in the years past but haven't been to active lately.  We have a trip planned to Orlando,  more specifically a week at Bonnet Creek July 10th-18th.  The last couple of years we have changed the way we travel to Orlando and mostly do Disney water parks.  The price is right and since we live in Ohio near Cedar Point my boys don't feel like they are missing out on rides too much.  Early this year we decided to invite our neighbor boys as they are like family to us.  We thought it would be fun for all of them and for us to share some of the magic.  Here we are unsure if Bonnet Creek will be open in July but even more unsure if the water parks will be open.  We have decided that even if Disney isn't open if we can make it to Orlando and we aren't breaking any crazy rules we will still try and go.  It got me thinking about your trip reviews and all the fun non -park adventures you have tried.  So I dug deep.. tried to remember your screen name and was on the hunt..I was so happy to find you quickly.  I am reading your trip reports and  making a list of all the fun things you and your family have done over the years.   
So far for my son's 15th birthday I think we will try Capone's (if it's open) based off of you mentioning it in your current review. 
On a side note we live just south of you outside of Toledo.  I am in your neck of the woods every weekend as my boys both play hockey.  I am dying to know what antique/craft place you work at.  I love antiques!!!  
If you haven't found your way to the Toledo Zoo you need to make that a must of places to visit.  We don't have Jack Hanna but we have been voted the best zoo in the US multiple times, come in nice weather but coming for the Lights before Christmas is a must, you won't be disappointed.   I am open to any trip suggestions you have if we can't do the parks. We will have 2-15 year old's and 3-13 year old's.  I so hope we can still take our trip!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sdoll said:


> I had been following your trip reports in the years past but haven't been to active lately.  We have a trip planned to Orlando,  more specifically a week at Bonnet Creek July 10th-18th.  The last couple of years we have changed the way we travel to Orlando and mostly do Disney water parks.  The price is right and since we live in Ohio near Cedar Point my boys don't feel like they are missing out on rides too much.  Early this year we decided to invite our neighbor boys as they are like family to us.  We thought it would be fun for all of them and for us to share some of the magic.  Here we are unsure if Bonnet Creek will be open in July but even more unsure if the water parks will be open.  We have decided that even if Disney isn't open if we can make it to Orlando and we aren't breaking any crazy rules we will still try and go.  It got me thinking about your trip reviews and all the fun non -park adventures you have tried.  So I dug deep.. tried to remember your screen name and was on the hunt..I was so happy to find you quickly.  I am reading your trip reports and  making a list of all the fun things you and your family have done over the years.
> So far for my son's 15th birthday I think we will try Capone's (if it's open) based off of you mentioning it in your current review.
> On a side note we live just south of you outside of Toledo.  I am in your neck of the woods every weekend as my boys both play hockey.  I am dying to know what antique/craft place you work at.  I love antiques!!!
> If you haven't found your way to the Toledo Zoo you need to make that a must of places to visit.  We don't have Jack Hanna but we have been voted the best zoo in the US multiple times, come in nice weather but coming for the Lights before Christmas is a must, you won't be disappointed.   I am open to any trip suggestions you have if we can't do the parks. We will have 2-15 year old's and 3-13 year old's.  I so hope we can still take our trip!!



Hi Sara!  Welcome aboard!

Our son LOVED our water park trips years ago (all those August vacations that were oppressively hot, but was the only time of year we could escape for a week without having to worry about school or sports commitments).   I will keep my fingers crossed that the state of the world is resuming some sort of normalcy by the time your July adventures roll around.  It's so hard to know right now, isn't it?  A part of me thinks that the water parks will be the best places to visit when things start to reopen (surely chlorine has some sort of disinfecting benefits against the transmission of Covid-19?) but perhaps I'm way off base....or just wishful thinking.

Capones will be a fabulous place to celebrate your son's birthday!  Be sure to let them know in advance that he's celebrating his special day, as they have a special section of the show where they call out birthdays and anniversaries in a very Capones-like fashion.    All those teen boys should LOVE the buffet as well!  There is SO MUCH FOOD!

As far as Toledo is concerned.....it is SUCH an easy drive from where we live! (right around an hour, sometimes less if traffic is light on the interstate).  We are so close, in fact, that we were annual passholders at the Toledo Zoo the first year we lived in Michigan:  we fell in love with the zoo so much that we upgraded to an annual pass before we left that first day.  We have visited twice for the Lights Before Christmas and were blown away both times (loved that it was free the year we had the annual pass, too......there is no such benefit for us as Detroit Zoo annual passmembers for their Wild Lights).  We also went one year for Luminous Nights, with all the Chinese lanterns......so fun!!  We have attended the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at the Huntington Center the last 3 Christmases, visited the Great Lakes Museum, eaten at Tony Packos.....we've tried to hit most of the highlights!   It's a great little city (though I wish the downtown had a couple of more coffee shops.....we can never seem to find many places down there to sit and enjoy a beverage before the TSO).

Hmmmm.......suggestions for teenage boys in the summer.......here's what Steve and I came up with (things our Jake enjoyed at that age):

A beach day (Daytona is a cool place for teens)

Gatorland (Maybe add zip lining?  For sure do the Adventure Hour, its such an incredible experience that the boys would surely be humbled by [hand feeding HUGE gators chunks of raw meat, no fences/barries between you and them].  And....Gatorland has DEEP discounts on one day tickets right now, which are being offered until the quarantine is lifted but can be used until the end of December).

Mini golf.  Congo River and Pirates Cove are both excellent, as are the courses at Universal.  Check Groupon for a good deal on both Lost Caverns and Gator Golf & Adventure Park.....not as superbly themed as the aforementioned courses, but good value and fun nonetheless.

Fun Spot America (rides, go karting, etc.)

Icon Orlando (Madame Tussauds Wax Museum for selfies with the stars, plus a ride on the giant wheel......and perhaps even that crazy swing thing that they built outside if they are real thrill seekers)

If they are history buffs, perhaps the Titanic Museum?  (Jake loved it as a teenager, but he inherited his dad's affinity for history)

A helicopter ride (we did this last October, and it was such a cool experience!)

Discovery Cove

One of the favorite things we did on our trips with Jake was to rent jet skis and go skiing for 2 hours on one of the beautiful lakes in Clermont.  Such gorgeous scenery and almost no chance of you running into any other human being.  This was several years ago and to this day, the guys STILL love talking about that day.

I've always wanted to visit Rock Springs at Kelly Park and go tubing in the natural springs.  While I can't attest to its merits personally, it looks mighty awesome from the youtube videos I've watched.

The Outta Control Dinner show is excellent and the menu is very teen friendly (unlimited popcorn, salad, pizza, and pop, plus cake for dessert).  Tony Brent is INCREDIBLE!

If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it here.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

sdoll said:


> On a side note we live just south of you outside of Toledo.  I am in your neck of the woods every weekend as my boys both play hockey.  I am dying to know what antique/craft place you work at.  I love antiques!!!



Whoops, forgot to tell you where I work!  If you know you're going to be in the area on a specific weekend, give me a heads up and I'd be happy to meet you there and say hello.  

Town Peddler


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*



There was no wait at Confisco's, so upon checking in at the restaurant entrance we were seated within minutes.  We had a nice quiet little booth along the back wall which was the ideal spot for resting and decompressing.    Our server brought us a pair of ice cold waters which we drained before we even finished perusing the menu.  We hadn't really felt very thirsty upon arrival, but apparently we were in need of a hydration break a little more than we thought.

It's become kind of a tradition for our lunchtime visits to Confisco to order appetizers versus large entrees.  We don't need as much food on a mid-day break (as compared to a dinner meal) and we had eaten a hearty breakfast that morning, so neither of us were super starving.  We opted to order a pair of appies to share:  this time, it was the loaded nachos (with some of the goop that I don't like served on the side to keep my portion "clean" lol) and a chicken quesadilla.



We had a wonderful server who was great about ensuring that the order came out just as ordered and the portions were more than enough for the two of us.  The quesadilla was the easy favorite (so, so good!) but the nachos were pretty tasty too.  The cheese did soften the chips a bit but otherwise we had no complaints.  It was so much nicer to sit and enjoy a table service meal versus grabbing a quick bite in a one of the busier, more chaotic quick service locations.  And with our pass member discount, the price for this meal isn't much more than we would have paid for two burger meals with a couple of sides of fries:  the nachos were $10, the quesadilla $12, and I believe our Premier AP saved us an additional 20%.  For theme park dining, it doesn't get any more affordable.

After dinner, we headed to Seuss Landing for some whimsical fun.



We rode Cat in the Hat, took a spin on the High in the Sky Trolley Train, browsed some of the shops, and walked right up to meet these two (who were standing in an obscure spot where apparently no one knew they were hanging out):



We also had the most animated encounter with the rascally Mr. Grinch.  He was in quite a "mood" LOL and took exception to our shirts, which read (in case you can't see the small type):  "Greetings from Orlando, The City Beautiful".



The Grinch did not think Orlando was a beautiful city.  He put his head in his hands and emphatically indicated "no, no, NO!".  

We had watched the Grinch interact with a few other families ahead of us, and he had delighted in pulling on pigtails and knocking off backpacks in true Grinchy style as his handler tried desperate to capture that "perfect photo" on each guest's phone.  We should not have been surprised, then, when he promptly flipped Steve's hat around when it came time to say cheese!



Steve turned it back properly, and the Grinch spun it around again.  I kind of liked the new look! LOL

Once we'd had our fill of Dr. Seuss, we carried onward to the Lost Continent where we had a chance to say hello to one of my FAVORITE characters......Puss In Boots!



Being a self-admitted "cat person", it will not shock a single one of you to know that it made my day to get a hug from the dashing Puss.  What's not to love about a cat in a swashbuckler's hat?  

We also ran into the beautiful She-Ra, one of the newer characters at Universal.  Talk about feeling self conscious....I felt my age (and my plain-ness) standing next to that beautiful young heroine.  She was unbelievably sweet and carried off her character PERFECTLY.   



We spent a little bit more time poking around the Lost Continent, taking a few minutes to chat with the Talking Fountain.....



....as well as checking out some of the super cool shops in this section of the park (I love the place with the name Coat of Arms!  Someday I'm going to splurge for one of those and have it framed for our home).  We also dropped in to our favorite store (or perhaps that's MY favorite store?) in IOA, Pearl Factory.  Steve picked out several things he knew I'd like and wanted desperately to buy me something (it's become a bit of a tradition on the last few trips) but I was hesitant to make that big purchase this early in the vacation.  Especially since we were planning to visit Busch Gardens  in a few days.....that might be a souvenir budget buster right there!!

*Coming up:  Superheros and.......Dole Whips?!?!?*


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*

I knew Steve was itching to get over to HIS favorite spot in the park, so that's where we headed next.....Marvel Superhero Island!



This is where Steve ceases to be a big, strong, mature guy and releases his inner child without apology.  He could happily spend his entire day in this section of the park alone and consider it a day well spent.  Our first stop, of course, was to see our buddy Spiderman, who always greets us with a warm handshake and never fails to make us feel like we were his most important guests of the day.  Even I, who generally has NO interest in the Marvel characters, can't help but be charmed by the sweet and genuine Spidey.  

Steve was inside one of the shops while I was out taking photos when I happened to see Dr. Doom and The Green Goblin come sauntering up from the alley where Dr. Doom's Fearfall is located.  Doom is one of Steve's favorite characters at IOA, so I swiftly ran in to retrieve him.......Dr. Doom isn't one of the "scheduled" characters (even though he's generally there daily) so you kinda gotta catch him when you get the chance.  He also tends to draw a crowd pretty quick .... and Goblin is a hard guy to get to stand still at the best of times!!



What was kind of cool about this particular meet-and-greet is that both Doom and Goblin noticed Steve's hat:  a Marvel ball cap that we had purchased a couple of trips ago when we had the Marvel Superheros Character Dinner booked at Cafe 4.  We specifically bought that hat with the intention of getting each of the superheros at that meal to sign it, and it has been Steve's prized possession ever since (and quite a conversation piece among many of the other face characters at Universal).  Doom plucked it off his head, and quickly noticed that his signature was no where to be found....he isn't one of the character dinner characters (nor is Goblin) so they were pretty much the only signatures that were missing.  Their handler quickly indicated that he could help remedy such a travesty, and swiftly produced a fresh black sharpie.  Within a few minutes, Steve's signature hat was happily bearing a new pair of autographs.



Steve was THRILLED.  His day was made, right there.

By the time we wrapped up with Doom and Goblin, they had begun announcing the arrival of the rest of the Superheros.  After watching them roar in on their custom ATV's, we made our way around to each of them for handshakes and pictures.

Storm & Rogue were very interested in Steve's hat, and made a big ol' fuss over him as he proudly showed off his fresh autographs from Doom & Goblin.  



He was quite happy to soak up all the attention these two ladies were generously lavishing on him!



We had a great chat with the scruffy Wolverine, a fellow Michigander _(who REMEMBERED US from last visit!!  How cool is that?)......_



.....and we enjoyed a nice long interaction with Cyclops (who Steve always feels a bit bad for because his line is never as long as the others):



....but one of MY favorite meet-and-greets, aside from Spiderman, is always with this guy:



It's hard not to be charmed by Captain America.  And this time, he asked if I wanted to hold his shield for the picture.  Heck ya, you don't have to ask this girl twice!!  I think this was one of Steve's favorite pictures from the whole trip.

I absolutely LOVED, even on that low crowd day, that they had My Universal Photos photographers with almost every character.   While few people seemed to have a photo card, those of us who did were VERY appreciative of their presence.  

We decided to celebrate our major score on catching all the Marvel characters with a sweet treat .... and thanks to yet another Tim Track video, we knew exactly what we wanted to splurge on (no, Steve shouldn't really have any of the scrumptious desserts from the parks with his diabetes, but if we are careful he can usually cheat every now and again with not too terrible results).   We headed up through Toon Lagoon and caught sight of this sign which seemed appropriate for a pic given the day of the week:



Following that quick pic, we wiggled our way through the crowd and hopped in line here:



_*But, I've hit my 10-photos-per-post limit (again!)......so stay tuned....*_


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## Worfiedoodles

Those apps at Confisco look absolutely delicious! I'm pretty sure I had a salad there and I was impressed by the freshness and variety. We also stopped in for lunch and found it to be such a nice refuge from all the excitement and busy day. 

You guys do a fantastic job of finding all the characters. Love that you finished up the hat with those rarer finds! 

And can I just say your outdoor project is gorgeous?! Very nice job, I know you will enjoy many hours out there relaxing after long days. 

Can't wait to see your celebration snack!


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## Joanna71985

so jealous that you got to hold the shield!


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## DontRushMe

Have to say that Captain America photo is the cutest!


----------



## Pumpkin1172

OMG...how am I just finding this now!!!!  I'm sooooo glad your back and doing a trip report.  I seen you post on the Canadian forum.  Now I'll have to go back and catch up.  Good thing work ( grateful I'm still working ) is slow and I can catch up!!!  Welcome back


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## verleniahall

All caught up again!!

Steve must be super proud of his hat!!


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## Metro West

Great report!


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## sdoll

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Whoops, forgot to tell you where I work!  If you know you're going to be in the area on a specific weekend, give me a heads up and I'd be happy to meet you there and say hello.
> 
> Town Peddler


I will have to look it up for sure.  I assure you that from October-March I am in your neck of the woods more than mine.  Wouldn't change it for the world as I am starting to realize just how fast the time is flying with my boys.  My oldest is  going to be a freshman this year.   It doesn't make sense since I was just a freshman yesterday.   Sadly I realize I am closer to a senior citizen than a senior in high school!


----------



## sdoll

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hi Sara!  Welcome aboard!
> 
> Our son LOVED our water park trips years ago (all those August vacations that were oppressively hot, but was the only time of year we could escape for a week without having to worry about school or sports commitments).   I will keep my fingers crossed that the state of the world is resuming some sort of normalcy by the time your July adventures roll around.  It's so hard to know right now, isn't it?  A part of me thinks that the water parks will be the best places to visit when things start to reopen (surely chlorine has some sort of disinfecting benefits against the transmission of Covid-19?) but perhaps I'm way off base....or just wishful thinking.
> 
> Capones will be a fabulous place to celebrate your son's birthday!  Be sure to let them know in advance that he's celebrating his special day, as they have a special section of the show where they call out birthdays and anniversaries in a very Capones-like fashion.    All those teen boys should LOVE the buffet as well!  There is SO MUCH FOOD!
> 
> As far as Toledo is concerned.....it is SUCH an easy drive from where we live! (right around an hour, sometimes less if traffic is light on the interstate).  We are so close, in fact, that we were annual passholders at the Toledo Zoo the first year we lived in Michigan:  we fell in love with the zoo so much that we upgraded to an annual pass before we left that first day.  We have visited twice for the Lights Before Christmas and were blown away both times (loved that it was free the year we had the annual pass, too......there is no such benefit for us as Detroit Zoo annual passmembers for their Wild Lights).  We also went one year for Luminous Nights, with all the Chinese lanterns......so fun!!  We have attended the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at the Huntington Center the last 3 Christmases, visited the Great Lakes Museum, eaten at Tony Packos.....we've tried to hit most of the highlights!   It's a great little city (though I wish the downtown had a couple of more coffee shops.....we can never seem to find many places down there to sit and enjoy a beverage before the TSO).
> 
> Hmmmm.......suggestions for teenage boys in the summer.......here's what Steve and I came up with (things our Jake enjoyed at that age):
> 
> A beach day (Daytona is a cool place for teens)
> 
> Gatorland (Maybe add zip lining?  For sure do the Adventure Hour, its such an incredible experience that the boys would surely be humbled by [hand feeding HUGE gators chunks of raw meat, no fences/barries between you and them].  And....Gatorland has DEEP discounts on one day tickets right now, which are being offered until the quarantine is lifted but can be used until the end of December).
> 
> Mini golf.  Congo River and Pirates Cove are both excellent, as are the courses at Universal.  Check Groupon for a good deal on both Lost Caverns and Gator Golf & Adventure Park.....not as superbly themed as the aforementioned courses, but good value and fun nonetheless.
> 
> Fun Spot America (rides, go karting, etc.)
> 
> Icon Orlando (Madame Tussauds Wax Museum for selfies with the stars, plus a ride on the giant wheel......and perhaps even that crazy swing thing that they built outside if they are real thrill seekers)
> 
> If they are history buffs, perhaps the Titanic Museum?  (Jake loved it as a teenager, but he inherited his dad's affinity for history)
> 
> A helicopter ride (we did this last October, and it was such a cool experience!)
> 
> Discovery Cove
> 
> One of the favorite things we did on our trips with Jake was to rent jet skis and go skiing for 2 hours on one of the beautiful lakes in Clermont.  Such gorgeous scenery and almost no chance of you running into any other human being.  This was several years ago and to this day, the guys STILL love talking about that day.
> 
> I've always wanted to visit Rock Springs at Kelly Park and go tubing in the natural springs.  While I can't attest to its merits personally, it looks mighty awesome from the youtube videos I've watched.
> 
> The Outta Control Dinner show is excellent and the menu is very teen friendly (unlimited popcorn, salad, pizza, and pop, plus cake for dessert).  Tony Brent is INCREDIBLE!
> 
> If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it here.



I still have my fingers crossed that the water parks will be open.  I love your suggestions.  I remember your review of renting jet skis.  My kids would love that but I think with their ages they would have to ride with an adult and since we are bringing the whole neighborhood with us that won't be an option.   I have thought about gatorland as we have never been there.  I have a serious fear of gators and snakes that the thought creeps me out.  No doubt our gaggle of boys would love it.  I checked out the discounts and you aren't kidding.   I will wait a few days and see what Florida announces before I buy tickets.  
I am so glad you have discovered the Toledo's Zoo.   We have never made it to the Huntington Center for TSO but I would love to go one year.  I am not a coffee drinker so I can't recommend a coffee shop but if you haven't discovered Focaccia's deli or  Grumpy's you are missing out on some great food!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> so jealous that you got to hold the shield!



I must admit, I was a little bummed to have to give it back!  LOL



DontRushMe said:


> Have to say that Captain America photo is the cutest!



Aw, you're too sweet. 

But I do think I need to make a point of getting that one printed for my "gallery"!



Pumpkin1172 said:


> OMG...how am I just finding this now!!!!  I'm sooooo glad your back and doing a trip report.  I seen you post on the Canadian forum.  Now I'll have to go back and catch up.  Good thing work ( grateful I'm still working ) is slow and I can catch up!!!  Welcome back



Great to have you along!!!  Welcome aboard!



verleniahall said:


> All caught up again!!
> 
> Steve must be super proud of his hat!!



He ADORES that hat.  Only wears it on our Florida trips, "special occasions".  Best souvenir idea we've ever had!



Metro West said:


> Great report!



Thank you!    Glad to have you reading along!



sdoll said:


> I will have to look it up for sure.  I assure you that from October-March I am in your neck of the woods more than mine.  Wouldn't change it for the world as I am starting to realize just how fast the time is flying with my boys.  My oldest is  going to be a freshman this year.   It doesn't make sense since I was just a freshman yesterday.   Sadly I realize I am closer to a senior citizen than a senior in high school!



I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss the days of being a sports mom.  Jake played ice hockey, ball hockey, inline hockey, basketball, softball, volleyball, and track.  I spent most of his childhood in a gym, in the bleachers, or in an arena.....and we made some of the best memories ever (and met some of the most wonderful people!) at tournaments and other team events.   I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.  



sdoll said:


> I still have my fingers crossed that the water parks will be open.  I love your suggestions.  I remember your review of renting jet skis.  My kids would love that but I think with their ages they would have to ride with an adult and since we are bringing the whole neighborhood with us that won't be an option.   I have thought about gatorland as we have never been there.  I have a serious fear of gators and snakes that the thought creeps me out.  No doubt our gaggle of boys would love it.  I checked out the discounts and you aren't kidding.   I will wait a few days and see what Florida announces before I buy tickets.
> I am so glad you have discovered the Toledo's Zoo.   We have never made it to the Huntington Center for TSO but I would love to go one year.  I am not a coffee drinker so I can't recommend a coffee shop but if you haven't discovered Focaccia's deli or  Grumpy's you are missing out on some great food!!



Ooohh....never heard of Focaccia's or Grumpy's, but we will be sure to check them out!  We did eat at Ye Olde Durty Bird one visit just because the name made us laugh.  

It looks like things might start to reopen around May 4 in Florida, so if you're thinking Gatorland tix, I'd consider getting them while they are still on the cheap.    I totally understand that it might be beyond your tolerance, though....I'm creeped out by a wide assortment of things myself.  Except most of mine are food related LOL.  Give me a gator any day, but please keep mayonnaise and cream cheese at least 20 feet away!!


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## sdoll

I have been closely watching what Florida is doing.   I am hesitant to buy anything just yet.   I want a bit more info on what will be open before we decide what to do.  If the water parks aren’t open and the resort pools are closed I think we will postpone the trip with 5 boys we could blow our budget quickly if we have to find something to do everyday.   It will all work out one way or another but I am a planner and hate that I can’t really plan!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  Universal, continued*



One of Steve's favorite Orlando treats is the Disney Dole Whip.....and whenever we are at the Magic Kingdom, we always make a point of savoring a cup or float.    Since we don't get to MK very often though (as Disney is generally a very small part of our vacations, and often NO part as was the case for this trip), its a delicacy we don't get to enjoy with any kind of regularity.  Probably a good thing for our thighs ;-).

That said, we were quite excited when we learned from one of Tim Tracker's videos that Wimpy's (when it was open) was now offering the infamous Dole Whip (or, more specifically, the "Dole Whip Pineapple Sorbet").     When it came to choosing a dietary splurge on that sunsational January afternoon, there was no question at all what it would be.



It was equally as pineapple-y and delicious as the Disney version, and was the perfect light snack for that delightful, pleasantly warm afternoon.  To me, Dole Whips taste like Florida:  all citrussy and fresh.

With our Islands of Adventure to-do list perfectly complete, we decided to head back to the Studios for a bit before meeting our dinner date later that evening.  We originally intended to ride the Hogwarts Express back over to the other park, so we left Toon Lagoon and made our way back through Jurassic Park toward Hogsmeade.



_(Steve is just a bit too tall for this photo overlay LOL)_

We found a photographer on the bridge in front of the castle, so we stopped for a quick pic.



I wasn't a huge fan of the vantage point from which the photographer took the photo, but the background is nice! _ (and he was a sweet young kid who was super patient with all the people who walked in front of him, bumped him, and just otherwise made his job SUPER hard.....so props to him nonetheless)._

Arriving over at the entrance to the Hogwarts Express, we found a huge line of people waiting to have their ticket scanned [presumably the migration of all those folks who had spent a good chunk of their day waiting in line for Hagrids, and were ready to head out of IOA now that they finally got the chance to ride], so we opted to just keep on walking and head back to the Studios the old fashioned way.  We had done a TON of walking that day already, but it actually felt kind of nice.....after being cooped up in the house for the last couple of months as winter put its grip on Michigan, it was empowering to be outside and breathing in fresh air.  All that vitamin D from the sun was invigorating!  I was exceptionally happy that we had chosen to both purchase a great pair of Sketchers Go Walk shoes, though:  they have been the absolute BEST park shoes we have ever owned (I'll be looking for a sandal version for our fall trips....happy feet are the key to a successful vacation).

Once back at the Studios, Steve wanted a ride on The Mummy (and I wasn't feeling up to such a hellish experience....I am still trying to recover from my one and only turn on that ride several trips past) and it just so happened that the Universal Superstar Parade was preparing to roll through, so it worked perfectly for him to hit up the ride with our after-4 Express (one of the perks of our Premier AP's) while I staked out a prime spot along the curb for parade viewing.



I'm not sure why, but we have NEVER watched the parade from this part of the park before.  It was a nice change!   Crowds were low so we had lots of space between us and the next family, and Steve actually made it back in time to catch the very first float as it rounded the corner.  



Universal's parade isn't as "polished" as those at the Disney parks, but it sure is fun just the same.   We always find ourselves wanting to sing along with the music and dance along with the characters as they pass by.





The performers who flank each float are super high-energy and always look like they're having the time of their lives, and the costumes are so colorful and eye-catching.   They never stop moving throughout the parade route, and must be exhausted by the time they make it around the entire loop!





Once the parade was over, a quick check of our phones noted that the day was winding down.  It's true what they say, "Time flies when you're having fun" (if only a work day passed by that quickly!  Perhaps they might if there were Dole Whips and characters involved!).  We had dinner plans with our friend from SeaWorld (the delightful young lady who pixie dusted us with some dolphin fun the day before) and we were both looking forward to enjoying some fun conversation with her over drinks and dinner at one of our Universal favorites, the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was probably wise for us to go grab a table before the masses descended on the restaurants once the parks closed for the day.....which occurs much earlier in the night in late January than it does at other times of the year.

*Coming up:   Love All, Serve All.  Dinner at Hard Rock!*


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## bearzabout

Did you know that Ginthers Swirl on International Drive just south of Central Florida Parkway had Dole whip?  They are a lot cheaper than at Disney ($3.75 for a Dole Whip float).  We also like their banana split.  At $4.50, it is a steal.

They are near Wawas, our favorite place to get a large Italian sub.  They are only about $6 and delicious.  There are tables at both places for outdoor dining.


----------



## sdoll

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hi Sara!  Welcome aboard!
> 
> Our son LOVED our water park trips years ago (all those August vacations that were oppressively hot, but was the only time of year we could escape for a week without having to worry about school or sports commitments).   I will keep my fingers crossed that the state of the world is resuming some sort of normalcy by the time your July adventures roll around.  It's so hard to know right now, isn't it?  A part of me thinks that the water parks will be the best places to visit when things start to reopen (surely chlorine has some sort of disinfecting benefits against the transmission of Covid-19?) but perhaps I'm way off base....or just wishful thinking.
> 
> Capones will be a fabulous place to celebrate your son's birthday!  Be sure to let them know in advance that he's celebrating his special day, as they have a special section of the show where they call out birthdays and anniversaries in a very Capones-like fashion.    All those teen boys should LOVE the buffet as well!  There is SO MUCH FOOD!
> 
> As far as Toledo is concerned.....it is SUCH an easy drive from where we live! (right around an hour, sometimes less if traffic is light on the interstate).  We are so close, in fact, that we were annual passholders at the Toledo Zoo the first year we lived in Michigan:  we fell in love with the zoo so much that we upgraded to an annual pass before we left that first day.  We have visited twice for the Lights Before Christmas and were blown away both times (loved that it was free the year we had the annual pass, too......there is no such benefit for us as Detroit Zoo annual passmembers for their Wild Lights).  We also went one year for Luminous Nights, with all the Chinese lanterns......so fun!!  We have attended the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at the Huntington Center the last 3 Christmases, visited the Great Lakes Museum, eaten at Tony Packos.....we've tried to hit most of the highlights!   It's a great little city (though I wish the downtown had a couple of more coffee shops.....we can never seem to find many places down there to sit and enjoy a beverage before the TSO).
> 
> Hmmmm.......suggestions for teenage boys in the summer.......here's what Steve and I came up with (things our Jake enjoyed at that age):
> 
> A beach day (Daytona is a cool place for teens)
> 
> Gatorland (Maybe add zip lining?  For sure do the Adventure Hour, its such an incredible experience that the boys would surely be humbled by [hand feeding HUGE gators chunks of raw meat, no fences/barries between you and them].  And....Gatorland has DEEP discounts on one day tickets right now, which are being offered until the quarantine is lifted but can be used until the end of December).
> 
> Mini golf.  Congo River and Pirates Cove are both excellent, as are the courses at Universal.  Check Groupon for a good deal on both Lost Caverns and Gator Golf & Adventure Park.....not as superbly themed as the aforementioned courses, but good value and fun nonetheless.
> 
> Fun Spot America (rides, go karting, etc.)
> 
> Icon Orlando (Madame Tussauds Wax Museum for selfies with the stars, plus a ride on the giant wheel......and perhaps even that crazy swing thing that they built outside if they are real thrill seekers)
> 
> If they are history buffs, perhaps the Titanic Museum?  (Jake loved it as a teenager, but he inherited his dad's affinity for history)
> 
> A helicopter ride (we did this last October, and it was such a cool experience!)
> 
> Discovery Cove
> 
> One of the favorite things we did on our trips with Jake was to rent jet skis and go skiing for 2 hours on one of the beautiful lakes in Clermont.  Such gorgeous scenery and almost no chance of you running into any other human being.  This was several years ago and to this day, the guys STILL love talking about that day.
> 
> I've always wanted to visit Rock Springs at Kelly Park and go tubing in the natural springs.  While I can't attest to its merits personally, it looks mighty awesome from the youtube videos I've watched.
> 
> The Outta Control Dinner show is excellent and the menu is very teen friendly (unlimited popcorn, salad, pizza, and pop, plus cake for dessert).  Tony Brent is INCREDIBLE!
> 
> If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it here.



Sadly it appears our trip is going to be a bust.  We rented from a Wyndham owner and Wyndham announced that when they open they will be cancelling the reservations of guests.   I honestly respect that decision.  I also sort of doubt that the water parks will be fully operational.  we might check out a condo in Clearwater for the week.   Or we might just wait a year.   Either way it will all work out!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bearzabout said:


> Did you know that Ginthers Swirl on International Drive just south of Central Florida Parkway had Dole whip?  They are a lot cheaper than at Disney ($3.75 for a Dole Whip float).  We also like their banana split.  At $4.50, it is a steal.
> 
> They are near Wawas, our favorite place to get a large Italian sub.  They are only about $6 and delicious.  There are tables at both places for outdoor dining.



Ooooh.....I had no idea!!  We used to visit the Twistee Treat locations frequently before Steve's diabetes diagnosis, but never made it to Ginther's Swirls (I think I remember reading somewhere that most of them are all owned by the same family).  Might have to give them a try this fall if Steve's numbers are good!

We have often said we would love to have Wawa stations here in MI.  We have Speedways (which are kinda close in offerings and quality) but Wawa still exceeds them.  Such great value for grab-and-go snacks & meals!



sdoll said:


> Sadly it appears our trip is going to be a bust.  We rented from a Wyndham owner and Wyndham announced that when they open they will be cancelling the reservations of guests.   I honestly respect that decision.  I also sort of doubt that the water parks will be fully operational.  we might check out a condo in Clearwater for the week.   Or we might just wait a year.   Either way it will all work out!



Aw, I am super sorry to hear that.   You know I can fully appreciate that kind of disappointment :-( .  I hope you are able to figure out a good alternative that will still be fun for your family.

I found a really great rate on a weekend getaway to Frankenmuth for Steve's birthday (end of June).  If we are still barred from crossing the border by then, I was thinking it would be a good alternative to spending his special day with family.  But .... given the current situation, I'm so hesitant to book anything.  Honestly I'm a bit afraid of getting our hopes up and looking forward to something, only to have that anticipation dashed again.   Even if the region has started to reopen to tourism by then, is it wise to even go?    It's so hard to know what to do right now.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hey all, my apologies for the lack of updates over the weekend.  Friday was our anniversary so we spent the evening making the most of our special day (27 years!) even though the stay-at-home order meant no fancy dinner out or other customary celebration.  We did get some spectacular weather, so we ordered Longhorns curbside pickup and had a lovely steak dinner and drinks in the backyard.

Saturday, we had 80 degree weather (!!) so we spent the day crossing yet another project off the quarantine to-do list:  we recovered our back porch [which was a textured concrete] with a nice, comfy exterior tile.  It was a tedious process with tons of cutting, but it looks great and feels SO nice on our feet!! (especially at night when we are getting in and out of the hot tub)   While Steve worked on the tile, I planted 5 new trees and 3 new berry bushes, planted 3 pots of pansies, put out our new solar lighting, cut the lawn, and weeded all of the gardens.  Let's just say we all slept well that night.....all the fresh air an exercise had us tuckered out like a pair of kittens!

Yesterday we masked up and braved the grocery store (currently the dreaded weekend task), enjoyed a beautiful long walk, and cleaned out both vehicles.   I had every intention to get an entry posted last night but a migraine snuck up on me (I think my head knew that the weather was about to change....I'm often a more reliable source that way than the local meteorologist) so I ended up calling it an early day and heading to bed.  Thankfully I woke up in far less discomfort....migraines are THE WORST.

So now its Monday and my plan is to get something up tonight to keep things moving along.  I appreciate your patience because I know its annoying to have the big lags between entries.  It's coming, I promise!!


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## I-4Bound

You are right - Ginther's Swirls and Twistee Treat LBV are owned by the same family, and their menu offerings are pretty much the same at both locations. We've been to both loads of times, but I like the Lake Buena Vista location better, probably because it was the first one we visited.  

Happy Anniversary!! I'm in awe of how much yard and outside work ya'll have done. We have been ridiculously lazy during this stay-at-home period.  I thought being out of work would mean I did more housework...clearly, I was mistaken


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> You are right - Ginther's Swirls and Twistee Treat LBV are owned by the same family, and their menu offerings are pretty much the same at both locations. We've been to both loads of times, but I like the Lake Buena Vista location better, probably because it was the first one we visited.
> 
> Happy Anniversary!! I'm in awe of how much yard and outside work ya'll have done. We have been ridiculously lazy during this stay-at-home period.  I thought being out of work would mean I did more housework...clearly, I was mistaken



Thank you for the anniversary wishes!  Seeing that number makes me feel more than a little bit old.

We indulged in a couple of lazy weeks at the beginning of quarantine when the weather was still pretty cold.   As far as the latter part of the stay home order was concerned, we have really tried to make lemons out of lemonade and aimed to do all the things we always wanted to but never seemed to have the time for.  We plan to sip margaritas and soak up the sun for the rest of the summer once life gets back to normal!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Sunday, January 26th:  the conclusion*



We figured, given the slower time of year, that we wouldn't need to make a reservation for anywhere on CityWalk, which I suppose was a bit of a risk considering we had invited a friend to join us....but it worked out as we had hoped.  It was pretty quiet and there was hardly anyone out and about when we strolled up to the front door.  The parks had not yet closed for the day, so we were well ahead of the masses that would descend on the restaurants in just an hour or so.



We arrived before our guest (intentional on our part) so we could get seated and settled before she arrived.  We wanted her to just be able to come on it, sit down and relax without having to hang out in the lobby.....just in case there WAS any kind of a wait or delay.    There was, however, no wait of any kind except for a hostess to become available to take us to our table.



All the little details here are fun to take in, much as they are at the Hard Rock Hotel (we love all the music-themed embellishments at the Hotel when we enjoy the amazing breakfast buffet at The Kitchen).  It's an upbeat, casual atmosphere....with tons of things to look at!



We were seated at the back of the restaurant, near a massive staircase that leads to the upper level.  On previous visits, we always seemed to be seated alongside the bar, so this gave us a whole new perspective on the Cafe.....and a new appreciation on how HUGE this restaurant really is.

We knew our dinner date was on her way, so we went ahead and ordered some drinks to sip away on while we waited for her to arrive.  I am a big fan of the fruity mixed drinks here.....they are as delish as they are pretty!   Our server also managed to talk us into the souvenir glass size:  it really was a much better deal.  For just a few dollars more than a regular drink, you got twice the volume (24 ounces versus 12) *and* to keep the glass.  I was sold LOL.  I opted for the Hurricane while Steve had his signature light beer.



Once T arrived, we set about getting her a cocktail as well, and ordered an appetizer to share.  We had a bit of a tough time deciding on what appy to order, so we solved that problem by settling on a sampler.






This is kind of where my good intentions to document this meal went completely down the tubes LOL.  Once T arrived and we got chatting it up, I completely forgot to take ANY other photos of our meal (while I can tell you I had their Twisted Mac, Chicken & Cheese, I have no recollection of my fellow tablemates' entree selections).   The chatter is always lively, engaging and entertaining, which is a GOOD thing! (who needs more pasta pictures anyway, right?  Ha ha!)  Our service was also a hot mess, with our entrees arriving at almost the same time as the appetizer and drinks taking a forever to arrive.  Our server was friendly and otherwise seemed pretty capable but nothing went together right for him.  We actually cringed a bit when it was time to summon the bill......we feared it would take longer to get the check than it was to eat our meal.

The food (while poorly timed) was delicious,  the company was outstanding,  the drinks were delicious and we were so happy to have been able to spend some time with a friend we don't see nearly often enough.  All in all, a fantastic night.  We were incredibly grateful for the moving walkway back to the parking garage because we were so full it was hard to walk.

Back at the villa, I opted for a soak in the villa jacuzzi before bed instead of the hot tub.  Some nights just beg for a bubble bath.

Next up:  more SeaWorld!


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## Joanna71985

You always post the best food pictures (everything looks so good). And happy belated anniversary!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> You always post the best food pictures (everything looks so good). And happy belated anniversary!



Thank you!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld!*



We made a point of getting up and going fairly early on that Monday morning, hoping to make it to SeaWorld for park opening....and we did.  We wanted to ensure we had a full, uncluttered, leisurely day at our disposal so we could enjoy the rides, shows and the tour that we had booked (more on that later) at a nice relaxing pace.

We stopped for Photokey pictures at the entrance, and we met a wonderfully sweet photographer who spotted our passmember lanyards and said he wanted to take a picture with a different background than the lighthouse since he correctly guessed that we had lots and lots of those from past trips.   He chatted us up as we walked down toward the Guest Services building until we were in front of a beautiful, lush background of tropical trees and bushes.  He has asked us where we were from, and joked that we needed "green" in our pictures since we wouldn't be seeing green for several more months once we made it home to Michigan.  It was super kind of him to fuss over us so much, and I wish I had thought to take note of his name and made special mention of his efforts to the Guest Services team for a much-deserved pat on the back.  It was nice to see a photographer make those extra efforts for guests.



We had all-day dining on this particular day, but we opted to skip the continental breakfast that's offered each morning and wait until one of the regular restaurants opened for the day.  We had made a fresh pot of coffee in the villa when we had gotten out of bed, and neither of us were super hungry just yet, so it made more sense to wait for something a little more substantial than to fill up on sweet muffins and fruit.  We opted to just take some time and enjoy some of the animals in the park first......starting with the Manta aquarium.



Tucked in behind the Manta queue, this is a beautiful little aquarium full of colorful fish and graceful stingrays.  

Being there first thing in the morning, we had the unique opportunity to watch the animal care staff feed the creatures who call the Manta aquarium home.  Looking up to the overhead tanks, it was an unusual sight to see feet among the fins!



In addition to the larger wall and overhead tanks, there are smaller aquariums which showcase some of the smaller sea creatures at the park.  Sometime you have to stop and look hard....it's often difficult, on first glance, to tell what is marine life and what are plants.  Nature is so incredible!





After we had our fill of the fish in the Manta Aquarium, we strolled over to the manatee habitat, and it happened to be feeding time for the masses there as well.   Breakfast for everyone!



We were the only guests in that particular area, so we had an opportunity to have a great discussion with the caregivers of these massive creatures as they dumped in case after case of fresh, grade A produce.  It was a really nice opportunity to ask our questions and learn a little more about these gentle giants who eat so much lettuce!!



The underwater viewing area is my favorite.....it gives you such a perspective on just how HUGE these animals are.   And let me assure you, they are simply massive:  somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 pounds a piece.



This is easily my favorite photo from that manatee visit, though.......this little scamp was quite enamored with Steve, and followed him all along the glass wall as he moved.   Wouldn't you just love to know what they are thinking?  (I know I certainly would)



*To be continued.....*


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## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We rode ET when it opened (no wait, and, unfortunately, no photos!) then headed back toward Hollywood Boulevard. My keen eye spied Doc on the vintage train near the Delorean......I have no idea why he was up there (and not down near the car) but no one else seemed to even notice him goofing around. He gave us a big wave and shouted for us to come over, so (of course) we did! He never did come down but we had a wonderful chat with him nonetheless LOL. And his antics made for a fun photo!



I feel like this is how a lot of character meet and greet photos are going to look once the parks re-open


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

vrajewski10513 said:


> I feel like this is how a lot of character meet and greet photos are going to look once the parks re-open



You are probably right!  lol

I'm kind of sad that character interactions will almost surely be changed once things reopen.....and most likely not just for the short term.  I understand the reasoning,  but it is still disappointing .... and I'm a grown up.  I can only imagine how upsetting it will be for the littles to have their hugs from Mickey denied.


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## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You are probably right!  lol
> 
> I'm kind of sad that character interactions will almost surely be changed once things reopen.....and most likely not just for the short term.  I understand the reasoning,  but it is still disappointing .... and I'm a grown up.  I can only imagine how upsetting it will be for the littles to have their hugs from Mickey denied.


Yeah that really is a bummer. I wonder if they will utilize some clever set pieces to seperate the characters and guests, while still getting some decent pictures. I think the days of pop up character spots are gone. Baby K's first trip is next year and she will be 2, so i can imagine how all the parents are trying to navigate how to console an upset child who cant hug their favorite characters


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## jaceraden

I'm here wondering if there will be any Busch Gardens coverage? Honestly my favourite park and I'm Jonesing for a peek. 



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> The gate crew were excellent and boarding was both on-schedule and reasonably efficient, though we always marvel at the number of times they have to announce for people to stow their bag and get out of the darn aisle.  I mean really, people.   Common sense!!



This made me laugh and laugh. I'm glad you're able to enjoy First Class. 

Common sense would be to load the plane from the back to the front so that people didn't have to try to maneuver down skinny aisles, with bags and family members, while trying desperately not to knock the elbows and  avoid the glares from the first class and people already seated. Yes, there are absolutely some oblivious people but most of us try very hard to get to our spots as quickly and efficiently as possible in what is a very stressful situation. Nice to know we are being judged by those who got to board before the plane was full of people. Off soap box now.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

jaceraden said:


> I'm here wondering if there will be any Busch Gardens coverage? Honestly my favourite park and I'm Jonesing for a peek.



That there will be.  We enjoyed a full day at BG, our first visit to that park ever, on our January trip.  Did the Serengeti Safari and the new Cheetah Encounter.  I took tons of photos so that entry will be several posts long for sure.



jaceraden said:


> This made me laugh and laugh. I'm glad you're able to enjoy First Class.
> 
> Common sense would be to load the plane from the back to the front so that people didn't have to try to maneuver down skinny aisles, with bags and family members, while trying desperately not to knock the elbows and  avoid the glares from the first class and people already seated. Yes, there are absolutely some oblivious people but most of us try very hard to get to our spots as quickly and efficiently as possible in what is a very stressful situation. Nice to know we are being judged by those who got to board before the plane was full of people. Off soap box now.



Ouch.  You've made some heavy assumptions about me as a person, and I'm not sure I deserve that harsh a judgement. 

The fact that we were flying first class and were seated early has nothing to do with my stance that passengers could do MUCH better at the boarding process.  This has been a pet peeve of mine since we started flying more than 11 years ago.....and NONE of those flights were first class until May of last year, so I've seen plenty of folks unnecessarily hold up other passengers behind them for a variety of reasons that don't include the "good excuses" (some good excuses can be things like first timers truly not knowing what to do, older folks struggling with a bag that's too heavy for them to hoist up to the overhead bins on their own, etc.).  Things that hold others up that don't need to happen?  A family of 4 that decides to argue, once their are on the plane, about who is going to sit where among their booked seats (mom and dad can easily have kids prepped as to who is sitting next to each parent well before boarding....those spats do NOT need to occur on the plane).   People who decide on board is the time to argue about the fact they don't like their seat assignment.   Folks who board, put their carry-ons in the overhead bins, and then get up 3, 4, 5+ times afterward (while others are now trying to get by them in the aisles) to put stuff in and out and in and out of the luggage.....keep out what you might need, stow the rest, and have the courtesy to leave the aisles open for boarding to continue.  All the people who insist on turning their carry-ons the wrong way in the overhead bins, despite the constant overhead announcements of how to properly load them *and* (in our experience) the direct instruction of the flight crew_ ("Sir, you MUST turn your bag so that the wheel are facing out!  This is a FULL FLIGHT and we need ALL the space) _..... or those that get the rotten luck of boarding near last, and refuse to put their bag anywhere .... even when open spots are pointed out to them by the flight crew .... because those open spots are not directly above their seat.   All avoidable.  All which hold up everyone else behind them.

I don't consider us better, or privileged, for flying first class.  We put our pants on the same way as everyone else in the morning.  We choose to splurge on certain upgrades while other folks splurge on different kinds of upgrades for their trip.   Anyone who has a husband who is 6' 4" and 300+ pounds will know why first class is a good option for us.  It's not a status thing, its a way to ensure comfort in an otherwise uncomfortable situation. 

Perhaps we are the oddity, but all the Delta planes we have flown on (with the exception of 1) have all had the first class section to the left of the plane door on boarding when the other classes are all to the right......so there's no "glaring" at other passengers as they pass.  The one and only aircraft where this was NOT the case?  We sat and sipped our pre-flight cocktail and actually commented on how the other passengers were judging US.  I lost count of the snarky _"oh, it must be nice to be able to afford to sit there"_ or _"oh, so that's where the rich sit!"_ remarks that we heard.  Judgement, sadly, often runs both ways.

I'm a tolerant flyer.  I've been a parent, so I get how difficult it is to fly with littles.  I'm unbelievably nervous (and never seem to lose "the fear", regardless of how many trips we have under our belts), so I get how anxious people can be.   I am fully aware that the person sitting next to me could be emotionally wrecked, on their way to a funeral or to see a sick relative rather than on their way to the Happiest Place on Earth.  Our son has worked with special needs individuals for the past 8 years, so I am well versed on the extra challenges those individuals face in new and unfamiliar circumstances.  I'm not an entitled shrew.......but I also expect the bulk of people to *think* and be courteous.  Or even, just follow directions.  Those that need extra time, have very young children, or have other special circumstances are all boarded first anyway.....so the remaining balance of passengers SHOULD be able to board somewhat efficiently.

In case anyone ever doubts my tolerance for the in-flight experience, ask me about our most recent Frontier flight where my purse -- which was my personal item -- was puked on not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES by the person seated in front of me.  We happened to be on our way to Orlando with friends that trip, so @DontRushMe can verify the details of the "experience".   The flight attendant who ended up dealing with the mess looked at me, after the second round of vomit, and said "I can't believe you're not losing your mind right now".  But you know what?  That passenger and her family needed grace, so that's what I gave them.  It might be easiest to believe that I feel somehow "entitled", but the reality is that we cut corners in some places a little more throughout the year (and make full use of the Delta American Express card for Skymiles) so that we can enjoy a first-class flying experience on our trips whenever possible.  I don't judge, but I DO expect people to board efficiently and listen to instructions unless they have a darn good reason not to.

I'm glad I gave you a good laugh today, though.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

My good Canadian upbringing is making feel obliged to apologize to everyone for that rant.  So, to anyone reading along, I'm sorry ... no offense meant or intended.  I generally try to avoid long tangents and touchy subjects whenever possible but I seem to be finding myself in the middle of them more often than not these days.

Its reminding me of why i took such a lengthy break from the boards in the first place .


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> My good Canadian upbringing is making feel obliged to apologize to everyone for that rant.  So, to anyone reading along, I'm sorry ... no offense meant or intended.  I generally try to avoid long tangents and touchy subjects whenever possible but I seem to be finding myself in the middle of them more often than not these days.
> 
> Its reminding me of why i took such a lengthy break from the boards in the first place .



no need to apologize!


----------



## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> My good Canadian upbringing is making feel obliged to apologize to everyone for that rant.  So, to anyone reading along, I'm sorry ... no offense meant or intended.  I generally try to avoid long tangents and touchy subjects whenever possible but I seem to be finding myself in the middle of them more often than not these days.
> 
> Its reminding me of why i took such a lengthy break from the boards in the first place .


You do not need to apologize. A very wrong assumption was made about your character and you have every right to defend yourself.

Don’t let it bring you down, the regulars on here (and outside of the Dis) know you’re a very humble and caring person.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

vrajewski10513 said:


> Yeah that really is a bummer. I wonder if they will utilize some clever set pieces to seperate the characters and guests, while still getting some decent pictures. I think the days of pop up character spots are gone. Baby K's first trip is next year and she will be 2, so i can imagine how all the parents are trying to navigate how to console an upset child who cant hug their favorite characters



Little K's first trip might just be perfectly timed....long enough after this whole mess that perhaps things have started to return to something more normal.  That's my hope, anyway.  I simply cannot imagine Disney without character interaction.

I will be reading all the summer reports with great interest to see what the initial work-arounds are.  I am picturing a thin plexiglass barrier where the character poses on one side and the guest is on the other, and the Photopass photographer standing dead-on straight so the barrier appears invisible.   Perhaps the 2020 version of a "magic shot"?  lol



Joanna71985 said:


> no need to apologize!



Thanks, my friend   .



vrajewski10513 said:


> You do not need to apologize. A very wrong assumption was made about your character and you have every right to defend yourself.
> 
> Don’t let it bring you down, the regulars on here (and outside of the Dis) know you’re a very humble and caring person.



Thank you for that.  Much appreciated.


----------



## afan

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> My good Canadian upbringing is making feel obliged to apologize to everyone for that rant.  So, to anyone reading along, I'm sorry ... no offense meant or intended.  I generally try to avoid long tangents and touchy subjects whenever possible but I seem to be finding myself in the middle of them more often than not these days.
> 
> Its reminding me of why i took such a lengthy break from the boards in the first place .



Don't apologize.  If you hadn't of said something I would have and was ready to hit quote until I saw you had already responded.  But I'll add my two cents anyway...

While we're all welcome to read and comment on any trip report on the Disboards we should also remember that the people that write them are doing so to share information and fun with board members.  They may also enjoy writing them.  A lot of us have gotten great information and enjoyment out of Gina's trip reports along with whomever else's we've read.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that anyone, myself included, should come on someone's trip report and judge them for something they did on vacation, something they spent money on or anything else they share.


----------



## jaceraden

I had a whole response typed out but decided it was pointless. I said I'm glad you're able to enjoy First Class and I meant it. You paid for it so that's your privilege.

As a lifeling Canuck myself, I am also an apologizer. I'm sorry you didn't read my response the way it was intended and had your feelings hurt. There was a message in there but clearly it was lost in translation. I will continue to enjoy your trip reports in silence.

Edit: I only edited this to change the word apologist to apologizer. Not sure that's even a word but it turns out apologist does not mean what I thought it did.


----------



## Monykalyn

Hey Gina! Glad I got clued in on your trip report! I’ve taken a long break from the boards, and de-activated the Facebook account. Needed a break for my mental health when this mess started (way too many people constantly predicting doom  and gloom as an armchair expert, and way to many blowing everything off).
Seems I lost my quotes lol.
Sea world looks amazing. Hope it makes it through this shutdown. Your reports always make me want to get an annual pass. But we activated our Disney AP’s in January on our trip, and hubs decided to get his Universal AP, although a low tier one. I’ve still got my Premiere pass there and will renew that. We LOVE the free Valet parking that comes with it! How come you guys don’t take advantage of the Valet? A small tip (well we tend to trip those guys and gals better than small lol) and it’s way closer than trekking to the garage.
Middle kid is accepted and going to University of Central Florida this fall. I suspect that SW pass may be in our future  Between that kid and Hubs oldest living in Florida...wellfor the first time hubby was the one who brought up perhaps we should look into a condo in central Florida...he always just laughed before   He know I’m gonna be there a lot.
Glad to see you are bouncing back, and planning other trips. So far we are planning on Disney in August when we take the kid to college- driving her car down. Hubs oldest has a conference there at the Contemporary  (cardiologist conference- she’s a PhD researcher in myocarditis) and the conference isn’t cancelled (yet) so we planned to be at the parks. Can’t beat conference room rates. 
Are your October rates at the end of the month? Our mom/dtr HHN trip is in September but really tempting to book a long weekend in October as flights are cheap and flex booking options if need to reschedule...
Your back yard looks AMAZING! love the fire pit and gazebo! We are doing pandemic projects too- mostly inside stuff. Since we had to postpone France trip for kiddos graduation present (going next year) we’ve got time and money.

I seriously gotta check out the Capones show. And we enjoyed the Spiritof Aloha show - we did it back in 2014, so not sure if it’s the same now.

Happy late Anniversary!


----------



## WannaGoDW

Well written and to the point. I always look forward to your reports and wish you the best!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

afan said:


> Don't apologize.  If you hadn't of said something I would have and was ready to hit quote until I saw you had already responded.  But I'll add my two cents anyway...
> 
> While we're all welcome to read and comment on any trip report on the Disboards we should also remember that the people that write them are doing so to share information and fun with board members.  They may also enjoy writing them.  A lot of us have gotten great information and enjoyment out of Gina's trip reports along with whomever else's we've read.
> 
> HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that anyone, myself included, should come on someone's trip report and judge them for something they did on vacation, something they spent money on or anything else they share.



Thank you, my friend.  I appreciate the kind words.



Monykalyn said:


> Hey Gina! Glad I got clued in on your trip report! I’ve taken a long break from the boards, and de-activated the Facebook account. Needed a break for my mental health when this mess started (way too many people constantly predicting doom  and gloom as an armchair expert, and way to many blowing everything off).
> Seems I lost my quotes lol.
> Sea world looks amazing. Hope it makes it through this shutdown. Your reports always make me want to get an annual pass. But we activated our Disney AP’s in January on our trip, and hubs decided to get his Universal AP, although a low tier one. I’ve still got my Premiere pass there and will renew that. We LOVE the free Valet parking that comes with it! How come you guys don’t take advantage of the Valet? A small tip (well we tend to trip those guys and gals better than small lol) and it’s way closer than trekking to the garage.
> Middle kid is accepted and going to University of Central Florida this fall. I suspect that SW pass may be in our future  Between that kid and Hubs oldest living in Florida...wellfor the first time hubby was the one who brought up perhaps we should look into a condo in central Florida...he always just laughed before   He know I’m gonna be there a lot.
> Glad to see you are bouncing back, and planning other trips. So far we are planning on Disney in August when we take the kid to college- driving her car down. Hubs oldest has a conference there at the Contemporary  (cardiologist conference- she’s a PhD researcher in myocarditis) and the conference isn’t cancelled (yet) so we planned to be at the parks. Can’t beat conference room rates.
> Are your October rates at the end of the month? Our mom/dtr HHN trip is in September but really tempting to book a long weekend in October as flights are cheap and flex booking options if need to reschedule...
> Your back yard looks AMAZING! love the fire pit and gazebo! We are doing pandemic projects too- mostly inside stuff. Since we had to postpone France trip for kiddos graduation present (going next year) we’ve got time and money.
> 
> I seriously gotta check out the Capones show. And we enjoyed the Spiritof Aloha show - we did it back in 2014, so not sure if it’s the same now.
> 
> Happy late Anniversary!



Hey there!!  I was wondering where you've been at lately!

I hear ya on the social media stuff.  I've had to use the unfollow feature on Facebook more than I care to admit since this whole virus thing let loose.  I've also had to make a conscious effort to turn off the news.....and its been very cleansing.

I know this extended closure will be super tough on my beloved SeaWorld,  but I think they will endure.  They are certainly being very good to their passholders......they made some big announcements last week that quite impressed me.  I'm sad that we didn't squeeze in that one last trip with our Universal APs, but at least we have the OI meetups to look forward to in December.   We never used the free valet with our APs because we are always hesitant to put the rental in the hands of a stranger......probably over-worrying, but we can't help but wonder what would happen if they hit another car while parking ours.  Yeah, we're a little paranoid!!  lol

If hubby is on board with a condo purchase,  I hope you are spending your quarantine stalking listing on Zillow!  Strike while the iron is hot, girl!  

October dates for us are the 16th to 23rd.   We had tried for the last week, but our Pet Nanny is actually headed to Orlando during that time for her first Disney experience. So, we bumped it back a week to ensure the kitties are well cared for.  I assume this means we will miss you.....again?  

Thank you for the anniversary wishes and for the compliments on the backyard improvements.  I just wish it was warm enough to enjoy it more!!  Apparently we are going to break the all time record for low temps on this date tonight.  Let's just say I am not amused.

I'm so sorry to hear that your France trip was canceled.   I cant even imagine how devastating that must have been.  Losing a Florida trip is one thing, but opportunities to go to Europe don't roll around nearly as often.  Whatcha working on in the house?  Knocking down walls, HGTV-style?

DEFINITELY plan to do Capones (assuming they aren't another of the Covid-19 casualties.....I sincerely hope they are not).  And I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Spirit of Aloha!!   That makes me extra excited to go!



WannaGoDW said:


> Well written and to the point. I always look forward to your reports and wish you the best!



Thank you .  I appreciate you taking the time to read along, and the supportive comments.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hey there everyone,

I know I owe you all another update/entry, and I apologize for being lax on that this week.  I had a few wonky things come up over the last few days (a persistent migraine for one, and several work issues to resolve after the Governor extended our Stay At Home order from it's original expiry on May 15th through the end of the month) and I hate rushing an entry and then being disappointed in how it reads.  It's supposed to be stupidly cold this weekend (for May, anyway) so I'm quite sure I'll have ample opportunity to whip up a post with some substance over the course of Saturday and Sunday.  

It was a mix of highs and lows this week as far as the trip planning for October and December goes.  I was super sad to learn that Sweet Tomatoes has been financially unable to weather the effects of the coronavirus closure and will not be reopening.  We LOVED visiting Sweet Tomatoes on our Orlando trips (there's none up here in the Mitten) and we will seriously miss the ability to enjoy a fresh, healthy, tasty meal at a crazy low price on our future vacations.  Here I was worried about their future when they announced a while back that they would be demolishing the Crossroads to make way for new road developments.....and they didn't even make it to that point.  Sigh.

On a high note, SeaWorld announced some extra incentives (once the parks reopen) that they will be offering to their passholders as a thank you for their support.  Not only are they extending the term of all active annual passes for the amount of time the park is closed (as well as extending all annual-term products, such as Photokey and the All-Season dining plan, for that same amount of time), but they are also upgrading all passholders one full tier for the balance of 2020.  So, all bronze passholders move to silver level, all silver to gold, all gold to platinum (which I think is the BEST upgrade of them all....yay gold passholders!!) and since platinum, which is what we have, is already the top tier .... and there's no where "up" to go .... we get the following extra benefits:

- one free extra bring a friend ticket
- $50 per pass to spend on anything we would like
- an increase to 30% off all dining and shopping
- 2 free specialty drinks

While there was sadly a whole lot of complaining from folks about how they felt one level of passmembers made out better than another level, I am very impressed by SW that they are doing anything at all over and above the pass extensions.  They were not at all obligated, which makes these kinds of gestures that much sweeter.   We are kind of considering splurging on the Killer Whales Up Close tour on our October trip, assuming there is availability, since we could knock the price down quite considerably by applying our $50 in-park credits.   I just wish we could put those free guest tickets to good use, especially since we each have an additional 3 (I think?) that come with the passes already.  Anyone want to vacation with us later this year?  ;-) 

I also had a happy moment this week when my new tiki-inspired Mickey ears for our Spirit of Aloha night arrived!    They've been on a bit of an American Adventure since they were shipped by the Etsy crafter who made them in mid-April:  travelling through New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and then FINALLY to Michigan through the USPS system.  The postal service has been a bit kooky during the pandemic outbreak, and the strange route taken by my box is a perfect example.  But they are finally here and they are SO PRETTY!!  I absolutely cannot wait to wear them!! 



Y'all should be proud of me  I managed to resist the urge to wear them around the house the day they arrived.....even though I was oh-so-tempted.  

I have been toying with the idea of adding an extra Disney breakfast to the fall trip plans, but I'm undecided on which one would be worth booking.  It would be on a day we don't plan to be in the parks, so it would have to be at one of the resorts.  It ideally would also be a restaurant we haven't eaten at before so we can continue our pledge to include as many new experiences as possible (or, if not a totally new restaurant, it should be a place we've never eaten BREAKFAST at before).   We were kind of mulling over The Wave, Whispering Canyon Cafe, or Trails End.....but would love your feedback or suggestions.  Maybe there's another gem that I am not considering?  We've already done Cape May, Ohana, the Supercalifragilistic breakfast at the GF, and we have a Boma ADR already.     All feedback welcome!


----------



## Joanna71985

I'm so happy with what SW is doing for the passholders! (I was also already Platinum)

Also- I think you would love KWUC! It's my favorite tour


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I'm so happy with what SW is doing for the passholders! (I was also already Platinum)
> 
> Also- I think you would love KWUC! It's my favorite tour



Your photos of that tour (and your consistent good reports about it) are what's been making us want to do it!!  It looks AMAZING!   We have already done most of the other tours offered at the park,  so it would be fun to do something new.  If for some reason we can't book the killer whales tour (if it happens to be full), we will do the Rhino Encounter at BG instead......it looks awesome too!!

I am a bit worried that we will have trouble using our Platinum perks of reserved show seating and preferred parking now that so many folks have been upgraded,  but I'm still super impressed with SW's efforts.....and appalled by all the ballyhooing and complaining by some of the people on the passmembers Facebook page!!


----------



## I-4Bound

I LOVE those ears! So adorable, and perfect for the show. I bought SeaWorld and Aquatica tickets for my family right before all of the virus craziness started, and now I wonder if we will get to use them this summer at all. I moved our June reservation to the end of July, and I hope we will get to have our trip. If not, I'm sure SeaWorld will honor the tickets past their expiration date. I'm so glad to hear they are being accommodating to pass holders. We have already decided we are going to skip Disney all together this summer. With all of the proposed suggestions for attendance capping and distancing and closures, I don't think we will get our money's worth. I think I would rather wait until things are more normal. I really want to go to Aquatica, and I hope we will get to!


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## MommyinHonduras

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Anyone want to vacation with us later this year? ;-)



I do not think that free guest pass with be left unused!   



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


>



Oh, pretty!  I wish they came with the smell of fresh plumeria, we have these in our yard and they small amazing!  They are my husband;s favorite.



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Trails End.


We have been twice, once for breakfast(it was actully brunch so a mix of breakfast and dinner menu that was offered on Saturdays I believe so like both bacon and fried chicken together).  We love the Fort.  We enjoyed the comfort food offererd and have had great servers both times.


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## dalmatian7

I hope you are feeling better and poo poo to that person that so rudely commented on your first class flight.  I have to wonder about someone's reading comprehension that they get that from your report.  

It is nasty cold here in NEPA too.  Plus snow this morning :-( .  My poor lilac tree was about to bloom and I figure the flowers all got zapped last night.  Our stay at home has been extended too but my work (an essential business) has reopened so I am going in everyday but only partial because my DD is home.  My DH is there but his work at home is so busy, I feel guilty that she is spending so much time playing/working by herself.  Mom life, we always feel like we should be doing more/better for our families.
We hit our dining reservation day yesterday annnnnnndddd….. I have nothing. I haven't even made a loose plan for our November trip.  I have very little hope it will actually happen. I think we will end up canceling, but I have resolved to at least put pen to paper and come up with a loose plan of day and a few restaurant picks by the end of the weekend.  

I love your backyard.  I was tempted to get plants when we had that little heat wave last weekend too but held off because it is never safe here before memorial day.  
Thanks for all the updates, I love your SeaWorld and Universal experiences.  DD has just "discovered" Harry Potter and the deal was she had to read at least the first book before we saw the movie. She finally finished two weeks ago and I was thinking of surprising her with a Universal day in nov instead of a waterpark day.  
My sister did spirit of aloha and really enjoyed it, and I love those ears. So cute!  enjoy the weekend but try not to work too hard


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## Penguinempress

I love that photo of Steve and the manatee! I could watch them for ages, they’re such sweet gentle giants.

I thought of you when I heard the sad news about Sweet Tomatoes – it was your trip reports that introduced me to the chain so my husband and I had our first visit on our trip last April. We loved it – it was so nice to have a fresh, healthy & affordable alternative to fast food. We went back on our September trip and I’m sad that Sweet Tomatoes visit will now be our last.

Love your tropical mouse ears, very cute!


----------



## Monykalyn

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> If hubby is on board with a condo purchase, I hope you are spending your quarantine stalking listing on Zillow! Strike while the iron is hot, girl!


I have been lol! The challenge is- closer to the DD that is in Jacksonville or closer to UCF where kiddo is in college. I’m not worried about drive to Orlando and right now it’d make more sense to be closer to the college so kiddo could use it next year and establish residency- making the last two years of college super cheap. But we’d ultimately want to be on the coast...


Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I'm so sorry to hear that your France trip was canceled. I cant even imagine how devastating that must have been. Losing a Florida trip is one thing, but opportunities to go to Europe don't roll around nearly as often. Whatcha working on in the house? Knocking down walls, HGTV-style?


France is postponed to May 2021. Sucks, but I’m starting to think it will be much better in long run- I’ve been sick all winter with one virus after another and the asthma is still kicking up a bit, so I’ll have a chance to wrangle that back under control now.
No Walls (yet)-mostly painting for the inside, did redo the small 1/2 bath- took out the pedestal sink (who likes those things? No storage) and put in new cabinet and counter top. We have Stain grade wood trim everywhere- that the builder didn’t finish (nail holes)- finally convinced hubs to let me paint it white to go with the doors. I’m not a huge fan of stained trim, prefer the white.  We plan to expand deck and move a door to deck from kitchen to living area to give more space and functionality to kitchen.  Then put wood floors, so we have lots to do. We just can’t decide on wall color upstairs- I’ve got 6 different swatches painted   and don’t like any of them

I don’t miss MI weather! Although we are unseasonably cool here in SW MO this year, we are supposed to be back in 70’s next week, along with severe storms and tornadoes I’m sure.

October I was looking at 22-26. Airfare has gone up a bit but if I catch the crazy low again I’ll jump on it.
LOVE the ears! My weakness has been magic bands...


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Your photos of that tour (and your consistent good reports about it) are what's been making us want to do it!!  It looks AMAZING!   We have already done most of the other tours offered at the park,  so it would be fun to do something new.  If for some reason we can't book the killer whales tour (if it happens to be full), we will do the Rhino Encounter at BG instead......it looks awesome too!!
> 
> I am a bit worried that we will have trouble using our Platinum perks of reserved show seating and preferred parking now that so many folks have been upgraded,  but I'm still super impressed with SW's efforts.....and appalled by all the ballyhooing and complaining by some of the people on the passmembers Facebook page!!



Thank you!! It seriously is one of the best experiences ever (I've been doing the tour since the day it started, and I honestly can't remember SW without it). I just love getting up close to the whales

Honestly- I don't really use the reserved seating (I like to sit closer to the front), but it is a risk for preferred parking. Luckily I always arrive right around opening. And I very much agree with you on how the others are behaving


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Penguinempress said:


> I love that photo of Steve and the manatee! I could watch them for ages, they’re such sweet gentle giants.
> 
> I thought of you when I heard the sad news about Sweet Tomatoes – it was your trip reports that introduced me to the chain so my husband and I had our first visit on our trip last April. We loved it – it was so nice to have a fresh, healthy & affordable alternative to fast food. We went back on our September trip and I’m sad that Sweet Tomatoes visit will now be our last.
> 
> Love your tropical mouse ears, very cute!



I am really surprised another corporation doesn't swoop in and purchase the Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation franchise.  In this era of healthy(er) eating, with so many folks going keto/sugar free/all natural, I would think the overall concept would be continue to be appealing in a lot of markets.  Definitely the current serve-yourself stations are likely a thing of the past (one aspect of buffets that I'm not super sad to see retired) but surely someone could carry on the Sweet Tomatoes quality with cafeteria-style service?  I know it won't likely ever happen, but I'm wishing I had a few million bucks to spare because I'd certainly be up to invest it!!



Monykalyn said:


> I have been lol! The challenge is- closer to the DD that is in Jacksonville or closer to UCF where kiddo is in college. I’m not worried about drive to Orlando and right now it’d make more sense to be closer to the college so kiddo could use it next year and establish residency- making the last two years of college super cheap. But we’d ultimately want to be on the coast...
> 
> France is postponed to May 2021. Sucks, but I’m starting to think it will be much better in long run- I’ve been sick all winter with one virus after another and the asthma is still kicking up a bit, so I’ll have a chance to wrangle that back under control now.
> No Walls (yet)-mostly painting for the inside, did redo the small 1/2 bath- took out the pedestal sink (who likes those things? No storage) and put in new cabinet and counter top. We have Stain grade wood trim everywhere- that the builder didn’t finish (nail holes)- finally convinced hubs to let me paint it white to go with the doors. I’m not a huge fan of stained trim, prefer the white.  We plan to expand deck and move a door to deck from kitchen to living area to give more space and functionality to kitchen.  Then put wood floors, so we have lots to do. We just can’t decide on wall color upstairs- I’ve got 6 different swatches painted   and don’t like any of them
> 
> I don’t miss MI weather! Although we are unseasonably cool here in SW MO this year, we are supposed to be back in 70’s next week, along with severe storms and tornadoes I’m sure.
> 
> October I was looking at 22-26. Airfare has gone up a bit but if I catch the crazy low again I’ll jump on it.
> LOVE the ears! My weakness has been magic bands...



Ah, magic bands.....we just purchased some for the first time!!  A purple one for me, a Star Wars one for Steve.  I am excited to have our Fastpasses on the band versus the hard ticket, and to finally be able to get our ride pics from Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, and 7 Dwarves Mine Train.   We have fumbled with the card-style tickets for the last few trips but finally decided to bite the bullet and buy the MB's.  With a MNSSHP, a day at Epcot, and a MVMCP all planned for later this year, I'm sure we won't be regretting that small investment!  (Steve's limited edition one was on sale for $8.99 this week.....a steal!)

Sounds like you definitely have your hands full at the house, but it's going to look AMAZING when you get it all done!  Wood floors are THE BEST, so easy to keep clean.  I don't envy you having to pick paint colors, its so hard to tell what a whole room will look like from just a tiny 1" x 1" paint swatch.

I hope you feel better soon....do you also have seasonal allergies?  Seems most asthmatics that I know also suffer from allergies to at least some degree.  Spring can be pretty cruel for that at times.  The weather man is promising us 70+ for next weekend as well, and after last night's freeze he better darn well be right!  LOL!



Joanna71985 said:


> Thank you!! It seriously is one of the best experiences ever (I've been doing the tour since the day it started, and I honestly can't remember SW without it). I just love getting up close to the whales
> 
> Honestly- I don't really use the reserved seating (I like to sit closer to the front), but it is a risk for preferred parking. Luckily I always arrive right around opening. And I very much agree with you on how the others are behaving



We generally always arrive right at opening as well, so hopefully we'll still get preferred parking on most of our visits if we continue not to dilly dally in the mornings.  This will give us a good reason to get up and get going!

You are doing a fine job at convincing me to do KWUC.  I just hope they are not sold out on the day we go!  I wish we could pre-book with those $50 vouchers rather than having to wait to use that credit in the park.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> I LOVE those ears! So adorable, and perfect for the show. I bought SeaWorld and Aquatica tickets for my family right before all of the virus craziness started, and now I wonder if we will get to use them this summer at all. I moved our June reservation to the end of July, and I hope we will get to have our trip. If not, I'm sure SeaWorld will honor the tickets past their expiration date. I'm so glad to hear they are being accommodating to pass holders. We have already decided we are going to skip Disney all together this summer. With all of the proposed suggestions for attendance capping and distancing and closures, I don't think we will get our money's worth. I think I would rather wait until things are more normal. I really want to go to Aquatica, and I hope we will get to!



I am virtually 100% certain that SW will work with you to use those tickets on a future date, if for some reason you can't use them in July ... they are being SO great with their passholders, I'm very confident that they will be equally as accommodating to day guests. 

I do think its super wise that you moved your trip.....I'm beginning to wonder what kind of modified experience the June folks are going to have.  The effects of this virus look like they are going to be felt even beyond what I would have thought was the worst case scenario.

I have my fingers crossed that you will be able to experience Aquatica as well, because it is SUCH a fun park!  What I wouldn't give for a float around Roa's Rapids right now!!



MommyinHonduras said:


> I do not think that free guest pass with be left unused!
> 
> Oh, pretty!  I wish they came with the smell of fresh plumeria, we have these in our yard and they small amazing!  They are my husband;s favorite.
> 
> We have been twice, once for breakfast(it was actully brunch so a mix of breakfast and dinner menu that was offered on Saturdays I believe so like both bacon and fried chicken together).  We love the Fort.  We enjoyed the comfort food offererd and have had great servers both times.



We have 4 (!!) guest passes each which must be used up before our AP's expire, so I'm actively seeking some folks who might be able to benefit from them.  While I'd love to see some of our family join us on either the October or December trips, it's highly unlikely at this point as the Canadian dollar is painfully low making US travel crazy expensive (plus most are afraid to book airfare given the current border closures and uncertainty with Covid-19).  It's such a shame when we could provide them with lodging AND park admission.

You're making me more than a little jealous about your yard foliage!!  Definitely no plumeria here in MI, and after last night's hard freeze, we'll be lucky if we have anything but grass.  So maddening!  I'm just hoping my new magnolia tree (which I planted about 10 days ago) survives this freakishly cold spring.  We broke an all-time record last night.....and not the kind of record one wants to be breaking in May.

I am glad you mentioned about Trails End being brunch on Saturdays.....I was actually trying to confirm if that was EVERY Saturday or just on holiday weekends.  If I could guarantee they'd have fried chicken on the date we were planning to book (which would be a Saturday) then I'd reserve in a heartbeat.  That's one of Steve's favorites.



dalmatian7 said:


> I hope you are feeling better and poo poo to that person that so rudely commented on your first class flight.  I have to wonder about someone's reading comprehension that they get that from your report.
> 
> It is nasty cold here in NEPA too.  Plus snow this morning :-( .  My poor lilac tree was about to bloom and I figure the flowers all got zapped last night.  Our stay at home has been extended too but my work (an essential business) has reopened so I am going in everyday but only partial because my DD is home.  My DH is there but his work at home is so busy, I feel guilty that she is spending so much time playing/working by herself.  Mom life, we always feel like we should be doing more/better for our families.
> We hit our dining reservation day yesterday annnnnnndddd….. I have nothing. I haven't even made a loose plan for our November trip.  I have very little hope it will actually happen. I think we will end up canceling, but I have resolved to at least put pen to paper and come up with a loose plan of day and a few restaurant picks by the end of the weekend.
> 
> I love your backyard.  I was tempted to get plants when we had that little heat wave last weekend too but held off because it is never safe here before memorial day.
> Thanks for all the updates, I love your SeaWorld and Universal experiences.  DD has just "discovered" Harry Potter and the deal was she had to read at least the first book before we saw the movie. She finally finished two weeks ago and I was thinking of surprising her with a Universal day in nov instead of a waterpark day.
> My sister did spirit of aloha and really enjoyed it, and I love those ears. So cute!  enjoy the weekend but try not to work too hard



I am feeling better, thank you so much for asking.  I am so grateful that most of my readers don't see me in that negative later. I appreciate all the kind and supportive responses mor than anyone knows!

Did I read somewhere on the boards that there have been no park hours posted for November yet?  That has to make planning almost impossible!  Ia crossing my fingers and saying a prayer that your trip works out as planned......I can appreciate that vacations seem almost hopeless at this point. I am stubborn enough right now though to only allow myself to think positively for fall.  This can't last forever! (I hope!! LOL)

If your DD is a Potter lover she will FLIP for Universal!  One day tickets are not cheap, but it will be an amazing experience for her (and you!).  Even as someone who was never overly enamored with the books and movies,  I am wowed by the Wizarding World in both parks. 

So happy to hear more positive feedback on Spirit of Aloha!!!  Now that I have my ears, I'm SERIOUSLY excited!

Hope your weather improves a bit for Mothers Day tomorrow.   We are supposed to be a little warmer but rain is moving in. We can't win!  Steve is hoping last night's freeze killed off all the neighbors lilac blossoms as he is highly allergic.  Hopefully that's the silver lining in this otherwise miserable weather!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:   SeaWorld, continued*

We were starting to feel the need to get something to eat, so we decided to head over to the Pretzel Kitchen for our first meal on our all-day dining plans.  We knew it was one of the first restaurants at the park to open for regular service aside from the sole location that offers the continental breakfast each day, but it also happens to be one of our favorite places at the park to dine because you can get some different fare there than the typical theme park line up of burgers, fries and pizza.  We strolled up to the restaurant entrance just as they opened the doors at 10:30 am.



It smelled SO GOOD.  Because they were just opening up for the day, they were literally pulling everything out of the ovens so the scent of fresh cooked pretzels hung deliciously in the air.  I think I gained 5 pounds on that incredible scent alone.  It makes deciding on what to have so hard when it all looks and smells sinfully delicious!

We were there so close to opening, in fact, that they didn't have their side item (which is freshly made kettle chips) ready yet, but we didn't want any anyway.  That was just a tad too greasy for our first meal of the day.  The staff seemed to feel bad that they couldn't offer us the complete entree but we assured them it was just fine.  We grabbed a couple of drinks, made our pretzel selections, redeemed our all-day dining purchase print-outs for arm bands and settled in to enjoy our late breakfast.



Steve had the stuffed pretzel burger and I had the pretzel dog.  My preference would have been the pizza pretzel but unfortunately those weren't done baking yet either, and I didn't want to wait (my stomach was begging for something by that point and the pretzel dog was a very suitable second choice).  The pretzels were hot, dense and chewy so they were very, very filling.....definitely no kettle chips needed!  Steve literally inhaled his burger, which was packed FULL of ground beef and super fresh:  he is still raving about the freshness and taste as I am typing this entree.  Definitely getting these items fresh baked is the key to max enjoyment.  

Fueled and feeling ready to tackle the day, we wrapped up breakfast and headed to Sesame Street to see if we could catch a visit and quick photo with Elmo and Cookie Monster.  That early in the day, Sesame Street was almost a ghost town.



Inside the meet-and-greet studio, we found a very short line for photos and ended up waiting behind only 4 or 5 other small groups.  While we may feel a bit awkward waiting in line between all the young families, let me tell ya.....that awkwardness disappears when its our turn to spend time with the characters.  30 seconds in Elmo's presence and 40 years instantly melts away.



Cookie Monster was equally as sweet, and we took full advantage of the opportunity for hugs with our favorite blue friend.



After the meet and greets, we stopped at the Photokey desk to have the pictures put on our card, and asked the photo staff if they knew whether Oscar the Grouch would be meeting anywhere for photos today.  Steve LOVES Oscar, and casually mentioned to me on the way to the park that morning that he would love the chance for a picture with the loveable curmudgeon.....so I was determined to make that happen if at all possible.  The photo desk staff looked baffled with the question, and fumbled out a long reply about the fact that he doesn't generally do meet and greets, blah blah blah.  I was a bit disappointed but not super surprised, because it was a weekday in slow season so I knew the likelihood was less than if we had been there on a weekend.  We thought we'd take a stroll around anyway to see if any other characters were out and about, so we headed out the side door once our Elmo and Cookie pics were successfully added to our Photokey account.

And guess what?  Look who was literally RIGHT OUTSIDE the door.  At that exact moment.  



Steve's inner child was rejoicing.  This made his day more than he'd ever care to admit.

As we wound our way around that section of the park, we also caught sight of our favorite big yellow bird....so of course we had to stop for a hug and a picture!



You know what was super adorable, though?  There was an older couple who had a service dog at the park, and we heard them explaining to a few of the SW Ambassadors that he was in training and working on being socialized in a variety of situations.  They brought him into the line for the Big Bird meet-and-greet (immediately in front of us) and he calmly posed for the cutest picture EVER.  While Big Bird was a hit with the little ones, that precious doggo was a close second!!  Seriously soooo sweet!



*More to come*!


----------



## Joanna71985

Pretzel Kitchen is seriously my favorite restaurant at SW! I I love the pepperoni pizza pretzel

I'm glad you were successful with Oscar the Grouch (with the exception of Elmo, Cookie, and Big Bird, the other characters are unadvertised. So it's hard to find out if/when they are meeting)


----------



## Penguinempress

That photo of the service dog with Big Bird - OMG. The sweetest!


----------



## chiamarie

I'm so slow to follow this!  (And I admit that I didn't read a lot of it ).  

Mostly to comment to say that you have a much better memory than I do!   I don't remember anything about dinner service being bad.   Just that I love getting to hang out with y'all!  Lordy I hope Covid goes away soon.   So you can come visit again!


----------



## JaxDad

Mmmmm...stuffed pretzel burger!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> Pretzel Kitchen is seriously my favorite restaurant at SW! I I love the pepperoni pizza pretzel
> 
> I'm glad you were successful with Oscar the Grouch (with the exception of Elmo, Cookie, and Big Bird, the other characters are unadvertised. So it's hard to find out if/when they are meeting)



I was so bummed they didn't have any of the pepperoni pretzels out yet when we were there!  I will definitely have to plan to stop for one in October.



Penguinempress said:


> That photo of the service dog with Big Bird - OMG. The sweetest!



I actually felt a little sorry for Big Bird when that doggo showed up!!  LOL  All the little kids had been _"Awwww, Big Bird!!"_ but then it was all eyes on that sweet pooch and the chorus changed to _"Awwwwww.....PUPPY!!!"._



chiamarie said:


> I'm so slow to follow this!  (And I admit that I didn't read a lot of it ).
> 
> Mostly to comment to say that you have a much better memory than I do!   I don't remember anything about dinner service being bad.   Just that I love getting to hang out with y'all!  Lordy I hope Covid goes away soon.   So you can come visit again!



Amen, sister.  From your lips to God's ears.  

I am sorely missing our beloved spring trip.  And to make matters worse, all the Facebook memories from our previous May trips keep popping up daily just to rub salt in the wound.  Sheesh!!

I hope you will be able to make time for us in October again (mark your calendar, the 16th to 23rd).  We have quite a bit of stuffed jammed in the plans.....making up for lost time and all that!.....so we might need to get creative and do breakfast versus dinner.  Unless, of course, we could convince you to come to BG with us for Howl-O-Scream?



JaxDad said:


> Mmmmm...stuffed pretzel burger!
> View attachment 494164



That may have been actual photo of Steve at the Pretzel Kitchen!!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*



After our character tour through Sesame Street, we thought it was a good time to cruise on over to visit some of our other favorite "characters" in the park.....those loveable, noisy, animated little beggars we all know and love:  the seals and sea lions.



We love to feed these little fellas, so we headed over to the small hut that sits to the side of Pacific Point Preserve and picked up three trays of fish.  With the Save $5 deal on a purchase of 3 trays, it means the 3rd tray ends up only costing a dollar, so its definitely the best overall deal.  Each tray doesn't hold a ton of fish either, so it stretches out the fun a little longer when we have one tray each and then a third one to share.



We did the Sea Lions Up Close tour a few trips ago, and that seriously spoiled us on feeding the seals and sea lions:  on that tour, they give each participant a whole steel bucket full of fish on ice and we got to throw out snacks to those mouthly little sweeties until our arms got sore.  We had so much fun with that tour, Steve always casually mentions that if I want to go ahead and book it again, he wouldn't mind having that experience a second time (and the fact that 4 trays of fish run us $13 all on their own always reminds him....and me!....what a fair deal that tour turns out to be).  Hmmmm......maybe an extra little something to plan on for our October trip?  I may have to give that some thought!

With trays in hand (also worth mentioning....no passholder discount on the multi-tray purchase, since the cost is already discounted from regular price) we headed over to see who might come up to let us know they were ready for a treat.  There were quite a few other folks along the side of the exhibit also tossing in fish to the animals, but those little bellies have a remarkable capacity for food storage and those near the wall were happy to just keep eating.



I can't even begin to tell you how many fish from some of those young families got scooped up by those dastardly white birds.  I felt so bad for them....those trays are expensive and you don't get a ton of fish to begin with, so each one is precious.  Those birds are FAST though, so when you start tossing, you want to toss with purpose and to an open mouth or those sea lions don't have a chance.  I wonder how skinny those birds have become since the parks closed back in March?



Once we had emptied our trays and given our fishy hands a good scrubbing at the hand washing station, I pulled up the SeaWorld app on my phone to check and see what the next showtimes happened to be.  It turned out that Sea Lion High was having a showing within a half hour, so we thought it was the perfect time to have a sit-down and enjoy a little more pinniped love.  We headed over to the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium to snag some great reserved seats with our Platinum perks.



By the time we paused for a quick trip to the loo, people were STREAMING into that show, so we were incredibly grateful for the wonderful vantage point that we still managed to snag just 20 minutes before showtime:  center of the theater, just above the splash zone.  We were simply delighted to see that the mime had been reinstated since our last visit [he had been sadly phased out several years prior, which drew huge criticism from guests] and we thoroughly enjoyed his silly antics as folks waddled past, completely oblivious to his good-natured mockery.



And now......ON WITH THE SHOW!



*Next up:  Sea Lion High*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*



You know how sometimes you go to these shows which feature animals and you are just gobsmacked at how the trainers get those amazing creatures to do such incredible things on command?  I mean, SeaWorld has taught an Otter how to recycle and I can't even get my cats to move over on the bed at night!  Well, sometimes you go to these productions and NOTHING seems to happen on cue....and this was one of those shows LOL.



Much as one would think it would be the opposite, I think the _"if it could go wrong, it did"_ style show is actually even more enjoyable than the one that is carried off so seamlessly it doesn't seem real.   The mis-cues abounded from start to finish, and were not all the fault of the adorable animal stars:  from technical issues to animal trainer oops-es, this show was a hot mess......but yet hilariously charming at the same time.



A couple of doors got stuck, some of the trainers forgot where they were supposed to be, and I think even Clyde and Seamore were wondering at times what the heck was going on.  But I have to hand it to the training staff, they laughed it off and kept on rolling and kept us all entertained, even when they had gone well off script.





As always, it was hard not to be struck by the relationship between the trainers and the animals.  One of the things I love most about SeaWorld shows is the evident love that the people have for the animals that they work with, and the way that affection is returned to them.  It's a beautiful thing.  And it makes me wish I had picked a completely different college major 30 years ago.





This girl (@chiamarie or @Joanna71985 , this is Kaboodle, correct?) is always a joy to see.  Love her surprise appearance near the end of the show!  She's plays a small part but she makes a big impression!!!



Things wrapped up with a smile......let's home this guy isn't a casualty of the Covid-19 cutbacks which are almost surely going to occur once the parks reopen.  I hope to see him bringing smiles to SeaWorld guests for many, many more years to come!



As we all spilled out of the stadium like a colony of ants after being sprayed by Raid, we had the chance to stop and say hello to @chicagoshannon and her sweet family who also happened to be in the park that same day (and watched the same Sea Lion show that we were at).   I would have liked to have had the opportunity to grab a drink with them and indulge in the opportunity to chat a while, but unfortunately our tour was pending and we had to skedaddle after a rather brief hello.  That said, better the chance for a quick meeting than to miss each other entirely!  Next time Shannon, we MUST get a quick pic!! 



_*Coming up:  we're headed to Antarctica to make a new friend!*_


----------



## Joanna71985

Aww, I love seeing some of my favorite trainers (plus SLH is one of my favorite shows)! That lovely lady is Slowpoke- Kaboodle is over at Wild Arctic


----------



## chicagoshannon

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*
> 
> View attachment 494284
> 
> You know how sometimes you go to these shows which feature animals and you are just gobsmacked at how the trainers get those amazing creatures to do such incredible things on command?  I mean, SeaWorld has taught an Otter how to recycle and I can't even get my cats to move over on the bed at night!  Well, sometimes you go to these productions and NOTHING seems to happen on cue....and this was one of those shows LOL.
> 
> View attachment 494286
> 
> Much as one would think it would be the opposite, I think the _"if it could go wrong, it did"_ style show is actually even more enjoyable than the one that is carried off so seamlessly it doesn't seem real.   The mis-cues abounded from start to finish, and were not all the fault of the adorable animal stars:  from technical issues to animal trainer oops-es, this show was a hot mess......but yet hilariously charming at the same time.
> 
> View attachment 494287
> 
> A couple of doors got stuck, some of the trainers forgot where they were supposed to be, and I think even Clyde and Seamore were wondering at times what the heck was going on.  But I have to hand it to the training staff, they laughed it off and kept on rolling and kept us all entertained, even when they had gone well off script.
> 
> View attachment 494289
> 
> View attachment 494290
> 
> As always, it was hard not to be struck by the relationship between the trainers and the animals.  One of the things I love most about SeaWorld shows is the evident love that the people have for the animals that they work with, and the way that affection is returned to them.  It's a beautiful thing.  And it makes me wish I had picked a completely different college major 30 years ago.
> 
> View attachment 494291
> 
> View attachment 494292
> 
> This girl (@chiamarie or @Joanna71985 , this is Kaboodle, correct?) is always a joy to see.  Love her surprise appearance near the end of the show!  She's plays a small part but she makes a big impression!!!
> 
> View attachment 494293
> 
> Things wrapped up with a smile......let's home this guy isn't a casualty of the Covid-19 cutbacks which are almost surely going to occur once the parks reopen.  I hope to see him bringing smiles to SeaWorld guests for many, many more years to come!
> 
> View attachment 494295
> 
> As we all spilled out of the stadium like a colony of ants after being sprayed by Raid, we had the chance to stop and say hello to @chicagoshannon and her sweet family who also happened to be in the park that same day (and watched the same Sea Lion show that we were at).   I would have liked to have had the opportunity to grab a drink with them and indulge in the opportunity to chat a while, but unfortunately our tour was pending and we had to skedaddle after a rather brief hello.  That said, better the chance for a quick meeting than to miss each other entirely!  Next time Shannon, we MUST get a quick pic!!
> 
> View attachment 494297
> 
> _*Coming up:  we're headed to Antarctica to make a new friend!*_


Was this the show that the Microphones weren't working?  I can't remember as we see the show each time we're there. lol  Another show we see almost always is the pet show that is now canceled.    I haven't had the heart to tell Duncan yet although Madeline heard us talking about it.  I know it wasn't Steve's favorite but my kids loved it.  lol


----------



## Monykalyn

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> As always, it was hard not to be struck by the relationship between the trainers and the animals. One of the things I love most about SeaWorld shows is the evident love that the people have for the animals that they work with, and the way that affection is returned to them. It's a beautiful thing. And it makes me wish I had picked a completely different college major 30 years ago.


I know the trainers are still taking care of their charges-but I do wonder if those animals wonder what's happening too, as their routine must also have changed drastically. Wondering where all the funny clapping humans went?


----------



## sk8jdgca

Just want to pop in and say thank you Gina!  Reading your updates is my escape from all the bad news!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> Aww, I love seeing some of my favorite trainers (plus SLH is one of my favorite shows)! That lovely lady is Slowpoke- Kaboodle is over at Wild Arctic



Slowpoke!!  Ugh, I always forget about her!  Thank you for correcting my error......I knew you would know one way or the other.



chicagoshannon said:


> Was this the show that the Microphones weren't working?  I can't remember as we see the show each time we're there. lol  Another show we see almost always is the pet show that is now canceled.    I haven't had the heart to tell Duncan yet although Madeline heard us talking about it.  I know it wasn't Steve's favorite but my kids loved it.  lol



That show seemed to have multiple little issues....doors that wouldn't open, animals (and people) out of sync......but I didn't find it detracted from the show at all.  I actually found it rather amusing to see the trainers double over with laughter when yet something else went wrong.  It was nice to see them take it all in stride and see the humor in it all.

I was shocked when I saw that the pet show has been given the axe.  I am trying to keep a positive outlook, though, because every time the park has cancelled a beloved show or attraction (like Blue Horizons or Shamu's Happy Harbor), they've always come through with something even better.  So.....much as I'm sad that we didn't make the time to see that show one final time when we were there in January, I will hold out hope that there will be a fun new experience in store instead.  Though I am not sure how they will retrofit that theatre with the seats so close together.......post Covid-19 theme parks will look very different, I think.



Monykalyn said:


> I know the trainers are still taking care of their charges-but I do wonder if those animals wonder what's happening too, as their routine must also have changed drastically. Wondering where all the funny clapping humans went?



We have said that so often since the park closed in March!  Imagine the dolphins and sea lions especially.....the dolphins who were touched and played with all day long as part of the Dolphin Encounter and Up Close Tour, and the sea lions who enjoyed endless trays of fish all day long from adoring onlookers.  The whole park must feel so unbelievably quiet to them!!



sk8jdgca said:


> Just want to pop in and say thank you Gina!  Reading your updates is my escape from all the bad news!



Aw, you are sweet.  Thank you for being so kind.  Y'all make me happy just knowing you're reading along!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*



Once Sea Lion High let out, Steve dashed out to the parking lot to grab our jackets from the truck (a very quick task thanks to that amazing preferred parking space just steps from the entrance) and we headed back to the check in location for our Penguins Up Close tour.  This tour meets next to the feeding hut for the sea lions at Pacific Point Preserve, and takes guests into the backstage area of Antarctica:  Empire of the Penguin.



Our small group of about 10 people had the sweetest, most bubbly (and teeny tiny) little old lady as our tour guide, and her excitement about penguins was absolutely infectious.  If any of the participants weren't super pumped to take part in this event, 5 minutes with this jovial soul would have you nearly ready to burst.   She made a point of learning each of our names at check-in and involving each of us in the pre-tour chatter, which I thought was a nice touch.  She also handed out collectible animal cards as rewards for those who had the right answer to her trivia questions as we made the short walk from Pacific Point Preserve to the back door to the penguin exhibit.  We had several little folks along for the experience (one infant plus 3 toddlers, split between 2 different families) so those cards were a huge hit with the wee ones.

Once we sanitized our shoes and entered into the long rear hallway of the building, our guide handed us over to the animal care staff who began an info session on all the different penguins who call the Antarctica exhibit home.   We learned about the different physical attributes of each species, how each different type of penguin care for their young, and lots of other fun little details which made them unique.

We also learned a little about how the animal care staff keep track of who's who among all those black and white feathers.  If you were ever wondering what those color-coded bands were for on their flippers, this is their purpose.  No two penguins will ever have the exact same band.



We got a chance to see a very cool display of the eggs from each of the different penguin species, which I personally found VERY interesting.   Take a look at the size difference between the Rockhopper and the King......those Kings lay some massive eggs!



We were also given free reign to peek inside any of the off-limits rooms to view some of the babies that were being cared for outside of the exhibit.  The glass of the window made for some unusable photos, but it was super interesting to see the massive efforts that the staff put into maintaining a safe and healthy population.



Fun fact:  many of the SeaWorld animal care staff take the babies home with them to raise up until they are ready to be introduced to the exhibit.  HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?  We heard a few fun stories about the reactions of these staffers existing pets to their new foster sibling......I can only imagine how my cats would behave if a tiny penguin chick came waddling into the living room!!

Once the "educational" part of the tour was complete (much to the relief of those preschoolers.....they just wanted to see some penguins, darn it!) we headed into the exhibit.  Let's be honest:  this is what EVERYONE really came for!!



This tour gives you a very different view of the penguin habitat, and it was super fun to be within an arms reach of all these gorgeous creatures (though we were told not to touch any bird that awkwardly waddled by......that joy would come soon enough).  I will say though that it is some sort of cold in there, and we were VERY happy that we had made the effort to bring (and wear) jackets.  It saved us from being uncomfortable, which made the time inside Antarctica so much more enjoyable.



After some short and basic instructions about what to expect from our "up close" interaction, and a review of the do's and don't of a penguin meet-and-greet, our penguin specialist set about collecting the volunteer from the crowd who would be mingling with our excited group on that January afternoon.



The lucky penguin?  His name was Caspian.....and let me tell ya, I was instantly IN LOVE.



*More to come......*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*

We all took a few steps back and let the engaging little Caspian gather his bearings and get comfortable with the pie-eyed group (most of whom were oooohing and aaaahhing at all that cuteness) before we proceeded with any interaction.  SeaWorld consistently reiterates that any interaction is only possible with the full agreement of the animal....if they show any hesitation whatsoever, they are never forced to do anything at all (including participate in tours).  Caspian, however, seemed thrilled to be among some new people friends and was eager to get to know this happy group of park guests.  While the tour does not have a Photokey photographer along to capture pictures of the experience (there is not much space at all in that area....with our small group, the guide and the animal care staff, there was barely room fro a penguin!!), our tour guide was happy to take guest photos with our individual phones.....and she assured us she was quite good at it, too LOL.  She was such a doll!



What I *LOVED* and appreciated about this tour was the unhurried opportunity to interact with this affable little fellow.  Our group was so good (even the littles) about taking their turn and allowing each family to have lots of time for lovin' and photos.  We also had the chance to pet him more than once......after each family had had their individual time with Caspian, they allowed him to roam freely about our group and revisit anyone who caught his eye.



Our guide was GREAT about ensuring every participant got both group and individual pictures with the penguin, and she was a critical photo taker....which this photo-centric guest was very appreciative of.  These are experiences you want to have good photos of......if its not a great pic, then an extra 10 seconds to snap another is absolutely warranted.  These are memories you want to hold onto FOREVER.





It was heartwarming to see that this bird actually seemed to enjoy the experience as much as we did....and a few of his feathered friends almost seemed jealous that today was not THEIR day LOL.  A couple of tiny faces peered longingly over the barrier as if to say HEY, I wanna come out and say hello too!



Caspian was as reluctant to end the tour as we were......he did his level best to waddle his way out into the hallway with the rest of us as we made our way back into the heated hallway, as the care staff gently nudged him back toward the exhibit.  Good thing he was quite a sizeable little guy or else I'd have been tempted to see if I could coax him into my purse. 

Kidding, of course.....but only a little.

We booked this tour on a buy one, get one free deal that was offered on the Blue Friday sales, so at that half price discount it was absolutely a steal.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend or to pay full price for this experience though, it was extremely well done and well worth the time and financial investment.  

*Much more to come....the day was still young! *


----------



## Penguinempress

My husband and I did the penguin tour a few years ago and we both absolutely loved it! It was so random - we were feeding the sea lions and got talking to a park employee. My husband mentioned how much I love penguins and she told us about the penguin tour (and gave us a coupon for a hefty discount!) It was a quiet day in the park so the next tour had availability and we were able to join.  Since it was last minute, we didn’t have jackets (which definitely would have made the experience more enjoyable) but the tour was amazing. It was a great mix of information/education and up close time with the penguins. I got extra lucky as we had two penguins come in to interact with us (a gentoo named Skyla and a king named Whopper). And like you, our guide was amazing with photos. He got several great shots of my husband and I with the penguins, like the one below, and wasn’t intimidated by my DSLR camera – some people are baffled if you hand them anything other than an iphone for photos! Even though I got a discount on the tour, I wouldn’t hesitate to pay full price to do it again. I’ve done a lot of tours and behind-the-scenes experiences at various parks and zoos but this was definitely one of my favorites. Glad you had such a great experience too, Caspian is beautiful!


----------



## Joanna71985

I love the up-close tour! I got to meet Whopper and Skyla, and they were just the cutest (I definitely would do the tour again)


----------



## chicagoshannon

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Slowpoke!!  Ugh, I always forget about her!  Thank you for correcting my error......I knew you would know one way or the other.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was shocked when I saw that the pet show has been given the axe.  I am trying to keep a positive outlook, though, because every time the park has cancelled a beloved show or attraction (like Blue Horizons or Shamu's Happy Harbor), they've always come through with something even better.  So.....much as I'm sad that we didn't make the time to see that show one final time when we were there in January, I will hold out hope that there will be a fun new experience in store instead.  Though I am not sure how they will retrofit that theatre with the seats so close together.......post Covid-19 theme parks will look very different, I think.


I think they just wont' have a show in that theater until we don't have to distance anymore.  I'm guessing that's why it was the one canceled since it's the only one indoors with lots of laughter.  Luckily the other shows are pretty much open air.


----------



## Monykalyn

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Fun fact: many of the SeaWorld animal care staff take the babies home with them to raise up until they are ready to be introduced to the exhibit. HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE? We heard a few fun stories about the reactions of these staffers existing pets to their new foster sibling......I can only imagine how my cats would behave if a tiny penguin chick came waddling into the living room!!


OMG how fun!! Wonder how the chickens would react to a penguin??
What an awesome tour! Dang it, guess I'm gonna be on the lookout for Seaworld passes now! 
Have you done the Wild Africa Trek at Animal Kingdom? That was a tour we got a ridiculously great discount on (thanks to a CM in the family) but it's one I think even full (hefty) price it would be worth it. Sounds like this tour is the same quality. I can only imagine how ornery the lil guys are gonna be when they finally get adoring audiences back again


----------



## Joanna71985

chicagoshannon said:


> I think they just wont' have a show in that theater until we don't have to distance anymore.  I'm guessing that's why it was the one canceled since it's the only one indoors with lots of laughter.  Luckily the other shows are pretty much open air.



it's run by an outside company. so it's possible that company ended the contract with SW


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## scottishgirl1

Well that cheered me up this evening, delighted to see you back writing trip reports!!


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## Worfiedoodles

What a wonderful adventure you are having at SeaWorld! Real life intruded (pesky work -- don't get me wrong, I realize it is  blessing and privilege to work from home) and I was on a work, sleep, work some more schedule. Able to restore a little balance this weekend, and so much fun to dive back into your entertaining and informative TR! I for one appreciate all the effort and details you provide, thank you so much for allowing us to come along on your amazing vacation! 

As a SeaWorld pro, do you think Black Friday is the best time to buy tickets? You know I always think of a question


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Penguinempress said:


> My husband and I did the penguin tour a few years ago and we both absolutely loved it! It was so random - we were feeding the sea lions and got talking to a park employee. My husband mentioned how much I love penguins and she told us about the penguin tour (and gave us a coupon for a hefty discount!) It was a quiet day in the park so the next tour had availability and we were able to join.  Since it was last minute, we didn’t have jackets (which definitely would have made the experience more enjoyable) but the tour was amazing. It was a great mix of information/education and up close time with the penguins. I got extra lucky as we had two penguins come in to interact with us (a gentoo named Skyla and a king named Whopper). And like you, our guide was amazing with photos. He got several great shots of my husband and I with the penguins, like the one below, and wasn’t intimidated by my DSLR camera – some people are baffled if you hand them anything other than an iphone for photos! Even though I got a discount on the tour, I wouldn’t hesitate to pay full price to do it again. I’ve done a lot of tours and behind-the-scenes experiences at various parks and zoos but this was definitely one of my favorites. Glad you had such a great experience too, Caspian is beautiful!



What an adorable pic!!!

We have done a handful of SeaWorld & Busch Gardens tours now, mostly at some sort of promotional price or discount, and we seriously haven't been disappointed in a single one.  And in most cases, we'd gladly pay full price for them if a discount was not offered for some reason....they have all been THAT good.  How lucky that you got double the penguin love on your specific tour!!!



Joanna71985 said:


> I love the up-close tour! I got to meet Whopper and Skyla, and they were just the cutest (I definitely would do the tour again)



Sounds like Whopper is a popular guy!  It must be fun for the trainers to watch the animals grow, and be able to pick out "Yup, that guy over there, he's going to be one of our Tour penguins!" just based on their personalities.



chicagoshannon said:


> I think they just wont' have a show in that theater until we don't have to distance anymore.  I'm guessing that's why it was the one canceled since it's the only one indoors with lots of laughter.  Luckily the other shows are pretty much open air.



I really hope they figure out a way to use that building for something.  C'mon SeaWorld, don't let me down!!



Monykalyn said:


> OMG how fun!! Wonder how the chickens would react to a penguin??
> What an awesome tour! Dang it, guess I'm gonna be on the lookout for Seaworld passes now!
> Have you done the Wild Africa Trek at Animal Kingdom? That was a tour we got a ridiculously great discount on (thanks to a CM in the family) but it's one I think even full (hefty) price it would be worth it. Sounds like this tour is the same quality. I can only imagine how ornery the lil guys are gonna be when they finally get adoring audiences back again



How bad could it be?  They're both birds, right?  ;-)   Just be sure to video tape the introduction so the rest of us can enjoy the experience with you!  LOL

I think you might see a great rate on SW passes on Black Friday if this pandemic closure goes on much longer.  They haven't offered AP's on Black Friday for the last couple of years (except for one last opportunity to buy before a price increase went into effect) but I fear this year might be the season for deals, just to lure folks back to the park.  If that's the case, definitely buy them!  And book a tour!  LOL

We haven't done the Wild Africa Trek at AK yet but it looks AMAZING.  In fact, we've ever only been to AK once, and that was wayyyyy back in 2009.  It was Steve and Jake's favorite park that trip (our first visit to Florida) so I'm not sure why we never went back.  While we've been to MK and Epcot multiple times over the years, AK and DHS have been a once only for us.



scottishgirl1 said:


> Well that cheered me up this evening, delighted to see you back writing trip reports!!



Glad to have you reading along!!  Welcome back!!



Worfiedoodles said:


> What a wonderful adventure you are having at SeaWorld! Real life intruded (pesky work -- don't get me wrong, I realize it is  blessing and privilege to work from home) and I was on a work, sleep, work some more schedule. Able to restore a little balance this weekend, and so much fun to dive back into your entertaining and informative TR! I for one appreciate all the effort and details you provide, thank you so much for allowing us to come along on your amazing vacation!
> 
> As a SeaWorld pro, do you think Black Friday is the best time to buy tickets? You know I always think of a question



Ah, I hear ya.  I head back to the office tomorrow......while Michigan is still shut down up to and including the 28th, I was deemed essential way back at the beginning of this mess so its time for me to help prep for our eventual reopening in 2 weeks.  I am going to miss my lazy morning coffees and all the time I've been spending outside!  I will also have to work MUCH harder at keeping on this trip report!

Thank you for your kind words, they really do mean a lot.  I sometimes think I'm rambling along too much, but I leave it to you guys to skip all my yattering and just review the pics if you think I'm being verbose.  Mainly you just get a hodgepodge of all the stuff that's rattling around inside my head.   

What kind of tickets were you looking for?  Multi-day/multi-park, or annual passes?  Black Friday has historically had some pretty sweet offers (not so much on AP's over the past few years, but definitely on single day or 2-day tickets) but with all the economic turmoil this year, I'm really not sure what BF 2020 will bring.  It's bound to go one of two ways:  either they offers will be FABULOUS to lure people into the park for the 4th quarter, or they will be lacking as they can't afford to sell off their product at a cheaper price due to the losses they've posted this spring.  I'm hoping for the former.  

Here is the Disboards thread from last year that details the 2019 offers, if you want to check it out:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/2019-sea-world-parks-blue-friday-discussion-info-thread.3777279/
It will at least help you get a feel for what times of discounts *might* be forthcoming in November.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*

After the conclusion of our penguin tour, we headed to the Waterway Grill for a bite to eat on our all day dining plan.



The Waterway Grill was re-imagined when Infinity Falls debuted in fall 2018.    This whole area underwent an incredible metamorphosis which saw an updated theme, expanded landscaping, and a complete overhaul of the menu available here (as well as a new restaurant name).    There are lots of unique foods here that aren't available at the other locations around the park......things like pan-seared tofu, black beans & rice, empanadas, and plantains.  While *I'm* definitely not the most adventurous eater, Steve enjoys some variety so we wanted to give it a try for the first time.



I was a bit relieved to find they had chicken tenders and waffle fries as one of the entree items, so that was my safe and dependable pick for our mid-day meal (phew!!).    Steve's keen sense of smell had picked up the scent of fire and beef, so he had a grilled churrasco steak with an amazon salad.

Everything was really good, and the only complaint we could really offer was that the steak was a bit more done than he requested.....but it wasn't tough and he said it was still pretty tasty.  Not the finest cut of steak either, of course, but as good as a person can expect at a quick-service theme park location.  Just the fact that SeaWorld offers a quick service restaurant that serves steak rates pretty high in our books!

Steve skipped dessert (he was pretty full after his salad, steak, and the balance of my waffle fries and tenders that I didn't want to eat) but I was smart and saved room for this little darling:



This cookie dough cupcake was one of the dessert options on the dining plan, and we didn't see it at any other location in the park.   I'm a cookie dough lover at the best of times, so this was a must try.

The cupcake was really good (nice and moist) and the cookie dough was SUPER rich.  It was a heavy dessert, and pretty sizeable considering it was "just a cupcake", so I couldn't manage to eat the whole thing at one sitting (though Lord knows I tried LOL).  Steve had a few bites as well, but the last little bit we ended up tossing into the trash:  sweet tooth or not, there's only so much richness I can tolerate at one time, and I didn't want to over-indulge and then feel gross all afternoon.  What I *can* tell you, though, is that I will be seeking this out again in October and hoping that they kept it on the menu.  This was yummy enough it definitely warrants a repeat in the fall!

After lunch, we popped into a few of the shops to browse around as we walked off some of our cupcake coma.  



I had fun checking out all the cool animal stuffies that they had.....I wanted to hug them all!  Gosh darn it, I need a grandbaby one of these days so I can have a good excuse to just buy one of everything :-D.



I really liked the 2020 merchandise logo this year......very well done!  We always try to pick up something from the park that has the year on it, though this trip we took a pass figuring we'd indulge in a little more retail therapy when we were there in the spring.  Now that our April trip got "corona-d", I'm wishing that I had made a few special purchases after all.  I can assure you I will be buying a few Christmas ornaments from here on our October and December trips!



A quick check of the time and the SeaWorld app, and we noted it was time to get heading toward Orca stadium (recently renamed....it will always be "Shamu Stadium" to me) for the brand new "Orca Encounter".  



With only 2 showings on that day, we expected the theater to be full....especially since it was a brand new park feature.  One Ocean, a fan favorite for many years, had been retired earlier in the month and we were both excited and curious to see how the new show (which was branded as having a more educational and less performance-based format than before) measured up.

We were grateful once again for our platinum passes that provided us with reserved seating in some of the best seats in the house:  dead center of the stadium and just outside of the splash zone.  It was, indeed, a VERY full audience.....so that complimentary perk was sure appreciated for the second time that day!



*More to come......*


----------



## I-4Bound

I would imagine they will have loads of 2020 merchandise on clearance by the time the park finally reopens!  if we get to go in July, I'll check it out for you.


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## chicagoshannon

That cupcake.  LOL  We didn't see it at all but I don't think we looked at that menu.   Would have been Madeline's dessert choice if she had seen it.

I think Duncan owns one of each stuffy from SW.  He has the HUGE beluga whale (and the huge cheetah from BG).  Stuffies are definitely his souvenir of choice!

I don't think we've talked about your December trip yet, but I believe we'll be there at the same time.  One good thing about SW being closed is that now it's been closed long enough to extend our pass into December so we'll be able to enjoy the Christmas offerings at SW.  Most of our trip will be at Disney but you better believe we'll be heading to SW on the Sunday we're there (Dec 6)

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Orca Encounter.  I enjoyed it but the kids were really disappointed.  They especially missed the part where one of the whales is offered fish and keeps shaking his head no until they pour the whole bucket into his mouth.  They were really disappointed that part wasn't there.


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## Joanna71985

I love the food at Waterway Grill! My favorite is the pulled-pork bowl


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## Worfiedoodles

Looks like you had a great meal, and so nice to have terrific seats for shows!

This trip just gets better and better 

So I hadn’t thought through tickets yet. Ii guess it would depend on the deal. If it makes more sense to get APs and go more than once, we’d do it. I’m going to check out the thread from last year, Thank You!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> I would imagine they will have loads of 2020 merchandise on clearance by the time the park finally reopens!  if we get to go in July, I'll check it out for you.



That's super sweet of you!  I'll bet I might get in on some great sales when we are there in October and December as well.  Did I mention that SeaWorld now has a clearance store in the park?  Apparently merchandise changes daily so you never know what may or may not be there, but some passholders have reported some pretty nifty finds.  It's in one of the shops in Key West, near the ray feeding, but is only open certain hours (pretty sure its only afternoons/early evenings).  Check it out in July if you happen to go!



chicagoshannon said:


> That cupcake.  LOL  We didn't see it at all but I don't think we looked at that menu.   Would have been Madeline's dessert choice if she had seen it.
> 
> I think Duncan owns one of each stuffy from SW.  He has the HUGE beluga whale (and the huge cheetah from BG).  Stuffies are definitely his souvenir of choice!
> 
> I don't think we've talked about your December trip yet, but I believe we'll be there at the same time.  One good thing about SW being closed is that now it's been closed long enough to extend our pass into December so we'll be able to enjoy the Christmas offerings at SW.  Most of our trip will be at Disney but you better believe we'll be heading to SW on the Sunday we're there (Dec 6)
> 
> Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Orca Encounter.  I enjoyed it but the kids were really disappointed.  They especially missed the part where one of the whales is offered fish and keeps shaking his head no until they pour the whole bucket into his mouth.  They were really disappointed that part wasn't there.



 I'm pretty sure Duncan and I are kindred spirits.   We've already determined that our ride tolerance and food preferences are pretty darn similar, and now we can add favorite souvenirs to the list! 

We will indeed be there at the same time in December!  Our dates are the 5th to 12th.  Hoping for some GREAT deals on the Christmas Celebration upgrades on the Blue Friday sales.  You guys give any consideration to attending the OI meetup at Universal while you're in tow?



Joanna71985 said:


> I love the food at Waterway Grill! My favorite is the pulled-pork bowl



I didn't even see they had pulled pork!  That's one of my faves too!  I know what I will be having with my cupcake on the next trip ;-) .



Worfiedoodles said:


> Looks like you had a great meal, and so nice to have terrific seats for shows!
> 
> This trip just gets better and better ☺
> 
> So I hadn’t thought through tickets yet. Ii guess it would depend on the deal. If it makes more sense to get APs and go more than once, we’d do it. I’m going to check out the thread from last year, Thank You!!



Sometimes the cost of parking can make Annual Passes a very good deal.  At $25+ a pop, it doesn't take long to eat up $75 or more in parking fees alone.  Then when you add in some of the other benefits, depending on the level you pick (dining discounts, photokey, etc.) it can make them an even better option.  But, it also makes a person want to book more trips just so you can get the mileage out of the passes......so maybe it won't save you anything after all!  LOL


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  SeaWorld, continued*

When SeaWorld announced that they were retiring One Ocean and replacing it with "Orca Encounter", I honestly wasn't worried.....I have learned from past experience that sometimes, change can be a GOOD thing.  Case in point:  Blue Horizons to Dolphin Days.  We enjoy the new show even more than the old....and that was something neither of us were expecting.  With that in mind, we went into our first Orca Encounter show with high hopes and a positive outlook.



We had read before our trip that the changes were implemented in an effort to remove much of the "show" or performance aspect and refocus on education.  While I love the educational aspect, and fully support a move in that direct.....I find these massive and gorgeous creatures unbelievably fascinating!....I am a little sad that SeaWorld continues to feel such negative pressure from radical animal activist groups.  But that's a topic for a whole different thread.



We were curious to see if the spectacular jumps that made this show the crown jewel of the park were eliminated from the new show format, but we were thrilled to find out this was absolutely not the case.   Those eye-popping flips still wowed guests throughout the show, but now they were paired with demonstrations on the stage screen of how and when those same types of behaviors would occur in the wild.  Some of the footage they had of wild orcas was really quite impressive!!



There's a little less music and a little less "intensity" to the show, but it flowed nicely and held our interest well.  We felt like the new format kept some parts of One Ocean and modified a few others.....and as @chicagoshannon mentioned, a few additional One Ocean memorable moments were removed from the new show entirely.





I always found One Ocean a little humbling.....sharing our world with animals of this size, strength and gracefulness is such an honor....and I had that same feeling with Orca Encounter.  It also highlighted, albeit in a more subdued manner, the incredible relationships between the whales and their trainers.....and the love between the people and animals is seriously beautiful.  It gives me all the feels!



It still doesn't rate as my _favorite _show in the park....that honor continues to go to Dolphin Days (or, if we are counting in ALL shows, including seasonal ones, then a tie would go to DD and Oh Wondrous Night)......but we definitely enjoyed the new Orca Encounter.  SeaWorld did a great job of bringing education to the forefront without removing the entertainment value.    This will absolutely be a show we continue to make time for on each visit.



_*More to come......*_


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## chicagoshannon

I"m with you on Dolphin Days.  I like it so much more than the previous show.  I wasn't a fan of the hokey "storyline" of the old show.  

As much as I loved the music from One Ocean I wish they would have changed it up for the new show.  Maybe they still will.  I feel like the new show was kind of rushed for some reason.

As for the OI meetup, I don't think that will happen.  We're only in town for 6 days and we'll have Disney passes.


----------



## Joanna71985

I prefer Dolphin Days over Blue Horizons, but I also prefer Orca Encounter over One Ocean


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

chicagoshannon said:


> I"m with you on Dolphin Days.  I like it so much more than the previous show.  I wasn't a fan of the hokey "storyline" of the old show.
> 
> As much as I loved the music from One Ocean I wish they would have changed it up for the new show.  Maybe they still will.  I feel like the new show was kind of rushed for some reason.
> 
> As for the OI meetup, I don't think that will happen.  We're only in town for 6 days and we'll have Disney passes.



There definitely seemed to be a push to get the new show rolled out for the start of 2020.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like when the parks reopen......I'm hearing rumors that SeaWorld plans to welcome guests again in June.

Are you guys planning on doing a MVMCP?   We have tentative plans to attend the party on the 8th.



Joanna71985 said:


> I prefer Dolphin Days over Blue Horizons, but I also prefer Orca Encounter over One Ocean



I think Orca Encounter and One Ocean are an equal tie for me.  I like them both!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Monday, January 27th:  the conclusion*

Our goal that day had been to see the three shows - - Dolphin Days, Sea Lion High, and Orca Encounter - - and to do the Penguins Up Close Tour.  Everything and anything else we managed to squeeze in was a happy bonus.......that is, except for one attraction that we intentionally saved right until the end of the day, for obvious reasons.



Much as it had been a simply lovely weather day, it WAS still January and that meant that it never got super hot.  We wanted to ensure we rode Infinity Falls but didn't want to spend the balance of the day, especially knowing we had significant time planned for being inside Antarctica, in damp clothing.  Nor was I planning on walking around the park looking like a drowned rat with wet, air-dried hair.  A girl has to have some standards, right?

So, with about a half hour left of our park day, we headed to Infinity Falls to cap off a fabulous day with a splash.



There was no line at all, so we donned our ponchos and headed through the queue right to the boarding area.  We were seated in a raft with another family of 4 who followed us up the walkway, a mom and dad with their two young daughters.

We always seem to have the greatest luck in meeting some of the nicest people.  It turns out that the father was originally from Michigan and lived many years in the same general area as we currently reside, so the six of us enjoyed some friendly chat as we bobbed our way through the rapids.  The little girls were super sweet (and more than a little nervous ... it was their first time riding) but they got a huge kick out of us giggling right along with them when one of us got a cool wave of water splashed up over our heads or cascading down our backsides.  If you're gonna ride a water ride, ya might better get wet, right?



We ended up riding 4 times in a row, all with the same family (the little girls even let another couple go ahead of them so that they could ride with us again LOL).  Mom eventually took a leave on the 3rd and 4th time down, leaving just dad and the girls to join us.  I think she'd had enough of being doused with those chilly waves that late in the day.

When we finally got off for the final time, I asked if they had Photokey and they told me they did not.  Especially since it was the girls' first "big" ride of their trip, I thought it would be really special if they had their ride pictures so I offered to text them to them if they didn't mind sharing their cell phone number.   They were SO grateful ..... but I was more than happy to give them those memories.  So as we parted ways, they headed to one of the giant dryers (ponchos don't really keep you dry but DO help protect cell phones and purses at least somewhat) while we headed to the Photokey desk to get all the pictures on our card.  One of the nice things about the cameras on that ride is that they capture several different angles, so regardless of where you are riding, you can generally get a picture of those in your group.   The ended up with a nice one that featured just their side of the raft, where we are hardly visible.  It was perfect!

By the time we headed out of the park, it was just past 6 and everything but the shops were slowly closing to guests.  We had opened the park, and closed the park.  A good day all around.



Arriving back at the villa, we enjoyed a short rest and a chance to both edit some of our pictures and catch up on social media, then we donned our swimsuits (and grabbed a couple of adult beverages) and headed out to enjoy the Fountains recreation area on such a perfect winter night.  



It was swimming weather for us northerners, but apparently not for anyone else LOL.  Despite the early hour......it couldn't have even been 8 pm yet.....we were the ONLY people at the pool.  



The Tiki Bar itself was closed (thank goodness we brought our own drinks), but the fire pit was on so we sat for a bit and just savored the peacefulness of the night.  It's not often we get that big, beautiful area all to ourselves.



Not a soul came down to occupy any of the empty deck chairs as we enjoyed a luscious swim in the pool.  The pool is heated and was wonderfully warm, so it was baffling as to why no one else was down there for a swim (cool night air or not).  Their loss was our gain.  What a lovely way to end a busy day at the parks.



After our swim, we headed up the stairs behind the waterfall for a soak in one of the two hot tubs that serve the Fountains area.  We thought *maybe* there might be some folks back in those two areas (hot tubs are the place to be in the winter!) but nope.  Still deserted.  



I always love the nighttime view from the hot tubs.  The deep green of the palm trees, back lit by the warm glow of the lamp posts against the inky night sky, is breathtaking.  So far removed from the cold, barren, snowy landscape that we left just a few days earlier.



Once we were sufficiently waterlogged, we headed back to the villa and pretty much headed straight to bed.  Our plan was to get up early the following morning (one of the few times we would actually set the alarm to ensure we didn't oversleep) and make the drive to Busch Gardens for our first-ever visit.  We wanted to be rested and ready for a big day.....which had an unexpected surprise in store once we got there!

*Coming up:  going wild at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay*


----------



## chicagoshannon

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> There definitely seemed to be a push to get the new show rolled out for the start of 2020.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like when the parks reopen......I'm hearing rumors that SeaWorld plans to welcome guests again in June.
> 
> Are you guys planning on doing a MVMCP?   We have tentative plans to attend the party on the 8th.
> 
> 
> 
> I think Orca Encounter and One Ocean are an equal tie for me.  I like them both!


My kids would like to go to MVMCP but I haven't decided yet.   IF we do we'll have to go on the 8th though for sure!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

chicagoshannon said:


> My kids would like to go to MVMCP but I haven't decided yet.   IF we do we'll have to go on the 8th though for sure!



DO IT!!!!!

(no pressure LOL)


----------



## I-4Bound

How nice that you were able to share the photos with that family! I'm sure they really appreciated it. I saw on Facebook that SeaWorld would like to open on June 1st. With the good news from Universal this week, I am feeling more hopeful that our end of July trip may actually happen!


----------



## Joanna71985

That was really sweet of you to send them the PhotoKey pictures of Infinity Falls!

Also...can't wait for the BG segment! (I had been really looking forward to this one)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> How nice that you were able to share the photos with that family! I'm sure they really appreciated it. I saw on Facebook that SeaWorld would like to open on June 1st. With the good news from Universal this week, I am feeling more hopeful that our end of July trip may actually happen!



I am virtually certain that SeaWorld will open sometime in June.....they have been running coasters with people wearing masks to test how riders fare with face coverings, so they are certainly getting prepared to welcome guests again.  Your end of July trip might be perfectly timed, with just enough space between the reopening and your arrival for all the bumps of the "new normal" to be worked out before you get there.  I am super excited for you!

Also, my offer to get you all your SW pics is still open  .  Just collect all your photos on a Photokey card, and send me the card details once you're all done.  I can add them to my account and download them for you.  I have been the recipient of that specific kindness more than once from another Diser, and am thrilled when I can pay it forward!



Joanna71985 said:


> That was really sweet of you to send them the PhotoKey pictures of Infinity Falls!
> 
> Also...can't wait for the BG segment! (I had been really looking forward to this one)



Thank you for your patience!  I meant to get the BG portion started much sooner than tonight, but our weekend became much busier than I anticipated and all of a sudden it's Monday already!  Coming up soon, though, I hope  .


----------



## I-4Bound

Gina, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much! ❤


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens*

We set the alarm for that morning so that we could be up, showered an on the road in sufficient time to make the drive to Busch Gardens and be at the park for opening.  We aren't very familiar with the Tampa area, so we anticipated that even with trusty Google giving us step by step instructions on how to get there, we may run into a snag or two (traffic, construction, or the plethora of other things than can send someone off track) so we wanted to leave plenty early to have enough time for the commute and a bit of a buffer besides.

We planned to purchase the all day dining plan when we arrived, but we weren't sure if there would be a breakfast location (like SeaWorld) or if the restaurants would open more toward noon.  So, we opted to stop and grab coffee and breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's at the Crossroads on the way so that neither of us ended up "hangry" on the drive.  We were able to be in-and-out of there pretty quick, and by the time we hopped on the I-4 we were even slightly ahead of schedule.

The drive isn't short (we have definitely been spoiled by the Vistana's proximity to SeaWorld, Disney and Universal!), but honestly it's not bad.  We could have hopped the complimentary shuttle and saved ourselves the drive, but we didn't want to be limited by the shuttle schedule (which certainly wouldn't arrive before opening and depart after close) so driving was our best option.   It's about 70 miles each way, and we made the trip in about an hour, even amidst the ample Tuesday morning commuter traffic.

Arriving at the park, we took advantage of our Preferred Parking privilege, meaning we could skip the tram from general parking to the entrance.  We arrived at the gates about 10 minutes before the national anthem was played to open the park.....and then, we were in!



We made a quick stop at Guest Services to iron out the day's add-ons and upgrades, purchasing the all-day dining plan for both of us and booking the Serengeti Safari, our free tour as Platinum passholders.  We actually had the option of using that free Platinum benefit at either BG (for the Safari) or at SeaWorld (for the Dolphin Encounter) but since we had already had some dolphin love on this trip (and previous visits), it made sense to use this complimentary perk at Busch Gardens this time.  We were super stoked to know we would be visiting some giraffes up close later that day!

We stopped for a Photokey picture at the entrance, grabbed a park map (since this park was ALL NEW for us) and then headed in to see some animals!



I loved that these guys were chilling so close to the entrance.  A nice little reminder of where were were.......nothing screams "Florida" like a whole bunch of massive gators. 

The first main section that we stopped to tour was the beautiful Myombe Reserve.



10 minutes inside Busch Gardens and I was completely in love.  The lush green foliage was completely captivating for these two travelers who hadn't seen green in months.  Entering the Reserve, it really did feel like we were in our own little Florida jungle.....and it was sooooo pretty.





While the scenery was gorgeous, the animals were really what we came to see.  We were delighted to find that we had an excellent view of these comical primates from the massive windows, and they captivated us with their very human-like behaviors.



Their interactions are always so engaging.   They seemed blissfully unaware of those funny looking faces on the other size of the glass, and went about their business as if we weren't even there.   They were completely at home in their beautiful habitat, and we were completely content just to stand there and watch them.

When we finally moved on.....we had so much yet to discover!.....we stumbled upon a few of the first of many fun photo ops of the day:  Busch Gardens has great spots all throughout the park to capture some "wild" photo memories.  It was fun to be able to capture photos "with" the animals without actually being WITH an animal.





*Much more to come......*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> Gina, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much! ❤



I am so happy to do that for you!  No thanks necessary!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> *Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens*
> 
> We set the alarm for that morning so that we could be up, showered an on the road in sufficient time to make the drive to Busch Gardens and be at the park for opening.  We aren't very familiar with the Tampa area, so we anticipated that even with trusty Google giving us step by step instructions on how to get there, we may run into a snag or two (traffic, construction, or the plethora of other things than can send someone off track) so we wanted to leave plenty early to have enough time for the commute and a bit of a buffer besides.
> 
> We planned to purchase the all day dining plan when we arrived, but we weren't sure if there would be a breakfast location (like SeaWorld) or if the restaurants would open more toward noon.  So, we opted to stop and grab coffee and breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's at the Crossroads on the way so that neither of us ended up "hangry" on the drive.  We were able to be in-and-out of there pretty quick, and by the time we hopped on the I-4 we were even slightly ahead of schedule.
> 
> The drive isn't short (we have definitely been spoiled by the Vistana's proximity to SeaWorld, Disney and Universal!), but honestly it's not bad.  We could have hopped the complimentary shuttle and saved ourselves the drive, but we didn't want to be limited by the shuttle schedule (which certainly wouldn't arrive before opening and depart after close) so driving was our best option.   It's about 70 miles each way, and we made the trip in about an hour, even amidst the ample Tuesday morning commuter traffic.
> 
> Arriving at the park, we took advantage of our Preferred Parking privilege, meaning we could skip the tram from general parking to the entrance.  We arrived at the gates about 10 minutes before the national anthem was played to open the park.....and then, we were in!
> 
> View attachment 497014
> 
> We made a quick stop at Guest Services to iron out the day's add-ons and upgrades, purchasing the all-day dining plan for both of us and booking the Serengeti Safari, our free tour as Platinum passholders.  We actually had the option of using that free Platinum benefit at either BG (for the Safari) or at SeaWorld (for the Dolphin Encounter) but since we had already had some dolphin love on this trip (and previous visits), it made sense to use this complimentary perk at Busch Gardens this time.  We were super stoked to know we would be visiting some giraffes up close later that day!
> 
> We stopped for a Photokey picture at the entrance, grabbed a park map (since this park was ALL NEW for us) and then headed in to see some animals!
> 
> View attachment 497019
> 
> I loved that these guys were chilling so close to the entrance.  A nice little reminder of where were were.......nothing screams "Florida" like a whole bunch of massive gators.
> 
> The first main section that we stopped to tour was the beautiful Myombe Reserve.
> 
> View attachment 497022
> 
> 10 minutes inside Busch Gardens and I was completely in love.  The lush green foliage was completely captivating for these two travelers who hadn't seen green in months.  Entering the Reserve, it really did feel like we were in our own little Florida jungle.....and it was sooooo pretty.
> 
> View attachment 497026
> 
> View attachment 497027
> 
> While the scenery was gorgeous, the animals were really what we came to see.  We were delighted to find that we had an excellent view of these comical primates from the massive windows, and they captivated us with their very human-like behaviors.
> 
> View attachment 497029
> 
> Their interactions are always so engaging.   They seemed blissfully unaware of those funny looking faces on the other size of the glass, and went about their business as if we weren't even there.   They were completely at home in their beautiful habitat, and we were completely content just to stand there and watch them.
> 
> When we finally moved on.....we had so much yet to discover!.....we stumbled upon a few of the first of many fun photo ops of the day:  Busch Gardens has great spots all throughout the park to capture some "wild" photo memories.  It was fun to be able to capture photos "with" the animals without actually being WITH an animal.
> 
> View attachment 497034
> 
> View attachment 497041
> 
> *Much more to come......*


I’m loving this day already! You’re barely in the park and already having fun. I have a feeling I’m going to gush over the photos from your tour!


----------



## toystoryduo

Hi Gina! I have been off of the boards for awhile, but just recently came back and saw that you had a trip report going. Woohoo! I'm a bit late to the party, but looking forward to going back and reading all about your and Steve's Orlando adventures!


----------



## Penguinempress

I always feel like the Myombe Reserve is so peaceful - it's never busy when I've been there and there are lots of great quiet spots to stop and watch the animals. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your Busch Gardens day!


----------



## toystoryduo

All caught up! I am loving your trip report as always, Gina! I especially love the Sea World posts. Our youngest DD's 18th birthday is this year, and we were supposed to do a big Disney/Orlando trip for her like we did for her older sister when she turned 18 a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, due to all of the changes, (and if we are able to travel), it's going to be a much different trip than we had originally planned. However, Sea World has become a priority now, and so reading about that part of your trip is so super awesome! We love it there!

A little off topic, but we were absolutely crushed about the Sweet Tomatoes news. We always went once or twice on our trips. We are going to miss them so much when we travel to Orlando.

Also, love your backyard! You guys did such a great job! Hopefully, the weather has improved so that you guys can enjoy it. 

Look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Worfiedoodles said:


> I’m loving this day already! You’re barely in the park and already having fun. I have a feeling I’m going to gush over the photos from your tour!



Looking through the BG pics makes me so excited to go back!  I can't believe it took us 10 years to finally visit for the first time......wish we had gone many moons ago.



toystoryduo said:


> Hi Gina! I have been off of the boards for awhile, but just recently came back and saw that you had a trip report going. Woohoo! I'm a bit late to the party, but looking forward to going back and reading all about your and Steve's Orlando adventures!



Welcome back!!  Glad to have you reading along and joining in!



Penguinempress said:


> I always feel like the Myombe Reserve is so peaceful - it's never busy when I've been there and there are lots of great quiet spots to stop and watch the animals. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your Busch Gardens day!



It also helped that it was an incredibly low crowd day to begin with.....weekdays in January are super quiet.   When we were in line for park opening, most of the other guests waiting with us were seniors.  Everyone else must have been at work!  LOL



toystoryduo said:


> All caught up! I am loving your trip report as always, Gina! I especially love the Sea World posts. Our youngest DD's 18th birthday is this year, and we were supposed to do a big Disney/Orlando trip for her like we did for her older sister when she turned 18 a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, due to all of the changes, (and if we are able to travel), it's going to be a much different trip than we had originally planned. However, Sea World has become a priority now, and so reading about that part of your trip is so super awesome! We love it there!
> 
> A little off topic, but we were absolutely crushed about the Sweet Tomatoes news. We always went once or twice on our trips. We are going to miss them so much when we travel to Orlando.
> 
> Also, love your backyard! You guys did such a great job! Hopefully, the weather has improved so that you guys can enjoy it.
> 
> Look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!



Aw, I am so bummed for you guys......what rotten timing.  What month is your trip scheduled for?  I do hope you are able to make it happen, even if it can't be the exact vacation you had originally envisioned.

My autumn plans have taken a complete nose-dive this past week, so I'm pretty much back to the drawing board as far as planning goes.  Did you see that SW will be closed Tuesdays and Thursdays for the balance of 2020, once they reopen?  Aquatica will be closed Mondays and Wednesdays, and Discovery Cove will close on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Just something to keep in the back of your mind as you work on your own trip itinerary.

We have been enjoying our backyard SO MUCH over the past couple of weeks!  We're headed to more 80+ degree weather again this week so I think the summer-like temps might be here to stay.  It's been a labor of love, for sure.....and the perfect year to do it all.  If we have to "stay home", at least we have a great space to be "home" in.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hey everyone, I wanted to pop in and apologize that I've been lax on updates this past week.  It's been part work related (we got the go-ahead from the Governor to reopen with massive restrictions last Tuesday, so implementing systems for those new guidelines and dealing with the challenges they pose has made for a chaotic post-Memorial day business week) and part crummy attitude on my part.  After being so excited about all of our Disney plans for October.......most of which were a small consolation for our cancelled April and May trips......I've watched them unravel one by one with the most recent announcements surrounding the new policies which will be in effect as of their reopening.  This weekend has been more than a little gutting as my ADR's for Boma, Ohana, and Spirit of Aloha have vanished from MDE, and at this point I have huge doubts that we'll be able to get a theme park reservation for our one-day Disney tickets that were supposed to be used for Epcot, with the intention of attending Food & Wine (which I'm also sure will be a no-go).  As of right now, the only Disney components of our October vacation that still stand is MNSSHP and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway.....and I'm fully expecting Cruella's to disappear from MDE as well before long.   Then, we learn that SeaWorld and Aquatica will both be closed 2 days each week for the balance of 2020, and Discovery Cove 3 days each week....which leads me to believe Busch Gardens may also announce something similar.  Let's just say that right now I can throw my entire carefully crafted plan in the fire and just let it burn [actually, that might be kind of therapeutic....I might just try that].  I know its all first world problems (especially with all that's happening throughout the USA and beyond right now) but its still disappointing.  And it hasn't exactly inspired me to be posting here on the Dis.

But I know I need to get back to this report, and I plan to do so soon.  My goal is to have the next entry up by Wednesday, as tomorrow is the first of the month which means a couple of crazy days at work (again) for period-end.

Thanks for your patience as I work through my sour mood.  The fact that I still can't get home to see my family for at least another month (at best) isn't helping my disposition either.   This spring has been a real bummer, hasn't it?  I know y'all are feeling it too, in your own way.

Hope you all had a good weekend in your own little corners of the world.  Stay safe, everyone.


----------



## I-4Bound

Disney has frustrated a lot of people this past week. I'm glad you mentioned the SW and Aquatica changes. It will definitely impact when (or if) we even get to take our summer trip. I know it stinks to lose those Disney dining reservations! I feel for everyone who worked so hard to make plans only to have them all flushed down the toilet.


----------



## Joanna71985

I had the same problem with Disney. I booked Hoop for my birthday in July (back in Feb), and it's now gone.  While I don't know if it will be open, my concern is they *will* reopen, and I won't be able to get the same category. Sigh


----------



## toystoryduo

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Welcome back!!  Glad to have you reading along and joining in!



Thank you, Gina! I always enjoy reading your reports!



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Aw, I am so bummed for you guys......what rotten timing.  What month is your trip scheduled for?  I do hope you are able to make it happen, even if it can't be the exact vacation you had originally envisioned.
> 
> My autumn plans have taken a complete nose-dive this past week, so I'm pretty much back to the drawing board as far as planning goes.  Did you see that SW will be closed Tuesdays and Thursdays for the balance of 2020, once they reopen?  Aquatica will be closed Mondays and Wednesdays, and Discovery Cove will close on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Just something to keep in the back of your mind as you work on your own trip itinerary.
> 
> We have been enjoying our backyard SO MUCH over the past couple of weeks!  We're headed to more 80+ degree weather again this week so I think the summer-like temps might be here to stay.  It's been a labor of love, for sure.....and the perfect year to do it all.  If we have to "stay home", at least we have a great space to be "home" in.



Thank you. We're tentatively scheduled to go in early September. We haven't made any specific plans just yet. My DH had to change his vacation days at work, and we're waiting to see if his new request has been approved or not.

Thank you so much for the information on Sea World. I hadn't seen the specific operating days yet.

So glad you're enjoying your backyard. It's beautiful!

I'm so sorry to hear about the plans for your Fall trip. I know how discouraging those changes can be, especially after all of the planning that went into it. 

Hope work goes well for you this week! Looking forward to your next installment.


----------



## mjhtvchick

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hey everyone, I wanted to pop in and apologize that I've been lax on updates this past week.  It's been part work related (we got the go-ahead from the Governor to reopen with massive restrictions last Tuesday, so implementing systems for those new guidelines and dealing with the challenges they pose has made for a chaotic post-Memorial day business week) and part crummy attitude on my part.  After being so excited about all of our Disney plans for October.......most of which were a small consolation for our cancelled April and May trips......I've watched them unravel one by one with the most recent announcements surrounding the new policies which will be in effect as of their reopening.  This weekend has been more than a little gutting as my ADR's for Boma, Ohana, and Spirit of Aloha have vanished from MDE, and at this point I have huge doubts that we'll be able to get a theme park reservation for our one-day Disney tickets that were supposed to be used for Epcot, with the intention of attending Food & Wine (which I'm also sure will be a no-go).  As of right now, the only Disney components of our October vacation that still stand is MNSSHP and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway.....and I'm fully expecting Cruella's to disappear from MDE as well before long.   Then, we learn that SeaWorld and Aquatica will both be closed 2 days each week for the balance of 2020, and Discovery Cove 3 days each week....which leads me to believe Busch Gardens may also announce something similar.  Let's just say that right now I can throw my entire carefully crafted plan in the fire and just let it burn [actually, that might be kind of therapeutic....I might just try that].  I know its all first world problems (especially with all that's happening throughout the USA and beyond right now) but its still disappointing.  And it hasn't exactly inspired me to be posting here on the Dis.
> 
> But I know I need to get back to this report, and I plan to do so soon.  My goal is to have the next entry up by Wednesday, as tomorrow is the first of the month which means a couple of crazy days at work (again) for period-end.
> 
> Thanks for your patience as I work through my sour mood.  The fact that I still can't get home to see my family for at least another month (at best) isn't helping my disposition either.   This spring has been a real bummer, hasn't it?  I know y'all are feeling it too, in your own way.
> 
> Hope you all had a good weekend in your own little corners of the world.  Stay safe, everyone.



Hi Gina, I can totally relate to you feeling sour - I am feeling the same way and it sucks!   We try to go to Orlando (from Newfoundland in Canada) at least once a year even though it is a long trip and is getting more and more expensive every year (especially with the exchange rate! ). This year we have (had?) a trip planned for August 16-26 and while I haven't cancelled everything yet, I am getting close to accepting that it is just not going to happen.   We were going to go to a few water parks, Disney Springs, Discovery Cove, Sea World, and spend one day at Universal - none of those are appealing options right now, unfortunately.

At this point, I am thinking that we may try to do a November trip for my daughter's 16th birthday or even push it off further to a Jan or Feb winter getaway...but that is all dependent on so many factors that it is just impossible to say at this point.  

Like you said, these are definitely "first world problems" especially considering the state of the world right now but it still sucks, nonetheless.


----------



## chiamarie

Hi Friend!    I finally read through some of this and here goes:

A- you deserve those first class tickets!  And I hate that sometimes reading things online; you can't fully tell what they're trying to say.   also, you never need to apologize for defending yourself.
B-  I'm still so upset about Sweet Tomatoes; we went at least once a month.   My favorite Little Person loved eating there.   Sadly, I am not sure buffets will ever return after after all this Covid craziness.
C- I'm so sorry all your plans are crumbling.  But you are you!  And I know you're still going to throw together an amazing trip!   That I will be jealous of all the fun you two have!  Its going to all be so weird and very different as things begin to open up down here!


----------



## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Hey everyone, I wanted to pop in and apologize that I've been lax on updates this past week.  It's been part work related (we got the go-ahead from the Governor to reopen with massive restrictions last Tuesday, so implementing systems for those new guidelines and dealing with the challenges they pose has made for a chaotic post-Memorial day business week) and part crummy attitude on my part.  After being so excited about all of our Disney plans for October.......most of which were a small consolation for our cancelled April and May trips......I've watched them unravel one by one with the most recent announcements surrounding the new policies which will be in effect as of their reopening.  This weekend has been more than a little gutting as my ADR's for Boma, Ohana, and Spirit of Aloha have vanished from MDE, and at this point I have huge doubts that we'll be able to get a theme park reservation for our one-day Disney tickets that were supposed to be used for Epcot, with the intention of attending Food & Wine (which I'm also sure will be a no-go).  As of right now, the only Disney components of our October vacation that still stand is MNSSHP and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway.....and I'm fully expecting Cruella's to disappear from MDE as well before long.   Then, we learn that SeaWorld and Aquatica will both be closed 2 days each week for the balance of 2020, and Discovery Cove 3 days each week....which leads me to believe Busch Gardens may also announce something similar.  Let's just say that right now I can throw my entire carefully crafted plan in the fire and just let it burn [actually, that might be kind of therapeutic....I might just try that].  I know its all first world problems (especially with all that's happening throughout the USA and beyond right now) but its still disappointing.  And it hasn't exactly inspired me to be posting here on the Dis.
> 
> But I know I need to get back to this report, and I plan to do so soon.  My goal is to have the next entry up by Wednesday, as tomorrow is the first of the month which means a couple of crazy days at work (again) for period-end.
> 
> Thanks for your patience as I work through my sour mood.  The fact that I still can't get home to see my family for at least another month (at best) isn't helping my disposition either.   This spring has been a real bummer, hasn't it?  I know y'all are feeling it too, in your own way.
> 
> Hope you all had a good weekend in your own little corners of the world.  Stay safe, everyone.



It's completely understandable. For some of us half the fun of a vacation is the planning aspect, and to have pretty much all those plans shot down is tough. Yes, its first world problems, but you can still be upset about your vacation while simultaneously being aware of everything else going on in the world. 

2020 has had a rough start for everyone, so you're not alone. We brought K over to see my parents for the first time in 3 months last week (they are allowing gatherings of up to 10 people here in NY now), and my mom was in tears within minutes because she missed her so much.  I know its hard for you right now, but soon enough you will be reunited with your Canadian dwelling family and it will be such a wonderful feeling!  Hang in there, were all here for you!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> Disney has frustrated a lot of people this past week. I'm glad you mentioned the SW and Aquatica changes. It will definitely impact when (or if) we even get to take our summer trip. I know it stinks to lose those Disney dining reservations! I feel for everyone who worked so hard to make plans only to have them all flushed down the toilet.



I feel so bad for those folks who had a Disney-only trip booked.  I can't even imagine how they must be feeling right now.  While the recent announcements have impacted a healthy portion of our trip, at least we still have other parks and components to look forward to.  That's a silver lining, for sure!



Joanna71985 said:


> I had the same problem with Disney. I booked Hoop for my birthday in July (back in Feb), and it's now gone.  While I don't know if it will be open, my concern is they *will* reopen, and I won't be able to get the same category. Sigh



I am so sorry to hear that your birthday plans were cancelled :-( .  That's so disappointing.

We are trying to hold out a little hope that Spirit of Aloha might still reopen by October, but honestly we're not expecting it as I can't see it being profitable at any kind of restricted capacity.   I guess we will have to wait and see.



toystoryduo said:


> Thank you, Gina! I always enjoy reading your reports!
> 
> Thank you. We're tentatively scheduled to go in early September. We haven't made any specific plans just yet. My DH had to change his vacation days at work, and we're waiting to see if his new request has been approved or not.
> 
> Thank you so much for the information on Sea World. I hadn't seen the specific operating days yet.
> 
> So glad you're enjoying your backyard. It's beautiful!
> 
> I'm so sorry to hear about the plans for your Fall trip. I know how discouraging those changes can be, especially after all of the planning that went into it.
> 
> Hope work goes well for you this week! Looking forward to your next installment.



Fingers crossed that those new vacation dates get approved soon. Waiting on that kind of info is not fun!

Work has been a good diversion this week....we are very busy and most of my coworkers (all of whom I have become good friends with) have all been called back, so that social aspect has been good for the soul.  Especially after such a lengthy period of self isolation.



mjhtvchick said:


> Hi Gina, I can totally relate to you feeling sour - I am feeling the same way and it sucks!   We try to go to Orlando (from Newfoundland in Canada) at least once a year even though it is a long trip and is getting more and more expensive every year (especially with the exchange rate! ). This year we have (had?) a trip planned for August 16-26 and while I haven't cancelled everything yet, I am getting close to accepting that it is just not going to happen.   We were going to go to a few water parks, Disney Springs, Discovery Cove, Sea World, and spend one day at Universal - none of those are appealing options right now, unfortunately.
> 
> At this point, I am thinking that we may try to do a November trip for my daughter's 16th birthday or even push it off further to a Jan or Feb winter getaway...but that is all dependent on so many factors that it is just impossible to say at this point.
> 
> Like you said, these are definitely "first world problems" especially considering the state of the world right now but it still sucks, nonetheless.



Oh, that exchange rate.....it is SO BAD!!  My heart hurts for my fellow Canucks who are paying those ridiculous rates on top of an already expensive trip.  It's insane.  We were at Menards a few weeks ago and they were charging Canadian guests 66% exchange if paying in Canadian currency.....I honestly thought it was a typo.   But nope. 

I hope you get some definitive answers sooner rather than later on your August trip.  Orlando would definitely be a pretty sweet place to celebrate your DD's sweet 16.  And surely by November we will all see some transitions within the parks to a more "normal"(ish) state.



chiamarie said:


> Hi Friend!    I finally read through some of this and here goes:
> 
> A- you deserve those first class tickets!  And I hate that sometimes reading things online; you can't fully tell what they're trying to say.   also, you never need to apologize for defending yourself.
> B-  I'm still so upset about Sweet Tomatoes; we went at least once a month.   My favorite Little Person loved eating there.   Sadly, I am not sure buffets will ever return after after all this Covid craziness.
> C- I'm so sorry all your plans are crumbling.  But you are you!  And I know you're still going to throw together an amazing trip!   That I will be jealous of all the fun you two have!  Its going to all be so weird and very different as things begin to open up down here!



You, sweet girl, are SO good for the soul.  Thank you for all those kind, positive, uplifting words.  You made my day.

I am working hard to embrace all this new uncertainty and am actually trying to think outside the box a bit.  I am actively seeking one really cool, unique, previously-unconsidered thing to add in to our trip just to give us something non-traditional to look forward to.  I'm wide open to any suggestions you might have, anything within a 90 minute drive of Lake Buena Vista.  I figure it might be a good time to plan a day out of the parks and explore new territory.   Jake thinks we should track down Carol Baskin at her Big Cat Sanctuary (lol) but I'm not sure that's exactly what we are looking for!!



vrajewski10513 said:


> It's completely understandable. For some of us half the fun of a vacation is the planning aspect, and to have pretty much all those plans shot down is tough. Yes, its first world problems, but you can still be upset about your vacation while simultaneously being aware of everything else going on in the world.
> 
> 2020 has had a rough start for everyone, so you're not alone. We brought K over to see my parents for the first time in 3 months last week (they are allowing gatherings of up to 10 people here in NY now), and my mom was in tears within minutes because she missed her so much.  I know its hard for you right now, but soon enough you will be reunited with your Canadian dwelling family and it will be such a wonderful feeling!  Hang in there, were all here for you!



Aw, thank you SO much.  You guys are all THE BEST.  Truly.

I'm feeling a little better about things over the last few days.  All the dining and special events have now disappeared from MDE (and refunds received) so that bandaid has finally been ripped off.  Now the "healing" can begin.  Whatever comes, we shall deal with it.

Steve winked at me last night and said, "You know Babe, planning is one of your favorite parts of our trips.  Look on the bright side.  This vacation just keeps giving you opportunity after opportunity to do just that!".  Bless his heart.

I am so glad you are able to share that adorable baby with your parents again.....she's already growing up too fast, a week makes a huge difference in her (I can see it in your Facebook pics!) but 3 MONTHS is HUGE!  I hope this means NY is finally starting to get back on its feet again.  Michigan's numbers have also been on the decline (thank GOD) so let's hope we've entered that healing stage we all need so badly.

---------

I hope to have an entry up later tonight.  Thanks for you patience, everyone.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am so sorry to hear that your birthday plans were cancelled :-( .  That's so disappointing.
> 
> We are trying to hold out a little hope that Spirit of Aloha might still reopen by October, but honestly we're not expecting it as I can't see it being profitable at any kind of restricted capacity.   I guess we will have to wait and see.



I know it's first-world problems. I'm just disappointed that it most likely won't be open, especially now that Dine with Orcas is closed until Aug (so that's 2 of my birthday plans down)

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Spirit of Aloha will be open for you


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens, continued*

After visiting with the primates in the Myombe Reserve, we just took some time to poke around a bit......we had no idea where we were going (I'm sure at times we had that dang map upside down!) but everything was new, so it didn't really matter what pathway we traveled down as it was guaranteed to feature something cool.



By sheer good luck, one of the next habitat we stumbled across were the majestic lions....and the big cat lover inside of me was instantly IN LOVE.



It was a lazy day for the lions that mid-winter morning as they lounged in the warm sunshine and snoozed on the grass like giant house cats.  We marveled at how their sleeping positions mirrored those of Violet and Dash almost identically....even though they are 30 times their weight.

Eventually we decided it would be wise to grab something healthy to eat before it was time to check in for our safari, so we made our way out to the Zagora Cafe for some vittles on the all-day dining plan.



It's a lovely little open-air spot that served some good quick service options which ranged from fresh wraps to hot burgers.  For some reason my food pic has disappeared from my Amazon Photos account (?) but I know Steve had a wrap and fruit which he really enjoyed.  I can't for the life of me recall what I chose, but knowing me and my less-than-adventurous pallet, I'd wager a guess it was likely chicken tenders.  They must have been good because I don't remember being disappointed in that meal lol.  A couple of bottles of water allowed for some very important hydration and then made our way over to the Serengeti Outpost to ready ourselves for our much-anticipated SAFARI!



Check in was quick and simple, and the staff at the Outpost were absolutely wonderful.  Once we were checked in, they pointed out the location of the nearest restrooms (in case anyone needed a potty break prior to heading out.....there would be no loo on the safari truck) and then had us chill in the adjacent cabana until our guide was ready to gather our small group.



Inside the cabana, they had some comfy seating, some fresh water for guests, and a few fun posters on the walls which provided some interesting facts about the the animals we would get to see while on the safari.  IReading through them made for a good way to pass the short wait.



It wasn't very long, though, until our friendly guide came in to greet our group and usher us down to the open-air safari vehicle that was waiting for us at the departure point.  We stowed all of our belongings in a secure locker behind the outpost (all purses, backpacks and other loose items had to be left behind....basically only hats, sunglasses and cell phones would be permitted) and then we piled into the back of that been green truck.



As I'm sure you can imagine, there were a whole host of safety precautions that were presented to us as we boarded.  Hands inside the vehicle, put your phone in your pocket so it doesn't bounce out and into the animal habitat, all the things that you would expect them to forewarn you about....but most importantly, be sure to hang on to the railing.  It could be a bumpy ride at times, we were told.....and he wasn't kidding!  LOL

We were barely on our way when we caught our first glimpse of some of the amazing animals who call the serengeti home!



It was incredible how close we were able to get to them in the safari truck!  And how calm they were as we drove by.....they weren't put out by our presence at all.



Our guide was super knowledgeable and shared lots of details about each species as we approached.  He would have the driver stop at each grouping of animals as well so we had ample time to take photos and ask any questions that we had.



Equally as captivating as the animals was the beautiful landscape.....what a stunning habitat.   It was almost hard to strike a balance between wanting to snap a million photos and also knowing I should put the phone down and soak it all in.

_*Much more to come.....*_


----------



## Joanna71985

I've done the Safari once before, and I enjoyed it (though I would have preferred a smaller group- we were PACKED into the truck)


----------



## bankr63

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I feel so bad for those folks who had a Disney-only trip booked.  I can't even imagine how they must be feeling right now.  While the recent announcements have impacted a healthy portion of our trip, at least we still have other parks and components to look forward to.  That's a silver lining, for sure!
> 
> Steve winked at me last night and said, "You know Babe, planning is one of your favorite parts of our trips.  Look on the bright side.  This vacation just keeps giving you opportunity after opportunity to do just that!".  Bless his heart.


I had exactly the same thought!  I'm always a glass half-full kind of guy, and was thinking that this is just the kind of challenge that a master planner like you needs.  It's like life just gave you a "level up" to the next tier of planning.  I am confident that you are going to find plenty of interesting stuff to do this trip.  

No pressure, but  I will be watching closely.  Borders permitting, we are still hoping to make it down in March, but with greatly curtailed plans for the parks (if any at all).  I can't see shelling out that kind of money if the experience is too heavily diluted.  We may just spend our time lounging by the pools at Vistana, but if you find some fun diversions that sound safe, we could be easily convinced!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

bankr63 said:


> I had exactly the same thought!  I'm always a glass half-full kind of guy, and was thinking that this is just the kind of challenge that a master planner like you needs.  It's like life just gave you a "level up" to the next tier of planning.  I am confident that you are going to find plenty of interesting stuff to do this trip.
> 
> No pressure, but  I will be watching closely.  Borders permitting, we are still hoping to make it down in March, but with greatly curtailed plans for the parks (if any at all).  I can't see shelling out that kind of money if the experience is too heavily diluted.  We may just spend our time lounging by the pools at Vistana, but if you find some fun diversions that sound safe, we could be easily convinced!



Hopefully by March the worst of this whole mess will be behind us, and some of the short-term changes (masks, the suspension of fireworks and parades) are long passed.  I'm optimistic.  But of course, I was also optimistic that our April trip would be fine when rescheduled to late May.....and look how that worked out!  lol

I am very curious to see what life at the Vistana looks like post-Covid19.  I would love to see a summer activity schedule to see what special events are changed or cancelled in an abundance of caution.  I hope someone who travels there over the next few months takes a moment to post on the SVR thread.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> I've done the Safari once before, and I enjoyed it (though I would have preferred a smaller group- we were PACKED into the truck)



I'd say we had about a dozen participants in our specific tour, so the truck was full-ish but not uncomfortably so.  I bet groups will be MUCH smaller once the parks reopen after the Covid-19 closure.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens, continued*



The trunk trundled on down the winding paths of the Serengeti, and there was a new group of animals around every turn. 





Some animals were quite close to the roadways, others were grazing further off.....but we saw a plethora of amazing creatures including rhinoceroses, gazelle, zebras, giraffes, and more.  They all seemed to be enjoying a harmonious, peaceful existence on this sprawling, beautiful landscape.









In spots, the massive coasters for which Busch Gardens is so well known form a contrasting backdrop to the natural landscape of the serengeti.   As the cars of screaming guests swooped by every so often, not a single animal batted an eyelash.  I can only imagine how they must wonder, over the past 10 weeks, why their home became so eerily quiet.....and how much of an adjustment it will be for them once the park reopens on June 11th.



About 15 minutes into the tour, our truck slowed to a crawl and eased to a gentle stop in the middle of the serengeti.  The animals who had been nonchalantly chilling nearby knew exactly what that meant, and even before the truck came to rest on the roadway, a few began a very noticeable bee-line towards us.  The moment we had all been waiting for.......the whole reason most folks book this tour......was here!  



It was time to feed some giraffes!!!  

*More to come.....*


----------



## Penguinempress

Loving all your photos! I've only done the safari once (back in 2011) but it was the first time I'd ever fed giraffes and it was so amazing!

You said you're looking for something unconventional to do on your fall trip - have you been to Showcase of Citrus? It's close to Orlando and touring an orange grove in a monster truck is definitely a unique experience.


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I'd say we had about a dozen participants in our specific tour, so the truck was full-ish but not uncomfortably so.  I bet groups will be MUCH smaller once the parks reopen after the Covid-19 closure.



We had 18 people  

You are probably right (and I am actually ok with that)


----------



## Monykalyn

https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/Resort updates as phases advance in Florida. Wanted to try SVR but only one pool open. Staying at Marriott Harbor lake as it has more amenities open right now- strange that some resorts allow sports grounds and fitness centers and other don’t. Seems most Orlando resorts have at least a pool open currently.


----------



## toystoryduo

Love all of your pictures of the animals! We've been to Busch Gardens once before, but we didn't get a chance to do the safari.

Hope work went well for you this week! 

A small update... My DH did not get his vacation time approved because someone else requested that same week off. Since they are already down two people on his shift, his boss had to decline it. He said he's going to try and schedule his vacation for the week after now. We'll see what happens...

Look forward to your next update! Have a great weekend!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Penguinempress said:


> Loving all your photos! I've only done the safari once (back in 2011) but it was the first time I'd ever fed giraffes and it was so amazing!
> 
> You said you're looking for something unconventional to do on your fall trip - have you been to Showcase of Citrus? It's close to Orlando and touring an orange grove in a monster truck is definitely a unique experience.



We have indeed been to Showcase of Citrus.....such a cute little destination!  We have actually done the monster truck tour there at least 2 times (maybe even three.....so many trips, it's hard to keep track LOL).  Their orange slushies are worth the trip to Clermont alone!  It's been several years since we have been there though, so perhaps they've made some changes and added a few new features.  They were definitely growing in popularity as of the time of our last visit!



Joanna71985 said:


> We had 18 people
> 
> You are probably right (and I am actually ok with that)



I think the lower numbers (not only for park admission, but for things like tours and other upgrades) will be one of the GOOD things that come out of Covid-19.  Smaller groups for those kinds of experiences make for MUCH better experiences overall....and I'd gladly pay a bit more going forward to keep those special opportunities less crowded and more intimate.

18 would have been a VERY full safari vehicle, especially if they were all mostly adults!!



Monykalyn said:


> https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/Resort updates as phases advance in Florida. Wanted to try SVR but only one pool open. Staying at Marriott Harbor lake as it has more amenities open right now- strange that some resorts allow sports grounds and fitness centers and other don’t. Seems most Orlando resorts have at least a pool open currently.



Thank you for that link......wow, I can't even imagine what a stay at SVR would be like with only one pool open, especially for folks like us that own on the other side of the resort.  I have bookmarked that site so I can keep tabs on how things develop over the next few months.  Fingers crossed there are some big changes between now (when I'm sure guests are still few and far between) and the fall.



toystoryduo said:


> Love all of your pictures of the animals! We've been to Busch Gardens once before, but we didn't get a chance to do the safari.
> 
> Hope work went well for you this week!
> 
> A small update... My DH did not get his vacation time approved because someone else requested that same week off. Since they are already down two people on his shift, his boss had to decline it. He said he's going to try and schedule his vacation for the week after now. We'll see what happens...
> 
> Look forward to your next update! Have a great weekend!



I am so sorry that your husband's vacation time was denied :-( .  Fingers crossed that his second submission is successful....and that the decision comes quickly (I hate it when vacation requests go in and then you're left waiting, and waiting, and waiting until someone gets a chance to review it).

We have some pretty spectacular weather here in SE Michigan this weekend, so tonight there will be a bonfire, wine, and a nice long soak in the hot tub.....assuming the mosquitos don't carry us away first!  LOL    You enjoy your weekend as well  .


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens, continued*



When our safari truck pulled up to a stop near a small group of giraffes (which is referred to as a "tower", if anyone wants to learn a random useless fact for the day!) it was very much like an ice cream truck pulling up to a neighborhood park in the middle of summer.  Those giant, beautiful creatures came a runnin' (well, not exactly "running"....but those incredible long legs can cross a reasonably short distance in the blink of an eye).

Our guide gave us very clear and direct instructions that we were NOT to touch the animals during the feeding session:  lettuce would be provided to each guest and we were to hold it in the air for the giraffes to eat, but there should be no petting or intentional touch.  That was pretty hard for some guests (the urge to reach out and stroke those long faces was pretty strong) and those that chose to disregard the rules were swiftly corrected by our guide.  We hung back a bit and let some of the other guests have the first turns.....there were a few kids with the other families that were SUPER excited for this experience, and being adults, we could happily wait while they had first crack at the lettuce.....but that giraffe was HUNGRY and wasted no time in strutting from guest to guest to suck back those lettuce leaves like they were nothing at all.



Everyone knows giraffes are tall, but feeding them those lettuce leaves REALLY drove home just how MASSIVELY tall they really are.    The feeding instructions were to hold that piece of lettuce in the air as high as you can, but even with my arm fully extended the giraffe had to bend down noticeably to pluck the leaf from my grasp.  Not only are you looking up to them (even standing in the back of the safari truck), you're looking WAYYYYYY up!



More toward the end of the feeding experience, one of the young adolescent giraffes also chose to come over to the truck to make our acquaintance (and partake in a yummy lettuce snack).  Even a "little" giraffe is crazy tall!



As with most amazing experiences, this one was over too soon.....I could have happily stood in that safari truck and feed those stunning creatures boxes of lettuce for hours on end.   But another tour group would be waiting at the Outpost for their turn on the serengeti, so we bid our graceful friends adieu and started our bumpy ride back to base. 

On our way back, we caught a few more glimpses of some of the Serengeti animals.....even as we came down from our giraffe euphoria, there was still lots to see.



Once back at the loading dock, our guide ushered us all back to the Outpost so we could wash and sanitize our hands as well as collect our personal items that we had stowed in our locker on arrival.

We really, really enjoyed this experience.....it was a good length (around a half hour or so), we saw TONS of animals, it provided us with a really unique (and new) opportunity, and it was both informative AND entertaining.

Out of pocket, the price would have been $39.99 per person.  As Platinum Passholders, it was a free inclusion with our passes (our other choice was the Dolphin Encounter at SeaWorld).  It would definitely be something I would pay to do and feel it was good value for the cost.

_*Backing up just a bit to the short wait prior for the tour beginning, _we had actually gotten to chatting with some of the tour staff and they excitedly had shared with us some of the details about the park's newest tour:  the Cheetah Encounter.  This tour provided guests with the opportunity to PET A CHEETAH!!!!!.....and it had only been offered since December 24th.  They gushed about how cool it was, and how hard it was to get a spot as they only took a maximum of 8 participants once per day....so of course, we had to ask..."You don't happen to have any spaces available for today still, do you?".  

They did.  We were SO torn.  At $89.99 each (less our passmember discount of 10%) it seemed a HUGE splurge.  But as cat lovers, we were SO tempted.  We discussed it a bit, and ultimately had a YOLO moment and booked our spots while we waited to leave on the Serengeti Safari.  It's only money and you make more everyday, right?  ;-)

By the time we arrived back at the Outpost at the conclusion of our safari tour, there were signs up showing that the Cheetah Encounter was now sold out.  'Twas a good thing we didn't opt to think on it while we cruised the Serengeti.

We had a couple of hours to enjoy before we had to be back for our Cheetah Encounter, and we had gobs of the park yet to discover.  No time to waste!!

*More Busch Gardens is next.*


----------



## Monykalyn

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> We discussed it a bit, and ultimately had a YOLO moment and booked our spots while we waited to leave on the Serengeti Safari. It's only money and you make more everyday, right? ;-)


OMG!! That sounds so cool!  And how neat to feed the giraffes!! 
On our wild Africa Trek at DAK during the safari truck part we had giraffes come over to the truck-they had a young male who apparently looovved the attention from the guests-so much so our guide said he was probably going to be moved to AKL lol.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

In pre-trip planning news......

We have officially booked the Killer Whales Up Close tour for our October vacation.  We are SUPER excited about this experience....it's been on our wish list for years, but the cost always seemed so high [prices range from roughly $115 to $135 per person plus tax, depending on the season].  Considering our plans have been in a perpetual train wreck lately, we felt justified in adding something special to the plans.  It helped take the sting away from our loss of Spirit of Aloha and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway at MNSHHP, and the refunds from both those events more than made up for the cost of the tour.   As passholders, we saved 10% of the price for our date which also helped a little.

We also received some pixie dust (or perhaps, "Mummy Dust"?) on our Universal annual passes.  We had purchased them in January 2019 when they were offering a "6 months free" promotion in advance of a price increase.  The caveat was that those passes had to be activated by a date in April last year in order to qualify for the 6 free months, and our trip wasn't until the first week of May.  We went ahead and bought them anyway, as even without the free months we were locking in at the lower price so it was still a win for the budget.  We had expected to use those AP's for the last time on our April trip (having activated them last May 4), but then Covid-19 happened and we just assumed we were out of luck.  Even with the extension of our AP's for the amount of time the parks were closed, it wouldn't bring our passes as active through to the fall.

Just because curiosity is my downfall, I decided to online chat with Universal to see when our passes do expire now that they have a reopening date established.   I was interested to know just how much further our passes were extended (I was thinking it would have been late July or early August).   A rep replied to my chat session with an expiry date of February 4th, 2021.  Say whaaaaat????  So yesterday, I called to verify with a phone agent, and indeed that was not an error:  apparently they have granted us the 6 months free anyway, in addition to the number of dates the park was closed due to the pandemic.  So now we have the option of visiting Universal on both our October AND December trips, at no out of pocket cost.

Game changer!!!

So not only does that fill the holes in our October itinerary left behind from the Disney destruction, but it also opens the door to attending Halloween Horror Nights.  I am now working on the updated plans to see if both the schedule and the budget can accommodate at least one night at HHN (with an RIP tour) with possibly a bonus night as well.   We had initially planned on trying out Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream as an alternative this year, but if HHN is an option, we both think it might be wise to "go with what we know" on an otherwise unpredictable and un-average year.   I'm sharpening my pencil this weekend and seeing how I can make it all fit.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Monykalyn said:


> OMG!! That sounds so cool!  And how neat to feed the giraffes!!
> On our wild Africa Trek at DAK during the safari truck part we had giraffes come over to the truck-they had a young male who apparently looovved the attention from the guests-so much so our guide said he was probably going to be moved to AKL lol.



I may have to pick your brain on Animal Kingdom before our fall trip.....we haven't been there since our very first trip in 2009, and I suspect it might be the only park Disney we have any chance of getting into in October [it seems to be the least popular among most folks on the Dis, anyway....so if the data on these boards has any merit, it will be the park with the lowest amount of interest].   I know many of the upgrades might not be an option yet due to the Covid-19 impact, but if they have reintroduced a few tours and experiences by then, I'd definitely be up to book!


----------



## Monykalyn

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I may have to pick your brain on Animal Kingdom before our fall trip.....we haven't been there since our very first trip in 2009, and I suspect it might be the only park Disney we have any chance of getting into in October [it seems to be the least popular among most folks on the Dis, anyway....so if the data on these boards has any merit, it will be the park with the lowest amount of interest].   I know many of the upgrades might not be an option yet due to the Covid-19 impact, but if they have reintroduced a few tours and experiences by then, I'd definitely be up to book!


Anytime! DAK is my favorite park!! I've been known to wake up early by myself to go hang out at DAK while rest of family snoozes...


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> In pre-trip planning news......
> 
> We have officially booked the Killer Whales Up Close tour for our October vacation.  We are SUPER excited about this experience....it's been on our wish list for years, but the cost always seemed so high [prices range from roughly $115 to $135 per person plus tax, depending on the season].  Considering our plans have been in a perpetual train wreck lately, we felt justified in adding something special to the plans.  It helped take the sting away from our loss of Spirit of Aloha and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway at MNSHHP, and the refunds from both those events more than made up for the cost of the tour.   As passholders, we saved 10% of the price for our date which also helped a little.
> 
> We also received some pixie dust (or perhaps, "Mummy Dust"?) on our Universal annual passes.  We had purchased them in January 2019 when they were offering a "6 months free" promotion in advance of a price increase.  The caveat was that those passes had to be activated by a date in April last year in order to qualify for the 6 free months, and our trip wasn't until the first week of May.  We went ahead and bought them anyway, as even without the free months we were locking in at the lower price so it was still a win for the budget.  We had expected to use those AP's for the last time on our April trip (having activated them last May 4), but then Covid-19 happened and we just assumed we were out of luck.  Even with the extension of our AP's for the amount of time the parks were closed, it wouldn't bring our passes as active through to the fall.
> 
> Just because curiosity is my downfall, I decided to online chat with Universal to see when our passes do expire now that they have a reopening date established.   I was interested to know just how much further our passes were extended (I was thinking it would have been late July or early August).   A rep replied to my chat session with an expiry date of February 4th, 2021.  Say whaaaaat????  So yesterday, I called to verify with a phone agent, and indeed that was not an error:  apparently they have granted us the 6 months free anyway, in addition to the number of dates the park was closed due to the pandemic.  So now we have the option of visiting Universal on both our October AND December trips, at no out of pocket cost.
> 
> Game changer!!!
> 
> So not only does that fill the holes in our October itinerary left behind from the Disney destruction, but it also opens the door to attending Halloween Horror Nights.  I am now working on the updated plans to see if both the schedule and the budget can accommodate at least one night at HHN (with an RIP tour) with possibly a bonus night as well.   We had initially planned on trying out Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream as an alternative this year, but if HHN is an option, we both think it might be wise to "go with what we know" on an otherwise unpredictable and un-average year.   I'm sharpening my pencil this weekend and seeing how I can make it all fit.



You are going to LOVE the KWUC tour!! I can't wait to hear what you think about it

And that is awesome about Universal! I am starting to lean towards getting a new pass (my old pass expired 4 years ago)


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## dalmatian7

[/QUOTE]

View attachment 499424

[/QUOTE]

This is such a cool picture.  I would love to do this. I am trying to figure out how I can wedge a day at Sea World in just so I can do the penguin encounter.  

[/QUOTE]

 PET A CHEETAH!!!!!.....  

*More*
[/QUOTE]
SAY WHAT?   I can't believe you left us hanging with this.  PLEASE PLEASE let there be pictures.


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## I-4Bound

I wanted to share with you all my experiences in making reservations for SeaWorld this morning. The reservation window opened at 10 a.m. this morning, but it seem to be struggling with glitches for the first 15 minutes or so. I ended up switching browsers from Firefox to Chrome and I was able to get the system to work. You can make a reservation for up to 6 people on a particular date, and you have to put in your ticket barcode information for every ticket. That took a little time, but other than that, it was pretty smooth. Also, please check to make sure your cart is empty, otherwise the system won't work at all. I don't know if I was breaking the rules or not, but I made two reservations for Aquatica in case we got rained out on the first day. I'm so happy to have it taken care of! I switched our June vacation to the end of July, and we decided to just forgo Disney altogether. I doubt I would be able to get us a reservation for any day, and I don't want to waste one of our valuable non expiration tickets on a subpar experience. If I had not been able to get the SeaWorld reservations, we would have had no parks to visit on our trip. I am definitely heaving a sigh of relief!


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## toystoryduo

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> I am so sorry that your husband's vacation time was denied :-( .  Fingers crossed that his second submission is successful....and that the decision comes quickly (I hate it when vacation requests go in and then you're left waiting, and waiting, and waiting until someone gets a chance to review it).
> 
> We have some pretty spectacular weather here in SE Michigan this weekend, so tonight there will be a bonfire, wine, and a nice long soak in the hot tub.....assuming the mosquitos don't carry us away first!  LOL    You enjoy your weekend as well  .



Thank you, Gina. He hasn't re-submitted his vacation time request just yet, but did speak with his boss who thinks the new one will be approved. That's a bit more promising!

Love the giraffe pictures! Did you say Pet a Cheetah?!?!? I can't wait to see pictures of that!

I'm so glad that your fall plans are shaping up nicely. Yay for the extra 6 months at US, and for the Killer Whales Up Close Tour as well! Looking forward to seeing the Pet a Cheetah pics, and to hearing about the updated plans for your fall trip!


----------



## KsGiGi

Just found your report.  I've always enjoyed reading your reports in the past.  I have not been on the Dis in quiet a while, and thought I would get on and dream of a vacation in Orlando.  Now to get caught up...


----------



## sk8jdgca

Oh @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina , you will love AK. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore. I could explore the paths around the tree of life for so long. We’ve never done any of the paid add ons but we like to scoot over to AKL for a break. We did the tour of Jiko/Boma. It is free! There is always something happening there at the lodge


----------



## vrajewski10513

I cant believe its been that long since you've been to DAK! Its my favorite park!! I could easily spend multiple days there. With how much you and Steve love your Animal Encounters, you should definitely look into some of the "extra" experiences they offer!


----------



## vrajewski10513

..oh... and also... little Kilimanjaro Safari tip- the BEST times to go are either very first thing in the morning or dusk/early evening. We had one right at dusk before and the animals were the most active i've ever seen them. We even got to hear the lion roaring!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Monykalyn said:


> Anytime! DAK is my favorite park!! I've been known to wake up early by myself to go hang out at DAK while rest of family snoozes...



On our very first visit back in 2009, it was Steve & Jake's favorite park as well.....so I have NO idea why we've never made it back there.  Hopefully we have the chance to rekindle that love!



Joanna71985 said:


> You are going to LOVE the KWUC tour!! I can't wait to hear what you think about it
> 
> And that is awesome about Universal! I am starting to lean towards getting a new pass (my old pass expired 4 years ago)



I'm super excited about KWUC.  Now we just need to somehow avoid the "second wave" of Covid-19 that is predicted for the fall.....I'm almost hesitant to allow myself to feel any excitement after the last couple of months.

Early reports sound like Universal has done a great job with their reopening.  I hope you get to renew your AP there soon!



dalmatian7 said:


> This is such a cool picture.  I would love to do this. I am trying to figure out how I can wedge a day at Sea World in just so I can do the penguin encounter.
> 
> 
> PET A CHEETAH!!!!!.....
> 
> *More*
> 
> SAY WHAT?   I can't believe you left us hanging with this.  PLEASE PLEASE let there be pictures.



LOL, sorry about that!  The early part of the week is always busy for me and I never seem to get enough time on the computer!!  I am hoping to get an entry posted by day's end (the weather here is supposed to be miserable tonight so that will help....we may have no option of going on one of our marathon evening walks).

There are definitely pictures!!  Tons of them, in fact!  And I can't wait to share the details of that encounter with y'all.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!



I-4Bound said:


> I wanted to share with you all my experiences in making reservations for SeaWorld this morning. The reservation window opened at 10 a.m. this morning, but it seem to be struggling with glitches for the first 15 minutes or so. I ended up switching browsers from Firefox to Chrome and I was able to get the system to work. You can make a reservation for up to 6 people on a particular date, and you have to put in your ticket barcode information for every ticket. That took a little time, but other than that, it was pretty smooth. Also, please check to make sure your cart is empty, otherwise the system won't work at all. I don't know if I was breaking the rules or not, but I made two reservations for Aquatica in case we got rained out on the first day. I'm so happy to have it taken care of! I switched our June vacation to the end of July, and we decided to just forgo Disney altogether. I doubt I would be able to get us a reservation for any day, and I don't want to waste one of our valuable non expiration tickets on a subpar experience. If I had not been able to get the SeaWorld reservations, we would have had no parks to visit on our trip. I am definitely heaving a sigh of relief!



I am beyond thrilled that everything worked out for you!  The countdown is officially ON!

My reservations went super smooth for both October and December.  I am so happy that we have at least part of our fall trip in order...at least, until the next unexpected crisis derails the plans.  Perhaps an alien invasion?  LOL



toystoryduo said:


> Thank you, Gina. He hasn't re-submitted his vacation time request just yet, but did speak with his boss who thinks the new one will be approved. That's a bit more promising!
> 
> Love the giraffe pictures! Did you say Pet a Cheetah?!?!? I can't wait to see pictures of that!
> 
> I'm so glad that your fall plans are shaping up nicely. Yay for the extra 6 months at US, and for the Killer Whales Up Close Tour as well! Looking forward to seeing the Pet a Cheetah pics, and to hearing about the updated plans for your fall trip!



We did indeed get to pet a cheetah!   Here's a sneak peek at the tour details:

https://buschgardens.com/tampa/tours/cheetah-encounter/
I am so happy to hear you have some positive hope on the revised vacay dates.  Keep us posted!



KsGiGi said:


> Just found your report.  I've always enjoyed reading your reports in the past.  I have not been on the Dis in quiet a while, and thought I would get on and dream of a vacation in Orlando.  Now to get caught up...



Aw, thank you for your kind words!  So happy to have you reading along!  



sk8jdgca said:


> Oh @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina , you will love AK. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore. I could explore the paths around the tree of life for so long. We’ve never done any of the paid add ons but we like to scoot over to AKL for a break. We did the tour of Jiko/Boma. It is free! There is always something happening there at the lodge



We have had the Jiko/Boma tour on our radar for a while.....hopefully that will be something they bring back by fall.  I was sad to see Boma was not on the list of restaurants reopening in July, but not surprised due to its buffet style.  Fingers crossed it is back by October, we love their breakfast.

You guys are making me feel much better about the likelihood of getting AK for our Disney day (assuming we have a shot at ANY park at all).  Thank you for all the great posts, y'all are wonderful "salesmen"! 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I cant believe its been that long since you've been to DAK! Its my favorite park!! I could easily spend multiple days there. With how much you and Steve love your Animal Encounters, you should definitely look into some of the "extra" experiences they offer!



I'd love to do one of the add ons......if they are an option by October.  It's such a weird place to be in, wanting to make plans but not even knowing if we will be able to get into a park (let alone book any upgrades....or even dining).  

Have you guys done any of the "extras" at AK?  Any favorites?



vrajewski10513 said:


> ..oh... and also... little Kilimanjaro Safari tip- the BEST times to go are either very first thing in the morning or dusk/early evening. We had one right at dusk before and the animals were the most active i've ever seen them. We even got to hear the lion roaring!



That is AMAZING!!!!   (The Safari was my favorite attraction at AK back in 2009!)


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens, continued*

After we wrapped up our Serengeti Safari, we decided to go grab some vittles on the all-day dining plan.  On the way, we passed the elephant habitat, so we stopped to check out their exhibit.



There were a pair of these giants slowly roaming about, enjoying the sunshine on their backs on that beautiful January day.   They have a lovely little spot at Busch Gardens, but I was sort of surprised that they were not a bigger deal (if that makes sense).....elephants are a huge draw at the Toledo Zoo, but they're just a small feature at BG.

After visiting with the elephants, we trundled on to Pantopia....and I was totally digging the vibe and building styles!!!



While in Pantopia, we decided to give the Dragon Fire Grill & Pub a try for our mid-day meal.  While they offered a full range of entrees, we both gravitated to the Asian options......they looked delicious!



With our tray loaded up, we set off to find a spot to sit and eat, and discovered a huge indoor seating area adjacent to the quick service section.



We snagged one of the (many) empty tables near the stage, and sat down to sample our menu selections.



A rather substantial group of senior citizens began filing in as we seated ourselves, and all of them were gathering at tables near the stage as we were.....which seemed odd since that huge room offered an abundance of tables closer to the exit doors that were all virtually empty.  We quickly found out why they were all squeezing in the stage side seating when the stage came alive with one of Busch Gardens' signature presentations, the Rock A Doo Wop Music Show.



Quite by chance, we ended up enjoying "dinner and a show"!  The music featured an assortment of oldies, all of them recognizable enough that they made you want to sing along (which we didn't, of course, because our mouths were full LOL).  



They have a great multi-level stage area that was well utilized by the performers, complete with special effects and show-quality lighting.   When we had settled on this restaurant for lunch, we had no idea it was also the location for one of the parks shows, so it really was a happy accident that we happened to be in the right place at the right time (because unfortunately, the park is so big we found it impossible to see it all in one visit.....so this attraction hadn't even been on our wish list for the day).  It definitely maximized that otherwise down time to the fullest.

As for the food.......it wasn't the best Chinese meal we'd ever eaten.  Being able to have a lemonade slushie in place of my drink was a nice dining plan option (and the slushie was pretty darn tasty).  The noodles were rather bland and the orange chicken was a touch too spicy for my taste, but we appreciated that they had other options besides dessert for sides (so Steve was able to have spring rolls instead of something sweet).  It wasn't a bad meal per se, it was just unremarkable.  If we tried this restaurant on a future visit, we'd likely both go with different entrees.

Refueled and ready to continue exploring, we decided to head over to see the tiger exhibit before it was time for our Cheetah Encounter.  



Being the cat people that we are, checking out the tiger habitat was a must do, especially for Steve....these would be some of his favorite animals of the day.



We found more great statues in this area of the park that made for some fun photo ops.   It's great that they are tucked away in little shady spots, too....I can imagine that's very appreciated by guests in the searing summer heat.



_*But, again I've hit my 10-photos-per-post limit.....so the balance of our time with the tigers will be continued in the next entry  .*_


----------



## vrajewski10513

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Have you guys done any of the "extras" at AK? Any favorites?


I have not, but I told Jeremy our next adult only trip (or when Kamryn is old enough to do it) I want to do the Wild Africa Trek!!!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:   Busch Gardens, continued*



Let me say this:  the tigers have one _sweet _habitat at Busch Gardens.  In fact, they have their very own "Tiger Lodge".....and it's mighty nice.



The viewing area offers spectacular opportunities to watch the animals from a safe, unobstructed vantage point.  And on such a quiet park day, we were fortunate to have this area all to ourselves.



These are simply* magnificent *big cats.  Beyond gorgeous.   





Right about this point, Steve looked at me and said "we need to do the Tiger Tour when we visit in April".  While our spring trip obviously didn't happen, we DO have the Tiger Tour reserved for October (something to look forward to!).  I was amazed at how affordable it was....around $40 each.  



We stood and watched this handsome fellow for as long as we could (being mindful of our Cheetah Encounter reservation), and I took a ton of photos.  This one, though, was my favorite.  The backdrop of the waterfall is so pretty!!



_(that was mid-yawn, not mid-roar......but he still looks fierce!)_

I couldn't help but think that my Dash bears a bit of a similarity to his "wild" cousins.....do you see it too?



_LOL, okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch......._

At any rate, eventually it was time for us to proceed to the check in spot for our much-anticipated Cheetah Encounter....and I'm not sure who was more excited, Steve or me!  

We did indulge in a quick stop in the gift shop adjacent to the Tiger Lodge, and took a brief few minutes to browse some of their adorable merchandise.   So many stuffies and I wanted them all!!  LOL



Despite being unfamiliar with the park layout (and generally having no idea where exactly we were going most of the day), we managed to find the tour meeting spot fairly easily after leaving the Tiger habitat _-- thankfully, because we didn't have oodles of time _-- and were soon joined by the other 6 folks who would make up the balance of our small group.



The excitement of everyone was palpable, and we were all pretty pumped when our guide showed up to check us off on her list.  We were all just moments away from the experience of a lifetime, and we couldn't wait to get it underway.
*
Up next:  the Cheetah Encounter!*


----------



## Joanna71985

Both the cheetah and tiger tours are on my to-do list!


----------



## toystoryduo

How cool that you guys came across that music show at lunch! I love when random things like that happen.

Great pictures of the tigers. They are such beautiful animals. I do some similarities between Dash and his "wild" cousins! So cute!! 

Looking forward to your next update on the Cheetah Encounter!


----------



## chiamarie

What are your October dates again?  so I can jot them down and then when I know my days off (PERK WE ARE NOW ON four 10s so I get THREE days off a week!  And this makes me VERY happy...) so I can figure out what and where to join you!   I really love the idea of coming to BG with ya'll!   Or perhaps the Little and I join....or the Little and her mom and I join up for a little bit depending if she works or not.   The little LOVES the kids area of BG.   And Steve would have someone to join him on the big thrills!  Did you end up booking the Tiger thing for there? (I can't remember).


Also,  I think I learn of new things to do around here from YOU!   Also have you thought about a trip to Discovery Cove since you may have funds left over from cancelled plans?   Or even a venture to Kennedy Space Center?   (Took the Little to the employee preview last night and told her it was an adventure and she didn't know where we were going.   She guessed and pretty much has demanded now to go see a space shop and she now wants to be an astronaut and go to space.  So that's something we're looking into now is passes to KSC)


----------



## dalmatian7

A little off topic, but a question for all the Sea World experts.  I am looking at our date for November and it is one of the "Praise Wave" days.  Do you expect this to be a busier day then normal, especially since it is a Saturday and with the limited days for this fall?  I am curious if it has historically been a busier day.  We could switch to another day, this was just going to be our park day on a potential move day between Disney and Universal stays.  I would want to do some sort of animal encounter on this day too.  

BTW Gina have you seen they have a tour where you learn all about their rescue operations and get to help them take care of rescue animals?  It is pricey at $250 but sounds awesome to me.  Which is funny because I get up to feed a barn full of animals and fix bottles for calves at home for nothing but would potentially pay money to do it on vacation?  hahahaha.


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> Both the cheetah and tiger tours are on my to-do list!



You need to make a 2020 bucket list!  Do them both.....after such a crazy year, you deserve it!



toystoryduo said:


> How cool that you guys came across that music show at lunch! I love when random things like that happen.
> 
> Great pictures of the tigers. They are such beautiful animals. I do some similarities between Dash and his "wild" cousins! So cute!!
> 
> Looking forward to your next update on the Cheetah Encounter!



We got to spend some time admiring the tigers today at the Detroit Zoo....such massive cats!



chiamarie said:


> What are your October dates again?  so I can jot them down and then when I know my days off (PERK WE ARE NOW ON four 10s so I get THREE days off a week!  And this makes me VERY happy...) so I can figure out what and where to join you!   I really love the idea of coming to BG with ya'll!   Or perhaps the Little and I join....or the Little and her mom and I join up for a little bit depending if she works or not.   The little LOVES the kids area of BG.   And Steve would have someone to join him on the big thrills!  Did you end up booking the Tiger thing for there? (I can't remember).
> 
> 
> Also,  I think I learn of new things to do around here from YOU!   Also have you thought about a trip to Discovery Cove since you may have funds left over from cancelled plans?   Or even a venture to Kennedy Space Center?   (Took the Little to the employee preview last night and told her it was an adventure and she didn't know where we were going.   She guessed and pretty much has demanded now to go see a space shop and she now wants to be an astronaut and go to space.  So that's something we're looking into now is passes to KSC)



October dates are the Friday the 16th to Friday the 23rd.  The schedule (so far, all subject to change in this crazy mess of a year) is:

Friday - Arrival day
Saturday - Universal (daytime) & Gatorland Night Shine (evening)
Sunday - Busch Gardens with the Tiger Tour
Monday - SeaWorld with the Killer Whales Up Close Tour (daytime) and Halloween Horror Nights (evening)
Tuesday - MNSSHP
Wednesday - a Disney park (we hope)
Thursday - Aquatica or Universal (daytime) and Halloween Horror Nights (evening)
Friday - leave for home

We would LOVE for you to join us for whatever works with your schedule (which days are your off days as of right now?)  And definitely bring the wee Miss!!  The more, the merrier :-D.

Kennedy Space Center has always been something we've pondered, perhaps one of these days we'll finally have to go.  Neither one of us are super into the whole space travel thing, but I think it's something we'd find more captivating once we were there than we expect it to be.  My old boss went a few years ago and LOVED it.  I think he wanted to be an astronaut after that visit, too LOL!!



dalmatian7 said:


> A little off topic, but a question for all the Sea World experts.  I am looking at our date for November and it is one of the "Praise Wave" days.  Do you expect this to be a busier day then normal, especially since it is a Saturday and with the limited days for this fall?  I am curious if it has historically been a busier day.  We could switch to another day, this was just going to be our park day on a potential move day between Disney and Universal stays.  I would want to do some sort of animal encounter on this day too.
> 
> BTW Gina have you seen they have a tour where you learn all about their rescue operations and get to help them take care of rescue animals?  It is pricey at $250 but sounds awesome to me.  Which is funny because I get up to feed a barn full of animals and fix bottles for calves at home for nothing but would potentially pay money to do it on vacation?  hahahaha.



I am no Praise Wave expert (so hopefuly someone else will also chime in), but I wouldn't expect the Praise Wave attendees to make a huge impact on park crowds.  Most are there for the concerts, not so much for the rest of what the park has to offer.  And with limited attendance for the balance of 2020, I'd make a reservation for a weekend day without hesitation.  Conceivably, you shouldn't find "crowds" on ANY day the rest of this year.  If you have a ticket already, I'd make that reservation as soon as you can so you guarantee your admission on the day of your choice before those spots fill up.

I did see that new rescue tour and it absolutely sounds fabulous!!  That price tag though, ouch!......that takes a BIG bite out of the vacation budget.   I had a hard time rationalizing the $115 Killer Whales Tour for this upcoming trip LOL, so it would take a VERY special occasion for me to justify that rescue tour.  But I'm keeping my eye on it just in case.  Who knows, maybe I'll win the lottery between now and October!!! (of course, buying a ticket every now and again would certainly help my chances, ha ha!)


----------



## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> You need to make a 2020 bucket list!  Do them both.....after such a crazy year, you deserve it!



Isn't that the truth! Since I'm pretty sure tours will be down in July (and that would "wrap up" the last of my birthday cancellations), I may have to extend my birthday into the fall


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

*Tuesday, January 28th:  Busch Gardens, continued.....THE CHEETAH ENCOUNTER!*



Once our two guides arrived (one guide was in training, the other was the Lead guide), they checked in each of the tour guests and verified the age and height of the lone child participant.  The trainee guide explained that this tour was brand new (launched only a few weeks earlier on December 24th), and was still in the development stages in some aspects.  One of the things they had discovered through the early tours was that the cheetahs were fixated on smaller children, so in an abundance of caution they were holding very firm to the minimum height and age requirements to ensure guest safety.  The 10 year old who was registered to participate JUST (and I mean, just-by-a-hair) met the minimum height, so they checked her and double checked to ensure that yes, she could take part.  Both she and her mom were quite relieved when she was given the green light by the senior staffers and our tour was officially allowed to get underway.

Safety precautions were a HUGE part of the first part of our Encounter.....they were presented to our small group very clearly and directly, and the importance of following them was made well known before we had opportunity to be in the presence of any animal.   Cheetahs are FAST .... the world's fastest land animal, in fact .... and the Busch Gardens cheetahs are new to this experience.  They are animals, and they act (and react) like animals.  For our safety and for theirs, it was vital that we all followed the guidelines and rules as they were presented to us. 

Once all those guidelines were explained and everyone appeared to have a good understanding of the expectations, we were introduced (through the glass viewing window) to the beautiful girl who would be the subject of our adoration for the next half an hour:  the lovely miss Kabisa.



Pictures do not do this gorgeous creature justice.  She was so incredibly beautiful....and she had POISE.  Seriously.  This girl was a show-stopper and all 8 of us tour participants were completely in awe of her.  In fact, the two guides admitted that even after hosting this tour once a day for the last 4 weeks, the novelty of being able to be up close to a real live cheetah hadn't lost its thrill.  They were just as captivated and impressed as we were.



We all got to watch as they offered Kabisa the harness that she would wear throughout the encounter.  As with all SeaWorld parks animal interactions, participation in each tour or encounter is at the sole discretion of the animal.  If they show ANY sign of not wishing to be part of the interaction, there is no forcing of them to do so.  It is 100% their choice, with no negative repercussions if they choose to opt out.  So the harness was offered, and we waited to see if Kabisa chose to wear it or chose to walk away.  Happily for our little group of 8, she seemed quite happy to get gently suited up, and was rewarded with chunks of fresh meat from the training staff as positive reinforcement of her cooperation.



Kabisa was calm and relaxed, but you could see the keepers were on full alert.  They shared all sorts of neat information about her age, her characteristics, and how she came to live at Busch Gardens Tampa as they allowed her the time she needed to feel comfortable to move on to the interaction portion of the tour.  Once she was ready and the training staff had fully secured her, our group was led into a locked area inside the cheetah habitat that was prepped for our arrival.



They had a big cheetah-sized box for her that the trainers had been working with her to use as a place to sit during the tours.  As they walked her on the harness toward the box, they allowed her to mill around at her leisure until she felt like that's where she wanted to be.   After she poked around a bit, she silently hopped up and decided it was a fine place to lounge as we all looked on.....and of course, she was provided with a variety of more positive rewards (verbal praise, chunks of meat, etc.) in recognition of her cooperation.   We were given the okay to take photos while she got comfy, and the trainers continued sharing all sorts of great information about the care and enrichment that Busch Gardens provides these animals in their habitat in the park.



When Kabisa was able to convey that she was ready, each family group was brought up individually to have their own time with her.   Each of us had the opportunity to pet her as directed by the training staff, and it was so cool to feel how different she feels from a house cat!! (their fur is COMPLETELY different)   We were not rushed or hurried, and while there was no Photokey staff member present to take pictures, the guides were happy to snap a bunch for us with our personal phones and cameras.  



Kabisa looked pretty relaxed about the whole hands-on thing, but as we were petting her, she emitted an audible ..... growl?  I think my heart stopped for at least a brief second or two.....and I wondered if we were about to perhaps lose an arm or two LOL.  I said to the trainer who was standing beside me, "oh oh, I think she just growled at us!".  And she grinned at me and said, _That's not a growl.....that's a purr.  She's enjoying herself quite a lot right now._

That moment, right there, was worth every single dollar we paid for that experience.  I could have cried with happiness.



Since they only take a maximum of 8 people in each tour, and only hold one Encounter per day, we were not at all rushed and given more time with Kabisa than I would have expected.   The staff were great about making sure we all got a good "posed" photo in addition to the candid shots they took during our interaction, which we all very much appreciated.  While each family was having their individual time with the cheetah, the other participants were able to chat with the remaining BG animal care staff who were keeping a close watch off to the side.......they were great about answering guest questions during those interactions but you could see they always still had one eye on Kabisa in case the two trainers working alongside her needed assistance in a hurry.  The total number of Busch Gardens staff for this tour, between the animal care staff and the tour guides, equaled (or maybe even exceeded) the number of guests taking part in the Encounter.   We felt the "wild"-ness of this experience but truly felt every safety precaution possible was put into place.



After the interactions were completed, they removed her box and let Kabisa move around a bit (safely away from us guests) while still harnessed so they could talk about, and show us, her unique body structure and how it allows her to run as fast as she does.



The tour itself lasted about 45 minutes from start to finish (including the pre-tour safety chat), but the time flew by.  I think all of us were a little sad when it was time to return Kabisa to her habitat where she could shed the harness and spend the rest of the day running free.

We paid $89.99 per person, less a 10% savings as passmembers, which I believe is the lowest price point for this tour.....higher crowd days and/or seasons command an increased tour price from that slow January weekday.  This tour also only runs on certain days of the week (as do most BG tours, except for the safari which is offered daily) and only once on those scheduled days.  With only 8 participants maximum for each session, they tell me spots fill fast....and even on that slow Tuesday, all spots were filled by 10:30 am.  So, if you're ever thinking of booking, be sure to plan ahead to guarantee your spot.  

I spent the rest of the day walking on air.  Between feeding the giraffes and then petting a cheetah (and making her purr!), I had a hard time wiping the smile off my face.   This first visit was going pretty well ;-) .  We still had an awful lot of day left, though......so once we wrapped up with Kabisa, we were off to check out even more of what Busch Gardens had to offer.

*Much more to come!*


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Joanna71985 said:


> Isn't that the truth! Since I'm pretty sure tours will be down in July (and that would "wrap up" the last of my birthday cancellations), I may have to extend my birthday into the fall



There's never a bad time to celebrate a birthday, my friend.  I seem to recall that the Busch Gardens tours weren't booking at all in June, July or August.....but fall might be nicer anyway, when it's not so hot.


----------



## dalmatian7

Wow, just wow to the Cheetah interaction!   I am having a hard time taming 8 week old kittens, getting a cheetah to volunteer to wear a harness? It sounds like it was just amazing.


----------



## Joanna71985

Eeeek! That looks awesome! Yup...definitely want to do the cheetah tour




Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> There's never a bad time to celebrate a birthday, my friend.  I seem to recall that the Busch Gardens tours weren't booking at all in June, July or August.....but fall might be nicer anyway, when it's not so hot.



Yeah, they don't reopen until later either. So either way (between SW and BG), I may not have a choice in waiting


----------



## I-4Bound

A certain young lady in my house was sad to hear that there would be no cheetah encounters this summer. I told her we could always go back in 2 years when she turns 18, then she could go on the tour by herself.


----------



## toystoryduo

Gina- That was amazing!! What a beautiful cheetah! I'm so glad you and Steve had an opportunity to experience this encounter. Kudos to Busch Gardens for all of the safety protocols as well. What an amazing and unique experience!


----------



## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

dalmatian7 said:


> Wow, just wow to the Cheetah interaction!   I am having a hard time taming 8 week old kittens, getting a cheetah to volunteer to wear a harness? It sounds like it was just amazing.



LOL, I know, right?  

I absolutely want to see pics of those 8 week old kittens, though!!! 



Joanna71985 said:


> Eeeek! That looks awesome! Yup...definitely want to do the cheetah tour
> 
> Yeah, they don't reopen until later either. So either way (between SW and BG), I may not have a choice in waiting



That tour certainly makes us very keen to do more tours when we visit BG.  We are considering adding the Rhino Encounter to our October plans......especially as more of our Disney experiences keep getting the axe!!



I-4Bound said:


> A certain young lady in my house was sad to hear that there would be no cheetah encounters this summer. I told her we could always go back in 2 years when she turns 18, then she could go on the tour by herself.



I am sorry to hear that your young miss was disappointed :-(  ... but 2 years is too long to wait, momma.  I think you need to plan a spring 2021 trip, just to sneak in that tour ;-) .  YOLO!



toystoryduo said:


> Gina- That was amazing!! What a beautiful cheetah! I'm so glad you and Steve had an opportunity to experience this encounter. Kudos to Busch Gardens for all of the safety protocols as well. What an amazing and unique experience!



It was definitely the experience of a lifetime!  And we certainly felt the animals were being respected first and foremost, which is SO important to us.  We have so much love and appreciation for the SeaWorld parks, and how they treat their animals.


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hey all, I am finally taking a few moments to check in.  So sorry its been so long (again) since I have posted an entry.

As always, its been pretty busy around here over the last week.  The gardens and work always provide me with a steady list of things to do, but we have also enjoyed a little bit of excitement as well.....our son asked his girlfriend to marry him on Friday evening, and she said YES!    I've also been working on throwing together a short getaway for next weekend to celebrate Steve's 49th birthday, which has been harder than it sounds when so much is still closed, or partly closed, here in Michigan due to Covid-19.  Our original plan was to go home to celebrate his birthday (which was also when the proposal had been rescheduled to), but the extension of the border closure kind of threw a monkey wrench into things.  That seems to be the theme of 2020......pretty much nothing has gone as we planned!

We also got the disappointing news this week that all Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties have been cancelled for the year, ripping up yet another one of our planned activities for our October trip.  I can honestly say I've never planned, planned and re-planned a trip so many times in all of our years of traveling to Orlando!!!  Rejigging the itinerary has been no small feat, especially when SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens are all each closed on 2 days every week, HHN doesn't run on two days of our booked week, and we have no confirmation yet of whether or not we will be able to secure a reservation for any of the Disney parks [and if we do, what day it will be for].   From what I understand, we *should* be able to make our reservation for Disney one week from today, which at least will provide us with some certainty in that regard and let us plan around it.

I am to the point of being afraid to say, "what next?", because I don't want to know what the answer will be! LOL

At any rate, I will try my best to get a short entry up sometime soon, hopefully before we head out for our mini-getaway early on Friday morning.  In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful day today celebrating the dads in your lives!


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## I-4Bound

I thought about you when I heard the news about the Halloween parties. Seems like every time I turn around, Disney is taking something else away or canceling something. Boo

So excited for your good news, though!❤


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## Worfiedoodles

Congratulations on the impending expansion of your family! What wonderful news during crazy times. I hope you get to do exactly as much wedding planning as you are interested in, and can sit back and enjoy the whole process.


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## Joanna71985

Eeeek, congrats to Jake! That is awesome news



Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> That tour certainly makes us very keen to do more tours when we visit BG.  We are considering adding the Rhino Encounter to our October plans......especially as more of our Disney experiences keep getting the axe!!



I honestly think I may be spending a lot of time at the SW parks, especially as I have no idea when I'll be able to visit the WDW parks next (I can only imagine how long CMs will be blocked out). So I might have to book all of the tours


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## tgropp

I don’t know how I stumbled onto this report but so glad to see it. Your reports are so entertaining and informative. Sorry about your spring trip being cancelled. We have a family Dec  WDW trip and a Family Hawaii trip in Feb 2021 but with everything the way it is, we are uncertain if they will happen. Last November I rented a week at the Vistana from a member for $1,000 and our family had a great time. I took my son, grandson and son in law to a Florida Gators football game in Gainesville and spent a week relaxing. It is a beautiful resort in a great location. Thanks again for a great trip report and hope that you. Have gotten back to see your family. Flying is the only way but would be worth it. Stay Well.


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## toystoryduo

YAY!! Congratulations to your son and his fiancee, and to you and Steve as well!  That is exciting news!

Happy early Birthday to Steve!  I hope you guys have a great weekend celebrating his birthday.


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## dalmatian7

I was so happy when I saw the news on fb about Jake!  Congrats to everyone again.  I hope you are able to get a trip home sometime soon.  
I am sure you will plan a fabulous trip in Oct.  I was able to get two days of park reservations yesterday.  I only have two-day passes (from 4 years ago  ) in my account so we took what we could get.  If we go in Nov, and with the FL case number that's a big if, we will be staying at Universal for the beginning of the trip and then move to WDW property.  Once reservations at WDW can be modified, I will be making changes.  The only bummer is that we are staying at the WL and it still doesn't have an opening date for the main hotel, the DVC villas just do.  I really wanted to stay in the main building in the renovated rooms.  We also have CL booked and that is up in the air.  Right now, its just a waiting game in this house.  I will keep booking things that are refundable and go from there.  Next stalking event is rental cars.  

But congrats to the fam and happy early birthday to Steve. 
Oh be patient on the WDW park reservations, I literally left the pink castle screen up on my computer for a few hours before I got in.  If you want I can email you the link that I went into MDE to. It was from the email I got from Disney about the reservation system.  If I went into MDE directly, I got calendars that had zero availability.  I also did the cookie dump of my Chrome browser before.  yada yada.  The standard procedures to get a Disney website to work.


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## jump00

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> My good Canadian upbringing is making feel obliged to apologize to everyone for that rant.  So, to anyone reading along, I'm sorry ... no offense meant or intended.  I generally try to avoid long tangents and touchy subjects whenever possible but I seem to be finding myself in the middle of them more often than not these days.
> 
> Its reminding me of why i took such a lengthy break from the boards in the first place .



Hi Gina- so glad to have finally “found” your report!!!  Really enjoying your stories and all the fantastic pictures.  Please don’t apologize- some people like to put in a “Dis” ( pun intended) because they are jealous.  I think its wonderful you can fly First Class.  My dh and I are so disappointed our trip to Universal this August is a bust.  Just cancelled our hotel (RPR) and flight - but this is not the time to travel for us.  We are hoping for March 2021.
Brenda


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

I-4Bound said:


> I thought about you when I heard the news about the Halloween parties. Seems like every time I turn around, Disney is taking something else away or canceling something. Boo
> So excited for your good news, though!❤



Thank you!  And your trip is coming up SUPER soon now!  You must be getting kind of excited, especially seeing some of the crowd levels recently.  Or have the Covid numbers been erasing any anticipation?  I honestly hate to check the news reports these days.



Worfiedoodles said:


> Congratulations on the impending expansion of your family! What wonderful news during crazy times. I hope you get to do exactly as much wedding planning as you are interested in, and can sit back and enjoy the whole process.



Thank you!  I am fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with Jake's bride-to-be, and she's been awesome so far in getting me involved in as many of the plans as I can be from afar.  She's VERY organized, though, so she definitely doesn't need much help.  But it's been fun seeing the plans come together....I have no doubt it will be a beautiful wedding!



Joanna71985 said:


> Eeeek, congrats to Jake! That is awesome news
> 
> I honestly think I may be spending a lot of time at the SW parks, especially as I have no idea when I'll be able to visit the WDW parks next (I can only imagine how long CMs will be blocked out). So I might have to book all of the tours



Thank you Joanna!  And congrats on getting called back to work.....I know you were eager to get back "home" again.  I have loved seeing your CM preview pics on Facebook!



tgropp said:


> I don’t know how I stumbled onto this report but so glad to see it. Your reports are so entertaining and informative. Sorry about your spring trip being cancelled. We have a family Dec  WDW trip and a Family Hawaii trip in Feb 2021 but with everything the way it is, we are uncertain if they will happen. Last November I rented a week at the Vistana from a member for $1,000 and our family had a great time. I took my son, grandson and son in law to a Florida Gators football game in Gainesville and spent a week relaxing. It is a beautiful resort in a great location. Thanks again for a great trip report and hope that you. Have gotten back to see your family. Flying is the only way but would be worth it. Stay Well.



Thank you for joining in!  So glad to have you back reading along again.

I am glad you got to enjoy such a wonderful week at my favorite resort.  I hope your son and grandson enjoy it there as well.  I am so sorry to hear that your 2020 plans are in a state of flux.....its so discouraging to see this virus still spreading at such a crazy rate.  At this point, I'm not even staking the farm on our fall and Christmas trips.  I'd like to think another 90 days or so will bring some progress, but I thought that 90 days ago from now as well.

Unfortunately we have been unable to get home to see our family as of yet.  Whether we drive or fly, we would still face a mandatory 14 day quarantine upon entering Canada (with painfully steep fines for non-compliance).  We just can't be away from work, home, and the cats for 3 weeks (2 weeks of quarantine plus a week to see family).  And then Steve would face a second 14 day quarantine per his company's current policy upon our return.  It's a hot mess.  I can't even tell you how upsetting this all is.



toystoryduo said:


> YAY!! Congratulations to your son and his fiancee, and to you and Steve as well!  That is exciting news!
> 
> Happy early Birthday to Steve!  I hope you guys have a great weekend celebrating his birthday.



Thank you!  We had a lovely weekend in Holland, Michigan.  Such a quaint little town.  Getting away (even for just a few days) is good for the soul.



dalmatian7 said:


> I was so happy when I saw the news on fb about Jake!  Congrats to everyone again.  I hope you are able to get a trip home sometime soon.
> I am sure you will plan a fabulous trip in Oct.  I was able to get two days of park reservations yesterday.  I only have two-day passes (from 4 years ago  ) in my account so we took what we could get.  If we go in Nov, and with the FL case number that's a big if, we will be staying at Universal for the beginning of the trip and then move to WDW property.  Once reservations at WDW can be modified, I will be making changes.  The only bummer is that we are staying at the WL and it still doesn't have an opening date for the main hotel, the DVC villas just do.  I really wanted to stay in the main building in the renovated rooms.  We also have CL booked and that is up in the air.  Right now, its just a waiting game in this house.  I will keep booking things that are refundable and go from there.  Next stalking event is rental cars.
> 
> But congrats to the fam and happy early birthday to Steve.
> Oh be patient on the WDW park reservations, I literally left the pink castle screen up on my computer for a few hours before I got in.  If you want I can email you the link that I went into MDE to. It was from the email I got from Disney about the reservation system.  If I went into MDE directly, I got calendars that had zero availability.  I also did the cookie dump of my Chrome browser before.  yada yada.  The standard procedures to get a Disney website to work.



Thank you!

I was able to make our Disney park reservations with absolutely no problem at all....by the time the process got to our ticket type, I think the initial bugs were worked out and it all went quickly, seamlessly, and (shockingly) easily.   I was expecting a hot mess but was pleasantly surprised!  

I'm sorry your November trip is still questionable.  This year has totally sucked the joy out vacation planning.  



jump00 said:


> Hi Gina- so glad to have finally “found” your report!!!  Really enjoying your stories and all the fantastic pictures.  Please don’t apologize- some people like to put in a “Dis” ( pun intended) because they are jealous.  I think its wonderful you can fly First Class.  My dh and I are so disappointed our trip to Universal this August is a bust.  Just cancelled our hotel (RPR) and flight - but this is not the time to travel for us.  We are hoping for March 2021.
> Brenda



Aw, Brenda, I am SO sorry your trip had to be cancelled.  I understand that disappointment oh-so-well.  2020 has been a heck of a year.....and heaven help us, we're only half way through.

I am thrilled you found this report, though!  I have taken a bit of a break from it over the past few weeks, but i'm trying to get my head back in the game and attempting to get posting again.   Everyone has been wonderfully patient so I owe them to finish.  Hopefully I can get a decent entry up this week.  So great to have you along again!!


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## Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Hey there everyone, I wanted to apologize for the long "pause" that this report has been on.  I hate knowing I've left it hanging so long, and I'm still committed to finishing it.  Honestly, I've just been in an ongoing funk with not being able to get home to see family.....it's taking it's emotional toll and I just haven't felt inspired to be on the Dis.  The effect of the coronavirus can be felt in many ways, i guess.  We are so blessed to have been spared the physical effects thus far (thank God) but the emotional toll has been draining.  

In other news, our ever changing October trip continues to evolve.  We not only were able to make a park reservation with our existing ticket, we were also able to purchase new two day tickets to bring our planned Disney days to 3.  We have park reservations for Epcot (Steve really,  really wanted to do the Food & Wine festival for the first time, modified or not), Magic Kingdom,  and Hollywood Studios.  We havent been to HS since 2009 so this will almost be like a first time again.  

So, we have 3 Disney days, one day at SeaWorld (with the Killer Whales tour), a day at Busch Gardens (with the Tiger tour and the Rhino Encounter), and 2 nights at HHN (plus whatever time at the Universal parks we want before HHN starts).  Its going to be busy, but who needs sleep?  LOL

Now, to get those Florida Covid numbers going down so we can actually start to look forward to things again.  I'm hoping by the time our ADR days roll around next month that there will be some improvement.   It's got to happen sometime,  right?  
I am aiming to resume trip report posts at some point this week.....heaven knows you all have been patient long enough.  I still have so much to share about our January adventures. 

Hope you all are staying well!


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## I-4Bound

I am getting excited, though still a bit nervous. We are just going to roll with it and put our masks on and wash the heck out of our hands We can social distance in the Drive-Thru at Twistee Treat!


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## Worfiedoodles

We’ve pretty much decided to bag our October trip. I’m very sad, but it’s best for us. Now I’m going to bring the excitement back with planning for December and Mardi Gras trips. This is an annoying time but we will get to take one of these vacations we keep planning!

I totally understand why it’s been hard to be on the Dis and talk about your previous trip. We are all enjoying it so much, we’ll take whatever you offer! I wish there was a Hugs emoji...

My next task is to figure out when in December Universal events start. I’m hoping to do a combination Universal and maybe Gaylord Palms Ice, and not sure if Disney has cancelled the Christmas parties yet...


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## Joanna71985

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:


> Thank you Joanna!  And congrats on getting called back to work.....I know you were eager to get back "home" again.  I have loved seeing your CM preview pics on Facebook!



Thank you! The preview was a lot of fun (I had a lot of fun visiting as a guest), and it is soooo good to be back to work again


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## chiamarie

I'm just excited to hopefully get to see you again!!!!


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## Callie

Got all caught up reading this at night during my trip at Disney! I hope you get to see the family soon.


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## JenLanDisney

Hello, I am late to the party, but I just found your trip report. And, as always, I have enjoyed reading along!

Here's hoping the Canadian border opens soon because we have tamed the virus.


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