It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – an offsite, non-Disney, Christmas TR

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just a long winded way of saying, do the math and you will probably find that Canada (and much of the rest of the world) will be a bargain for Americans for the coming months.

Here I thought I was the only one who suffered from long-winded-ness!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Joining in late Gina!

In my multi-quote mania, I forgot to say.....



I am glad you are (finally ) joining in the chatter!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

None of us were quite hungry enough for lunch yet after golfing (and ice cream!), so we headed up to the north end of International Drive for Jake’s last shopping wish-list location: the American Eagle Outlet store that’s just across from the Festival Bay Mall. We’ve found deeply discounted merchandise here in the past, and he “needed” (wanted? ) new khakis. There are multiple brand-name outlets within this little plaza, but even with less than 24 hours to Christmas, we easily found a parking spot just a short walk from the door. True to his expectations, Jake found his khakis ($15 each!) and several other items then we checked out a couple of other neighbouring stores before leaving (we were there already, so we figured heck….why not?).


With his wallet and his stomach growing noticeably emptier, after his shopping was concluded Jake requested we break for lunch. Neither Steve nor I were particularly hungry, so we let Jake pick (knowing full well where he wanted to go .... he had mentioned it once or twice....or a dozen times so far ). We were painfully close to another one of his favourite fast-food chains, one that we don’t have here at home (though there are a few in other areas of Ontario…..just none within at least 2 hours from where we live).


It’s perfectly okay to toss the diet out the window on vacation, right?





Popeye’s Chicken is right up Jake’s alley: he loves spicy food, and he loves chicken, so this is a natural fit for my boy’s crazy teenaged palette.


Jake ordered a five tender combo, while Steve had a 3 piece dinner combo (with mashed potatoes as his side):





….and I had a two piece meal with fries, free with a coupon from the Entertainment Book:





We always find that the quality of Popeyes far exceeds any greasy chicken place that we have back home…not to mention that prices are MUCH lower than Mary Brown’s, and portions are much larger than KFC. Popeye’s is less greasy, has a nice little “kick” to it with the spice, and I love their biscuits.


The total cost for our lunch was $21.17 including tax (the coupon for the free 2 piece meal was worth about $6), and Steve had a whole chicken breast left over that he couldn’t eat. Rather than toss it, we opted to return to the villa for a short time to unload Jake’s purchases and stow the left over chicken in the fridge. While we were there, we took an hour to relax (Jake called his Sunshine, I called my Mom, I think Steve grabbed a snooze!) and we also touched base with my brother and his fiancé. Apparently they had decided to meet us later that evening for dinner, and asked if we would mind if they stayed the night. With “company” now coming, we realigned our leisurely plans for the balance of the day. When would they be there? How long did we have? They assured us that they wouldn’t be arriving until early evening, so we had plenty of time to tackle the two other to-do’s on the day’s itinerary. They were en route to enjoy a dolphin watching cruise before they began the commute from the gulf coast, so we too headed back out the door to wrap up the final two activities we had planned: bowling at the shiny new Kings Bowl on International Drive, and an evening spin on the Orlando Eye .... complete with a special festive touch .

 

[pattyw]

I love how much $$$ you save with coupons, Groupons, e-mail coupons, etc. We've gone to Miller's Ale House many times ( and loved it!!), but never even thought to go online and register for freebies! I'm learning alot for our future trips! THX!!!

 

[dsmom]

Another great update Gina, and it's true you ARE looking younger. I did not know steak 'n shake did breakfast, will have to check them out, I love their lunch. If you like Steak 'n Shake you will love Freddy's!
Love the pictures of mini golfing, your son is absolutely adorable.
By the way, when will the April pre trip report start? I am NOT looking forward to the end of this report and need something to look forward to

 

[dancin Disney style]

I have to ask....what is up with the Canadian dollar dropping? Does this mean us United States residents should plan summer trips to Canada? Would we make out well?

What's up with the dropping dollar??? Several things, world oil, new liberal government, stock markets are low etc. etc.

Heck ya, come to Canada! There is no place as beautiful as Canada in the summer. I think to exchange USD to CAD you gain about 41% so it could be a very cheap vacay.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Liking your post because I can relate..not because I actually "like" that exchange rate. I don't know what's left to cut for us. I mean, maybe my cat could watch the dog and we could save on boarding fees. Or I could convince the kids we only ever intended to stand in the Magic Kingdom parking lot and soak up the atmosphere.
The big savings will be meals (thank god for a full kitchen) and eating offsite. However to do so I have to rent a car and rates are HIGH right now. Le sigh.

The next thing I'm going to cut from the list is my kid.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Another great update. How much do you budget per day for food? Last trip we had $150 (US) per day, but this covered a few incidentals as well for the 3 of us.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Jealous. I never tan.....EVER. I'm either pasty white or fiery red, no matter how much time I spend outdoors.

Me too....no sun without a half gallon of SPF 50. Have you never meet my best friend....tan-in-a-can?

Sigh.....everyone I know is feeling the burn. Its definitely changing our vacation plans, too. We have a breakfast reservation for Ohana for April that I'm having a harder and hard time justifying.

Well, if I keep the kid I have to keep 'Ohana....it is her birthday after all. I'm totally afraid to find out what that's going to cost for breakfast. Still might have to cut it, birthday or not. Maybe I'll dangle the shopping carrot. I think I'd rather spend that $100 at the mall and bring something home other than an extra 5lbs on my butt.

At least I paid for airfare and the resort a while back when the exchange was ONLY 30%ish. However, I spent all my US cash on my impromptu Dec. trip. Now I'm scrambling to build my US account up to the level that I need for March.


@bankr63 DO NOT listen to Gina. I'm an awesome driver! Just because I scared the pants off her last week on the 401 doesn't mean anything. The shoulder and the guardrails are meant to be used to pass in the slow lane. The ice just makes you slide through a lot faster.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I love how much $$$ you save with coupons, Groupons, e-mail coupons, etc. We've gone to Miller's Ale House many times ( and loved it!!), but never even thought to go online and register for freebies! I'm learning alot for our future trips! THX!!!

Saving some $$$ is generally really easy in Orlando. Between Groupon (and their additional percent-off promo codes), email clubs and coupons, its pretty rare we don't save at least something on attractions and dining outside of the theme parks. At the parks, we have our AP discounts to shave a little off the bottom line, so that helps too . I am glad some of my money-saving ideas might be helpful for you, too!

Another great update Gina, and it's true you ARE looking younger. I did not know steak 'n shake did breakfast, will have to check them out, I love their lunch. If you like Steak 'n Shake you will love Freddy's!
Love the pictures of mini golfing, your son is absolutely adorable.
By the way, when will the April pre trip report start? I am NOT looking forward to the end of this report and need something to look forward to

LOL....you know me well! Once this report is over, I am sure I'll be itching to start a PTR for April. I tend to get rather lonely after I wrap up a report. You guys are a fun bunch to hang around with and are among the few who understand and appreciate my fondness for Florida.

Ah yes, my Jake....he is a fun guy . He has a very engaging personality, and is the life of the party. Life is never dull with that child around . I often wonder, though, where he got his social ease. He has always marched to the beat of his own drum, and is so comfortable in his own skin.

What's up with the dropping dollar??? Several things, world oil, new liberal government, stock markets are low etc. etc.

Heck ya, come to Canada! There is no place as beautiful as Canada in the summer. I think to exchange USD to CAD you gain about 41% so it could be a very cheap vacay.

Bee-you-tiful in the summer, but painfully cold in the winter . Best visited between May to October .

The next thing I'm going to cut from the list is my kid.

Have you told her yet???

Another great update. How much do you budget per day for food? Last trip we had $150 (US) per day, but this covered a few incidentals as well for the 3 of us.

We don't really budget a set amount per day.....we usually decide where we want to eat, then budget what we will need for those particular restaurants. Some days are pricey, some are less so. We spent about $975 total on food on this trip, and that included tips, all snacks, and our character breakfast at Ohana.

Me too....no sun without a half gallon of SPF 50. Have you never meet my best friend....tan-in-a-can?

I have never tried it, but I've been sorely tempted.

I think I must be fading with age. My hair is going white, and I have to colour it regularly. My skin's equally as white, and now I may have to colour it, too .

 

[dancin Disney style]

Have you told her yet???


I have never tried it, but I've been sorely tempted.

I think I must be fading with age. My hair is going white, and I have to colour it regularly. My skin's equally as white, and now I may have to colour it, too .

Have not told her yet. I think I will tell her after I leave.

Go to Shoppers Drug Mart and visit my friend St. Tropez. She's not a cheap date but certainly the type of quality girl you can take home to meet mom and dad. Definitely marriage material.

 

[robinb]

Which part of Wisconsin are you from? We drove from Ontario to the Dells in summer 2010, and we traveled through some mighty gorgeous country along the way. You definitely do get the same type of weather that we do, though....in fact, I think many WI cities are quite a bit further north than we are in SE Ontario.

I live in the state capital, Madison. It's about 45 minutes south of the Dells.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Popeyes is good. I remember my friend growing up had Popeyes every Friday night as a treat

Cheap vacay to Canada.. Hmm...Will have to look into this

 

[afan]

I live just south of Seattle, so it's easy for us to take a day trip to Vancouver, or even the suburbs, to go shopping. We used to do it once a year or so in the late 90's early 00's when it was about 75 cents US for every Canadian dollar. It was nice, I got my hockey skates up there, nicer skates for less than I would have paid for a lesser model.

However, I have noticed on my past few trips to Canada when the dollar was basically even, Edmonton in 08 I think, Toronto in 10 and Vancouver last year, that the prices for clothes and things were a higher than they would be here. Sometimes not much and sometimes enough that I couldn't justify the extra cost. So keep that in mind for trips to the north.

I always think of books and magazines as an example because they always have a US and Canadian price. I don't buy either in Canada, especially now with Amazon.

If you can, for sure take advantage of their poor/our great exchange rate. And if you stay long enough to you can your GST back, or at least you used to be able to.

 

[greenclan67]

Jealous. I never tan.....EVER. I'm either pasty white or fiery red, no matter how much time I spend outdoors.



Hard to believe March Break is that close!!!



Amen, sister . It's almost a toss-up as to which is worse.....the weather or the dollar. Though at least the cold eventually passes. I fear the warmth will return long before our dollar rebounds.



Ooohh, fun!! Still never tried cruising, but I would like to someday.



You sure that kiddo doesn't want to go to school in, say, Florida? Or California? I tried to get Jake to consider a southern college, but I guess it all worked out in the end that he decided to stay local. I can't imagine paying tuition and lodging when our dollar is this low!

We just didn't fall in love with Blizzard Beach. I think its the "snow" theme....it just rubbed us the wrong way. We get enough of the real winter here at home, we don't want to spend time in a cutesy, fake winter environment when we're down south. Give me some palm trees and lush green any day!



LOL, funny thing about the bolded....just the other day, we were looking through some of the scrapbooks and photobooks from our first few trips. The first comment from each of us? About how much OLDER we looked!!! Me especially....OMG, I felt every gray hair on my head at that moment. I guess because I don't feel any different, I don't expect to look any different either. Alas, middle age is creeping up on me despite my youthful attitude.

I hope your cold weather passes quickly. We all need a return of El Nino (wasn't this supposed to be the year they forecasted warmer than average temperatures and no snow for most of north america??) .... it was -18 this morning when I went to work, and I swear that my car shivered as it started!!



We have been pretty lucky on both Christmas trips that we've done. While we had much cooler weather overall in 2012 than this past vacation, we still had warm enough days to waterpark. You just have to be flexible and prepared to take advantage of a warm day when it comes!!



Yup: loud, crowded and filthy has been our experience at some of them too. I give big thumbs up to the management of the one on south I-Drive....they are doing a much better job than their neighbouring locations.

Which part of Wisconsin are you from? We drove from Ontario to the Dells in summer 2010, and we traveled through some mighty gorgeous country along the way. You definitely do get the same type of weather that we do, though....in fact, I think many WI cities are quite a bit further north than we are in SE Ontario.



Sigh.....everyone I know is feeling the burn. Its definitely changing our vacation plans, too. We have a breakfast reservation for Ohana for April that I'm having a harder and hard time justifying.



Don't do it, @bankr63 . Rumour has it she's a wild driver .



Absolutely. Essentially, you would be travelling at 40 % less than the Canadian price: so a $100 hotel will cost you $60 (maybe even less at the rate we're going). I am betting Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario will be PACKED with American visitors this summer!



Ah my friend, I feel your pain.....and I can never escape the financial doom and gloom because I work in that industry to boot. So not only does it affect my vacations, but it also affects my place of business. The stock markets have been terrible, oil prices are dropping like a stone.....is it any wonder I need to get away from it all from time to time??

An update is coming up next....just proof reading and then posting .



Oh, to be back in Orlando ..... even during their cold spell right now, it would be much much MUCH better than here!!

I envy you planning your next Christmas trip already. A US vacation will certainly not be in the cards for us in December 2016, not with our dollar the way it is. I'm thinking I'll be eating turkey and stuffing with the inlaws this year .....unless I can squeeze in a reasonably priced staycation at the Falls.

Hey...just had a thought . We should do a Niagara Falls Dismeet this summer! It would be affordable for our American friends, and its a super fun city.

The next installment is pending....hold tight, it shall be up soon .

We were just talking about this at supper. I think this will be the summer we will finally do Niagara Falls. We are always there in the winter, or passing through in the summer, never actually stayed there in the summer and did all that is to offer. With the $$ the way it is. I am thinking this will be the year.

 

[pigletto]

I've never tried a Popeye's but we just might. My son would be in heaven as any kind of friend chicken is his favourite.
I'll be scouring Groupon and signing up for email clubs again for our upcoming trip. That's not so much necessity for the budget as I enjoy a hunt for a deal any day. We will be planning together for that one Gina, just like the good old (and insufferably hot) August trips!

I'd be in for a Niagara dismeet. I sure wouldn't need to travel far .

 

[Monykalyn]

....

Just a long winded way of saying, do the math and you will probably find that Canada (and much of the rest of the world) will be a bargain for Americans for the coming months.

And this is why we applied for passports this year (waaayyy back in the day I traveled to Canada and Mexico as a kid/teen and all we needed was US ID).

Am I invited to the Niagra Dismeet? Hubs was just saying recently we've never been to that area of the country...

LOVE Steak n Shake-but have never been there for breakfast-even though have been sorely tempted (ours runs an "all you care to eat pancake" for $5 special).

And on our way through the middle of MO on way to family for Christmas we were looking for a KFC but ended up at Popeyes instead. MUCH better chicken by unanimous decision (and I don't like fast food and thought this was good).

Mini golf looks like fun!

 

[Lynne G]

Funny we used to have several Popeyes around, but now only one I know of is in a part of town I would not go to. They still do commercials on the local tv channels though.

Yep, on Christmas we ended up at McD's, since DH wanted a cheap meal. After meals were ordered, I did not find it much cheaper than a sit down restaurant. We will plan better this year. Kids never complain, as they like all kinds of food, and will never pass over a chance for French fries.

Nice update.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Niagara Dismeet eh?????? I could be tempted. We're in Niagara a lot, it's only 45 minutes away from home. Usually end up having to stay over there a couple of weekends a year for DD's competitions.

and just to give all my Canucks a wonderful gooooood morning......the exchange rate right now is 1.4992

 

[Vestmama4]

Enjoying all your updates. The 2 water slides you mentioned (along with Roa's Rapids) were definitely our family favorites as well. I sure got a lot of giggles waiting for my kids at the bottom of Breakaway Falls- lots of bathing suit mishaps. We went mini- golfing twice on this past trip: one time at Congo River Golf (and also fed the gators; thanks to your previous trip reports) and also to Disney's Winter Summerland Mini-Golf. Have you all tried this course (it's by Blizzard Beach)? We did the summer course and really enjoyed it. Hardly anyone was there the night we went and we never had to wait for our turn to golf. On a past trip a couple years ago we also tried Disney's Fantasia mini-golf course and we really enjoyed that one as well (we did the family friendly course but they also have a more challenging one as well.)