All You Need is Love: an offsite, non-Disney PTR (counting down to May 2018)

People who are not visitors of the Trip Report forum or read trip reports would have no idea what "PTR" means though. I am assuming that is mean to be Post or Previous Trip Report and not Pain To Read. LOL. Just kidding, I can tell you are a fabulous writer. I just lack patience to read the long posts.

I just think it is a writing style and those on the Trip Report forum like the long reports no matter if you went to a Disney park or not. I

Even though your confusion has been cleared up, you make another unkind and antagonistic post.
Why?
Do you need to get the last word...or feel "right"?!?!

Move on.
I enjoy reading Gina's PTP, which I understood the meaning of....even though I'm not a regular visitor of the TR section of the boards! (Except Schumi's TR's which are fabulous as well.)
 
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Even though your confusion has been cleared up, you make another unkind and antagonistic post.
Why?
Do you need to get the last word...or feel "right"?!?!

Move on.
I enjoy reading Gina's PTP, which I understood the meaning of....even though I'm not a regular visitor of the TR section of the boards! (Except Schumi's TR's which are fabulous as well.)

Sorry if me trying to just make a joke upsets you. I also complimented her in the exact same post. It shows up in my alerts when someone (like you) quotes me. So I am responding to the people quoting me. Sorry if that bothers you as well. Don't reply to this then please, or else it pops up again.
 
Hi Gina

We are flying out of Buffalo Feb 10, staying two nights at Dolphin ( using SPG points- from all the Toronto weekends when we visited Ben before we moved here ) then 7 nights at Sheraton Village ( couldn't get SVR) last night is at Hyatt in the airport. Flights were 150 each cheaper on Tuesday morning instead of Monday. We are doing 7 days at Disney and a few exploring Orlando. The kids want to go Kayaking where the manatees are.

Got my fast passes picked...and we got Flights of Passage!, doing tea at the Grand Flo. Still figuring out the rest!
 


Gina - Nice to see this (when I should be heading to bed). Love your update! You helped me tremendously in my trip a few years ago to Discovery Cove. I'm surprised that you made it to Disney for a Halloween Party! You go girl!

I know moving can be a hard adjustment. So glad you have Florida coming up!
 
It's 20 below windchill here in Maine. I thought about the Greatest Show movie yesterday, but then decided it was too cold to leave our house! Florida is chilly, too, at about 50, but I would take it in a heartbeat.
 
Even though your confusion has been cleared up, you make another unkind and antagonistic post.
Why?
Do you need to get the last word...or feel "right"?!?!

Move on.
I enjoy reading Gina's PTP, which I understood the meaning of....even though I'm not a regular visitor of the TR section of the boards! (Except Schumi's TR's which are fabulous as well.)

Thank you :hug: .

Hi Gina

We are flying out of Buffalo Feb 10, staying two nights at Dolphin ( using SPG points- from all the Toronto weekends when we visited Ben before we moved here ) then 7 nights at Sheraton Village ( couldn't get SVR) last night is at Hyatt in the airport. Flights were 150 each cheaper on Tuesday morning instead of Monday. We are doing 7 days at Disney and a few exploring Orlando. The kids want to go Kayaking where the manatees are.

Got my fast passes picked...and we got Flights of Passage!, doing tea at the Grand Flo. Still figuring out the rest!

Sounds like a great trip that you have planned!! Can't wait to hear about kayaking with the manatees.....I love those cool experiences that you can't have anywhere but in the south, they are so special for us northerners.

The last month always goes so quickly....your trip will be here in no time :thumbsup2.

Glad to see another PTR, Gina. :)
Thank you! :welcome: aboard once again!

Gina - Nice to see this (when I should be heading to bed). Love your update! You helped me tremendously in my trip a few years ago to Discovery Cove. I'm surprised that you made it to Disney for a Halloween Party! You go girl!

I know moving can be a hard adjustment. So glad you have Florida coming up!

We've done the Disney Halloween Parties for the last three years now, actually! Five in total (2 in 2015, 2 in 2016 and one in 2017). We've also done one Very Merry Christmas Party (in 2016). We really enjoy the hard ticket events, as they don't require Fastpasses or a whole load of advance planning. I keep hoping that a Disney After Hours event will align with one of our vacations but so far, no luck.

It's 20 below windchill here in Maine. I thought about the Greatest Show movie yesterday, but then decided it was too cold to leave our house! Florida is chilly, too, at about 50, but I would take it in a heartbeat.
50 sounds like paradise :beach:. Swimmin' weather! :rotfl:

I hear the deep freeze is supposed to release its grip a bit from our area starting tomorrow. Of course, that reprieve comes with snow :sad2:. This winter, it seems like we just can't win.
 


Attractions

Attractions are the one big thing that I always need to be conscious about reigning myself in on :blush:. With so many awesome things to do in the Orlando area, I could happily pack our days full from sun up to sun down. Of course, we also want a certain amount of relaxation in a Florida holiday……otherwise when we go home, we feel as if we need a vacation from our vacation……so it leaves me a little torn during the planning process.

The boys have requested “balance” for this trip …. a mix of busy days and others devoted to relaxation and enjoying the resort. Brittney, being new to all things Florida, would happily see it all and do it all (a girl after my own heart ;)). I am hopeful that I’ve devised a plan that will appeal to everyone.

I’ve already mentioned that we’re planning to pick up tickets to the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday, May 6th while the Toronto Blue Jays are in town. Those tickets go on sale on January 12th, and with a little luck, we’ll have a good selection of seats from which to pick that are within budget……both ours and Jake’s. Oh, how I wish that lousy Canadian dollar would soon show some improvement against the American buck :(. While we’re in St. Petersburg for the game, hopefully we can find some time to visit one of the Gulf coast beaches: in all of our trips, we’ve yet to spend time soaking up the sun and sand of the Gulf. So far, the game time for May 6th has not yet been announced, so until we have that information, any other activities for that date will be deferred. I’m hoping for an afternoon game so we could picnic on the beach for dinner.

Our other main activities this trip will focus on the Seaworld family of parks: SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove.

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This was an easy choice for us. We’ve had annual passes to Universal for the past couple of years, so we’ve pretty much seen and done everything at those parks for the last several trips. Considering those tickets would be quite expensive for Jake and Britt’s limited budget anyway, Universal was an easy scratch.

Disney, too, was fairly easy to cross of the list, simply due to the cost for Jake and Brittney, as well as the amount of advance planning that’s required (which drives Steve and Jake both bonkers). After visiting the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot last year (at which we had SO much fun), I was a little sad to take a pass on that park this spring, though.

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We had the most amazing day last May, thanks to the generosity of a wonderful friend who provided us admission with her CM guest passes :hug:. We owe this sweet girl such a bucket load of thanks. What incredible memories we created that day……and Steve gained a whole new appreciation for the park which he had previously and steadfastly assured the world was his “least favorite”.

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Much as I’d love to give Brittney her first taste of Disney, I don’t feel right in asking them to absorb that kind of a cost (one day tickets for each of them, plus dining for the day, with the 30%+ exchange rate). So, we’ll have to defer our next visit to the Flower and Garden Festival until next spring.

The SeaWorld parks were an easy choice, then: they’ve been family favorites for years. They’re a place we can go to have a consistently good guest experience, with manageable crowds and no need to micromanage every second of our trip 180 days in advance. We can switch out plans if poor weather or exhaustion or anything else happens to pop up unexpectedly. That flexibility, all on its own, breeds relation. And as a happy bonus, Jake and Brittney already have their active annual passes from their September trip, so their park admission will be absolutely free for the entire trip :thumbsup2.

Steve and I, on the other hand, will have to purchase our AP’s when we get to the park. With a little good planning, we’ll get three vacations out of those passes before they expire: May and October this year, and hopefully the last week of April/first week of May in 2019. We are excited to get back to SeaWorld after a year and half’s hiatus: while our Universal and Disney adventures have been a ton of fun, there’s something comforting about coming back to the peaceful pace of a SeaWorld getaway. And there’s dolphins……can it get any better? :confused3

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We’ll rent a cabana for our Aquatica day(s) …. how many days is still up in the air. I tentatively have two full days set aside for SeaWorld, and one for Aquatica, but Britt and Jake were sort of hoping we’d reverse that plan. They’re water babies at heart. If it happens to be a scorcher of a week, we may just end up switching things up and spending an additional day keeping cool at the water park.

Our big splurge for this trip, of course, is our day at Discovery Cove. Hands down, our very favorite park in Orlando, by an easy margin. And since its our 25th anniversary, we’ve opted to go whole hog and treat us all to a day of indulgence with dolphin swims for all and the Elite package upgrade (which includes a private cabana for the day, a souvenir buoy delivered to us by a dolphin, the largest photo package, a souvenir tote bag, and beach towel).

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We surprised Jake and Brittney with that news on Christmas. I thought poor Britt was going to cry……they did the Dolphin Encounter at SeaWorld in September, and she thought THAT was the pinnacle of awesomeness. The prospect of an in-water session with a dolphin at DC, combined with the whole Discovery Cove “experience”, has her absolutely poised to burst with excitement :hyper:.

Even though we won’t be purchasing our AP’s until we arrive, the reservations staff at Discovery Cove were kind enough to let me book with the passholder discount on the good faith that we’ll have AP’s to show by the time our DC day rolls around. While the final total still made me catch my breath a tiny bit, it was certainly less expensive than a formal 25th anniversary party would have been…..and MUCH more our style ::yes::.

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Hopefully Mother Nature will smile on us that day. Of all the days of our vacation, that’s the one for which I’m praying for sunshine :sunny:.

I’ve got two “resort days” planned into the itinerary: it will be nice to have some time to relax by the pool and enjoy all the wonderful amenities offered at the Vistana. On one of those days, we hope to sneak over for a short visit to Disney Springs: Britt has yet to visit there, so that will be a new experience for her, too.

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If we happen to make it there early in the day, I may just treat us all to a ride on the Characters in Flight balloon. Steve and I did this in October when we travelled with his brother, Joe, and sister-in-law Lisa….and it was SO much fun!

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I’d also like to take the kiddos to the Coke Store to enjoy a beverage on the rooftop bar.

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We did the Tour of the World in the fall, and it was interesting to sample 16 different Coke products from around the globe……even though some of them are obviously a regionally acquired taste :rolleyes1.

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I’m sure there will be some mini golf thrown in for good measure……the SeaWorld parks all close at 5 or 6 pm that week, so mini golf is a fun after-dinner activity once the heat of the day has passed. Groupon is always my go-to for those passes, and I’ll be watching for deals there in the coming months.

117 days to go :hourglass.
 
Love your trip reports. Thank you for sharing. We are doing a ‘need to get out of this frigid cold’ trip soon. Great rates on SW, WBC, and car.
 
Gina, I am following along closely since I hope to do a Seaworld parks exclusive trip in 2018, too. May I please ask why did you decide to buy the annual passes for May when you will go to Discovery Cove and get 14 days free at the other parks? Is it the parking? Did you consider buying Discovery Cove now and using the 14 free days and then waiting until your next trip to buy the annual passes? Or are the annual pass discounts worth it?

Thanks!
 
So glad to see you back Gina! Dash and Violet are adorable – such sweethearts! I’ll look forward to reading all about your plans and your trip. I really think Sea World is underrated – I spent two days there on my Sept 2017 trip and it was great. Their penguin tour is one of the best tours I’ve done at any park!
 
Sounds like a fun trip. :)

You and Steve need to retire to Orlando so you can get Disney APs and go whenever you like with no plans. :D
 
I too love SW and agree you can happily pass a day away enjoying the scenery and not really doing too much if you don't want to. A bit more relaxed pace. We actually have a fast pass card still to use from our Christmas trip as we bought quick queue in advance and didn't need it. guest services very kindly gave us the ticket so we could use it on our next visit.

Great plans with the DC day, hope the sun shines.
 
Attractions


I’ve already mentioned that we’re planning to pick up tickets to the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday, May 6th while the Toronto Blue Jays are in town. Those tickets go on sale on January 12th, and with a little luck, we’ll have a good selection of seats from which to pick that are within budget……both ours and Jake’s. Oh, how I wish that lousy Canadian dollar would soon show some improvement against the American buck :(. While we’re in St. Petersburg for the game, hopefully we can find some time to visit one of the Gulf coast beaches: in all of our trips, we’ve yet to spend time soaking up the sun and sand of the Gulf. So far, the game time for May 6th has not yet been announced, so until we have that information, any other activities for that date will be deferred. I’m hoping for an afternoon game so we could picnic on the beach for dinner.

Gina--my all time favorite beach on the Gulf, within driving distance to Tropicana Field would be the beach on Longboat Key. It's about an hour's drive from Tropicana to the public beach access. We LOVE Longboat, and the vibe on the island. Depending on game time, you might like to pick something closer to the stadium, in which case Tampa or Clearwater would be a good bet.
 
Love your trip reports. Thank you for sharing. We are doing a ‘need to get out of this frigid cold’ trip soon. Great rates on SW, WBC, and car.
Thank you! And :welcome: to the thread! Always nice to have new friends joining in :goodvibes.

I hear ya on the need to escape this arctic grip :cold:. It makes the days feel oh-so-long. When do you leave for sunny Orlando/

Gina, I am following along closely since I hope to do a Seaworld parks exclusive trip in 2018, too. May I please ask why did you decide to buy the annual passes for May when you will go to Discovery Cove and get 14 days free at the other parks? Is it the parking? Did you consider buying Discovery Cove now and using the 14 free days and then waiting until your next trip to buy the annual passes? Or are the annual pass discounts worth it?

Thanks!

The AP's saved us $90 on each Discovery Cove admission (so x 4 = $360 plus tax). Then, we get free parking at the other two Orlando parks (around $15-20 day savings). Also, we'll get 10% on our Aquatica cabana rental(s). And 10% on everything we eat and drink at SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. Plus....the monthly passmember deals sweeten the pot as well (I think we get free lanyards and pouches at SeaWorld in May, and $10 Aquatica t-shirts at AQ). Finally, we'll save 10% on the SeaWorld/Aquatica photokey, so our annual passes will essentially work out to be "free" once you figure in the cumulative discounts. The DC admission with the passmember discount don't include admission to the other two parks.

Does that make sense?

So glad to see you back Gina! Dash and Violet are adorable – such sweethearts! I’ll look forward to reading all about your plans and your trip. I really think Sea World is underrated – I spent two days there on my Sept 2017 trip and it was great. Their penguin tour is one of the best tours I’ve done at any park!

I love, love, LOVE the SeaWorld tours, and was mulling over whether we should add the Sea Lion tour to this spring's itinerary :scratchin (it's only $35 each, less 10% for the passmember discount). So far, we've done their VIP Tour (disclaimer: we won this won on their anniversary year as part of their promotion in the parks), the Wild Arctic Tour, the Behind the Scenes Tour, and the Dolphin Encounter (the latter x 2): all absolutely worth the cost. As an animal lover, I can't get enough of them!!

Sounds like a fun trip. :)

You and Steve need to retire to Orlando so you can get Disney APs and go whenever you like with no plans. :D

That's our retirement plan ;). Give us 20 years, and hopefully that's exactly what we'll be doing. Sooner if we win the Michigan lottery :laughing:.

I too love SW and agree you can happily pass a day away enjoying the scenery and not really doing too much if you don't want to. A bit more relaxed pace. We actually have a fast pass card still to use from our Christmas trip as we bought quick queue in advance and didn't need it. guest services very kindly gave us the ticket so we could use it on our next visit.

Great plans with the DC day, hope the sun shines.

Yes ma'am, one of the reasons I *love* Seaworld. It still feels like a vacation, even though you're at the theme park. And their customer service has always been awesome!

Gina--my all time favorite beach on the Gulf, within driving distance to Tropicana Field would be the beach on Longboat Key. It's about an hour's drive from Tropicana to the public beach access. We LOVE Longboat, and the vibe on the island. Depending on game time, you might like to pick something closer to the stadium, in which case Tampa or Clearwater would be a good bet.

Thanks for the recommend :thumbsup2. I will definitely keep Longboat in mind once we find out what our timing looks like. I have no idea what's customary for a Sunday game time in Tampa :confused:. I may have to google last year's schedule and see if I can determine a trend.
 
Hi glad that your back! I have followed your trip reports and was very helpful especially for my Discovery Cove we did in late July. I have to agree with you that Discovery Cove was our favorite day. We stayed at Universal but went the one day. I decided on Discovery Cove later on so didn't take into account the 14 days park tickets to Sea World and Aquatica. I know for the next time and we will probably just do those parks.

It was my 50th birthday celebration ( a little early) but it was amazing. We went all out and did the dolphin experience and the elite package. I thought the package was a good deal and can't wait to go back. We had our cabana on the island with the aviary and I loved the location.

Congrats for your son! My DD is getting her license this week and time is just flying by.

Look forward to your pre-trip count down. I started doing this last trip and enjoyed it. I also was proud of myself I did a trip report with pics for Universal and one for Discovery Cove this year.
 
I Can't decide if we want to see the Greatest Showman or I, Tonya :scratchin.



:)

So did you venture out in the cold to either? I really want to see both but don't see any free weekend time in the near future so a fews months from now at home it will likely be.

I can't believe I am thankful for a 20 degree start this morning. Thawing cow waterers (that aren't supposed to freeze) with a hair dryer was not exactly what I had in mind for Saturday afternoon. The high 40s we will see by the weekend will be wonderful. :rotfl2:

I would even take a chilly Orlando right now.
 
Oh yay! I love a good Gina-report! Because of your reports my family and I tried Discovery Cove last summer for the first time and had the absolute, very best day ever!!

We will be there May 18 and are so excited, as usual!

Your future daughter in law is a doll, and they're such a cute couple! Congratulations!!
Can't wait to read along with all your plans!
Dawn
 

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