Grateful, Thankful, Blessed: our 25th Anniversary SeaWorld Celebration (Spring ’18 TR)

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'M IN! I'm currently re-reading your TR from the holidays at Universal/Sea World fro 2016 - I have been reading portions of it to my DH and we are doing NYE in Orlando just from the holiday stuff you mentioned! (and we are doing the Capone Dinner this year from you recomendation as well!)

Welcome aboard, verlenia! Glad to have you reading along!
You are going to LOVE Orlando during the holiday season. It's busy, but oh-so-awesome .....especially SeaWorld. Their Christmas festivities are second to none!!

I also think you'll have a blast at Capone's. If at all possible, pay the small additional fee for the VIP upgrade....its absolutely worth it. Better seating, access to the lounge before the show for a free drink, free appetizers/snacks, and free gambling....and a souvenir shot glass to take home. Plus, you get first access to the buffet. Just be sure to come hungry! (and perhaps consider Ubering, as alcohol is unlimited, and not having to drive means you can enjoy all the 'refreshments' you want ).

Wow, that is a LOT of legroom! Like you, I'm a loyal JetBlue customer - we've always flown Jetblue from Buffalo to Orlando and have had great experiences. Now I'm planning a trip to Vegas in the fall (10 year anniversary!) and my only non-stop options are Southwest (their 'free for all' seating makes me nervous!) or Westjet out of Toronto. Both options seem unappealing and after flying Jetblue all the time, I'm getting a bit of culture shock ("What do you mean, I have to PAY to pick my seat? No seatback screens? WHAT?!") But I'm glad your Frontier experience was a positive one! I love the feeling of arriving at MCO and knowing you have a whole fabulous vacation stretching out ahead of you!

One of my coworkers is a huge fan of Southwest, and my dislike of their open seating process drives her bonkers. I am sure she thinks I'm a control freak, but gosh darn it.....I don't want any question or debate about where I'm going to sit! Southwest gets a lot of love, but they'll have to change their seating and boarding processes before I give them a try.

I do know lots of folks who are huge fans of Westjet, though. I honestly think you would have a good in-flight experience with them (though I am not sure if things like TV's are the norm on their planes......and I know baggage is an extra cost). I hear their crews are pretty consistently great people.

Congrats on the big upcoming anniversary! I've never been to Vegas, but I'd love to venture there just once to experience it!

Aw, I think that's a great picture of you and Steve! I like your Vistana shirt; bet the staff at the resort got a kick out of it! We always drive for our vacations, so it's always interesting to me to read airport stories. I wish we could be in Orlando in 2 hours! But, it's only about a 7 hour drive for us.

I bought that shirt on our very first stay there in.....2012? 2013? Haven't seen them at the Marketplace since (what a shame, I'd love to buy a new one). The staff at the Welcome Center were all agog when we checked in, oohing and aahhing about "Oh, you must have been an owner a LONG time, because we've never even seen those shirts!". Pretty sure this will be the last vacation I'll wear it on, as its almost reached the stage that it needs to be retired to a gardening shirt but it needed one more trip "home" first .

If I was only 7 hours from Orlando, heck I'd be there at least 5 times a year! How awesome it must be to hop in the car after breakfast and be there in time for dinner. You are SO fortunte!

Hi I am in ...I can't wait to read more. I am very interested in the Vistana Resort. We are going to stay there next June for our Discovery Cove/Sea World trip! I have always been bad about food pics but I am going to try harder on my next report! We are loyal to Jet Blue also. We try Southwest for the first time last year because of really good deals. I think I liked Jet Blue better. However, this is our driving trip in June

I know about the kitties. We have many and I feel so guilty leaving them even for a few days. It's funny I have a couple of them that ignore us for a bit to let us know they are upset with us. Overall with in about 20 minutes they are all snuggles.

Welcome bobbie, so glad to have you joining in once again!

I am so glad I'm not the only one who gets the blues when leaving the animals behind. I know I'm a little nutty where they're concerned, but in my defense, I'm their momma....and if your momma doesn't worry and fret over you, who will? What can I say, but that I have a soft spot for kids, animals, and the elderly. And chocolate . But, that's not quite the same ..

How long will the drive be for you? I think it is close to 23 hours or so from Metro Detroit. I am always impressed by those hearty folks who can brave such a long journey......I'm pretty sure Steve and I would both be crazy by the time we pulled into the Vistana .

So glad Frontier worked out! I have to drive 3 hours for them but for budget or quick trips (and catching $39 fares each way) it made it very easy to visit my dd last fall (think I saw her more at Disney than I ever do when she’s so much closer home at college lol).

WooHoo to another Gina trip report Currently in line for Soarin waiting out rain and for our Behind The Seeds tour.

I saw on your Facebook that you were back in Orlando, you lucky girl! I had another one of those "I wanna be Monica!!" moments .

From what I've seen, its been a rather soggy week in central Florida. Here's hoping the sun shines for the rest of your trip . How was the Behind the Seeds tour? I would love to do that someday.....I adore Living with the Land!

Here! Can’t wait to hear all about your trip.

Thanks for joining in!

I'm here, Gina!! Can't wait to hear all the details! I'm fine with our photos being posted here!! What a wonderful evening we had!! Joe really hit it off with Steve!

Thank you for being okay with posting your pics . I know we chatted about it before you left the villa, but wanted to give y'all one last opportunity to opt out in case you had a change of heart after you left. I didn't want you to feel pressured at all just because I was all excited .

It was marvelous that our two men meshed so well! Both such good sports to indulge us with a meet-up .... I love the fact that while many people's first thought would be "that's so weird!", they were happy to take the What the heck, why not? approach. Hopefully next time the stars align and our dates overlap, we'll be able to work in a dinner together or a night on the town.

I somehow missed the PTR- so excited to hear how your trip went!! Congratulations on 25 years! I’m sitting in SVR right now, as extended family is staying here this week (we live an hour away). Your photos helped convince them to book here and we are enjoying our first visit!

A big , my friend! So sorry you missed out on the PTR chatter (that poor thread bounced around so much, I'm not surprised you didn't see it as it continually changed location) but I'm thrilled you're here now. Hopefully this thread will be a little more stationary than the other!!

So happy to hear your family is having a great first stay at SVR . What section of the resort are they in?

 

[Inhislove]

A big , my friend! So sorry you missed out on the PTR chatter (that poor thread bounced around so much, I'm not surprised you didn't see it as it continually changed location) but I'm thrilled you're here now. Hopefully this thread will be a little more stationary than the other!!

So happy to hear your family is having a great first stay at SVR . What section of the resort are they in?

They are in Lakes Building 4, and our kids enjoyed both the Lakes and Fountains looks in the rain this afternoon.

I wish we would’ve seen your plans, because it would’ve been fun to join the meet-up! We have a sweet reason for not being aware of forums in January- a new addition!

 

[tgropp]

As usual, I am Enjoying this trip report.

 

[verleniahall]

Welcome aboard, verlenia! Glad to have you reading along!
You are going to LOVE Orlando during the holiday season. It's busy, but oh-so-awesome .....especially SeaWorld. Their Christmas festivities are second to none!!

I also think you'll have a blast at Capone's. If at all possible, pay the small additional fee for the VIP upgrade....its absolutely worth it. Better seating, access to the lounge before the show for a free drink, free appetizers/snacks, and free gambling....and a souvenir shot glass to take home. Plus, you get first access to the buffet. Just be sure to come hungry! (and perhaps consider Ubering, as alcohol is unlimited, and not having to drive means you can enjoy all the 'refreshments' you want ).?

We were planning on it! DH doesn’t drink when we go out, so it will just be me!!

 

[dalmatian7]

Subbing. Can't wait to hear all about your trip. I really wish we had the option of a discount carrier from our local airport as it is we usually end up connecting through DWT on Delta. Ill wave the next time we fly over. The first time we ever went to DWT we were hit with a freak rainstorm too. It was scary enough with a green sky that we moved away from the Windows. It also resulted in a canceled flight and us driving to our destination ( not Orlando) The joys of travel!!!

 

[Monykalyn]

From what I've seen, its been a rather soggy week in central Florida. Here's hoping the sun shines for the rest of your trip . How was the Behind the Seeds tour? I would love to do that someday.....I adore Living with the Land

Just the one day in parks - kiddo starts second DCP Monday. She likes for one of us to make that long long drive with her. Still have days on a non expiring ticket (I have AP) and with nothing else to do- Flower &Garden! We actually ducked into Land to escape coming rain and spontaneously signed up for seeds tour- ended up with some pixie dust as the cm recognized my DD from a class last fall and gev her CM discount. Time to kill so we hopped into Soarin line (waited 26 minutes-line was over 60 when we got off).
The Seeds tour was great! I'm a gardner though so I really enjoy that stuff. Plus it's so cool to see the boats go by while you get to be in the areas lol!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

View attachment 323648

They are in Lakes Building 4, and our kids enjoyed both the Lakes and Fountains looks in the rain this afternoon.

I wish we would’ve seen your plans, because it would’ve been fun to join the meet-up! We have a sweet reason for not being aware of forums in January- a new addition!

CONGRATULATIONS to you !!! What a beautiful babe! Her name is .... ? Can't think of a more wonderful reason to take a break from the boards .

We will have to see if October works to say hello.....I've actually been working on the preliminary details for fall over the last few days. If Steve can get his vacation dates approved this week, I'll purchase airfare and we can start making firm plans. Tentatively, we are looking at October 26th through November 3.

As usual, I am Enjoying this trip report.

, my friend! So glad to have you joining us once again!

We were planning on it! DH doesn’t drink when we go out, so it will just be me!!

Ah, good! I can't wait to hear how you like it!

Subbing. Can't wait to hear all about your trip. I really wish we had the option of a discount carrier from our local airport as it is we usually end up connecting through DWT on Delta. Ill wave the next time we fly over. The first time we ever went to DWT we were hit with a freak rainstorm too. It was scary enough with a green sky that we moved away from the Windows. It also resulted in a canceled flight and us driving to our destination ( not Orlando) The joys of travel!!!

So happy to have you back reading along again!

I hear you on the travel "joys" . If its not wacky weather, its something else!! (like the reason we were delayed on our way home, which was not related to weather.....more on that later!)

Just the one day in parks - kiddo starts second DCP Monday. She likes for one of us to make that long long drive with her. Still have days on a non expiring ticket (I have AP) and with nothing else to do- Flower &Garden! We actually ducked into Land to escape coming rain and spontaneously signed up for seeds tour- ended up with some pixie dust as the cm recognized my DD from a class last fall and gev her CM discount. Time to kill so we hopped into Soarin line (waited 26 minutes-line was over 60 when we got off).
The Seeds tour was great! I'm a gardner though so I really enjoy that stuff. Plus it's so cool to see the boats go by while you get to be in the areas lol!

Aw, so nice to have that time with your DD before she's away for another spell. Time in the parks is just a happy bonus!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. And yay for an unexpected discount! That's my kind of pixie dust!

 

[Inhislove]

Her name is Arianna Faith

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Her name is Arianna Faith

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[verleniahall]

Gina - is your next trip THIS October??

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Day 1: Our Home Away From Home

Normally by the time we deplane, someone's getting a little bit salty . Our customary early departures generally start to wear on us by the time our feet hit Florida soil, and one (or both) of us often become a tad on the touchy side . With not having to be up super early this time, though, we were both in high spirits and feeling remarkably well rested despite it being a travel day. As we waited for our baggage to come spinning down the carousel, we even remarked to each other about how civilized the day had felt so far. Everything had rolled along super smoothly and we were both in merry moods .

Our bags were among the first out, so we were soon trundling off to Alamo to pick up our rental vehicle. I had completed everything online in advance of our departure so that we could just go straight to the garage, and (as always with Alamo!) the whole process was wonderfully quick and simple. I let Steve choose the vehicle, and he was elated to get a Dodge Journey (the same vehicle he drives at home).

It had fewer options, of course (most rentals aren't generally fully loaded) but all the important buttons (to adjust the seats, the mirrors, the temperature, etc.) were all in the same places, so we tossed the luggage in the back, flashed the pick-up ticket, drivers licenses and credit card at the gate, and we were on our way into the Florida sunshine before you could say "Vacation" .

Traffic was wonderfully civilized on the drive to the resort and we were there super quickly. We have been so often that we don't even need the GPS to guide us any longer.....we carry it with us on our trips (just in case we want to go exploring and don't want to deplete the batteries on our phones), but didn't even bother to hook it up for that short commute. We patted ourselves on the back for making the decision to give Frontier a try and fly into Orlando instead of Fort Lauderdale. It was SO nice to be pulling into the Vistana within an hour after landing!

Check-in was fairly swift as well. There was only one family before us in line and a full slate of customer service representatives serving guests, so our wait was minimal. We had a very chatty staffer at the Welcome Center, but we appreciated his efforts to be jovial and enjoyed the animated verbal exchange as "Antonio" prepared our keys and provided us with the information on our villa location. We were very pleased to have had our specific requests (submitted via email to the pre-arrival coordinator in advance of our stay) all honored: we would be in a top floor Fountains villa, close to the pool, in building 31. We scheduled our owners update meeting at the sales desk (we had already decided before arrival that we'd give them the 75 minutes of our time that they asked for in exchange for a pre-paid Visa card, a light saber, and a princess wand) and were on our way immediately thereafter to locate our villa and get settled in.

We each grabbed a suitcase and headed up the stairs to check out Villa 1511. First impressions were great.....it smelled clean and fresh and had been well readied by housekeeping.

Having owned and vacationed here for many trips now, there were no surprises in either the layout, space or decor. We had a spacious dining and living area:

A well-equipped kitchen:

A spacious second bedroom with two queen beds (which, sadly, sat empty this trip):

The second bathroom had a full shower, toilet and sink:

The master bedroom featured a king bed with a walk-out to the screened in balcony:

The master ensuite boasted a separate shower, toilet and sink on one side:

.....and a jet tub on the opposite side of the room:

The dressing area outside of the master ensuite was my space . It has its own sink, dual mirrors, and lots of counter space for all the stuff I bring along (and half the time, don't use ):

Our balcony (completely screened in) was well appointed with a table, 4 chairs, a ceiling fan and direct access down a second set of stairs to the pool area:

Being on the third floor, we had treetop views from the balcony:

....and this view from the master bedroom:

When it was time to hit the pool, we were definitely not far from the fun!

Since we had made good time in both getting to the resort and checking in at the Welcome Center, we opted to take the time to get unpacked and fully settled in before heading out for some dinner. Steve handled his things and I took care of mine ..... and with the prospect of dinner and pool time to motivate us (it had now been a long time since our lunch at the airport, and the pool view from the master suite was beckoning us to the hot tub!) we were done in record time .

The balance of our first day is next.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina - is your next trip THIS October??

Yes ma'am! Tentatively October 26th to November 3.

 

[chiamarie]

. You are welcome to post whatever. I think I'm in a couple of photos!

And now I'll start leaving the same comments I did on the Facebook.....


That photo-bomber in your pic eating at the airport still gets me!

 

[verleniahall]

Yes ma'am! Tentatively October 26th to November 3.

We are going to be there Oct 27 - Nov 4th!!

 

[east_coaster]

I’ve never posted on your trip reports before, but I love reading them! Looking forward to reading all about your adventures outside the Disney bubble!

 

[KsGiGi]

Yipee!! Excited to read about your latest trip!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I found your report--yay! Thank you so much for your frontier review. We fly from Milwaukee and typically take Southwest and have always had an excellent experience. Frontier has a few non-stops from our city as well but we've never tried them yet with our family. Their prices (even after all the add-ons) tempt me!

We were at Epcot on Cinco de Mayo too! It was the last day of our trip. We took our girls (4,2 and 1) to Akershus for the first time and really enjoyed it.

 

[Joanna71985]

Yay for new TR! I can't wait to read about Discovery Cove (as I have still never been)

Also, I love JetBlue. It's my go-to airline for whenever I (very rarely) fly

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

. You are welcome to post whatever. I think I'm in a couple of photos!

And now I'll start leaving the same comments I did on the Facebook.....

That photo-bomber in your pic eating at the airport still gets me!

Ah, there's more than a few pics of your beautiful face . Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciated you being such a good sport about my photo habit?
I'm still a bit ashamed that neither of us even saw the photobomber until you mentioned it .... we are so unobservant . I gotta wonder if she was trying to be in the picture, or just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time?

We are going to be there Oct 27 - Nov 4th!!

Well, how's that for our dates aligning almost perfectly? Maybe we can set up a Dismeet at some point during our week!

I’ve never posted on your trip reports before, but I love reading them! Looking forward to reading all about your adventures outside the Disney bubble!

Thank you so much @east_coaster , and a big welcome to the thread! I am so happy you're joining in on the chatter.....we always have a great group here, so don't be shy!

Yipee!! Excited to read about your latest trip!

Awesome to have you along once again!

I found your report--yay! Thank you so much for your frontier review. We fly from Milwaukee and typically take Southwest and have always had an excellent experience. Frontier has a few non-stops from our city as well but we've never tried them yet with our family. Their prices (even after all the add-ons) tempt me!

We were at Epcot on Cinco de Mayo too! It was the last day of our trip. We took our girls (4,2 and 1) to Akershus for the first time and really enjoyed it.

Hey there @BadgerGirl84 ! Glad to have you joining in!

I had thought that Epcot would be PACKED that day, considering it was a weekend and the Flower & Garden Festival (which means the park can get pretty congested with locals), but honestly.....it was AMAZING! So glad you guys had a great time as well. The only real crowds we saw all day were at the Mexican Pavilion.....apparently we all had the same idea .

Weren't the topiaries simply GORGEOUS???? I just can't get over how beautiful their displays are......take-your-breath-away pretty.

I am so glad your little ones enjoyed Akershus. I hope you got lots of pictures of your little princesses with their favorite princesses!

Yay for new TR! I can't wait to read about Discovery Cove (as I have still never been)

Also, I love JetBlue. It's my go-to airline for whenever I (very rarely) fly

Ah Joanna, you'll have to give it a go sometime . There's no place like it in Orlando! The passmember rates are pretty decent, too.....especially when everything from food to sunscreen is included.

I still hold out hope that Jetblue will someday begin offering nonstops from Detroit to Orlando. While Frontier was a perfectly acceptable replacement, I'd book Jetblue in a heartbeat if a nonstop to MCO was an option.

 

[verleniahall]

sent you a convo Gina!