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

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

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.

Hmmm....I may have to give that a try . I wonder if Steve would be jealous though?

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

Picture this.....summer in Niagara Falls. Riding the Hornblower Cruise to the base of the Canadian Falls. Snacking on Beaver Tails on Clifton Hill. Sliding down a waterslide at Great Wolf Lodge. And having dinner with your friends from the Dis . #makeithappen

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.

Our base price for clothing is noticeably higher, as a general rule, than similar products in the USA. Definitely something to watch for and factor in. Even if shopping isn't a great deal for our US neighbours, though, tourism certainly is. Its a great time to visit and take in some of our famous Canadian sights!

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.

Summer is so entertaining at the Falls (very busy, of course, but there are lots of ridiculously cheesy fun things to do). It would be awesome if your fam could be part of a Dismeet there!!! We should start thinking about dates......

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 .

You guys have a Popeyes in NF, on Lundy's Lane. We try to stop there on every Falls vacation at least once. We find their quality to be almost as good as the locations in the US . Its in a little strip mall near the Flying Saucer.

I am so excited to be planning those final weeks before vacation with you!! Thankfully we shouldn't have any worries about hurricanes that early in the season .

And YAY to be on board for the Dismeet!! I was hoping you would say yes! (though I know its not much a vacation for you, being right in your own back yard!)

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!

Absolutely you are invited! The more, the merrier! If we get enough people who would want to come, we might even qualify for a nice group discount at one of the local hotels. I should post something over on the Canadian board, too....there might be a few other folks who would like to join in on the fun.

The Orlando Steak & Shake had an all-you-can-eat pancake special as well....$3.99!!! I think that will be my choice for the next visit. Diet be darned.

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.

Ah yes, teenagers....don't they have such discriminating tastes?

McDonald's prices here at home are ridiculously overpriced. $9 for a crappy teensy weensy burger, painfully salty fries and a watered down drink . Blech.

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

Well just so you know, I've already decided that you, in particular, would HAVE to come. You're the life of the party here on this thread, after all .

And in case you were wondering, I'm having a nice little cry over your exchange rate update . Can't you just let me live in my bubble?? I am happy there.

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.)

Ha ha, yes!!! They guys nicknamed it the Ihu Wedgie .

We haven't done any Disney mini golf courses yet, but they look great.....they're just quite a bit pricier when they never offer coupons (which are rampant in the Entertainment Book for the offsite courses) or Groupons. We actually thought about doing the Winter course at Winter Summerland, though, on this past trip......we thought the Christmas theming would have been very fitting for a festive holiday vacation!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We had two different attractions to conquer over the latter part of that afternoon and early evening, and we could do them in any order. It made the most sense to start with our bowling Groupon, since Jake wouldn’t be allowed within the facility after 6 pm….he was still a couple of weeks shy of turning 20, and after-6 is restricted at Kings Bowl to the 21-and-over crowd.





Now, we’ve had a couple of different bowling Groupons in the past: the first was a great success (World Bowling Center on Canada Avenue, just off of International Drive) and the second was a huge dud (it was such a scary looking facility in Kissimmee, we left without bowling and chose not to return). We knew that Kings Bowl was brand new and heralded as being “upscale”, so we were hoping that it would live up to our high hopes. Our Groupon was $19.50 for $40 in bowling and shoe rental, plus we received 30% off with a promo code *and* we had a small credit of a couple of dollars to apply to the purchase. When all was said and done, we paid $11 for the $40 voucher .


We parked in the awesome, free garage for the iDrive 360 complex (there were lots of available spaces) and strolled through the parking lot to the Kings entrance. Everything sure looked clean and polished from the outside….even the entry doors advertised that it was a “Classy Bowling Joint” .





Walking inside to the main desk, we were VERY impressed with the lovely décor and the professionalism this place exuded. The staff were all in uniform (and super friendly), the interior was impeccably clean, and the lighting just made the place sparkle.





We turned in our Groupon (which was happily accepted with a smile, and an exclamation of “Awesome! You have one of our Groupons! They are such a GREAT deal!”) and decided on two games each plus three shoe rentals. We ended up paying an additional $8 out of pocket, so essentially got $48 in bowling fees for $19 all-in. Not too shabby.





It was very busy at the alley, and there were several larger groups waiting on the side for adjacent lanes to open up. Since it was just our little family of three, though, we were able snag the sole empty lane and begin bowling right away.





This place had a wonderful, fun vibe. Large screens above each lane played music videos throughout the open bowling, all well-chosen songs with great beats that made you want to dance all the way back to your seat. They also offer food and beverage service right to your lane, and as we laced up our shoes, a very friendly server dropped by to offer drinks and food from their very extensive menu, and to take care of entering our names on the computer while we readied ourselves to bowl.





Two games took us about an hour to play. Jake won the first game, Steve took the second. I am a terrible bowler (I enjoy it, but I’m just awful! ) so I came absolutely nowhere close to their scores. It was a hoot, though, and it was a nice family activity that got us up and moving and just having fun together. Worth every dollar of the Groupon for sure and a wonderful way to spend an hour .





As we left, a very sharply dressed manager was at the door, giving a warm and personal thanks to guests for visiting and also offering his apologies for it being busier than they anticipated. We chatted with him a bit before we left, as he was very excited to hear we were out-of-country guests (I can’t tell you how many times someone asked us “Oh, you’re from Canada? How much snow do you have at home?"). I must admit, that kind of personal customer service and interaction goes a LONG way with me. We left feeling like our business, even at the deep discount and during a very busy season, was sincerely appreciated.


As we left the bowling alley, it was well after 5 pm and the sun was starting to get very low in the sky. We made our way across the parking lot and into the Orlando Eye complex.





We had purchased our three-attraction passes way back in the early spring, right after they were released for sale by Merlin Entertainment. Of course, that was long before we knew they would be offering special enhanced flight experiences for the Christmas under their “Frostival” special event. So, when we heard that they had holiday-themed capsules for the yuletide season in which to enjoy your flight, I had to see if we could upgrade our existing tickets. When we were at the Eye complex earlier that week visiting Tussauds and Sea Life, I stopped by Guest Services to inquire….and much to my delight, upgrading our standard Eye ticket to the Frostival package was fast and easy (it took less than 5 minutes start to finish) and very reasonably priced, too: just $5 each, for a grand total of $15.98 including tax .


When we arrived on this day, then, we had our Eye e-tickets in hand (printed from home and transported to Orlando via my handy dandy travel binder) plus the small cards that confirmed our purchase for the Frostival upgrade. We were directed to the VIP Check-In area by Eye staffers, which was a bit of a surprise….while we knew we would be assigned a themed pod, we didn’t realize we would also be treated to individualized, VIP service .


The very, VERY friendly fellow at VIP Check-In was unable to secure us a VIP guide without a bit of a wait, but he was super nice and we had a wonderful visit with him until the guide arrived (born and raised in Florida, he wistfully admitted that he’s never seen snow…..so he had a million adorable questions about life in the Great White North). About 10 minutes later, our guide arrived with a sincere apology for the delay, and she and her bubbly personality whisked us off to begin our Orlando Eye Frostival Experience .


The VIP treatment here is really quite wonderful. Our guide took us to the front of each aspect of the pre-flight experience: we bypassed the lines for the attraction photos, the 4D movie, and even to board the Eye itself. Oddly enough, we were the ONLY VIP guests we saw….which baffled us, considering how inexpensive the upgrade was .








Leaving us to enjoy the pre-flight show in the 4D theater, our guide promised she would meet us at the exit once the 4-minute film had concluded. True to her word, she was waiting right where promised, sporting a big grin and hands full of Great American Cookies.





Another unexpected feature of the Frostival package was a pre-flight Christmas sugar cookie for each of us. They were soft and fresh and super tasty. Cookie surprises are the best kind of surprises!





When we had checked in at the VIP desk, they asked us which holiday capsule we wanted to ride in. There were four options: Winter Wonderland, Gingerbread, Candy Cane, and The Night Before Christmas. We told them we would leave it up to them to surprise us, with one exception: Winter Wonderland was out . We get enough winter back home, and we had come to Florida to escape the snow….so they could keep their snow-themed pod this time around . She laughed and proposed the Candy Cane capsule: another family had just requested Gingerbread, and the Night Before Christmas one had just passed us by (meaning we’d be waiting another 20+ minutes for it to come around again). If we were okay with the Candy Cane pod, we would have a fully private experience…..the whole capsule all to ourselves!


Our guide offered to take a family photo as we waited to board, an offer which we happily accepted.





She handed me back the camera, and excitedly noted that our pod was on its way down to the boarding area. You could easily spot the special Frostival capsules, as they were adorned with large Christmas wreaths on the bottom, candy cane stripes on the side, and snowflakes on the windows.





Here it comes! It was time to board!





The rest of our Orlando Eye experience is coming up next . It just gets more Christmassy from here!

 

[pattyw]

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

So the Niagara Falls dismeet sounds great- I had suggested a dismeet dinner in Buffalo as we live near the airport, but to get more together at once sounds fun. Especially if dancin Disney style is there- she makes me laugh out loud just reading your trip reports- I can only imagine being face to face!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So the Niagara Falls dismeet sounds great- I had suggested a dismeet dinner in Buffalo as we live near the airport, but to get more together at once sounds fun. Especially if dancin Disney style is there- she makes me laugh out loud just reading your trip reports- I can only imagine being face to face!

Niagara Falls makes it more affordable for us Canucks, and a better deal for our US friends. Much as I love Buffalo (and their awesome dining options), its killing the budget when the bill comes in USD these days!!

I agree with you about our friend @dancin Disney style . I can only imagine how many Youtube-worthy moments we would capture from that event .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The Eye itself generally doesn’t stop moving….the loading area is designed in such a way that you can hop aboard as it goes slowly around……so when the doors opened and we were directed to enter, we did. We were immediately immersed in a red and white, candy cane-striped Christmas wonderland!











The doors closed automatically behind us as our noses caught the sweet smell of candy cane mint in the air (though nothing overpoweringly) and heard the cheery Christmas music flowing happily from the speakers .





Because it was now dark outside, as we rose higher and higher we got to watch the Eye intermittently change colours against the inky backdrop of the night sky: purple, green, yellow, and red.








We had a great view of Orlando’s nighttime sparkle!








Up, up, up we went….higher and higher…..








From our vantage point near the top of the giant wheel, the iDrive 360 courtyard looked like a miniature village:





I have to say, we absolutely LOVED having the capsule all to ourselves . The holiday décor, the music, the Christmassy smells, the sugar cookie, the VIP entry….all of that was great: but the privacy of our own pod in which to enjoy the flight, just the three of us, was priceless . The guys remarked multiple times how it was the best $15.99 we'd spent so far on this trip. Mom, apparently, is a genius!








Steve and I had experienced the Eye during its opening week on our couples trip in May, but this was Jake’s first ride. He enjoyed checking out the interactive screen, though determining the specific sights in the distance was much harder after dark than during our daytime flight:








It was over too soon, and we were sad to see us getting lower and lower to the ground .





As with all the iDrive 360 attractions, you exit through the gift shop, but first pass through a dedicated area where they have your photos printed and ready in a nice little hard covered souvenir book. The book includes a well-presented summary of interesting facts about the Eye and its construction in Orlando, plus it comes with several 5 x 7 prints and all of your digital images (which you have to download from their online site). Since we had already purchased the digital prints from Tussauds, I knew we were eligible for a discount on the second set of photos, and I had my receipt from the Tussauds in my wallet for this purpose. Having that purchase confirmation on hand saved us a cool 25% on the Eye pics .











Of course, I was unable to download the photos from their website (necessitating a stop on our departure day to get them to manually email them to me ) but that was the theme of our photo purchases all week long!!


Heading back outside, we strolled around the courtyard for a bit: the whole area was lit up in a seas of Christmas lights, and it was simply beautiful! I was so glad we decided for a nighttime ride, because the whole complex took on such a festive and Christmassy feel .











And the Eye itself…..my goodness, it was gorgeous all lit up too. So awesome ….and so MASSIVE .








We were barely back in the Equinox, on our way down I-Drive en route to the Vistana, when Dean calls us on Jake’s iPhone. He and his beloved are about 30 minutes away . We were about to have guests for the night.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Hmmm....I may have to give that a try . I wonder if Steve would be jealous though?

Doubt it....it's every guys dream to have a wife and girlfriend. Some are good at making that dream a reality.

Well just so you know, I've already decided that you, in particular, would HAVE to come. You're the life of the party here on this thread, after all

I'll prepare my best material.

So the Niagara Falls dismeet sounds great- Especially if dancin Disney style is there- she makes me laugh out loud just reading your trip reports- I can only imagine being face to face!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

The courtyard and Eye look lovely at night, I love the picture in the snow globe

Just so I don't feel left out, exactly how far is it to Niagra from the UK

 

[disney ny]

I am all caught up! I read all 17 pages today I had surgery two weeks ago which means I'm out of work for quite a while. I have been saving your trip report for a good day and finally today I found the time while I am here confined to my couch! I enjoyed reading everything so much. Each time you write about Acquatica I think how we need to make sure we do that and all of your dining makes me long for good food. I'm not sold on Popeye's though...they did just open one here in Binghamton though which is close. We tried steak and Shake this summer for the first time on our trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we are sold. I love that place and am hoping for an upstate NY location soon. I think the closest is Erie, PA which is a solid 5 hours. I'm also hoping for a Chik-Fil-A around here too. Anyway I am loving the report and it is nice to see Jake joining you again. I keep telling everyone I would recover faster from surgery if I did it in Orlando and since I'm already off work I wish I could jump on a plane!

 

[pepperandchips]

Gorgeous photos from the Eye, Gina! We loved watching the Eye change colors as well (sadly, from the ground). That VIP upgrade looks like it was totally worth it! And you already know how I feel about the Great American Cookie company sugar cookies... I can practically taste one now!

 

[Callie]

Ahhhh Gina, I totally forgot to be expecting a trip report from you! Got all caught up in one day!

 

[toystoryduo]

Love your pictures from the Eye, Gina! My DH and DDs are really excited to go on that one day. Me, not so much. I am deathly afraid of heights!

Really enjoying your trip report! You guys have always have such a nice variety of attractions and dining experiences, and the best part is that you get discounts on almost everything!

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

[pigletto]

Loved reading about the Eye! All the decorations and lights are so pretty. My head keeps screaming "Christmas Trip!!!!".
There's so much to do that wouldn't have to include Disney parks for a December trip. That's the only way I could keep it affordable.
I'm sure DH and the kids would love the eye in particular. I could wave from the ground because just looking at that pod makes me claustrophobic.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Really pretty pictures!

Your son is such a perfect 50/50 mix of you and your husband in these pictures

 

[bankr63]

Hmmm. NF - now there's a summer DIS meet I could get behind. That's one of our favorite weekend getaways, and only a short 6 hour drive. We would probably stay at a nearby Provincial Park on L. Erie, we bought a new (to us) camper in the fall and are hoping to extensively christen her this summer.

Mrs D, you could get there in the same amount of time as drive flying the 3560 mi (5730 km) from London, well perhaps if they still had Supersonic Jets? Heck, I drive that distance Canada to Florida and back. It's a small world after all... (wait, stop singing!!!)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Doubt it....it's every guys dream to have a wife and girlfriend. Some are good at making that dream a reality.

The courtyard and Eye look lovely at night, I love the picture in the snow globe

Just so I don't feel left out, exactly how far is it to Niagra from the UK

Oh, wouldn't it be awesome if you could make the trip!?!? Time to start looking up flights! (where there's a will, there's a way...right? And Niagara in the summer is NOT to be missed!)

I am all caught up! I read all 17 pages today I had surgery two weeks ago which means I'm out of work for quite a while. I have been saving your trip report for a good day and finally today I found the time while I am here confined to my couch! I enjoyed reading everything so much. Each time you write about Acquatica I think how we need to make sure we do that and all of your dining makes me long for good food. I'm not sold on Popeye's though...they did just open one here in Binghamton though which is close. We tried steak and Shake this summer for the first time on our trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we are sold. I love that place and am hoping for an upstate NY location soon. I think the closest is Erie, PA which is a solid 5 hours. I'm also hoping for a Chik-Fil-A around here too. Anyway I am loving the report and it is nice to see Jake joining you again. I keep telling everyone I would recover faster from surgery if I did it in Orlando and since I'm already off work I wish I could jump on a plane!

disney ny!

Yikes, so sorry to hear about your surgery!! I hope you are now completely on the mend and getting stronger every day. Sending you some virtual good vibes for a continued speedy recovery . You're a trooper to make it through all 17 pages of this thread in a single day!

Mmmm.....we love Chick-fil-A too! We actually ate there on our last day of vacation, so that will be coming up later in this trip report . Jake and I are chicken lovers, so we adore Chick-fil-A. Steve's a burger guy at heart, so he is always less impressed with it than we are .

It was so awesome to have Jake back with us, especially when it was for Christmas. It's a different trip when he's along (in a good way ... its like travelling with our own stand-up comedian) but we treasure these vacations, because we know these opportunities are numbered as he prepares to graduate college and leave the nest .

Gorgeous photos from the Eye, Gina! We loved watching the Eye change colors as well (sadly, from the ground). That VIP upgrade looks like it was totally worth it! And you already know how I feel about the Great American Cookie company sugar cookies... I can practically taste one now!

Welcome back....we missed you while you were gone!! I need to pop back over to your TR and catch up on your latest entries!

Ahhhh Gina, I totally forgot to be expecting a trip report from you! Got all caught up in one day!

Callie! Another trooper to get through the whole thing in a day . I can't believe we are up to 17 pages already.....I guess my Grade 11 English teacher was right. I am "verbose"!

Love your pictures from the Eye, Gina! My DH and DDs are really excited to go on that one day. Me, not so much. I am deathly afraid of heights!

Really enjoying your trip report! You guys have always have such a nice variety of attractions and dining experiences, and the best part is that you get discounts on almost everything!

Looking forward to the next installment!

LOL....it annoyed Jake's old girlfriend to no end that we endeavoured to secure a good deal on the things we did or the places we dined. It was then I decided she was not the right girl for my son (I am kidding.....but gosh, that rubbed me the wrong way). I actually enjoy the pursuit of a good discount, its rather a bit of a sport for me (because why on earth would anyone want to pay more for something than they had to?). I'm definitely non-athletic at the best of times, so this satisfies my inner competitive streak .

You know, I too am terrified of heights, but I don't have any problem with the Eye. I think its because the capsule is so spacious and so well sealed, it feels exceptionally safe (and there's no swaying of the pod.....its very smooth and stable). You might find you could ride it without any difficulty at all!

Loved reading about the Eye! All the decorations and lights are so pretty. My head keeps screaming "Christmas Trip!!!!".
There's so much to do that wouldn't have to include Disney parks for a December trip. That's the only way I could keep it affordable.
I'm sure DH and the kids would love the eye in particular. I could wave from the ground because just looking at that pod makes me claustrophobic.

Yeah, I guess claustrophobia might be an issue for some....especially when you know that once you're in there, you're "stuck" for a half hour or so. That's one peril I never thought of!

You could EASILY spend a week at Christmas and not hit the major parks up at all. Though it would be a shame to miss out on SeaWorld...their Christmas Celebration is just so amazing. I can't wait to share some of my photos...thank goodness we're (slowly) making our way through this report to Christmas Day!

Really pretty pictures!

Your son is such a perfect 50/50 mix of you and your husband in these pictures

You think so??? I have such a hard time seeing any sign of me in his physical features (aside from the crinkly eyes when he smiles ). I definitely have influenced his personality and attributes (ahem! OCD, I'm looking at you!) but when I look at him, all I see is a younger Steve.

Hmmm. NF - now there's a summer DIS meet I could get behind. That's one of our favorite weekend getaways, and only a short 6 hour drive. We would probably stay at a nearby Provincial Park on L. Erie, we bought a new (to us) camper in the fall and are hoping to extensively christen her this summer.

Mrs D, you could get there in the same amount of time as drive flying the 3560 mi (5730 km) from London, well perhaps if they still had Supersonic Jets? Heck, I drive that distance Canada to Florida and back. It's a small world after all... (wait, stop singing!!!)

Woohoo! I was hoping you guys might be up for it too . Something tells me that Niagara Falls might never be the same .

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Hey - we are from Northwestern Ontario and thinking of driving down Toronto and Niagara Falls way this summer for a trip as well! About 15 hrs for us, but we love road trips! Not sure if we will take our camper or stay with relatives.

And my dreams of a Christmas trip are getting smaller and smaller as I crunch the numbers with the exchange rate.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Oh no, definitely 50/50! This is the picture where I really saw it

 

[ArwenMarie]

Ok I see what you mean about the eyes when you guys smile, but even this one, totally 50/50

I do the same thing with my son, I think he is 100% his dad but really he looks more like me, even though he acts more like him.

Sorry for going OT, this is like one of my things! I'm always thinking of celebrities people look like and which parent the kid looks like LOL

 

[robinb]

Great pictures of the Orlando Eye! My DD had to go to swim practice even while on vacation and she swam at the YMCA off of Jamaican Court. It's directly west of the Eye right next to I-4 so I got to see the Eye spin around. Now I want to go. Can you recommend a place to get cheap tickets?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey - we are from Northwestern Ontario and thinking of driving down Toronto and Niagara Falls way this summer for a trip as well! About 15 hrs for us, but we love road trips! Not sure if we will take our camper or stay with relatives.

And my dreams of a Christmas trip are getting smaller and smaller as I crunch the numbers with the exchange rate.

It would be awesome if you could make the trip!! 15 hours in a car, though....yowsers. That's a LONG way!!! That must put you in the.....Thunder Bay area?

The exchange rate is very much impacting our 2016 trips, too. I can almost assure you that Ohana will be axed from our April plans . It kills me to do it, but its feeling VERY frivolous and getting tougher and tougher to justify. I converted some Canadian cash this morning, and the rate was 1.46-something .

Oh no, definitely 50/50! This is the picture where I really saw it

Ok I see what you mean about the eyes when you guys smile, but even this one, totally 50/50

I do the same thing with my son, I think he is 100% his dad but really he looks more like me, even though he acts more like him.

Sorry for going OT, this is like one of my things! I'm always thinking of celebrities people look like and which parent the kid looks like LOL

lol, my MIL agrees with you. She's steadfastedly claimed that Jake has many of my features right from the time he was born (when everyone else had nicknamed him "Little Steve" based on what they thought was a remarkable likeness to his dad). He is most certainly a blend of both of us.....which is either a good or a bad thing, depending on your point of view .

Great pictures of the Orlando Eye! My DD had to go to swim practice even while on vacation and she swam at the YMCA off of Jamaican Court. It's directly west of the Eye right next to I-4 so I got to see the Eye spin around. Now I want to go. Can you recommend a place to get cheap tickets?

We have found the best deal to be the combo tickets, directly from Merlin (they are $39 pp online, and include the Eye, Sea Life, and Tussauds). If you are looking for JUST tix to the Eye, they were on Groupon at one point in time, but it appears that promo has ended. I will keep my eyes peeled, though, and let you know if I find another active discount .

We have always said we wanted to stop at the Orlando Y and get a tour. Jake works for our local YMCA (going on 4 years now) and we have a real interest in seeing what the Orlando facility is like. One of these trips, I'm going to have to "schedule" it in so we don't let the opportunity slip yet again. From the photos we've seen, it looks beautiful inside! (much larger and more modern that our teeny weeny ancient one here)