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

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

Life is short. Live it well.
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
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The first entry in a pre-trip report is always my least favorite: it always leaves me struggling with where to begin :scratchin. This one is especially difficult, as even though I considered myself a “regular” here on the Dis for many years after we were initially bitten by the Florida bug, I’ve been mostly absent from the boards during this past year. One of my New Year’s resolutions, however, was to get myself back to a regular presence here….if for nothing more than to encourage others to tackle that whole awesome part of Orlando outside Disney borders; it can be just as magical (and in many cases, a whole lot more “indulgent”) than what The Mouse :earsboy: would like you to believe ::yes::. So, on this first day of January 2018, I have vowed to make this first post: the planning for our next adventure has already begun, and for the next 120+ days, it would be great to have some of my fun friends (and any new ones who wish to join in) keep me company as we count down the days to departure.

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For those that may have not ready any of my previous trip reports or PTR’s (links to many which can be found in my signature below), let me introduce myself: I’m Gina.

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While I don’t wish to discuss age specifics :rolleyes1, let’s just say I’m in my early 40’s (but still 21 in my heart ;)). I’m Canadian by birth, but currently living in Michigan since just under a year ago [one of those long backstories which is one of the major reasons for my lack of posting since our relocation occurred]. I have a bit of an obsession with cats, especially these two goobers:

This lazy, snuggable, loveable fellow is Dash
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This sweet, smart, beautiful girl is my Violet:
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They are twin Maine Coon crosses, adopted from a no-kill shelter in our Ontario hometown, and now a year and a half old. They are the apple of my eye, and they know it :laughing:. Brace yourself, you’ll probably see more than your share of pictures of them over the next 4 months......I tend to go a little overboard where my babies are concerned :o.

Moving right along.........:surfweb:.......

I am a mom of one, but that “baby” will turn 22 in just a few short days…..and he remains in Canada where he’s blazing his own awesome trail in the world [more details of which will come later in this PTR].

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My Jake is my pride and joy, a young man of whom I am EXCEPTIONALLY proud, and quite honestly, I consider him my biggest accomplishment. Being his mother has been my highest honor in life. While we’re 7 hours and an international border apart, we still talk EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And I get regular Snapchats of my Grandcat!

Meet Moo :cat: . He wasn't so keen on his Christmas formal wear :rotfl2::

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I was an Office Manager for a financial planning firm for 18 years before moving to the USA. Since our relocation, I’ve dipped my toes in a few different careers, and after the first two experiments teaching me what I DIDN’T want to do :rolleyes: (retail and banking), I’ve since secured a part time position in the office of a commercial cleaning company, and so far……it seems to be working out well. I’m still not sure it’s my ‘forever job’, but for now, it’s the right place to be. We shall see what the future brings from here!

Enough about me (because I’m just not that interesting). This guy, my Steve, is my Partner in Crime:

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As Forrest Gump would say, “We go together like peas and carrots”. Or peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe even a little fire and ice, on the days where those differences mean we’re seeing the world from vastly different places :teeth:. Yet, even though we’re totally different personalities, we somehow remain wonderfully compatible (maybe there’s something to the old saying that opposites attract?) and this year, we are excited to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary…..that celebration will actually be the main focus of this trip! :banana:

This was us "then" (circa 1993):

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And this is us "now" (taken in October, on our most recent trip to Orlando):
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Steve is an Operations Manager for an auto parts manufacturer here in the Metro Detroit area. He works crazy long hours and is always dealing with a crisis (or two, or three…..) of some description at his office. Getting away to Orlando is something he looks forward to all throughout the year.

Our dates are tentatively May 4th to May 12th, 2018. I say tentatively because Steve still has to get official approval of his vacation from the General Manager, but I don’t anticipate that it will be an issue. The GM is very appreciative of Steve’s dedication and hard work, and he tries to grant him whatever time off Steve requests (especially when he is entitled to 5 week’s vacation each year, and never takes it all). It also helps that May is generally not a popular time for other people to request time off (since it is nicely sandwiched in the sweet spot that falls after Easter and before kids are out of school for the summer). We anticipate having that approval within the next week or so, as he’ll be submitting his official vacation request before the end of the day today :thumbsup2.

I am putting this PTR on the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board because honestly, that’s where its going to fit the best: hopefully the mods will not move it to the Disney Trip Reports forum as there are no Disney components to the trip. We’ll be staying offsite, dining offsite, and visiting some of our favorite non-Disney theme parks in Orlando: after two Universal vacations in 2017 (where we made the most of our annual passes that we purchased for our December 2016 trip), we’re heading back to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove for this grand celebration vacation. Those who have read our trip reports in the past know how much we adore the SeaWorld family of parks, so will appreciate how excited we are to return to them after what will be (by May) a full year and a half …. or more …. since our last visit to each. It will be like a happy homecoming!

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While I could go on and on and on in this initial post (as if I haven’t chatted enough already…….have I mentioned that I have a tendency to talk a lot? :blush:) I think I will wrap up this first entry and break down the rest of the details into their own separate posts. I can easily fill individual entries on separate discussion on:
  • accommodations (in this case, as the regulars will have already guessed, we will be staying once again at our beloved Sheraton Vistana Resort)
  • flights
  • dining
  • and other pertinent details……not the least of which is that we’re having company [again!] on this trip :cool1:. Stay tuned to find out who is coming along!
Which brings me to a very important tidbit:

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Seriously. I mean it!!!

We’re celebrating this awesome marriage milestone and in lieu of a formal party (which would be impossible to plan, with us living in Michigan and all of our family residing in Ontario, with our friends spread between both places and various other places across North America) we’d love to have our fellow Orlando-lovin’ Disfriends join us for some Fun in the Sun. While I know it’s a long shot, if any of you can make a trip happen during that week……well, we’d be pretty happy to make you part of our celebration. The champagne will be on us!

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May in Orlando has been spectacular for us thus far (2018 will be our 4th first-week-of-May trip), with ideal temperatures and low crowds. Easily tied for our favorite time to visit (coming in equal with autumn, which seems to be more humid and busier but has the Halloween events which are so much fun!).

The invitation is especially extended to my friends and contacts who are Orlando locals: I’ll be posting our loose itinerary later in this thread so you’ll know where we’ll be, and on which days (for the most part). If you have a day off during your work week, why not plan to do a park day with us?

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So……I think we can consider this thread officially kicked off!

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And may I say, it’s good to be back :goodvibes.


Countdown to departure: 123 days
 


Well I found you and Happy New a Year to you and your family, I think it's a good resolution to be back on the boards! We'll try and help you stay on track :thumbsup2

Much as I would love to celebrate your upcoming anniversary I'm afraid I'll be in the UK (unless I happen to win the lotto), but I will certainly enjoy reading all about it :goodvibes
 
Woo Hoo! Here's to another fantastic upcoming trip! We'll be in Orlando in June, so reading along will be a countdown of sorts for me as well. Too bad we won't be there at the same time! Can't wait to hear all your exciting news:flower1:
 


Happy New Year! I am so excited to see you've found a little time for the boards. We missed you!!! Looking forward to reading along with your plan party:

Thank you!! :) Glad to have you back again for this PTR!

Well I found you and Happy New a Year to you and your family, I think it's a good resolution to be back on the boards! We'll try and help you stay on track :thumbsup2

Much as I would love to celebrate your upcoming anniversary I'm afraid I'll be in the UK (unless I happen to win the lotto), but I will certainly enjoy reading all about it :goodvibes

Hey, someone's gotta be the big winner, right? ;) You buy the tickets on your side of the pond, and I'll buy a few here in Michigan. The jackpot here was $300 million a week or so ago, so if my numbers ever come up......I'll fly you here. Fingers crossed for us both! :laughing:

Woo Hoo! Here's to another fantastic upcoming trip! We'll be in Orlando in June, so reading along will be a countdown of sorts for me as well. Too bad we won't be there at the same time! Can't wait to hear all your exciting news:flower1:

Thank you! :welcome: aboard once again!

I've enjoyed following along on several of your TR's!
Happily joining in again!

Oh good, you found us!! :goodvibes Glad to have you reading along once again!

Happy New Year
Love this years Halloween costume.

Thank you!! It took A LOT of convincing to get Steve to wear something other than his beloved pirate costume pirate:, but I was determined we would do something fresh and new. Then, it took A LOT of searching to find a good costume in a size to fit my 6', 4", 315 pound hulk of a husband. We got a ton of compliments from both CM's and fellow guests at our MNSSHP. It was a ton of fun!
Fabulous!! I'm so glad you're back, Gina! :yay:
Thank you!! Happy to :welcome: you back as well!!

Joining in. We will be in Orlando the end of May. Will be counting down with you!!

How awesome!! May is such a fantastic month in Florida. What are your dates?

Feel free to share your plans and join in the chatter, too!!
 
I love your trip reports! Welcome back. :cheer2: I was kinda wondering where you've been. Glad to see everything's going well and look forward to hearing about all your planning!
 
I love your trip reports! Welcome back. :cheer2: I was kinda wondering where you've been. Glad to see everything's going well and look forward to hearing about all your planning!

Aw, thank you!! It's been one CRAZY year.

Glad to have you back and joining in once again!! :goodvibes
 
I’m probably going to be all over the place initially, so I apologize in advance if these first few posts don’t have a very good “flow”. I’m working on getting all my thoughts better organized :blush:.

I suppose, before I get into the meat-and-potatoes of the trip plans thus far, I should talk about the people who have committed to joining us on our adventure ::yes::. The first two, I am excited to report, are my boy and his beloved.

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You’ve already met Jake, but this is his fiancé Brittney. Yes, fiancé …… no longer “just” his girlfriend :hyper:. He just popped the question the day before New Years Eve, and we were delighted that she said yes……Brittney is a beautiful girl, inside and out, and both Steve and I are excited to welcome her into our crazy little family :goodvibes.

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Jake and Britt actually traveled to Orlando for their first grown-up vacation this past September, which was Britt’s first time to Florida (and only the second time she had ever ventured out of Canada….the first was a road trip to visit us at our new home in Michigan in July). We crossed our fingers and hoped she would love Orlando as much as we do (we could see things were starting to get quite serious between the young couple, and we wondered if she could/would learn to share our passion for the south if she became a long-term fixture within the Bo-Bina clan) and lo and behold, she was smitten by the end of the first day :cheer2:. She adored the Vistana, fell in love with the SeaWorld parks (they visited both SeaWorld and Aquatica on their vacation, as well as Sea Life Aquarium, the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and Congo River Mini Golf) and was captivated by the awesomeness of Orlando with the same intensity that we were on our first visit in 2009. By the time they boarded the plane to fly home at the end of their trip, they were already dreaming of the next time……whenever that would be :confused:.

That ‘whenever’ turned out to be possible much sooner than they thought it would :thumbsup2.


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Lots of factors played into their ability to join us this coming May: being welcomed to share our 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa at Sheraton Vistana Resort meant they would have no out of pocket costs for accommodations (which saves them a significant chunk of change). They will visit the same parks we do, on the same days, so they won’t need their own rental car…..another HUGE savings, considering the stupidly high young driver surcharges they paid for their rental in September as they are under 25 years old :crazy2:. They also had the foresight to buy annual passes for their September trip....either being very optimistic, or very smart!......so they will have minimal (if any) costs for attractions. That left only flights, food and incidentals (additional attractions, souvenirs): and all of a sudden, their little dream became suddenly doable :jumping1:.

There were squeals of excitement when they called to tell us that both their vacation requests were approved. The four of us have SO much fun together, and I’m not ashamed to say that we miss each other so much it hurts some days. The prospect of a week together, as two couples, in our favorite place in the USA, had all four of us in very merry moods this holiday season :santa:.

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(That's my momma on the bottom right.....hi mom! :wave:)

They haven’t purchased their flights just yet, but we’re hoping to help them find a great price out of Buffalo. While we are flying in on the 4th, they will be coming in the following day (staying Saturday to Saturday, May 5th to 12th). Southwest had some good prices before the holidays, and with a little luck, those prices will settle back down now that New Years has passed. They’re not fussy on airlines or in-flight amenities: they’re looking for affordable, and reliable. In addition to Southwest, Jetblue and Frontier will also be options.

Also coming along (their first-ever trip to Florida) will be my long-time friend and her husband, Robin and Wayne.

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Robin and I have known each other, and been fast friends, since the 9th grade. This was us on our final day of Grade 12, me second from left, and Robin on the far right (go ahead, laugh......it was the 90's....the hairstyles and clothing need no more explanation :laughing:):

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We have kids the same age (her daughter was born the same year as Jake), and our husbands are the same age. She ‘knows’ me, and thinks I’m a little bit nuts…..but loves me despite that :rotfl:. We are SO different but always managed to have those differences bring us together rather than pull us apart. She’s colorful and exciting and spontaneous while I’m sooooooooooooo not any of those things :rotfl2:. The night I told her we were moving to Michigan, she promptly drove over to my house and we spent the night crying together while we each held a kitten on our laps :hug:.

I know she misses me. I miss her too. When you can’t hang out with your friends like you used to, it’s hard :sad1:. I've only been able to get together with her once since we moved....we had dinner as a group of 19 on one of our visits home last summer.....and I haven't seen Wayne in more than a year. We certainly won't be lacking in things to talk about!!

She’s always wondered what the heck is so appealing about Florida that we go back to the same place so often, so I’m excited to show her all the fabulous things that make “my” Orlando so special. Steve gets along famously with Wayne, and they are the kind of people that will pretty much try anything at least once. I’m hoping that Discovery Cove will be within their budget (I’m mindful of the fact that the Canadian dollar is still in the toilet when compared to the US buck, so we will understand if its not) and she’s asked me to help them find some affordable, but nice, accommodations. That will be my task this week, along with stalking flights for Jake. I’m hopeful that Skyauction might have a killer deal on a one bedroom at a timeshare resort. A quick peek at their website yielded an appealing offer at Silver Lake…..while I haven’t stayed there personally, I’ve heard some positive feedback from a few friends who rented there.

So….we should be (at least) a party of 6. The more, the merrier! :sunny:

Coming up next.......my flight fears. Yep, there's a lot of them this trip!! :scared:
 
Oh my! A fiancé in the family now, it seems like an epic trip in the making. It would be so good if your best friend could join you and hopefully enjoy all the Florida delights.

We are tentatively planning a December Christmas trip but the pound is still low against the dollar and a few places where we have stayed before are already booked or seem to have increased prices quite dramatically :( so until flights come out it's still up in the air.
 

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