Sun, Shopping, Sand, Surf, Sweat & Shamu: A Splashin Summertime Sabbatical at SVR!

[dancin Disney style]

Ah man, then I guess we will just need to use our imaginations. I must admit, though, I'm a bit disappointed!!
.

Geez...the pressure. I'll try but it could take a while...like as in a week. I might need help from the off spring and neither of them is home much this coming week.

And yep, a sleeping late teen is much more civil when allowed to get up at 10am and meet up with the rest of the family.
.

DD and I where having a chat yesterday about the plans for her B-day trip and I mentioned that she would need to get up early everyday(to try and make RD) due to the crowd levels that week. Her reaction.....'ya, I know' but said with a big huff. She gets up at 6:30 everyday for school so it won't be that bad.

She has been begging me for over a year to let her audition for a performing arts high school that would require a 2 hour commute each way. She would have to get up at about 5am to get to the Go train on time That's just never going to happen.

 

[Lynne G]

DD and I where having a chat yesterday about the plans for her B-day trip and I mentioned that she would need to get up early everyday(to try and make RD) due to the crowd levels that week. Her reaction.....'ya, I know' but said with a big huff. She gets up at 6:30 everyday for school so it won't be that bad.

Yeah, well both kids get up at 6:30 to be at school by 7:30. It's vacation. I think my DS16 only made 1 rope drop the whole 9 days we were there. My DD13 was better, she made most of them. Nice quite time for me!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hehe - I think mini golf is a must in every Florida vacation!

I have to agree . There are so many courses to pick from!! And its a very affordable little extra.

When at Disney we now hit rope drop without dd most days and take her back with us after our mid day break. It makes everyone MUCH happier that way!

Will you keep the same kind of schedule when you are staying offsite? Do you think you'll still break in the afternoon and returning again in the evening?

Those boneless wings look yummy!

As a general rule, I'm not generally much for wings (unlike my meatatarian men), but I do like the boneless ones from Buffalo Wild Wing. Not the sticky, gooey, saucy kind but the dry rub ones (my faves are the salt & vinnegar and lemon pepper).

P.S. Just caught up, seems I missed a few pages!

Your SeaWorld pictures are gorgeous.

Thank you!!

Geez...the pressure. I'll try but it could take a while...like as in a week. I might need help from the off spring and neither of them is home much this coming week.

I'm gonna hold you to that . Its easy.....if I can do it, you'll be fine . If you are going to upload via Photobucket, I can offer you some pointers too!

Yeah, well both kids get up at 6:30 to be at school by 7:30. It's vacation.

I know that was the big kicker with Jake. He was up at the crack of dawn all summer long for work (he started at 8 am, Monday to Friday). During the school year, he frequently had 7 am practices and school started at 8. Those two weeks of vacation were the only two weeks until Christmas that he could actually indulge and sleep in. I was glad we had a full two weeks at our disposal, so we could alternate early days with sleep-in days. Knowing we had the opportunity for both, there was never an argument or grumblings when we did have to get up and moving for things like Discovery Cove or SeaWorld.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thursday, August 28th….part 2.

We arrived at Mighty Jungle Mini Golf just as the sun was starting to get very low in the sky. We were greeted by the manager, who I want to say was just the friendliest fellow…..super nice and so welcoming. The course was not busy at all so he encouraged us to take our time and fully enjoy our round of 18 holes (which again was half price using our buy one, get one free coupons from the Entertainment Books).

The course itself has a jungle safari theme, and the music followed suit. Steve must have really liked it, or he was REALLY excited to be out golfing , because I found him dancing at the first hole:



A selection of large animals dotted the course, which was located right along the 192. Jake tried to duplicate the expression of the rhino:



Sweetie tries her hand at one of the holes:



Jake gets his game face on. The score was close in the early part of the game, and this was serious stuff!



A view of the course:





As the sun started to set in earnest, the lightning danced across the sky in the distance. Other than putting on a notable light show, though, it didn’t impede our game play in the slightest. No rain, just the softest rumbling of thunder....so, thankfully, no one running onto the course to shoo us to safety (which is what happened last year when we tried to golf this course….we made it to hole 3 and then Mother Nature interrupted our fun).







It was a less intensely themed course than Pirates Cove, Congo River or the Hauntings at Ghostly Greens, but it still had its nice little touches (like this lovely waterfall) and everything tied in well. The course difficulty level was moderate enough to be fun for adults but not maddening for kids (or Moms with little golfing skill, such as yours truly ).



After handing in our clubs and totalling the score sheet (Jake was one stroke ahead of Steve, I was somewhere in the middle, and poor Sweetie brought up the rear) the kids requested one more stop before returning to the villa pool. Apparently they had worked off their chicken wings and were in the mood for some dessert. Knowing full well where they wanted to head (their subtle hints as we passed said place earlier were hard not to miss), we piled into the van and pulled in here:





In fact, the kids had been BEGGING to return to Twistee Treat since we sampled the Lake Buena Vista location the week prior. We were all interested to see if there was any different between locations, either in menu options or taste.

That would be a YES to both questions .

The kids ordered Blizzards (not that they called them that….but it was soft serve ice cream blended with their mix-ins of choice) but Steve and I were more thirsty than hungry, so we went with his and hers orange slushies.



Two bites in to their ice cream and the kids were absolutely RAVING about how good it was. According to our two food critics, it exceeded the quality of their selections at the LBV Twistee Treat by a mile (and you will remember, we LOVED it there too….so this was really sayin’ something). Both Jake and Sweetie said that they were far better than Friendly’s Friend-Z or Dairy Queen’s Blizzard, and even went as far as to say (gasp!) that it was the best soft serve ice cream they had ever eaten.



We still haven't figured out if the ice cream shaped locations (two in Kissimmee and one on I-Drive) are different in ownership or otherwise from the I-Drive location, but definitely the menus, prices, and taste all differed at least somewhat from the two outlets we sampled. Perhaps I will have to do further research on this on future trips . For my readers, of course .

Returning to the villa, we refreshed with a swim then enjoyed some movie and TV time in the villa before hitting the sack. Tomorrow, we would be venturing to Clermont for a ride on a monster truck through a 2500+ acre orange grove. Sadly, our vacation would be drawing to a close very soon…..only Friday and Saturday left to go before we return to reality on the Sunday evening . We had so much more fun we needed to squeeze in before "the end"!

 

[Lynne G]

Funny, my DH is not an amusement park guy, and can no longer do any thrill rides, but he really enjoyed the trip at the Orange Grove place. I was so happy you told me about it. Groupon tickets helped keep the price down. Kids still talk about the fact that the cows would eat the oranges thrown to them. One of the best pictures we have is the one cow eating oranges and lots of orange juice streaming from the cow's mouth. We had a great driver, who you could tell, really enjoyed his job.

Can't believe it's the end of your vacation. Ours flew by so fast, I couldn't believe it had been 2 weeks.

And we too really enjoyed the ice cream too. Next time, we'll have to track down the other ones. We only went to the one on 192.

 

[JaxDad]

Hi Gina! I have another dumb question for my planned trip to SW this Christmas. I reviewed your thread from last year, and it was very helpful. I am currently planning to stay at the Marriott Renaissance. I got a pretty good deal locally (not a package, just a two-night stay). I understand the SW partner hotels provide QQ, BUT are they unlimited or single use for each ride? I have heard both. If single use, I will probably buy at least one unlimited, so my son can keep running around to ride the two coasters over and over (he's 11). I appreciate any info you have. Thanks again!

 

[Lynne G]

Hi Gina! I have another dumb question for my planned trip to SW this Christmas. I reviewed your thread from last year, and it was very helpful. I am currently planning to stay at the Marriott Renaissance. I got a pretty good deal locally (not a package, just a two-night stay). I understand the SW partner hotels provide QQ, BUT are they unlimited or single use for each ride? I have heard both. If single use, I will probably buy at least one unlimited, so my son can keep running around to ride the two coasters over and over (he's 11). I appreciate any info you have. Thanks again!

Hope Gina won't mind me answering. It used to be unlimited, but now as of last year or so, it's a one time on each of the rides. You can get the quick que from the hotel's Expedia desk the day before the day of use. We had no issue during last Christmas getting the quick que the day before. Though it can be "sold out", but we never had that issue.

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks Lynne! That explains why I've heard both!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Funny, my DH is not an amusement park guy, and can no longer do any thrill rides, but he really enjoyed the trip at the Orange Grove place. I was so happy you told me about it. Groupon tickets helped keep the price down. Kids still talk about the fact that the cows would eat the oranges thrown to them. One of the best pictures we have is the one cow eating oranges and lots of orange juice streaming from the cow's mouth. We had a great driver, who you could tell, really enjoyed his job.

Can't believe it's the end of your vacation. Ours flew by so fast, I couldn't believe it had been 2 weeks.

And we too really enjoyed the ice cream too. Next time, we'll have to track down the other ones. We only went to the one on 192.

There are actually 2 Twistee Treats on 192....one near Kissimmee Go-Karts (which is the one I think you guys went to, right?) and the other one (which is the location we went to) is in the completely opposite direction (still on 192 though). lol, they make ice cream very convenient down in the Sunshine State .

I am so glad you guys enjoyed Showcase of Citrus! It really is a nice little half-day activity. Good to have a break from the theme park madness, too.

Ya know, I thought a full two weeks in Orlando would seem long by the end. How wrong we were!

Hi Gina! I have another dumb question for my planned trip to SW this Christmas. I reviewed your thread from last year, and it was very helpful. I am currently planning to stay at the Marriott Renaissance. I got a pretty good deal locally (not a package, just a two-night stay). I understand the SW partner hotels provide QQ, BUT are they unlimited or single use for each ride? I have heard both. If single use, I will probably buy at least one unlimited, so my son can keep running around to ride the two coasters over and over (he's 11). I appreciate any info you have. Thanks again!

Hope Gina won't mind me answering. It used to be unlimited, but now as of last year or so, it's a one time on each of the rides. You can get the quick que from the hotel's Expedia desk the day before the day of use. We had no issue during last Christmas getting the quick que the day before. Though it can be "sold out", but we never had that issue.

Yup, Lynne nailed it . Our visit at Christmas 2012 was the tail end of the glory days where the Quick Queue for onsite guests was the unlimited version. I think the changes to the once-per-attraction format were implemented in late January or early February 2013.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Ya know, I thought a full two weeks in Orlando would seem long by the end. How wrong we were! .

I've never once felt like 2 weeks was too long. The first time we did it was when we were on a trip to compete at nationals for one of the girls. Nationals was 5 or 6 days long and we wanted to actually have a weeks vacation. So 2 weeks it had to be.

I really want to find a way to make it 3 weeks now. I can do it no problem but DH most likely would have issues trying to take all his time at once. Even 2 weeks might be an issue now as things at work are currently changing. I guess I'll just have to go on my own and hope that he can visit me for a week

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I really want to find a way to make it 3 weeks now. I can do it no problem but DH most likely would have issues trying to take all his time at once. Even 2 weeks might be an issue now as things at work are currently changing. I guess I'll just have to go on my own and hope that he can visit me for a week

We are in the same boat. I have tons of flexibility but Steve, no so much.

I could always come for that first week and keep you company .

3 weeks.....ah......its fun to imagine .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks Lynne! That explains why I've heard both!

Alrighty my friend, hopefully this works.

The Sea of Trees video I promised .

Not the most super-dee-duper recording, but hopefully enough that you get the idea . Turn your sound on for the best effects!

Edited to add....we are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by .

 

[Mysteria]

I was a bit behind but I must say Wow, wow, and more wow! Such amazing surprises that came your way at both DC and SW!! I'm so happy for you guys (and maybe a wee bit jealous too )

Twistee treat looks like it's getting added to our things to try next trip.

 

[pigletto]

Ya know, I thought a full two weeks in Orlando would seem long by the end. How wrong we were!

I really want to find a way to make it 3 weeks now. I can do it no problem but DH most likely would have issues trying to take all his time at once. Even 2 weeks might be an issue now as things at work are currently changing. I guess I'll just have to go on my own and hope that he can visit me for a week

We are in the same boat. I have tons of flexibility but Steve, no so much.

I could always come for that first week and keep you company .

3 weeks.....ah......its fun to imagine .

Shhhhh...You are witnessing a rare and special event American readers. In these last few exchanges quoted above, you are seeing the birth of the rare and wonderful Canadian Snowbird. Don't spook them and just continue to watch and if you are lucky, by the end of this thread you'll see them purchasing condos in Boca Raton and retiring.

 

[RalphiesRedRyder]

Shhhhh...You are witnessing a rare and special event American readers. In these last few exchanges quoted above, you are seeing the birth of the rare and wonderful Canadian Snowbird. Don't spook them and just continue to watch and if you are lucky, by the end of this thread you'll see them purchasing condos in Boca Raton and retiring.

Now that's funny!

 

[KaraLyn]

Shhhhh...You are witnessing a rare and special event American readers. In these last few exchanges quoted above, you are seeing the birth of the rare and wonderful Canadian Snowbird. Don't spook them and just continue to watch and if you are lucky, by the end of this thread you'll see them purchasing condos in Boca Raton and retiring.

Too funny, but oh so true! I'll have to wait a few more years to become a Canadian Snowbird

 

[HeidiGW]

Which parks do you get with the Super Grover passes? We were thinking of going to Williamsburg in the spring...are those parks included (BGW and Water Country)

We do not have the "super Grover" passes that I know of in Virginia, but non-residents can buy a plat pass at the gate. It gives access to all the parks, free parking, 10 percent off, and other discounts including DC. It is for two years and you can do EZ pay. I think it is about $300, but the prices are always going up. If you do the monthly payment it locks in that price beyond the two years. It is much cheaper then the same version offered at SW; that is why you can only get it online if you live in states near VA or anyone at the gate.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I was a bit behind but I must say Wow, wow, and more wow! Such amazing surprises that came your way at both DC and SW!! I'm so happy for you guys (and maybe a wee bit jealous too )

Twistee treat looks like it's getting added to our things to try next trip.

We were very, very blessed .

lol, Steve is already talking about our next visit to Twistee Treat . "You know, we could just stop on our way back to the villa after we are done at Universarl....its not really that out of the way....".

Shhhhh...You are witnessing a rare and special event American readers. In these last few exchanges quoted above, you are seeing the birth of the rare and wonderful Canadian Snowbird. Don't spook them and just continue to watch and if you are lucky, by the end of this thread you'll see them purchasing condos in Boca Raton and retiring.

If I ever get that condo in Boca Raton, you are most definitely invited to my house warming party!!!

Now that's funny!

lol, I agree!!!

Too funny, but oh so true! I'll have to wait a few more years to become a Canadian Snowbird

Unfortunately, me too . But its still fun to dream....especially between the months of November to March!

We do not have the "super Grover" passes that I know of in Virginia, but non-residents can buy a plat pass at the gate. It gives access to all the parks, free parking, 10 percent off, and other discounts including DC. It is for two years and you can do EZ pay. I think it is about $300, but the prices are always going up. If you do the monthly payment it locks in that price beyond the two years. It is much cheaper then the same version offered at SW; that is why you can only get it online if you live in states near VA or anyone at the gate.

I love the way that SW locks in your AP pricing once you commit to the EZ pay plan. Almost makes me thing we should be snagging a SW AP along with our Universal APs this year!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Friday, August 29th….our third last day.

By this point in the vacation……day 13 in Orlando….we had crossed virtually everything off the must-do list and anything else we added from here was just a bonus. We had talked about getting up and going to another waterpark today, but the kids wanted a less structured day and quite honestly, that sounded good to us too. So we all just slept in until we were rested and didn’t set a “start” time for this sunshiny Friday.

Once up, showered and breakfasted at the villa, we had a short family meeting on what to do from here. We tossed out some various ideas, and eventually decided on the Swamp Safari & Eco Tour at Showcase of Citrus. We all were looking to enjoy another day with an easy pace and no crowds, but yet….we wanted to do something. The boys had been pining for their infamous slushies since we had arrived the week prior, and Sweetie had never had the pleasure of riding a monster truck before so it sounded like the perfect activity.

To ensure we didn’t have any wait once we arrived, I called ahead and booked us for the 2 pm tour, giving us lots of time to grab some lunch before making the short drive to Clermont. Jake had requested that we squeeze in a mid-day meal at Sonic during this trip, so with our opportunities trickling down to almost nothing, we figured it was today or bust on that entreaty. By late morning, we were off .

Sonic is a good distance up International Drive, so it took us a while to snake our way through the traffic, particularly after we passed the Sand Lake Road intersection. It’s always so busy from there onward, seemingly regardless of the time of day that you drive it. Sonic, however, was pretty dead when we pulled in the parking lot.



We see their commercials on TV up here quite frequently, even though I don’t think we have any outlets in Canada whatsoever. They always manage to get the boys drooling. We had been here on previous trips, and like always, opted for their outdoor seating versus service to the car.



(looks like Jake is totally in vacation mode and forgot to shave.....must speak to Scruffy about that later.....)

We ate lightly, knowing we’d be cooling down with some yummy slushies in short order. We opted for simple stuff like popcorn chicken, tater tots, chili dogs, etc., and as always, enjoyed seeing our order delivered by a friendly young lady on roller skates.



(Steve-o.....you're squinty.....put your sunglasses on! )

After lunch, we still had quite a bit of time before our tour so we took the longer way around to Clermont, enjoying some of the Florida scenery (and scoping out communities where we might like to live in the future, lol). Clermont, in particular, is kind of cute little town, and not a bad drive to Orlando at all…..I could totally see myself living there some day. Just sayin’.

We arrive at the Showcase of Citrus shortly after 1 pm.



We checked in for our tour, paid for our tickets (we had buy one, get one free coupons from the Entertainment Book) and decided we’d enjoy our slushies pre-tour versus afterwards. It was sweltering hot once again (surprise, surprise!) so you can never have too much to drink in Orlando in August, anyway!



Just a note….the increase in popularity of Showcase of Citrus from last year to this year, I would guess largely thanks in part to their successful Groupon affiliation, has meant for quite a substantial increase in monster truck tour prices. The cost per person has risen a full 25% in the last year, from an undiscounted rate of $20 to $25 per adult. In addition to that increase, slushie prices have almost doubled. While still a fun and worthwhile experience, I would be hard pressed to find the value if I was paying full price for a large family. Thank goodness for our BOGO vouchers!



The slushies were as cold and refreshing and delicious as we remembered .





Jake, Sweetie and I were traditionalists and ordered the standard orange variety:



Steve, always daring to be different, selected the creamsicle version…..the standard orange slushie blended with vanilla frozen yogurt. He tells me its heaven in a cup .



I will have to take his word for it, because I’m not a big fan of fruit and ice cream together (I adore fruit, and I love ice cream, but please, please, PLEASE keep them separated ) nor do I like frozen yogurt (my dad always told us that “if God meant us to eat sour milk he would have soured it in the cow” …. Yes, I know yogurt isn’t sour milk but he always lumped yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc. into that category, so as a result, I’m not a fan).

The kids settled in to enjoy their drinks in the shade:





….while Steve and I went on a little tour of the property.



Stay tuned…..lots more Showcase of Citrus to come!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Shhhhh...You are witnessing a rare and special event American readers. In these last few exchanges quoted above, you are seeing the birth of the rare and wonderful Canadian Snowbird. Don't spook them and just continue to watch and if you are lucky, by the end of this thread you'll see them purchasing condos in Boca Raton and retiring.

Count me in too. I'm in NJ and I am SO dreading the upcoming winter after the one we had last year.

We do not have the "super Grover" passes that I know of in Virginia, but non-residents can buy a plat pass at the gate. It gives access to all the parks, free parking, 10 percent off, and other discounts including DC. It is for two years and you can do EZ pay. I think it is about $300, but the prices are always going up. If you do the monthly payment it locks in that price beyond the two years. It is much cheaper then the same version offered at SW; that is why you can only get it online if you live in states near VA or anyone at the gate.

Thanks!