Double, Double, Toil & Trouble: a Halloween-inspired trip of “two’s” – an October 2016 TR

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Lovely start to your day Gina - so my question is- what is the difference between eggs that are sunny side up or over easy? We just have fried, scrambled or poached!

@bankr63 gave the perfect explanation below. I'm a scrambled girl myself, but Steve likes his eggs exactly as my dad did when he was alive.

We've enjoyed a few dinner visits at Hash Hash A Go Go and it's never seemed busy! I wonder if that's because of the size of it??

I have heard its packed on the weekends: my former boss went on a Saturday on his Orlando trip, and they had a horrible wait for a table. I think maybe the quantities and price point maybe make it a more 'special occasion' type meal (like weekend brunch) versus weekday staple?

That one is easy. Both are fried eggs. Sunny side is only fried on one side just until the whites set. The yolk is runny and sunny (not fried). Over easy is flipped over and quickly fried on the second side. This firms up the yolk a bit more and provides more of a cooked layer on top. Eggs can also be over medium or over hard depending on how long you leave them flipped.

Loving reading along. Good to know that Lime garage is open now; our last visit it was only Orange I think. DS is looking better all the time, looking forward to a revisit. Will have to try Hash House on our next trip too I think.

ETA: Just realized that Disney Springs and Dear Son have the same acronym. How ever will we keep track!

We had dinner at Hash House on this October trip, too: it was our meal of choice on the final night of our vacation. I prefer dinner at HH to breakfast , but mostly because I waste less....I can generally eat more later in the day than I do right after I wake up. It always bothers me to throw out food!! (it's the mom part of me....."Don't you know there are children starving in Africa?!?!")

I am super impressed with the Disney parking garages: I love the system that shows how many open spaces are on each level. The fact that they are free is a double bonus!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

That one is easy. Both are fried eggs. Sunny side is only fried on one side just until the whites set. The yolk is runny and sunny (not fried). Over easy is flipped over and quickly fried on the second side. This firms up the yolk a bit more and provides more of a cooked layer on top. Eggs can also be over medium or over hard depending on how long you leave them flipped.

Loving reading along. Good to know that Lime garage is open now; our last visit it was only Orange I think. DS is looking better all the time, looking forward to a revisit. Will have to try Hash House on our next trip too I think.

ETA: Just realized that Disney Springs and Dear Son have the same acronym. How ever will we keep track!

Thanks for this you've answered something that we've asked ourselves over the last 20+ years we have been visiting. We always went for sunny side up or scrambled

 

[Callie]

I love over-easy eggs as long as I have toast to dip them in. Sad I didn't check on the Coke store last visit. Spent too much time at Uniqulo

 

[afan]

Love the Coke bear photo! He's so cute and I love how his mouth moves so the pictures aren't just the arms being different since they had us give a thumbs up and put our 'claws' up.

 

[Raeven]

On the second floor, we stopped at the Polar Bear experience and had the opportunity for a meet-and-greet with the infamous Coke Bear himself. A Photopass photographer was there to capture family pictures for those with Memory Maker, and individual prints were also available for purchase at their photo kiosk in the adjacent gift shop. There was absolutely no line at all when we arrived, so we literally walked right up for pictures. That doesn’t happen very often at Disney!

I can't wait to do this the next time we're there. We went in September which is when it was new to us and still pretty new I think because I had heard about the meet and greet, but it wasn't open yet The view from the roof was cool though!

 

[dalmatian7]

ahhh, I didn't realize you were back at reporting until a few days ago. My fat fingers deleted my saved threads a few months ago and I had not been checking new posts. It sounds like a great trip so far. I am also glad to hear you are enjoying your new area. I was wondering what happened to the Minions, glad to hear they found a good home.

I so wish we could work Sea World into our trip this fall but it isn't going to happy. My DD wants to go to Lego Land and at 6, I feel like we are quickly going to age out of that park in a few years. So Lego land and Disney it is. I will have a tough time looking through all the restaurant reviews you have posted to pick a few for us to try on our off site days.

Quick question for all of you. When you are planning a trip and are looking for where everything is located, what do you typically use to figure out where things are? For example, we are flying into MCO and staying two nights at the beginning of our trip in Winter Haven. Do you just search say a restaurant you are interested in and then map it to your hotel? do you use google earth? Just wondering. everyone seems so organized compared to us.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I love over-easy eggs as long as I have toast to dip them in. Sad I didn't check on the Coke store last visit. Spent too much time at Uniqulo

Uniqulo is a great store!! If not for our dreadful exchange rate (adding 35% to everything we bought) I would have snagged me a few t-shirts there. I was quite surprised at how reasonably priced everything was (for Disney, especially). They didn't have much to fit my BIG Steve, though! LOL

Love the Coke bear photo! He's so cute and I love how his mouth moves so the pictures aren't just the arms being different since they had us give a thumbs up and put our 'claws' up.

I was really, really pleased with the Coke Store as a whole : loved the rooftop beverage bar, loved that they had a wide range of options to fit every budget, and LOVED that there was a character meet there . I think we'll have to find some time to stop in there again on our next trip: perhaps on the Friday since we have set it aside as a resort day. It would be a nice little activity once we get waterlogged from all the pool time.

I can't wait to do this the next time we're there. We went in September which is when it was new to us and still pretty new I think because I had heard about the meet and greet, but it wasn't open yet The view from the roof was cool though!

The views are so nice! It should be even better now that Planet Hollywood is finished (construction was still ongoing when we visited in October, making that area still a bit messy).

ahhh, I didn't realize you were back at reporting until a few days ago. My fat fingers deleted my saved threads a few months ago and I had not been checking new posts. It sounds like a great trip so far. I am also glad to hear you are enjoying your new area. I was wondering what happened to the Minions, glad to hear they found a good home.

I so wish we could work Sea World into our trip this fall but it isn't going to happy. My DD wants to go to Lego Land and at 6, I feel like we are quickly going to age out of that park in a few years. So Lego land and Disney it is. I will have a tough time looking through all the restaurant reviews you have posted to pick a few for us to try on our off site days.

Quick question for all of you. When you are planning a trip and are looking for where everything is located, what do you typically use to figure out where things are? For example, we are flying into MCO and staying two nights at the beginning of our trip in Winter Haven. Do you just search say a restaurant you are interested in and then map it to your hotel? do you use google earth? Just wondering. everyone seems so organized compared to us.

Hey, it's great to have you back!! It's never too late to start reading along......there's still lots of reporting to go.

I pretty much use Google Maps exclusively for determining the location of places we want to go. Tripadvisor is my go-to for attraction and dining recommendations, then Google Maps helps me figure out if its within an acceptable distance from where we are staying .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, October 24th (continued)

The water taxi from the West Side to the Marketplace is a genius idea: since we had parked in the lime garage and already toured through the Town Center, it was nice to have the opportunity for a relaxing change of scenery while transitioning to the other side of the Springs.

It’s not a lengthy ride by any means; perhaps 10-15 minutes total once the boat moved away from the dock, but it is a nice way for a quick rest of the feet while still enjoying the spectacular Florida weather. The views are pretty lovely as well.

Arriving at the Marketplace dock, we disembarked. It was time for more shopping!

Behind the Disney Day’s of Christmas store, there was a festive little display that succeeded in stirring a little bit of excitement for our upcoming Christmas trip. While much of that vacation was already planned, once we arrived home, the finishing touches would be put on the itinerary and we’d be down to just six weeks from our next adventure. Crazy!!

We popped into the pin trading store, the World of Disney, the Days of Christmas store, and the Marketplace Co-op. Now that we were nearing the latter stages of this trip, we were picking up souvenirs for friends and family in preparation for our return home. It was hard to believe we would be leaving in just 4 more days.....and Steve would be heading back to Michigan just two days after that.

When we had had our fill of Disney Springs, we returned to the Vistana for some pool and relaxing time. After such a massive morning meal at Hash House, we skipped lunch entirely and just snacked a bit at the villa (Steve had brought home a huge piece of blueberry cheesecake from the Hash House…..on the suggestion of our server, who encouraged us to use up the balance of our gift voucher when our breakfast bill didn’t quite total the $40 entitlement under the promotional offer…….so that became “lunch” for him):

Later in the afternoon, we pulled ourselves out of the pool and dried and re-dressed (sometimes on our Florida vacation, it feels like I’m forever blow drying my hair ). Steve’s long and scraggly pirate beard was beginning to feel like an annoyance to him now that the Halloween parties were both over, and he mentioned that he wanted to hit up a barber shop to trim his goatee back to a more acceptable length. With having no real lunch to speak of, we had planned to dine a little on the earlier side anyway, so we decided to stop at the barber on the way. We had spied one earlier in our vacation right where the 535 meets the 192, so it wasn’t far away at all.

For under $10 and in under 20 minutes, Steve was looking and feeling like a new man .


For dinner, we zipped down the street for some old-fashioned home cookin’.

We generally find Cracker Barrel’s meals to be a bit (okay, maybe a LOT ) on the heavier side, so it was a good option for a day where we skipped a mid-day meal.


We started out with a plate of their fresh, complimentary biscuits….which must have been REALLY good (or perhaps we were just REALLY hungry at this point?) because I didn’t even snap a photo . Steve follow up the biscuits with a hot cup of cream of potato soup. It was thick and rich and very creamy: perfect to take the edge off of his rumbly tumbly.

For his entrée, he ordered a steak (medium rare) with mashed potatoes & gravy and mac ‘n cheese as his sides. All very good…..and probably one of the cheapest steaks (cost wise) in Orlando.

I was having a hard time deciding on which entrée to select, so at our server’s recommendation, I went with the sampler plate which included small(er) portions of meatloaf, ham and chicken & dumplings (the latter which I had never had before). It came with three sides (!!) , my picks which were mashed potatoes, mac ‘n cheese……………

……..and fried apples.

We gave this meal a thumbs up all the way around : everything was hot, fresh, and tasted just like our Grandmas cooked it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the chicken and dumplings (not that they tasted bad, but they were just not my ‘thing’) but the fried apples were fabulous. More like dessert than a side item, but surprisingly tasty!


Back at the resort, we enjoyed an hour or so of solitude [and an opportunity to wash another load of laundry] before Joe, Lisa and the kids arrived at SVR bursting with excitement: tonight’s plans were to indulge in a leisurely resort night with Aunt Gina & Uncle Steve, enjoying the pools and nighttime entertainment. I took no photos, unfortunately…..but I have to say that this was one of the most fun evenings of our whole trip . The kids had a BALL in the Fountains pool, and were over the moon with the waterfall, the music, and the volleyball net: I don’t think they stopped smiling and laughing the entire night. Steve and Joe spent hours picking up one kid after another to toss them in the air so they landed in a big splash…..I am sure their arms were feeling it by the time we finally hit the sack. We were back and forth to the villa for snacks and beverages, and transitioned from the pool to the hot tubs until we were all so wrinkly that we feared our skin would never fully recover. It was after 12 am before we all decided it was time to call it a night: while the kids still had boundless energy, we adults were noticeably drooping . Tomorrow was slated for a waterpark day, and we needed everyone to be at least somewhat rested before a full day of sunshine and water fun .


We slept like ROCKS that night. Those precious kiddos had tired us out.


Up next: slipping, sliding, splashing and soaking up the sun at Aquatica, Seaworld’s Waterpark. It was Joe and Lisa’s final full day of vacation, and we wanted to make it a spectacular one!

 

[bankr63]

Thanks for this you've answered something that we've asked ourselves over the last 20+ years we have been visiting. We always went for sunny side up or scrambled

As of last summer, over easy is officially known at our house as "daddy style" (but not this daddy). DS brought his SNMGF (she's not my girlfriend) Friend along camping, and she wanted "daddy style" eggs like her dad would make. Had to drill down a little bit to discover that "daddy style" was "over easy".

ETA @Callie in our house that toast is called "toasty soldiers", and I blame DW for that little one.

You know, I'm starting to think people might need to get a translator to understand conversations in our household. lol.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I'm glad the kids enjoyed Vistana. Can't wait to hear how they liked Aquatica! When we were there in Feb the whole big kid area was closed for refurbishment. Luckily Duncan just barely squeaked under the height requirement for the baby kiddie area. Madeline was out of luck however ( I really thought they'd let the bigger kids play there since the other area was closed and there were like 2 other kids, but nope)

 

[Lynne G]

We like Aquadica enough, that with the warm days we had at Christmas, we decided a day getting wet was more fun than another day at Busch Gardens and the hour or so drive each way. Plus, we used our one trip free quick que for the rides and shows at SW later that night.

Yep, like the new parking garages at Disney Springs. Have parked in both so far. We just had to go to Disney Quest over our holiday break. Then shopping at the soccer store. I bought very little at the Disney Store, but had forgotten how huge and rearranged it was.

Since the kids were not helping with our holiday vacation this year, we will be back at Disney. We haven't toured the parks in several years. We only did Universal and the Busch parks while in Orlando. Will be in FLA at the end of the summer. Little one, my DD, is turning 16, and since she is a beach bum at heart, we are giving her a beach vacation, an extra long weekend in the keys. No where near Orlando, but fall and winter will be.

Love seeing the kittens posted in Facebook.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

As of last summer, over easy is officially known at our house as "daddy style" (but not this daddy). DS brought his SNMGF (she's not my girlfriend) Friend along camping, and she wanted "daddy style" eggs like her dad would make. Had to drill down a little bit to discover that "daddy style" was "over easy".

ETA @Callie in our house that toast is called "toasty soldiers", and I blame DW for that little one.

You know, I'm starting to think people might need to get a translator to understand conversations in our household. lol.

So, I have to ask......did the SNMGF friend ever evolve into SMGFAA ("She's My Girl Friend After All")?

I'm glad the kids enjoyed Vistana. Can't wait to hear how they liked Aquatica! When we were there in Feb the whole big kid area was closed for refurbishment. Luckily Duncan just barely squeaked under the height requirement for the baby kiddie area. Madeline was out of luck however ( I really thought they'd let the bigger kids play there since the other area was closed and there were like 2 other kids, but nope)

Oh man, what a disappointment! That's a huge part of the park to be out of commission. Poor Madeline must have been so bummed. I am actually surprised they wouldn't just close the park completely for a few days to complete the required refurbishment on Walk About Waters, especially when it was the off season.

We like Aquadica enough, that with the warm days we had at Christmas, we decided a day getting wet was more fun than another day at Busch Gardens and the hour or so drive each way. Plus, we used our one trip free quick que for the rides and shows at SW later that night.

Yep, like the new parking garages at Disney Springs. Have parked in both so far. We just had to go to Disney Quest over our holiday break. Then shopping at the soccer store. I bought very little at the Disney Store, but had forgotten how huge and rearranged it was.

Since the kids were not helping with our holiday vacation this year, we will be back at Disney. We haven't toured the parks in several years. We only did Universal and the Busch parks while in Orlando. Will be in FLA at the end of the summer. Little one, my DD, is turning 16, and since she is a beach bum at heart, we are giving her a beach vacation, an extra long weekend in the keys. No where near Orlando, but fall and winter will be.

Love seeing the kittens posted in Facebook.

Aquatica is SO much fun, we just love spending a day there. It's bright and colourful and has such a relaxing vibe. I bet it was empty at Christmas, too, because the locals very rarely swim in the winter time.

What a great Sweet 16 trip for your DD!! And Disney at Christmas sounds spectacular. I so wish we could return for another week in Orlando at Christmastime, but it's not going to happen this year with us living so far from family. At least part of Steve's Christmas vacation time will be spent with loved ones in Canada. Hopefully we can maybe we can squeeze in a short getaway at Kalahari or somewhere else fun a little closer to home instead.

I am glad you enjoy the updates on Facebook of my babies . I know I post WAY too many kitten pictures ..... I'm afraid I've officially turned into the Crazy Cat Lady. Those two little fuzzballs just bring me so much joy. I guess maybe they fill a big void in my heart now that I'm so far from Jake.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Tuesday, October 25th

It was a fairly leisurely start to this morning: Aquatica didn’t open until 10 am, so there was no rushing required. We enjoyed freshly brewed coffee in our villa while we showered and dressed, then indulged in an inexpensive breakfast out on our way to the water park.



Chik-fil-A is right on the corner of the entrance to the Vistana, so getting there is super easy and we always find the service to be friendly and speedy . For fast food, the quality has been consistently excellent and the value for the price is equally as impressive.

I’m generally a rather simple girl where breakfast is concerned (a bowl of cereal is about all I normally eat in the mornings…..if I’m feeling really wild and crazy, I’ll add blueberries on the top ) so I still find chicken on a biscuit to be a strange choice for a morning meal. Not that it isn’t tasty, it just doesn’t feel like breakfast to me. Steve, on the other hand, thinks meat should be part of every meal of the day if at all possible . I am reasonably sure that Chik-fil-A’s breakfast menu was the brainchild of a group of men.

Everything we ordered was really good: the biscuits were fresh, the chicken was delicious, and the hash browns were hot and crispy. With plenty of time at our disposal, it was nice to have the chance to enjoy a quiet few moments together before our hectic day with the rug-rats: the balance of the day would be anything but quiet and relaxing!!


We timed our arrival absolutely perfectly at Aquatica, arriving to take our place in the small lines at the entrance with just a few minutes to wait before the national anthem was played on the loudspeaker and the park was declared open for the day. We were within the first dozen people to step foot inside the gates that morning.

A few text messages back and forth with Lisa indicated that they would be a little bit yet before they arrived: the kids were giving them a little bit of a challenge that morning and they hadn’t yet left their villa at Cypress Palms. That actually worked out well for us, as we had a small task to take care of before their arrival: Steve and I had rented two cabanas for the day (one for us and one for their family) as a little surprise for their final day in Orlando, and with the time available to us before they arrived, we could check in with guest services and obtain our cabana assignments without the chaos of the kiddos running amok in their excitement.

Check-in for the cabanas was a little bit chaotic…..the woman running the kiosk was a bit thrown off by the fact that we had two cabanas, not one (apparently she could only see one showing in their computer system, despite the fact that I had two printed confirmations for the rentals in hand ), and that the balance of our party hadn’t yet arrived to be wristbanded. She ended up calling for assistance to remedy the computer confusion, and with the unusual amount of time that this ended up taking, we were even more glad that we were able to get this administrative work completed before Joe and Lisa had arrived .

The wait was absolutely worth it in the end: we were assigned our two favourite cabanas in Cutback Cove: cabana numbers 5 and 6.

Cutback Cove is our favourite cabana area in the whole park due to its lush vegetation and private feel. On our last cabana rental, we gave the Roa’s Island cabanas a try but found them to be more open, much noisier (all the shrieks of excitement from the guests being swept along in the rapids), less secluded, and more subject to gawkers on foot. For us, the whole purpose of a cabana rental is to have a private and quiet space to retreat to when you need a break from the hullaballoo of the water park, so Cutback Cove is the idea spot.

We especially love Cabana #6 as it has a partial view of the wave pool without the upcharge. Also, being the furthest along the path, no one but the lifeguard will ever be walking by, so privacy and peacefulness is almost a guarantee.

Steve and I claimed cabana 6 and left 5 for Joe and Lisa’s family. We stowed our valuables in the large locker provided in the cabana and headed to the washrooms to swap our street clothes for our swimwear. Once we had donned our suits, we lathered up with sunscreen and drank from the cold bottles of Dasani water provided as part of our cabana rental. It was a sunny, warm, gorgeous day……simply perfect for waterparking!.....and staying hydrated would be must.

Just as we had finished sunscreening, we received a text from Lisa that they had arrived and were just on their way to the entrance. Steve and I headed to meet them there so that we could bring them directly to their waiting cabana once they had made it through the gates. Since they had never been to Aquatica before, they were grateful for the personal escort, especially with three little kids and all their gear in tow.

A park photographer had stationed himself just inside the entrance since we had arrived almost an hour before, and Lisa and Joe asked if we could pop back for pictures before they hit the slides and water activities. They were absolutely loving being able to get all their park pictures on our Photokey account, and were making the most of the chance to get their whole family in the shots. They were also absolutely astounded to find out that we had rented them a cabana for the day…..that yielded hugs and shrieks all around…..and it was a true delight to start the morning on such a happy note. I should mention that it was also a very affordable splurge: with our passmember discount, each cabana (which provided both Lisa/Joe and Steve/me with large lockers, towel rentals, 12 bottles of Dasani water in each cabana, PLUS the private space ….. as well as 20% off at the gift shop and Adventure Photo) was only $41 plus tax. In comparison to Disney’s waterparks (where cabanas run you $320 each with tax) this was an unbelievable steal .


We accompanied Joe, Lisa and the kids back to the photographer for their family pics. There was no one else taking advantage of the photos……most families were straggling in with nothing but swimming on their minds…..so we had no wait of any kind .


Once they were done, we hopped in for a couple of shots as well.

The photographer was a real hoot, and we had a lot of fun with this little mini session. He was a fun-loving, amusing fellow and had the kids laughing and we got a whole bunch of great shots between our two groups. Little Alaina begged for a picture with Aunt Gina and Uncle Steve, and we were happy to indulge her. She is so adorable.

Once pictures were out of the way, the adults were as eager to hit the water activities as much as the kids were and we wasted no time in diving in to the day’s fun.

More Aquatica is next!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Tuesday, October 25th (continued)

We suggested to Joe and Lisa that they and Steve knock off the big slides early in the day while the crowds were at their lowest, so I took the kids into the wave pool while they headed to Ihu’s Breakaway Falls. We suited up the little ones in life jackets to give them more swimming confidence and help me ensure safety for all three of them while I was overseeing them on my own.

Big Surf Shores was a huge hit with the Cadence, Johan and Alaina. They even loved the break between the waves: it gave them an opportunity to swim and splash before the waves overtook their little bodies.

We enjoyed a couple of cycles of waves before we headed over to Ihu’s to meet up with Steve, Joe and Lisa, who had managed three slides down while we bobbed away in the wave pool. They were sopping wet and smiling and eager to check out more of the park.

We toured around the park together, sometimes splitting up (the little staying with me while the adults hit the bigger slides) and sometimes staying together as a group. The kids were happy to float through Loggerhead Lane with Aunt Gina:

…..while the thrill seekers among us hit up Dolphin Plunge a few times.

Joe and Lisa indulged the kids in some water play time in Walkabout Waters, which was a huge hit all round. It’s tough for families not to have a really fun time in this multi-generational area, where everyone from pre-schoolers to Grandmas can find something to appreciate. The kids especially loved it when Uncle Steve joined them for a good soaking under the massive tipping bucket.

It was a surprisingly quiet day, considering how spectacular the weather was. Even as the day drew on, there was never anything resembling a “crowd”. Walkways were clear, long lines were non-existent, and at times we felt as if we had the par to ourselves. It was so quiet, in fact, that our cabana attendant said that some of the staff were sent home due to low numbers. He said that management estimated that there were only about 1500 guests in the park that day.

Johan and Cadence really enjoyed the 4 slides at Whanau Way, and with no waits for tubes, they had the chance to ride them over and over without a wait.

All of the littles loved the Commerson Dolphin viewing area, and we found ourselves returning there for another peek at these little cuties whenever we were passing through that part of the park.

After working up the kind of appetite only generated by the combination of endless sunshine, warm air, and constant swimming, we headed to the Waterstone Grill to refuel and recharge.

Steve had a burger platter while I opted for chicken fingers and fries. The big highlight of the meal, however, was that Steve found his beloved “SeaWorld Chocolate Cake” ….. the kind that they USED to have at Discovery Cove but have swapped out for the lesser quality pale version. I think it took most of Steve’s adult self control to eat the burger first and save the cake for last. If the nieces and nephew hadn’t been dining with us, I’m not sure he would have managed it .

It was a spectacular day to eat outside. Humidity was low despite the warmth of the sun.

After lunch, we all returned to the cabanas to re-sunscreen and encourage the kids to drink more water.

Some of us also had a little bit of a siesta before returning to the park activities.

The favourite attraction of the day, however, was EASILY Roa’s Rapids. In between all the slides and bigger thrills, it was the place we all kept coming back to again and again and again.

Sometimes the kids and I coasted around while their parents and Steve took in another big slide. Their excitement was so incredibly cute…..every time we neared one of the two entrances, they’d shriek “Just one more time around, Aunt Gina!!”. Let’s just say, I was easy to convince .

Sometimes, Steve and I handed off that rascally trio to their momma and daddy and we snuck away for some quiet time in the Rapids by ourselves. Every once in a while we’d hear a little voice shout “There they are!” and Steve would wink at me and whisper “Crap! We’ve been spotted!” .

More often than not, though, the whole seven of us grabbed hands and were swept along by the current, making the most awesome memories along the way. I think, in many ways, this was the kids favourite park day of them all: no schedule, no itinerary, and no crazy amounts of walking in the heat: just endless fun and sun and family.

We easily managed every slide in the park (with the exception of Taumata Racers, which were closed for refurbishment) and many of them four, five or even more times [Johan eventually found the courage to tackle Dolphin Plunge, and liked it so much after that first experience that he rode it repeatedly for almost an hour with at least one or more of the adults in tow].

We closed down the park. We ended our day, all seven of us, in the last waves of Big Surf Shores. As the announcements began to ring out over the loudspeaker in regular intervals, alerting guests to the fact that Aquatica would be closing in one hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, and so on, that final part of the day became bittersweet indeed. Joe and Lisa would be taking the kids home to Canada early the following morning, and their first Florida vacation would draw to a close. As we returned to our cabanas as the lifeguards closed the rides at 5 pm, the kids wrapped us in big, soggy hugs, declaring with big grins that “this was the best day EVER!”.

We all changed back into our street clothes, gathered our belongings, and headed to the gate. We asked Lisa and Joe if they wanted to join us for dinner, but they thanked us sincerely but declined the offer. They wanted to spend a relaxing final night at Cypress Palms, washing up laundry and packing up as much as possible before an early bedtime for all. They had to be at the airport by 9 am for their morning flight, so it would be imperative that everyone be rested for an early start. We totally understood. Lisa and Joe hugged us both as we parted in the parking lot, thanking us for all of our help in making their first family holiday so special. We wished them a safe journey home, and they were off .

It was a quiet ride back to the Vistana. The sun, the water, and the emotions of the goodbyes (I am terrible at goodbyes!! ) had made their mark.

We tossed our wet swimwear into the washing machine, and freshened ourselves up with showers to cleanse our bodies of the assault of the chlorine. Once we had made ourselves presentable once again, we headed out in search of a quiet dinner for two.

The balance of our Tuesday is coming up.

 

[Lynne G]

I think I paid a bit more, but funny, we had cabana 6 too. Loved it, as when the mild, short rain started, our clothes and towels and chairs were dry. We ended up taking back some of the water bottles. And we eat at the Waterstone Grill now too. For several years, we used the all you can eat one, but food last time was just okay. The Grill has fine food, and takes the AP discount. Much easier, as when we are in the water parks, one meal is good. We'd rather enjoy the park than eat more. We too then wash up and either hit SW or find a local restaurant. We actually did have a busy day, and only some left when the rain started. The rest, including us, continued in the water fun, as already wet, and there was no thunder to be heard. Just a brief shower. And that was the only rain we saw on our 10 day trip. I am hoping for another, unusually hot last week of December. And yes, us northern people find heated pools good to go, even if the air temperature is in the 60's. Lots of towels.

 

[I-4Bound]

Those kiddos are so cute! How blessed they are to have an auntie and uncle who dote on them! We still haven't done Aquatica, mainly because we still have non-expiring Disney waterpark tickets to use up. I really want to visit Volcano Bay at some point, too.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I love Aquatica. I'm really going to miss it on our next trip. The plan is to just do Disney next time. Although we have almost 18 months to rethink that.

 

[bankr63]

So, I have to ask......did the SNMGF friend ever evolve into SMGFAA ("She's My Girl Friend After All")?

Alas, no. They may be destined in the distant future to think back on TOWGA ("The One Who Got Away"). They make a really handsome couple and are both smart, athletic, and are into many of the same things; but have steadfastly remained just good friends throughout high school. Now that University is here she has disappeared to the East coast (St.FX) while DS studies engineering at OttawaU. That is always a recipe for drifting apart, although she did stop by and to say hi and visit us all on reading week.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I think I paid a bit more, but funny, we had cabana 6 too. Loved it, as when the mild, short rain started, our clothes and towels and chairs were dry. We ended up taking back some of the water bottles. And we eat at the Waterstone Grill now too. For several years, we used the all you can eat one, but food last time was just okay. The Grill has fine food, and takes the AP discount. Much easier, as when we are in the water parks, one meal is good. We'd rather enjoy the park than eat more. We too then wash up and either hit SW or find a local restaurant. We actually did have a busy day, and only some left when the rain started. The rest, including us, continued in the water fun, as already wet, and there was no thunder to be heard. Just a brief shower. And that was the only rain we saw on our 10 day trip. I am hoping for another, unusually hot last week of December. And yes, us northern people find heated pools good to go, even if the air temperature is in the 60's. Lots of towels.

We've had Cabana 6 twice (maybe even 3 times?) now. I love it enough that we might just request it in the future, just to be sure we are assigned there if at all possible. It never hurts to ask, right?

The Banana Beach Buffet is good when travelling with hungry teens.....its nice for them to have the opportunity to munch away whenever they feel the need....but like you, we find the food quality at the Waterstone Grill to be much better than the buffet. With our pass discount, it was pretty easy on the wallet, too!

Those kiddos are so cute! How blessed they are to have an auntie and uncle who dote on them! We still haven't done Aquatica, mainly because we still have non-expiring Disney waterpark tickets to use up. I really want to visit Volcano Bay at some point, too.

Yep, Volcano Bay is a must-do for us on a future trip, too. We love water parks in general, and VB looks incredible. We had planned to visit VB on our October trip, but now that it has been officially announced that neither premier nor preferred passholders will get complimentary admission, I think we may pass this year and do a MNSSHP instead (the final decision on that to be made when ticket prices are announced......if Disney gets TOO greedy, we'll reconsider a day at Volcano Bay instead).

I also want to get back to Typhoon Lagoon again sometime. I *love* their wave pool!

I love Aquatica. I'm really going to miss it on our next trip. The plan is to just do Disney next time. Although we have almost 18 months to rethink that.

I must admit, posting those pictures today made me think Hey, I should add an Aquatica day to our April/May trip . But I promised Steve some downtime on this vacation and I'm going to do my level best to stick to it. Oh, its sooooo hard though .

You're not planning to head back for another 18 months?!? Don't you normally go annually each February?

Alas, no. They may be destined in the distant future to think back on TOWGA ("The One Who Got Away"). They make a really handsome couple and are both smart, athletic, and are into many of the same things; but have steadfastly remained just good friends throughout high school. Now that University is here she has disappeared to the East coast (St.FX) while DS studies engineering at OttawaU. That is always a recipe for drifting apart, although she did stop by and to say hi and visit us all on reading week.

Sometimes the best friendships develop into the most wonderful long-term relationships. And as they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'. A few years of Uni might just have them seeking each other out after graduation.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

What a great ending to your family's holiday. It sounds like the perfect day for you all. The cabana rental was really good value, is the price tiered throughout the season?

I see you are thinking about MNSSHP, have you seen they are starting it in August this year?