It's Good to be a Passholder :-) - a January 2020 Trip Report

I am so sorry to hear that your birthday plans were cancelled :-( . That's so disappointing.

We are trying to hold out a little hope that Spirit of Aloha might still reopen by October, but honestly we're not expecting it as I can't see it being profitable at any kind of restricted capacity. I guess we will have to wait and see.

I know it's first-world problems. I'm just disappointed that it most likely won't be open, especially now that Dine with Orcas is closed until Aug (so that's 2 of my birthday plans down)

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Spirit of Aloha will be open for you
 
Tuesday, January 28th: Busch Gardens, continued

After visiting with the primates in the Myombe Reserve, we just took some time to poke around a bit......we had no idea where we were going (I'm sure at times we had that dang map upside down!) but everything was new, so it didn't really matter what pathway we traveled down as it was guaranteed to feature something cool.

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By sheer good luck, one of the next habitat we stumbled across were the majestic lions....and the big cat lover inside of me was instantly IN LOVE.

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It was a lazy day for the lions that mid-winter morning as they lounged in the warm sunshine and snoozed on the grass like giant house cats. We marveled at how their sleeping positions mirrored those of Violet and Dash almost identically....even though they are 30 times their weight.

Eventually we decided it would be wise to grab something healthy to eat before it was time to check in for our safari, so we made our way out to the Zagora Cafe for some vittles on the all-day dining plan.

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It's a lovely little open-air spot that served some good quick service options which ranged from fresh wraps to hot burgers. For some reason my food pic has disappeared from my Amazon Photos account (?) but I know Steve had a wrap and fruit which he really enjoyed. I can't for the life of me recall what I chose, but knowing me and my less-than-adventurous pallet, I'd wager a guess it was likely chicken tenders. They must have been good because I don't remember being disappointed in that meal lol. A couple of bottles of water allowed for some very important hydration and then made our way over to the Serengeti Outpost to ready ourselves for our much-anticipated SAFARI!

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Check in was quick and simple, and the staff at the Outpost were absolutely wonderful. Once we were checked in, they pointed out the location of the nearest restrooms (in case anyone needed a potty break prior to heading out.....there would be no loo on the safari truck) and then had us chill in the adjacent cabana until our guide was ready to gather our small group.

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Inside the cabana, they had some comfy seating, some fresh water for guests, and a few fun posters on the walls which provided some interesting facts about the the animals we would get to see while on the safari. IReading through them made for a good way to pass the short wait.

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It wasn't very long, though, until our friendly guide came in to greet our group and usher us down to the open-air safari vehicle that was waiting for us at the departure point. We stowed all of our belongings in a secure locker behind the outpost (all purses, backpacks and other loose items had to be left behind....basically only hats, sunglasses and cell phones would be permitted) and then we piled into the back of that been green truck.

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As I'm sure you can imagine, there were a whole host of safety precautions that were presented to us as we boarded. Hands inside the vehicle, put your phone in your pocket so it doesn't bounce out and into the animal habitat, all the things that you would expect them to forewarn you about....but most importantly, be sure to hang on to the railing. It could be a bumpy ride at times, we were told.....and he wasn't kidding! LOL

We were barely on our way when we caught our first glimpse of some of the amazing animals who call the serengeti home!

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It was incredible how close we were able to get to them in the safari truck! And how calm they were as we drove by.....they weren't put out by our presence at all.

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Our guide was super knowledgeable and shared lots of details about each species as we approached. He would have the driver stop at each grouping of animals as well so we had ample time to take photos and ask any questions that we had.

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Equally as captivating as the animals was the beautiful landscape.....what a stunning habitat. It was almost hard to strike a balance between wanting to snap a million photos and also knowing I should put the phone down and soak it all in.

Much more to come.....
 
I've done the Safari once before, and I enjoyed it (though I would have preferred a smaller group- we were PACKED into the truck)
 
I feel so bad for those folks who had a Disney-only trip booked. I can't even imagine how they must be feeling right now. While the recent announcements have impacted a healthy portion of our trip, at least we still have other parks and components to look forward to. That's a silver lining, for sure!

Steve winked at me last night and said, "You know Babe, planning is one of your favorite parts of our trips. Look on the bright side. This vacation just keeps giving you opportunity after opportunity to do just that!". Bless his heart.
I had exactly the same thought! I'm always a glass half-full kind of guy, and was thinking that this is just the kind of challenge that a master planner like you needs. It's like life just gave you a "level up" to the next tier of planning. I am confident that you are going to find plenty of interesting stuff to do this trip.

No pressure, but I will be watching closely. Borders permitting, we are still hoping to make it down in March, but with greatly curtailed plans for the parks (if any at all). I can't see shelling out that kind of money if the experience is too heavily diluted. We may just spend our time lounging by the pools at Vistana, but if you find some fun diversions that sound safe, we could be easily convinced!
 


I had exactly the same thought! I'm always a glass half-full kind of guy, and was thinking that this is just the kind of challenge that a master planner like you needs. It's like life just gave you a "level up" to the next tier of planning. I am confident that you are going to find plenty of interesting stuff to do this trip.

No pressure, but I will be watching closely. Borders permitting, we are still hoping to make it down in March, but with greatly curtailed plans for the parks (if any at all). I can't see shelling out that kind of money if the experience is too heavily diluted. We may just spend our time lounging by the pools at Vistana, but if you find some fun diversions that sound safe, we could be easily convinced!

Hopefully by March the worst of this whole mess will be behind us, and some of the short-term changes (masks, the suspension of fireworks and parades) are long passed. I'm optimistic. But of course, I was also optimistic that our April trip would be fine when rescheduled to late May.....and look how that worked out! lol

I am very curious to see what life at the Vistana looks like post-Covid19. I would love to see a summer activity schedule to see what special events are changed or cancelled in an abundance of caution. I hope someone who travels there over the next few months takes a moment to post on the SVR thread.
 
I've done the Safari once before, and I enjoyed it (though I would have preferred a smaller group- we were PACKED into the truck)

I'd say we had about a dozen participants in our specific tour, so the truck was full-ish but not uncomfortably so. I bet groups will be MUCH smaller once the parks reopen after the Covid-19 closure.
 
Tuesday, January 28th: Busch Gardens, continued

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The trunk trundled on down the winding paths of the Serengeti, and there was a new group of animals around every turn.

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Some animals were quite close to the roadways, others were grazing further off.....but we saw a plethora of amazing creatures including rhinoceroses, gazelle, zebras, giraffes, and more. They all seemed to be enjoying a harmonious, peaceful existence on this sprawling, beautiful landscape.

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In spots, the massive coasters for which Busch Gardens is so well known form a contrasting backdrop to the natural landscape of the serengeti. As the cars of screaming guests swooped by every so often, not a single animal batted an eyelash. I can only imagine how they must wonder, over the past 10 weeks, why their home became so eerily quiet.....and how much of an adjustment it will be for them once the park reopens on June 11th.

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About 15 minutes into the tour, our truck slowed to a crawl and eased to a gentle stop in the middle of the serengeti. The animals who had been nonchalantly chilling nearby knew exactly what that meant, and even before the truck came to rest on the roadway, a few began a very noticeable bee-line towards us. The moment we had all been waiting for.......the whole reason most folks book this tour......was here!

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It was time to feed some giraffes!!!

More to come.....
 


Loving all your photos! I've only done the safari once (back in 2011) but it was the first time I'd ever fed giraffes and it was so amazing!

You said you're looking for something unconventional to do on your fall trip - have you been to Showcase of Citrus? It's close to Orlando and touring an orange grove in a monster truck is definitely a unique experience.
 
Love all of your pictures of the animals! We've been to Busch Gardens once before, but we didn't get a chance to do the safari.

Hope work went well for you this week!

A small update... My DH did not get his vacation time approved because someone else requested that same week off. Since they are already down two people on his shift, his boss had to decline it. He said he's going to try and schedule his vacation for the week after now. We'll see what happens...

Look forward to your next update! Have a great weekend! :sunny:
 
Loving all your photos! I've only done the safari once (back in 2011) but it was the first time I'd ever fed giraffes and it was so amazing!

You said you're looking for something unconventional to do on your fall trip - have you been to Showcase of Citrus? It's close to Orlando and touring an orange grove in a monster truck is definitely a unique experience.

We have indeed been to Showcase of Citrus.....such a cute little destination! We have actually done the monster truck tour there at least 2 times (maybe even three.....so many trips, it's hard to keep track LOL). Their orange slushies are worth the trip to Clermont alone! It's been several years since we have been there though, so perhaps they've made some changes and added a few new features. They were definitely growing in popularity as of the time of our last visit!

We had 18 people :(

You are probably right (and I am actually ok with that)

I think the lower numbers (not only for park admission, but for things like tours and other upgrades) will be one of the GOOD things that come out of Covid-19. Smaller groups for those kinds of experiences make for MUCH better experiences overall....and I'd gladly pay a bit more going forward to keep those special opportunities less crowded and more intimate.

18 would have been a VERY full safari vehicle, especially if they were all mostly adults!!

https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/Resort updates as phases advance in Florida. Wanted to try SVR but only one pool open. Staying at Marriott Harbor lake as it has more amenities open right now- strange that some resorts allow sports grounds and fitness centers and other don’t. Seems most Orlando resorts have at least a pool open currently.

Thank you for that link......wow, I can't even imagine what a stay at SVR would be like with only one pool open, especially for folks like us that own on the other side of the resort. I have bookmarked that site so I can keep tabs on how things develop over the next few months. Fingers crossed there are some big changes between now (when I'm sure guests are still few and far between) and the fall.

Love all of your pictures of the animals! We've been to Busch Gardens once before, but we didn't get a chance to do the safari.

Hope work went well for you this week!

A small update... My DH did not get his vacation time approved because someone else requested that same week off. Since they are already down two people on his shift, his boss had to decline it. He said he's going to try and schedule his vacation for the week after now. We'll see what happens...

Look forward to your next update! Have a great weekend! :sunny:

I am so sorry that your husband's vacation time was denied :-( . Fingers crossed that his second submission is successful....and that the decision comes quickly (I hate it when vacation requests go in and then you're left waiting, and waiting, and waiting until someone gets a chance to review it).

We have some pretty spectacular weather here in SE Michigan this weekend, so tonight there will be a bonfire, wine, and a nice long soak in the hot tub.....assuming the mosquitos don't carry us away first! LOL You enjoy your weekend as well :-) .
 
Tuesday, January 28th: Busch Gardens, continued

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When our safari truck pulled up to a stop near a small group of giraffes (which is referred to as a "tower", if anyone wants to learn a random useless fact for the day!) it was very much like an ice cream truck pulling up to a neighborhood park in the middle of summer. Those giant, beautiful creatures came a runnin' (well, not exactly "running"....but those incredible long legs can cross a reasonably short distance in the blink of an eye).

Our guide gave us very clear and direct instructions that we were NOT to touch the animals during the feeding session: lettuce would be provided to each guest and we were to hold it in the air for the giraffes to eat, but there should be no petting or intentional touch. That was pretty hard for some guests (the urge to reach out and stroke those long faces was pretty strong) and those that chose to disregard the rules were swiftly corrected by our guide. We hung back a bit and let some of the other guests have the first turns.....there were a few kids with the other families that were SUPER excited for this experience, and being adults, we could happily wait while they had first crack at the lettuce.....but that giraffe was HUNGRY and wasted no time in strutting from guest to guest to suck back those lettuce leaves like they were nothing at all.

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Everyone knows giraffes are tall, but feeding them those lettuce leaves REALLY drove home just how MASSIVELY tall they really are. The feeding instructions were to hold that piece of lettuce in the air as high as you can, but even with my arm fully extended the giraffe had to bend down noticeably to pluck the leaf from my grasp. Not only are you looking up to them (even standing in the back of the safari truck), you're looking WAYYYYYY up!

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More toward the end of the feeding experience, one of the young adolescent giraffes also chose to come over to the truck to make our acquaintance (and partake in a yummy lettuce snack). Even a "little" giraffe is crazy tall!

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As with most amazing experiences, this one was over too soon.....I could have happily stood in that safari truck and feed those stunning creatures boxes of lettuce for hours on end. But another tour group would be waiting at the Outpost for their turn on the serengeti, so we bid our graceful friends adieu and started our bumpy ride back to base.

On our way back, we caught a few more glimpses of some of the Serengeti animals.....even as we came down from our giraffe euphoria, there was still lots to see.

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Once back at the loading dock, our guide ushered us all back to the Outpost so we could wash and sanitize our hands as well as collect our personal items that we had stowed in our locker on arrival.

We really, really enjoyed this experience.....it was a good length (around a half hour or so), we saw TONS of animals, it provided us with a really unique (and new) opportunity, and it was both informative AND entertaining.

Out of pocket, the price would have been $39.99 per person. As Platinum Passholders, it was a free inclusion with our passes (our other choice was the Dolphin Encounter at SeaWorld). It would definitely be something I would pay to do and feel it was good value for the cost.

*Backing up just a bit to the short wait prior for the tour beginning, we had actually gotten to chatting with some of the tour staff and they excitedly had shared with us some of the details about the park's newest tour: the Cheetah Encounter. This tour provided guests with the opportunity to PET A CHEETAH!!!!!.....and it had only been offered since December 24th. They gushed about how cool it was, and how hard it was to get a spot as they only took a maximum of 8 participants once per day....so of course, we had to ask..."You don't happen to have any spaces available for today still, do you?".

They did. We were SO torn. At $89.99 each (less our passmember discount of 10%) it seemed a HUGE splurge. But as cat lovers, we were SO tempted. We discussed it a bit, and ultimately had a YOLO moment and booked our spots while we waited to leave on the Serengeti Safari. It's only money and you make more everyday, right? ;-)

By the time we arrived back at the Outpost at the conclusion of our safari tour, there were signs up showing that the Cheetah Encounter was now sold out. 'Twas a good thing we didn't opt to think on it while we cruised the Serengeti.

We had a couple of hours to enjoy before we had to be back for our Cheetah Encounter, and we had gobs of the park yet to discover. No time to waste!!

More Busch Gardens is next.
 
We discussed it a bit, and ultimately had a YOLO moment and booked our spots while we waited to leave on the Serengeti Safari. It's only money and you make more everyday, right? ;-)
OMG!! That sounds so cool! And how neat to feed the giraffes!!
On our wild Africa Trek at DAK during the safari truck part we had giraffes come over to the truck-they had a young male who apparently looovved the attention from the guests-so much so our guide said he was probably going to be moved to AKL lol.
 
In pre-trip planning news......

We have officially booked the Killer Whales Up Close tour for our October vacation. We are SUPER excited about this experience....it's been on our wish list for years, but the cost always seemed so high [prices range from roughly $115 to $135 per person plus tax, depending on the season]. Considering our plans have been in a perpetual train wreck lately, we felt justified in adding something special to the plans. It helped take the sting away from our loss of Spirit of Aloha and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway at MNSHHP, and the refunds from both those events more than made up for the cost of the tour. As passholders, we saved 10% of the price for our date which also helped a little.

We also received some pixie dust (or perhaps, "Mummy Dust"?) on our Universal annual passes. We had purchased them in January 2019 when they were offering a "6 months free" promotion in advance of a price increase. The caveat was that those passes had to be activated by a date in April last year in order to qualify for the 6 free months, and our trip wasn't until the first week of May. We went ahead and bought them anyway, as even without the free months we were locking in at the lower price so it was still a win for the budget. We had expected to use those AP's for the last time on our April trip (having activated them last May 4), but then Covid-19 happened and we just assumed we were out of luck. Even with the extension of our AP's for the amount of time the parks were closed, it wouldn't bring our passes as active through to the fall.

Just because curiosity is my downfall, I decided to online chat with Universal to see when our passes do expire now that they have a reopening date established. I was interested to know just how much further our passes were extended (I was thinking it would have been late July or early August). A rep replied to my chat session with an expiry date of February 4th, 2021. Say whaaaaat???? So yesterday, I called to verify with a phone agent, and indeed that was not an error: apparently they have granted us the 6 months free anyway, in addition to the number of dates the park was closed due to the pandemic. So now we have the option of visiting Universal on both our October AND December trips, at no out of pocket cost.

Game changer!!!

So not only does that fill the holes in our October itinerary left behind from the Disney destruction, but it also opens the door to attending Halloween Horror Nights. I am now working on the updated plans to see if both the schedule and the budget can accommodate at least one night at HHN (with an RIP tour) with possibly a bonus night as well. We had initially planned on trying out Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream as an alternative this year, but if HHN is an option, we both think it might be wise to "go with what we know" on an otherwise unpredictable and un-average year. I'm sharpening my pencil this weekend and seeing how I can make it all fit.
 
OMG!! That sounds so cool! And how neat to feed the giraffes!!
On our wild Africa Trek at DAK during the safari truck part we had giraffes come over to the truck-they had a young male who apparently looovved the attention from the guests-so much so our guide said he was probably going to be moved to AKL lol.

I may have to pick your brain on Animal Kingdom before our fall trip.....we haven't been there since our very first trip in 2009, and I suspect it might be the only park Disney we have any chance of getting into in October [it seems to be the least popular among most folks on the Dis, anyway....so if the data on these boards has any merit, it will be the park with the lowest amount of interest]. I know many of the upgrades might not be an option yet due to the Covid-19 impact, but if they have reintroduced a few tours and experiences by then, I'd definitely be up to book!
 
I may have to pick your brain on Animal Kingdom before our fall trip.....we haven't been there since our very first trip in 2009, and I suspect it might be the only park Disney we have any chance of getting into in October [it seems to be the least popular among most folks on the Dis, anyway....so if the data on these boards has any merit, it will be the park with the lowest amount of interest]. I know many of the upgrades might not be an option yet due to the Covid-19 impact, but if they have reintroduced a few tours and experiences by then, I'd definitely be up to book!
Anytime! DAK is my favorite park!! I've been known to wake up early by myself to go hang out at DAK while rest of family snoozes...
 
In pre-trip planning news......

We have officially booked the Killer Whales Up Close tour for our October vacation. We are SUPER excited about this experience....it's been on our wish list for years, but the cost always seemed so high [prices range from roughly $115 to $135 per person plus tax, depending on the season]. Considering our plans have been in a perpetual train wreck lately, we felt justified in adding something special to the plans. It helped take the sting away from our loss of Spirit of Aloha and Cruella's Halloween Hideaway at MNSHHP, and the refunds from both those events more than made up for the cost of the tour. As passholders, we saved 10% of the price for our date which also helped a little.

We also received some pixie dust (or perhaps, "Mummy Dust"?) on our Universal annual passes. We had purchased them in January 2019 when they were offering a "6 months free" promotion in advance of a price increase. The caveat was that those passes had to be activated by a date in April last year in order to qualify for the 6 free months, and our trip wasn't until the first week of May. We went ahead and bought them anyway, as even without the free months we were locking in at the lower price so it was still a win for the budget. We had expected to use those AP's for the last time on our April trip (having activated them last May 4), but then Covid-19 happened and we just assumed we were out of luck. Even with the extension of our AP's for the amount of time the parks were closed, it wouldn't bring our passes as active through to the fall.

Just because curiosity is my downfall, I decided to online chat with Universal to see when our passes do expire now that they have a reopening date established. I was interested to know just how much further our passes were extended (I was thinking it would have been late July or early August). A rep replied to my chat session with an expiry date of February 4th, 2021. Say whaaaaat???? So yesterday, I called to verify with a phone agent, and indeed that was not an error: apparently they have granted us the 6 months free anyway, in addition to the number of dates the park was closed due to the pandemic. So now we have the option of visiting Universal on both our October AND December trips, at no out of pocket cost.

Game changer!!!

So not only does that fill the holes in our October itinerary left behind from the Disney destruction, but it also opens the door to attending Halloween Horror Nights. I am now working on the updated plans to see if both the schedule and the budget can accommodate at least one night at HHN (with an RIP tour) with possibly a bonus night as well. We had initially planned on trying out Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream as an alternative this year, but if HHN is an option, we both think it might be wise to "go with what we know" on an otherwise unpredictable and un-average year. I'm sharpening my pencil this weekend and seeing how I can make it all fit.

You are going to LOVE the KWUC tour!! I can't wait to hear what you think about it

And that is awesome about Universal! I am starting to lean towards getting a new pass (my old pass expired 4 years ago)
 
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This is such a cool picture. I would love to do this. I am trying to figure out how I can wedge a day at Sea World in just so I can do the penguin encounter.

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PET A CHEETAH!!!!!.....

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SAY WHAT? I can't believe you left us hanging with this. PLEASE PLEASE let there be pictures. :-)
 
I wanted to share with you all my experiences in making reservations for SeaWorld this morning. The reservation window opened at 10 a.m. this morning, but it seem to be struggling with glitches for the first 15 minutes or so. I ended up switching browsers from Firefox to Chrome and I was able to get the system to work. You can make a reservation for up to 6 people on a particular date, and you have to put in your ticket barcode information for every ticket. That took a little time, but other than that, it was pretty smooth. Also, please check to make sure your cart is empty, otherwise the system won't work at all. I don't know if I was breaking the rules or not, but I made two reservations for Aquatica in case we got rained out on the first day. I'm so happy to have it taken care of! I switched our June vacation to the end of July, and we decided to just forgo Disney altogether. I doubt I would be able to get us a reservation for any day, and I don't want to waste one of our valuable non expiration tickets on a subpar experience. If I had not been able to get the SeaWorld reservations, we would have had no parks to visit on our trip. I am definitely heaving a sigh of relief!
 

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