Mrs Doubtfire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
Yes mom 
Last edited:
Joy to the World: an offsite Christmas extravaganza at Disney, Universal & SeaWorld – Dec. 2016 TR
- Thread starter Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
- Start date
Travelstovegas
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 7, 2017
Thanks for the detailed report so far! Although I won't be going to Universal on my own Disney trip later this year, I've enjoyed reading about it. I'm definitely interested in the part yet to come - MVMCP.
Hi! I just had to respond to these comments because my husband & I stayed at the Excellence Riviera Maya for our honeymoon (a bit over 6 years ago now) and it was the most incredible resort we've ever been to, and both of our first times in Mexico. I cannot say enough good things about the trip! We got an amazing bang for our buck, and when I think back on what we spent and what we got in return, compared to the cost of doing Disney in late Nov/early Dec this year, as much as I want to take my children to Disney (will be age 6 & 4 when we travel), part of me just groans because we could go back to the Excellence for less and our room, dining, drinks and excursions would be incredible. I think we walked around most of our time at Excellence with our mouths hanging open at the beauty & friendliness of the staff. A highlight was a trip to Tulum. Don't mean to go off-topic but I certainly recommend the Excellence brand as well (I have no affiliation with them, I wish I did!). http://www.excellenceresorts.com/gallery/excellence-riviera-cancun/destination/
Hi! I just had to respond to these comments because my husband & I stayed at the Excellence Riviera Maya for our honeymoon (a bit over 6 years ago now) and it was the most incredible resort we've ever been to, and both of our first times in Mexico. I cannot say enough good things about the trip! We got an amazing bang for our buck, and when I think back on what we spent and what we got in return, compared to the cost of doing Disney in late Nov/early Dec this year, as much as I want to take my children to Disney (will be age 6 & 4 when we travel), part of me just groans because we could go back to the Excellence for less and our room, dining, drinks and excursions would be incredible. I think we walked around most of our time at Excellence with our mouths hanging open at the beauty & friendliness of the staff. A highlight was a trip to Tulum. Don't mean to go off-topic but I certainly recommend the Excellence brand as well (I have no affiliation with them, I wish I did!). http://www.excellenceresorts.com/gallery/excellence-riviera-cancun/destination/
pattyw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2008
Happy Birthday @Ruthie5671 !
Sorry about the plane delay Gina but glad to hear you had an amazing trip! Looking forward to getting back to Christmas soon!
Great job @dancin Disney style ! You held the line well while Gina was gone! I'm with you about being spoiled by resorts! We do love all the amenities at a hotel ! I'm interested to hear your choice for the winter vacation- always wanted to do Orlando for New Year's ! Instead of
you get
Sorry about the plane delay Gina but glad to hear you had an amazing trip! Looking forward to getting back to Christmas soon!
Great job @dancin Disney style ! You held the line well while Gina was gone! I'm with you about being spoiled by resorts! We do love all the amenities at a hotel ! I'm interested to hear your choice for the winter vacation- always wanted to do Orlando for New Year's ! Instead of
you get
bankr63
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2010
I so want to go south now. 
It's now snowing here in Ottawa (in MAY!!!), after one of the rainiest weeks in memory. I'm booked to go camping in two weeks.
Flooding is hitting unprecedented levels here this weekend, a couple of shots from our (soggy) weekend walks:
This 6' storm drain normally empties INTO the river - completely submerged:
A new opportunity for the development of amphibious bicycles to enjoy Ottawa's wonderful bike trails:
Duck Island normally sits several feet above the river.
Luckily the homes in my area all sit up an escarpment from the river, but many homes in other areas of the region are flooded. The river is not expected to crest (again - we thought it had crested two weeks ago) until Wednesday.
It's now snowing here in Ottawa (in MAY!!!), after one of the rainiest weeks in memory. I'm booked to go camping in two weeks.
Flooding is hitting unprecedented levels here this weekend, a couple of shots from our (soggy) weekend walks:
This 6' storm drain normally empties INTO the river - completely submerged:
A new opportunity for the development of amphibious bicycles to enjoy Ottawa's wonderful bike trails:
Duck Island normally sits several feet above the river.
Luckily the homes in my area all sit up an escarpment from the river, but many homes in other areas of the region are flooded. The river is not expected to crest (again - we thought it had crested two weeks ago) until Wednesday.
Ruthie5671
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2009
Okay everyone - Gina is back home so we need to get our stories straight. We've all been very, very good. We've not caused any trouble. There was no drinking. No partying. No dancing boys of any kind! We are sweet and innocent!
Mrs Doubtfire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
pattyw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2008
chicagoshannon
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 9, 2008
There is flooding all around here too. To think I was worried we were in for a drought this summer since we hardly got any snow this winter.
Welcome home Gina! Your trip seemed so short.
Welcome home Gina! Your trip seemed so short.
dancin Disney style
<font color=blue>I found one to share with some fa
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
I can't think what else I would have been doing
I knew there was a reason that I love you. She will never know!!!!!!!
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
It definitely made going home pretty tough: the weather was superb on Saturday!! Stepping off the plane in Detroit was quite a shock to the system
. It's amazing how quickly our northern bodies can become accustomed to the heat and humidity of the south .
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
Geez, you make this thread sound so boring, I don't know if *I* want to come back to it!!
The dancing boys sounded kind of fun
.
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
8 days passes by so quickly. My babies were pretty lonely without their momma, though. I think they felt like I was gone FOREVER.
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
I so want to go south now.
It's now snowing here in Ottawa (in MAY!!!), after one of the rainiest weeks in memory. I'm booked to go camping in two weeks.
Flooding is hitting unprecedented levels here this weekend, a couple of shots from our (soggy) weekend walks:
This 6' storm drain normally empties INTO the river - completely submerged:
A new opportunity for the development of amphibious bicycles to enjoy Ottawa's wonderful bike trails:
Duck Island normally sits several feet above the river.
Luckily the homes in my area all sit up an escarpment from the river, but many homes in other areas of the region are flooded. The river is not expected to crest (again - we thought it had crested two weeks ago) until Wednesday.
I am sorry to hear you guys are bearing the brunt of all the rain, too. Our hometown back in Ontario lies along the Bay of Quinte, and many of our friends are under water after the endless precipitation. I feel so incredibly badly for them all. I know SE Michigan got some rain while we were away, but thankfully nothing crazy like your pictures show.
Florida is desperate for rain while parts of the north are seeing record-breaking flooding. What crazy, bizarre spring weather.
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
aboard! I'm back from vacation and hope to be resuming regular updates soon
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
So glad you’ve started another trip report! I just came back from 2 weeks in Florida (Orlando & Indian Shores) and I need something to help me through the vacation withdrawal!
I totally agree about meeting characters at Universal – it’s so easy and fun! I love the Disney characters but there’s something less than magical about standing in long lines for character meets. I met tons of characters in our day at Universal and none of them had lines, you’d just literally walk up to them on the street for a quick meet and some photos. So much fun! I’m jealous that you got to meet Patrick – he’s my favorite Spongebob character.
I love thrill rides but there’s something special about ET – such a classic. Also, your hair looks great in these pics (which is extra hard to do with Florida heat and humidity - I literally had an afro for my entire vacation!)
Love all these pics of the park dressed up for the holidays. They really do go all out with the Christmas décor, very nice!
I'm back too!! Updates to resume soon!
We're now in serious planning mode for October......when is your next trip?
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
I'm going to pretend I didn't see that
.So.....did you make any decisions yet as to your Christmas options?
I, of course, would vote for Orlando....but I'm a bit biased. And I'm not a week-on-the-beach kind of gal.
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
And finally.....back to the report!
Sunday, December 18th (continued)
While the Grinch was the first character to visit our table, he was definitely not the last. This holiday event was billed as “Breakfast with the Grinch and Friends”, but was otherwise non-committal as to which friends…..and how many……would be along for the fun. We were thrilled to find that there was a veritable parade of Seuss characters on hand to hobnob with guests!
The Cat in the Hat was there, of course. Having his own feature ride in Seuss Landing, he is one familiar face that we expected to see and we were not disappointed!
Sam I Am was also milling about, sharing a little festive fun with diners of all ages.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 were touring the room, stirring up a little mischief and happily posing for photographs
.
And finally, there was “the guy” from Green Eggs & Ham (who, oddly enough, is never officially named in any of the Seuss books
).
Most of the characters stopped by the table at LEAST twice, and the interaction with them all was playful and light-hearted and SO much fun. When I pulled in the Grinch for a second round of photos, explaining that I didn’t like the way I looked in the first couple of shots that Steve had taken, he rolled his eyes and stomped his feet and made a perfectly Grinchy spectacle over the whole request. I loved it, because it was PERFECTLY in character.
All the while, we were eating (returning to the buffet line for seconds of our favourites, and the opportunity to sample more of the well-themed culinary breakfast delights), our awesome server was efficiently replenishing our beverages, and the Whos were performing Christmas songs on the stage in the center of the restaurant.
The whole experience was an absolute hoot (or should that be, and absolute WHOOT?
). We loved it all, from the food to the fun. The characters were plentiful, the interaction was superb, the atmosphere was festive, and the food was great. Universal carried off this special holiday event absolutely on point 
.
Photobomb!
The next highlight of the morning was to take in the first Grinchmas show of the day: scheduled for 10:45 am, we had just enough time to visit the washrooms to wash up from breakfast and take in some of the decorations in Seuss Landing before it was time to take our place in line.
Seuss Landing is generally very colourful and whimsical during the non-holiday seasons, but at Christmastime, Universal takes it to a whole new level. Every inch of that section of the park, from the storefronts to the Truffula trees, is decked out in lights, garland and bright red poinsettias. It’s really hard not to feel anything but happy there
.
Crowd pic!
While we milled about, we were thrilled to happen upon the Lorax who was out greeting guests with a Photoconnect photographer in tow. This was a character we had never seen in the parks on any of our previous visits, so we (okay, maybe *I*) was beyond excited to get pictures with such an adorable little fellow!
Eventually it was time to make our way toward the entrance to the Grinchmas show, so we peeled ourselves away and headed into line. Even the queue was decked out in Seuss-inspired Christmas baubles and décor.
We were super fortunate to snag spectacular seats just 4 rows from the stage. We would have a fabulous view once the show was underway!
The show itself featured a large, energetic cast who sang and danced their way through a lively production of the now-famous holiday tale. Featuring the musical talents of Mannheim Steamroller, the songs were all so wonderfully done that it was hard to resist the urge to sing along at the top of our lungs.
The characters were perfectly cast for each individual role, from the haughty Martha Mae to tiny Cindy Loo (who hadn’t yet grown into her “Who Nose”).
The Grinch was equally as authentic: he moved, looked and sounded so close to Jim Carrey’s character in the movie, it was simply incredible
.
We all LOVED this show. David, Kerry and Robert had all seen it multiple times before, but this was Steve and I’s first Grinchmas experience and we were blown away by its awesomeness. We had planned this trip to be a celebration of all things Christmas that Orlando had to offer, and so far we were nothing but wowed by Universal’s special holiday events. It was certainly setting the bar high for Disney and SeaWorld’s Christmas offerings!
After the show had concluded and before moving onward to the other sections of the park, we took full advantage of all the great family attractions in Seuss Landing, riding the High in the Sky Trolley Train, the Caro-Seuss-el, One Fish Two Fish, and David’s all-time favourite, the Cat in the Hat. This one was one of David's favourite places to spend time, and we wanted to indulge him in as much enjoyment as he could handle!
The day was still young: we had much left to do! Including conquering the brand-new ride at Islands of Adventure: Skull Island, Reign of Kong. Assuming, of course, that this ride chicken would be brave enough to climb aboard
.
Sunday, December 18th (continued)
While the Grinch was the first character to visit our table, he was definitely not the last. This holiday event was billed as “Breakfast with the Grinch and Friends”, but was otherwise non-committal as to which friends…..and how many……would be along for the fun. We were thrilled to find that there was a veritable parade of Seuss characters on hand to hobnob with guests!
The Cat in the Hat was there, of course. Having his own feature ride in Seuss Landing, he is one familiar face that we expected to see and we were not disappointed!
Sam I Am was also milling about, sharing a little festive fun with diners of all ages.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 were touring the room, stirring up a little mischief and happily posing for photographs
.
And finally, there was “the guy” from Green Eggs & Ham (who, oddly enough, is never officially named in any of the Seuss books
).
Most of the characters stopped by the table at LEAST twice, and the interaction with them all was playful and light-hearted and SO much fun. When I pulled in the Grinch for a second round of photos, explaining that I didn’t like the way I looked in the first couple of shots that Steve had taken, he rolled his eyes and stomped his feet and made a perfectly Grinchy spectacle over the whole request. I loved it, because it was PERFECTLY in character
.All the while, we were eating (returning to the buffet line for seconds of our favourites, and the opportunity to sample more of the well-themed culinary breakfast delights), our awesome server was efficiently replenishing our beverages, and the Whos were performing Christmas songs on the stage in the center of the restaurant.
The whole experience was an absolute hoot (or should that be, and absolute WHOOT?
). We loved it all, from the food to the fun. The characters were plentiful, the interaction was superb, the atmosphere was festive, and the food was great. Universal carried off this special holiday event absolutely on point . Photobomb!
The next highlight of the morning was to take in the first Grinchmas show of the day: scheduled for 10:45 am, we had just enough time to visit the washrooms to wash up from breakfast and take in some of the decorations in Seuss Landing before it was time to take our place in line.
Seuss Landing is generally very colourful and whimsical during the non-holiday seasons, but at Christmastime, Universal takes it to a whole new level. Every inch of that section of the park, from the storefronts to the Truffula trees, is decked out in lights, garland and bright red poinsettias. It’s really hard not to feel anything but happy there
.
Crowd pic!
While we milled about, we were thrilled to happen upon the Lorax who was out greeting guests with a Photoconnect photographer in tow. This was a character we had never seen in the parks on any of our previous visits, so we (okay, maybe *I*) was beyond excited to get pictures with such an adorable little fellow!
Eventually it was time to make our way toward the entrance to the Grinchmas show, so we peeled ourselves away and headed into line. Even the queue was decked out in Seuss-inspired Christmas baubles and décor
.
We were super fortunate to snag spectacular seats just 4 rows from the stage. We would have a fabulous view once the show was underway!
The show itself featured a large, energetic cast who sang and danced their way through a lively production of the now-famous holiday tale. Featuring the musical talents of Mannheim Steamroller, the songs were all so wonderfully done that it was hard to resist the urge to sing along at the top of our lungs.
The characters were perfectly cast for each individual role, from the haughty Martha Mae to tiny Cindy Loo (who hadn’t yet grown into her “Who Nose”).
The Grinch was equally as authentic: he moved, looked and sounded so close to Jim Carrey’s character in the movie, it was simply incredible
.
We all LOVED this show. David, Kerry and Robert had all seen it multiple times before, but this was Steve and I’s first Grinchmas experience and we were blown away by its awesomeness. We had planned this trip to be a celebration of all things Christmas that Orlando had to offer, and so far we were nothing but wowed by Universal’s special holiday events. It was certainly setting the bar high for Disney and SeaWorld’s Christmas offerings!
After the show had concluded and before moving onward to the other sections of the park, we took full advantage of all the great family attractions in Seuss Landing, riding the High in the Sky Trolley Train, the Caro-Seuss-el, One Fish Two Fish, and David’s all-time favourite, the Cat in the Hat. This one was one of David's favourite places to spend time, and we wanted to indulge him in as much enjoyment as he could handle!
The day was still young: we had much left to do! Including conquering the brand-new ride at Islands of Adventure: Skull Island, Reign of Kong. Assuming, of course, that this ride chicken would be brave enough to climb aboard
. 
Joanna71985
<marquee><font color=green>Characters are my frien
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
It definitely made going home pretty tough: the weather was superb on Saturday!! Stepping off the plane in Detroit was quite a shock to the system
You can say that again! I've only lived in FL for 8 years, but now whenever the temp falls below 75, I am literally freezing (which makes everyone make fun of me, as I'm from NJ)
chicagoshannon
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 9, 2008
Fun. I didn't even know they had a stage in Suess Landing. Where is it? My kids also love Cat in the Hat. They also love the "zoo" attraction. Have you ever walked through it? There are fun interactive things throughout, including a little water play area.
scottishgirl1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2010
Lovely to see all the Grinchmas entertainment, must be so much fun! Lovely to see the Lorax, I remember sitting on a ledge outside one of the Seuss shops waiting on the kids coming back from riding Hulk and as if out of nowhere the Lorax appeared and came over and gave me a hug. Its those kind of moments that just dont happen outside Orlando lol! 
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