Joy to the World: an offsite Christmas extravaganza at Disney, Universal & SeaWorld – Dec. 2016 TR

[BippityBrittany]

just caught up on your TR - cant't wait to read more

love that we're going to be reading about WDW, Universal and Seaworld all in one!

Did ya'll get to do Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure? It's so wonderful!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yeah! Gina's back!! How has your transition been going? I love Orlando at Christmas- we already have our sea world passes for this year and look forward to enjoying their Christmas celebration in 2017

We are loving our new community and life in the USA . It's tough to be away from our son and my mom, but we talk and text with them both daily so that helps them feel closer. The adjustment becomes a little easier with each passing week.

You are so fortunate to be planning a visit to SeaWorld during the holiday season!! Allow me to be just a teeny tiny bit jealous . There is truly nowhere else I'd rather spend Christmas than SeaWorld Orlando. Will you book Santa's Fireside Feast for your family? That was such an awesome experience!!

I was wondering myself why they moved it to "completed trip reports." Hopefully it will get straightened out.

That food looks amazing!

The mods kindly moved me again [this time to a more logical spot], so hopefully this is where I'll stay until the report concludes .

We always find Friendly's to be a crazy good value. Most entrees are in the $10 range, and many times they have a special where they offer combos for just a dollar or two more and those come with a beverage and sundae. It's one of Jake's favourite places to eat in Orlando (and one of the few chains that aren't here in SE Michigan). Someday, we want to try their breakfast......it looks equally as delicious!

Well Steve is doing well on the lack of sleep. I find you get an added ooooomph on leaving the airport, it revitalises you after a long day (we always end up been on the go for at least 18 hours or more with a little snooze on the plane if we can manage it on arrival day).

Friendlys waffle chips look really good, it's on my list of still to do

Yes, in comparison to YOUR trek across the ocean, our travels to Orlando must seem like a piece of cake (storms or no storms!!). You guys must just keep a low profile for the first day upon arrival....I can only imagine you would want nothing but food, pool time, and some solid sleep by that point .

That meal looks like just what you needed. I tend to get hangry too.

Glad you were able to find somewhere to stay that fitted your needs.

ps My husband just looked over my shoulder and enquired where the food was from - I think he fancies Steve's dinner and your sundae!

I love, love, love Friendly's ice cream, but we rarely get any.....we're always so full from our main course that there's rarely room for dessert! So it was a real treat to indulge on this visit. Steve's a big fan of the Friendly's burgers, and he's quite a hamburger critic. If they pass his high standards, I'm betting your DH would love them too .

just caught up on your TR - cant't wait to read more

love that we're going to be reading about WDW, Universal and Seaworld all in one!

Did ya'll get to do Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure? It's so wonderful!

Hello there, and ! Glad to have you along for the ride!

We did, indeed, take in all the Grinchmas events at Universal's Islands of Adventure . They were SO much fun! And the decorations in that section of the park are some of the most fun holiday decor in all of Orlando.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Glad you were able to find a hotel on such short notice. Friendly's but always forget there's one in Orlando.

Did you see that the baby killer whale was born at Sea World in Texas?

 

[dalmatian7]

Yeah! I am all caught up and its 'only' page four. Your restaurant t reviews are making it hard to decide where to eat on our few off-site nights in Sept. We haven't had a Friendly's in our area for quite a while. I really miss it.

 

[spiceycat]

is there a Friendly close to WDW?

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in, glad to have found it from your link Thank you!

We live in northern Minnesota so it is always a gamble when we plan our Orlando trips in the winter.

Isn't it wonderful when you land in warm sunny Florida, after leaving a pile of snow, we love it!

Glad you found a hotel for the extra night that worked out, the food and ice cream at Friendly's looks delicious.

 

[heaven2dc]

So glad to find you again! Friendly's is a favorite of ours when we travel too (come to think of it, I don't think we have any close by where we live so it's always a treat!). Thanks for sharing the link to the Holiday Inn Express near Universal. We are staying at Art of Animation (possibly) on our next trip and are going to Universal for one day but wasn't sure if we should book a hotel close by or take Uber from the Disney resort.

Can't wait to see how your first day goes!

 

[I-4Bound]

Gina, something happened today and it totally made me think of ya'll. I took my kids to Arby's for lunch, and my daughter ordered mozzarella sticks. She said, "I love to do this with mozzarella sticks!" and proceeded to break it open and stretch the cheese. Made me think of all the cute pictures you posted of your Jake and his love of mozzarella. I guess they are kindred spirits Funny thing is, I have NEVER seen her do that, and I didn't even know she liked mozz. sticks. Go figure!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Gotta love living in Buffalo! Love my home, but the weather is intersting!! Even in March- what a big storm we got then- @dancin Disney style remembers only too well!!

Oh my. Thank you to @pattyw because when I heard about the blizzard that was approaching Buffalo at the same time that I was supposed to be flying home I reached out to her for some solid info as to what was happening. The timing was VERY bad for her but she responded to my messages and tried to help me out anyway. I scrambled to make alternate arrangements with flights and hotel but in the end everything was fine and I got home as scheduled. However, I returned to find my car almost completely buried in snow. The car had been ploughed in plus the storm had blown the snow up to the bottom of the windows.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Glad you were able to find a hotel on such short notice. Friendly's but always forget there's one in Orlando.

Did you see that the baby killer whale was born at Sea World in Texas?

I did see the news about the new killer whale calf . What I haven't been able to find out is the name. Have you heard what they have called the new addition to the SeaWorld family? Makes me want to plan a trip to Texas!!

Yeah! I am all caught up and its 'only' page four. Your restaurant t reviews are making it hard to decide where to eat on our few off-site nights in Sept. We haven't had a Friendly's in our area for quite a while. I really miss it.

We don't have them here in Michigan, either. The closest one to us is in New York State (a little far to go for dinner ). So, this is one place we will continue to enjoy on our Orlando trips .

is there a Friendly close to WDW?

The only one I know of is on International Drive (near the Orlando Eye complex, on the opposite side of the street). I am not sure if there are any others that are closer. I don't think I've seen one in Kissimmee.

Joining in, glad to have found it from your link Thank you!

We live in northern Minnesota so it is always a gamble when we plan our Orlando trips in the winter.

Isn't it wonderful when you land in warm sunny Florida, after leaving a pile of snow, we love it!

Glad you found a hotel for the extra night that worked out, the food and ice cream at Friendly's looks delicious.

Always a bit of shock to the system, that's for sure!! That 60 degree temperature difference can really be a tough adjustment....in both directions .

So glad to find you again! Friendly's is a favorite of ours when we travel too (come to think of it, I don't think we have any close by where we live so it's always a treat!). Thanks for sharing the link to the Holiday Inn Express near Universal. We are staying at Art of Animation (possibly) on our next trip and are going to Universal for one day but wasn't sure if we should book a hotel close by or take Uber from the Disney resort.

Can't wait to see how your first day goes!

Well, for fear of saying too much (and trying to avoid being a spoiler).....don't book that Holiday Inn Express just yet. Stay tuned for the full review, and that might help you make a better informed decision . While it wasn't a bad stay, there's a difference between an "okay" stay and one that's good enough to recommend to friends.

Gina, something happened today and it totally made me think of ya'll. I took my kids to Arby's for lunch, and my daughter ordered mozzarella sticks. She said, "I love to do this with mozzarella sticks!" and proceeded to break it open and stretch the cheese. Made me think of all the cute pictures you posted of your Jake and his love of mozzarella. I guess they are kindred spirits Funny thing is, I have NEVER seen her do that, and I didn't even know she liked mozz. sticks. Go figure!

I *love* it! That little story just totally made my day. The only thing that could have made that better is if you had photos of your DD with that stretchy cheese!

Oh my. Thank you to @pattyw because when I heard about the blizzard that was approaching Buffalo at the same time that I was supposed to be flying home I reached out to her for some solid info as to what was happening. The timing was VERY bad for her but she responded to my messages and tried to help me out anyway. I scrambled to make alternate arrangements with flights and hotel but in the end everything was fine and I got home as scheduled. However, I returned to find my car almost completely buried in snow. The car had been ploughed in plus the storm had blown the snow up to the bottom of the windows.

How sweet of Patty to help you out . Our Disboards peeps are just the BEST. (In fact, Steve and I enjoyed the most lovely evening out with @DontRushMe and her DH tonight......dinner and ice cream in the cutest little town!)

We've returned to Buffalo to one of those buried vehicles, too, and its a real bummer [especially after leaving the pleasant temperatures of the Sunshine State]. Thank goodness there's a Tim Horton's adjacent to the Days Hotel.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I don't think he has a name yet. Maybe they'll have a contest. That would be fun since it's the last baby that will be born. Makes me want to go to Texas too.

 

[Raeven]

He pulled the SUV into the Friendly’s parking lot, and that made me happy .

Friendlys is so good! We don't have a lot of them left, but there's still a few. We used to go there all the time when I was a kid.

I kept things simple with a chicken tenders and waffle fries platter as my selection. Waffle fries are an additional 99 cent upcharge but are worth that times five……they are SO good .

Waffle fries are awesome there especially as an appetizer with all the toppings.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Friendlys is so good! We don't have a lot of them left, but there's still a few. We used to go there all the time when I was a kid.

Waffle fries are awesome there especially as an appetizer with all the toppings.

Oddly enough, we rarely get an appetizer there. We're always trying to save room for ice cream!!

 

[ariane37]

Happily joining in! I read your TR from May 2105 and enjoyed that
Living in NY I've had weather "scares" during winter months, including getting so stuck down in Orlando an extra day due to a huge storm going on up here. However if I had my choice I rather get stuck an extra day down there than get delayed an extra day down there!
Ah, Freindly's My favorite non-fancy restaurant in the world Unfortunately the last one close to me closed about a year ago so I have to travel about an hour to get to one. Worth it in my eyes but sadly DH does not agree!

 

[Monykalyn]

As usual last to the rotfl2:. Drama to start the trip! Fun to always get to warm weather in winter, but that dang snow needs to cooperate.

 

[heaven2dc]

Well, for fear of saying too much (and trying to avoid being a spoiler).....don't book that Holiday Inn Express just yet. Stay tuned for the full review, and that might help you make a better informed decision . While it wasn't a bad stay, there's a difference between an "okay" stay and one that's good enough to recommend to friends..

I'll wait to read your full TR before making our decision about the Holiday Inn Express Thanks for the heads up!

 

[chiamarie]

It usually takes a few months before they name any baby animals

 

[debster812]

SO glad you guys were able to get out amidst the snowflakes. We've flown from Boston to FL during the 3rd week in February (our school winter break), for years, and we've been cancelled, rescheduled, delayed, delayed, delayed, bailed on flights and driven. Stuck home in MA, stuck at my parent's house in FL. We've gotten very good at contingency plans.

VERY much looking forward to the latest Bo-Bina trip report.

 

[Les4533]

Took me a little searching but I found you. Being from Massachusetts we rather fly April vacation or summer rather than the winter because of snow. We were supposed to celebrate our 25 this past October in Orlando but the hurricane forced to cancel. So august here we come. Thank goodness I love the heat.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Happily joining in! I read your TR from May 2105 and enjoyed that
Living in NY I've had weather "scares" during winter months, including getting so stuck down in Orlando an extra day due to a huge storm going on up here. However if I had my choice I rather get stuck an extra day down there than get delayed an extra day down there!
Ah, Freindly's My favorite non-fancy restaurant in the world Unfortunately the last one close to me closed about a year ago so I have to travel about an hour to get to one. Worth it in my eyes but sadly DH does not agree!

That's exactly what Steve and I have always hoped for....if a delay *has* to happen, let it be on the Orlando end versus the "home" end. Of course, I guess both of those come with their issues, especially now that we have these two to worry about:

They wouldn't want their momma to be home a day late .

As usual last to the rotfl2:. Drama to start the trip! Fun to always get to warm weather in winter, but that dang snow needs to cooperate.

Not late to the party at all . We're just getting this report off the ground .

Now that we have moved, we're only about 30 minutes from the airport......so at least, in the future, if we end up having a flight cancelled due to weather (or any other reason), we don't have the complication of being four hours away from home to just make the issue that much worse. That's a positive, for sure.

I'll wait to read your full TR before making our decision about the Holiday Inn Express Thanks for the heads up!

No worries! It wasn't a bad stay, but.....

It usually takes a few months before they name any baby animals

That's so LONG . What do the trainers refer to the calves as, then, in general conversation? They're just too cute to be a number!

SO glad you guys were able to get out amidst the snowflakes. We've flown from Boston to FL during the 3rd week in February (our school winter break), for years, and we've been cancelled, rescheduled, delayed, delayed, delayed, bailed on flights and driven. Stuck home in MA, stuck at my parent's house in FL. We've gotten very good at contingency plans.

VERY much looking forward to the latest Bo-Bina trip report.

Thank you and !

Ah yes, contingency plans . Winter in the north DEMANDS them . As do summers in the south, with hurricanes and other severe weather. All in all, though, we've been remarkably lucky so far......all of our delays have been minimal and we've got numerous vacations now under our belt (12, in total). I really have very little to complain about! Hopefully saying that out loud doesn't jinx us for this coming trip!!

Took me a little searching but I found you. Being from Massachusetts we rather fly April vacation or summer rather than the winter because of snow. We were supposed to celebrate our 25 this past October in Orlando but the hurricane forced to cancel. So august here we come. Thank goodness I love the heat.

Ah yes, this thread got shuffled around a couple of times before it landed here. Glad you found us!

Aw man, I am so sorry that your anniversary trip got cancelled due to weather . That seriously stinks. Hopefully August goes off without a hitch!

While its hot in August, we had three GREAT trips during that time period.......just be sure you keep hydrated and take lots of breaks. On the bright side, you're guaranteed it will be warm enough to enjoy the pools and water parks . Fun times!