Oh, The Places We’ll Go! From the “stars” to the “sea”: Universal, SeaWorld & beyond - Spring 2016

[squirrel]

I have never been to Cheesecake Factory. I will have to see if I can find one near where we are staying and try it.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Thanks for doing this TR Gina!
Your Pre TP was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to reading all about your adventures.

If you get to the cheesecake factory again, have someone try the Salmon Miso. SO yummy!!

 

[ElenaJane]

I love the Cheesecake Factory! Not that this would matter to Steve much, but they have a lot of great Vegetarian options. I am used to a menu with one option, so I know the struggle-is-real, when you have pages of options! Now I am off to cook some dinner, which shall pale in comparison!

 

[Raeven]

It's true Orlando is so addicting! There's just so much to do there.

Being too full to eat dessert at the Cheesecake Factory is a common problem I have too. I want dessert but I want all the food on the menu too! We actually ordered the exact same appetizers last time we were there! I especially like the potato tots.

 

[Monykalyn]

YAY for the TR!!! This is what I get for not checking Dis til now-already on page 5!! I love Cheescake Factory too-have been to the one in Chicago and St Louis (that one more often as it is by family). Their fried cheese is seriously the best. I know to pace myself so dessert can happen LOL.

We had such a great trip last year to Orlando that I wasn't sad about not going back for a couple years until I read about other peoples plans...the trip reports help alleviate some of that melancholy for sure and your pics and descriptions are so much fun to read!

Although we were talking about the new Hulk and Kong attractions opening up...)-and preliminary plans for possibly next fall or the spring after

 

[JaxDad]

Hey, I heard there was some kind of trip report going on over here...

 

[cantoine]

Ok so I have binged read the PTR and I am finally caught up on the TR. I was so excited to stumble onto another one of your TR last night. Congrats on the jobs for DH and DS and DS graduating! Sorry about grandpa and Sunshine. Can not wait to read along on this one. I must warn you, I will be using this TR as a guide for my upconing trip. For the first time in 5 years we are not going to be doing a full disney trip but instead venturing out to the other things Orlando has to offer. Way out of my element here so I figured I would learn from the best!!!! Can't wait to read about this trip!!!

 

[sk8jdgca]

That Cheesecake Factory food looks great..I'll have to add that onto my todo list...however we were in Buffalo two weeks ago at a dance competition...it only I had known.....

 

[pigletgirl]

We'll be back just after Thanksgiving (USA) and I'm sure it'll rain every day! We had just amazing beach weather.

 

[travelbug]

I'm a little late to join in, but happy to be following along as a new reader of your trip reports. Just finished your PTR and I'm caught up here too. You are a terrific writer and I love all the pictures! Thanks for letting me come along for the ride!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Red Velvet Cheesecake...the best!!!!!!

I can't remember what kind Steve eventually chose, but it was more of the plainer ones.......all those fancy-schmancy options and he picks basic chocolate and vanilla!!

Wooohoo!!!! Gina's trip reports are like a good book - I can't wait to get started- Jump00

jump00! Glad to have you along!

Not excited? That looks like a spoon already clenched in Jake's hand? And you're not even in the restaurant yet?

OMG - they have the squaw bread!!! I guess that name's probably not very PC anymore, but it's the only thing I know to call it. The dark brown sourdough bread. I used to look forward to trips out to LA because I never see it here in the east. Haven't had it in years - last time I was out there was about 18-20 years ago. Come to think of it, LA was the first place I went to a CCF, but many restaurants out there served it.

LOL, not a spoon (though that would have been very much something my boy would do!!), more like the corner of his iPhone I think. Despite being on vacation with his super entertaining parents, that dang phone rarely left his hand.

The brown sourdough bread was really, really yummy.....super fresh and very flavourful. I just wish I could have eaten more of it. After all the other food, we just barely were able to manage a nibble to taste-test.

I have never been to Cheesecake Factory. I will have to see if I can find one near where we are staying and try it.

There is one in Orlando, near (or maybe its 'in'?) the Mall at Millenia, I think.

@pigletto ate there on her trip, so I know she will be able to correct me if I'm wrong!!

Thanks for doing this TR Gina!
Your Pre TP was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to reading all about your adventures.

If you get to the cheesecake factory again, have someone try the Salmon Miso. SO yummy!!

Thank you J'aime Paris, glad to have you joining in!

We are not fish or seafood lovers at all (we are weird...I know! ) so I would take a pass on the salmon miso. But they had some chicken dishes that sounded nothing short of heavenly. They looked mighty good, too, as we saw them delivered to neighbouring tables.

I love the Cheesecake Factory! Not that this would matter to Steve much, but they have a lot of great Vegetarian options. I am used to a menu with one option, so I know the struggle-is-real, when you have pages of options! Now I am off to cook some dinner, which shall pale in comparison!

We noticed the plethora of vegetarian options, too. For those that don't eat meat, being able to choose from that menu must feel like winning the lottery.

It's true Orlando is so addicting! There's just so much to do there.

Being too full to eat dessert at the Cheesecake Factory is a common problem I have too. I want dessert but I want all the food on the menu too! We actually ordered the exact same appetizers last time we were there! I especially like the potato tots.

It sounds crazy to say, but those potato tots were da bomb . Seriously, unexpectedly good.

I also want to try the mac and cheese balls on the next visit: it was a tough decision between the tots and the mac balls.

YAY for the TR!!! This is what I get for not checking Dis til now-already on page 5!! I love Cheescake Factory too-have been to the one in Chicago and St Louis (that one more often as it is by family). Their fried cheese is seriously the best. I know to pace myself so dessert can happen LOL.

We had such a great trip last year to Orlando that I wasn't sad about not going back for a couple years until I read about other peoples plans...the trip reports help alleviate some of that melancholy for sure and your pics and descriptions are so much fun to read!

Although we were talking about the new Hulk and Kong attractions opening up...)-and preliminary plans for possibly next fall or the spring after

Hello, my friend!! So glad you have joined us here!!

I sincerely hope you are able to work in a return trip sooner rather than later. Since we won't be visiting Universal until at least next year (and possibly not even then) I need to live vicariously through other Disers. We are anxious to hear about Kong and the new-and-improved Hulk coaster experience!

Hey, I heard there was some kind of trip report going on over here...

Well, its about time you got here! I was ready to send out the search party . Poor @bankr63 was getting overwhelmed with all this female company, and needed another guy for moral support.

Ok so I have binged read the PTR and I am finally caught up on the TR. I was so excited to stumble onto another one of your TR last night. Congrats on the jobs for DH and DS and DS graduating! Sorry about grandpa and Sunshine. Can not wait to read along on this one. I must warn you, I will be using this TR as a guide for my upconing trip. For the first time in 5 years we are not going to be doing a full disney trip but instead venturing out to the other things Orlando has to offer. Way out of my element here so I figured I would learn from the best!!!! Can't wait to read about this trip!!!

Aw, thank you cantoine! So kind of you to say!

Hopefully I give you some good ideas for your upcoming vacation.....hang on tight, there's lots more to come .

That Cheesecake Factory food looks great..I'll have to add that onto my todo list...however we were in Buffalo two weeks ago at a dance competition...it only I had known.....

Have you got a next trip already in the works? You still have to use those free nights at the Vistana that you won, don't you? Might be time to start planning.....with the Cheesecake Factory as the first order of business on park-and-fly night .

We'll be back just after Thanksgiving (USA) and I'm sure it'll rain every day! We had just amazing beach weather.

Well, hopefully the fact that they call it the "Sunshine State" comes through for you. Fingers crossed for a warm and sunny November trip for you!

I'm a little late to join in, but happy to be following along as a new reader of your trip reports. Just finished your PTR and I'm caught up here too. You are a terrific writer and I love all the pictures! Thanks for letting me come along for the ride!

travelbug! It's never too late to jump in . Another installment is coming up very soon, so stay tuned .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, April 23rd….the conclusion:


Back at the hotel, Steve immediately collapsed onto the bed. His allergies had been bothering him all day long (he sneezed a thousand times…..and I’m not exaggerating on that number….on the commute to Buffalo alone), and despite attacking the onslaught with pills, eye drops and nasal spray, he still continued to suffer . Combining the evening’s gluttonous indulgences to the tiring commute and allergy onslaught, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was done like dinner .


Jake and I left him sprawled on the bed (despite the sniffling and snuffling, he looked comfy) and we headed to the indoor pool area on the first floor for a therapeutic soak in the hot tub. There were several kids splashing and carrying on in the pool (not in a bad way at all…just having a rocking good time on the night before their vacation began) so it definitely wasn’t a quiet evening in the tub … but it felt great nonetheless. The hot tub here is kept a nice, steamy temperature (which Jake and I prefer….unlike Steve, we love water that’s hot enough to turn our skin red like lobsters) and after a half day of being cooped up in the Journey, this was heaven .


Not a picture from this trip, but one from December……this time, I didn’t bother dragging the camera down with us:





Eventually, we shuffled ourselves back up to the third floor to change into our jammies. The plan was for an early lights out as our wake-up call was scheduled for long before the rooster crowed. But first, we had this to take care of:





We weren’t hungry, but we ate anyway………because it was so, soooooo good .


While Steve was still in and out of consciousness until that point in time (softly snoring, still sprawled on the bed, when we came back into the room), the prospect of fresh cheesecake manage to rouse him quite effectively . All the while protesting that he still felt like he couldn’t eat another bite, the cheesecake bit the dust with the appropriate sighs and mmmmmm’s added in for effect. Jake and I split the chocolate cake…..the portion size was easily shareable between two, and in fact, we still couldn’t finish it even with both of us putting up our best effort. I can easily say this was the best restaurant chocolate cake I have ever eaten……the only thing that was lacking was a large glass of cold milk. I briefly considered dashing down to The Landing, just off the lobby, to snag one up but my laziness overruled . Needless to say, the Cheesecake Factory didn’t disappoint on our main meal, and it continued to impress where dessert was concerned.


We refused to think of the calories we consumed just then: it would have seriously sucked the joy from the moment.

We flipped off the lights around 10 pm. I ordered Jake, the family night owl, to turn the TV off at 10:30. We all bent an ear toward the hallway…..silence . Would it last?



Well, it did until my boys began to snore: first Steve, then Jake . And that, my friends, was the only noise we heard all night long. Let me hear a hallelujah from the crowd!



Sunday, April 24th:

The wake-up call, pre-arranged the night prior, jangled us into consciousness at 4:00 am. With only one bathroom and three of us needing showers, we had no time to spare…..it was travel day, baby! I took the first shift in the shower, then Steve was next. Jake was super excited to be coaxed from his snuggly cocoon….not :





Eventually, we were ready to roll and we hauled our luggage down to the lobby to snag a quick breakfast before boarding the shuttle. My stomach was revolting something terrible (a combination of excitement and the sweet sins of the night prior……unfortunately for me, along with his prominent nose, I inherited a sensitive tummy from my Dad…..so just about anything can upset my insides at any given time) so I pretty much took a pass on a morning meal. The guys were happy to indulge, though….some waffles, eggs, toast, sausage and yogurt to get them through until the snacks were distributed on the plane.


It was quiet in the lobby at that hour of the morning. We were one of only three bleary-eyed families in the breakfast room.





While the guys finished off their breakfast, I checked us out of the hotel (yay! we broke the curse of the Days Disaster!) and beckoned the shuttle. It came screeching to a halt at the front door in, maybe, three minutes. Super fast .





Our shuttle driver was apparently in training for the Indy 500 , because we made it across the street and to the airport doors as if we were on some sort of four-wheeled rocket ship. Steve and Jake joked that this was our first flight of the day. If they were going for a swift service, they most certainly achieved it .





Buffalo Airport was still half asleep at that hour of the morning, so there was no line for bag check at the Jetblue counter. We already had our boarding passes printed, so after checking our suitcases we went right to security and breezed through in seconds using the expedited lane afforded to us by our Even More Space seat upgrade. We checked emails and surfed the net while we waited at our gate .





The excitement was starting to kick in, and my stomach had mercifully stopped rolling. We were all more than ready to get this show on the road……in just a couple short hours, we would be breathing in the warm Florida air and feeling that marvelous sun on our pale faces!





The flight was on time and wonderfully uneventful……no turbulence or delays of any kind. My window was woefully in need of a cleaning, though:





….but that’s literally the worst complaint I can come up with. Oh, and Steve though the movie selection was a disappointment. He ended up sleeping most of the way.


About here, we excitedly noted that we were just above the exact location of our dear friends. @dsmom ! (I know you couldn’t see us, but I hope you could sense us waving at you and David from 35,000 feet! )





We landed, picked up our luggage, and headed to the garage to pick up our vehicle from Dollar. After a bit of an administrative issue (apparently they have new systems that wreaked havoc with our pre-paid reservation, specifically because it was pre-paid with my credit card but Steve was the primary driver on the booking: I guess that’s a no-no now? At any rate, they were good about adjusting things and we only experienced a slight delay as a result) we were loading our bags into the back of a white Kia Optima and heading out of the garage.


For whatever reason, our GPS always has a hard time acquiring a signal when we are initially leaving the airport, so we ended up making a wrong turn before her directions kicked in and put us back on the right path. Steve-o didn’t trust his co-pilot in the passenger’s seat, who (just for the record) had made mention that he shouldn’t have turned when he did . But hey….we had nothing but time. A small detour was no biggie….except that Mr. Allergies was still feeling a bit crabby so he was quite annoyed by the whole thing.


We were not scheduled to meet with our personal concierge at the Vistana until 1 pm for the VIP Check-In, so we opted to have lunch before heading to the resort. The guys were starving (as was I….remember, I had only eaten literally two bites of toast at the hotel and a tiny bag of cookies on the plane since the chocolate cake the night before) so we were all getting a little hangry . This vacation was all about indulging Jake in his favourites, since it was to be his last trip for quite some time, so it was no-brainer as to where we would head for our arrival day meal: Cici’s it would be.


Cici’s was a good choice, really. No waiting for food, all we cared to eat, and super affordable. The Cici’s location we like best (always clean and bright, with great staff) is also conveniently right across from the resort. It was surprisingly quiet as we seated ourselves and enjoyed a pizza and pasta feast.





Bad trip reporter that I am, I didn’t even take any pictures…..but remember, I said we were all a little hangry (and Steve was still brooding a teeny bit about the GPS letting him down) so no one was in any real mood for photos, anyway. We just wanted to eat . And you know…..it was the balm our weary travelling souls needed. The buffet was great, with lots of tasty pizzas (including thin crust and stuffed crust) to be enjoyed. It’s not fine dining by any stretch, but we always find it to be an incredible value. Our three buffets totaled $22.34 with tax and we more than enjoyed our money’s worth.


Jake was feeling the effects of his indulgences as we left the restaurant. We have no self control .





It was about 12:30 by this point, so we decided to head to the resort in hopes that our VIP Check-In concierge would maybe be able to see us a few minutes earlier than were scheduled.





More to come!

 

[nancipants]

There is one in Orlando, near (or maybe its 'in'?) the Mall at Millenia, I think.

Yup, it's in the Mall at Millenia! There's also one in the Winter Park Village shopping center.

But they had some chicken dishes that sounded nothing short of heavenly. They looked mighty good, too, as we saw them delivered to neighbouring tables.

I always get the crusted chicken romano, which is heavenly. My husband always gets the chicken castaletta.

Edit: I see you got the Linda's fudge cake! Now I'm drooling. Your report is not good to read while on a diet.

 

[sk8jdgca]

Hi Gina
We are booked for 8 nights starting Aug 25 (it's the only time I have both kiddos off school, and will be two months since my surgery (the last one!))
We are spending the first two nights at Coronando Springs business level.....the kids think we are staying at All Star Music, but a couple specials later and some crazy Disney Math, we ended up with a nice upgrade. Then we are off for our six free nights at SVR. The kids wanted a Disney trip this time, however we will have a couple days left on our Universal Annual Pass to visit there too.
We are flying out of Detroit though, so no Galleria mall

 

[Raeven]

I think the potatos tots are the better choice. I had the mac and cheese ball burger once and the mac and cheese balls were decent but the burger wasn't too good.

I have to eat the desserts in like 3 sittings even after we split one last time I still had enough to have with lunch the next day!

Glad this stay was quieter than the last minus the snoring

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I'm so glad you enjoyed The Cheesecake Factory! You really can't go wrong there. We also skip the appies and just enjoy the bread. I'm partial to the brown You were certainly due for an uneventful departure night! It seems like you were off to a great start, and with your lunch taking care of the hangries, you were ready to really get this party started. We've never eaten at Cici's as we don't have them locally, but I will be looking for one the next time we head south thanks to your endorsement!

Maria

 

[kittylady1972]

What a great start so far! And I have to say I must add some photos later of the back of my car as well...and you can see we also have some similarities there. I thought I had the same Mickey but actually...mine is a bit different:

LOVE the Cheesecake Factory. We have two in proximity to our house, and though we don't visit often, when we do...it is awesome. Love that fried cheese and portions are always so huge...even the appetizers. My last visit to the one here I figured I'd just get two appetizers...and still couldn't finish them, but managed to find room for the cheesecake by packing away my leftovers.

We are also big fans of CiCis, and in fact I think that may be on our agenda for dinner sometime this week.

Glad the hotel experience went well!

 

[Lynne G]

Ahh, Speed Racer for the shuttle driver. I think he was related to the one we had at the very little Alamo rental in SD. The rental place was on a very steep hill, about 15 minutes from the one way roads from the airport. I almost got carsick with his quick stop and go traffic driving. Either way, your description of your shuttle driver almost made me spit out my soda.

So glad no issues with the Days Inn this time. Quiet is what I expect in a hotel too.

Yep, we ate at CiCi's at least once every time we've been in Orlando. It's actually decent enough, and a good price for my pizza loving family. The kids were happy, they asked for certain pizzas, and what do ya know, that kind was promptly made and served. We definitely get our money's worth there.


Great update. Thanks.

 

[pigletto]

Great start to the trip Gina. It's funny you should mention the "hangry". It's no great secret that if any of us get too hungry on vacation , that's when we start getting really cranky. What was different this time is that my formerly picky, light eating son had turned 12 since the last trip and shot up up about a foot in the last few months. He went from fine to STARVING in minutes and we quickly learned to have a plan for food for that kid at all times.
You could watch the ravenous gloom descend upon him. Oh the joys of having a pre teen boy. I had no idea they could eat this much, but I'm learning. He's 5ft 2 and 110 pounds and he ate a rack and half of ribs at Millers Ale House.. with fries.
I was coaxing him to finish some grapes and chicken nuggets a year ago.
I used to read about how Jake was always starving in your trip reports.. and now I know it first hand. It's definitely going to make our trips a little more food-centric for the years to come!

 

[gtpoohbear]

So excited to hear about your trip! I just found your PTR a few days ago, lucky I guess that I didn't have to wait long to see how it goes! I need ideas and inspiration for our July trip

I love Cheesecake Factory. We've eaten at several in different places, and none look anything like it did on BBT. They really didn't do it justice on the show.

Looking forward to the rest of the story!