Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer: an August Trip Report (Complete!)

[Zeebs]

I was wondering if you had the details of the Monster Truck ride thingy you did. How small were the children that were on it. I have two boys, and a husband who would love it.

Kirsten

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I was wondering if you had the details of the Monster Truck ride thingy you did. How small were the children that were on it. I have two boys, and a husband who would love it.

Kirsten

This link might help:

http://www.showcaseofcitrus.com/Swamp_Safari_Eco_Tour.html

There was a family on board who had a couple of little ones, the youngest being about 2. Now, he had the bejeezus scared out of him when the driver blew the horn when the monster truck departed on the tour (poor little guy!) but otherwise, the tour is definitely suitable for all ages. Its like riding an open air bus......that's rather bumpy .

Tickets are available at a discount via Groupon right now, if you 're interested:

http://www.groupon.com/deals/showcase-of-citrus-2

 

[Zeebs]

This link might help:

http://www.showcaseofcitrus.com/Swamp_Safari_Eco_Tour.html

There was a family on board who had a couple of little ones, the youngest being about 2. Now, he had the bejeezus scared out of him when the driver blew the horn when the monster truck departed on the tour (poor little guy!) but otherwise, the tour is definitely suitable for all ages. Its like riding an open air bus......that's rather bumpy .

Tickets are available at a discount via Groupon right now, if you 're interested:

http://www.groupon.com/deals/showcase-of-citrus-2

Thanks you very much for that, I will show to hubby and see what he thinks. thanks for writing the report, we are spending time at Disney when we are on our trip, but it is very refreshing to hear about other things to do in the Orlando area.

We did Blizzard Beach on our last trip, the lazy river was my favourite as well. This is a picture of 2 of my three kids, Seth is actually fast asleep on that tube and snored his way around the river pretty much the entire way.



Kirsten

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks you very much for that, I will show to hubby and see what he thinks. thanks for writing the report, we are spending time at Disney when we are on our trip, but it is very refreshing to hear about other things to do in the Orlando area.

We did Blizzard Beach on our last trip, the lazy river was my favourite as well. This is a picture of 2 of my three kids, Seth is actually fast asleep on that tube and snored his way around the river pretty much the entire way.

What a great photo! Poor little mite was completely pooped!

 

[cantoine]

Welcome to my trip report . I always find it difficult to find a starting point for these threads, so I figure I’ll just jump right in and start with the obligatory introductions. While a little background will follow, I’ll try to keep it brief (and if not brief, a concept of which is hard for me at the best of times, hopefully it will end up being a least relevant!!).

Moving right along, let me get you acquainted with my little family. This is us (picture taken August 2012 on our vacation in Orlando):



I’m Gina, writer of this report and the official family planner, organizer, and obsesser. I am not ashamed to admit that I have OCD to a certain degree…..depending on the day, that degree can vary from mild to wild . When it comes to our family getaways, I probably put more time and effort into researching every last little detail than the average mom, but its fun and I enjoy it and quite honestly, I could be doing worse things with my time. And my fellows are patient with my nightly blabbering about the neat things I have found for us to do on our next trip. One of the many reason that I love that pair.



DH is Steve. My “Prince Charming”, and the total opposite personality from me. He’s quieter, calmer, and very “go with the flow”, which normally creates a very happy balance around our house (except for the times where we drive each other NUTS….which thankfully, is normally not very often). He is one of the hardest workers I know, and his efforts net the surplus finances required to fund our expeditions to Florida. We celebrated our 20th anniversary this past May.

DS is Jake. He is 17 (will be turning 18 in January) and an amazing young man. He’s an honour roll student at school and a talented athlete (volleyball and basketball, as well as ball, inline and ice hockey in his younger years) . He has worked for a year and a half at our local YMCA in the youth and programming departments, and has a wonderful knack with kids. He’s our “lonely only”, and yep, I shamelessly admit to spoiling him from time to time. He has just kicked off his senior year of high school. This pic is from June, where he was awarded the Dave Coyer Memorial Trophy for most dedicated senior boys volleyball player:



This trip was our fifth getaway to Orlando. Our first visit was in January 2009, which was supposed to be our “once in a lifetime” Disney vacation. But then something we didn’t expect occurred….we were bitten by the bug. It took us 3 years to return (for various reason), but then we enjoyed 3 separate visits in 2012 (falling in January, August and Christmas week). With each vacation, we grew to love Orlando (and all the family fun it offers) even more, so it wasn’t surprising that we began to plan our 2013 August vacation while on the plane home from our Florida Christmas extravaganza (see the link in my signature for the finished report of that getaway).

And so began the planning at 40,000 feet in the air.

Gina, As I read this to my DH, he stopped and looked up and said "OMG, you have found your twin" Thank you so much for your post, it gives me comfort in knowing I am not alone in the world of family trip planning.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, As I read this to my DH, he stopped and looked up and said "OMG, you have found your twin" Thank you so much for your post, it gives me comfort in knowing I am not alone in the world of family trip planning.

LOL, its one of the reasons I am thankful for the Dis. And truth be told, I think DH is thankful for it too!!! Its a good venue for us to chat and plan with other like-minded folks without driving our beloveds completely crazy .

 

[cantoine]

Gina

I loved reading your trip report. We have actually stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages ourselves in June 2011 and we absolutely loved it. I am hoping to convince the DH to let us become owners one day. We stayed in the St. Augustine section of the resort with the pirate ship pool, the kids loved it. We were going back and forth between the Sheraton or the West gate for our June 2014 trip and have decided on the west gate to try something new. I see you also stayed at the West gate on one of your family trips, how did you guys like it? Thank you again for all your photos and trip planning advice.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina

I loved reading your trip report. We have actually stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages ourselves in June 2011 and we absolutely loved it. I am hoping to convince the DH to let us become owners one day. We stayed in the St. Augustine section of the resort with the pirate ship pool, the kids loved it. We were going back and forth between the Sheraton or the West gate for our June 2014 trip and have decided on the west gate to try something new. I see you also stayed at the West gate on one of your family trips, how did you guys like it? Thank you again for all your photos and trip planning advice.

We stayed at Westgate Lakes in August 2012.

Ya know, we were terrified before we arrived. So many horror stories. They seemed to be wherever we looked.

That said.....we had a great vacation. The room was spacious (we had a two bed/two bath), our villa was in a great location, and we had daily housekeeping. The resort had lots of good amenities and we very much enjoyed their pool parties. There was an enormous roman tub in the master and a HUGE shower too.

We did go to the timeshare presentation and it was seriously awful.....almost 4 hours (rather than the 90 minutes we were promised), super hard sell, relentless sales people. Never, ever, EVER again .

But honestly? While we had a very enjoyable getaway, it doesn't compare to the Vistana. The Vistana has a much nicer feel. Nicer and much more pleasant staff. Much, much higher quality (and more modern) finishings on the interiors. Brighter, cheerier, better amenities. Everything just seemed a big step up from Westgate.

Which Westgate property are you staying at? (I know there are several in the Orlando area). If you are staying at the Lakes Resort & Spa and have any questions, feel free to shout and I will do my best to help .

 

[tgropp]

Gina. I do not know how I missed your report but it was a very nice read on a winter morning. So nice to see pics of places that I have never been to. We have been doing Disney/Florida family vacations for 25 years and I can see that you will be doing the same. You are very blessed to be in that position. Thanks for the report!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina. I do not know how I missed your report but it was a very nice read on a winter morning. So nice to see pics of places that I have never been to. We have been doing Disney/Florida family vacations for 25 years and I can see that you will be doing the same. You are very blessed to be in that position. Thanks for the report!

Thanks Tim . I hope to someday have a list of happy family memories in my signature that's as long and awesome as yours .

 

[littleaussie]

Loved your TR, thanks for taking the time to post it. I enjoy reading about the off-site stays, because we are always looking for a new place to try.

It's also fun reading about people doing other things besides Disney. Now I love Disney. . . a lot! But my family needs deprogramming sometimes so I enjoy people who post their other experiences. We may try the mini-golfing

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Loved your TR, thanks for taking the time to post it. I enjoy reading about the off-site stays, because we are always looking for a new place to try.

It's also fun reading about people doing other things besides Disney. Now I love Disney. . . a lot! But my family needs deprogramming sometimes so I enjoy people who post their other experiences. We may try the mini-golfing

The Congo River courses are always my favourite......but I'm a sucker for gators.

Pirates Cove comes in a close second, because the course is so darn nicely themed.

 

[MidnightParade]

I've slowly been reading your TR for the last week and its wonderful! We are doing an onsite stay at Universal/Disney in October but now I've started plotting for an Orlando non onsite stay(or atleast a split stay) for our next whenever that is vacation because of your very inspiring TR. Your family is awesome and your trip looks/sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I've slowly been reading your TR for the last week and its wonderful! We are doing an onsite stay at Universal/Disney in October but now I've started plotting for an Orlando non onsite stay(or atleast a split stay) for our next whenever that is vacation because of your very inspiring TR. Your family is awesome and your trip looks/sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!

Aw, thank you so much for the kind compliments!

We are currently counting down to our next offsite stay....just over 4 months to go!

 

[MidnightParade]

Well I hope you do another TR! I will eagerly be awaiting it!

 

[Ang1e]

I'm a little late to the party Just sat and read your whole trippie today! Well, took a break for dinner.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write it. I've recently book the Vistana and ever since so many reviews on Tripadvisor have been less than 'nice'. I've scared myself silly but your review has calmed me down

I've made notes of places to eat too

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write it. I've recently book the Vistana and ever since so many reviews on Tripadvisor have been less than 'nice'. I've scared myself silly but your review has calmed me down

The Vistana is absolutely awesome.......I think you are going to be VERY pleased with the resort . We are anxiously counting the days until we return (81 to go!!).

Have you check out this thread?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3148502

Its all about the Vistana Resort, and there are LOTS of positive reports from past guests that will help you get all excited about your upcoming stay . Its also chock full of great "know before you go" tidbits which will help make the most of your vacation.

 

[Ang1e]

Thanks Gina, I'll check that thread out. I think we're at 94 days and counting Yay!!

 

[reelmom]

I wanted to say thank you for recommending the Showcase of Citrus. We went a few days ago and loved it. Even the 4 kids with us (ages 10,11,12,13) loved it. Our driver even let my 10 year old steer the monster truck for about 5 minutes. Was totally the highlight of the whole trip for him. This is truly a fun experience.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I wanted to say thank you for recommending the Showcase of Citrus. We went a few days ago and loved it. Even the 4 kids with us (ages 10,11,12,13) loved it. Our driver even let my 10 year old steer the monster truck for about 5 minutes. Was totally the highlight of the whole trip for him. This is truly a fun experience.

That's awesome......so glad to hear you enjoyed yourself there! Did you have one of their orange slushies too?

It really is a great little side trip, and such a nice break from the frenetic pace of the theme parks. I also love that there are always deals available for the monster truck tour, whether via Groupon, Livingsocial or the Entertainment Book. Its even more fun when its super affordable .