Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
Monday, October 29th: Aquatica, the conclusion
With the dining plan, we were able to eat smaller amounts throughout the course of the day, rather than one or two bigger meals. The Aquatica all-day dining plan was valid at the Mango Market, the Waterstone Grill and....
.......the Banana Beach Cook-out.
The Mango Market, in addition to being the location that offered breakfast (coffee, juice, muffins), was the 'lighter' option in the park. They had a selection of pre-made sandwiches, basic personal-sized pizzas, and similar fare. The Waterstone Grill had burgers, chicken tenders, and your typical theme park fare. The Banana Beach Cook-out, formerly a buffet, now featured barbecue chicken, ribs and similar meals.
Everything we sampled was good: hot, fresh, flavorful. At the price of $24.99 that we paid, it was an exceptional value. While we didn't really need the beverages that were included on the plan (our cabana came stocked with 12 cold bottles of water in the fridge), we still enjoyed a cup or two of pop/soda throughout the day.
Steve was quite surprised at how good the ribs were. He didn't have high hopes for water park ribs, but was happily surprised.
For the most part, we brought all of our meals back to the cabana to enjoy in comfort. Had we chosen to eat at any of the restaurants, however, there was plenty of cheery seating for that purpose.
It was an easy and relaxing day from start to finish. Crowds were nonexistent, even in the typically busy afternoon hours. This picture was taken about 2 pm:
The sun shone all day and temperatures were comfortably warm. There was hardly a cloud in the sky .... looking up, you saw almost nothing but the green leaves of the palms swaying against a backdrop of brilliant blue.
Steve did a few slides here and there, but we spent a large amount of time in the wave pool and twirling around Roa's Rapids.
This attraction NEVER gets old. And with such low attendance, it felt at times as if we had the whole rapids to ourselves. So fun!
When we needed to dry out for a while, we took a break to do some shopping at the gift shop......our cabana rental gave us a 20% discount on all purchases that day (which was even better than our 10% discount as pass members).
We also spent some time watching the adorable Commerson dolphins swim.....they are such adorable little creatures! So tiny compared to their larger cousins at SeaWorld!
It was an awesome, wonderful, perfect day
.
We opened the park, and closed the park. Trudging our weary, water-logged bodies to the rental car, we knew it would be a quiet and relaxing night back at the resort. The mix of sunshine and water is one that always makes us tired
.
Once we arrived at the villa, we threw our wet suits into the washing machine (always best to get the chlorine out as soon as you can) and then headed down to the Tacky Tiki Bar. We found a spot around the fire pit and enjoyed a drink or two as darkness fell.
Next up: a Disney-inspired Tuesday. Breakfast at Boma (and our first visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge), some fun at Disney Springs, and the Return to Sleepy Hollow event at Fort Wilderness were all on the itinerary. Stay tuned!
With the dining plan, we were able to eat smaller amounts throughout the course of the day, rather than one or two bigger meals. The Aquatica all-day dining plan was valid at the Mango Market, the Waterstone Grill and....
.......the Banana Beach Cook-out.
The Mango Market, in addition to being the location that offered breakfast (coffee, juice, muffins), was the 'lighter' option in the park. They had a selection of pre-made sandwiches, basic personal-sized pizzas, and similar fare. The Waterstone Grill had burgers, chicken tenders, and your typical theme park fare. The Banana Beach Cook-out, formerly a buffet, now featured barbecue chicken, ribs and similar meals.
Everything we sampled was good: hot, fresh, flavorful. At the price of $24.99 that we paid, it was an exceptional value. While we didn't really need the beverages that were included on the plan (our cabana came stocked with 12 cold bottles of water in the fridge), we still enjoyed a cup or two of pop/soda throughout the day.
Steve was quite surprised at how good the ribs were. He didn't have high hopes for water park ribs, but was happily surprised.
For the most part, we brought all of our meals back to the cabana to enjoy in comfort. Had we chosen to eat at any of the restaurants, however, there was plenty of cheery seating for that purpose.
It was an easy and relaxing day from start to finish. Crowds were nonexistent, even in the typically busy afternoon hours. This picture was taken about 2 pm:
The sun shone all day and temperatures were comfortably warm. There was hardly a cloud in the sky .... looking up, you saw almost nothing but the green leaves of the palms swaying against a backdrop of brilliant blue.
Steve did a few slides here and there, but we spent a large amount of time in the wave pool and twirling around Roa's Rapids.
This attraction NEVER gets old. And with such low attendance, it felt at times as if we had the whole rapids to ourselves. So fun!
When we needed to dry out for a while, we took a break to do some shopping at the gift shop......our cabana rental gave us a 20% discount on all purchases that day (which was even better than our 10% discount as pass members).
We also spent some time watching the adorable Commerson dolphins swim.....they are such adorable little creatures! So tiny compared to their larger cousins at SeaWorld!
It was an awesome, wonderful, perfect day
.We opened the park, and closed the park. Trudging our weary, water-logged bodies to the rental car, we knew it would be a quiet and relaxing night back at the resort. The mix of sunshine and water is one that always makes us tired
.Once we arrived at the villa, we threw our wet suits into the washing machine (always best to get the chlorine out as soon as you can) and then headed down to the Tacky Tiki Bar. We found a spot around the fire pit and enjoyed a drink or two as darkness fell.
Next up: a Disney-inspired Tuesday. Breakfast at Boma (and our first visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge), some fun at Disney Springs, and the Return to Sleepy Hollow event at Fort Wilderness were all on the itinerary. Stay tuned!
.
but at least we have a worst case scenario), and I've even purchased our Universal photo package (thanks to a rockin' good Black Friday offer).
Let's plan a Dismeet or two!
so I don't have much experience in using the lockers. Steve is trying to woo me into riding Jurassic Park, Popeyes, and the Mummy when we visit Universal in the spring, so perhaps I'll have to learn the finer art of locker usage. IF he can manage to talk me into riding, of course. The jury is still out on that verdict 
.
We have met so many wonderful folks thanks to the Dis!
.
maybe something about a self wrapping cat? I know cats love their bags and boxes. A friends cat loved the paper bag from the grocery store and there was often one out for her to go hide in. Also an all black cat 
to the thread!
.
you're golden!
(intentionally, not due to the cats LOL). We leave tomorrow for Canada and we thought it was safer for them (and less stressful for our pet nanny) if the tree was not a factor. They're a bit sad tonight that their favorite play spot is bare. Violet, however, did try and "help" 
.
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with a boxy shape that doesn't, unfortunately, look good in many fun styles. 
. It will absolutely make the trip for him if I give that ride a go.
):
so we didn't waste any time making our way to the buffet once our wonderful server (Tristan, I think was her name?) gave us the all-clear to do so.
. Probably a million calories a piece but worth every single one. 
. I actually marveled at his stomach capacity at one point....where was he putting it all? 
Some folk might take it the wrong way. The others would all agree and pour another glass of wine...
