(Sea)Lions & Gators & Dolphins….Oh, My! A Halloween PTR/TR with a “wild” theme - Oct/Nov '18

Don't feel bad, most people didn't make the connection of where we got the inspiration for their names. A few folks have figured it out just recently, now that Incredibles 2 is in theaters.....but the vast majority never put it together.
Count me in that crowd too. Just made the connection at the same time as @chiamarie.

Does that mean there's still room for a Jack-Jack?

Can't really imagine what the personality of a Jack-Jack the Cat would be, but somehow it spells mischief to me?


PS - updates from your last questions. Almost all schools reopened on Tuesday, and electricity was restored to all homes yesterday. Things are returning to normal except for the hundred or so families still out of their homes and those facing major cleanup. The official tornado count at the end of the event was 6 that touched down.
 
Newly discovered daughter and grandson? That sounds intriguing and exciting!
short version-daughter from a brief college fling before we met, thought the father was someone else until dtr had a son who needed blood workup for illness (no biggie as it turned out thankfully), realized the blood types didn't match, submitted to ancestry.com (DH mom big in ancestry)-letter from long lost DD in March(LLDD) about possible match-and yep-his daughter. Have met her a few times now this summer. sweet and smart (extremely smart-PhD cardiac researcher at Mayo in Jacksonville FL)-fits in really well with us-seemed like we have always known her and my oldest and LLDD have become pretty good friends with snapchat, and facetime.

except Scout
Please tell me this fur baby is named after the To Kill a Mockingbird character?


Only a month left??

And december....you just need "vacation math"-accomodation certificate + cheap airfare=extra vacation. When that happens to me away we go (hence the HHN trip LOL)
 
Hawaii is someplace I would LOVE to visit, but I swear I'd need a sedative to endure that long of a flight. What on earth does a person do for 11 hours, strapped into an airplane seat?

You split it up and connect in Seattle, LA or San Francisco. That way the longest flight is the 5-6 hours from the west coast, it's not as bad. However, anywhere in the midwest and east coast ends up with a redeye for part of their return flight from HI because of the time change. Really what you do is fly to LA/Orange County and do a few days at Disneyland and then go home or then go to HI, but doing it on the way home removes the red eye. Course doing it after you lose out on the relaxation of HI depending on what you do there.
 
27 Days until my LAST DAY OF WORK before vacation!!

We usually get up EARLY on departure day and drive to the airport (1 hr away) BUT there is a TON of consturction going on between here and there, plus, (even though he won't admit it, and you dont' DARE point it out) my dad at 79 does NOT drive as well in the dark as he used to, and my mom has to stay over night with my grandma, SO we made the decision to stay overnight at the airport hotel for $115 - totally worth it to know that dad will be driving during a "safe" time of the evening and we can sleep in (yeah right) if we want to a little and just take the 10 minute shutle over ot the airport
 


Yay for new TR! I just got back from vacation, so this was a lovely surprise
 
Hawaii is someplace I would LOVE to visit, but I swear I'd need a sedative to endure that long of a flight. What on earth does a person do for 11 hours, strapped into an airplane seat?

I agree....whatever you had to pay for the extra legroom, it will be worth that and more.
s to b
You must be so excited!!!! Are you staying at Aulani?[/QUOTe


I was planning to take some melatonin 5 hours into the flight. There seems to be some side effects and I wish that some of your readers could relate their experiences with it.
We are staying 5 nights at the Hawaiian Hilton Village, 5 nights at the Westin Kanapalli and then 5 nights at Alunai.
 
4 day count for me. Never been to SW at Halloween, but may ride up the Drive to spend a few hours in SW.

Great start!

Ah Lynne, I'm so tardy with my reply that you're probably there by now! Have a GREAT trip and tons of fun!

We have 8 (for now). 4 cats (Lucky, Cotton, Tiger Woo, and Oreo) 3 dogs (Maggie, Scout, and Scruffy), and a bearded dragon (Ms. Kibbles), and they all were rescues except Scout (wife HAD to have a Yorkie) and Ms. Kibbles. We may be officially upping the count as a stray cat has shown up around the house, and has taken a liking to my daughter, waiting outside on the front porch every day for her to come out and play. (all our cats have found us, so nothing new here :P).

We are definitely lucky we live so close. Being able to drive really makes our trips more affordable, especially with 3 kids added to the mix.

That's an awesome collection of pets! How does everyone get along? Are they all indoor animals, or do your cats and dogs spend time outside as well?

I don't know - we might do some sort of matching shirt? We hadn't really discused it!

Matching shirts are ALWAYS fun! ::yes::

Count me in that crowd too. Just made the connection at the same time as @chiamarie.

Does that mean there's still room for a Jack-Jack?

Can't really imagine what the personality of a Jack-Jack the Cat would be, but somehow it spells mischief to me?


PS - updates from your last questions. Almost all schools reopened on Tuesday, and electricity was restored to all homes yesterday. Things are returning to normal except for the hundred or so families still out of their homes and those facing major cleanup. The official tornado count at the end of the event was 6 that touched down.

So glad to hear that things are returning to normal in the Ottawa region. I never did hear.....was anyone killed as a result of the tornadoes? :(

As for your Jack-Jack question......you have no idea how many times we've debated adding a third cat into the mix. More than once, we've nearly left PetSmart with a Michigan Humane Society application in our hands. Today, in fact, there was a 9 week old orange cutie named Zeus that we thought would make an PERFECT Jack-Jack......but we have so many worries about how one more would change the dynamics here. Violet and Dash, as bonded siblings, have a wonderful harmony (even though they are completely different personalities), but we can't help but wonder if that peaceful existence would be shattered by a kitten. Then there's the issue of adding another litter box, and another food dish, to the house......and I'm not sure that I want that. Currently Vi and Dash share their feline amenities, but they also shared a womb......so while its okay for THEM, I can't see them sharing with cat #3.

I'm not saying never, but I doubt we'll be adding another family member any time soon. But then again, I didn't expect to adopt 2 cats in the fall of 2016, either :rolleyes1 ..... so who knows!

short version-daughter from a brief college fling before we met, thought the father was someone else until dtr had a son who needed blood workup for illness (no biggie as it turned out thankfully), realized the blood types didn't match, submitted to ancestry.com (DH mom big in ancestry)-letter from long lost DD in March(LLDD) about possible match-and yep-his daughter. Have met her a few times now this summer. sweet and smart (extremely smart-PhD cardiac researcher at Mayo in Jacksonville FL)-fits in really well with us-seemed like we have always known her and my oldest and LLDD have become pretty good friends with snapchat, and facetime.

Please tell me this fur baby is named after the To Kill a Mockingbird character?

Only a month left??

And december....you just need "vacation math"-accomodation certificate + cheap airfare=extra vacation. When that happens to me away we go (hence the HHN trip LOL)

What an awesome...if not unexpected...story about your DH's daughter. I am so happy that things have gone so well for all of you since you had the chance to meet for the first time. There's nothing more special than more family to love :goodvibes.

You split it up and connect in Seattle, LA or San Francisco. That way the longest flight is the 5-6 hours from the west coast, it's not as bad. However, anywhere in the midwest and east coast ends up with a redeye for part of their return flight from HI because of the time change. Really what you do is fly to LA/Orange County and do a few days at Disneyland and then go home or then go to HI, but doing it on the way home removes the red eye. Course doing it after you lose out on the relaxation of HI depending on what you do there.

Disneyland is near the top of my future vacation bucket list.......I could happily combine a California trip with a Hawaii trip ::yes:: . I just need a money tree to sprout in my back yard so I can indulge all my wanderlust!!

27 Days until my LAST DAY OF WORK before vacation!!

We usually get up EARLY on departure day and drive to the airport (1 hr away) BUT there is a TON of consturction going on between here and there, plus, (even though he won't admit it, and you dont' DARE point it out) my dad at 79 does NOT drive as well in the dark as he used to, and my mom has to stay over night with my grandma, SO we made the decision to stay overnight at the airport hotel for $115 - totally worth it to know that dad will be driving during a "safe" time of the evening and we can sleep in (yeah right) if we want to a little and just take the 10 minute shutle over ot the airport

I think staying at an airport hotel the night before sounds like a very wise idea. And hey.....that means you get to start your vacation one day earlier! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Yay for new TR! I just got back from vacation, so this was a lovely surprise

Welcome home! How was your trip?
 


@tgropp .... your Hawaiian itinerary sounds awesome! l love how you've split a longer trip into three distinct parts. 5 nights at each will still be restful while giving you some new & different experiences.

Hopefully someone here can give you some good feedback on melatonin. I've never tried it, either, but am very interested to hear what others have to say about it.
 
@tgropp I used to take melatonin but I never had side effects. Did it help me sleep, I thought so. The dr didn't like that I'd been taking it so long and told me to stop. I don't need it to fall asleep but do fall asleep easier now than I did 10 years ago.

But as with any medicine, I'm not a doctor, and everything effects people differently so just because I didn't have side effects doesn't mean you won't. If you do decide to take it I would take it at home prior to the trip so you know how you'll do.

Sleeping on the plane, I'm good with it as long as I'm not warm, soon as that happens and I have issues. I'm normally cold on the plane but have had a couple of red eyes, including SEA to Iceland back in May, that were warm and led to less sleep than I'd like. Thankfully once I get going once I'm at my destination I'm generally good for the day as long as I don't stop for too long and a nap would do me in. I also have good noise blocking earbuds that I use on the plane.

Which leads to my hopeful row to myself for my SEA to ATL redeye Nov 1. Well over 10 sections of 3 seats empty so fingers crossed I can actually lay down to sleep which will help even if I am warm.
 
I apologize for being lacking in updates this week.....I've actually been a bit under the weather since Monday, and I finally gave in last night and went to the walk-in clinic. As I suspected, I have a sinus infection (boo :guilty:) which explains why I've felt so ROTTEN the last several days. With a 10 day script in hand, I should start feeling a little more peppy by the end of the weekend....except in the meantime, the medication is wreaking havoc on my digestive system (the doctor warned me that the meds could cause nausea and he wasn't kidding :sick:). However, it's worth the upset stomach to get this infection under control before Jake arrives on the 9th. And I'm rather grateful that I'm dealing with this now and NOT while we're on vacation. Less than 4 weeks to departure! :woohoo:

I was excited to hear that Infinity Falls at SeaWorld has been doing a soft opening this weekend in preparation for the grand opening on October 4th. I was even more excited to learn that passmembers could now book a free one-time Quick Queue for the ride, as I'm sure it's going to be wildly popular with guests (especially when park attendance is likely to be high during the Halloween Spooktacular from now until the end of October). I was able to log into our passmember accounts online this morning and reserve our Quick Queue passes for our first scheduled park day, October 28th. Initial reports are that the ride gets you VERY wet.....completely soaked, thanks to a pass under a waterfall AND the big splash-down following the drop....so we'll definitely plan to enjoy Infinity Falls as our last attraction of the day ::yes::. I refuse to walk around the park looking like a drowned rat :rolleyes:.

I am also super excited to hear the initial reports from those attending the first nights of the Return to Sleepy Hollow event at Fort Wilderness this weekend. Our Sleepy Hollow night is probably our most anticipated night of the whole trip, so hopefully other Disers will be generous with their feedback. With the cooler weather officially having arrived here in Michigan and the outside of our house decked out in all the vibrant yellows, reds and oranges of fall, it's really starting to feel like Halloween is right around the corner. I'm growing more ready for this trip every single day.

I'm still stalking rental car prices, but they continue to be trending in the wrong direction :crazy2:. While we still have plenty of time for a big drop in rental rates, I'm readying myself to be satisfied with our current rate of $250 for an intermediate SUV with Alamo. Of course I had hoped for lower (the optimistic part of me was yearning for something between $200 and $225) but $250 for an SUV is still what I'd consider fair. I'll continue to keep the rate checking as part of my breakfast routine for the next 4 weeks, just in case. It never hurts to look :surfweb:.

I hope you all have a fun weekend planned :goodvibes.
 
Welcome home! How was your trip?

Thank you! It was amazing!! And even though I've gone before, I had never been so close to not coming off the ship (that's how much fun I had). Perfect weather, lots of events, so relaxing. And I wound up doing the 5k. That was an experience! But I'm glad I gave it a try
 
Hi Gina!!! I came looking to catch up on the older trip report and found this one! I’ve been gone for two weeks on a cruise of the British Isles /Ireland / Scotland . I have so much to catch up on in here and especially at home but I will be reading along. :sunny:
 
@tgropp I used to take melatonin but I never had side effects. Did it help me sleep, I thought so. The dr didn't like that I'd been taking it so long and told me to stop. I don't need it to fall asleep but do fall asleep easier now than I did 10 years ago.

But as with any medicine, I'm not a doctor, and everything effects people differently so just because I didn't have side effects doesn't mean you won't. If you do decide to take it I would take it at home prior to the trip so you know how you'll do.

Sleeping on the plane, I'm good with it as long as I'm not warm, soon as that happens and I have issues. I'm normally cold on the plane but have had a couple of red eyes, including SEA to Iceland back in May, that were warm and led to less sleep than I'd like. Thankfully once I get going once I'm at my destination I'm generally good for the day as long as I don't stop for too long and a nap would do me in. I also have good noise blocking earbuds that I use on the plane.

Which leads to my hopeful row to myself for my SEA to ATL redeye Nov 1. Well over 10 sections of 3 seats empty so fingers crossed I can actually lay down to sleep which will help even if I am warm.

@tgropp I suffer from anxiety, and sometimes it causes some bad insomnia. While I don't take melatonin every night, I do take it when I feel like it might help me sleep. I also only take it when I know I'm going to have at least 8 hours to sleep. But generally I also take it with "True Calm" (it has GABA in it that helps ease anxiety, I also take it when I'm feeling particularly anxious throughout the day. It helps calm me down). Now I'm not a doctor, and this is all self medicated. But when I take the two together. I pass out hard and get some of the best sleep. But overall never done it while traveling.

I have made the flight to Hawaii from Florida (with a layover in Houston) it was about a 7 hour flight from Houston. And all I remember doing was sleeping. But, I'm like Gina and typically don't have a hard time.sleeping on planes (but I also always bring my own pillow with me when I travel)
 
Yeah - I have noticed it going UP UP UP again - I’m like u - if they go down again, great, if not, I’m happy with my 259 for a midsized
 
Reading a long! We arrive the day after you for a two week vacation. Based on your excellent reviews we’re staying at the Vistana for one of the weeks!

I've been checking rental car rates daily, since we’re not picky on size (there’s only 3 of us), I managed to get an economy car with Budget for $373 US for the two weeks.
 
Thank you! It was amazing!! And even though I've gone before, I had never been so close to not coming off the ship (that's how much fun I had). Perfect weather, lots of events, so relaxing. And I wound up doing the 5k. That was an experience! But I'm glad I gave it a try

Congratulations! That's an awesome accomplishment! :thumbsup2

I am so happy that the weather was favorable for you, too :sunny:. Sounds like it was a perfect trip all around!

Hi Gina!!! I came looking to catch up on the older trip report and found this one! I’ve been gone for two weeks on a cruise of the British Isles /Ireland / Scotland . I have so much to catch up on in here and especially at home but I will be reading along. :sunny:

Welcome back! (you were definitely missed ::yes:: .... was just thinking the other day that I hadn't heard from either you or @dancin Disney style in way too long!) And WOW :eek: .... what an adventure that trip sounds like it was! Just you and DH? Or was this a whole family affair?

Yeah - I have noticed it going UP UP UP again - I’m like u - if they go down again, great, if not, I’m happy with my 259 for a midsized

I still think we might see a last minute dip in another week or so......especially once the calendar flips to October tomorrow. Fingers crossed for BOTH of us! ::yes::

Reading a long! We arrive the day after you for a two week vacation. Based on your excellent reviews we’re staying at the Vistana for one of the weeks!

I've been checking rental car rates daily, since we’re not picky on size (there’s only 3 of us), I managed to get an economy car with Budget for $373 US for the two weeks.
.
:welcome:, @east_coaster ! So glad to have you joining in! :goodvibes

You arrive the day after we arrive, or the day after we leave? If it's the former, and your first week of vacation happens to be the one you're at SVR, let's be sure to at least say hello at some point. It would be great to add another Dismeet to our plans :).

You've done very well for a two week rate on your rental vehicle :thumbsup2. Under $190 for each week is a great price!!!
 
.
:welcome:, @east_coaster ! So glad to have you joining in! :goodvibes

You arrive the day after we arrive, or the day after we leave? If it's the former, and your first week of vacation happens to be the one you're at SVR, let's be sure to at least say hello at some point. It would be great to add another Dismeet to our plans :).

You've done very well for a two week rate on your rental vehicle :thumbsup2. Under $190 for each week is a great price!!!

We get in late on the 27 at the SVR. The tentative plans for that week are Legoland, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and finishing the week with the runDisney Wine and Dine 5k! I think your Trails End dinner might be the same night as us (Tuesday) but otherwise I ‘m planning on us being around the resort Monday and Wednesday.
 
We get in late on the 27 at the SVR. The tentative plans for that week are Legoland, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and finishing the week with the runDisney Wine and Dine 5k! I think your Trails End dinner might be the same night as us (Tuesday) but otherwise I ‘m planning on us being around the resort Monday and Wednesday.

Awesome! :woohoo: Perhaps we can plan to meet up at the Tacky Tiki Bar for a beverage on Wednesday evening, after we are back from Discovery Cove.

We are indeed at Trails End on Tuesday night ::yes::. What time is your dinner reservation?

Do you have any idea what section of the resort you might be placed in? I'm not sure if you are renting a specific villa from an owner, or have a more general reservation which could put you pretty much anywhere. If its the latter, are you planning on requesting a specific section?
 
The Itinerary (so far)

I posted our October itineary toward the tail end of our May trip report, but I thought it would be worth posting here on this PTR with a few more details. While we're still tweaking the final plans (and things are always, ALWAYS subject to change ;)), this is what our week is shaping up to look like.

Friday:
We have a 2 pm flight from Detroit, which means we should be on the ground and picking up the rental car by around 5 pm (pending no delays). We plan to have dinner at Sweet Tomatoes with @DontRushMe and her DH ..... the first time we will have had dinner there (we've only ever been for breakfast or lunch). We'll check in at the resort, and enjoy a relaxing pool night once we're unpacked and settled in.

Saturday: We plan to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel -- we don't have one near our house here in MI, so we enjoy being able to dine there when we're in Orlando. We will visit Gatorland during the day, have dinner at Rocco’s Tacos with @chiamarie , and attend Old Town’s Halloween Haunt in the evening with @DontRushMe and Rich. IF we decide to have a mid-day meal (often we skip those if we have a big breakfast and a substantial dinner planned), we'll just grab something at Gatorland. I know Steve is itching to give gator nuggets a try.

Sunday: It's a full SeaWorld day! We have all-day dining already pre-purchased. It's the final Spooktacular day for the 2018 Halloween season, so we'll be dressing in our Incredibles costumes and taking part in the special events being offered at the park. We have the Animal Ambassadors Tour booked for that morning, and will be meeting up with @verleniahall and her DH, Sam. We also have passmember Quick Queues for the new ride, Infinity Falls.

Monday: It's a full Aquatica day! We have a Roa's Rapids cabana already reserved, and all-day dining pre-purchased.

Tuesday: We kick off our "Disney Day" with a late breakfast at Boma and touring around Animal Kingdom Lodge. Dinner that night will be at Trail’s End, followed by the Return to Sleepy Hollow event & dessert party at Fort Wilderness in the evening. Between breakfast and dinner, we have no plans……maybe a pool day? We figured that by this point, an afternoon nap and leisurely float in the pool or soak in the hot tub might be a welcome respite from the busy days before and after.

Wednesday (Halloween Day): Ah, this is our much anticipated Discovery Cove day :cloud9:. We have the dolphin swim this time, so we will plan to arrive early to secure an early time slot for our dolphin swim. That evening, hopefully we can meet up with @east_coaster to say hello in person! We plan to enjoy a beverage or two at the Tiki Bar that night, and take part in any special Halloween events that the resort will be running.

Thursday: SeaWorld day #2: again, with all-day dining (already pre-purchased). We currently have the Sea Lions Up Close Tour reserved as well.

Friday: Plans call for Disney Springs during the day, meeting up with @afan . We hope to ride the Characters in Flight balloon again before having lunch at D-Luxe Burger. We'll likely enjoy some time at the Coke Store (meeting the Coke Bear, and having a refreshing beverage while enjoying the view from the rooftop bar), and I am determined to try a Sprinkles cupcake for the firs time. That evening, we have plans to enjoy dinner at Hash House a Go Go with @pattyw and her DH Joe followed by the Ferrytale Wishes Dessert Cruise from the TTC.

Saturday:
we have a morning flight home. Assuming we have enough time, we'll stop for breakfast at Chick-fil-A before heading to the airport. We need to drop the rental off by about 8:30 am in order to allow enough time to get through security and to our gate prior to boarding for our 10:30 flight home.


I'm toying with the idea of moving our Sea Lions Tour to our Sunday SeaWorld day (from Thursday) for two reasons. Firstly, I expect the Sunday to be far busier than the Thursday.....being the final Spooktacular day, I expect the park will be packed with young families. It might be smart to have our two tours scheduled for that busier day when ride lines will likely be long and shows more full, so that we can leave Thursday's slower day to be completely open to take full advantage of the park attractions with shorter waits. PLUS.....the Walrus Up Close tour is being offered 30% off to pass members beginning on the Thursday, so that would allow us to add that on if we so chose (we couldn't do both the Sea Lion and Walrus tours on the same day.....just due to the timing of when each is offered). I'm still mulling it over. I'd love to know what you guys think.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top