Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
So.....its time! 
With my most recent trip report officially wrapped up (you can find it here, if you missed it: http://www.disboards.com/threads/it...–-an-offsite-non-disney-christmas-tr.3472126/ ), it seems only fitting to start the countdown and the final planning for our next adventure.
The dates: April 23rd to May 3rd, 2016
.
Spring in Orlando
.....on this particular day, where the temperature outside was an unbelievable -30 C when I got out of bed this morning 
, the warmth and sunshine of central Florida can’t come soon enough.
This trip features an addition to our cast of characters than our previous adventures, and will introduce you all to the newest (unofficial) member of our little family. But to kick things off, some introductions are in order for any new readers and a refresher for those who have joined me before:
First, there’s me and my Steve. On this vacation, we will celebrate our 23d wedding anniversary (May 1st, 1993) .... and while this trip was originally planned to be a couples trip, it morphed into something a little bigger early last December. Steve and I are polar opposites but complete soul mates.....to quote Forrest Gump, “we go together like peas and carrots”
.
I guess, in essence, this is still a “couples trip”.....just TWO couples, rather than one. Our son, Jake (who just turned 20 in early January) had his heart stolen early last fall by a beautiful young lady who attends the same college as he does. In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered”....and just like that, our little family of three welcomed “Sunshine” into the fold.
Jake and Sunshine both wrap up their college years just before our departure date. For Jake, this is his graduating year so he will have officially concluded his post-secondary studies in Community & Justice Services, making this trip a celebration of the end of his educational pursuits. Sunshine is a year younger, so she will return to school in the fall for her final year of Recreation & Leadership Services....but she celebrates her birthday on the day we leave for Buffalo (April 23rd).
Funny story about how Sunshine and Jake came to join this trip: back in early December, Steve had a small medical issue that landed him in the emergency department of our local hospital. While he was there undergoing some diagnostic testing, Jake and Sunshine dropped to check in and see how he was doing. With the four of us in the tiny ER room with Steve hooked up to the monitors, they shyly asked if we would consider allowing her to come along on our Christmas trip (December 18th to 27th). Steve and I readily agreed....in the three months we had known her, we had grown to adore this young lady with the big smile, effervescent personality and tender heart....but alas, despite an admirable amount of begging, pleading and negotiating on her part, her parents said no (which I totally understood). When they finally broke the news, they softened their rejection with the comment “You know, we just don’t want to have you away from home for Christmas. If the trip was in the spring or summer, we would have said yes in a heartbeat”. Well, you can see where this is leading. There was an excited shriek and she exclaimed “REALLY!!! Because they are going back to Florida on my birthday! Can I tell them that I can go on THAT trip?”. I am sure they almost fainted on the other end of the phone
. They would have had no idea that we planned to return for another vacation in the spring and that as soon as they spoke them, they’d end up eating their words 
. But, true to what they had told her, she got the blessing she so desperately wanted from Mom and Dad......and our trip for two morphed instantly into a trip for four.
So, once we were back from our Christmas adventures, there was lots to discuss and lots to plan! Quite possibly the last family vacation we will take for a long while, we wanted this one to be special. With Jake’s graduation, Sunshine’s birthday, and Steve & I’s anniversary, we wanted it to be a trip worthy of a celebration
. With Sunshine along for the ride, we wanted it to showcase some of our favourite Orlando parks (and some experiences that we knew she would be wowed by). It was also our 10th trip to Orlando.....a milestone vacation for our family, who was sure that our 2009 Disney trip was a “once in a lifetime” event.
Yet with our crappy Canadian dollar (making virtually every cost more than 40% higher when converted from USD to Canadian funds
), we would have to plan smart.....especially now that any expense we incur while in Orlando would be increased by the cost of an additional person.
All that said, we were up for the challenge: seeking good value accommodations, dining and attractions for our Orlando vacations was my favourite sport
. Let the games ... and the countdown.... begin! 
I hope you'll join me as we pass the next 69 days until we are on our way to the sunny south 
.
With my most recent trip report officially wrapped up (you can find it here, if you missed it: http://www.disboards.com/threads/it...–-an-offsite-non-disney-christmas-tr.3472126/ ), it seems only fitting to start the countdown and the final planning for our next adventure.The dates: April 23rd to May 3rd, 2016
. Spring in Orlando
.....on this particular day, where the temperature outside was an unbelievable -30 C when I got out of bed this morning , the warmth and sunshine of central Florida can’t come soon enough. This trip features an addition to our cast of characters than our previous adventures, and will introduce you all to the newest (unofficial) member of our little family. But to kick things off, some introductions are in order for any new readers and a refresher for those who have joined me before:
First, there’s me and my Steve. On this vacation, we will celebrate our 23d wedding anniversary (May 1st, 1993) .... and while this trip was originally planned to be a couples trip, it morphed into something a little bigger early last December. Steve and I are polar opposites but complete soul mates.....to quote Forrest Gump, “we go together like peas and carrots”
.
I guess, in essence, this is still a “couples trip”.....just TWO couples, rather than one. Our son, Jake (who just turned 20 in early January) had his heart stolen early last fall by a beautiful young lady who attends the same college as he does. In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered”....and just like that, our little family of three welcomed “Sunshine” into the fold.
Jake and Sunshine both wrap up their college years just before our departure date. For Jake, this is his graduating year so he will have officially concluded his post-secondary studies in Community & Justice Services, making this trip a celebration of the end of his educational pursuits. Sunshine is a year younger, so she will return to school in the fall for her final year of Recreation & Leadership Services....but she celebrates her birthday on the day we leave for Buffalo (April 23rd).
Funny story about how Sunshine and Jake came to join this trip: back in early December, Steve had a small medical issue that landed him in the emergency department of our local hospital. While he was there undergoing some diagnostic testing, Jake and Sunshine dropped to check in and see how he was doing. With the four of us in the tiny ER room with Steve hooked up to the monitors, they shyly asked if we would consider allowing her to come along on our Christmas trip (December 18th to 27th). Steve and I readily agreed....in the three months we had known her, we had grown to adore this young lady with the big smile, effervescent personality and tender heart....but alas, despite an admirable amount of begging, pleading and negotiating on her part, her parents said no (which I totally understood). When they finally broke the news, they softened their rejection with the comment “You know, we just don’t want to have you away from home for Christmas. If the trip was in the spring or summer, we would have said yes in a heartbeat”. Well, you can see where this is leading. There was an excited shriek and she exclaimed “REALLY!!! Because they are going back to Florida on my birthday! Can I tell them that I can go on THAT trip?”. I am sure they almost fainted on the other end of the phone
. They would have had no idea that we planned to return for another vacation in the spring and that as soon as they spoke them, they’d end up eating their words . But, true to what they had told her, she got the blessing she so desperately wanted from Mom and Dad......and our trip for two morphed instantly into a trip for four.So, once we were back from our Christmas adventures, there was lots to discuss and lots to plan! Quite possibly the last family vacation we will take for a long while, we wanted this one to be special. With Jake’s graduation, Sunshine’s birthday, and Steve & I’s anniversary, we wanted it to be a trip worthy of a celebration
. With Sunshine along for the ride, we wanted it to showcase some of our favourite Orlando parks (and some experiences that we knew she would be wowed by). It was also our 10th trip to Orlando.....a milestone vacation for our family, who was sure that our 2009 Disney trip was a “once in a lifetime” event.Yet with our crappy Canadian dollar (making virtually every cost more than 40% higher when converted from USD to Canadian funds
), we would have to plan smart.....especially now that any expense we incur while in Orlando would be increased by the cost of an additional person.All that said, we were up for the challenge: seeking good value accommodations, dining and attractions for our Orlando vacations was my favourite sport
. Let the games ... and the countdown.... begin! I hope you'll join me as we pass the next 69 days until we are on our way to the sunny south .
to you both! So glad you have joined me on this PTR 
.
, and then Universal gave me a little nudge with the release of their “buy two days, get one day free” ticket offer for spring. With pen and paper in hand, I did the math.
for a good middle ground, which allowed us to finally cement a decision: he suggested that we go with the Universal tickets (maximizing the value for our money), and he would arrange for Sunshine and himself to take part in the Dolphins Up Close Tour at SeaWorld as part of his birthday gift to her.
