Well, this is it. 52 weeks of Disney.
I know, I know. The end of the year doesn't quite match up in dates. But, trust me, you do not want to be at Disney, Universal Studios, SeaWorld or even the new LegoLand the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Why? The parks are zoos. During Christmas week, the parks often cut off admission due to capacity (usually by 12 noon to 2pm) so arrive at park opening if going. And, be prepared for lines that will be 2+ hours long for popular attractions.
Our last holiday adventure (well, for 2011... Disney holds over some of their holiday special events until the first week of January) was SeaWorld.
I'll just say it. SeaWorld for Christmas is awesome.
We were there for 12 hours and started by buying the SeaWorld all-day dining pass. Yes, we did it again. First stop, Voyagers for breakfast:
Next, we headed over to my favorite SeaWorld Christmas attraction - The Polar Express. I still can't believe they transform this "ride" just for the holidays. Awesome virtual experience.
Classic Christmas music played all through the parks making our hand-in-hand strolls romantic and full of holiday cheer. After much walking around, enjoying the details of all the decorations, we had lunch at Mango Joe's. My lunch was a "holiday special" of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy in a bread bowl topped with cheddar cheese. Good, but the roast beef was a bit chewy. And, a bit pricey at $15 (but, it was included in the eating pass).
From our lunch spot, we had a daylight view of the "Sea of Trees". A really cool idea that lights up at night to music. Fun!
We strolled around more, taking in the full experience of a SeaWorld Christmas and found ourselves hungry again. So yes, it was time for dinner. And, I'm happy to report it was one of the best chicken and ribs meals we've ever had at Voyagers. The chicken was so moist and meaty. The ribs were hot and not too fatty. The "holiday meal" which included ham and turkey was pretty good, but not awesome. If it was not included in the meal deal, we would not have paid the hefty $15 price.
After dinner, it was time for the SeaWorld Christmas at night. We started with brand new show, "The Greatest Christmas Story Never Told". Puppets, choir singers and live animals put on a heartwarming holiday performance.
One of my favorite decorated areas was the Pizza and Pasta Buffet area. It was decorated with brilliant red Christmas trees. Really looked amazing:
Next we grabbed a spot for the SeaWorld ice skating show (we were almost too late for a seat). The stadium filled up quickly. Get there early! We loved the skating show. It was a really warm night (still in the 70s) so the ice had many puddles. Luckily no one took a fall!
Last, but not least, the evening at SeaWorld ends with spectacular fireworks and multiple performances of the Sea of Trees. The entire waterway is filled with Christmas trees that light up and change colors to music (similar to Disney's Osborne Family Lights). Really fun.
Well, that does it. 52 weeks (sort of) of Disney. I didn't exactly meet my goal of one visit per week, but I sure did come close. And, I made many more than 52 visits total so I'm going to count this year as "goal met". Thanks for joining me.
I couldn't wait to see Grinchmas at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure.
This was my first day out in 10 days. Despite being a germaphobe and extra careful, I apparently caught a cold during our visit to Magic Kingdom. As a consideration to others, I always stay home until I'm recovered. I wish others would (or at least cover their coughs and wash their hands). Then I wouldn't have been sick!
So, anyway, we decided to grab a bite to eat at a burger place near Harry Potter. BIG mistake. We stood on line for 45 minutes to pay $25 for two cold burgers and Coke. Miserable experience.
The restaurant inside Potterville was closed due to capacity. In fact, they should have shut down the whole "land" because it was shoulder to shoulder. Lines for butterbeer wrapped around for a block. My best guess, is that the line was 30 minutes or more for a taste of butterbear. Wait times for the rides exceeded 90 minutes.
Even though this was our first chance to see this new addition to Universal, we couldn't wait to exit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. People were pushing and fed up. And, can you believe there was a condom on the sidewalk. Not a wrapper, but an actual condom. Nice, right? Somehow I don't think I'd see that at Disney.
We bailed and headed over to Seus Landing.
It was our main reason for being at Universal today. We arrived at the Grinchmas theater at 3:10pm for the 3:30pm show. Before entering, we decided to use th restrooms located right outside the entrance. In the 5 minutes we took to use the restroom, the Grinchmas show closed due to capacity. Lesson learned. Arrive at least 30 minutes early (probably an hour early on super busy days).
Talk about a disappointing day! After that, we left. We did nothing at the park except make our way through the crowds, stand on lines, pay too much for cold food and miss out on everything due to capacity.
Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until next year...
Growing up in New Jersey, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade always signaled the start of the holiday season for me. When I found out that it visits Universal Studios in Orlando each holiday season, I knew I had to be there.
Several of the Macy's parade balloons are transported to Orlando after Thanksgiving to share the magic of this special parade.
Some of the balloons are perched on top of buildings all day rather than just showing up for the parade. It was a bit windy tonight and some of the balloons swayed quite a bit from side to side including Captain Macy below.
Of course, the famous Rockettes make an appearance and signal the arrival of Jolly St. Nick. He looks just like the Santa you see on TV in the Macy's parade.
If you go and you want to see the "tree lighting" ceremony (Santa lights the tree) make sure you stand in front of Macy's. Beware, it becomes very crowded on the sidewalk. Once you get a spot, you are "stuck" until the end of the Parade. If you think you might need to exit the parade for any reason, look for other spots where you can easily get to a side street.
I fell in love with the special Christmas lights on Cinderella Castle a few years ago. We try to see them at least two or three times each season. The changing colors and the "iced" effect is awe inspiring.
Now Disney has made the holiday celebration even more special (I didn't think it was possible) with the addition of the new "memories" show.
The castle literally changes before your eyes in brilliant colors and effects. Honestly, you can hardly believe your eyes as the castle transforms.
Following the amazing transforming castle, of course, is the grand finale of the "Wishes" fireworks.
Our only "complaint" is that it was cold. Well, cold for us. We literally dressed in long johns and multiple layers with hats and gloves. How cold was it? An embarrassing 62 degrees. Let's just say that we have become acclimated to Florida's warm weather.
OK... so I'm having to fudge a little on my weeks and dates matching up. We learned our lesson a long time ago to avoid the Orlando theme parks during peak holiday times. So... we avoided Disney and the other parks during the weeks just prior and after Thanksgiving.
After our short "break" from the parks, we headed back to Disney Studios for more of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.
In between light shows, we dropped into the bookstore to warm up with some cocoa and desserts. The carrot cake sandwich cookie is awesome!
The dancing lights are our favorite. We'll be back before the Disney World holiday season ends!
