We got the BOGO free Sea World and Aquatica annual passes for DH and I. then we got discounted Sea World and Aquatica single day tickets for the kids. In the end it was a little cheaper than booking directly with DC and we will have the 10% off food, merchandise, and cabana.
The extra savings....on things like dining, tours, cabana rentals, etc...are often overlooked by many folks in the planning process, and can seriously add up over the course of a weeks vacation!!
Happy Sunday Morning friend!!
I am happy to see you will be with Jetblue for this trip. We haven't flown with them for a long time because Southwest always turns out better from Buffalo for us. But imagine my surprise when I saw a non stop on the day we need to fly home for $112 per person! I booked it last week and we're excited. Totally different experience to pick our seats again!
Today has been a trip planning morning. We are trying to nail down the activities the kids want to do for their birthdays. Oh yeah.. we spilled the surprise on a day that the kids had the winter blues. I'm a horrible surprise keeper.
We didn't purchase the interactive wands last trip as we had a lot to pack in to two short days. So ds described his perfect birthday today (which will be our first full day). We'll check in to Cabana Bay after spending the night offsite (our flight gets in late) and we are going to head over to the parks for early entry. My 11 year old boy wants to purchase his interactive wand first thing in the morning and spend the day doing as many of the spells as time allows. He'd like to have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and then for his birthday dinner he is torn between NBA city (which we've done) and the Hard Rock Cafe.
Sounds like the perfect day!
DD's 18th birthday is a few days later and she also wants to spend the day in the parks and chose Bubba Gumps for her birthday dinner. I bought the Landry's Select Club card in my dh's name so that will give us a $25 credit from purchase and another $25 because it's his birthday month. So $50 off of dd's birthday dinner and priority seating. That's a bonus as I expect it to be very busy on a Saturday night in March.
DD also wants to do the mini golf at city walk that night. I am trying to figure out if I can get the golf and meal voucher and use the meal on a different night than the golf. I read in someones trip report that they did just that. That would enable us to use the meal voucher at NBA city for ds's birthday and use the golf on dd's birthday since the restaurant she wants doesn't participate. We'd still order dessert on top of the meal voucher but it would save us a bit to do it this way. I suppose I should call and find out if it's possible.
Anyway.. I'm cluttering up your thread with my plans. I just love that we get to plan together!
You are most certainly NOT cluttering up anything....I love hearing about your plans too! lol on letting the cat out of the bag
... for the record, I couldnt keep a secret like that, either. Hats off to you for not spilling the beans long before now.
I can only imagine that your kiddos were over the moon when they heard the news! Your trip sounds like its shaping up to be the best birthday week, ever
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I am eager to hear how you like Bubba Gumps. I adore the movie (one of my all-time favourites) but none of us like seafood .... so hopefully you will come back and tell me about some wonderful chicken dish that they have on the menu that we simply MUST give a try on our trip!
I really appreciate the time you took to break down the scenarios for me. No, we won't be returning to Orlando again during the year and I supposed that's why I hadn't considered an annual pass. I do, however, love the idea of free parking and discounts while we're in the parks.
You mentioned that the Quick Queue is included in merchandise discounts. Do we have to purchase that ahead of time or can we make the decision to buy it if we find Sea World crowded on the day we're there?
If I buy the annual passes now will I have a code that I can use to purchase discounted Sea World / Aquatica tickets?
I'm sorry for taking up space in your Pre Trip Report!
Hey, dont apologize....this kind of chatter is what a PTR is for
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Your annual passes would be for your SeaWorld and Aquatica admission. With an AP in hand, you can purchase your DC admission online using the PASSMEMBER14! code (type it in in the promo code box at the top of the screen). You just have to make sure you activate your AP before you visit DC, as you must show your annual pass to a DC staffer upon arrival to confirm your eligibility for the special passmember pricing.
As for the discounts on the quick queue, I dont think you will be able to purchase them online before you activate your pass. You *might* be able to do so by phone as long as you have your order number from your AP purchase. Definitely you could buy them at the park with your AP discount.
Oh looking forward to it Gina..........I won't mention brownies again........promise.......least not till after dinner
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Love HHN and I'll bet you and the DH will too..........wow....... you haven't been for 3 years to Universal.......oh my..........you will see a difference......can't wait to read what you think about it
You can tell we have embarked on a family healthy eating & exercise campaign (I refuse to say diet
) when a simple mention of brownie points has me drooling for chocolate. Yours truly was born with a sweet tooth courtesy of my Dad, so this lifestyle change is a killer
. I would like to feel more fit when we travel in May, so Steve and I have been swimming daily at the YMCA, and he has been working out independently as well. I am happy to say he has dropped 10 pounds in two weeks
. No such dramatic results for me, but I am feeling pretty darn good.....chocolate cravings aside, of course
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I can only imagine how many differences we will see at Universal on our trip! They had just closed the Jaws ride the day prior to our last visit. THAT is how long its been since we were there.
As for our plans when we arrive....diet, be darned. I have having a Butterbeer as soon as the first cart opens for business
. And there is a big pink donut at Lard Lad with my name on it.
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or take a friend). That said, with our dollar on a skid, ever little bit helps.
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. But what can you do? We ended up with the airline we prefer, excellent flight times, luggage included, seat selection included (including the fees to upgrade to Even More Space & Even More Speed), snacks included, and even the exchange rate factored in, and it was still cheaper than Westjet from Toronto. 
. That would be a dream (lol, maybe not for my wallet....I'd always be looking for somewhere else to go 
. They want to go to the beach (if its warm enough), relax at the resort, SHOP, and hit up the non-park attractions like an airboat ride, mini golf, the new Orlando Eye (it should be long since open by the holiday season), etc. So Groupon and Livingsocial might become my new best friends 
