Florida Trip - Day 5: Dining Yacht

We got to go on a dinner cruise with our group.  We got a little dressed up and then loaded the bus.  The bus dropped us off at the docks and then he drove back to the hotel where an employee drove our bus driver back to the dock to join us on the cruise.  

When it was time, we were able to get on to the Yacht.  We found our seats at our table, which was right by the DJ and dance floor.  We had plenty of time before dinner, so we ordered our dinner and then we went out on the deck to check out the scenery.  We started out at the front of the boat and then we moved up higher and went to the back of the boat.  It was really nice out there.  The weather was perfect, and the sunset was beautiful.

A lot of people came and hung out on the deck too.  Julie and I had lots of fun conversations with many different people. Once the sun went down, it got chilly, so we went back inside.  

We got back to our table and chatted with our group before our dinner came.  I got the filet mignon, and it was so good.  They also served us a yummy dessert.

After dinner some people started dancing on the dance floor.  It was fun to watch.  Then our tour guide asked Julie and I to do the Cuban Hustle with her on the dance floor.  We didn't know how to do it, but we quickly picked it up.  It was fun.  Then they also did the Boot Scootin boogie and the Electric Slide.  Julie and I danced them all and then quickly left and went back outside on the deck.  It felt amazing out there after all our dancing.  We took some fun pictures and had some good chats with people from our group.  It was so nice out there.  

The boat then docked, and we waited outside on the deck while others unloaded the boat.  We figured we had plenty of time because our bus driver had to get picked up and taken back to the hotel and then drive the bus to the docks.   Once he got there, we loaded the bus and went back to the hotel for the night.  It was such a fun experience that I hope to do with Tony someday.  

Florida Trip - Day 5: Tarpon Springs & Clearwater Beach

This was our last morning at the Plantation.  We ate our last breakfast buffet this morning before we had to pack up our stuff and check out of the hotel.

We all piled into the motorcoach and started the long drive towards Clearwater Beach.  We did stop after about an hour in the town called Tarpon Springs.  It is an ocean side town that has a lot of Greek history.  

We first asked a local worker where she recommended, we eat lunch.  She suggested a small place a couple blocks away.  It was decent.  I got the cheeseburger.  

After eating lunch, we went to do some shopping.  They had tons of souvenir shops and eateries.  We found a yummy pastry shop where we got some huge eclairs.  They looked better than they tasted.  They were good, but not great. 

We then walked back to the bus, and it drove us the rest of the way to our hotel in Clearwater Beach.  

We got all checked into our hotel and got our stuff in our rooms.  It was a newer hotel, and it was nice.  Julie and I decided to walk around the hotel and then we walked to the beach.  We weren't planning on the beach, so we had to take off our shoes and socks to enjoy the sand.  After a while we had to walk back to the hotel so we could get ready for our dinner cruise.  

Florida Trip - Day 4: Pictures, Pickle Ball, & Dinner at the Plantation

 After swimming with the manatees, we all went back to our room and showered.  We decided to wear the new shirts that dad bought us, so we were total twiners.  We had gift cards to eat at the hotel restaurant, so we went outside and ordered from the little bar and grill.  The food was good, and we loved sitting in the sun and soaking in the beautiful views.  After eating we decided to walk around the property and take some sweet pictures of us four cuties.  

After eating we decided we wanted to walk across the street and play some pickleball.  My dad and I wanted to rent a golf cart and drive it around the area, but they said we could only rent a golf cart if we were golfing.  We were bummed, but we understood.  So, us gals played pickleball instead.  After about an hour of pretending we knew what we were doing, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. 

Dinner this night was at the hotel.  They had a large banquet room that we all fit in, and they served us some yummy food.  We sat by two other couples who were sisters with their husbands.  It was really fun chatting with them and getting to know them better.  After dinner we went back to our rooms and hung out for the night.  It was such a fun day!

Florida Trip - Day 4: Swimming With Manatees

This was our free day without any group activities planned (except for dinner).  My dad had signed us up to swim with the manatees.  We started out by getting dressed and eating breakfast at the hotel buffet.  

Then it was time for us to walk over to the dock area to get ready for our outing.  We first had to sign some wavers and then put on our wet suits.  The guy at the shop didn't ask for our sizes, he just looked at us and gave us some suits.  I was most worried about getting on the wet suit.  They are definitely not for large gals.  It was not easy, but I did get it on.  I quickly realized that my suit was just way too tight.  My large arms were not happy in that suit.  So, I went and asked for a larger size, and I was much happier with that.  We then got some pretty sweet pictures of us all in our wet suits.  We were looking good!

There were 11 of us from our group on this trip to swim with the manatees.  They took us out in the boat from the hotel to the sanctuary area where we are allowed to swim with them.  There were a lot of rules when swimming with manatees.  You are not allowed to touch them, pet them, swim towards them, anything.  You are allowed to snorkel in the water and watch the manatees go by.  The manatees can come up to you and you are supposed to just observe.  

When we first got into the water, we were really surprised at how many huge fish were swimming just below our feet.  It was amazing that we never even felt them.  The divers told us not to kick our feet to swim, we were supposed to just doggy paddle around in the water.  That was hard for me to follow.  We did see a lot of manatees.  They would just swim by people or under people, so that was cool.  I was hoping that we could interact more with the manatees, so that was disappointing.  After about an hour I started getting lightheaded and seasick.

So, I decided to head back to the boat.  It seemed to take me forever to swim back to the boat. I was very happy when I got onto the boat.  It was a cooler day and very cloudy, so I was so cold when I got back to the boat.  My mom was already on the boat.  She had enough of the manatees.  I took off my wet suit and felt much better in my jacket.  They had coffee and hot chocolate for all of us.  It was funny because we all wanted the hot chocolate instead of the coffee.  We were the hot chocolate boat.  Not everyone from our tour group was LDS, but most of us were.  Not long after Julie and my dad joined us, and then the rest of our group came too.  It was a neat experience, and we were all glad that we did it.  

Florida Trip - Day 3: Ferris Groves & Peck's Old Port Cove

After seeing the mermaids, the motorcoach took us out to Ferris Groves for a shake.  They also had a little store where we bought a couple things while we drank our milkshakes.  We didn't spend much time there and there wasn't much to do, but I guess it was fun to see more sites.  

The bus then took us back to the hotel for a little break before we loaded back on bus to go to dinner.  It was about 20 minutes from our hotel.  Once we got to dinner, the sun was just setting, and it was beautiful.  We snapped a couple pictures before going into the restaurant.  

They had a back room where we all met and then provided a buffet type dining experience.  It was mostly fish and seafood, but they did have food that I ate.  It was a fun atmosphere, and we had a good time.  They also had yummy dessert for us all.  After we ate, we went back to the hotel.  Julie and I then got into the hot tube and it was so nice.  The jets were kind of weird, but the water was nice and hot.  After that we got showered and ready for bed for the night.

Florida Trip - Day 3: Mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

We started this day off with breakfast from the hotel before we loaded the motorcoach to go to Weeki Wachee Park.  This park is known for its mermaids and underwater shows.  The show didn't start for a few hours, so we went on a boat ride first thing.  It was nice and chill.  We saw some fish that jumped out of the water and some birds.  The fish were the most exciting things we saw on the boat ride.  Julie and I, of course, had a glorious time with each other.  We are so funny and always have a blast.

After the boat ride we went and saw a presentation of some animals.  He talked about a turtle and some snakes.  The presenter was very dry.  It was almost comical just how dry he was and how he clearly had memorized the presentation, but his delivery was...dry.  

After the presentation we walked around the park a little before going and getting in line for the mermaid underwater show.  We were able to get some good seats and we were excited to see the show.  The show was so interesting.  It was an adaptation of The Little Mermaid.  They really did have people in mermaid outfits down in the water acting out this play.  They had hoses that they would suck air out of to keep them under the water.  

The water was from a natural spring and was really cool.  They had bubbles come out of different areas that made it look even more cool.  The acting was entertaining.  There were a group of young ladies near us that laughed so hard at just how cheesy the show was, that it made us laugh too.  The sea witch was definitely my favorite character.  Ariel got her legs and her and the prince came out in front of us, out of the water, and danced happily.  But then the sea witch came and scared them away.  The show was very entertaining and cheesy and interesting.  I'm not sure one would need to see that more than once.  But I am glad I can say that I've seen it. 

After the show we went at got our boxed lunches from the restaurant.  It was pretty good.  We sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and the pretty views.  There were some peacocks walking around that were fun to watch.  After lunch we stopped by the gift shop.  I found Tyler a cool turtle from there to add to his collection.  Then it was almost time to go, so Julie and I bought some smashed pennies and then walked around the huge fountain that was in front of the park.  Then it was time to load the bus and head to our next destination.  

Florida Trip - Day 2: Manatees

We woke up this morning and after we got dressed, we went to the hotel restaurant where they had a breakfast buffet.  It was included for our tour group.  It was a pretty good spread, and we all enjoyed it.  After eating we then got ready to leave for the day.  

We loaded the motorcoach and headed to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. It was like 20ish minutes from out hotel.  This was a zoo-like place that has many different animals, but the manatees were the star of the park.  

The park goes in a big circle.  We decided to go the opposite direction then where most of our group went, we are such rebels.  It was nice because we got to see stuff with just our little group of four.  The tour guide (Kathy?) and bus driver (Alex) ended up joining us.  They knew who the cool kids were!  

We first saw the manatees in the water.  They look like huge potatoes in the water.  Which is what they are known for, potatoes of the seas.  They move very slowly.  They spend most of their time in the water and then slowly come up for a big gulp of air and then they go back down.  They are not super entertaining to watch.  They did have an area where you can go down underground and see them from some really dirty windows.  They still weren't that exciting to watch, but they did have a couple babies and that was exciting to see.  

After we got our fill of the manatees, we moved on to see some of the other animals.  We saw a fox, bear, hippo, leopard, birds, reptiles, etc.  We thought the hippo sign was super funny as a warning to not stand behind the hippos.  "Splatter Zone" - funny stuff.  

After we walked all around the park, we saw the gift shop.  I found a cool sea turtle for Tyler, so that was a success.  They even had a little cafe area where they had popped popcorn, so that was exciting.  We love our popcorn.  Then it was time to load back into the motorcoach to go to our next activity.  

Our next stop was at the Three Sisters Springs and Refuge.  We walked along a really cute path that went along the water where tons of manatees were swimming around.  The path did not go in a circle, so we checked out one side of the springs and then walked to the other side.  It was a really pretty area and there were tons of manatees to see.  This water was much clearer than the last place.  After our stroll around the area, we loaded back into the motorcoach where it took us to lunch.

We had lunch at Heritage Village area.  We decided to eat at BubbaQues.  They were pretty busy, and we had to wait for a while to get in and get a table, but it was okay.  The sun was shining, and my dad and I sat in the sun while Julie and my mom went and did some shopping.  

After eating we didn't have a lot of time, but just enough to check out a store or two.  We were able to buy a couple souvenirs and matching water/sun shirts that were only $5 each.  So that was super fun and us ladies can all be matching.  

After lunch they took us back to our hotel.  We had about an hour to rest and relax before our next activity which was a cruise on a boat around the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.  It was a little chilly on the ride, but super pretty.  We saw some more manatees (woohoo, more potatoes), different birds, and some super cool houses on the water.  The captain and skipper pointed out John Travolta's house.  That was interesting.  They kept looking out for more manatees and we pretty much felt like we had seen enough manatees, so I was being silly and said that I would show the group what a manatee does, and it was super silly.  

After the boat ride we had some more time at the hotel to rest and relax before we got to get back on the same boat to go to dinner.  It a cold ride to the restaurant, but still fun.  We ate dinner at a waterside restaurant and the food was pretty good.  It was a busy night, but we all had fun and liked our food.  We got dessert to go, so that was exciting.  Since it was so cold, the bus driver went back to the hotel and got the bus to drive the cold people back to the hotel.  Julie and I decided to take the boat back and we were so glad that we did.  It wasn't that cold, and it was so pretty with all the lights bouncing off the water.  Only a handful of us from our group came (maybe 12 people) and it was just so nice.  It was the perfect way to end the night and we just loved it.

Florida Trip - Day 1: SLC to Orlando to Crystal River

Tony took me to the airport in the morning.  That is what started my super fun trip to Florida.  My dad spoiled us with first class tickets, so I was able to go to that special line to check in my luggage.  

After I got all checked in, I introduced myself to our tour director and then went through security.  It was quick and smooth.

I then walked to my gate.  My parents and Julie's plane hadn't arrived yet, so I decided to walk around the airport.  Once they landed, they walked to our gate and then found us a place to eat breakfast.  I walked back to meet them for breakfast.  We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen, and it was pretty good. 

After eating we used the bathroom before loading the plane.  I felt so fancy going in first thing and sitting in our large first-class seat.  I did feel a little funny having all the back of the plane people walk by us with our drinks and fancy seats.

The flight was very smooth.  They served us lunch on the plane and handed out snacks.  I told the flight attendant about having kids and wanting some snacks for them and she hooked up Julie and I with bags of snacks for our kids.  She was super nice.

Once we got to Florida, we went to baggage claim and waited for our luggage.  This is where we met all of the people from our tour group.  We were a party of like 35 people, so it was a good-sized group.  Once we all had our luggage, we went out to meet our motorcoach.  The difference between a motorcoach and a bus is that a motorcoach has a toilet in it.  So, we were super fancy and had a motorcoach (but I am sure I will still call it a bus sometimes).  We loaded up and headed towards our hotel.  We stopped and ate an early dinner at Panera.

After we ate, the bus took us to our hotel in Crystal River.  It started raining on our drive, but it stopped by the time we got to our hotel, The Plantation.  Once we got our luggage in our room, Julie and I walked around the property.  It was dark, but the weather felt nice.  It is a large, beautiful property and it was fun checking it out.  We then went back to our room and got ready for bed.