Putts, Balls and Snow Falls - A December 2021 trip for 2
 

The history of the Wobble Trips to Florida -


1998 - You can go any time you want, I am not interested
2005 - OK ONCE with friends, that means at least I can play golf - But not at Christmas
2007 - ONCE - we will go ONCE together and then I am done - oh wow is that the space shuttle
2009 - OK we will go again, that was ok. But Not At Christmas
2011 - What Halloween Stuff? Horror? Why have you never said before
2013 - OK Horror is good every year - but not Christmas
2020 - When can we go back?
2021 - So what special stuff do we need to look out for at Christmas? Is three times in 15 months too much? Did you know they have snow in Celebration? Have you read about Grinchmas?

Well finally, here we are again, Steven and Emma Wobble are off to the promised land and despite nearly 20 years of Mr W not wanting to touch Florida at Christmas, we are off in December. And. I. Can't. Wait. There nearest I have got to Florida is changing trains at Kings Cross Station... Mr W is also very keen

The fates are obviously smiling down on us, last Christmas was like every other day last year - very heavy on both the COVID and EU Exit fronts and I have spent most of the last year going round and round in circles trying to keep up with the changes

I was top of the list for having time off at Christmas this year - and then they announced the skys are opening up again, I knew there was only one place I wanted us to be.

Our timeline

10 Dec - Off to Gatwick
11 Dec - BA to Tampa
12 Dec - Volcano Bay
13 Dec - Rest Day
14 Dec - Ice Hockey in Tampa
15 Dec - Basketball in Orlando
16 Dec - Universal Update - GKTW Christmas Lights
17 Dec - Rest Day, Celebration Snow Falls
18 Dec - Shopping, Universal Golf
19 Dec - Rest Day, Possibly Winter Garden Boats
20 Dec - Universal - Update - Universal Holiday Tour
21 Dec - Rest Day, relaxed evening
22 Dec - Back to Tampa for the flight

So follow us if you are interested in childless, disneyless, off site easy eating, Universal Focused, Sport filled short breaks in a villa.

The Putts of Putts and Balls and Snow Falls
 

Number One of my list to get sorted as were are going in December is Ice Hockey tickets, it's our favourite sport and although we have never seen them at home, we call ourselves Tampa Bay Lightening Fans.


The "Bolts" play at the Amalie Arena in Tampa and won the Stanley Cup last season for the second year in a row. The arena is just over an hour down the I4 from Championsgate and the tickets start at a reasonable price ($19 - if anyone wants to go)

We are going to see them play the LA Kings in December


Putts down - now to sort out the balls and snow falls

You've had the Putts - Now see the Balls
 

The other sport we were keen to catch live, was basketball. We have never seen the Orlando Magic team live so as I am unlikely to get Mr W to agree to another Christmas trip - I am making the most of it.


The Magic play at the Amway Centre, which is about 30 minutes up from Universal Studios or about 60 minutes from Championsgate. You can bundle parking into your tickets or if you fancy the Sunrail, the Church Street Station is within walking distance.

Again tickets are cheap, starting at about $20 - $24 dollar, so again is a cheap fun night out. I got both sets of tickets from Ticketmasters (Hockey and Basketball) and it was easy to use and very reasonable priced.

We are watching them play to Atlanta Hawks and I am almost as excited to see this as I am the Hockey, even though I don't know the first thing about Basketball.

Ticked off Putts and Balls - Now where to find Snowfalls
 

We love Celebration, and we spend a lot of time there. One thing I have always wanted to do is see the Christmas lights and snow there. It is such a pretty place and we love what they do for Halloween so Christmas should be fun too

They have confirmed there will be snow this year as part of their annual celebrations - Details now released - snow will be at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm nightly. There is also Santa, Carollers, an ice rink and carriage rides.

Also a special concert on the 11th December




Check out their website for more details.

Food Food Food Food Food
 

I suffer from allergies, so have to be careful with what I eat, for a starter no fish or shellfish. Mr W is just plain fussy.

We will mainly be eating offsite and top of the list is

Logans - we've never had a bad meal there ever
Miller's Ale House - Our favourite place to eat in Championsgate
Big John Rockin BBQ - We discovered this place in Kissimmee Town Centre on our last visit in 2019, amazing family fun BBQ and very cheap - we love it
Longhorn - We had a bad experience at the one on the 192 a few years ago where they basically used our table to stack dirty plates whilst we ate. However one has just opened up at Championsgate so we will be giving it another go.
Menchies/Coldstone Creamery/Kilwins/Sweet Dreams - We are ice cream coinsurers - and these are our favourite places to eat ice cream. If you want a quiet time out - Sweet Dreams in Kissimmee Old Town during the day is usually almost empty.
Buffalo Wild Wings / Hooters - 'nuff said, we are wings fans

I am sure there will be others we will add during time

It sounds like you're going to have a fabulous time! I bet this Christmas beats last Christmas!

Oh and the pop quiz...I'm plumping for King's Cross London.

Shows how good it is, it's Universal

Rides and Slides Stateside - What we've missed at Universal
 

We are big fans of Universal, in normal times we are Annual Pass holders, Preferred Pass level, which gives us no blackout dates, 10% off merchandise, 10 - 20% off food, free parking and hotel discounts (among other things)


This year is no different and I have recently purchased our new passes (we have another visit booked in the next 12 months so will get value of out of the tickets).

There are a number of rides and shows we are really missing and this is our "Got to get done - in '21"

At No 10 - "The Aliens Den" - brings out the competitive side in both of us - Men in Black

At No 9 - "Last Chance to Shine" - we will be saying goodbye to Shrek - probably more than once.

At No 8 - "Through the Gate" - the best way to travel between the parks, the Hogwarts Express

At No 7 - "Almost Heaven" (for a Harry Potter Fan) - it is Escape from Gringotts

At No 6 - "We're in a Fix" - When the boat goes off course in Jurassic Park, you know you are up for that sinking feeling



At No 5 - "It's Alive" - the best show (in our opinion) anywhere - ever! It's the Horror Make Up Show

At No 4 - "We're going to Soar" - we can't wait to try the most expensive Churrio Stand in Universal - The VelociCoaster

At No 3 - "It's Minions we see" - They are yellow and love Bananas, It's Despicable Me

At No 2 - "Take off that shoe" - Bilge Rats Barges - best bare foot at any time of the year

And At No 1 - "Here's Harry and Ron" - Yes it is Forbidden Journey - best pre ride and ride for us

Subscribing... sounds fab. We always like to sit out of the way and shrink down in our seats when they're looking for 'volunteers' at the Horror Make Up show. We love it though :smile:

Can’t wait to read more