#parkhopping - Day 6 / December 22, 2025 by Mark

It’s back to the theme parks--specifically, Universal Orlando.

#parkhopping - Day 5 / December 21, 2025 by Mark

This was another quiet day for me, based on the planned activity. The group was going to a wildlife preserve, which meant traipsing around marshes on a cloudy rainy day, and leaving at 6a to boot. My rule of thumb is that, on vacation, I don't get up earlier than necessary. So I laid back and used the pool and spa.

Meanwhile, Mindy piled into a car for an hour drive to a few wildlife viewing locations. Our first choice reserve was closed for the day (drat), but we drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive and saw so many fancy birds (herons and egrets and lots of others).

#parkhopping - Day 4 / December 20, 2025 by Mark

After another soak in the hot tub, we headed over to Disney Springs, which is a large shopping and dining area just outside the parks. It’s basically a mall, except you go thru a metal detector to get in. Unlike the parks, it's free.

#parkhopping - Day 3 / December 19, 2025 by Mark

After two days of driving, including a mess of slowdowns the night before, I was beat. That and the fact that the group was going to Animal Kingdom (which really didn't pique my interest), plus I would not have gotten in cheap (our old friends Bill and Janet can only get so many people into Disney at a time), so I made the call to hang out at the Airbnb for the day.

#parkhopping - Day 2 / December 18, 2025 by Mark

After a quiet night at a decent hotel, we were off and running, starting locally in Columbia, SC.

#parkhopping - Day 1 / December 17, 2025 by Mark

My sister-in-law Kathy and her daughter Trish drove down from WI yesterday, with Trish taking an Uber to the airport in the wee hours. So we left early, around 8a. We made good time today--it helps with three drivers.

#parkhopping - Day 0 / December 16, 2025 by Mark

Time for another travelogue. We didn’t get much of an opportunity for a major trip the last few months due to a home improvement project keeping us mostly homebound. So we wanted to sneak in a trip before the holidays (making things rather crowded).