We had a big group for this trip from all over NSW, QLD, ACT and VIC. Most of us started from Trusted Travel head office in Wollongong, but we all finally met up at the resort in stunning Labrador.
The rain didn’t bother us much on the first day as we all had lunch at different places on our way in, and once at Treasure Island Holiday Resort, there were so many great dinner choices, we all had dinner there and got to know each other.
Based on the weather, we chose Wet’n’Wild as our first park (we figured we were going to get wet anyway), and what a great choice that turned out to be! We practically had the park to ourselves.
Even the most popular rides only had short queues so we took full advantage and got in multiple turns on rides like the new Super Ripper, Tornado, Mammoth Falls, Aqualoop, Constrictor, Super 8 AquaRacer and the Black Hole.
The wave pool is always fun and that combined with a stashed water pistol gave one of our sporty travellers, who also came last year, a chance to get some sneaky revenge on one of the guides from last year’s trip; we’re almost certain they deserved it!
Back at Treasure Island to relax before dinner; the rain didn’t stop many using the outdoor heated spa and pools.
The rain finally stopped in the afternoon which, to the delight of the foodies in the group, meant we only could walk from the resort to the strip of restaurants down the road. We gorged ourselves on Mexican, Chinese, every cuisine you can think of.
Rain early the next morning finally turned to sunshine during the day as we headed to SeaWorld.
SeaWorld is a great day and one of the biggest challenges is trying to decide which shows to see and which rides to go on, it’s impossible to fit them all in one day.
We all loved the Affinity Dolphin show, the crazy Thunder Lake Stunt show, the polar bears, stingrays, penguins, and many other fantastic animal and sea creature displays.
Everyone was keen for the StormCoaster and most rode it twice, but we started to see a clear split in the group when it came to the Vortex. This ride that flips you all around and shakes you upside-down was a bit too much for half the group, but a hardcore group went on three or more times.
Another group loved the character theme shows like Paw Patrol and the chance to sing, dance and be photographed with the different characters.
The Battle Boats as always are a hit and somehow, once again, our sporty traveller managed to use the boats water cannon to drench the guide that we still think deserves it.
We headed into Surfers that night to have a look at all the lights and activity on the Surfers Paradise strip before deciding to have dinner at the Southport Surf Club.
The food and atmosphere were great; many of us decided to join in the club’s trivia comp. To our surprise, this is where we found out one of our travellers has encyclopaedic comic and pop culture knowledge and for a little while there, it looked like we might even be able to take home the winner’s prize!
Our 3rd day – Now this was the type of Queensland day you see advertised, beautiful and sunny… Perfect!
Right from the start, we could see our two main groups emerging. Our bravest and fearless thrill-seekers including a couple of our new travellers, would race back to do the biggest and scariest rides like DC Rivals HyperCoaster, the Green Lantern and Batwing over and over. Meanwhile, our other group loved watching the parades and enjoyed seeking out characters to meet like Scooby, Shaggy and Daphne, Batman, Wonderwoman and Superman to name a few.
Again, there was so much to do we couldn’t fit it all in; souvenir shops to visit, the new Batman display, rides we all loved like Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster, Roadrunner and Justice League, the Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 show etc.; it was a huge day for all!
Back at Treasure Island, it was time for us all to get together for the famous final night Trusted Travel Party BBQ – plenty of lamb chops, sausages, loads of salads, ice cream and drinks for everyone around the pool!
One of our new travellers also is a DJ and this was a great chance for him to play some of his music for the group.
For those not into the DJ, we also had a chance to watch a gripping NRL match that went right down to the wire – our footy heads loved it. A great way to end our final night.
One final breakfast together and we started to make our ways home, all along the East Coast.
Definitely a trip we’ll remember!
