Day 2 - Epcot

Happy birthday Jason & Abbey! Wow what a way to celebrate a birthday. Our day started pretty early according to our SK clocks but pretty late by Florida standards. We got up and at 'em, had some snacks for breakfast and hit the road to Epcot.

Nothing can prepare you for how large these parks are. I mean, I think we expected it to be big - but it was massive! Epcot is probably the most 'educational' of the parks, and we were told by people that we were saving the best for last by going to Magic Kingdom on our last day. However, that doesn't mean we didn't have a blast at Epcot!

The shuttle service from the hotel to the park was awesome. Quick and clean, and hardly any waiting. We got to Epcot probably within 15 minutes. When we arrived at Epcot we stopped for a bit so Abbey could finish her fruit and drink, then we herded ourselves into the park with the thousands of other people that were coming to Epcot for the day. Going through 'Security' was interesting - 10 lines for people with bags so that your bag could be checked, and one lonely little line (and an ancient security guard) for the line up for people with no bags. Like - who doesn't carry a bag to DisneyWorld?

Our first stop inside the park was inside the big 'geosphere' that is the biggest landmark at Epcot. There is a ride inside of it called Spaceship Earth that is a journey through time and into the future. It's quite a calm ride and even Oakley enjoyed it. A highlight was that they took your picture and then used your faces in an interactive activity at the end of the ride! And you can imagine the faces my husband made!

After that ride was over, I realized that poor Oakley's diaper soaked through her outfit onto

me, so we were both soaked. Really? We'd been there all of 30 min!! So we got her changed and then we were left to just air dry. Nice. First rule for tomorrow - pack a change of clothes for Oakley and change her diaper every hour due to the amount of water she's drinking in this heat! (BTW - weather is a humid 28 degrees or so. Today was quite cloudy but very very warm!)

Next stop - getting fast pass tickets for "Soarin". It was a ride recommended to us by a few people and using the fast pass option allows you to get a head of the line during a certain hour. We were there at 10:30 am or so and our fast pass tickets were for 2 pm. So instead of waiting in line for an hour (seriously! that's how long the wait is!) you get your fast pass and come back at the designated time and wait five min.

Then - off to meet Mickey Mouse! There is a character spot where they do meet & greets all day. So we waited in line for about 30 minutes (in air conditioning, so Jason didn't complain!). Oakley was a little fussy as she could see Mickey but didn't understand that it wasn't her turn. She did pretty good though and only needed one bag of candy to get her through. It was pretty cute to see her meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy & Donald though. She gave Mickey a kiss on the nose and got her picture taken with her sister with all of them. She asked Minnie right away where Mickey was - couldn't imagine them being apart I guess!

I should also mention in here Jason and Abbey's birthday buttons. They were given them yesterday and everywhere we went, cast members (Disney staff) and other guests wished them a happy birthday. I think Jason enjoyed it but by about 5 pm Abbey took hers off!!!

After the meet & greet we saw Chip & Dale outside so stopped to see them too. Didn't go as well for Oakley though - line moved slowly, it was hot outside and she was stuck in her stroller! Not fun for anyone. Mission accomplished though - more autographs in the book and more pictures!

Then we decided we all needed some air conditioning. So off to "The Sea with Nemo and Friends". It was about a five minute walk (not wait - there was no waiting, just walking through long long windy rows set up inside the building - cattle I tell ya). The ride was short but good, we sat in big sea shells that quietly moved through a condensed version of the Finding Nemo movie. Oakley had her Nemo toy from Auntie Janelle pretty close by that whole time! One of the highlights of Epcot for me was going through the aquariums in this building though - they are MASSIVE. Over 5 million gallons of water, manatees, sharks, sting rays, dolphins, turtles, every variety of fish. Pretty amazing. About three stories tall I think and amazing views into it.

Our lunch reservation was for Coral Reef restaurant that was attached to this building and utilized this huge aquarium as a feature wall in the restaurant, so you could watch everything go by as you ate. We had a nice lunch (although Oakley was a disaster... ugg... so difficult to feed, a handful of meltdowns, and drank a ton of water and juice... so I guess that's good. I get so frustrated when she doesn't eat though!)

After lunch it was time to head to "Soarin" to use up our fast passes. Oakley was too small for the ride so Jason and Abbey went while Oakley and I rode the escalator up and down to pass the time! We had to wait about 40 min for them, then I got to take Abbey back on it for her round two while Jason sat outside with Oakley (a fabulous feature they call "Switch Rider" or "Rider Switch" so that you don't have to wait twice in line. What a ride - I am so glad we went although it was only about 5 min long. You sit in this long row of seats that are raised up high in to the air in front of a huge Imax-like screen, where they project a bunch of video of different California countrysides... while moving the cars and blowing wind in your face. It's amazing! Jason gave it an 8 out of 10, said it would have been 10 out of 10 if it would have been any longer than 5 minutes!

At this point it was well past Oakley's nap and we made the decision to tough it out in the park instead of take her back to the hotel to nap. We went over to the Universe of Energy for a 45 min show with Ellen Degeneres about energy and different forms of it. There was a dinosaur element to it so of course we had to go. Well I thought Oakley might sleep but it was a moving ride that was loud with lots of roaring... so a few more meltdowns.... and away we go. Yeesh.

Off we went to the World Showcase.... and our little lady finally fell asleep in the stroller. After some fancy manoeuvring by Jason we managed to recline this little umbrella stroller of ours and wow what a difference. Poor little thing - all she wanted was her blanket and her mean old mommy left it in the hotel. Second mental note for tomorrow - bring blankie. We walked around the world showcase (think Mosaic - only millions of dollars more and all year round).. and then realized that our dinner reservations were super early. So we had to turn around and high tail it to Mexico where we had dinner at the San Angel Inn. (Abbey's choice!) It was really neat - set in a big pyramid... and inside there was a big Mayan temple and a volcano (or what I'm assuming is a video of a volcano!) Oakley slept through the whole thing - including the 12 or so servers that sang Happy Birthday in Spanish to our special birthday boy & girl! I had surprised them by ordering a cake with "Happy Birthday Dad & Abbey" on it - and they were surprised! It was very yummy and we only ate a bit of it - so dragged the rest under the stroller around the park till we got home.

We cruised around World Showcase for a bit till Oakley woke up (probably only 1.5 hour nap total...but it was more than I was expecting so I didn't complain! The sun came out and man was it hot when she woke up. She's usually a big of a grouch when she wakes up and needs her 'cuddle bit' with me but it was hard to do in a park full of people. So we stumbled through it until we hit a fountain by the France Pavillion where she was able to dip her feet in and cool off. Then we had a seriously wet diaper to change so Oaks and I left the birthday gang behind to find a bathroom to change. What an adventure that was! You'd think there'd be a few more bathrooms. Huh. FINALLY - after that we headed back on the path. Not so fast - then Jason and Abbey needed the bathroom and Oakley and I hung out for another character meet and greet with Marie - a cat from the Aristocats... who was really cute although I've never seen that movie!

Now we had to get this child to eat something, so back on the path we went to find food. We went all the way back to Future World where we had started and tried to get a burger, carrots and grapes into her. All she really wanted was the juice. UG! Frustration! But I guess I'd be concerned if she wasn't drinking, but I really hate that I can't get any food into her. Thank God for fruit leather. :)

OK so kid is happy, birthday boy and girl are fading fast - where to now? We did a couple more quick shows at Future World - one was a Lion King video about taking care of our planet, and the other was a boat ride through different habitats and through a really neat greenhouse that Disney uses, and actually that's where they get a lot of the veggies they use at restaurants in the park. Bonus - no waits for either of those two rides and they were next door to each other!

Abbey and I realized there was one building we hadn't even been in yet - so off we went to that (Imagination pavilion). By this point it was dark outside and I didn't want to miss the fireworks - so had Jason ask a cast member when they started. They were in 20 min! So back to World Showcase we went. We got relatively decent spots, talked to some nice ladies that were originally from SK (nothing like a Riders jersey to spark conversation) and enjoyed a wonderful fireworks show. It was really quite a special way for Jason and Abbey to end their birthdays. I was pretty impressed with Oakley too - she wasn't scared at all!

Then it was time to go home - loaded the bus and made our way back. It was about 10 pm when we got home (8 pm for us, and Oakley is still very much on SK time). A quick bath and she went right to bed! No fight tonight.

We had to order a fridge for our room. Another $10/day. But trying to keep a litre of milk cold using ziploc bags and the ice bucket was just not going to last us all week. This fridge is tiny - probably only worth about $50. It's a little silly - we feel 'nickled and dimed'... but what else do you do? But at least the stress of it all is now gone. It was going to be a real pain trying to deal with Oakley's milk.

So now our girls are sleeping and Jason and I are on dueling computers. :) He's shrinking pics for me to post on here, we took so so many. I'll add them back in once he's done.

And tomorrow - we are off to Hollywood Studios. Only reservation is for 6:15 for dinner, so we have a bit more flexibility. Now that we've learned some lessons with the stroller and the blanket and the change of clothes, we hope that nap time goes a bit more smoothly. However, all things considered, both girls did REALLY well today for it being so hot, so crowded, and so go go go. Jason and I aren't fighting yet either so that's a good sign too!

We're off to bed soon - we're going to need all the rest we can get.

Hey - let us know, did it snow at home yet??? ;)

Day 1 - Travel Day! On the road to Mickey's House

Our day started at 4am. Showering, packing and hitting the road. Oakley was hilarious in the van on the way to the airport. She was giggling ecstatically all the way there talking about going to "Mickey's House." It was so cute.

Today was quite an adventure. It all started at the Regina International Airport when we discovered that Oakley required a "paper ticket" for travel. Ummm... she's under 2. She doesn't need a seat and is 'free'... right? This was the first we have ever heard of this and our Travel Agent apparently didn't know this either. We were a bit panicked for a while, but Air Canada came through for us with only 30 minutes of wondering if we were actually going to make it. We had already paid some taxes for her through our agent, apparently not enough, and $12.03 Canadian later, we were on our way.

Oakley was doing fine considering we had to wake her up at 4:30 am... she did ok until she had a bit of a rough experience when Airport Security put her stroller though the x-ray machine. Oakley lost her mind. I believe Homeland Security raised their terrorist threat level to "Orange" due to this incident.

After working at the jail for 15 years and patting down countless inmates, Jason had his first experience being patted down. When he went through the scanner the lights and bells flashed for a "random pat down". Jason believes that his political views were somehow recognized by the scanner and it was anything but "random".

Once we got on the plane, Oakley was awesome. Cute, quiet, funny and taking it all in. Everyone around us stared at her and smiled. She was a lot of fun. Jason and Oakley sat together on one side of the aisle and Des & Oakley together in one seat across the aisle. We were warned about some severe turbulance upon arriving in Denver but we just told Oakley it was a ride... so she went 'weeeeee' and made everyone laugh.

Arrival in Denver:

Not so much fun. The Airline Steward did not allow us to leave until we filled out two cards for Homeland Security. Then it turned out that they didn't have one of the cards and had to get more while we waited on the plane. For the next 20 minutes we waited then filled out these cards. And we didn't have a pen, so had to wait even longer to borrow one from the ladies in front of us. Ug.

We then had to "recheck" our luggage and go through security again. There was a huge lineup and this took another 15 minutes. Our gate was B-55 and we had to take a train there, then walk across the whole terminal to the very end. It turns out B-55 is one of the last gates. We arrived to find that although the plane had not left yet, the "doors were closed" to the plane. The United employee radioed and was told that they wouldn't be opening them. Oy. This was about 10:15 our time - would have had us arriving in Orlando at 1:50 our time (3:50 Orlando time). It was just not to be.

We went to United Customer Service and waited for another 30 minutes to find another flight. We were very lucky to find one departing in two hours. WHEW! We had lunch and made our flight.

Again Oakley was a dream to fly with. She slept on mommy for 2 1/2 hours and was awesome. Abbey and Jason snoozed a bit too, Des and Abbey read magazines and Des watched the in-flight movie (Did You Hear About the Morgans - I'd highly recommend it!)

We arrived in Orlando at 5:30 Regina time. Everything from here went perfectly. Our luggage was already picked up and taken to the resort and the directions we received to take the "Magical Express" bus were right on. 30 minutes later we were at our Resort.

We found our hotel room, and although it's a standard room it's about as close to the pool as you can get. We got settled into our hotel room with the crib we reserved and the carry on luggage we had. Our checked bags didn't make it yet when we got here.

We went down to the main lobby area of the hotel and cruised the gift shop and the little cafeteria they have there. We had supper, bought a jug of milk for Oakley (which we have to keep in buckets of ice - renting a fridge is $10/day!) and refillable travel mugs ($13 each but you get free refills of pop and other drinks including coffee (yay for Des!) at the hotel for our entire stay. I'm sure we'll get $13 worth of drinks for each of us while we're here.

By the time we got to our hotel our bags were here, so we got into our suits and hit the pools. It's a beautiful night but it's still pretty cool when you're soaked to the skin! So we only lasted about a half hour before we headed back to our room, bathed Oakley and put her to bed. Which we're still listening to... she's having a hard time calming down. It's only 8 pm for us but it's 10 pm here... and she's just having a hard go of it . Doesn't help that we're all in the room with the lights out ignoring her. And poor Abbey is coughing up a storm - good thing we have antibiotics from her doc for her mouth... hopefully they'll clear up her lungs a bit too. So she's in bed too, tired little monkeys. They're both pretty excited to be here!

Tomorrow is a big day for us too. It's both Jason and Abbey's birthdays (39 and 12 respectively) and we have lots planned. They have birthday buttons to wear, and we're spending the day at Epcot. It will be a blast. Hopefully Oakley has a good sleep cuz she's gonna need it!

Jason (draft 1) & Des (draft 2 and edits)

One More Sleep

We wanted to do a little blog so that family and friends can follow our adventures in Florida.

We leave first thing in the morning for Orlando. The girls are excited, the bags are almost packed, and other than dreading getting up at 3 in the morning we're all looking forward to it.

We are gone from April 29th and we get back late Saturday May 8th. We have five days at DisneyWorld, two days at Universal Studios, and ONE lonely little free day. We have rented a car that day so hope to hit the beaches and the outlet malls!

So wish us luck and feel free to follow along!

Des :)