11. If you have kids, consider purchasing a "Camelbak" backpack and water bladder. It would have been sooo handy for us to have rather than purchasing water or other drinks at $3 each or refilling several bottles every day.
12. Purchase small "two way" radios and have at least each parent with one. If you have older kids, as we do with Abbey, give them one too. This was invaluable to us. "Papa Bear to Mama Bear...Elvis has left the building."
13. If you want to pack light you can and do laundry at the resorts. This will allow for more suitcase room for souvenirs.
14. Maximize your carry-on luggage. Take the biggest bag allowable. They are not weighed so you can fill them with your heaviest items (not liquids or gels remember!) and take them right on the plane with you.
15. Wear your best walking shoes. Do NOT buy new ones that need breaking in. You will walk probably more than 10 miles per day.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Top Ten Disney Lessons Learned
Jason & I kept talking about our 'top ten' things we'd do differently next time we do this trip. So we thought we'd share it all with you!
1) Buy a good stroller. The cheapo umbrella strollers although lightweight, have no storage, hardly any shade and don't handle great. Spend the money.
2) Don't spend the money on a new hair cut before going to Disney. Hmmmm. I got a great new cut & colour two weeks before going, then did my hair the first day and within one hour the heat and the sweat got to it and well that was the end of that. I didn't bother after that!
3) Don't go in May. Apparently October is the best month for weather.
4) We've said this before - but take days off in between park days to relax, swim, shop, etc. This 'go-go-go' vacation that requires a vacation after to recover from is not fun!
5) Stay on the resort - but explore your resort too! And the rest of DisneyWorld and the other hotels. DisneyWorld property is twice the size of Manhattan - there is lots to explore other than the parks. We didn't get past one pool at our hotel - and there were at least 4. And we hoped to get in the pool every day and we sure didn't.
6) Save some time for Outlet Mall shopping.
7) We sure enjoyed our 'value' hotel but felt a bit 'nicked & dimed' with the extra charges - HS internet & a fridge were over and above! Watch for hidden charges, a cheap hotel room might not be worth it if for a little bit more you can get it all in a nicer, bigger resort.
8) You don't need a full day for Downtown Disney. A few hours tops. It would be a good place to go in the evening too, especially if you like lounges & clubs. You need two days for Magic Kingdom. One day was enough for each of Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
9) The Disney transportation system is awesome. I don't know why anyone would want to rent a vehicle. It costs $14/day to park at each of the theme parks, plus your car rental. One day rental to get out of the park is a great idea, lots of great beaches within an hour!
10) Be sure to do at least one character dining experience. We did Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, but if you can, try to get into Chef Mickey's. Or if your little people are into princesses you can eat with Cinderella and friends at the castle. Even the big kids feel young again!
1) Buy a good stroller. The cheapo umbrella strollers although lightweight, have no storage, hardly any shade and don't handle great. Spend the money.
2) Don't spend the money on a new hair cut before going to Disney. Hmmmm. I got a great new cut & colour two weeks before going, then did my hair the first day and within one hour the heat and the sweat got to it and well that was the end of that. I didn't bother after that!
3) Don't go in May. Apparently October is the best month for weather.
4) We've said this before - but take days off in between park days to relax, swim, shop, etc. This 'go-go-go' vacation that requires a vacation after to recover from is not fun!
5) Stay on the resort - but explore your resort too! And the rest of DisneyWorld and the other hotels. DisneyWorld property is twice the size of Manhattan - there is lots to explore other than the parks. We didn't get past one pool at our hotel - and there were at least 4. And we hoped to get in the pool every day and we sure didn't.
6) Save some time for Outlet Mall shopping.
7) We sure enjoyed our 'value' hotel but felt a bit 'nicked & dimed' with the extra charges - HS internet & a fridge were over and above! Watch for hidden charges, a cheap hotel room might not be worth it if for a little bit more you can get it all in a nicer, bigger resort.
8) You don't need a full day for Downtown Disney. A few hours tops. It would be a good place to go in the evening too, especially if you like lounges & clubs. You need two days for Magic Kingdom. One day was enough for each of Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
9) The Disney transportation system is awesome. I don't know why anyone would want to rent a vehicle. It costs $14/day to park at each of the theme parks, plus your car rental. One day rental to get out of the park is a great idea, lots of great beaches within an hour!
10) Be sure to do at least one character dining experience. We did Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, but if you can, try to get into Chef Mickey's. Or if your little people are into princesses you can eat with Cinderella and friends at the castle. Even the big kids feel young again!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 10 - Home Sweet Home
Ahhhhhh it is goooooood to be home.
I honestly don't think I've ever wanted to kiss the ground before after getting off the airplane at the end of a trip. It's not that I didn't have a great time, I really did.... but it's SO nice to be home and be able to get back in a routine. As anyone who's ever traveled with an infant before can attest to - it's HARD to travel with a little one. It's hard to lug diapers everywhere. It's hard to feed kids when they are hot and overtired. It's hard to keep them cool when it's a million degrees outside. And it's just so good to be home. :)
Our day started at 6 am with our Mickey Mouse wake up call. (yes if you ask for a wake up call at Disney you get a recorded message from Mickey himself!)
We packed a bit haphazardly, just trying to get it all in and not have a bag over 50 lbs. We did it! We managed to get it all in! We had our bags picked up and brought downstairs, and we tried to do a check in for the airline right there at the hotel but couldn't because we were flying internationally.
We had breakfast and bought a bunch of snacks to use up our extra meals (it wasn't as easy as we thought - no licensed merchandise, so we bought a lot of chips and rice krispie treats!) We did a bit more last minute shopping in time to board our bus at 8:15. Oakley waved good bye to Mickey and away we went!
We got to the airport around 9 am, and wondered what we'd do with all this time (our flight left at 12:15 pm). Well trust me we used it all up! We got stuck checking in with United as it is pretty darn complex to check in with an infant apparently, even though we now had this wonderful paper ticket we needed. They had a bit of trouble attaching her boarding pass to mine, so it was almost 11 by the time we made it through security. We bought some snacks to feed Oakley and changed her diaper and away we went to our gate. We left on time, with no hiccups at all!
We were on a much smaller plane than last time we did the Denver/Orlando route, so it was almost a 4 hour flight. We were stuck in the very last row which meant no reclining. And the row in front of us could recline, and Jason has this little 10 year old brat sitting in front of him that reclined all the way back. He was a bit stuck. Oakley fell asleep before we left the ground. She slept almost the whole way but it was a very restless sleep. Awake and asleep and crying, and back asleep... ugg.... it was quite painful! Abbey crashed a bit, I watched the in flight movie again (Extraordinary Measures with Harrison Ford and Brendon Fraser).
We made it to Denver in one piece, and had three hours to kill there. We met up with a young guy who was also going Orlando - Regina via Denver, so after we found our gate (the total opposite end of the airport again) we wandered back with our new friend Mark and found some grub... good old McDonald's. We wandered around a bit more and whittled away our three hour wait, pretty uneventfully!
We boarded the plane to Regina at about 5:20 pm local time (felt like 7:20 to us already) and we almost caused a bit of a national security breach on that flight! It was quite a small plane and it was pretty clear it was not going to be a full plane. The guy I was sitting beside made it pretty clear that he was willing to move to an empty seat (as to not be stuck beside a crying kid obviously) so Oakley got her own seat. Apparently I didn't pay any attention when the flight attendant did her 'count' so her count didn't match the gate's count - it looked like they let one extra person on the plane. Hmmm... she made it sound like a huge deal, I sure hope it's not, but how was I supposed to know? I was busy dealing with a fussy overtired toddler!
Anyway, home safe and sound, went through customs with no issues, picked up our van in the long term parking at the airport (it was only around $80 - much less than I thought it would be!). We stopped at the grocery store on the way home for a few essentials, got home, unloaded our van and put our tired baby to bed!
So thus ends the Rattray Family Adventures! Back to our 'normal' life!
I honestly don't think I've ever wanted to kiss the ground before after getting off the airplane at the end of a trip. It's not that I didn't have a great time, I really did.... but it's SO nice to be home and be able to get back in a routine. As anyone who's ever traveled with an infant before can attest to - it's HARD to travel with a little one. It's hard to lug diapers everywhere. It's hard to feed kids when they are hot and overtired. It's hard to keep them cool when it's a million degrees outside. And it's just so good to be home. :)
Our day started at 6 am with our Mickey Mouse wake up call. (yes if you ask for a wake up call at Disney you get a recorded message from Mickey himself!)
We packed a bit haphazardly, just trying to get it all in and not have a bag over 50 lbs. We did it! We managed to get it all in! We had our bags picked up and brought downstairs, and we tried to do a check in for the airline right there at the hotel but couldn't because we were flying internationally.
We had breakfast and bought a bunch of snacks to use up our extra meals (it wasn't as easy as we thought - no licensed merchandise, so we bought a lot of chips and rice krispie treats!) We did a bit more last minute shopping in time to board our bus at 8:15. Oakley waved good bye to Mickey and away we went!
We got to the airport around 9 am, and wondered what we'd do with all this time (our flight left at 12:15 pm). Well trust me we used it all up! We got stuck checking in with United as it is pretty darn complex to check in with an infant apparently, even though we now had this wonderful paper ticket we needed. They had a bit of trouble attaching her boarding pass to mine, so it was almost 11 by the time we made it through security. We bought some snacks to feed Oakley and changed her diaper and away we went to our gate. We left on time, with no hiccups at all!
We were on a much smaller plane than last time we did the Denver/Orlando route, so it was almost a 4 hour flight. We were stuck in the very last row which meant no reclining. And the row in front of us could recline, and Jason has this little 10 year old brat sitting in front of him that reclined all the way back. He was a bit stuck. Oakley fell asleep before we left the ground. She slept almost the whole way but it was a very restless sleep. Awake and asleep and crying, and back asleep... ugg.... it was quite painful! Abbey crashed a bit, I watched the in flight movie again (Extraordinary Measures with Harrison Ford and Brendon Fraser).
We made it to Denver in one piece, and had three hours to kill there. We met up with a young guy who was also going Orlando - Regina via Denver, so after we found our gate (the total opposite end of the airport again) we wandered back with our new friend Mark and found some grub... good old McDonald's. We wandered around a bit more and whittled away our three hour wait, pretty uneventfully!
We boarded the plane to Regina at about 5:20 pm local time (felt like 7:20 to us already) and we almost caused a bit of a national security breach on that flight! It was quite a small plane and it was pretty clear it was not going to be a full plane. The guy I was sitting beside made it pretty clear that he was willing to move to an empty seat (as to not be stuck beside a crying kid obviously) so Oakley got her own seat. Apparently I didn't pay any attention when the flight attendant did her 'count' so her count didn't match the gate's count - it looked like they let one extra person on the plane. Hmmm... she made it sound like a huge deal, I sure hope it's not, but how was I supposed to know? I was busy dealing with a fussy overtired toddler!
Anyway, home safe and sound, went through customs with no issues, picked up our van in the long term parking at the airport (it was only around $80 - much less than I thought it would be!). We stopped at the grocery store on the way home for a few essentials, got home, unloaded our van and put our tired baby to bed!
So thus ends the Rattray Family Adventures! Back to our 'normal' life!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Day 9 - Magic Kingdom
Our last day at the park and we had a bit of a slow start. We took our time getting going and feeding the girls breakfast and it was well after 10 am when we got to Magic Kingdom. And it was hot. Hot. Hot.
We had lunch reservations at The Plaza Restaurant at 11 am so only had about 45 min or so to cruise around until heading towards our restaurant. We walked up and through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (very cool - just like the old tv show!) and then watched a bit of a show on the front steps of Cinderella's Castle.
Oakley was pretty lethargic this morning and really not herself. She perked up a little bit watching Mickey, and then while waiting for the Plaza to open we watched a little parade go by and she was pretty happy to see Chip & Dale. She kept telling me "Oakley tired Mommy" and "Oakley go home"... so I knew she was not feeling good at all. We made the decision that after lunch I'd take Oakley back to the hotel for the afternoon to nap and maybe cool off in the pool and we'd meet J&A back for our dinner reservation at the Crystal Palace at 4:30 pm.
So I did - and my poor sweet baby slept on me for most of the ride home plus 3 hours in the hotel. I had to wake her up at 3:45 to catch the bus back - who knows how long she would have slept had I let her. It was so sad, she's just like a little wilted flower. She is so done and so ready to go home. Next time - we either take more time and then break up the days with pool and relaxation days, or we just do fewer days. Just too hard on everyone.
While we were sleeping at the hotel J&A went on about every ride they could fit in - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, some sorta railroad, etc etc. Jason will have to fill in the details! Needless to say they had fun, kept busy and sweated a lot!
We met back at our dinner spot at 4:30. It was our only character dining experience - with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Eeyore. It was a buffet dinner (yum...) and each character came up to your table for pictures and autographs. We missed out on Piglet only because we were ready to roll and didn't stick around long enough to wait. Oakley ate great! Finally - but we still had a hard time getting fluids into her, so of course she still wasn't quite her perky self.
Jason got Abbey and I Fast Passes for Splash Mountain and we had to use them before 6 pm so we had to run there. While we did that he and Oakley went to Space Mountain to get Fast Passes for that. Splash Mountain was fun - we did get SOAKED! It had a cute little ride that went with it too all about Brer Rabbit and we saw a lot of bear bums!! (Not bare bums - bear bums!) We then met J&O in the middle of the park and tried to do some indoor rides to get Oakley out of the heat.
We did the Monsters Inc Laugh Factory (so funny!), a Toy Story ride (Oakley controlled how fast we spinned, and I figured out how to use my gun at the very END of the game...) then we did the Carousel of Progress, a Walt Disney favourite that he created himself for the 1964 World's Fair. All good - all air conditioned!
Then off to Mickey's Toontown Fair where we saw Minnie and Mickey's houses last time. We did a train ride around the park here, and tried to get into see the characters but it was a 45 min wait and we had to get to Space Mountain to use our fast passes and also needed to get good spots to watch the fireworks!
Space Mountain here we come - this was a GREAT ride and I think a highlight of the trip for Abbey. An indoor, pitch black roller coaster, with lots of stars and space like scenery. Super fast, lots of fun, and a little bit scary!
Then off to Main Street USA, the front of the park to watch the fireworks. We got a great spot, and although the start of the fireworks were delayed by 10 min or so, we stuck it out and watched the whole show. Oakley did great although she was tucked into me pretty tight. She did good for the rest of the afternoon but was still pretty hot and lethargic. The fireworks show is amazing, a must-see at Disney. I think Jason got some video, we'll see if we can post it here or not. It's all set to music and it's pretty amazing especially with the big castle in front of it!
We high-tailed it back to the buses and we were on the first one back. Oakley slept on me the whole way home, and was easily changed, wiped down and put to bed when we got back. This is one tired little lady who will be happy to get home. I sure hope she doesn't have heat stroke or anything.... but I think we're done at the right time. Abbey's done too but obviously at 12 years old can handle it better! Her feet are sore, but otherwise she's not sunburned or injured or anything other than hot and tired!
Our plane leaves at noon tomorrow but our pick up is at 8:15. So we have some serious work to do in the morning to get packed and ready to go. Plus we have to eat breakfast!! (and apparently we can use up our leftover meals with 3x snacks per meal, which includes all sorts of Mickey & Minnie candy so you know that's what we will be loading up on!
So our next post will be coming to you from our kitchen table in good ol' Regina SK!
Thanks for coming along for this ride with us! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did! (without the heat stroke!)
We had lunch reservations at The Plaza Restaurant at 11 am so only had about 45 min or so to cruise around until heading towards our restaurant. We walked up and through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (very cool - just like the old tv show!) and then watched a bit of a show on the front steps of Cinderella's Castle.
Oakley was pretty lethargic this morning and really not herself. She perked up a little bit watching Mickey, and then while waiting for the Plaza to open we watched a little parade go by and she was pretty happy to see Chip & Dale. She kept telling me "Oakley tired Mommy" and "Oakley go home"... so I knew she was not feeling good at all. We made the decision that after lunch I'd take Oakley back to the hotel for the afternoon to nap and maybe cool off in the pool and we'd meet J&A back for our dinner reservation at the Crystal Palace at 4:30 pm.
So I did - and my poor sweet baby slept on me for most of the ride home plus 3 hours in the hotel. I had to wake her up at 3:45 to catch the bus back - who knows how long she would have slept had I let her. It was so sad, she's just like a little wilted flower. She is so done and so ready to go home. Next time - we either take more time and then break up the days with pool and relaxation days, or we just do fewer days. Just too hard on everyone.
While we were sleeping at the hotel J&A went on about every ride they could fit in - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, some sorta railroad, etc etc. Jason will have to fill in the details! Needless to say they had fun, kept busy and sweated a lot!
We met back at our dinner spot at 4:30. It was our only character dining experience - with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Eeyore. It was a buffet dinner (yum...) and each character came up to your table for pictures and autographs. We missed out on Piglet only because we were ready to roll and didn't stick around long enough to wait. Oakley ate great! Finally - but we still had a hard time getting fluids into her, so of course she still wasn't quite her perky self.
Jason got Abbey and I Fast Passes for Splash Mountain and we had to use them before 6 pm so we had to run there. While we did that he and Oakley went to Space Mountain to get Fast Passes for that. Splash Mountain was fun - we did get SOAKED! It had a cute little ride that went with it too all about Brer Rabbit and we saw a lot of bear bums!! (Not bare bums - bear bums!) We then met J&O in the middle of the park and tried to do some indoor rides to get Oakley out of the heat.
We did the Monsters Inc Laugh Factory (so funny!), a Toy Story ride (Oakley controlled how fast we spinned, and I figured out how to use my gun at the very END of the game...) then we did the Carousel of Progress, a Walt Disney favourite that he created himself for the 1964 World's Fair. All good - all air conditioned!
Then off to Mickey's Toontown Fair where we saw Minnie and Mickey's houses last time. We did a train ride around the park here, and tried to get into see the characters but it was a 45 min wait and we had to get to Space Mountain to use our fast passes and also needed to get good spots to watch the fireworks!
Space Mountain here we come - this was a GREAT ride and I think a highlight of the trip for Abbey. An indoor, pitch black roller coaster, with lots of stars and space like scenery. Super fast, lots of fun, and a little bit scary!
Then off to Main Street USA, the front of the park to watch the fireworks. We got a great spot, and although the start of the fireworks were delayed by 10 min or so, we stuck it out and watched the whole show. Oakley did great although she was tucked into me pretty tight. She did good for the rest of the afternoon but was still pretty hot and lethargic. The fireworks show is amazing, a must-see at Disney. I think Jason got some video, we'll see if we can post it here or not. It's all set to music and it's pretty amazing especially with the big castle in front of it!
We high-tailed it back to the buses and we were on the first one back. Oakley slept on me the whole way home, and was easily changed, wiped down and put to bed when we got back. This is one tired little lady who will be happy to get home. I sure hope she doesn't have heat stroke or anything.... but I think we're done at the right time. Abbey's done too but obviously at 12 years old can handle it better! Her feet are sore, but otherwise she's not sunburned or injured or anything other than hot and tired!
Our plane leaves at noon tomorrow but our pick up is at 8:15. So we have some serious work to do in the morning to get packed and ready to go. Plus we have to eat breakfast!! (and apparently we can use up our leftover meals with 3x snacks per meal, which includes all sorts of Mickey & Minnie candy so you know that's what we will be loading up on!
So our next post will be coming to you from our kitchen table in good ol' Regina SK!
Thanks for coming along for this ride with us! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did! (without the heat stroke!)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Day 8 - Universal Studios (take 2)
We booked our shuttle to Universal for 9:25 am with a return at 8:15 pm. We knew this would be more than enough time to wrap up our time at Universal!
We started out with breakfast at our hotel. On this meal plan that we are on, we get 9 snacks, 9 counter service meals and 9 sit down meals at participating Disney hotels. Well since not all our days were at Disney we did book some places that were extra fancy and used two of the meals. As a result, we'll have just enough sit down meals, and probably 4 too many counter service meals! We might be stuffing our faces the next two days trying to use them all up. Not sure why I just can't let things go to waste... seriously! We'll just know for next time to plan out our counter service meals with the same organization that we did for our sit down meals. The food has been incredible. I think next week is back to reality and back to healthy eating!! Nothing like vacation photos to make you realize how much work you have ahead of you!
So - we hit the 9:25 bus and arrived just before 10 am. As I said last time we went to Universal we decided to do the Universal Studios theme park completely on our first day and save Islands of Adventure for the second day. I'm glad we did it that way as there was MUCH more to see and do here today at Islands of Adventure and I think had we done it in the other order we would have felt disappointed with Universal Studios.
So our first stop was the Incredible Hulk roller coaster ride. I think breakfast was not far enough of a memory for me when we hit that ride just after 10 am. Ohhhh my stomach. Abbey's head. We were a dizzy, spinning mess when we got off that ride. It was the biggest and baddest roller coaster we've been on this trip yet. It was massive, and it had a lot of loops and twisted you upside down and all around... and ugg.... no more coasters for me. For today at least. Maybe tomorrow. :)
After that we were off to Seuss Landing! Yes, everything Dr. Seuss you can imagine! It was as bright and colourful and creative as you'd imagine it would be. We did a Cat in the Hat ride, went on a Carousel (Car-o-Seuss-el!), went on the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish flying fish ride, went through a bunch of play areas, tried to go on a little coaster for kids but Oakley was just too small yet, went to a candy store, book store, everything in Dr. Seuss style! My Mom would be in her glory!
From Seuss Landing we went off to another area of the park called The Lost Continent. We went to a show called "Poseidon's Fury" and it truly reaffirmed that our baby has no fear. It was a bit of a scary show, with lots of darkness, and then shooting fire, and gushing water... and Oakley just sat in my arms and watched.
It was then lunch time so we stopped at this restaurant called Mythos (I think!) that was right outside of the last ride and boasted that it was the #1 theme park restaurant from 2002-2008. So in we went. It was not bad but not great - we could assume why it didn't make it in 2009. Service was friendly but slow, and the food was just ok.
Off we went again down the path. We got to the Mystic Fountain which was right outside of a show at 2 pm we wanted to go see - but no strollers allowed and Oakley was just nicely falling asleep. Anyway this fountain was hilarious. It had a camera in the eye of the face in the fountain, with a speaker and a microphone. The controller guy noticed Oakley and started talking to her, and talking baby talk, asking us where we were from, how old Oakley was, spitting water out of the fountain. Oakley wasn't sure what to make of it - but I thought that guy had the best job at Universal. Sitting in some air-conditioned control room somewhere, freaking people out by talking to them through a fountain and spraying water anywhere he wanted. Yup that would be my job at Universal. :)
Oakley fell asleep shortly after that and so we kept on walking. Right beside the Lost Continent is where the Harry Potter park is going to be. We could see some of the building tops and took some pictures - it's going to be huge and very exciting. We are sad we missed it - it was supposed to be open by the time we got here!!
Off we went to Jurassic Park, and Jason and Abbey went into the Jurassic Park River Adventure Ride, which was a ton of fun and they both got soaking wet. I got video of them flying off the ride at the end into the water! Abbey was going to go again with me while Jason hung out with sleeping Oakley - but a huge cloud rolled in and lightening was spotted so all those rides that involved water and electricity were shut down. So we wandered. We went through every gift shop, looked for indoor rides, and finally found the Spiderman show/ride that was indoors and still open, so J&A went in that while Oakley and I wandered. By the time they got out, everything was open again so Abbey and I went back on the Jurassic Park ride and then did the Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls ride, another soaker! Well wouldn't you know it, after that ride was done we were on our way to the Popeye & Bluto's Blige-rate Barges, a river rafting ride, when the skies opened up and it POURED. The park was closing in one hour and there was no way we were going to be able to go on any more rides. Awwww.....
So we walked back through the park in the warm rain, picked up the things we wanted to buy and went out of the park back to CityWalk for supper. It was pretty close to 6 pm and we decided on Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for supper. We were stepping up onto the patio when the rain came down HARD. Made the rain for the last hour look like a sprinkle. It just poured! We were sure happy to be where we were!
We had a nice supper (and a margarita, of course) although Oakley ate two bites and was an absolute holy terror. There was live entertainment, a one-man band who was very talented and a young lady on stilts that made everyone balloon animals (Tammy you should add stilts to your Sweet Pea performances... but maybe not during pregnancy!)
We had another hour to wander before catching our bus - but we were all shopped out and all walked out! So we ended up sitting for a half hour waiting for our bus. Caught our 8:15 bus back and had Oakley in the tub before 9pm!
Tomorrow is our last day. We will be at Magic Kingdom all day (eating to use up our meal plan all day too!) and plan to make the most of it. No more rain the forecast so it will be a hot one again. Might as well get some sun in before we head back to the snow!
We started out with breakfast at our hotel. On this meal plan that we are on, we get 9 snacks, 9 counter service meals and 9 sit down meals at participating Disney hotels. Well since not all our days were at Disney we did book some places that were extra fancy and used two of the meals. As a result, we'll have just enough sit down meals, and probably 4 too many counter service meals! We might be stuffing our faces the next two days trying to use them all up. Not sure why I just can't let things go to waste... seriously! We'll just know for next time to plan out our counter service meals with the same organization that we did for our sit down meals. The food has been incredible. I think next week is back to reality and back to healthy eating!! Nothing like vacation photos to make you realize how much work you have ahead of you!
So - we hit the 9:25 bus and arrived just before 10 am. As I said last time we went to Universal we decided to do the Universal Studios theme park completely on our first day and save Islands of Adventure for the second day. I'm glad we did it that way as there was MUCH more to see and do here today at Islands of Adventure and I think had we done it in the other order we would have felt disappointed with Universal Studios.
So our first stop was the Incredible Hulk roller coaster ride. I think breakfast was not far enough of a memory for me when we hit that ride just after 10 am. Ohhhh my stomach. Abbey's head. We were a dizzy, spinning mess when we got off that ride. It was the biggest and baddest roller coaster we've been on this trip yet. It was massive, and it had a lot of loops and twisted you upside down and all around... and ugg.... no more coasters for me. For today at least. Maybe tomorrow. :)
After that we were off to Seuss Landing! Yes, everything Dr. Seuss you can imagine! It was as bright and colourful and creative as you'd imagine it would be. We did a Cat in the Hat ride, went on a Carousel (Car-o-Seuss-el!), went on the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish flying fish ride, went through a bunch of play areas, tried to go on a little coaster for kids but Oakley was just too small yet, went to a candy store, book store, everything in Dr. Seuss style! My Mom would be in her glory!
From Seuss Landing we went off to another area of the park called The Lost Continent. We went to a show called "Poseidon's Fury" and it truly reaffirmed that our baby has no fear. It was a bit of a scary show, with lots of darkness, and then shooting fire, and gushing water... and Oakley just sat in my arms and watched.
It was then lunch time so we stopped at this restaurant called Mythos (I think!) that was right outside of the last ride and boasted that it was the #1 theme park restaurant from 2002-2008. So in we went. It was not bad but not great - we could assume why it didn't make it in 2009. Service was friendly but slow, and the food was just ok.
Off we went again down the path. We got to the Mystic Fountain which was right outside of a show at 2 pm we wanted to go see - but no strollers allowed and Oakley was just nicely falling asleep. Anyway this fountain was hilarious. It had a camera in the eye of the face in the fountain, with a speaker and a microphone. The controller guy noticed Oakley and started talking to her, and talking baby talk, asking us where we were from, how old Oakley was, spitting water out of the fountain. Oakley wasn't sure what to make of it - but I thought that guy had the best job at Universal. Sitting in some air-conditioned control room somewhere, freaking people out by talking to them through a fountain and spraying water anywhere he wanted. Yup that would be my job at Universal. :)
Oakley fell asleep shortly after that and so we kept on walking. Right beside the Lost Continent is where the Harry Potter park is going to be. We could see some of the building tops and took some pictures - it's going to be huge and very exciting. We are sad we missed it - it was supposed to be open by the time we got here!!
Off we went to Jurassic Park, and Jason and Abbey went into the Jurassic Park River Adventure Ride, which was a ton of fun and they both got soaking wet. I got video of them flying off the ride at the end into the water! Abbey was going to go again with me while Jason hung out with sleeping Oakley - but a huge cloud rolled in and lightening was spotted so all those rides that involved water and electricity were shut down. So we wandered. We went through every gift shop, looked for indoor rides, and finally found the Spiderman show/ride that was indoors and still open, so J&A went in that while Oakley and I wandered. By the time they got out, everything was open again so Abbey and I went back on the Jurassic Park ride and then did the Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls ride, another soaker! Well wouldn't you know it, after that ride was done we were on our way to the Popeye & Bluto's Blige-rate Barges, a river rafting ride, when the skies opened up and it POURED. The park was closing in one hour and there was no way we were going to be able to go on any more rides. Awwww.....
So we walked back through the park in the warm rain, picked up the things we wanted to buy and went out of the park back to CityWalk for supper. It was pretty close to 6 pm and we decided on Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for supper. We were stepping up onto the patio when the rain came down HARD. Made the rain for the last hour look like a sprinkle. It just poured! We were sure happy to be where we were!
We had a nice supper (and a margarita, of course) although Oakley ate two bites and was an absolute holy terror. There was live entertainment, a one-man band who was very talented and a young lady on stilts that made everyone balloon animals (Tammy you should add stilts to your Sweet Pea performances... but maybe not during pregnancy!)
We had another hour to wander before catching our bus - but we were all shopped out and all walked out! So we ended up sitting for a half hour waiting for our bus. Caught our 8:15 bus back and had Oakley in the tub before 9pm!
Tomorrow is our last day. We will be at Magic Kingdom all day (eating to use up our meal plan all day too!) and plan to make the most of it. No more rain the forecast so it will be a hot one again. Might as well get some sun in before we head back to the snow!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Day 7 - Cocoa Beach
Well it was our long awaited free day today - and I think we know for next time that we will only do a couple of park days at a time with a free day/pool day afterwards! It's been pretty go go go around here, so we took our time this morning getting ready.
We had breakfast downstairs here at our hotel and had to catch our ride to the rental car place at 10:20. They were a little late showing up (10:45 or so!) so it was well after 11 am by the time we were on our way.
First stop - Orlando Premium Outlet Malls. I probably could have spent two days and $2000 here! But nobody else was much in the mood for shopping but me, so I did some good damage in the Disney store (yes I refuse to pay full price for anything at the best of times, why wouldn't I buy Disney souvenirs at a discount too?) and we had lunch in the food court and that was about it. I didn't even make it to the Gap store - which was maybe a good thing for our trip budget anyway (not to mention the fact that they are going to be weighing our baggage too so best be careful!)
After lunch Oakley was on the verge of yet another meltdown so we hit the road in our rental (a cute little 4 door Toyota Corolla). We hadn't even left Orlando and she was passed out cold!!! So our destination was Cocoa Beach - about an hours drive away. It was a quick and quiet, uneventful drive, except for the Toll Booths that we weren't sure how they worked - we drove straight through a few of them! (anyone who's been down here care to enlighten us? Do you pay every time or just once?) Wish someone would have explained tht to us!
Oakley was still sleeping when we got to Cocoa Beach so we just drove around town looking for a good spot to hit the beach and see what else was there. It's a pretty small town, but we did see a few little stops that might be worthwhile to make! We were driving away from Cocoa Beach when Oakley woke up, so made our way back and just followed the directions our GPS was giving us (when I entered "Cocoa Beach" as our destination I didn't have a street address in mind so I just hit enter enter enter so it randomly picked an address like #1 10th street or something like that. (First in numerical order I guess). So when we were cruising around looking for a spot to hit the beach when Oakley was still sleeping, everything we found was private, or you had to pay to get to, which we didn't want to do until we knew what we were getting! Well we followed the GPS and wouldn't you know it - #1 10th Street had a little beach access with a bridge and we had NO PROBLEMS hitting the beach!
Ahhhh the beach. Worth every penny of the rental car, gas, and every minute that it took to drive out there. I love the beach. Even tho the weather was garbage, the winds were high, the seas were choppy and the rain was coming - I still loved the half hour or so we spent at the beach. Oakley loved the water. We were all soaked by the time we left. We got some great pictures, played in the sand, watched the birds dive for fish... picked shells...ahhh the beach. It was sad to leave but oh those clouds... looked pretty scary! And the rain hit when we were in the car just blocks away, so we did pretty good for the time we had.
Then - we went to the Dinosaur Store & Museum. We did not last long here. The signs posted were very clear that if your child broke anything you would pay for it. Normally not a problem if you have regular old gift shop merchandise. $400 fossils are not what I consider regular gift shop merchandise. They had some cool stuff though and it would have been fun to check out the museum. Next time... when Oakley is older.
Next stop - the Publix grocery store for some snacks. I was running low on snackies for Oakley for the parks and for the trip home, and I really love grocery stores in other countries (my sister can attest to that!). I was really on the lookout for cool hot sauces for my mom but was pretty disappointed there, so hopefully I will find something by the time this trip is over!
Then off to Ihop for supper - we were the ONLY people in there (who really goes for pancakes at 5 pm on a Wednesday anyway??) so we had quick service and pretty good food, and yes even Oakley ate! A quick stop for ice cream and we said goodbye to Cocoa Beach!
I really wanted to see where the space shuttles leave from as Cocoa Beach is right beside Cape Canaveral. So off we went following the GPS to the Kennedy Space Centre, which unfortunately closed at 6pm - we arrived at 6:05. Bummer!! Something else that would have been cool to see. So back to Disney we went.
An uneventful trip home - filled the car with gas ($17.04!) and returned it to Alamo, and grabbed a shuttle home. We were back here just before 8pm. Bathed Oakley and put her to bed. Jason and Abbey went for a quick walk (it's so much easier for her to fall asleep if it's dark and no one else is here!)
An early night for us - and two big days left. We do day 2 at Universal tomorrow, and then Magic Kingdom on Friday.. and home Saturday! It's going by quickly but not so quickly that we aren't ready to wrap it up. Oakley has asked a couple of times to go home and Abbey has been homesick too. I am definitely going to be ready to go home by Saturday but for now I'm looking forward to two more big days. I wish I had a couple more days off before going back to work though - I'm going to need it!
We had breakfast downstairs here at our hotel and had to catch our ride to the rental car place at 10:20. They were a little late showing up (10:45 or so!) so it was well after 11 am by the time we were on our way.
First stop - Orlando Premium Outlet Malls. I probably could have spent two days and $2000 here! But nobody else was much in the mood for shopping but me, so I did some good damage in the Disney store (yes I refuse to pay full price for anything at the best of times, why wouldn't I buy Disney souvenirs at a discount too?) and we had lunch in the food court and that was about it. I didn't even make it to the Gap store - which was maybe a good thing for our trip budget anyway (not to mention the fact that they are going to be weighing our baggage too so best be careful!)
After lunch Oakley was on the verge of yet another meltdown so we hit the road in our rental (a cute little 4 door Toyota Corolla). We hadn't even left Orlando and she was passed out cold!!! So our destination was Cocoa Beach - about an hours drive away. It was a quick and quiet, uneventful drive, except for the Toll Booths that we weren't sure how they worked - we drove straight through a few of them! (anyone who's been down here care to enlighten us? Do you pay every time or just once?) Wish someone would have explained tht to us!
Oakley was still sleeping when we got to Cocoa Beach so we just drove around town looking for a good spot to hit the beach and see what else was there. It's a pretty small town, but we did see a few little stops that might be worthwhile to make! We were driving away from Cocoa Beach when Oakley woke up, so made our way back and just followed the directions our GPS was giving us (when I entered "Cocoa Beach" as our destination I didn't have a street address in mind so I just hit enter enter enter so it randomly picked an address like #1 10th street or something like that. (First in numerical order I guess). So when we were cruising around looking for a spot to hit the beach when Oakley was still sleeping, everything we found was private, or you had to pay to get to, which we didn't want to do until we knew what we were getting! Well we followed the GPS and wouldn't you know it - #1 10th Street had a little beach access with a bridge and we had NO PROBLEMS hitting the beach!
Ahhhh the beach. Worth every penny of the rental car, gas, and every minute that it took to drive out there. I love the beach. Even tho the weather was garbage, the winds were high, the seas were choppy and the rain was coming - I still loved the half hour or so we spent at the beach. Oakley loved the water. We were all soaked by the time we left. We got some great pictures, played in the sand, watched the birds dive for fish... picked shells...ahhh the beach. It was sad to leave but oh those clouds... looked pretty scary! And the rain hit when we were in the car just blocks away, so we did pretty good for the time we had.
Then - we went to the Dinosaur Store & Museum. We did not last long here. The signs posted were very clear that if your child broke anything you would pay for it. Normally not a problem if you have regular old gift shop merchandise. $400 fossils are not what I consider regular gift shop merchandise. They had some cool stuff though and it would have been fun to check out the museum. Next time... when Oakley is older.
Next stop - the Publix grocery store for some snacks. I was running low on snackies for Oakley for the parks and for the trip home, and I really love grocery stores in other countries (my sister can attest to that!). I was really on the lookout for cool hot sauces for my mom but was pretty disappointed there, so hopefully I will find something by the time this trip is over!
Then off to Ihop for supper - we were the ONLY people in there (who really goes for pancakes at 5 pm on a Wednesday anyway??) so we had quick service and pretty good food, and yes even Oakley ate! A quick stop for ice cream and we said goodbye to Cocoa Beach!
I really wanted to see where the space shuttles leave from as Cocoa Beach is right beside Cape Canaveral. So off we went following the GPS to the Kennedy Space Centre, which unfortunately closed at 6pm - we arrived at 6:05. Bummer!! Something else that would have been cool to see. So back to Disney we went.
An uneventful trip home - filled the car with gas ($17.04!) and returned it to Alamo, and grabbed a shuttle home. We were back here just before 8pm. Bathed Oakley and put her to bed. Jason and Abbey went for a quick walk (it's so much easier for her to fall asleep if it's dark and no one else is here!)
An early night for us - and two big days left. We do day 2 at Universal tomorrow, and then Magic Kingdom on Friday.. and home Saturday! It's going by quickly but not so quickly that we aren't ready to wrap it up. Oakley has asked a couple of times to go home and Abbey has been homesick too. I am definitely going to be ready to go home by Saturday but for now I'm looking forward to two more big days. I wish I had a couple more days off before going back to work though - I'm going to need it!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Day 6 - Downtown Disney
Today we told Abbey she could sleep in a bit as we were in no rush to get anywhere this morning. I had full intentions of taking Oaks out to the pool first thing so it would be nice and quiet for Abs to sleep - but I woke up at 4 am with terrible heartburn, and then around 5 Oakley came and slept with us. When she was up at 7 for the day I was in no mood to go to the pool. So I turned on the Disney channel and she quietly watched tv for a while so I could doze a bit more.
Our plan for the day was to hit Downtown Disney which has restaurants and shopping galore. So we got Abbey up by 9 am and by 10:30 am we were on our way. It was close to 11 am when we got there, so we wandered the shops for a bit before our lunch reservation at 'T-Rex' at 11:30. There were some great stores - I did find a few items for Oakley and for my nephews (still so much shopping to do!) and then we found the lego store! Pretty cool - Jason took a few pictures but I don't think any of it does it justice.
Then we found our lunch spot - T-Rex. What an amazing place. I think that is where 90% of todays pictures come from! It had a 'show' every 15 min or so where you'd hear some animal noises, the lights would change and the dinos would move - pretty neat. We had some great food and then hit the road. A bit more window shopping, not a lot of buying, and before we knew it we had hit the end of the road. It was pretty quiet, being a weekday and all, and we had a pretty tired girl on our hands (Abbey!). So although we had reservations at Planet Hollywood for 4:30 for supper, we decided to head back to the hotel instead. By 2 pm we were on a bus back. Oakley slept for a grand total of 15 min in the stroller - ask me what kind of a fun day we've had??
So back at the hotel and Abbey crashes instantly. Oakley did not have as much luck with the napping, so Jason took her for a walk while Abbey and I napped. Pretty soon after Jason came back to get Oakley into her bathing suit and so I went down with them and let Abbey sleep (again - thank GOD for these walkie-talkie radios we have!!). So I played with Oakley in the water for an hour and half or so and man was it hot. I sunburnt my face and my one shoulder based on where I was sitting! Oakley is good - I think she's tanning but she has not burnt yet. I have either an allergy to our sunblock or a heat rash... not fun at all. Thankfully the girls are fine! (and Jason hasn't used it once so he's fine too!)
So after our swimming fun, I bathed Oakley and tried to get Jason and Abbey to decide on a place for dinner since we no longer had a place in mind to eat. It's been REALLY nice having all of our dining chosen in advance, as we are TERRIBLE decision makers and there are just so many options! I suggested two things - 1) we just go down to the hotel restaurant and have a bite there, or 2) we go to Magic Kingdom and cruise that park a bit and find a place to eat there. We hadn't used our park pass at all today (Downtown Disney doesn't need a pass to get into), Magic Kingdom is the biggest park and we are doing it on our last day (friday) and since it's a friday it will likely be busier than the weekdays here. So, after much discussion we decided to head to Magic Kingdom for a bite to eat and to scope the place out a bit in advance of Friday.
So it was almost 7 pm by the time we caught our bus and made it to the other end of the park where Magic Kingdom was. Then it was another 20 min or so to wait to get seated at the restaurant we found (Liberty Tree Tavern). So we had a very tired and hungry pair of little ladies and I must admit I was pretty hungry and grouchy too! This restaurant was a pretty cool concept - and the food was great too. It was an 'all you can enjoy' meal but it wasn't buffet - it was served 'family style' - which means exactly what you think it should mean. They bring you clean plates and platters of food to your table and they will fill them up as many times as you want. We had salad and buns, mashed potatos, mac & cheese, ham, turkey and roast beef, stuffing and gravy, green beans. YUM!!!! Everything was so good. It was just like being at home for Christmas dinner (with the strange addition of the Mac & Cheese- wonder what these crazy Americans are thinking! And apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. I would definitely recommend it!
Then we wandered around Magic Kingdom a bit. We only had an hour or so until the park closed at 9 so we had some ground to cover. We walked over to 'Tomorrowland' and rode a little skytrain around the park that gave you a good view of the major sites of Tomorrowland. Lots to do on Friday when we come back!
After that we walked for a bit and ended up in "Mickey's Toon Town Fair" - where Minnie and Mickey have their houses! We were pretty excited to go there as Oakley doesn't know what "Disneyworld" is - she just knows this as "Mickey's House" - so we actually got to tour inside Mickey's house! And lo and behold - who was doing a meet and greet in another building beside Mickey's house but Minnie and Mickey. So - for the third time so far this trip, Oakley got to meet Minnie & Mickey - but for the first time together! So more autographs and pics. It never gets old I tell ya! Good timing too - we were pretty much the last ones through for the night. It was just about 9 pm when we were done so we made our way towards the exits. We knew there were fireworks at 9 pm but we wanted to get to the bus - we'll be here to see them on Friday and we had tired little ladies to deal with. So we walked around the castle and through the crowds, and did get to see a sideways view of the fireworks - they look pretty cool.
We made it pretty easily to the bus and we were the second family in line for the first bus that left after the park closed at 9 - but just missed the one that left before. The ride home was pretty painful - Oakley cried just about the whole way - but we made it home by 10 and she was in bed immediately after with very little fussing. Today was hard as I think for the first time she's adjusted to Florida time, so instead of 10 pm 'feeling' like 8 pm which is pretty darn close to her regular bed time, tonight's bed time FELT like 10 pm. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
So yes - tomorrow is our FREE day. We have to get our car rental in the morning, we will just call an hour before we are ready to go, and bring it back whenever we are done. We have two goals tomorrow - 1) Hit the beach, any beach. and 2) Outlet mall shopping!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 5 - Universal Studios (take 1)
We had purchased two days worth of passes for Universal Studios when we booked our trip through our travel agent (my childhood friend Tara's mom Debbie Simmonds out of Prince Albert)...and so because we booked all of our Disney Dinners in advance we have really planned ourselves to death here. Today was our first day to hit Universal.
I called the transport company last night to arrange for our transport there and back. It's $30/way/person so all together for the two days it was $120 each just for transportation. So we were hoping it was worth the money! And it sure was. It was on time, clean, quick.. and super friendly service.
We got on our bus at 8:25 this morning and it was just before 9 am when we got to the park. A lot had not opened yet, so we wandered around a bit getting the lay of the land. It was pretty obvious that it's now Monday - the crowds were absolutely bearable! Hardly anyone around really. No line ups for anything! The park is really two parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We opted to do Universal Studios in it's entirety today and we'll save Islands of Adventure for Thursday when we come back.
So - first stop - The Simpsons Ride! I think Abbey and Jason could have gone on this one a few times. Again - Oakley was too little for it so we hung out outside of the ride and checked out the tame squirrels that came right up to you and would eat out of your hand if you let them! Then we traded off and Abbey and I went in the Men In Black ride which was pretty silly but fun! And lots of twists and turns so a perfect ride for Jason to have sat out of!
Then we kept on walking. We came up to the Jaws exhibit which was closed for renovations... so we just took some pics in front of the big pretend shark instead! We found an Oakley store so of course had to stop in. Jason bought the carry on suitcase that he was looking for in Regina before we left. Another nice touch - we left it there and were able to pick it up at the front gate before we left. It would have been crazy to drag that thing all over the park all day!
Then we tried to get into the "Disaster" ride but we missed the last show by a few minutes - so had to wait. We then saw a Pearl kiosk that my friend Karla had told me about from a trip she took to Vegas. So Abbey and I chose oysters and they were opened up to reveal a pearl! I was hoping for something other than a 'stinkin' white pearl!' as you can get brown and pink and all different colours (Thanks KK!) but did end up with a beautiful white pearl and so did Abbey although hers was larger than mine and has lots of pink in it! We chose white gold pendant settings for both of our pearls, Abbey's is dolphin and mine is an open heart that the pearl sits inside! Both gorgeous and now we have matching (sorta) pearl necklaces with quite a story to tell!
After this we walked for a bit and came up to an Animal Actors show that was just starting, we missed 30 seconds of it. It had a bunch of stunt animals and their trainers, including birds, dogs, pigs and an orangutan. It was amazing! We all really enjoyed it!
Then off to find more rides. Jason and Abbey went into the ET ride and Oakley and I then went to the Barney show. Well after waiting about 10 min I figured J&A would be almost done so we left. Oakley doesn't know Barney, I can't STAND Barney... and I really didn't want to be stuck in that show if J&A were done sooner than it was over. So we went next door to an indoor (read: air conditioned) play area that had an indoor train, boat, water play area, sand play area, treehouse, music area, maze, etc etc etc. We probably played in there for 40 minutes. Jason radioed when he was done and I told him to go onto the Terminator show as we could certainly amuse ourselves for 15 more minutes! Well, we got to see Barney come out after his show and we got our picture taken with him although it was pretty funny since we didn't see the show and Oakley has no idea who he was and was kind of scared of him!
Then we wandered trying to get Jason and Abbey on the radio and with no luck. I was starting to get pretty worried as we didn't really have a plan as to where to meet in case we got separated and had no help from the radios! (needless to say we quickly created a plan!) Turns out that the wait for the Terminator show was 20 min outside the building, 20 min inside the building and the show was 20 min long although they said it was worth it! Lots of really cool effects!
By this time it was 1pm and everyone was starving. We found a burger joint and had some awesome cheeseburgers and refueled everyone up!
Then we went to a show our little Oakley could finally go to - the Shrek 4 D show. These 4D shows are really cool. So you take your regular 3D and add in a bunch more effects. This was a story that took Shrek 1 and continued the story on so it wasn't like regurgitation of the same movie all over again. Donkey sneezes and water sprays all over you and gets you all wet too! Pretty fun!
And then while we were at it we hit the Jimmy Neutron show across the street. It was a bit old for Oaks and a bit young for Abs. Oakley and I had to sit in stationary seats while everyone else sat in seats that moved as you flew through this movie scene. Oakley didn't much like it which means I didn't much watch it and was happy when it ended!
Then it was time for the little lady to nap - so we got her settled in the stroller (with a little help from an air conditioned Starbucks, the fan we bought on day 1 and a Daddy with much more patience than Mommy!) and she slept for a bit over an hour in there for us. Better than nothing! While she was sleeping it was my turn to do some rides with Abbey while Jason and Oakley found a quiet shady spot.
First up was the Mummy ride- an indoor roller coaster. That's right folks - roller coaster #3 for us on this trip! It was good but short - which is sometimes a really good thing! But we had to laugh because the Mummies themselves were so fake - Abbey said at one point "Seriously? Plastic mummies? Seriously?" and I had to laugh! And of course they always take your picture for you to buy at the end (we never buy them but sure get a laugh out of them!) and the one of Abbey and I on this Mummy ride was hilarious! I'm screaming my head off and Abbey looks bored out of her mind! Guess she's a pro already!
We hit one more ride before making our way back to Jason & Oaks. It was the Disaster Ride we tried to get on earlier in the day but had just missed the start time. Ohmygod it was so funny. We laughed so hard! It was all about a director making a new disaster movie and we were extras. They picked about 7 people to participate a bit more than others but by the end of the ride they showed the movie trailer that they made using scenes they filmed with us then and there. So funny! (and we got soaking wet again! Completely took us by surprise!)
Then we found J&O and Oaks was up from her nap so we hung out in the shade for a bit more then made our way back to the BIG roller coaster in the park (are you keeping track? yup it would have been our fourth!!) however it was having 'mechanical difficulty' so we stayed away - far far away! I told Abbey that it's not the ride itself I am scared of - it's the possibility of the ride not working properly that scares me!
So off we went to our last ride of the day - the Twister ride. They said I could bring Oakley but then went on and on about parental supervision required... so I thought what am I getting myself into? Well they basically had recreated a scene from the movie where a tornado comes through and you are sitting on the front porch watching - I think there was supposed to be some water coming out of a fire hydrant that gets backed into by a truck but it didn't happen - so it was less than exciting!
So after this we left the park and went to the CityWalk area which is outside of the park limits and has shopping and restaurants and bars. We found a spray pad and since I had a change of clothes for Oakley and it was about 8 million degrees we let her run... and cool off. And boy did she ever. Until a little boy ran her over and she hit the pavement and scraped up her knee - poor little boy was more upset than Oakley, he felt so bad for making her cry!
So off to Bubba Gump Shrimp for dinner. I got Oakley changed up and it was strange that by the time we got back to our table we hadn't been at least greeted yet. So we flagged down a waitress who helped us and informed us that we should have been looked after and how unacceptable it was that we hadn't been helped. So then the manager came around and profusely apologized and offered to buy us dessert. Sounded good to us! We had a wonderful meal, even Oakley ate...(always a good thing) and then we ordered desserts. Abbey order mocha mud pie and it could have/should have fed our whole table and then some! The desserts were HUGE and they neglected to tell us that they were family sized! We felt pretty stupid with these huge desserts that we ended up wasting most of! But like all of the other places we've visited the service was amazing and the food was awesome!
We wandered a bit more until it was time to catch our bus and made a couple more purchases - Abbey bought a dress at the 'Endangered Species' shop - just gorgeous, she's wearing it tomorrow and we'll take pics (she wanted a sundress like she saw so many people wearing). And I bought a daiquiri from Fat Tuesdays (like a 7-11 for booze slushees only - my fav) and the girl asked me for ID!! We had a good laugh and I could have hugged her. Made my day!
We had a bit of a mess up on our ride home. We were booked for 9:15 but we caught the 8:15 home (could have sworn we would NOT have wanted to stay so late) but apparently that was what I booked, so we were a bit crowded in a van on the way back, with Oakley on my lap - gawd I hate that. But other than Jason getting yelled at from the driver a few times we made it home safe and sound. Phew!!
Everyone showered and we're all in the process of hitting the sack. Oakley is out, Jason and Abbey went to get milk and drinks and I kicked them out again so Oakley could fall asleep a bit harder so they should be back soon. Jason will post more pics from today in a separate post.
Tomorrow is Downtown Disney day. I really don't think we'll need all day there but we'll see. Maybe we'll hit Magic Kingdom after supper and try to get a bit more there in before Friday as I think it will be a lot for one day. But we've told Abbey she can sleep in - I'll take Oaks to the pool when she wakes up so that it is nice and quiet for Abbey for a bit!
That's it for now! Thanks for reading and commenting!
I called the transport company last night to arrange for our transport there and back. It's $30/way/person so all together for the two days it was $120 each just for transportation. So we were hoping it was worth the money! And it sure was. It was on time, clean, quick.. and super friendly service.
We got on our bus at 8:25 this morning and it was just before 9 am when we got to the park. A lot had not opened yet, so we wandered around a bit getting the lay of the land. It was pretty obvious that it's now Monday - the crowds were absolutely bearable! Hardly anyone around really. No line ups for anything! The park is really two parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We opted to do Universal Studios in it's entirety today and we'll save Islands of Adventure for Thursday when we come back.
So - first stop - The Simpsons Ride! I think Abbey and Jason could have gone on this one a few times. Again - Oakley was too little for it so we hung out outside of the ride and checked out the tame squirrels that came right up to you and would eat out of your hand if you let them! Then we traded off and Abbey and I went in the Men In Black ride which was pretty silly but fun! And lots of twists and turns so a perfect ride for Jason to have sat out of!
Then we kept on walking. We came up to the Jaws exhibit which was closed for renovations... so we just took some pics in front of the big pretend shark instead! We found an Oakley store so of course had to stop in. Jason bought the carry on suitcase that he was looking for in Regina before we left. Another nice touch - we left it there and were able to pick it up at the front gate before we left. It would have been crazy to drag that thing all over the park all day!
Then we tried to get into the "Disaster" ride but we missed the last show by a few minutes - so had to wait. We then saw a Pearl kiosk that my friend Karla had told me about from a trip she took to Vegas. So Abbey and I chose oysters and they were opened up to reveal a pearl! I was hoping for something other than a 'stinkin' white pearl!' as you can get brown and pink and all different colours (Thanks KK!) but did end up with a beautiful white pearl and so did Abbey although hers was larger than mine and has lots of pink in it! We chose white gold pendant settings for both of our pearls, Abbey's is dolphin and mine is an open heart that the pearl sits inside! Both gorgeous and now we have matching (sorta) pearl necklaces with quite a story to tell!
After this we walked for a bit and came up to an Animal Actors show that was just starting, we missed 30 seconds of it. It had a bunch of stunt animals and their trainers, including birds, dogs, pigs and an orangutan. It was amazing! We all really enjoyed it!
Then off to find more rides. Jason and Abbey went into the ET ride and Oakley and I then went to the Barney show. Well after waiting about 10 min I figured J&A would be almost done so we left. Oakley doesn't know Barney, I can't STAND Barney... and I really didn't want to be stuck in that show if J&A were done sooner than it was over. So we went next door to an indoor (read: air conditioned) play area that had an indoor train, boat, water play area, sand play area, treehouse, music area, maze, etc etc etc. We probably played in there for 40 minutes. Jason radioed when he was done and I told him to go onto the Terminator show as we could certainly amuse ourselves for 15 more minutes! Well, we got to see Barney come out after his show and we got our picture taken with him although it was pretty funny since we didn't see the show and Oakley has no idea who he was and was kind of scared of him!
Then we wandered trying to get Jason and Abbey on the radio and with no luck. I was starting to get pretty worried as we didn't really have a plan as to where to meet in case we got separated and had no help from the radios! (needless to say we quickly created a plan!) Turns out that the wait for the Terminator show was 20 min outside the building, 20 min inside the building and the show was 20 min long although they said it was worth it! Lots of really cool effects!
By this time it was 1pm and everyone was starving. We found a burger joint and had some awesome cheeseburgers and refueled everyone up!
Then we went to a show our little Oakley could finally go to - the Shrek 4 D show. These 4D shows are really cool. So you take your regular 3D and add in a bunch more effects. This was a story that took Shrek 1 and continued the story on so it wasn't like regurgitation of the same movie all over again. Donkey sneezes and water sprays all over you and gets you all wet too! Pretty fun!
And then while we were at it we hit the Jimmy Neutron show across the street. It was a bit old for Oaks and a bit young for Abs. Oakley and I had to sit in stationary seats while everyone else sat in seats that moved as you flew through this movie scene. Oakley didn't much like it which means I didn't much watch it and was happy when it ended!
Then it was time for the little lady to nap - so we got her settled in the stroller (with a little help from an air conditioned Starbucks, the fan we bought on day 1 and a Daddy with much more patience than Mommy!) and she slept for a bit over an hour in there for us. Better than nothing! While she was sleeping it was my turn to do some rides with Abbey while Jason and Oakley found a quiet shady spot.
First up was the Mummy ride- an indoor roller coaster. That's right folks - roller coaster #3 for us on this trip! It was good but short - which is sometimes a really good thing! But we had to laugh because the Mummies themselves were so fake - Abbey said at one point "Seriously? Plastic mummies? Seriously?" and I had to laugh! And of course they always take your picture for you to buy at the end (we never buy them but sure get a laugh out of them!) and the one of Abbey and I on this Mummy ride was hilarious! I'm screaming my head off and Abbey looks bored out of her mind! Guess she's a pro already!
We hit one more ride before making our way back to Jason & Oaks. It was the Disaster Ride we tried to get on earlier in the day but had just missed the start time. Ohmygod it was so funny. We laughed so hard! It was all about a director making a new disaster movie and we were extras. They picked about 7 people to participate a bit more than others but by the end of the ride they showed the movie trailer that they made using scenes they filmed with us then and there. So funny! (and we got soaking wet again! Completely took us by surprise!)
Then we found J&O and Oaks was up from her nap so we hung out in the shade for a bit more then made our way back to the BIG roller coaster in the park (are you keeping track? yup it would have been our fourth!!) however it was having 'mechanical difficulty' so we stayed away - far far away! I told Abbey that it's not the ride itself I am scared of - it's the possibility of the ride not working properly that scares me!
So off we went to our last ride of the day - the Twister ride. They said I could bring Oakley but then went on and on about parental supervision required... so I thought what am I getting myself into? Well they basically had recreated a scene from the movie where a tornado comes through and you are sitting on the front porch watching - I think there was supposed to be some water coming out of a fire hydrant that gets backed into by a truck but it didn't happen - so it was less than exciting!
So after this we left the park and went to the CityWalk area which is outside of the park limits and has shopping and restaurants and bars. We found a spray pad and since I had a change of clothes for Oakley and it was about 8 million degrees we let her run... and cool off. And boy did she ever. Until a little boy ran her over and she hit the pavement and scraped up her knee - poor little boy was more upset than Oakley, he felt so bad for making her cry!
So off to Bubba Gump Shrimp for dinner. I got Oakley changed up and it was strange that by the time we got back to our table we hadn't been at least greeted yet. So we flagged down a waitress who helped us and informed us that we should have been looked after and how unacceptable it was that we hadn't been helped. So then the manager came around and profusely apologized and offered to buy us dessert. Sounded good to us! We had a wonderful meal, even Oakley ate...(always a good thing) and then we ordered desserts. Abbey order mocha mud pie and it could have/should have fed our whole table and then some! The desserts were HUGE and they neglected to tell us that they were family sized! We felt pretty stupid with these huge desserts that we ended up wasting most of! But like all of the other places we've visited the service was amazing and the food was awesome!
We wandered a bit more until it was time to catch our bus and made a couple more purchases - Abbey bought a dress at the 'Endangered Species' shop - just gorgeous, she's wearing it tomorrow and we'll take pics (she wanted a sundress like she saw so many people wearing). And I bought a daiquiri from Fat Tuesdays (like a 7-11 for booze slushees only - my fav) and the girl asked me for ID!! We had a good laugh and I could have hugged her. Made my day!
We had a bit of a mess up on our ride home. We were booked for 9:15 but we caught the 8:15 home (could have sworn we would NOT have wanted to stay so late) but apparently that was what I booked, so we were a bit crowded in a van on the way back, with Oakley on my lap - gawd I hate that. But other than Jason getting yelled at from the driver a few times we made it home safe and sound. Phew!!
Everyone showered and we're all in the process of hitting the sack. Oakley is out, Jason and Abbey went to get milk and drinks and I kicked them out again so Oakley could fall asleep a bit harder so they should be back soon. Jason will post more pics from today in a separate post.
Tomorrow is Downtown Disney day. I really don't think we'll need all day there but we'll see. Maybe we'll hit Magic Kingdom after supper and try to get a bit more there in before Friday as I think it will be a lot for one day. But we've told Abbey she can sleep in - I'll take Oaks to the pool when she wakes up so that it is nice and quiet for Abbey for a bit!
That's it for now! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Day 4 - Animal Kingdom
Sunday morning we got up and ready to go to Animal Kingdom. I think though had we said "Nevermind, we're staying here and playing in the pool all day" nobody would have complained! So we put on a happy face, bought some Mickey Ears for the girls and that seemed to brighten some spirits!
But we made it there and had a great day. It was just as hot & humid as yesterday but not a cloud in the sky. Animal Kingdom though is very very lush and well treed and there is lots of shade so I think we all felt it was more bearable.
Our first stop when we got there was to the Kilimanjaro Safari. It is like a real safari with real animals and you trek through it in a safari vehicle. Only difference is the animals are all penned up at night! Strange to see where the elephants sleep and the lions etc. But we saw a bunch of animals, from the elephants and lions, to the giraffes and rhinos, hippos, strange African cows with huge horns (I'm sure they have a name!) crocodiles, etc etc etc. It was very well done and we were glad we did it early. We had gotten a fast pass for 40 min later but then someone gave us her 3 fast passes for right then - so no wait. We returned the favour when we got back and gave our three fast passes to a family who was going to have to return in an hour for their fast pass time!
After that we did a little walking trail through "Africa" and saw more animals and some conservation efforts of the Disney Animal Kingdom. Jason will post some pics I'm sure.
Then off to Asia for lunch at the "Yak & Yeti" - again in the heat, less than relaxing but very good Chinese food. We got another fast pass for the Kali River Rapids - again another ride Oakley couldn't go on but figured it would be good for when she was napping to have Jason and Abbey go and I'd stay with Oaks. Then we tried to cool off as best we could and lathered up again in the SPF 50 sunblock and decided to go back through Africa to Rafiki's Planet Watch - only accessible through Africa and on a train. There was a conservation centre there, a petting zoo, interpretive centre, etc. We got a picture of Oakley with Rafiki and watched a bit of a bird show and then left. Back to Asia for the Kali River Rapids -and we finally had a snoring girl. So off Jason and Abbey went and I walked with Oakley. A nice cast member told me about a jungle trek that was cool and shaded and if I wanted to walk Oakley in there it was a good spot. So off I went - and saw some bats & tigers along the way! I waited for Jason and Abbey to come off the ride then we did a Rider Switch - they let you do that when you have a little one who is too small to ride the rides so then one parent can stay with them and the other one can ride with the older child - then the other parent can go when the older child goes twice. Worked out pretty good!
The Kali River Rapids were GREAT - a fast ride (only took 5 min or so, like most of them) but was like white water rafting. We got soaked - seriously took me the rest of the day to dry off! I am glad Abbey's camera is waterproof - we got some good pics! Abbey enjoyed going on it twice!
Then off to another roller coaster! Expedition Everest is the name of the ride and it's a huge roller coaster that looks like Mount Everest.We went through the single rider line - knowing it would be less of a wait and that we likely wouldn't get to sit together. Poor Abbey's face when she saw the guy she'd be sitting with and me three rows ahead. The nice lady I was put with offered to trade spots as she realized that we wanted to be together! So up we went! It was an awesome ride too (geez Abbey might be making a roller coaster addict out of me yet!) It was a different ride than the day before, no loopdie loops - but we had to go backwards!! UGGG... but fun!
Meanwhile Jason and Oakley were waiting for us in a nice shady spot. Off we went to explore everything we could before we had to leave. We got one more fast pass for the Dinosaur show for Jason and Abbey and then walked through Dinoland USA which would have been fun to explore had we had more time. And still Oakley slept....
Back to the front of the park (we just did a big loop around)... and there was "It's Tough to be a Bug" - a show I had heard of but couldn't take Oakley in - so off Jason and Abbey went again! Oakley and I cruised around some huge air conditioned gift shops, and by the time they came out she was up! They had a blast, said it was the most fun they had yet - the bugs on the screen spit at you and then something actually sprays you! Or kicks your seat! Or rolls across your back! Sounds like fun!
Then off to use our last Fast Pass before we had to go - Dinosaur. On our way there we found a character meet & greet with Tigger, Pooh and Eyeore... which was fun, Oakley's reaction to them was so funny. And great timing - they all took a break right after Oakley's turn! Then only after a few minutes delay we were off to the Dinosaur ride. Oakley and I walked around while they did that and we ended up finding yet another character spot with Goofy and Pluto. It took longer than we planned but Jason and Abbey found us after their ride on Dinosaur and we all were done with Animal Kingdom. (I never really did get the review on the Dinosaur ride - I assume then it was ok but not great!)
We had dinner reservations for 5 pm at the Yachtsman Steakhouse in one of the fancier Disney Resorts, so we hopped the bus there. The bus was hot and crowded and smelled very badly. :) But then again I am sure we smelled very badly too. I was afraid they wouldn't let us in - we were not exactly fancy restaurant type people at this point - I mean we were still wet from the River Rapids ride, hot and stinky, and in running shoes! But they let us in and although we stuck out a bit we didn't care. We had a fabulous steak dinner, and Oakley had noodles in cheese sauce - and she ate almost the entire plate. We were all so relieved. She has eaten so poorly lately that to see her eat was just so wonderful. I guess they will eat when they are hungry right? So aside from the food that was amazing, this place also had lots of nice touches. They ALSO were told it was Jason & Abbey's birthday - and had special menus printed up with "Happy Birthday Jason & Abigail" on them! And a birthday card signed by 'a few people in the back' - like Tigger, Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, Pocohontas, etc etc. And special birthday desserts!
Then back to our hotel. Of course there is no direct line from a fancy hotel to our budget hotel - we had to go to a park then hop a bus. But we got to take a boat - since the Disney Yacht Club is on the lake - so the boat took us back to Hollywood Studios where we were yesterday and then we took our bus back.
When we got back to the hotel I got Oakley in her swim suit and headed to the pool. We hit three pools tonight - the Goofy Splash Pad again, the BIG pool as she calls it, and then a smaller pool with a few little fountains. I had to drag her out kicking and screaming! Tub time and bed time and what a bear she's been - but she's out now! Hope she stays that way!
I booked our transfers for tomorrow morning at 8:25 - we are off to our day 1 at Universal Studios! Wish us luck!
Day 3 - Hollywood Studios
Saturday May 1st we spent the day at Hollywood Studios. The temperature got up to 40 degrees or so, and the humidity was out of control! It was a very hot day that resulted in a couple of sunburns and some very hot & tired Rattrays!
We got there around 10 am, seems to be our regular start time, by the time we get up and at 'em. Our transfers from the hotel to the park are quick and painless... and we just can't imagine having to worry about a vehicle here.
Hollywood Studios has a much older look and feel to it than Epcot did. Still new and upkept - just the style of it was that of the 50's. We walked in with the crowd and it didn't seem all that busy at the time but that was about to change. Our first stop was to the Toy Story 4D game that we had heard about - and we got a fast pass for that for much later on in the afternoon. We walked around a bit more and ended up at the Star Wars game - go figure. Jason and Abbey went on it as Oakley was much too little for it. We spent a bit of time in the gift shop - and got a birthday gift for Greydon's birthday later in the week - ahhh perfect. A Star Wars gift right from DisneyWorld - pretty cool I think! One of the greatest things about shopping on the parks is that they will ship it right back to your room for you at no cost. How nice not to have to haul around your packages all day!
Next stop - the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Wow. They had about three different sets, and as they used one it got rolled away to reveal a new one behind it. Fire, fake punches, drops from three stories high - all very cool. Makes Jason want to watch Indiana Jones movies with Abbey when we get home. The only strange thing about this - the guy sitting beside me was COVERED in severe scarring obviously from a fire... wonder how he felt about the insane amount of fire that was in the show.
I think after this we had lunch - lol I'm not too sure. It was yesterday after all - didn't get a chance to blog last night as Oakley had a terrible time falling asleep. (She's doing it again but I guess it's time for tough love - sorry neighbours, sorry Abbey... hope she falls asleep soon!) Lunch was at Pizza Palace - right out of Toy Story again. Good food although Oakley has been eating just terribly in this heat...
From here we went to the Great Movie Ride. It was a long wait in an old movie theate then you got into a train-like car and went through different scenes from all sorts of movies - from Alien to Wizard of Oz and on an on.
After this we walked clear across the park to get a fast pass for the Rock & Roller Coaster but couldn't get there till 7pm - 8 pm... and then Oakley fell asleep in the stroller. So we walked around so she could sleep in the stroller and looked for a cool place for her to nap. It was just.so.hot. So we found a cool cafeteria and laid low in there for an hour or so while she napped.
Once she woke up we tried to hit every indoor show we could to get out of the heat. We went to the Toy Story ride that we had a Fast Pass for (it was more like a shooting game with big 3 D pictures and targets!) Then we went to the Little Mermaid show - very cool. Complete with bubbles and rain in the audience and big hand puppets. It was surprisingly good! After that we went to a character meet & greet (indoor again) where Oakley got to see Mickey again ("Mickey's the BEST!" she said when we were standing in line.) Funny story #1 from Hollywood Studios - there was an Asian Man standing behind us in line for Mickey and then he was in front of us for Minnie and Pluto. Yikes. He was all by himself (red flag anyone??) and then had Chip & Dale everything. Two bags. Hand puppets (yes I said Hand Puppets!) and then used those puppets to talk to the characters. Then gave them gifts. Then hugged them. Multiple times. It was really strange. You have to hear Jason tell the story though - if he can tell it without laughing! Oakley also saw Goofy again, Minnie & Pluto (Minnie liked her dress, it was red with white polka dots just like hers!) and then off to see Snow White. Didn't impress Oakley at all. She just asked her 'Where's Goofy?' Ha. Our kid isn't much into princesses yet.
Then we went to Narnia - Prince Caspian. Ug. BORING. Just basically showed clips of the movie on big screens around a room that we sat in the middle of. However they did have some of the original costumes from the movie as well. We also walked around the Walt Disney exhibit. This would have been neat if Oakley would have been sleeping (we tried to get in then but they wouldn't let us in with her stroller)... but there was lots of history and it would have been great to learn all about Walt Disney. But Oakley was a nut and running around the place as always - no strollers allowed. What are they thinking? What's a bit of dirt to vacuum up every day instead of crazy kids running around?
After all these shows that we packed in we were off for our dinner reservation at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. What a hoot. It was a huge building but felt like a little house right out of the 50's. Complete with chrome chairs, a black & white tv by your table and a waitress that told you to keep your elbows off the table and clean your plate. The food was great but the service was amazing. The highlight from here was that our travel agent has obviously told every place that we are booked at this week that it's Jason & Abbey's birthday. So it was the day before - big deal. Apparently we are celebrating it all week. So Adrienne, our large black waitress, gathered up everyone in the adjoining rooms of this 'house' to sing Happy Birthday, and she had the WORST voice I've ever heard. But she was hilarious about it - because she told everyone she had a great voice. So she sang loud & proud... and badly!! But - she messed up and called him "John" instead of "Jason" so the whole place sang happy birthday to John and Abbey. I got it on video - hopefully I can figure out how to post it here. I told her it was going to go on YouTube! Then Jason started calling her Flo - and when she asked why he told her it was because she called him John - then she figured out her mistake and yelled it out to the entire place that it was JASON's birthday not John's. Oh what a hoot.
After lunch we had a little bit of time to kill before the Roller Coaster fast pass so we went to the Sound Stage to hear a show by Drew Carey. It was AWFUL. We've been 'rating' things all week and if I could have given it a negative I would have. You had to wear headphones and half of it had no picture just sound. It was all about a spy cam and murder mystery and I'm sure there was a point but Oakley was freaking out and hit her head on the chair and well.. you get my point. Not much fun.
So then we had to FLY to the Rock & Roller Coaster to get there before our pass expired. We made it just in time! Jason and Oakley waited outside with our stuff as Jason doesn't do too well on roller coasters.... and then Abbey and I went on in! It was a very short wait... and it was all Aerosmith themed.We got on the cars giggling thinking 'what did we get ourselves into?'. That's when my lovely step daughter decided to spring on me that this was her first time on a roller coaster. WHAT??? I thought she was an old pro! She loves rides and I'm sure she'd been on them with her mom before. Guess not! It's been YEARS since I've been on one - West Ed Mall maybe... and so we were both a little nervous. But there were LOTS of little kids around and we thought if they could do it so could we! So - off we went. It was a lot of fun! We did a few loops that made our heads spin but we didn't get sick and it was over before we knew it! I had to laugh at the Aerosmith tune playing "Love in a Roller Coaster"!!!
Then Abbey was on a roll and decided to do the Tower of Terror - this was a job for her Dad! So the sign said a 30 min wait - so off they went and I tried to find something to do with Oakley while we waited. Ahhh the Beauty & The Beast show. It was just starting - and it was shaded and cool(er) and a good place to wait. Only problem was I left my radio in the stroller that I had to leave wayyyy up at the entrance, and Jason and Abbey were done in 10 min not 30. (Oh I forgot to mention the radios yesterday - what a godsend. We bought them at Costco the day before we left. They are perfect for the odd time we have to go in different directions - not so helpful if they aren't on your person though!) So the B&TB show was great, Oakley watched patiently and waved goodbye to all the princesses at the end - "Bye Princesses!!". Might have her hooked on princesses at the end of this after all.
We met up with Jason and Abbey who quite enjoyed the 13 storey drop of the Tower of Terror! And at this point - we were all DONE. It was so hot and we were all tired and happy to head back to the hotel. We did stop at the splash pad at the hotel to let Oakley cool off a bit - so I took off her top and let her run through the water at the Goofy Spray pad close to our hotel. A quick tub and a snack and off to bed. But a hard time falling asleep so I just laid with her and rubbed her back - hence no blog last night.
Jason is posting pics in a separate post. I get too frustrated trying to arrange them all in order! If you read this post you should be able to identify all of the pics he is posting in the picture post!
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