Florida Vacation
Brian came home from Miami on April April 20th, got his laundry etc. done and then on April 22nd after packing up, and cleaning the house, we headed to the airport for a noon flight to Orlando. We parked at Park n Fly Valet using Brian's free pass as he had accumulated points from work so that was awesome! This was especially awesome as Brian would not be flying back with us as he would be heading to Vegas for work directly from Florida.
We arrived at dinner time, grabbed some McDonalds and then headed to Legacy Vacation Club (using our time share) and got settled into our two bedroom plus den condo. The kids ended up using the den for their bedroom and the space was perfect for us with a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms and a Jacuzzi tub.
Saturday April 23 we headed to Magic Kingdom. This was a long day! Brian's mom, and the kids were certainly troopers for this crazy long fun filled day. I think we spent 14 hours in the park.
We had three fast passes. We used Winnie the Pooh, and Thunder Mountain (Easton's absolute favourite ride... this kid loves roller coasters!!!). We missed the Mickey one early in the day, but we were able to see Mickey (the only talking Mickey) at the end of the night with only a 5-10 minute line up. So it was all good.
The fast passes were super helpful with the line ups! We were also able to enjoy the parade and fireworks including watching Tinkerbell fly from the castle. If I ever go again I will make time to go early to the parade line ups as spots fill up fast! Like an hour before the parade if I want a bench. And... you want a bench!
By the end of the night nearly midnight Easton's legs were sore and this was the only time on the trip that I really wished we had a stroller. The rest of the time I was thankful that we were past that stage and the kids could walk, skip or dance as you do in Disney!
Sunday April 24th, we spent the day at the hotel. After a morning swim / splash pad time Brian's mom relaxed a little in the afternoon (I hope) and Brian worked (for just a few hours), while I took the kids to the park and an art class. Hadley painted a snake and Easton painted a cupcake. We also played in the arcade.
That night we went out for dinner at Golden Coral. So yummy and so much food!
April 25th was our day at Epcot. We had three fast passes here. One for Test track which was a crazy fast car ride that we were able to design the car and its specs before riding. Lots of fun. We also went on the Finding Nemo ride, and the journey into imagination ride with Figment. We waited in line for Snow White as she is rare to see. Then had dinner in the Morocco themed restaurant. The food was good, and the atmosphere was great. The only thing that would have made it better is if Jasmine and Aladdin showed up but unfortunately we missed meeting them by minutes.
We stayed to watch the fireworks that celebrated the world and then headed back to the hotel.
April 26th we were back at the hotel. This day we did some pool time, mini golf, tie dye, and Bingo where Hadley one two rubber ducks (one that was holding a beach ball and the other with a tiara and a wand). Then after the kids were in bed Brian and I took advantage of his mom being on the trip as we had someone to watch the kids. So we explored Disney Springs (once known as downtown Disney). We found two pubs to enjoy live bands and had a great night out.
April 27th we were at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The day was FULL of Star Wars adventures for the most part...however, there was a Frozen show with Elsa, Anna and Christoph. Again we had fast passes for rides. One for Star Tour (a movie/Star Wars ride), then Toy Story which is so much fun... the kids and the adults would have done this again if at all possible but the line for this is crazy! Then we had a fast pass for Disney Junior Live musical show.
Hollywood Studios is where we were able to meet up with Michelle, Derek and Margaret for just a few minutes as their day was planned and full as was ours. I couldn't imagine they were in Florida at the same time as us, let alone Disney, and never mind the same park! So cool as it was definitely not planned! Michelle saw a post of mine on Facebook and messaged me in hopes we could meet up. :)
At the beginning of the day we waited in line for what we ended the day with... Jedi Training.
Hadley didn't want to do it but Easton did and LOVED IT! He got to wear a jedi robe, get a light saber, and Darth Vader, and Ren came out as well as others to "fight" with the kids. The kids used the force to push them back. It was awesome to watch! A perfect way to end the day! From here we went to Brian's mom's favourite restaurant, Cracker Barrel.
April 28th we were back at Magic Kingdom. This day started off with brunch in the castle where we met 5 princesses. We were greeted by Cinderella, and after being seated Hadley was handed a magical wand and Easton was given a sword. Plus both kids received a wishing star. Then after food was served the princesses made their way to greet us. We saw Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, and Jasmine (who we hoped to see in Morocco). It was great to meet so many princesses at the same location without the line ups!
Then we went about our day using our fast passes for Peter Pan, Enchanted Tales with Belle where the kids acted out the story and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. Hadley was hesitant but loved the gems inside and Easton was eager as he LOVES roller coasters! I rode with him and we both had our hands in the air for almost the entire ride! He was also screaming with Joy! He couldn't scream any louder. This is what we finished the night off with. Everyone was tired so after talking about it, it was decided that we would skip the parade and fireworks and avoid the crazy departure with everyone else later.
April 29th we took the morning to clean up a little, and chill in the hotel room. Everyone had their own time to do their own thing. Then we drove two hours to Honeymoon Island State Park where we spent some time on the beach, looked for shells, swam and just enjoyed some sunshine. The evening was spent on Captain Memo's Pirate Ship. This is amazing! The kids had water pistol fights, they did a search for gold coins, they had their face painted, and then there was a certificate given to each child and a dance party, all this and included in your price were free drinks for kids and adults alike. The sunset was a perfect yellow/orange circle and everyone left with smiles on their faces.
April 30th we were at Animal Kingdom. This park has a completely different pace than the others. We did the Kilimanjaro ride which is basically a safari ride seeing everything that would take you days to see in Africa on Safari, but seeing it in 20 minutes. Then we did the river rapids which is like white water canyon at Wonderland. Brian's mom got soaked! This didn't bode to well as our next and last fast pass was for a showing on Finding Nemo the musical (in air conditioned theatres). Aside from being wet all day we all had fun and ended with a Lion King show before heading to the hotel. This was quite well done. Lots of acrobatics, and float like displays.
This park closes early so we were back at the hotel by 8pm. After getting the kids to bed, and cleaning up/packing, Brian and I took advantage again of an hour out. This time at the swimming pool bar where we watched some hockey and talked.
May 1st we all headed to the airport. After getting us to where we needed to be, Brian went to catch his flight for work to go directly to Vegas.
The flight home was smooth but the baggage took a long time so we got home late.
It was a great trip! I am so thankful to be able to take our kids away for vacations! Thankful for a great mother in law who was great to have with us on this trip and also helpful in grabbing a few groceries on the way home.
Synthia stayed at our house and watched over Tinkerbelle while we were away. Thankful for her too!
Hadley was so excited to see Tinkerbelle and gave her a big squeeze and Tinkerbelle was happy to see us too! It was clear that she missed us!