What a lucky draw! The hubby has a conference in Orlando, Florida... so I figure, I need a break... I'll go with him. It's actually his suggestion - as an anniversary gift to me. So, he's purchased park passes and plane tickets. Here we go!
During the trip, we visited Sea World, Universal Studios, Disney MGM, Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.
Sea World - this was my first trip to Sea World since I was a child (and my first trip to Sea World, Orlando). I loved the park! I love sea creatures of all sorts. I was a bit upset that the flash on my camera died in time for us to go to the Penguin enclosure. :( But it is what it is. We didn't have much time in the park, since we arrived in the early evening... missing the Shamu shows. But it was still an amazing place.
Universal Studios - what an interesting park. We had fun at Universal, but we only stayed a bit. I would like to return and visit the park for a longer period of time and perhaps enjoy some of the different rides and adventures.
Disney MGM Studios - talk about literally walking in the past! The cast members are dressed as different celebrities - we saw Marilyn Monroe and Desi and Lucy. It was a lot of fun to walk around the streets that were made up to be like a trip into old television. We also were able to get into a showing of Fantasmic... the fireworks and water show. It was awesome! I loved it.
Epcot Center - I loved Epcot. It was like traveling the world without leaving the continent. We walked around taking photos. I wish we'd been hungry, we could have sampled some of the different worldly foods. We did stay for the fireworks. Again, amazing. One of my favorite fireworks shows that I've ever witnessed.
Busch Gardens - a trip to Orlando isn't complete without a visit to Busch Gardens. We visited briefly and saw the amazing clydesdale mascots for the brand. They are one of my favorite types of horses, so beautiful.
Animal Kingdom - being an animal lover, Animal Kingdom is right up my alley. I love the layout of the park, the different animal experiences, and the parades. The Tree of Life is so beautiful... it's just awesome. What a trip. I personally enjoy the cat exhibits the most, but the park itself is easily one of the most beautiful zoos in the country.
Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom) - easily one of my favorite parks. I could go here every day of my life and never get tired of it. It's probably the only place in the world, other than on a Disney Cruise, where you can be a kid and not have anyone raise an eyebrow at you. Walking around with the characters... riding the rides, watching the fireworks. It's all pure magic.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sunday, November 26, 2006
First Time for Everything
Midway through 2005, mom and dad got all of us together and let us know they were thinking a family trip to Florida would be fun. Maybe go to Disney World... as Tony (big cousin) and Rosie were old enough to truly enjoy such a trip. At that time, mom and dad were the only ones in the family that had ever been on a cruise. (You'll understand why I mention this in a bit.)
Somewhere during trip planning, dad discovered Disney Cruise Lines and a 3-day itinerary that would depart Port Canaveral, FL on Saturday and return on Wednesday; stopping in Nassau, Bahamas and on Disney's private island - Castaway Cay, Bahamas. As a surprise, he booked the trip for us, figuring we could take the cruise and still make it back to port to enjoy some time at the parks. Needless to say, most of the adult children weren't entirely thrilled about this idea.
Why? Well.. think about it. Your most vivid memory of a "boat" from childhood is a small vessel that can cruise along on the river. Far too small to spend any length of time aboard comfortably. We were envisioning being stuck in a tin can on the water with nothing to do. So, of course, we were dragging our feet and trying to convince our parents the extra expense wasn't entirely necessary.
After months of doing everything in our power to convince mom and dad to change the plans and spend more time on land at the parks; and dad standing his ground and trying to convince us we'd have a great time; we begrudgingly gathered in Orlando the night before our scheduled departure aboard the ship. The weather was not cooperating, delaying most of our party in Dallas until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Needless to say, 8am came pretty darned early. Rob and I made our way to their hotel, our bags in hand, and the family began the van drive to Port Canaveral.
Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, we arrived at the terminal - where we stopped at the Disney port terminal. Fatigued apprehension quickly gave way to giddy, childlike anticipation as we made our way into the terminal and checked in... once we caught a glimpse of the Disney Wonder, and the characters milling about... all bets were off. All of us were like antsy two year olds as we waited, rather impatiently, to board.
Trivia: Disney Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that has permission from the coast guard to paint their life boats yellow instead of orange. So, you pull up to the terminal and there is this massive black and white cruise ship with ornate yellow decoration on the forward hull and a character or characters hanging from the aft. Within each of their ships, there is a character statue in the atrium. The Disney Wonder being their second ship, the character was Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Thus began a whirlwind vacation. We did as much exploring of the ship as we could in a short little trip. We also got to explore Nassau (I personally loved this island... it was charming, despite being a bit dirty). Then had a relaxing day at Castaway Cay (which we all loved... what a pristine island in the middle of nowhere!) It was sad to wake up the next morning and have to debark the ship after breakfast.
The Pirate Party was something to note. We weren't sure what to expect from it for this cruise, as it was our first. We got a deck party that was incredibly choreographed... and ended in a fireworks display. It did not disappoint.
Trivia: Disney Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that has permission from the coast guard to launch fireworks from their deck while at sea.
It is indescribably amazing to wake up and wander about on deck and run into your favorite Disney characters - the ones you've spent a lifetime admiring from afar. Disney Cruise Lines makes them real - you can touch them... intermingle with them... it's truly magical (even for adults). For those who don't have kids... who may be thinking there are too many kids on a Disney Cruise for their tastes... surprisingly, you hardly noticed the kids. I mean, you'd think you'd be tripping over them at every turn, but there are so many activities for the kids, you hardly ever see them. Disney has taken the time to make sure that there are plenty of things to do onboard for all of the guests, not just the youngest.
We concluded the trip with a day at Walt Disney World and Thanksgiving at the Vistana Resort my mom and dad own. After three days of being pampered aboard a pristine ship, with friendly cast and crew members... Walt Disney World was enjoyable - but it paled in comparison. It was very sad to have to leave my family and return home... to the cold Minnesota winter.
Somewhere during trip planning, dad discovered Disney Cruise Lines and a 3-day itinerary that would depart Port Canaveral, FL on Saturday and return on Wednesday; stopping in Nassau, Bahamas and on Disney's private island - Castaway Cay, Bahamas. As a surprise, he booked the trip for us, figuring we could take the cruise and still make it back to port to enjoy some time at the parks. Needless to say, most of the adult children weren't entirely thrilled about this idea.
Why? Well.. think about it. Your most vivid memory of a "boat" from childhood is a small vessel that can cruise along on the river. Far too small to spend any length of time aboard comfortably. We were envisioning being stuck in a tin can on the water with nothing to do. So, of course, we were dragging our feet and trying to convince our parents the extra expense wasn't entirely necessary.
After months of doing everything in our power to convince mom and dad to change the plans and spend more time on land at the parks; and dad standing his ground and trying to convince us we'd have a great time; we begrudgingly gathered in Orlando the night before our scheduled departure aboard the ship. The weather was not cooperating, delaying most of our party in Dallas until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Needless to say, 8am came pretty darned early. Rob and I made our way to their hotel, our bags in hand, and the family began the van drive to Port Canaveral.
Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, we arrived at the terminal - where we stopped at the Disney port terminal. Fatigued apprehension quickly gave way to giddy, childlike anticipation as we made our way into the terminal and checked in... once we caught a glimpse of the Disney Wonder, and the characters milling about... all bets were off. All of us were like antsy two year olds as we waited, rather impatiently, to board.
Trivia: Disney Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that has permission from the coast guard to paint their life boats yellow instead of orange. So, you pull up to the terminal and there is this massive black and white cruise ship with ornate yellow decoration on the forward hull and a character or characters hanging from the aft. Within each of their ships, there is a character statue in the atrium. The Disney Wonder being their second ship, the character was Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Thus began a whirlwind vacation. We did as much exploring of the ship as we could in a short little trip. We also got to explore Nassau (I personally loved this island... it was charming, despite being a bit dirty). Then had a relaxing day at Castaway Cay (which we all loved... what a pristine island in the middle of nowhere!) It was sad to wake up the next morning and have to debark the ship after breakfast.
The Pirate Party was something to note. We weren't sure what to expect from it for this cruise, as it was our first. We got a deck party that was incredibly choreographed... and ended in a fireworks display. It did not disappoint.
Trivia: Disney Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that has permission from the coast guard to launch fireworks from their deck while at sea.
It is indescribably amazing to wake up and wander about on deck and run into your favorite Disney characters - the ones you've spent a lifetime admiring from afar. Disney Cruise Lines makes them real - you can touch them... intermingle with them... it's truly magical (even for adults). For those who don't have kids... who may be thinking there are too many kids on a Disney Cruise for their tastes... surprisingly, you hardly noticed the kids. I mean, you'd think you'd be tripping over them at every turn, but there are so many activities for the kids, you hardly ever see them. Disney has taken the time to make sure that there are plenty of things to do onboard for all of the guests, not just the youngest.
We concluded the trip with a day at Walt Disney World and Thanksgiving at the Vistana Resort my mom and dad own. After three days of being pampered aboard a pristine ship, with friendly cast and crew members... Walt Disney World was enjoyable - but it paled in comparison. It was very sad to have to leave my family and return home... to the cold Minnesota winter.
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