Friday…
A great way to finish off our Florida vacation. In many ways it is hard to believe that the week is over, but we have done so much over the past several days.
Today was the only day that we had any rain and it wasn’t even that much. It was cooler today which was ok. Apparently at home school was cancelled due to the stormy weather so we had nothing to complain about.
We headed out this morning after pancakes and sausages at the condo. We parked at Epcot and took the bus over to Animal Kingdom. The plan had been to only do the safari, but once we got there we really enjoyed it so we decided to switch our plans around and spend the majority of the day at Animal Kingdom. We went on the safari, visited lots of animals in Asia, and walked through beautiful areas. We also watched a bird show called Flight of Wonder which was amazing! There were amazing birds that were trained to do some great things.
After we left Animal Kingdom we headed to Epcot. Dot and Fred headed to the van to rest while Timothy, Kim and Brent headed into Epcot to ride Test Track. It is the fastest and longest rollercoaster in Disney apparently. Kim even went on it regardless of her reservations.
After spending time trying to find the van in parking lot we headed back to the condo for left overs supper and finish getting packed up. It is hard to believe that we are leaving tomorrow. There are lots of things that we could have done while we were here and we knew we wouldn’t get it all in. Timothy is already wanting to plan another trip back.
If I don’t get many pictures uploaded tonight I will get it done over the next short while for people to see. Talk to you soon!
Thursday…
We started the day off slowly and headed to the Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast. It was enjoyed by all minus the grits. Off to a Black Powder shop and then to Daytona.
We made it to Daytona. The boys dropped the girls off at the mall and then headed to the Daytona International Speedway for activities and touring that were on before the Rolex 24 this weekend. They had a great time. Brent said he could have spent the whole day there. Timothy got lots of autographs too. They all said it was really loud.
Back into Orlando and stopped for supper at The Cheesecake Factory where Timothy got to enjoy Deep Fried Mac and Cheese balls again. Supper was great and we headed back to the condo with a quick stop to get some fresh Krispy Kreme snacks – we would call them doughnut holes or timbits – not sure what they call them. Brent and Timothy went to the pool for some fun since there probably won’t be time tomorrow for more swimming.
I am trying to sort through the pics to get more uploaded to the site. We have taken over 800 pictures so there is some sorting to be done. I will try to get to it soon.
Tomorrow we are back to Disney to see Kilimanjaro Safaris and then visit Epcot. We won’t get to do everything of course but we hope to hit some highlights.
Wednesday continued…
What a day! The weather was beautiful and there was a nice breeze to help with the heat.
We arrived at Magic Kingdom and parked just a few rows from the entrance. We headed over to the first gift shop and picked up some more pins for trading and a couple Mickey hats with ears.
We took the ferry boat from the main gate over to Magic Kingdom. We got there at a good time and had hardly any wait for the ferry. Everything ran very efficiently. Timothy talked to the captain and even got his autograph. From there we went through the main gates and started the day…
We started walking down Main Street USA. The buildings are beautiful. As we entered we saw our first characters – Pluto and Daisy Duck! Timothy got his first autograph. While we were waiting there was a manager who stopped to talk to us and said that the character greeting with Mickey in the theatre was a short wait so we headed right over. Turned out that Minnie was there too!
We then caught the train and got off in Frontierland. We practiced shooting, saw some neat buildings and had lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe.
Smallworld was next. Dot and Fred had been there before over thirty years ago and wanted to see it again. We enjoyed the ride and the sights. Fred and Dot went to the Haunted House and Kim, Brent and Timothy went to Mickey’s Philharmagic Show. Other things we took in included Tomorrowland Speedway (Brent and Timothy had car #49), Mad Tea Cups, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Timothy got over 461,000 points!), and The Astro Orbiter.
We had supper at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and headed back over to the Hall of Presidents. Brent and Timothy went on Space Mountain! This was Timothy’s first big roller coaster and although scared at first he enjoyed it. We watched the show and then headed around the castle to Main Street to get ready to watch the fireworks. The show was amazing!
It was impressive how fast and smoothly leaving the park was. The fireworks had started at 8pm and by 9pm we were back in the van heading back to the condo – all pretty tired out from a great day.
Wednesday…
Off to Disney World! Magic Kingdom here we come! Stay tuned for more when we get back!
Tuesday…
A busy day but lots of fun. We had breakfast at the condo and got on the road early to head back to SeaWorld.
Feeding the dolphins
We arrived at SeaWorld in time to get to feed the dolphins and then take in the dolphin show called Blue Horizon. It was fantastic! It included acrobats, birds, other performers and of course dolphins! We all said we enjoyed the dolphin show even more than the whale show.
Timothy and Leon
After coming back to the condo for a short rest we headed out to Downtown Disney for supper the the T-Rex Cafe. The decor was pretty neat and somewhat overwhelming at times, but we can say we made it there. We stopped by the Lego shop near by and enjoyed the amazing models on display.
I will try to get more photos uploaded soon. We are trying to get them downloaded and coordinated.
Off to Disney’s Magic Kingdom we go tomorrow!
Monday…
Another great day! We decided to take the day slow and relax at the resort and do a little bit of shopping. So first things first – off to the pool! The water was really nice and warm. Timothy really enjoyed the swimming time.
- Timothy enjoyed swimming in the pool at the resort!
After a relaxing morning we headed out for lunch at Denny’s (real regular food!) and some shopping at Target. We picked up sandwich makings and snacks for supper back at the condo.
We had to be back to the resort in time for some spa treatment though. Kim convinced Dot to get a pedicure. It was a relaxing and enjoyable couple of hours. Brent, Fred and Timothy visited Camping World, Krispy Kreme, and took a drive around.
The evening was nice and low key. Timothy stayed with Nanny and Grampy while Kim and Brent went out exploring a bit. We found 2 geocaches, went to a game store and drove over toward Disney! On the way home, we drove by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and the light was on! For those who don’t know that means that the doughnuts are being made and they are hot and gooey. Fred says they are just like the doughnuts that an old bakery in Kentville used to make years ago.
Tomorrow is back to SeaWorld and then to Downtown Disney for supper and shopping. Still lots of things to do, but we are trying to take it slow and see where we get…
Sunday…
The first full day in Florida. We had a great day! I will try to get some photos uploaded tomorrow.
The day started with breakfast at the condo. Then we headed to Old Town. It is a shopping and attraction area near the resort. There were lots of interesting shops. Timothy really enjoyed Black Market Minerals and bought some cool stones and marbles. Dad got a new leather hat and wallet. Timothy and Brent went on go-karts. At first Timothy was a bit uncertain about the idea once he got in the kart but then he really had fun.
At the Old Town Portrait Gallery we had family pictures taken dressed up as cowboys and southern belles. We got printed pictures and a CD. They turned out really well. I will post some as soon as I can figure out if I can download them. The digital pics are on a CD and I don’t have a CD drive on the netbook. We had lunch at Tex Mex.
This afternoon we headed to SeaWorld for a part day. Our tickets allow for a free second day so we decided to split our visit over two days. This afternoon we visited the manta aquarium, sea turtles, pelicans, and other animals. Timothy really enjoyed the geckos around the area too. The highlight of the afternoon was the whale show called One Ocean. We all really enjoyed the show. Timothy and Brent set in the soak zone and had a great time getting splashed. The whales were great and they did some great tricks with the trainers. We are planning to go back on Tuesday to see more animals and the dolphin shows.
After supper at Olive Garden we headed back to the condo for a quiet night. An early night to bed for all I think. Tomorrow is going to be a relaxed day at the resort and maybe a little shopping. Looking forward to the rest of the week.