Sunday & Monday, June 12^th June 13^th – “When you wish upon a star…”

Click on the pic to see the whole galleryThis year, the Wilson family did something different, we traveled to Disney World!  While the past few years, we found ourselves going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, there was an opportunity that came up this past March to have access to a two bedroom villa that Janet and I could not pass up.  So, room in hand, reservations were made on the JetBlue, aka, the “Big Blue People Carrier” and off we went for a week of magic.

It had been years since both Lauren and Sarah have flown and even then, they were so young, this was really a fresh experience for them.  Sarah sat next to me on the flight down, I gave her the window, while across the aisle, and Lauren also sat next to the window with Janet.  We were an hour delayed leaving Dulles, they needed to put air in one of the tires, but it was a most pleasant flight and both Lauren and Sarah so enjoyed it.

Upon arriving in Central Florida, it was a zoo at the Orlando airport, but then again, it’s that time of season where the area gets bombarded with tourists; frankly, Disney should run the airport, they do a much better job in crowd control.  Anyway, we picked up our car and plugged in “Kit” (my GPS with the voice of Kit) and off we went to find the Sheraton Vistana.

Check in was quick and easy and do we ever like to room.  We are on the fourth floor overlooking plenty of well landscaped grounds with bridges crossing ponds and lots of wildlife for the family to take in and enjoy.  We then headed off to Walmart just a few miles up the road and well… I should have turned around before even parking the car.  I must say, I have been in plenty of Walmarts, but one would have thought a hurricane was coming, this place was a zoo!  People where just about running over their fellow shoppers and frankly it became a game, try to make it out without hitting anyone.  After an hour or so (felt like three), we got food for the week and were back at the villa.  We quickly unpacked and headed down to the Cascades pool, one of seven within the property.  At about 11:00, we all came in for the day and went off to bed.

On Monday, our first full day, we set out for Epcot.  Granted, Daddy got “talked” into sitting in what was to be an hour and a half sales pitch to purchase property… this meeting lasted from 8:00 to almost noon, but I did get a nice discount on my four day “park hopper” package with an extra day at one of the water parks.  I have to say, both Lauren and Sarah were so patient, here we are in Disney and they are stuck with Mom and Dad all morning. 

Finally, we came back to the villa, grabbed a quick lunch and off we were to Epcot.  This day in age, with iPhones and the Internet, there are applications and web sites that allow one to statistically map out the day based on wait times and lines, so therefore, we choose Epcot as this was the lest busy park on a Monday afternoon.

All the Disney parks are within a few miles of our villa and as we approached the parks, the girls, along with Mom and Dad all got so excited seeing the “Welcome” sign to Disney and both Sarah and Lauren took in the colorful road signs and marking on the road.  Parking was a breeze and getting into Epcot, quick and easy… recall my comment about having Disney run the Orlando Airport? 

Now that we were in the park, my poor family started dealing with Daddy and all the pictures I want to take, but they enjoy them today and one day, when they are older, they too will be showing them to their children and grandchildren.

So, what hit first?  We were so pleasantly surprised; the lines were not too bad. Our first ride, Spaceship Earth, it was a huge hit with the girls.  We then headed over to Soarin, one of the rides on our list; to get our FastPass… the line was 70 minutes without a FastPass, then while over in “The Land” we rode Living with the Land which was interesting.  After that, we hit The Seas with Nemo & Friends, this was a pleasant surprise.  While Turtle Talk with Crush was intended for smaller children, I found the interactive software quite interesting and even saw Lauren crack a smile every now and then… after all, she is a “teenager” now.  What we enjoyed the most, the aquarium was a nice surprise.  There were two boat rescue manatees, dolphins, rays, plenty of fish and sharks!   

OK, so the other ride on my list, Mission Space and we were pleasantly surprised to see the line wait time, that displayed 60 minutes was wrong and it was only about 15 or 20 minutes.  Now, there are two versions of the line, the “green” ticket less intense version and the “orange” ticket, which are, “are you nuts to actually try this ticket”.  It goes without saying what ticket we choose, yep, the “orange” ticket.

So, we all boarded the ride, Janet got the navigator position, I was the captain, Lauren was the commander and Sarah was the engineer.  As the restraints came down, I quickly took note of the “barf bags” conveniently placed in front of me… ugg, what did I get myself into?  The ride then turned us on our backs within seconds and we looked straight ahead at the monitors and listened to Gary Sinese countdown to blast off!  The next thing I knew, all four of us were screaming as we lifted off the rocket pad and felt the g-force press against our bodies; I have to think we were spinning in place to create such an effect, again, any ride with “barf bags”, that’s a big clue!  The basic premise to the ride, you and your crew are going to Mars and each person has to hit buttons at a certain time to ensure a successful mission.  So after what is only a matter of minutes, but feels like hours, we land on Mars and both Janet and I had the same thought, oh my, I hope this darn ride does not take us back to Earth as we both were ready to spend the rest of our days on Mars rather than ride this darn thing again.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was fun and yep, glad I did it, but frankly, it took me an hour or longer to feel better.

OK, so, we have our FastPass ticket in hand for Soarin, and after Mission Space, we decided it would be a good time to walk over to the countries.  We took in a film about Canada and then Janet wanted to have dinner in “France” while at Epcot.  We had an excellent meal at Les Chefs with a special appearance of our chef… Remy.  I just love the pictures of Janet and Sarah giving Remy a quick kiss!Click on the pic to see the whole gallery 

After dinner, we continued our walk across the world visiting the other countries, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway and Mexico.  I especially like the stop Janet and I made in Italy… take note of the picture! As we got closer to Germany and the other countries, we needed to rush a bit as 8:18 was approaching for our ride on Soarin.

So, we arrived back at The Land about 20 minutes before our time to board Soarin.  We sat down and took stock in all the fun we had for the day and shared that family laughter as we reflected on the fun.  Now it was time for us to get in line for Soarin, even with the FastPass, it was about a 10 minute wait, but before we knew it, all four of us were boarding our hang glider.  As I buckled myself in, I quickly took a look around looking to see if there were any “barf bags”, phew, none to be found, so I am safe.  The ride then starts, it’s almost like a large ski left chair that puts one right upfront on an IMAX movie screen.  I have to say, it was a blast, by far, the best ride of the day for the family.  Disney has fans that interject smells as one flies over different areas of California, the smell of spruce, the ocean, the desert, the farming fields and the list goes on and on… for anyone coming to Epcot, don’t miss this ride!

We timed the end of Soarin perfectly, it was now about 10 minutes before nine o’clock with the IllumiNations Reflections of Earth was about to start.  As many folks now, every night, Disney concludes that day with a spectacular fireworks show and it goes without saying, we all so enjoyed the displays, Janet especially liked how the fireworks were time to the music precisely.     

You know as a father, when your youngest just hugs you throughout the day, how much of a hit this trip is a how I will carry these memories for all eternity.  Not to take away from my Lauren, she too is having a blast, but I take a moment to reflect on the day and how bless my family is having with this opportunity.

Tuesday, June 13^th – “Lights, Camera… Action!”

Today the Wilson’s traveled over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as the “must ride” ride was on our list, Toy Story Mania.  While there, we enjoyed other attractions such as a back lot tour, a movie on Walt Disney and the story of his life, The American Idol Experience, the Narnia Experience, do yourself a favor, skip this, it was terrible and the newly reopened Star Tours, we rode this one twice… and of course, Toy Story Mania.

Click on the pic to see the whole galleryWe arrived just before the park opened; it was a bit crowded, but got in and made a b-line for Toy Story Mania to get our FastPass.  Once we had our FastPasses in hand, what to do next?  We walked over to the Disney back lot studio tour and while at first, Lauren was unsure, she and Sarah loved it… well, as her Pa-Pa has nicknamed her, “Miss Hollywood” just thought it was great!  She loved seeing many of the props from some of her favorite movies and she was sitting on the left during the oil taker flood, fire, earthquake… so she got a bit wet.  As we left the tour, Janet and I decided to get one of those Hollywood Posters where our faces are “photo-shopped” into a real poster, let’s put it this way, I did not do Jonny Depp any favors, but Penélope Cruz would be proud, as Sarah said, Mom looks “hot”… and I would agree.

After the back lot tour, we headed over to the Star Tours attraction where Sarah wanted to sign up for Jedi training and learn to take on the “dark side” and fight Darth Vadar… so with her time slot in hand, we then got in line for Star Tours.  The basic premises of Star Tours, one boards a shuttle and as you are leaving, by mistake, no less with C3PO in the captain seat, one is chased throughout the galaxy and visits many different planets.  It’s a 3D ride experience and just so much fun!

By now, it was time to return for our Toy Story Mania time slot.  Janet and Sarah paired up while Lauren and I paired up for the ride.  As you travel through the course, the idea is to use a type of toy gun and shoot 3D targets as they come up on various screens.  Naturally, Lauren and I were in competition and though Lauren claims, “Daddy cheated” I had the higher score, 143,100!  All in all, not a bad ride, would it be worth a two hour wait had we not had a FastPass, no, I would not say so, but still it was fun. 

After Toy Story Mania, Lauren wanted to take part in the American Idol Experience where three guests at Disney were selected to sing in front of 500 other guests and as a member of the audience, one can vote and then later in the day, that guest comes back to compete during the last show of the evening.  Even though I don’t think I have ever watched a full episode of American Idol, I did enjoy it.

As we left the American Idol Experience, one of those Florida thunderstorms sprung up and we ran for cover… which put is in the jungles of the Indian Jones Epic Stunt Show.  We got a first row seat and wouldn’t you know it, typical of my Janet, she got picked to be an “extra” in the stunt show.  We enjoyed the explosions, action scenes and of course, seeing “Mom” take part in the action… she did us proud.

Because Sarah’s Jedi training was not until later in the evening, we decided to go back to the villa for some lunch and I wanted to get a quick nap while the girls went to the pool.  Also, I did have to get some work done by catching up on e-mail and putting a few reports together… o’well, that’s life, right?  I never did get my nap in, there’s always tomorrow, right?

By 6:30, we were headed back over to Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s for Sarah’s training.  We arrived a bit early and wanted to take in a few more attractions.  We had thought the Narnia Experience would be nice, do yourself a favor, just “Google” Narnia and watch the movie previews.  I think Disney should just tear this attraction down; it was nothing more than a series of film clips summarizing the story, really, very boring.  However, as we exited the movie preview, we did take part in a history of Walt Disney tour and movie which everyone enjoyed, so not all was lost. 

It was now time to return for Sarah’s Jedi Training and with camera in hand, we were all excited to see her take on the “dark side” and face Darth Vadar.  Well, I wish I was able to write how funny the training was, however, sadly, the last show was canceled because of “technical difficulties” and we did not get to see our Sarah take on Vadar.  We did at least get to get a picture of Sarah with Vadar and his Strom Troopers and because of the time, we took in another ride on Star Tours.  What we all discovered, there are something like 50 different scenarios on Star Tours so our ride was different from the one earlier in the day.  Oh, and our little Sarah was identified as a “Rebel Spy” by Darth Vadar and her picture was shown on the screen, so in essence, it was my Sarah’s fault that we were pursued through the galaxy by the Empire. 

So, Disney’s Hollywood Studios was another hit.  Janet and I wanted to take in the Tower of Terror, but Lauren and Sarah did not want to have any part of it… none the less, it was after 9:00 and time to return to the villa for a night’s rest because who knows what we will get into on Wednesday?

Wednesday & Thursday, June 15^th June 16^th – Midweek break and safari time

After two days visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios, Janet and I decided that we wanted to take a break from the parks and visit one of the Water Parks we have heard so much about on Wednesday.  As most folks know, there are two Disney Water Parks here in Orlando, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.  I did some quick online research and made the decision to visit Typhoon Lagoon mainly because of the ability to snorkel with live fish and sharks!Click on the pic to see the whole gallery

I have to say; originally I was going to skip the water parks because the Sheraton has seven swimming pools, but alas, we got a day and was I ever glad that we visited Typhoon Lagoon!  The setting was quite nice, and it was hard to not imagine one was not on a South Seas Tropical island.  The main attraction, a huge wave pool that was capable of generating nine foot waves… and try as I might, I could not get Janet, Lauren or Sarah near it.  We took part in many of the water slides, both Lauren and Sarah figured out quickly how much fun they are and rather than Janet and I being drug all over the park, we just turned the girls loose.  Before I knew it, it was after 1:00 and I wanted to get back to the Villa so that everyone could nap, after all, this is a vacation where one is supposed to rest, right?

After a few hours of rest, we all decided to hit the shopping district, Downtown Disney.  The nice thing about where we are staying, it’s close to everything, all within a few miles.  We hit the World of Disney, probably the largest Disney store I have ever seen and for dinner… the Ghirardelli chocolate and ice cream place, what a better dinner than a hot fudge and ice cream?  After a bit of shopping and walking around, we returned to the Villa by 9:00… practically early for us. 

So, Thursday morning came and there are still two parks we had not visited, Animal Kingdom and the one and only, Magic Kingdom.  I decided that we would visit Animal Kingdom on Thursday and save the Magic Kingdom for Friday… the best for last?

We arrived just after nine o’clock and I knew, this place would be crowded based on the traffic coming into the park.  But, as Disney always does, we got parked, boarded the shuttle and before we knew it, we were entering the park.  One of the first observations I made, Animal Kingdom is rather shaded which on a day when it’s in the upper 90s was most welcome. 

One of the main attractions I wanted to visit, the African Safari ride, Kilimanjaro Safaris, so we headed right over to get a FastPass, however, the wait was not too bad, only about 30 minutes and therefore, we just waited out the line.  Once boarded a made up truck to look like an old beat up bus that has seen plenty of action out on the Serengeti.  Disney is most clever in how they place the food containers near the track so that one can get a good view of the animals.  The other nice thing, this ride is about 15 minutes, so plenty of time to enjoy the trip.  I have to say, everyone enjoyed their time.  After the ride, we had the opportunity to walk a few of the trails and I got some great images of the animals, especially the gorillas. 

After Kilimanjaro Safaris, we went over to get a FastPass for the ride Dinosaur as this was also a ride that I wanted to enjoy with the family.  The nice thing here, our time was only an hour after we pulled the fast pass so we thought it would be a perfect time to grab some lunch.  At first we wanted to hit the Rainforest Café, however, it was at the front of the park, so we just ate closer to the Dinosaur ride.  By 1:30, we were finishing up lunch and it was time to head on over.

The Dinosaur ride is interesting, one boards this time travel tuck/vehicle and you go back in time, special effects and all, and when you come out,  you are surrounding by Dinosaurs and smaller asteroids hitting earth, lots of loud noises, explosions and of course Dinosaurs screaming, or was it Lauren and Janet?  My little Sarah was terrified during this ride, I think the darkness, loud noises and flashing lights did not go over well with her.  As we came close to the end of the ride, Disney takes your picture as one of the larger Dinosaurs leaps from the underbrush.  Of course, the picture was so great; I had to purchase it, darn marketing! 

Click on the pic to see the whole galleryAfter Dinosaur, we wanted to ride Expedition Everest over in the Asia area of the park, but both Lauren and Sarah took one looks at this ride and declared no, they were not going to get anywhere near that ride.  O’well, not all was lost; we did get a nice image of the family in front of Everest.  Before leaving Animal Kingdom, I heard good things about the show, Festival of the Lion King, which we wanted to see and we figured it would be a nice way to wrap up our day.  The show lasts only 30 minutes, but it was quite nice, lots of signing, acrobatics and characters from the movie, The Lion King.  After the show, it was mid-afternoon and time to head on back, after all it was quite hot and the pool was calling us back at the Villa.

So, here we are, the eve of our last park day to visit and that will be Magic Kingdom in the morning, what I hope will be early.  Reflecting back on the week, it’s hard for me to decide what park I like the most, I would say it’s a tie between Epcot and Typhoon Lagoon, but this all could change come tomorrow morning as I suspect it probably will. 

Friday, June 17^th – Dreams do come ture…

After learning our lesson on Thursday, we decided that arriving early for the Magic Kingdom was best.  Once more, a quick drive over and we were some of the first cars to park, albeit we were only an hour before opening, but arriving at this time allowed us to enjoy the ride over across the lagoon to the gates of the Magic Kingdom!  After taking in many rides and seeing and meeting up with some special friends, we then finished the day with Aunt Sarah, Uncle T. and our nephew, Trey, at Downtown Disney.

As we entered the Magic Kingdom, we headed straight over to Adventure Land to ride the Jungle Cruise.  As some of you know, the enjoyment of the ride is largely based on the “skipper” for the cruise, ours was OK, not too funny, but even still, all the ladies enjoyed the ride.  We then took on Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, first with Sarah and I, then Sarah and Janet… Lauren did not want to get wet.  Just as we were leaving Adventure Land, we ran into Goofy which allowed for a quick picture, Sarah was all smiles!Click on the pic to see the whole gallery

We then cut through the park passing Cinderella’s Castle headed over to Fantasy Land.  We took in the Snow White ride and Sarah, Lauren and Janet took in the tea cup ride; Daddy passed, no more “spinning rides” for him, Mission Space took it out of me earlier in the week.  For those of you who are considering a visit, wait until 2012, there is a huge expansion underway to Fantasy Land, there will be a Beauty and the Beast exhibit not to mention, acres and acres of expansion.  The girls also wanted to take in a race car “go cart” type ride, I can’t recall the name, but it was Lauren and Mommy vs. Sarah and Daddy… shhhh, Sarah and Daddy enjoyed “bumping” into Lauren and Mommy as we went around the track.  As a side note, I am not looking forward to teaching my girls how to drive, poor Mommy and I had whiplash as we rode with our daughters; the steering wheel was just an option item there for decoration I guess.

After stumbling out of the race car, we raced back over to Frontier Land to ride the river boat through the park which provided us a nice view and gentle breeze on this hot Florida afternoon.  By the end of the ride, it was approaching 1:00 and we needed to get back to the villa to meet up with Janet’s sister Sarah, her husband, Uncle T., and Trey, our cousin.  Just as we were leaving the Disney train, which circles the park, was at the station, so we just had to take it, after all, I had some time, right?  Upon arriving back at the Main Street Station, we disembarked and left the magical gates and I heard Sarah declare, “bye-bye Walt Disney World” and I could not help but know, my family has had a great time.

Ah, but the fun is not over just yet, after getting cleaned up, we had an early dinner with Aunt Sarah and her family.  After dinner, I thought it would be fun to rent one of the pontoon boats at Downtown Disney and cruise some of the waterways around the area.  This gave everyone the opportunity to chat and enjoy the sunny afternoon.  As we were pulling back into the dock, I looked up and saw the clouds begin to darken and just in time, because within ten minutes one of those Florida thunderstorms kicked up and it poured and poured… the funny thing, Janet and I were trapped at Captain Jacks returning the boat, while Lauren and Sarah were “stuck” at Ghirardelli with their Aunt, Uncle and Cousin… so about every five minutes, Janet would get a text message telling us to run to meet up with them; I would like to think it was because she missed us, but nope, she and Sarah wanted chocolate and ice cream.  Sooner or later, we made it back to rejoin the family and then we called it an evening and headed back to the Villa. 

Click on the pic to see the whole galleryJanet’s sister and family stayed the night with us and here we are, Saturday morning, our last full day here in Orlando.  I know Janet and I are planning a walk later this morning, after all, its 6:03 AM as I type my diary, but I want to get some pictures of the Sheraton Vistana property.  I think we are going to just take in one of the many pools here, relax and sadly, begin to pack up later in the day.  I think we are all ready to travel back to Camelot tomorrow morning; we have some wonderful memories and those of you who know me, lots and lots of pictures!