May 16, 2008 - Day 22: On Our Way Back Hom

We knew it was coming, we had plane tickets with our names on them, we had to go home :(

We were up at the godawful hour of 6 am, quickly threw the last of our bits and pieces in the suitcase and started lugging the copious amounts of luggage down to the lobby. We were running a few minutes late but caught up once on the freeway. Saw a lovely sunrise as we drove to the airport. Dropped off the car at Alamo and checked into Alaska fairly quickly. There's just a small counter at this airport and not much of a wait.

Had some breakfast at Chik-fil-A and popped into a few shops to kill some time. Then it was through security and off to our gate. The flight was on time fortunately but really full. It was a bumpy ride to Seattle but it did smooth out the last hour or so. My tummy was bothering me today so it wasn't the best flight ever but I kept myself occupied by watching a movie on my itouch and reading.

Arrived in Seattle a little early which was good as we didn't have a huge layover. Got to our next gate and settled in for a bit of a wait, figures this flight was almost an hour late. Arrived in Seattle before 3, collected all that luggage and headed out to our car.

The weather at home is awesome, almost as hot as Orlando. I knew we would finally have nicer weather once we got home!

Still it was sad to come home to the real world but we're already planning our return for summerof 2009!

May 15, 2008 - Day 21: Fort Wilderness, Downtown Disney, Disney Hollywood Studios

So sad, our last day here in the World, on vacation, back to the real world tomorrow, at least after we fly home.

We had a fairly busy day planned. Gary and I were up by 7 and out before 7:30 in order to get to Ft. Wilderness for Gary’s segway adventure. I left him there and went and sat down by the lake, there were tables/chairs/umbrellas. Spent some lazy time just reading and watching all the families head to the dock to catch boats over to the Magic Kingdom.

Met up with Gary at 10:30 and we went back to Boardwalk. Made sure Brynna was awake and got working on the packing. Shortly after we headed out to Downtown Disney to make an exchange on her sweatshirt and have some lunch at Earl of Sandwich.

Back to the resort after filling the rental with gas, changed, and headed poolside for a bit. The water was a tad chilly but warmed up once you immersed yourself. Nice pool, there was a coney island theme to it and a roller coaster like water slide where you came out of a clown’s mouth. Didn’t try it but Gary had a few runs. After swimming we dried off and had a couple of yummy frozen bevvies at the bar, people watched and finally went back to our room. More packing, and I thought we hadn’t unpacked much.

We then headed over to DHS by boat, such a lovely way to travel. Got there around 6 and decided to do the animation building and found the Incredibles so Gary got his picture with them and Sorcerer Mickey was also nearby so I got my picture with him. Brynna went off to have dinner with Jimmy and Ryan. Gary and I then went to the ABC Commissary for dinner, I had a cuban sandwich which was very yummy.

Off to Coaster for one last ride and then we hoofed it out of the parks to catch our boat back. Met up with Brynna in front of the Boardwalk Bakery and grabbed a dessert to go. Now we’re back in our room, the place is pretty much packed up and we’re just about ready to call it a night as we’re up at 6 am and on our way back home!

May 14, 2008 - Day 20: Universal Studios Orlando

Aaagh, I’m exhausted! It was a terribly long day and my poor feet!

We had a bit of a later start especially since I had some insomnia last night. I was up at 8:30, showered and did my bit on the computer, then I woke Gary & Brynna around 9 and we finally got out just before 10. We drove thru McDs for some breakfast and headed on out to Universal.

Seems like we parked 10 miles away, wish I’d brought my pedometer today, I’m sure it would have been a large amount of kms. We went directly to Universal Studios side. I tried to get a guest assistance pass and all they would give me was a pass to sit in an air-conditioned area while the others waited in line. Didn’t think that was going to do much for us in the way of getting onto anything so we bought their version of a fastpass, an express pass. Cost a few $$ but worth it in order to do what we wanted to do in just the one day.

First stop was ET, such a fun ride, especially when he says your name at the end. Then we bypassed the new Simpsons ride as it’s a motion simulator and my barfie family didn’t want to test it. We did 2 rounds of Men in Black instead, lots of fun. Then Jaws, Disaster and the Mummy, absolutely the best Universal ride I think. We had some pizza for lunch in there somewhere too. Then our last attraction in that park was Terminator 3D. Haven’t seen it for a while but it’s still fun to experience.

It was stinking hot so we walked over to Islands of Adventure and started in Seussland. There we did the overhead train thingy, can’t remember it’s name but it’s never worked before when we’ve been here so it was fun to try it. Got a few good pictures being above the “land”. From there Brynna and I rode Ice, one of the Duelling Dragon coasters. It made me a little off balance and I kept my eyes closed for about ¾ of it! From there we went on Jurassic Park, always fun to get wet on, and we did, especially Brynna. We still managed to dry off fairly quickly although it was after 5. Quickly headed to the comic book area of the park, where we did Spiderman which wasn’t as much fun as it stopped several times and the show went dark. Oh well. Then we did the Hulk, not sure why, maybe cause it was the last ride of the day but I did it and kept my eyes open at least ¾ of the time. This one made me a little barfy but I managed to walk it off after a bit.

Since we were totally exhausted we decided to head to the mall! Dumb I know, but we had to exchange Brynna’s speakers at Apple. That done, we quickly went to Target to pick up sturdier luggage for our extras, my flimsy extra bag just wasn’t cutting it.

From there it was to the Olive Garden, I had a couple of $25 gc so we put them to good use and had a very good meal, as always.

We’re now back in the room and trying to pack some stuff away. Tomorrow is an early day, Gary has his segway experience booked at Ford Wilderness.

May 13, 2008 - Day 19: Boardwalk Villas & Downtown Disney

Definitely a much different day than we’ve had in the past 10 days or so.

Gary and I were up around 9ish so we grabbed our pastries from last night, some cheesestrings and headed out to the Boardwalk. I plonked Gary and the stuff down at a nice table overlooking the water and near the speakers playing 30s music and went over to the Boardwalk Bakery, I needed a serious coffee fix. They had lattes at the bakery so I got a double and hot chocolate for Gary. Then we had a lovely breakfast just watching the world go by. After we read until the sun hit us and we moved to another spot in the shade. Did that until 11 or so then woke up Brynna.

Didn’t do much else today but relax at the resort, read and walk around a bit. A change of pace for sure.

We did, however, meet up with Matt for dinner. We wanted to take him out to thank him for the use of his discount and for helping out Brynna when she’s here. We went to Rainforest Cafe (as I had gift cards) and had a really good meal. Again, he’s a very entertaining young man so the conversation was lively. I had Pastalaya which was a spicy cajun type jambalya only served with linguine instead of rice. For dessert we all shared a Volcano, man that’s a lot of brownie and ice cream!

Matt had to leave us after dinner so we said our goodbyes and quickly picked up an ornament in the Christmas store and then motored over to AMC Theatres to see yet another movie, this time What Happens In Vegas. It was very funny, very good, liked it better than Made of Honor. We got back to the room around midnight and pretty much crashed. Universal tomorrow!

May 12, 2008 - Day 18: Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, Epcot

Woo, lots happening today. Well, we didn’t get a really early start to the day but we were up and packed and out of our room by 10ish. We went straight to Boardwalk, love it! Checked in but of course we didn’t get our room assignment yet so we left our baggage with bell services and headed off to Animal Kingdom. There we went straight to Flametree BBQ cause we were really hungry. We all had the beef sandwiches with beans and key lime pie. We dined at our favourite spot overlooking the water and Everest.

From there we went on Safari, long line so it was nice to have the pass. Even then we waited about 15 minutes but it was a nice journey. We saw lots of animals, even had a giraffe leading our vehicle, he just kept ambling down the road! The lions were sleeping though, as kitty cats tend to do mid-day in the heat. After, we went to Expedition Everest as Gary hadn’t ridden it yet. It was fun as usual and fortunately he didn’t get very nauseous, just a little (it goes backwards in the dark for a bit). It was hot and crowded so we abandoned the park at that point.

Off to DD, where we had a little bit of exchanging to do at World of Disney, then over to Goofy’s Candy Kitchen to use up 10 snack credits. Gary and Brynna got lots of fudge, I got rice krispie Mickey ears. We headed back to Boardwalk where we got our room, 5073, 5th floor, with a view of the front driveway, lobby area. Would have loved a water/pool view but those would have cost us more points (we “rented” points from a Disney Vacation Club member). Our room is quite lovely. There’s a queen-sized bed, sofabed, balcony with 2 chairs, separate toilet/sink areas, and a small kitchenette area with sink, fridge, cupboards and microwave. It’s all very light and airy, much different than Pop.

We hung around our room until 6 then walked over to Epcot for dinner. The Boardwalk is really neat with restaurants, ESPN Club, Spoodles, Flying Fish and some shops. Didn’t take long to walk over and we just poked in and out of shops until our reservation time at Tutto Italia. There we had a lovely dinner, the dining room is very nice. I had the canneloni as did Brynna and Gary had steak. For dessert Brynna and I both the profiteroles (cream puffs filled with vanilla gelato) smothered in warm chocolate sauce, sooooo good. Gary had some sort of gelato & fruit thingy ($14!!).

After dinner we found a bench, coincidentally near where Davy Jones was performing. I left Gary and Brynna there and hoofed it to Paris, to use the last of our snacks on pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast & lunch. Got back there, listened to the end of his performance then we watched Illuminations which I haven’t seen since 1999. It was still a wonderful fireworks show, left me with warm fuzzies.

We walked back to our resort, slowly, enjoying the night breeze and the entertainment on Boardwalk (sidewalk performers). Back to our room where we watched some TV and drifted off to sleep.

May 11, 2008 - Day 17: Epcot

Happy Mother’s Day to me and all you moms, and Happy Birthday to my mom.

Today we took it a little easier. I let the sleepyheads stay in bed until 11 am and then Brynna had a paper to finish to today so she worked on that while I packed up some more. Then we headed out to Downtown Disney around 1 pm and went to Wolfgang Puck’s Express for lunch. Best value for our counter service meal, it came to $53. I had rigatoni with chicken alfredo and caesar salad followed by creme brule. Gary had a bbq chicken pocket sandwich and Brynna had the 4 cheese macaroni, both had frozen yogurt for dessert. We enjoyed our meal so much, we decided we might go back tomorrow.

We popped into a few shops, and Goofy’s Candy Kitchen to see where we could spend our accumulated snack credits. There was much to choose from so we’ll go back there tomorrow as well.

Then we headed over to Caribbean Beach Resort, Brynna’s still on the hunt for a specific sweatshirt. It wasn’t there but we did pick up a few little things and looked around the resort. We’re definitely coming back here next time, we did stay here 9 years ago and loved it then too.

So off to Epcot next. We headed down to World Showcase since we hadn’t really been there yet, firstly to the new O Canada circlevision movie. It was really good, a definite improvement over the very old one they had before. Martin Short narrated it and was very funny.

From there we meandered around the lagoon until we found the American Theatre and a huge line in the sun for......Davy Jones! Yes, I jumped in line too and waited patiently in the sun (altho it was totally windy today so that helped). We got seated after about 20 minutes and waited for another 45 minutes, but at least we were partially shaded. It was a very good show, Davy’s still a cutie, even though he’s in his 60s! He sounds just the same and did a nice selection of some past hits and a few I hadn’t heard. He even came crashing, literally, through the audience just a few feet away from us so I was trying to video on my camera and I had Brynna trying to get a few shots. The show was only 40 min. long but worth it. It was also very packed too, and when we were leaving the next show lineup was already in place and very long too. He’s performing 3 shows nightly for 5 nights.

We headed over to Germany after, and strolled though the shops while we waited until our reservation time of 6:55. We were eating at the Biergarten tonight, and it was quite fun. You’re placed at a table with another family, in a biergarten type atmosphere, like you’re outside in front of a stage. Then the oompahpah band performed which was fun. The food was definitely a change from what we’d been eating and very good too. We had schnitzel, sausages, sauerkraut, hot potato salad, red cabbage, rouladen, pretzel rolls and then for dessert bavarian cheesecake (to die for), black forest cake and strudel. The family we sat with was from S. Carolina, very nice to talk to.

We decided to get the heck out of there before Illuminations as Brynna had to finish her paper and email it off. We’re going to finally see Illuminations tomorrow night after dinner. So we got back to the resort just after 9 and I watched a movie on TV and Gary read. To bed around midnight.

May 10, 2008 - Day 16: Shopping & Magic Kingdom

My aching feet, legs, etc. Twas a long day to be on them and I should have had my pedometer on today. By the way, I’ve worn it a few times and I clock between 5 – 8 km a day walking around here, sometimes even more cause I forget to put it on.

We were up and at em by 11 am, and at Downtown Disney by 11:30. We had lunch at Earl of Sandwich, they have such good food there. I had the Frenchy, dijon, ham & brie, excellent choice, washed down with Earl Gray Lemonade. We popped into a few stores just to look and then dropped Gary off at Virgin Records as he planned to look around there then hop on a bus back to the resort.

Brynna and I took off to find Marianne, a store we really liked in San Juan. It was designed for the larger latino ladies, lol. I think size small up to 3X. Anyhow I picked up a blouse for work and Brynna found a really cute sundress for $16.

Then we were off to find the Florida Mall. Gary’s Navigator came in handy and had us there in no time. I think we were at this mall for at least 3 hours. No wonder my feet were so sore. I did, however, find benches from time to time. I found a top for me, and an evening bag and an over the shoulder bag (good for holidaying). Brynna picked up some books, 3 tops and a portable ipod speaker system that we actually have to exchange as it doesn’t zip properly. Back to the mall, ugh.

We headed back after 5 and made it through traffic just about 5:40. We changed and got some stuff ready to pack up later then left for the Polynesian Resort. We were meeting Brynna’s friend Joey there and hoping to get in as a party of 4 since we only had ressies for 3. Didn’t seem to be a problem, we just had to wait about 20 minutes to get in. We had an awesome table this time, view out of the windows towards the Magic Kingdom and good viewing of the hula lessons/coconut racing they did with the kids.

Joey is a really nice young man, very polite and quite interesting to talk to. He’s in school as well as working p/t at WDW and Starbucks. Dinner was great yet again. The menu had changed a little though. We started out with a Pineapple Bread, Salad w/Honey-Lime Dressing, Wings, Potstickers, Broccoli & Snow Peas, Lo Mein Noodles and of course all the skewers of meat they come around with. The steak was excellent tonight, especially dipped in the peanut sauce. This was all followed with Bread Pudding, Ice Cream and Bananas Foster Sauce. Such a good restaurant, we go every trip and enjoy it each time. It was Joey’s first time and he seemed to enjoy it as well.

We finished just before 9 and all headed via monorail over to MK. The parade was just starting so we dashed over to Tomorrowland and did Buzz Lightyear (Gary got the highest score you can get 999,999) and then we did Space Mountain. From there it was almost fireworks time so we had to zigzag through crowds to get over to the Haunted Mansion which was “dead” quiet since everyone was watching the fireworks. After that we did Big Thunder Mt. Railway which is quite nice at night and then we did Jungle Cruise, it’s shutting down tomorrow for refurb. It was 11 and the park was closing so we just got into the Main St. Emporium when the next Spectromagic parade started so we were stuck in the store until it was done. I picked up a few little things and got to use Joey’s discount this time. We parted ways at the Polynesian parking lot and ended up at Pop after midnight. Darn hard finding a parking spot too. I decided to pack up Brynna’s suitcase so did that, read and finally off to bed at 1:30 am.

May 9, 2008 - Day 15: Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios

Wow, these days are all starting to blur together! I was up by 9:30 am today (gosh I never sleep this much at home) and fiddled around on the computer for a bit, had a shower, then woke up the family. We were out of the room by 11 am today and headed off to Epcot. Brynna hadn’t really done anything there yet so we went to the Land and had lunch at Sunshine Seasons. They have some of the best counter service food here. We all had turkey and muenster cheese sandwiches and Gary and I shared a key lime pie and fruit tart for dessert. Today Epcot was filled with elementary school kids on field trips, there were several different uniforms to be seen, lots and lots of kids. We were lucky to get a table.

After eating we went on Soaring and then over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Haven’t seen that since 1999 so it was almost new again. Then over to Mousegear to look around at more stuff to buy and then we rode Test Track. By this time we had had enough so exited the park and went back to Pop.

Didn’t have too long to “rest” this time but I managed to get on computer for a bit and also packed up one of the suitcases. We only have 3 more nights at Pop and I wanted to get a head start.

We then drove over to DHS for our dinner ressies at 5:30 pm. We were able to take a nice slow walk through the park as we were a little early. We dined at Mama Melrose’s, a first for Gary and I. Very nice Italian themed cozy restaurant. This was actually a Fantasmic package, we had tickets to bypass the lines and get good seating for the show. Because it was a package we also got an appetizer each with our meal. I had Tomatoes & Mozzarella and had some of Brynna’s Artisan Breads & Spreads. Gary had calamari, all to himself! Then Gary and I had the Charred Butcher Steak, topped with Gorgonzola Butter with Red Pepper Polenta & Asparagus (yummo) and Brynna had Chicken Parmesan. Gary had Ricotta Cheesecake, I had Tiramisu and Brynna had a Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake. Very good meal and very nicely presented.

We left the restaurant and Brynna finally managed to contact Jimmy & Ryan so they decided to go play mini-golf together. Gary doesn’t like Fantasmic much so we ditched the show and went to ride Tower of Terror. By that time hoardes of 8th grade kids were entering the park, it was their grad jam and they had the park to themselves from 9 – 1 am. They just kept coming in by droves, so we decided to get the heck out of there. We were back in our room by 8:30 pm. I decided to colour my hair (really needed it) so did that, Brynna came back around then so she and Gary went off to swim. Watched some tv and read and then lights out around midnight.

May 8, 2008 - Day 14: Shopping & Animal Kingdom

Another lazy morning here in Florida. I got up around 9 and puttered about for awhile waiting for the others and then went and did some laundry. Brynna was meeting up with Matt at 12:30 at World of Disney so we had a quick lunch in Pop’s foodcourt. Mine was chicken parmesan with pasta and carrot cake. It was filling and tasted good.

We dropped Brynna off and then headed out to a new shopping area we’d seen when we were driving up from Miami, the Loop. I dropped Gary at Best Buy and drove across the highway and checked out Old Navy and Kohl’s but didn’t buy anything. I picked Gary up and we drove over to a newer section of the Loop where there was a Circuit City for him and I went into JC Penney. There I picked up 2 pairs of capris and a top. We quickly buzzed back to Pop as we had get ready for our dinner ressies.

Brynna and Matt were hanging out, uploading photos from Brynna’s camera for Matt. Brynna did lots of shopping with Matt’s discount, mostly for me! Gary got a Buzz Lightyear figurine to go with the rest of the collection at home. I got a sweatshirt, Mickey egg rings (for fried eggs) and a Thomas Kinkade print of the Castle.

We left for Animal Kingdom kinda late so we had to rush to get to the restaurant on time. At least we knew where it was thanks to our quick foray into AK the other day. We also got our extra magic hours wristbands as the park was open til 8 for resort guests. We dined at Yak & Yeti and the food was pretty decent. Brynna’s was the best, she had ribs, Gary had duck, I didn’t try it, and I had Maple Tamarind Chicken with Coconut Ginger Rice. I also ordered a side of deep fried green beans, they were sooooo good. Dessert was the best though. Gary got this huge brownie sundae and Brynna and I both had the Fried Wontons. They were filled with cream cheese and deep fried on skewers along with fresh pineapple and served with vanilla ice cream. Had to be the best dessert I’ve tried so far.

After waddling out of the restaurant we went over to Expedition Everest. Gary didn’t want to try it so close to eating so Brynna and went on it. As we were going up the incline, we saw Nick Lachey and his gf, Vanessa, along with his bodyguard walking along a private path. That was cool. The ride was awesome as ever, one of my favourites.

Then we went over to Dinosaur. Brynna’s tummy was bothering her again (must be AK doing that!) so we took it easy on a bench until we spotted Nick and his gang so we headed quickly into the ride. Didn’t see them anywhere until we were loading and turns out they were in the car behind ours. As we were riding the ride went 101 (castmember speak for stopping/going down/breaking) but only for a few minutes unfortunately right where the giant monster of a dinosaur is, I kept my eyes shut that whole time! We went up into the gift shop to see our picture and of course Nick’s and they stood right next to us looking at theirs, kinda cool, but Brynna didn’t want to say anything to him although he did pose for a photo with another couple.

We then went to do Primeval Whirl, or what I call it, PrimEVIL Whirl. I always want to go on it but it scares me, kind of in a Mad Mouse way, you always think you’re going to go off track. So I pretty much cursed the entire way through it!

At that point we were done so we headed out of the park to get the car. Dropped Brynna off at the hotel and went on to Walgreens to pick up some bits and pieces, including sunglasses for Gary as he broke his 2nd pair this trip.

In fairly early tonight so we watched some TV and read again until 12:30 am or so.

May 7, 2008 - Day 13: Disney Hollywood Studios & Downtown Disney

I actually slept until 9:30 today, what a lazy sod! Anyhow, the others slept until after 10 and we managed to get out before 11, this seems to be the theme of how things are going here.

We went to DHS today, and managed to ride the Great Movie Ride before heading to Toy Story Pizza Planet for lunch. Had pepperoni pizza, salad and saved my dessert, a rice krispie Mickey head. From there we did Muppetvision 3D and then on to the Backlot Tour. It was getting extremely hot so we headed towards the front of the park but did pick up a photo as we received a voucher for a free one with our hotel package. Matt contacted Brynna around the same time as he was there for the parade (on his day off, go figure) so she stayed with him for that while we went back to the hotel.

We actually went swimming today in the bowling pin pool, it’s quite cute actually. They play 50s music too. Got a bit, just a bit, of sun and then decided we’d better get ready for dinner. When we got back Brynna was back in the room so we all gussied up a little and went to the Grand Floridian, 1900 Park Fare to be exact. It was a buffet, character meal. The food was pretty good, not a ton of choices but that’s good. They had international type cuisine like paella, asian stirfry, the typical carved beef or ham, pasta, mashed potatoes, salads and a wonderful dessert selection of teeny tiny carrot cakes, cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, fruit tart, mousse, twas all yummy. The characters were fun, Cinderella, her Prince, Lady Tremaine (stepmama) and the 2 ugly stepsisters who were very entertaining. We got several photos.

We decided it was so early when we were done, 6:30ish, that we would go to Downtown Disney, scout the shops (Matt is taking Brynna shopping tomorrow) and see Made of Honor. The stores were crazy busy as usual so Gary sat on a bench outside and watched the sun set. The movie was pretty funny, sure do like Mr. Dempsey.

We got back to the hotel around 11:30 so just read before lights out at 1 am.

May 6, 2008 - Day 12: Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

Well, today we headed out to Animal Kingdom. Kind of got a late start so didn’t get there til 11ish. We headed towards Asia, to ride Expedition Everest and eat at one of the new eateries but unfortunately Brynna’s tummy took a turn for the worse and we ultimately decided to go back to the hotel until she felt better.

Once we got back we went to the food court and picked up something to eat, Gary and I shared nachos, as we didn’t want anything heavy considering our dinner reservations were for 5:40 pm. We browsed the gift shop, picked up some things we had purchased in Epcot (they’ll deliver to your resort) and discovered housekeeping was in our room so we went and sat by the quiet pool in our area for a few minutes.

Back in the room I watched TV, Brynna did homework and Gary napped. We have such exciting times on our vacations! We headed out by bus just after 4 pm to the Magic Kingdom. Once there we roamed about a bit in the air-conditioned stores, rode Peter Pan and then went to the Liberty Tree Tavern for our dinner.

Took about 15 minutes to get in this time but at least I had found a seat as I had very weary feet. We had a great waitress who was quick to get us our food. This was a family style feast, where they delivered bowls and platters to your table. We started off with salad with a strawberry vinagrette, rolls with honey butter, then she brought mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese and a platter with turkey, ham, flank steak and stuffing oh and of course gravy. Wow, sounds like lots of food but it wasn’t, then she brought us another round, except for the mac & cheese which was good but really rich so we didn’t eat the whole bowl (of course Gary opted out!). We were also visited by Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale & Minnie as this was a character meal. Dessert was apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream. Very good meal all in all.

We decided to do some rides so headed to Tomorrowland but first stopped in Fantasyland to do Mickey’s Philharmagic, a 3d film. In Tomorrowland we did Monster’s Laugh Floor which was really cool, Buzz Light Year, took a spin on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and then decided to finish off with Space Mountain, always a favourite.

Since it was 8:40 pm and we knew that everyone was waiting for the fireworks, we just wanted to get the heck out of there since the park also closed at the same time, 9 pm. We hoofed it down Main Street and out to the buses and got on one right away, even got seats. We were back at the resort before 9:30 so we simply read, watched some tv, etc. and we were all in bed by 11 pm.

May 5, 2008 - Day 11: Epcot & Disney Hollywood Studios

Another sunshiny day, I think that’s what we’re going to have every day here. No rains to speak of except I did hear a downpour in the middle of the night.

Today Brynna met with Joey, one of her Coaster friends, to hang out so Gary and I went off to Epcot on our own. We were out of here around 9:30 am and in the park by 10. First off we found our legacy tile, the photo of ourselves we took on our 20th anniversary, imprinted on metal and placed on very large slabs of marble. It only took me a couple of minutes to find ours.

Then we went to Innoventions and played a recycling type game which was fun. While we were hanging around deciding what to do next we won Dream Fastpasses which would get us on once to each ride at Epcot whenever we wanted today. Well, since we had the GAC (guest assistance card) we decided to give the passes to someone else. Gary found a young honeymooning couple and they seemed to really appreciate them.

Next we did Test Track which is always a lot of fun, especially at 65 mph. From there we went back to Innoventions to see the house of the future. I sure want a lot of the stuff to be found in there and apparently most of it is available already. From there we went to the Cantina at the Mexican pavilion because of course it’s Cinco de Mayo. Not that there was anything really going on there. We had a fairly decent combination plate lunch with churros to follow.

We lumbered over to the Land, to ride Soarin’, always a great ride and then for the heck of it did Living with the Land which takes you through their greenhouse system, hydroponics etc. We were pretty knackered after this so we got the car and returned to Pop for a rest. I didn’t seem to be able to nap but read a bit and watched some tv. Brynna returned just after us and did some homework and Gary took a nap.

We got ourselves together and went to DHS, formerly MGM. Did a little walk thru the shops and then headed to the Prime Time Cafe as our ressies were for 7:30 pm and we were meeting Matt, another of Brynna’s friends.

Dinner was extremely entertaining, Matt is a funny guy (the waitress made him wear a bib) and the food was tasty. I had pork tenderloin and apple cobbler a la mode for dessert. We headed to Coaster after dinner for a spin and then Matt had to head home. Brynna and I did Tower of Terry as Gary was feeling a little off after Coaster. We decided to head back to Pop again, so we dropped Gary off and continued on to Wal-Mart for a few necessities. Another late night as it’s 1 am so I’m off to sleep.

May 4, 2008 - Day 10: Magic Kingdom & Epcot

Even though this is our sixth visit to WDW, it still is so exciting to enter the parks and see it all again. Of course things have changed even since our last visit so that tends to make it more interesting too.

I was up by 8 am today as it hurt my poor body to sleep on those wretched beds any longer! I got up and after showering spent a fair bit of time on the internet catching upon emails, etc. Finally Gary woke up at 9 and got ready and we then woke Brynna up. We were out of the room by 10 am or so. We drove to the Magic Kingdom and caught the monorail to the park. It was terribly crowded so we had a bit of a wait but we finally arrived. First thing we did was head to Guest Services where I asked for a Guest Assistance Pass. I wasn’t going to get one at first but after spending a fair bit of time on my feet this past week, I could see that I wasn’t going to do very well if I had to wait in lines very much. I didn’t have any problem getting it and it has come in very handy so far.

Even though crowds are supposed to be down right now, and they certainly are from Christmastime, there still seems to be quite a few people around. Lots of little kids but not too many middle or high schoolers.

We started out at the Haunted Mansion, always a favourite. It was recently refurbed and they did a good job, it’s just that much better. Then we went on Pirates before we headed to El Pirata for taco salads for lunch. After we ate we went to Splash Mountain where the GAP (pass) came in real handy and then we did Big Thunder Mt. Railway. After these rides I decided I needed to put my feet up and rest. It wasn’t til we got back to the car and saw on the temp gauge that it was 96 degrees out there. No wonder I was fading fast!

We got back to the resort where Brynna jumped on the computer to do homework for class, Gary played solitaire on the computer and I laid down on the bed and slept for a couple of hours! So unlike me but I guess I needed it. We got ourselves together and headed out to Epcot around 5:45.

Once at Epcot we hopped onto Spaceship Earth which has also been refurbed and looks much better. After we headed over to Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion for our 7 pm reservations. They took us in right away. The restaurant resembles a wine cellar and is quite nice. Started with their famous cheddar cheese soup which was great. Then I had the Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom Risotto. It was so tender, best steak ever. For dessert I had the Whiskey Laced Chocolate Cake which was very tasty. Our total bill came to $161!!! I reiterate that the dining plan is great since we didn’t have to pay this price. I have a spreadsheet that I’m going to complete to see how well we do in terms of what we eat v. what we paid. We were in and out of there fairly soon which was nice.

Decided it was early enough to drive to Downtown Disney and catch a movie. Iron Man was conveniently playing right around the time we got there. It was a really good movie, great effects and I really liked Robert Downey Jr. Got back to the resort around midnight and as it’s almost 1 am, time to head to bed.

May 3, 2008 - Day 9: Miami to Orlando

Wow, our cruise is over already. You know you just get comfy with the ship about Day 5 or so, and then you have to start getting ready to leave. This is why a cruise for more than 7 days would be perfect.

So we were up today by 7:30 am, only because they kept making announcements. You could stay in your cabin until your “zone” was called to come to the Rome Lounge in preparation for disembarking. Kudos to Carnival for these arrangements. We were off the ship by 9:30 am cause there was a bit of a back up at customs. We caught our Alamo shuttle and were out to the airport area fairly quickly where we picked out our car, it’s a Chevy something or other, kinda looks like a PT Cruiser and it’s red so very easy to pick out. We got onto the Turnpike and motored up to Orlando. It took us until 3:30 pm or so as we stopped fairly frequently for rest stops and lunch, etc.

Once we got into the Kissimmee area we decided that since it was getting late we’d better make our Target run before we checked into the resort. There we picked up beverages, cheesestrings & donuts for brekkies, a few bits and pieces we needed and phones for Gary and I so we can all keep in contact (only $10 apiece). I would have liked to look around as it’s a SuperTarget I’ve never visited before but we’ll do that a little later on.

Got to Pop Century and checked in all very quickly. They had us in the 50s section, 1st floor as I requested before we left for Florida. We’re very near large bowling pins, kinda fun, and close to the parking lot. We decided to eat right away at Everything Pop and decided we really liked the dining plan. Not having to pay for the food was great. I had fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes. I also grabbed a tye-died cheesecake but haven’t eaten it yet.

Brynna and I quickly unpacked a few things, threw some nice clothes on and jumped in the car to head to Orlando, downtown that is. Took us about a half hour and it was fairly easy to find the theatre. Wicked was awesome. I’ve never seen such elaborate sets and costumes for a musical and the story was way cool. I think I’ll read the book now to get some more info about it. We got back to the resort around 11:30 a\pm. Such a long day. Managed to get a bit more unpacking done and tried to get ready for tomorrow. Lights out around 1 am. We’re in Disney!!

May 2, 2008 - Day 8: If You Like Pina Coladas.........

Yes, I’ve had a few, mmmmm.

Our last sea day, our last day on board. It’s so sad when we have to pack it all up and get kicked off the ship.

Today we all were up and ready for breakfast by 10 am. After eating I headed to a talk about disembarkation while Gary and Brynna read upon on the Lido Deck. We met up again around noon and headed down to the cabin to put it to rights and pack everything. That took until about 1:30 pm and we were getting hungry again so headed back upstairs and grabbed a reuben and some fried chicken. Didn’t eat too much though, dinner again in 4 hours!

From there we went to the Rome Lounge for some fun and games, including a Newlywed type game, and then bingo until 4:30ish. Went to the photo gallery to see if anything was worthy of purchasing and we found one! Back to the cabin to pack up a bit more and get ready for dinner.

We had a nice meal once again with our tablemates. I had a Lobster & Crab Cake, Caesar Salad and Salmon with Dill Sauce. Dessert was Grand Marnier Souffle and I shared some Warm Chocolate Melting Cake with Gary. Said goodbye to our fellow Canadian diners and our wonderful waitstaff. We gave our servers a bit of extra cash as the gratuities were already tacked onto our onboard account.

After dinner there were more fun and games in the Rome Lounge and we played bingo one last time. We watched the Carnival Legends Show where they took everyone who had auditioned and won in karaoke and put them in costume and had dancers, etc. It was quite well done and there were several awesome performers.

So back to the cabin again to pack up what we had been wearing and throw our suitcases out the door for pickup. They were grabbing them as fast as we could get them out there, this was about 11:30 pm. Put on our clothes we’re wearing tomorrow and then headed up for some casino time. Didn’t do very well but I finally won back $10 (out of $25) and stopped myself from losing anymore. It’s now 1:01 am and definitely time to hit the hay. We’re off to Orlando tomorrow!!!!

May 1, 2008 - Day 7: Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville........

My theme song! Yes, we did waste away our day in Margaritaville and had a great time doing so!

Gary and I were up by 9 am and ate by 10 am and got Brynna up in time to head out to Grand Turk at 11 am. We weren’t going far, we just planned to stay around the cruise center. Carnival invested a lot of $$ in developing this cruise center which has a very nice pier, several shops and a Margaritaville. Many people went into town, or did some excursions but lots of us went poolside. As far as Margaritavilles go, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. So much space so they have a huge pool with loungers and a swim up bar. We got there among some of the earliest so found a good spot with an umbrella and embraced the sun (with lots of sunscreen). The pool temp was great, spent quite some time in there and even swam up to the bar with my mastercard in hand to order myself a yard of peach marg and a Corona for Gary. There were lots of games/contests poolside which were fun to watch and we also had a Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch. All in all, a fun place to hang out for the day. Brynna and I took a quick tour around the shops but didn’t see anything worthy of purchasing.

Once we got back to the ship we showered and headed up deck to listen to the music and do some reading. Formal night again so we got ourselves gussied up and then had some photos taken, hoping we might find a good one this time. Dinner was very seafood oriented but we found a few good dishes. I had a lobster bisque, caesar salad and Chateaubriand with Bernaise Sauce. Had the warm chocolate melting cake yet again. I’m sure going to miss it when we leave the ship. Tonight’s song was Hey Baby and they showed the passengers how to do the dance. I like that little extra touch that Carnival does, it was fun.

After dinner Gary went down to the cabin, he got a little too much sun today and was a little lightheaded. Brynna and I went to see showtime, this time another production show with the dancers/singers. It was quite well done and we enjoyed it. Then we headed up to Club Rio for karaoke. Brynna finally decided to test her voice out as she’s had a cold all week. Gary met up with us there. She sang Total Eclipse of the Heart and did quite well although just a bit croaky in a few spots. A girl from a nearby table told her she had a great voice and asked if she would do a duet with her as she was scared to try it alone. She’s actually one of the hypnotist’s subjects from the other night, her name is Shelly and she’s almost 20. Figures Brynna would meet up with someone her own age, just when the cruise is ending. Anyway they did Build Me up Buttercup and it was quite cute. Although I thought I was taping it on my camera, I obviously had no idea what I was doing so didn’t get it after all :(

Gary went down to the cabin and Brynna and I went to the Adult Comedy Show at midnight. It was quite funny although I think he (Will Malforia) was funnier last night. From there we went up to the Lido Deck to see the Gala Buffet. It was okay, we’ve seen better. We tried a few items and a bit of dessert but didn’t eat too much. Back in the cabin now thinking how the heck I’m going to repack everything tomorrow. Oh well, it’s 1:53 am and I’m off to snooze.

April 30, 2008 - Day 6: Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away With Me.......

Had another wonderful day in the Caribbean, specifically San Juan, Puerto Rico today. We docked fairly early, 7 am but never got off the ship until 10:30 am. Gary and I went up for breakfast around 9:30 and Brynna went up on her own around 10.

We were attacked by several different tour operators/cab drivers but it wasn’t until we’d crossed the street in front of the pier that we gave into one of the operators, he quoted a price of $10/pp for a 1.5 hour tour in an air-conditioned bus so we said sure. It was quite informative as well, found out lots we never knew about the city and saw quite a bit of it and took lots of good photos.

Javier dropped us off in the shopping district and so we poked in and out of shops just looking. Brynna bought a few things and I bought a cute t-shirt and some postcards. We got back to the ship around 2:30 pm and were set to sail off at 3:30 so I did some laundry and then we did the sailaway which is quite nice from SJ cause you sail by El Morro, a very old fort. Took lots of photos and then relaxed in the lobby bar while we used the internet.

Dinner was a little more lively tonight as everyone showed up. I had Fried Mozzarella, Won Ton Soup and Beef Wellington. Dessert was Bitter & Blanc, a chocolate bread pudding and I also shared some Tiramisu with Gary. They played the Ketchup Song tonight around dessert time and the waiters/waitresses got some of the people up, including Brynna, to teach them the dance. I even tried it, was lots of fun.

After dinner we meandered around the photo gallery, throwing out photos we disliked, we actually haven’t liked any so far but there are a few we haven’t located yet. Then we finally went to the casino for the first time and it took about an hour before we blew through our money. None of us won a red cent. Oh well. Then we went to see Game Show Mania which was quite fun and then we had a comic for showtime, he actually has CP and did an awesome job. Hopefully we’ll be awake enough to see his midnight show tomorrow. After that we headed up to the Lido Deck for the deck party which included a Mexican buffet, really good food too. It was probably the best deck party I’ve been to, lots of dancing and fun. I even got to do the Cha Cha Slide, finally! After some fun and games we did the Dollar Song and YMCA, of course. It’s now 1:50 am and time to get some sleep. We dock at Grand Turk at 11 am tomorrow and we’re hoping to roam the area and spend some time at Margaritaville. Aloha.