Wednesday

Woke up this morning….soar. Disney is in full gear. Grabbed a Nescafe coffee which I have become a BIG fan of while here in paradise. But Animal Kingdom was the order of the day. We headed out to the transports….and BAM! Disney fell apart. We got split up. Buses were running behind and Jake and I got separated from the girls. In any case we did make it to the Animal Kingdom. HOT. Holy cow Hot.

Did I say HOT. I want a shirt that says….” I survived the Heat at Disney 2010!” The park actually is quite impressive. If you really look…you actually pass through several continents and the vegetation and animals. After meeting up we hit Dino-land where we spun, sweat, and spun. Jake, Matty, and Jillian ran around Dinoland slid the slides, laughed at the dinos and climbed. But the best came when Steve took Jordan, Jillian, Jake, Matty, and Kayla on the Kali Rapids. SOAKED except for Miss Kayla!! Steve looked like a wet ball and Jordan never dried out!! As we split up and the gang had lunch at the Rain Forest Café we hit the Festival of the Lion King. After just watching the Lion King before we left, it was perfect. Jake wasn’t too thrilled at first but was laughing and clapping before long. Good time! Jordan picked our lunch spot at Pizzafari for lunch which was quite good. I don’t think we had a bad Disney meal yet.

Grabbed the bus back and got ready for a dip in the pool and dinner at Ohana’s. It was a full blown dinner. The meal was cooked on an open fire and served like a multi course dinner. The best piece was when chef T.J. brought out a special dessert for Jillian. An awesome touch!! Matty piled away some chicken nuggets and Kayla had everyone in stitches. Jack managed to chow down and then take a snoozer. Once we finished we split ways and then got ready for Magic Hours in Disney Studios. The park was all lit up. Jake, Jordan and I got in line for Tower of Terror and then they had to shut it down. So we managed to go on some other rides to include a dance party where Jill met some of the Little Einsteins. After a quick Star Tours ride, we headed back to the hotel and crashed for the night.

Magic Hours are ok when the crowds are not that big and your rides are open. But it is also cool to see the parks lit up and night.

Tuesday

Magic Kingdom was the order of the day. We used our Magic Hours to head in a bit early but found most of the rides were not ready yet. But Jen Jillian, Jake and I hit the race cars for a quick spin around the track. At that point the rest of the gang was heading into the park. Jillian gave Pappa his birthday pin for wearing in the Magic Kingdom. I ran for Fast Passes for Big Thunder while the gang went on the race cars and headed into Toon Town. Fast Pass is the perfect setup when the times work out.

Waters were flowing freely again but spirits seemed pretty good. The heat can really change the trip but everyone did well. Somehow I managed to miss getting MY fast passs and missed Big Thunder but I did already do it. While we grabbed lunch at Pinnochio’s House, the gang headed back. Joe, Dorothy, and Joe ate at the Kona Café. We had hoped to take out the speed boats on the lagoon but thunderstorms were looming and shut them down.

Today is Joe’s (aka Papa) b-day so a celebration is in order. We returned to an excellent Italian restaurant at the Swan. They cornered us off in a nice family style room where we had a good time and presented a few gifts and posed for a some photos….or ran around. We boarded a boat and sailed into EPCOT. Extra magic hours were used and it was fun to move around after Illuminations. A quick tour to see FIGMENT (yes Jordan…..as in “Figment of your imagination”) and Soarin was a loooong wait time so we went into the Living Seas…..where we walked in and sat down on a Clam shell to see Nemo and the gang. After a talk with Crush we went into take ride to Mars. Jillian Piloted our craft while Jake piloted, Jordan commanded, and Jen Navigated (OMG) . After a successful landing we thought it was time to head back to the room and charge up for Animal Kingdom. As we boarded the monorail….we realized it was the limited edition TRON all blue one. Very cool!!!!

We walked back thru the path along the Seven Seas Lagoon and into our room. Ahhhhh…..Disney.

Monday

The word of the day has been HOT and Monday was definitely no exception. Joe said we have had record temp days and it is very very hot but everyone is doing ok. The “grumps” have been few in number. The morning started early and I ran over to the Lobby and filled up our Mickey Mugs. Great deal! The gang got ready and we met everyone in the Lobby. After a quick photo by the waterfall, we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. First ride……Winnie the Pooh which was a pleaser. Joe and I waited with Matty, Kayla, Jillian and Jake in the Dumbo line. Besides earning heaven bonus points, we almost lost the “peeeza” when it fell as we moved in the line to get on. No fear, it was retrieved with Kayla none the wiser!

Its tough to accommodate everyone but we were able to let some have fun in Splash Mountain. Wet. Wet. Wet. But it was perfect for the temps we had. The group strolled down into Liberty Square and energized with some fresh fruit. While Joe, Jordan, Dorothy, Sharon and Papa hit the Haunted Mansion, I followed Jake and Matty to the Old West Shooting Arcade. Even though the gun was bigger than them both managed to get a hoot from the owl!

With the heat still kickin we split up. Jen and I took our kids to grab a bite at the Starlite Café. All food disappeared and the meal plan saved the day! Gotta admit, I love the pulled pork sandwhich. We caught the boat back to the resort and had an afternoon of swimming in the pool. While jake worked on sand castles the girls swam and lounged. We actually have the best of both worlds……Disney and the beach!!

That night we had reservations in Epcot to eat at the Rose and the Crown. A quick spin thru Spaceship Earth and Imagination we walked to our reservation. Jordan did point out “What If” was part of the venue at Imagination. After a few tunes from the British Invasion, it was time for a Boddington and dinner. Although the menu wasn’t that attractive what we had was very good along with our seating. We had a nice long meal followed up by the best viewing point for Illuminations. No crowd and very impressive!

We made our way out and got a ride with Joe, Dorothy and Joe back to the Polynesian and were quite ready for bed. During the night….Jillian tumbled out. No injuries but scared us! She didn’t remember a thing.

Sunday

With everyone in Orlando the vacation could now begin. It was the last day of Star Wars Weekends and we headed out to Disney Studios. We got there right when they were opening and welcomed us into the park. Two Stormtroopers were atop the main gate scoping everyone out. Jillian was really eager to get to Rock and Roll Roller Coaster so we got right in line and hit the rails to Aerosmith. A ride that never fails to impress. Finally we caught up with the whole gang as we waited in line for Toy Story Mania. Oh, did I mention it was HOT. Not like, oh isn’t it hot today. More like…..solar surface hot. But we braved it. Jake and I caught the Star Wars Parade where he sat atop of my shoulders shooting photos. The girls got cooled off as they went thru the Great Movie Ride. After a couple of autographs and pictures with Captian Rex, Lightening McQueen, and a few others, we needed to cool off.

I had a chance to jump in the pool along with Jen, Jordan, Jillian and Jake. The waterslide in the Volcano is pretty cool! But I have to say the music playing underneath the water is quite a relaxing experience. The hotel grounds here are by far the most lush, tropical and relaxing I have ever seen. As I sit here typining, I am listening to Hawaiin music, a waterfall and I can glance over at the monorail (Gold) as it comes in. We are right in the heart of Disney. Very Cool.


That evening we changed dinner locations and headed to Japan for some authentic Japanese Hibachi. The kids really enjoyed the display our chef put on and the food, once again, was excellent. We made our way over to Mission Space where Jordan and I took on the ORANGE path ( I was a bit worried about getting sick!) and Jen took Jillan and Jake to the GREEN path. After qualifying to fly to Mars we figures we would take a spin on Test Track.

We boarded the monorail at the Transportation Station and headed back to the resort to meet Joe Joe and Dorothy who joined us for fireworks from the beach. Jillan and Jake played in the sand while we talked and relaxed by the water.
By the end of the first full day…..we were done. Sleep was good!!

The Arrival

5am came early but everyone was up and ready to go. The car was loaded and we were soon on our way to Florida. Joe and Dorothy were ready and waiting for us as Bob and Carol headed out to the airport with us. First leg of our flight was a bit chilly but we were heading to hot Florida.

First leg of the flight was a bit chilly but we had fun talking, readying “Diary of a Whimpy Kid” and looking out of the window. We transferred in Charlotte, NC and made our final descent into Orlando on time. The Disney crew was there waiting for us and we were boarding the Magical Express to the Polynesian in no time.
Our bags really never caught up with us for anther 3 hours but the kids jumped into their swimsuits and took advantage of the pool. After that we still didn’t see our bags and unfortunately I was still in my jeans and leather shoes! At 95 degrees……I was sweating….ALOT. Our first Dinner was at the Grand Floridian at 1900 Park Ave. A great buffet in the company of Cinderella and Prince Charming. But the step sisters stole the show. Druzella managed to plant a big red kiss on Jake’s cheek!!! After a great dinner, we headed in the Magic Kingdom. Steve, Michelle, Joe, Sharon and the kids were still in the air so we went solo and got to ride Big Thunder Railroad. The girls headed back to the room while Jake and made it to the Haunted Mansion and then the Race Cars. Jake needs a bit more work on his driving skills.

That evening, we headed back to the room and caught the first fireworks from the beach. Quite impressive 180 degree show around the Magic Kingdom.