Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 8th - Our first trip to Disney World
Today we flew from Houston to Orlando to begin our trip to Disney World. After a quick stop to get groceries, we were on the way to the Fort Wilderness Cabins – our home for the next week. Our cabin was great. It looks just like the pictures that we saw online.
The next stop was a character dinner at the Swan Hotel in the Garden Grove restaurant. While we ate, Pluto and Goofy made the rounds to all of the tables for pictures. Both boys were thrilled to see the characters, but Charlie was much more tentative when they got close. Jack was so excited after dinner when we were walking out to the car and he said, “Holy cow! I like this sidewalk!” I think we were all excited to be there.
The next stop was a character dinner at the Swan Hotel in the Garden Grove restaurant. While we ate, Pluto and Goofy made the rounds to all of the tables for pictures. Both boys were thrilled to see the characters, but Charlie was much more tentative when they got close. Jack was so excited after dinner when we were walking out to the car and he said, “Holy cow! I like this sidewalk!” I think we were all excited to be there.
February 9th - Magic Kingdom
Today was our first full day at Disney. To get to the Magic Kingdom, we walked down to the bus stop, which isn’t too far from our cabin. Then we caught the bus to the marina area and then took a ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, we started our Dumbo-or-Die touring plan. We went on the Dumbo ride, the Winnie the Pooh ride, and then Its a Small World, which wasn’t nearly as annoying as I remembered it to be 20 years ago.
After Small World, we realized that we lost Ronny’s entrance card, so we stopped for a quick lunch and then went back to City Hall to replace Ronny’s card. While he did that, we waited in line to see Chip and Dale, which the kids liked. By then, the kids seemed ready for a break, so we took the boat back to the cabin for a nap, stopping at the playground for a bit on the way.
After naps and a quick pizza dinner at Crockett’s Tavern, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We got there about 15 minutes or so before the parade – perfect timing. I sat on the cement with Charlie on my lap, so I had a front row seat. We saw the Little Mermaid, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Pigs, Alice in Wonderland, and more.
We moved into the center of Main Street for the fireworks, so we had a good view of the castle, which changed from being lit up in orange to blue to purple. It was beautiful. The fireworks were good and the show was set to music.
For the first time, we let Jack sleep on the top bunk of the bunk beds with Charlie on the bottom bunk.
After Small World, we realized that we lost Ronny’s entrance card, so we stopped for a quick lunch and then went back to City Hall to replace Ronny’s card. While he did that, we waited in line to see Chip and Dale, which the kids liked. By then, the kids seemed ready for a break, so we took the boat back to the cabin for a nap, stopping at the playground for a bit on the way.
After naps and a quick pizza dinner at Crockett’s Tavern, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We got there about 15 minutes or so before the parade – perfect timing. I sat on the cement with Charlie on my lap, so I had a front row seat. We saw the Little Mermaid, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Pigs, Alice in Wonderland, and more.
We moved into the center of Main Street for the fireworks, so we had a good view of the castle, which changed from being lit up in orange to blue to purple. It was beautiful. The fireworks were good and the show was set to music.
For the first time, we let Jack sleep on the top bunk of the bunk beds with Charlie on the bottom bunk.
February 10th - The Animal Kingdom
Today we went to the Animal Kingdom. From the moment that you enter the park, you get the feeling that you are in the rainforest. It is really beautiful and calming, which was just what we needed after the frantic pace of the last couple of days.
We headed back to the Kilimanjaro Safari and the line was already 25 minutes long. We grabbed Fast Passes and move on to the Maharaja Jungle Trek. We saw some pretty cool animals on the Jungle trek, like some huge fruit bats. On our way out, we could hear some very loud noises, so we went to see what it was. It was a group on monkeys way up in the trees. They were yelling back and forth at each other and just going nuts.
After the Trek, we went to see “Flights of Wonder” which is a bird show. The kids got restless after about 10 minutes, so it was time for us to go.
We went back and hit the Safari tour via the Fast Pass line. We went past hoards of people who were waiting in the regular stand-by line. On the Safari, we saw a ton of cool animals like giraffes, okapis, ankole cattle, bongos, warthogs, ostriches, elephants, hippos, rhinos, and lions. What a cool ride! The kids loved it too.
We went to the Flame Tree Barbecue for lunch, which was quite tasty. The outdoor seating was like another bird show. We were surrounded by ducks and ibis, which were beautiful and all waiting for some small children to drop a hot dog bun or a french fry. At one point, Charlie started crying, “The duck ate my lunch!”
From lunch, we went to play in the Boneyard in Dinoland, which is a big playground. I followed Charlie all over the place and down the slides. We went over a bridge that was covered in a dinosaur skeleton, which was neat. On the other side of the bridge was an area where you could dig up bones of a woolly mammoth.
Next we went to see Finding Nemo, the musical. It was really neat. The actors held puppets of the sea creatures they portrayed. They hit all of the high points in the movie and the timing was just about perfect. Actually Charlie was really good for most of it, but got a bit restless towards the end saying, “I all done now. I all done now.” Sorry kiddo – just hang in there a bit longer.
On the way out of Dinoland, we stopped by a character photo stop and got pictures with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger.
We walked around the Tree of Life to see all of the animals carved all over it. By now it was 3:30 or so and time for the exhausted Baccus family to go. The park closes at 5pm, so we decided to skip naptime today and just press to see what we could. We got back to the cabin and hung out for a little bit before heading out for dinner at a local Mexican place.
We headed back to the Kilimanjaro Safari and the line was already 25 minutes long. We grabbed Fast Passes and move on to the Maharaja Jungle Trek. We saw some pretty cool animals on the Jungle trek, like some huge fruit bats. On our way out, we could hear some very loud noises, so we went to see what it was. It was a group on monkeys way up in the trees. They were yelling back and forth at each other and just going nuts.
After the Trek, we went to see “Flights of Wonder” which is a bird show. The kids got restless after about 10 minutes, so it was time for us to go.
We went back and hit the Safari tour via the Fast Pass line. We went past hoards of people who were waiting in the regular stand-by line. On the Safari, we saw a ton of cool animals like giraffes, okapis, ankole cattle, bongos, warthogs, ostriches, elephants, hippos, rhinos, and lions. What a cool ride! The kids loved it too.
We went to the Flame Tree Barbecue for lunch, which was quite tasty. The outdoor seating was like another bird show. We were surrounded by ducks and ibis, which were beautiful and all waiting for some small children to drop a hot dog bun or a french fry. At one point, Charlie started crying, “The duck ate my lunch!”
From lunch, we went to play in the Boneyard in Dinoland, which is a big playground. I followed Charlie all over the place and down the slides. We went over a bridge that was covered in a dinosaur skeleton, which was neat. On the other side of the bridge was an area where you could dig up bones of a woolly mammoth.
Next we went to see Finding Nemo, the musical. It was really neat. The actors held puppets of the sea creatures they portrayed. They hit all of the high points in the movie and the timing was just about perfect. Actually Charlie was really good for most of it, but got a bit restless towards the end saying, “I all done now. I all done now.” Sorry kiddo – just hang in there a bit longer.
On the way out of Dinoland, we stopped by a character photo stop and got pictures with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger.
We walked around the Tree of Life to see all of the animals carved all over it. By now it was 3:30 or so and time for the exhausted Baccus family to go. The park closes at 5pm, so we decided to skip naptime today and just press to see what we could. We got back to the cabin and hung out for a little bit before heading out for dinner at a local Mexican place.
February 11th - Epcot
Today we went to Epcot. We first went to Spaceship Earth, which is the ride inside the iconic Epcot geodesic sphere. We rode in a car together as Dame Judy Dench narrated the past, present, and future of technology on earth. At the end, we ended up under the stars staring back at Earth. Then the cars turned backwards for our “descent back to Earth” (the PA system announced). Jack got upset, saying, “I want to go home! I want to go back to Earth!” Ronny had to explain that we really never left Earth.
The next stop was a Finding Nemo ride, followed up by “Turtle Talk with Crush”. Crush is the surfer-dude-talking turtle from Finding Nemo. Jack was very brave and sat in front with all of the kids, while Charlie sat on my lap. It was a cute interactive cartoon Crush, who actually asks the kids questions.
Ronny had told Jack that “Crush might talk to you”. When the show was over and everyone got up to leave, Jack was crushed. “Was he going to talk to me? Crush didn’t talk to me.” Jack was so sad. He recovered pretty quickly, though, as we checked out the different exhibits – especially the one with Bruce the shark – Jack’s favorite character from Nemo.
Naxt we saw “Circle of Life” which is a movie about how the bad humans are destroying the earth and better stop it right now. After a quick lunch, we went on the Living with the Land ride, a neat show about the past, present, and future of agriculture. The best part was going through some really neat greenhouses, where things are grown hydroponically.
After naptime back at the cabin, we went back to Epcot to go to the Biergarten for an early dinner. We had a fun time watching the Oom-Pah band while we ate. On our way out, Jack pulled us down to the dance floor as they were starting the chicken dance. Funny kid.
After dinner, we went on Maelstrom, which is a ride on Viking ships in the Norway pavilion. It was a little intense and Jack was scared of the trolls. He said, “I didn’t like those trolls. They made me feel a little bit sick.”
The next stop was on to Mexico for another boat ride. This time it was with the three amigos – one of which was Donald Duck. This cute, funny boat ride was the perfect thing to follow up the “scary” boat ride so we left the evening on a happy note.
The next stop was a Finding Nemo ride, followed up by “Turtle Talk with Crush”. Crush is the surfer-dude-talking turtle from Finding Nemo. Jack was very brave and sat in front with all of the kids, while Charlie sat on my lap. It was a cute interactive cartoon Crush, who actually asks the kids questions.
Ronny had told Jack that “Crush might talk to you”. When the show was over and everyone got up to leave, Jack was crushed. “Was he going to talk to me? Crush didn’t talk to me.” Jack was so sad. He recovered pretty quickly, though, as we checked out the different exhibits – especially the one with Bruce the shark – Jack’s favorite character from Nemo.
Naxt we saw “Circle of Life” which is a movie about how the bad humans are destroying the earth and better stop it right now. After a quick lunch, we went on the Living with the Land ride, a neat show about the past, present, and future of agriculture. The best part was going through some really neat greenhouses, where things are grown hydroponically.
After naptime back at the cabin, we went back to Epcot to go to the Biergarten for an early dinner. We had a fun time watching the Oom-Pah band while we ate. On our way out, Jack pulled us down to the dance floor as they were starting the chicken dance. Funny kid.
After dinner, we went on Maelstrom, which is a ride on Viking ships in the Norway pavilion. It was a little intense and Jack was scared of the trolls. He said, “I didn’t like those trolls. They made me feel a little bit sick.”
The next stop was on to Mexico for another boat ride. This time it was with the three amigos – one of which was Donald Duck. This cute, funny boat ride was the perfect thing to follow up the “scary” boat ride so we left the evening on a happy note.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 12th - Magic Kingdom
This morning, the Magic Kingdom opened up at 8am for resort guests (an hour early). We made it in the gate, just as they were opening and saw a bit of the opening ceremony where Mickey and friends appear above us to wave us in and start the day.
The first thing on our agenda was to hit Buzz Lightyear. They were having technical difficulties, so we got Fast Passes and went on to the Indy Speedway to drive racecars. Jack was so excited that Daddy let him drive the car. (Ronny had control of the accelerator/brake pedal.)
Our next ride was Peter Pan, which was just like the story book we have at home. On the way to our next new attraction, we hit Small World again since it is a cute little boat ride with NO LINE! Then it was on to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, which is a 3-D movie. It was really cute and had us laughing.
After the show we rode on Cinderella’s Carousel. Then we toured through Mickey’s house and let the kids play on a little playground for a bit. Then it was back to Tomorrowland for Buzz Lightyear. Jack was really excited about the Buzz Lightyear ride. He said, “We shot those bad guys!” “We shot those aliens and made them go away!” “We shot them with our laser beams!”
After Buzz, we had lunch and then stopped to get a picture with Donald Duck dressed in his frontier gear. We walked by the Jungle Cruise, but the line was 35 minutes long, so we decided that it was time to throw in the towel. We walked to the Frontierland train depot and took the train around Disney World back to the front gate.
Back near the front gate, Ronny decided to hit the restrooms with Jack while I went into a nearby shop and looked around with Charlie. When they joined us, we went outside and were unable to cross the street because they were starting a Block Party parade. It was a short parade, but the kids could barely watch they were so tired.
In the evening, we went to the Ft. Wilderness Meadow for the campfire sing-a-long. We made it there just as the sing-a-long was starting. Ronny wrangled the boys while I roasted marshmallows for smores. The sing-a-long was fun and was led by Cowboy Anthony, who eventually introduced some other guests – Chip N’ Dale. Chip N’ Dale made their way through the crowd and stopped at each bench for greetings and pictures. After the campfire a movie started, which tonight was the new version of the Parent Trap. We stayed for a little while, but the boys were getting the comatose look on their faces so it was time to head back and put them to bed.
The first thing on our agenda was to hit Buzz Lightyear. They were having technical difficulties, so we got Fast Passes and went on to the Indy Speedway to drive racecars. Jack was so excited that Daddy let him drive the car. (Ronny had control of the accelerator/brake pedal.)
Our next ride was Peter Pan, which was just like the story book we have at home. On the way to our next new attraction, we hit Small World again since it is a cute little boat ride with NO LINE! Then it was on to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, which is a 3-D movie. It was really cute and had us laughing.
After the show we rode on Cinderella’s Carousel. Then we toured through Mickey’s house and let the kids play on a little playground for a bit. Then it was back to Tomorrowland for Buzz Lightyear. Jack was really excited about the Buzz Lightyear ride. He said, “We shot those bad guys!” “We shot those aliens and made them go away!” “We shot them with our laser beams!”
After Buzz, we had lunch and then stopped to get a picture with Donald Duck dressed in his frontier gear. We walked by the Jungle Cruise, but the line was 35 minutes long, so we decided that it was time to throw in the towel. We walked to the Frontierland train depot and took the train around Disney World back to the front gate.
Back near the front gate, Ronny decided to hit the restrooms with Jack while I went into a nearby shop and looked around with Charlie. When they joined us, we went outside and were unable to cross the street because they were starting a Block Party parade. It was a short parade, but the kids could barely watch they were so tired.
In the evening, we went to the Ft. Wilderness Meadow for the campfire sing-a-long. We made it there just as the sing-a-long was starting. Ronny wrangled the boys while I roasted marshmallows for smores. The sing-a-long was fun and was led by Cowboy Anthony, who eventually introduced some other guests – Chip N’ Dale. Chip N’ Dale made their way through the crowd and stopped at each bench for greetings and pictures. After the campfire a movie started, which tonight was the new version of the Parent Trap. We stayed for a little while, but the boys were getting the comatose look on their faces so it was time to head back and put them to bed.
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