Cass, Rob & Kira - Disney & Universal August 2018 - The heat index is what???

[Timon]

August 28th, Part 2

After our dinner, we did some rides. First up was a classic, something I need to ride every single time I am at Disney!

The Wedway People Mover!

This was a ride I did every time with my parents when I was a kid. I was born and raised (until the age of 10) in Montreal, so when I was a kid, we took a few vacations to Florida. We would drive down, my parents and all 5 of us kids. I remember getting the back window spot or in between my parents up front because I was the youngest. Can't imagine putting Kira in the back window now

We stayed in Daytona Beach (back then there was ONLY the Magic Kingdom, so the beach was the better draw) and we would drive to MK once or twice during each trip.

I was the youngest kid by far and the older ones were always off on their own at the park so all of my childhood memories at Disney were with my Mom and Dad and often my closest sibling, my brother Ken. The older ones would steal all of the C, D and E ticket coupons so that would leave us with all of the A & B rides so all of my memories are of the Peoplemover, The railroad, Dumbo etc

I have pics from all of my childhood Disney trips and I have one of me and my Mom on the Peoplemover together that I recreated with Kira on her first trip in 2007 and have recreated on every trip thus far.

I love that I have memories of my Mom on that ride and now with my daughter.

My mom passed away in 1997, over twenty years ago and I miss her so much so I try to hang on to every single memory I have of her.

I feel closer to my Mom through Kira. Although she's never gotten to meet her Nanny, I feel such a connection to my Mom through that bond with my daughter.

When we went through Space Mountain, the ride was down and the lights were on!

I'm so glad we got to see that, it was very cool!

Couldn't resist a selfie with my girl

Rob and Kira wanted to ride Astro Orbiter but I wasn't really feeling it so I just waited while they rode it.

I waited in, quite possibly, the only dry spot in Tomorrowland, under the peoplemover

Just as I noticed that I was next to a pet area, along came a doggie who took about five whole minutes to find a proper spot to relieve themselves, it was so funny!

By the time Rob and Kira got back to me, they had just opened Space Mountain back up.

And it was VERY cool because for Halloween parties, they turned off all the lights and blared some punk/mosh pit type music. It was definitely a unique experience

We walked over to the Castle and we managed to find some CM's with treat bags so we grabbed two of them. Our goal wasn't to get candy so we only stopped at a few treat spots.

It's nice that our kid can now take photos of the two of us.

Before heading into The Haunted Mansion, we stopped at the gift shop to see if they had my shirt in my size and they did, they did!!! Grabbed that sucker super fast

The Rivers of America were being refurbed...

The Pet Cemetery was all lit up for the party but we never did see the Ghost Lady that sits on the lawn for the parties. We saw her walking around later but never at the HM.

Next up was the wildest ride in the wilderness

Followed by Splash Mountain!

And then it was time for a little treat. Kira was laughing at how big our Dole Whip was

Continued next time...

 

[CJK]

I just LOVE how you have shared your wonderful memory of the People Mover with your mom, with your daughter now. You'll always treasure those pictures. Seeing all those pictures side by side brought tears to my eyes. I remember reading about that in one of your previous trippies, so I always think of you every time I ride. Looks like a lil rain won't get in the way of your Halloween fun!!!!!

 

[dnllmz]

I live 5 minutes from Philly and that's a sad excuse for a cheesesteak.

Between the Plaza and starbucks, I'm now craving chocolate chip cookies.

 

[dnllmz]

I have pics from all of my childhood Disney trips and I have one of me and my Mom on the Peoplemover together that I recreated with Kira on her first trip in 2007 and have recreated on every trip thus far.

I love that I have memories of my Mom on that ride and now with my daughter.

My mom passed away in 1997, over twenty years ago and I miss her so much so I try to hang on to every single memory I have of her.

I feel closer to my Mom through Kira. Although she's never gotten to meet her Nanny, I feel such a connection to my Mom through that bond with my daughter.

It's great that your able to share that moment you had with your mom, now with Kira. That's very sweet. I'm sure one day Kira will look back and remember all of your rides on the people mover.

 

[lucas]

Beautiful pics of you and your mom. And now you with Kira!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Just as I noticed that I was next to a pet area, along came a doggie who took about five whole minutes to find a proper spot to relieve themselves, it was so funny!

Well of course he needs to find the spot Pluto picked out for him!

Though it's sort of gross they don't have it fenced off. I could imagine people accidentally standing or sitting there, especially foreigners. At least at Disneyland most of the spots are enclosed, so people can't really accidentally enter them!

 

[cntkg1]

I always love seeing your yearly pics of you and Kira. What a great tradition you started.

I’m sure your mama looks down on the two of you with love and pride.

 

[buteraa]

Oh my gosh I love the People Mover picture with your mom. How sweet you now get to experience that with your own daughter!

 

[Timon]

August 28th, Part 3

While we were eating our delicious Dole Whip, Kira noticed how freaky everything looked under the black light

It was around this time that it had stopped raining completely and I was finally able to change my shoes! Oh how it was nice to walk around with dry feet/shoes

Shortly after though, I ended up stepping in this huge puddle in front of the Pooh ride but thankfully my right foot only got a little wet.

The wait for Mine Train was about 25 minutes but none of us had experienced it at night so we all decided the wait was worth it.

I am so glad we did this because it was SO much better in the dark, in my opinion, and also, I finally got to see the stand-by queue. I've Fast Passed this ride every time so far

And then we rode Pooh...don't mind Rob here

We tried hard to get Kira to dance with her Daddy in front of Sonny Eclipse but this was the best we could get out of her

It's a bit of a tradition (the last three trips) that they danced together here. We love Sonny Eclipse and we play his songs a lot at home so we all know them. Kira loves to dance and would always dance with him there but she's sadly grown out of the dancing in public stage

By then, it was almost time for Hallowishes! We made our way to the hub and grabbed a spot.

It was great and it's always been a favourite show for us but after watching Happily Ever After and seeing all the cool new stuff they can do now, we were all wishing that they would update it. It's been the same since our first party in 2003 and actually back then, they did the entire perimeter of fireworks, so a great big circle as opposed to the half circle they do now.

We took another turn on PeopleMover and did some treat stops. Kira is enjoying some chocolates on the ride here.

Then we headed over to Liberty Square and grabbed some spots for the second Boo To You Parade.

This is my favourite parade, actually, I don't like parades so this is probably the only parade I enjoy

The Boo To You song is my alarm sound on my phone, which is not good sometimes because instead of turning it off, I will often sing and dance to it for awhile.

It's also something we sing to our dog for the past few years since, well, her name is Boo so, you can understand

Love the HM dancers!

Love the float with Gus, Phineas and Ezra

They even added some hidden mickeys to the back of it.

But my very favourite float is this one...

And my favourite part is the grave diggers, which I don't have a photo of because I was taking video at the time.

We followed the parade over to Tomorrowland because we wanted to ride the other track on Space Mountain in the dark.

And yay, we got to ride the Omega track

We had passed a treat stop just a couple of minutes before midnight but they shut it down just as we were getting in line!

It used to be as long as you got in line before midnight, they would send everyone though but that night, there were about 50 people already in line and they just closed it down early! They didn't run out of candy, they just shut it down.

We walked over to Main Street to look at the shops one last time. We loved this window

Rob wanted to get the party t-shirt and some of the party pins. While he did that, I took some shots of the decorations...

It was about 12:30 am now we were all exhausted. It took us awhile to get back to our hotel since it was way up in Universal. Yeah, I don't think I will do that again.

In fact, as much as we love the parties, I don't know that we will be back for awhile. The price is getting awfully high and we did the second party of the year...in AUGUST! So, it was the cheapest price of them all.

Kira was wiped! She has this habit of sleeping right on the edge of her bed but tonight's spot took the cake.

Here's the pins Rob bought...

And his shirt...

It's a nice shirt and I probably would have gotten a shirt too...if it wasn't so orange...and had Minnie on it.

 

[Timon]

Yeah, and also they just took the video film from the Universal Hollywood Tram tour for both of those. They added like 1 scene to each, but the main stuff is all a carbon copy! So if you go to Universal Hollywood, then you get to do 1 ride for both of them, including actually driving around a real working studio!


We did this and never again! It didn't help that we were in the front row plus our audio wasn't working, so all we could hear was the sounds of our screams!

Yes, I love the backlot tour at USH and I bet those two rides work so much better there. They aren't really that good to merit an entire ride to themselves, IMHO

Oh no! That's what Kira said, her audio wouldn't work but for her, it just picked some random song for her. I think the music makes it even better

My goodness. That pic of Kira at Cracker Barrel with a Stuffie. That girl is just gorgeous!!!!

The hash brown casserole is my favorite thing at Cracker Barrel. The pecan pancakes aren’t too shabby either though. I agree with Kira on their syrup. Yuck!

Yes, I knew what you were talking about when you said “til”. It’s not just a Canadian thing but maybe it’s an “old thing”. Oh wait....that’s me and not you!

Love my CBR and I can barely wait to go back. Maybe February.

A 21 pound pack? How did your back handle that? Sounds a little painful to me.

Wolfgang Pucks...DELISH! I love their pizza and tried the breakfast pizza last year before I started eating GF. That breakfast pizza was to die for!! I’ll surely miss it this year.

I like that pic too

I'm not a big pancake girl so I will stick to the lovely hashbrowns

Oh yeah, probably just an old thing..I'm old too...just no insurance

It wasn't bad, you got used to it. Even Kira said she was okay once she started

I haven't tried WPE for breakfast but maybe one day

Hmmmm, Tim and Jen. How come you didn’t tell everyone to GTS!?! Whahahahahaha

Rob’s Florida Pancake looks amazing! He mustv’e been in heaven with all that fruit.

Were the breakfast potatoes at Keke’s better than the one’s at Cabanas? Now those are da bomb!

You get the best storm pics. I always “just miss” it. My pics are always a second too late.

That dinner at Bayliner looks really really good too. Yummmmm

You're special that way

I enjoyed the ones at Cabanas but Keke's RULE!! Especially the Millenia Mall location

Oh, there were tons of just missed it shots too

I love food at Bayliner Diner!!

Ahhhhh, the Disney Dollars. Boy do I ever miss those. They were so much fun to give to friends and even my own kids.

Was that a TRIPLE decker bus? I’d be afraid it would tip over but I’d still ride up top. LOL

Way to go, Kira!! All those rides and all that money.

Yeah, I miss them too!

Triple decker, yup! Can't go in it though. You would recognize the Knight bus if only you would watch those darn HP movies I sent you

Yup, she got a nice haul but everything there is so expensive, so good thing she rode everything

OK, finally caught up. Carry on.......

Trying to do a post a day, still got a few days left then I have to work on my video and then onto my next trippie

I was really disappointed with the Transformers ride, like you said almost an exact copy of Spiderman. Except I felt like I had been put inside a blender on Transformers. More shaking and jerky movement. It's the only simulator ride that made me feel a bit sick.


Good for her. I'm one of the adults who won't do it. I just don't like that big drop at the beginning. Everything else about that ride looks great and I like the speed and turns. I just don't like the feeling of my stomach in my throat!

Yes, they way they did the Transformers ride was just too hectic!

Yup, a lot of people won't do that ride! I was super shocked and so impressed that she tried it!!! I'm still amazed...two months later, thinking about it

After reading your post about Keke's, I did a search to find the location in Orlando. Little did I know, there are so many of them in Florida! I had never heard of Keke's before. BUT, I was shocked to find a location about 2 miles from our house in South Florida! We live in Boca Raton and it turns out there is a new location right in the same strip mall as the Publix we always go to. I guess I didn't realize what it was. We went today and it was amazing. Your review and pics helped me to know about the pancake combo (wow!), and I got it with bacon and the potatoes that you loved so much. They really shouldn't call them home fries, because to me (being from New Orleans originally) that is what we call smothered potatoes. I was trying to tell my dh to get them because my friends from Canada loved them and even got some to go!

Thanks for the heads-up on that one. Can't wait to tell my friends how delish it was.

Oh my dog!!! YES!! I am soooo glad! Isn't it delicious!!!

So funny about your Canadian friends

I cannot wait to go back!

Mmm, I love those potatoes! Even when I ordered fish and chips I had them replace the chips with the potatoes!


Ugh, I hate that! I also just wasn't a fan of the whole set up - wait in line to order, wait in line to pick up food, wait in line to get a table. I preferred Leaky Cauldron when they brought the meals out to us. Though at Universal Hollywood, they have a Sunday Roast Dinner option on the menu, which is yummy!


Yup, annoying! I sometimes find when that happens if I sit on the lowest step at the entrance, it covers me up perfectly. Of course, I don't want to be rude and only do that if I am alone in the hot tub - don't want to block anyone else's access!

DOH! I didn't even think of asking to replace the potatoes! Then again, I love the chips too! I wonder if I could order a side of those potatoes next time

I am with you, I MUCH prefer Leaky Cauldron!!!! Oh and I yelped USH and saw that Sunday Roast dinner, YUMMMM!! I wish they would offer that in Florida! I would definitely try that and the sandwich version too!

Good idea with the hot tub, I think is what Kira was doing. We were all alone in the first one

Well, that's disappointing. soft serve and hard serve are definitely not the same!


I considered eating there before, but never did. it looks like a good break form the usual theme park pizza and burger though.


Yeah, that's why I rarely go to $tarbucks. I know some people love it, but I just can't justify the prices. I'm also not a coffee drinker, and there's nothing fancy about their tea that I can't do at home, so that has something to do with it I guess.


And I see what you mean about the age and dirt at the hotel. Maybe not something you'd notice right away, but definitely would be enough to put me off if I stayed there for a few days.

So very true! It didn't taste good at all in my opinion but then again, I am a soft-serve kind of gal

It's the only food I have ever enjoyed in either park! Well, the Dagwood sandwich used to be delicious way back in 1999/2000 but they have changed it so much, no thanks! We've tried Monsters Cafe, Mel's Drive In, Lombard's Grille and others and they were all mediocre at best! One day though, I want to try Mythos, it almost happened in 2016 but I ended up feeling sick that day so I skipped it.

Yup, I'm with you! I NEVER go to Starbucks and can't fathom spending that much money all the time but then again, I don't have a caffeine habit Rob can't stand the Starbucks coffee but he loves Joffrey's. But those cookies....

Yup, easy to glaze over but you will notice after spending a night there.

And I am one of them!

Great day at Universal! I am missing it. I haven't been in 1 1/2 years now and that's just too long!
Good for Kira trying all the rides. It would take more than $25 for Rip Rocket for me though!

That pizza looks really good. I have yet to stay at Portofino and it's on my bucket list. I hope they plan to do a refurb soon. Yeah I now know not to look up at the sliding glass door.

LOL! I don't think you would go on RRR...it's a death trap

Do yourself a favour...stay at HRH and walk over for the pizza and pool time. That's our plan

Awwwww, and we were wishing we would've been there with him too! I still don't know how the 3 of us went through 3 of those pots of coffee though. We must've been on a caffeine high for days!!

Three?? I thought it was only two???!!!

LOL! Addicts!

i love this feature at Disney too! The laundry is right next to the pool. I popped a load in and when swimming with the kidlet, Go out switched it over and back in the pool. It was great knowing when when enough machines were free to do them at the same time!

Yes, Disney has them too, that's right! It's been awhile since I've done laundry at Disney. Very very handy, indeed!

I just LOVE how you have shared your wonderful memory of the People Mover with your mom, with your daughter now. You'll always treasure those pictures. Seeing all those pictures side by side brought tears to my eyes. I remember reading about that in one of your previous trippies, so I always think of you every time I ride. Looks like a lil rain won't get in the way of your Halloween fun!!!!!

Thanks, hun

Nope, we still had TONS of fun that night.

I live 5 minutes from Philly and that's a sad excuse for a cheesesteak.

Between the Plaza and starbucks, I'm now craving chocolate chip cookies.

It was gross!

LOL! I think I am always craving chocolate chip cookies, it's the one sweet that I love

It's great that your able to share that moment you had with your mom, now with Kira. That's very sweet. I'm sure one day Kira will look back and remember all of your rides on the people mover.

I sure hope so

Beautiful pics of you and your mom. And now you with Kira!

Thank you

Well of course he needs to find the spot Pluto picked out for him!

Though it's sort of gross they don't have it fenced off. I could imagine people accidentally standing or sitting there, especially foreigners. At least at Disneyland most of the spots are enclosed, so people can't really accidentally enter them!

It is quite hidden and in a spot where not many people would walk. The only thing over there is the bathrooms but yeah, not having it fenced is a little odd.

I always love seeing your yearly pics of you and Kira. What a great tradition you started.

I’m sure your mama looks down on the two of you with love and pride.

Gosh, I sure hope so, babe

Oh my gosh I love the People Mover picture with your mom. How sweet you now get to experience that with your own daughter!

I'm so very lucky



I know I missed a few replies...let me go find them....

 

[Deb Stoltman]

Joining in! What a great trip you are having and no wonder you were tired...you were going from morning until evening! Wonderful pictures! I say this after every report, but Kira is growing into such a beautiful young lady! And how awesome for her to conquer all those rides this trip! Hard Rock is our favorite US hotel. I don't think we will ever try anything else (although we are always tempted by Cabana Bay). Can't wait to hear about your Volcano Bay adventures. I think VB is my favorite water park, even beating Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[Timon]

I have a personal question which you can feel free to ignore. My daughter is roughly the same age as Kira and when it comes to WDW and USO they seem to share similar interests, most of what I see Kira purchasing will be similar likely to what my daughter will want on our trip to both in December. What was her/your budget for souvenirs for her? Approximately what did you&she (since she had some spending cash of her own) end up spending for her souvenirs over the course of vacation?

Yes, of course I can answer

I keep forgetting that I didn't post Kira's earning potential photo on here, I only posted it on FB.

Kira's Earning Potential


So, her earning potential for the two-week trip was $400 USD. We gave her $20 to start with just in case she was horrible the entire trip. Then she could earn $20/per day for having a good attitude. This is something I thought long and hard about because the last few trips her attitude has sucked, royally And on her previous few trips, she had saved her birthday/Christmas money so it was hers to spend but this time we were going before her bday so she started out with zip!

To earn the $20/day, she needed to have a (mostly) positive attitude, not complain about stuff, and not get lippy with her parents.

This worked out pretty well, she only lost her $20 on two days but Rob gave her that extra $50 for doing Rip Ride Rocket and Hulk, so her total spending for the entire trip was $410 USD.

She could spend it on almost anything she wanted but she was limited to TWO stuffies for luggage purposes.

Here's the stuff that I remember her buying...though not all of it can be seen in pics in my report....prices do not include tax.

Hogwarts Journal $25
Marauder's Map Phone Case $30
Marauder's Map Scarf $27
Sirius Black Stuffy $35
Stitch Hat $35
Mickey Shape Mood necklace $13
Todd Stuffy $30
Penny Press Book $13
Stitch Journal $22
Stitch Pen, Emoji Squishy Keychains & Spiral Journal $38
Slinky Dog head band $25 (these went up in price since then)

Not sure what else she bought because that doesn't add up to $410 If I remember or come across anything else, I will post it in my trippie



Then, there was some stuff that we bought her too.

Splash Mountain tee $35
Tower of Terror long sleeved top $40
Rob and Kira's customized Magic Bands $60
HP Colouring Book $16
Sugar Quill Lollipop $5
Dark Mark Lollipop $4
Hufflepuff Shirt $30
10-pack HP post cards & Hogwarts stamps $29
Marauder's Map $50 (you will read about this later)
Hogwarts Shirt from Target $15
NASA Hoodie shirt $35

Hope that helps

Yep, I remember that storm. This was the day I left Orlando and we had just gotten on the Magical Express to go back to the airport. I poured rain the whole time. As depressed as I was leaving Florida, I was kind of happy not be be caught outside in that storm.


This happens to me too. A lot. Just one look with those "please daddy" eyes and it melts your heart...and opens your wallet.

It sure was a wicked storm

Yeah, I think it works on most Daddies

 

[BLAZEY]

So, her earning potential for the two-week trip was $400 USD. We gave her $20 to start with just in case she was horrible the entire trip. Then she could earn $20/per day for having a good attitude. This is something I thought long and hard about because the last few trips her attitude has sucked, royally And on her previous few trips, she had saved her birthday/Christmas money so it was hers to spend but this time we were going before her bday so she started out with zip!

To earn the $20/day, she needed to have a (mostly) positive attitude, not complain about stuff, and not get lippy with her parents.

I may need to try this with Rachel except maybe $5 or $10 per day. Did she have to be good all day and then in the evening she got her $20 to spend that day? I know if I gave Rachel the money for the day at the start she'd spend it and then get lippy. We usually only buy her a shirt or hoodie and a toy. Last trip we spent her birthday in Animal kingdom (her choice) she chose what we did that day and where we ate. She did have some of her own money as her Nana gave her some USD for a birthday gift. As far as getting her to ride some of the bigger rides we bought her a pin as she conquered each ride. Maybe if she got cash to spend as she pleased she maybe less lippy too. I get worried if she's like this at 9.5 what is 13 going to be like? Not that we put up with it, I want to enjoy my vacation too, and not have to argue with her about her attitude. It can't be all about her all the time. Mum and Dad should get some input in what we do while on vacation!

 

[Timon]

Joining in! What a great trip you are having and no wonder you were tired...you were going from morning until evening! Wonderful pictures! I say this after every report, but Kira is growing into such a beautiful young lady! And how awesome for her to conquer all those rides this trip! Hard Rock is our favorite US hotel. I don't think we will ever try anything else (although we are always tempted by Cabana Bay). Can't wait to hear about your Volcano Bay adventures. I think VB is my favorite water park, even beating Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

HAHAH, yes, it was a packed trip for sure

Thank you for the sweet words

I have two favourite hotels that I've stayed at so far, Hard Rock Orlando and Grand Californian at Disneyland. Both AMAZING!!!

Volcano Bay is the next day, so stay tuned

 

[Timon]

I may need to try this with Rachel except maybe $5 or $10 per day. Did she have to be good all day and then in the evening she got her $20 to spend that day? I know if I gave Rachel the money for the day at the start she'd spend it and then get lippy. We usually only buy her a shirt or hoodie and a toy. Last trip we spent her birthday in Animal kingdom (her choice) she chose what we did that day and where we ate. She did have some of her own money as her Nana gave her some USD for a birthday gift. As far as getting her to ride some of the bigger rides we bought her a pin as she conquered each ride. Maybe if she got cash to spend as she pleased she maybe less lippy too. I get worried if she's like this at 9.5 what is 13 going to be like? Not that we put up with it, I want to enjoy my vacation too, and not have to argue with her about her attitude. It can't be all about her all the time. Mum and Dad should get some input in what we do while on vacation!

She did not get her $20 for the day until bedtime

And yes, I have had those same thoughts about Kira, what the heck is she going to be like at 13...15...17!!!

She's actually a really good kid...at home.

But put her on vacation and she turns into a BRAT!!

I have no idea what is up with that crap but it's soooo true

The $20/day worked like a charm There were two days at the end where she lost her money but there were some extenuating circumstances so she was forgiven

This was the best behaviour on any vacation in a long time so we will be doing it again

 

[BLAZEY]

She did not get her $20 for the day until bedtime

And yes, I have had those same thoughts about Kira, what the heck is she going to be like at 13...15...17!!!

She's actually a really good kid...at home.

But put her on vacation and she turns into a BRAT!!

I have no idea what is up with that crap but it's soooo true

The $20/day worked like a charm There were two days at the end where she lost her money but there were some extenuating circumstances so she was forgiven

This was the best behaviour on any vacation in a long time so we will be doing it again

Rachel's not a bad kid either, sometimes she just takes it too far and has to remember WE are the adults and Yes we can tell you to do (fill in the blank). She strong willed which is a great quality to have... when you aren't arguing with mum and dad. I'm not above bribery if it works. It's something we can enforce without having to punish ourselves too in order to administer her punishment.

 

[jenseib]

Found the ice machine and noticed that there was no Diet Coke in this vending machine.

As soon as I read that I thought...what? Still no diet coke in the machines? Gosh! I think we found it like a floor or 2 away in the end.

I realized that we had to pay for parking.

That is so funny because when we went this summer and went to Hollywood Studios for the day before our cruise I never thought about it either till we pulled up. Mom paid and she didn't have to. But I just am so used to not having to pay.

I feel such a connection to my Mom through that bond with my daughter

I got a little teary seeing that string of photos. That is so nice!

The Rivers of America were being refurbed...

I had no clue there was a track in there. Wow!

The Boo To You song is my alarm sound on my phone

Could you send me that track? I want to add it to my phone. I love that song too.

 

[Timon]

August 29th, Part 1

Today was originally going to be an open to close park day at Volcano Bay. As Cabana Bay guests get early entry there, we had planned on being there by the 8am early entry start and then maybe back to the hotel (for me, at least) in the afternoon and then possibly back to the park.

Those plans changed when we saw how busy Volcano Bay was in the previous days and also just how we were feeling in general. I think we were all done with the all-day park days and we decided it was best for us to slow things down a bit.

So instead, we slept in today and then headed over to Keke's for a late breakfast. Heading to our car in the parking garage...

This time though, we went to a new location, the one at Dr. Phillip's, which was only five minutes away taking the back road.

We were seated right away since it wasn't the weekend.

This time Kira & Rob went for waffles and they also ordered a side of the potatoes to share.

They were very happy

All of the food, with the exception of the breakfast potatoes, was amazing! Fresh and hot and delicious! The potatoes were good but they weren't out-of-this-world good like they were at the Millenia Mall location. But it was only 5 minutes away on quiet back roads so there was definitely an advantage to going to this one.

On the way back to CB, the storms were brewing

And going the back way, you could really see how busy Volcano Bay was.

Kira and Rob went back up to the room but I decided to stay and watch the storms. The lightning was amazing and the views were gorgeous!!

Honestly, I love storms so much, I could have stayed there all day watching

I stayed for about 30 minutes until it started to rain and then joined my family back in the room. Rob was laughing at me and took my photo from the elevator area

The pools were closed of course, something you need to plan for if you come in the summer and want some pool time. Pools will and often do close every single day, sometimes multiple times, depending on the storms.

Back up to the room, which hadn't been made up yet. Kira wanted to take inventory on our candy haul from the previous night.

We didn't get a lot but we didn't stop at many treat stations. We didn't feel like hauling tons of candy back to Canada with us and well, Kira is the only one who eats that crap anyway.

Just then the maid had showed up asking about our room. We told her we would vacate the room so she could get it done for us. We just headed down to the pool area and waited.

Oddly enough, this was a really nice, peaceful time that I fondly remember. There was no one else around, it was raining out, the temperature could not have been more perfect for me. I recall standing there, looking out on the beautiful empty pool, with a nice, almost cool breeze blowing on me, staring and listening to all of the beautiful palms swaying gently in the breeze.

We waited until the storm had passed and then walked over to Volcano Bay. I had to visit guest services to get my ticket but there was no one there so it was all good.

It was still raining a little and the park was empty.

We got our Tapu Tapu's, the bands you use for all of the rides and then off we went.

A lot of people were leaving, which suited us just fine

The OhYah and OhNo drop slides..

I had done a lot of research on the park so I knew where the best place for lockers was so we headed back there and it was perfectly quiet!

I will go more into details in my next chapter about our experience at Volcano Bay but to give you a little hint to what it was like for us...it was probably the best evening/night of the entire trip.

 

[juniorbugman]

I usually just read along on your reports (which are good by the way) but I saw this post and just had to comment.

We walked over to Man Street to look at the shops one last time. We loved this window

I found this really funny and then when you said that Rob had to go shopping it just made me giggle more.

Rob wanted to get the party t-shirt and some of the party pins. While he did that, I took some shots of the decorations...

Is Man street only where men get to shop?

 

[Timon]

Rachel's not a bad kid either, sometimes she just takes it too far and has to remember WE are the adults and Yes we can tell you to do (fill in the blank). She strong willed which is a great quality to have... when you aren't arguing with mum and dad. I'm not above bribery if it works. It's something we can enforce without having to punish ourselves too in order to administer her punishment.

Rachel sounds remarkably like a girl I know.

As soon as I read that I thought...what? Still no diet coke in the machines? Gosh! I think we found it like a floor or 2 away in the end.



That is so funny because when we went this summer and went to Hollywood Studios for the day before our cruise I never thought about it either till we pulled up. Mom paid and she didn't have to. But I just am so used to not having to pay.



I got a little teary seeing that string of photos. That is so nice!



I had no clue there was a track in there. Wow!



Could you send me that track? I want to add it to my phone. I love that song too.

Any idea how to do that? You used to be able to send a tone but they are not even listed as tones on the phone anymore

I usually just read along on your reports (which are good by the way) but I saw this post and just had to comment.

I found this really funny and then when you said that Rob had to go shopping it just made me giggle more.

Is Man street only where men get to shop?

Aw man, my editor is SO fired

I have so many typos, usually I eventually find them but sometimes someone points them out to me, so thanks! That one was funny though