Collin's MAW Pre-Trip Report

[Mickydees]

I am so glad to hear you had such a great time! GKTW sounds like such a great place - I would love to volunteer there some time!

Glad to hear Day 1 went well despite the speed bumps and that the girls enjoyed the limo. I would love to know more about Kouzzina especially since you guys were really looking forward to it.

Our meal at Kozzina was great. We have never eaten at Spoodles (which it replaced) so I can't say if it is better or not. The atmosphere was enjoyable. Being a Food Network fan I really enjoyed the open kitchen. We were seated quickly even though we were a little early for our reservations. Our waitress was very friendly. Although she gave a little too much information about the menu. Much of it went over our heads. But it was nice for her take up so much time with us. Here are some pics of the inside and our waitress.

We began with an appetizer of Saganaki -Seared Haloumi Cheese with Lemon and Oregano.

We all found this to be very good. We followed this with our main course. I had the Wood-grilled Flank Steak - with fresh Herb Saltsa and Kouzzina Potatoes. Lisa had the lamb burger with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Lemon. The lamb burger was a little spicy but to her liking. Angellyn had the oak - fired pork T-bone. It was prepared by our request not so spicy to fit a childs taste. She had the Kouzzina potatoes with it. Each main course was plenty for each of us.

You just can't leave a place like Kouzzina without trying desert. We ordered three different ones so we could all share and each try something different. We had
(1) Baklava
-Traditional Walnut and
Cinnamon Pastry with Pistachio Gelato
(2) Chocolate Budino Cake
Warm Molten Chocolate with Whipped Sweet Cream
(3) Freshly Made Greek Doughnuts drizzled with
Warm Honey.

The Baklava and the Cake was served with a thin slice of chocolate. Out of the three the cake was the best. Could be because we all lean towards chocolate when it comes to desert. All in all the dinner was very enjoyable. We were never rushed to place an order and was encouraged to take our time while dinning. Definitely a . I will also say I found it to be kid friendly. Our two younger children enjoyed it also. I would recommend trying Kouzzina on your next visit.

 

[jessica52877]

And your off! Glad the limo driver wasn't too far past the house! and going through Atlanta was a breeze. We've had some "fun" times there! Just lines, lines and more lines sometimes! I bet the limo surprise was fun for the girls.

I love the detail of your report at Kouzzina. I think this is a place I would be interested in trying after reading about it. The steaks I bet were delicious!!! I love all the pictures to go along with it too and I also prefer chocolate when it comes to dessert.

Your family is so adorable! I think that is the first picture that I have ever seen of you or your wife! So cute!!

I am glad to hear your first day was smooth sailing and fun!

 

[maroo]

Great start!!!!

I love the review of Kouzzina! I had heard bad things about it...that I honestly did not quite believe...and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it!

 

[kdzbear]

Thank you for the pictures and detailed report on Kouzinna's. I would like to try it some time. It looks so good!

 

[chrissid7]

YUMMY!!! that looks great! Glad your trip is going good! Looking forward to the rest!

 

[Mickydees]

Day 2 we head out to Sea World. This was probably one of our favorite days. It was a more hands on experience than the other parks. As soon as we enter the park we see a character greet with Shamu. We found by going directly to the character's handler and letting them know you are on a wish trip they get you right in for autograph and pictures. We found this pretty much the same at all the parks.

After the picture we head over to the dolphin feeding. It was about 30 minutes before the next feeding so we spent a few minutes at the stingrays. After this we then proceeded to get in line for the dolphin feeding. Within about 15 minutes an atttendent came up and brought us around to the exit. We did not have to pay for the dolphin feeding tray and they brought one for each of us 2 or 3 times. We enjoyed the dolphin feeding very much. It was awesome having the dolphins come right up to you to be fed. The kids enjoyed petting and interacting with them.

After feeding the dolphins we went to the penguin encounter. Mishelle our oldest loves penguins so this was a must see. It was also cool inside the exhibit so we were all in favor of this. As you go through there is a moving walkway that takes you past the penguins. However since Collin was in his wheel chair we went up the ramp to the other viewing area. This is a better view because you are looking down and can take your time. We then proceeded to our first show. The Blue Horizions show was beautiful. The dolphins in with the aerial show was outstanding. This show is certainly worth seeing. Here are two of the performers behind Collin.

After this show we went to the Jewel of the Sea exhibit. This was very interesting seeing the vast variety of sea creatures. After a little while in here it was time for the Believe show. This is the best of the shows we saw at Sea World. The story that is told through the show really hit a special place with us in dealing with Collin. While waiting for the show to begin we met a wonderful attendent named Bill.

He really took up a lot of time with us, especially Collin. After giving him a little background of Collin he came back with the wood carved believe necklace. This was so sweet of him. The Believe show should definitely not be missed.

Next we walked through the Halloween Spooktacular trick or treat. The area was decorated for the season. Almost more of a fall atmosphere than halloween. It was not scary at all. There were several candy locations. Probably just as many as MNSSHP if not more. There were also some booths that offered a healthy snack alternative. There was also a fun maze to walk through featuring the Sesame Street characters.

After this we decided to split up as Lisa, Mishelle and Angellyn wanted to ride some roller coasters. They went and rode Manta and Kracken. I took Collin around the smaller kids play area. Unfortunately he was not in a ridding mood so we walked and looked for a while. Made a few more candy stops and saw the Clydesdale Horses. These are amazing looking animals. We did stumble upon another character greet. It was Pirate Shamu.

As we were walking around to meet up with Lisa and the girls we happend upon the #48 car on display. This of course excited Collin. And yes here is a picture.

We now went to the Clyde and Seamore show. This was our least favorite show. Not bad but not our favorite. It was typical theme park slapstick comedy. We enjoyed the pre show more than the show itself. There is a pirate mime down front as people are finding their seats. He sort of makes fun of them as they are walking in and hides behind a corner and surprises them. Once as a couple was walking in the mime took the woman and seated her in a different section than the man. When she tried to get up and join him the mime made her sit back down. He also played with kids before the show started. He was very funny and had the crowd laughing.

On our way out we stopped by the sea lions that were in the show. It is interesting to see how these animals can be trained.

We then headed back to the village "our home away from home" had dinner and got some rest.
Here is the link to Lisa's facebook photos if you would like to see some additional pics.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114171&id=748503235&l=1408709d72

 

[kdzbear]

I love your Sea World updates! You had some great interactions and pictures. I love that they had trick or treating while you were there. Colin looks so happy in the pictures!

 

[jessica52877]

Sea World is one of my favorites! It looks like you'll enjoyed the day! My favorite picture is the of Collin with Bill! He looks like a wonderful person!! The little decorated area also looked like fun. LOVE all the pictures!! I bet the girls enjoyed the coasters too.

 

[chrissid7]

Wow what a great day that was! I love the pics and he looked like he was having a great time. I was on the fence with how much time to plan at seaworld but now I know it has to be longer.

Cant wait for the rest of your adventure!

 

[jenb1023]

Love the Kouzzina report and the Sea World update! We have never been to Sea World and I would definitely like to go there one of these days. I would love feeding the dolphins!

 

[maroo]

Wow!

I am so glad you guys enjoyed Sea World!

I am glad you guys loved feeding the dolphins!

 

[Mickydees]

Today begins with character photos at GKTW. Outside the photo area we see Mary Poppins. She played her part very well even had the English accent. Also we saw Goofy and Pluto. The characters took up a lot of time with all the kids.

We then went inside to meet Mickey & Minnie. There were quite a few families to get in but they worked thru the line quickly. Both characters took up a lot of time with all of us. It was almost like being in a show with them.

Collin brought his stuffed Mickey Mouse he got from GKTW. Someone looked at his Mickey Mouse and told Collin Mickey would sign his feet. Collin looked down at his own feet and said he's gonna sign my feet? Everyone cracked up at him.

Here is Mickey with his signed feet

After the pictures we head out for Epcot.

+

Our first ride was Soarin. This is probably one of our top rides. My family thinks this is odd for me because I do not like roller coasters but enjoy Soarin very much. It is so realistic you really feel like your are in a hang glider over California. Collin did ok with it. He takes after his dad and does not care much for the more intense rides. The only bad thing about soarin is it is a little complicated to get to with a wheel chair. They have one small elavator for handicap access. It took a good while to wait on the elevator and get to the ride. However once there we were put thru the fast pass line and got on fairly quick. We then did the Nemo ride to settle Collin down a little bit. We did Living with the Land. This is always an interesting ride if you are into nature at all. We found an inside character greeting. The lines were very full. We went to one of the handlers and they got us right in with the first character. The handler took us to each location and got us right in for pictures. We met Mickey, Minnie, Pulto, Donald and Goofy. Sorry I don't have any of these pics as we just did photo pass and have not recieved our disk yet. One problem we did encounter when looking over the photo pass pics at the end of the day there was a different family in the Minnie photos. Photo Pass people tried to research but could never find our photos with Minnie. We did get some later in the week with her though. Angellyn got to feeling bad around this time of the day. We went to Innoventions to cool off some. Made our own video game and Lisa and Collin went thru some of the other activies.

I sat with Angellyn as she did not feel like doing anything right then. We then took advantage of the Siemens VIP lounge for wish families. We really felt important and were treated wonderful while there. Got something to drink and just rested for a little while.

They have a magic mirror that is really fun to interact with. When we got ready to leave we were escorted to a special entrance for the Spaceship Earth ride. Not one of Collin's favorite rides as he does not like the dark.

We then had a quick lunch and went to Test Track. We all rode it together. A very exhilarating ride. We told Collin this was something like ridding with Jimmie Johnson. He liked it so - so but did not want to ride again. The ride cast members gave us the opportunity to ride again. Mishelle and Angellyn rode again as Lisa and I took Collin on out.

Next Mishelle, Angelly & Myself went on Mission Space. Beleive it or not we went on the Orange (more intense) side. Our first time doing this ride and enjoyed it very much.

We never got around to the World Showcase. Decided to avoid the F&W crowd. By this time we were ready to call it a day. We did ride the Monorail just for the fun of it. We rode to the Ticketing area and back to Epcot. We then headed back to the Villiage ordered pizza and got some rest. A good day for all of us.

Here are some more day 3 pics from facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114481&id=748503235&l=4460cc5dd7

 

[jenb1023]

Sounds like a great day! We love Soarin! I hope Angellyn felt better the next day!

 

[2specialkids]

You all look like you had a wonderful time! I'm so glad...all these great photos are really wonderful for your family and great for us getting ready to go. They "up" the excitement! Keep on posting 'em...we're excited to see more.

 

[Mickydees]

Today is going to be a very long day. We have tickets to MNSSHP tonight. We spend most of the day exploring the village. We being with meeting Spongebob.

After that it's ice cream for breakfast. (One of the rules to eat ice cream for breakfast at least once during visit)

Next we head over to the playground.

Mid day and starting to get hot so we head over to the Castle of Miracles. Here we are amazed at all of the stars on the ceiling representing all of the wish kids that have stayed there.

Here Collin makes his star.

Collin and the girls also get to make their pillows.

The volunteers in the Castle of Miracles are wonderful. They made us fee so special. They took up a lot of time with us and made sure we enjoyed our visit in the Castle.

When we finished there we went over to the Amberville Train Station. The model trains are really neat. Tried the boats (none of us every really got the hang of it). Then played some of the games. Had a late lunch and tried to get a little rest before going to MNSSHP. I'll put that trip report in the next post.

Note: some of these pictures don't look right when I preview them, hopefully they'll come out right once posted. If not here is a link to Day 4 pictures on Lisa's Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114811&id=748503235&l=b88efe7e58

 

[kdzbear]

Collin looks so happy in all of the pictures. I snuck a peak at the FB photos. Wow! You guys really captured GKTW. The kids looked like they enjoyed their relaxing morning!

 

[Mickydees]

We get to MK around 4:30. We were able to get in with no problem.

I don't have a lot of pictures to post here as we took advantage of Photopass and do not have the disk yet. I've got a few that I was able to snag off our video camera. Most are too dark to use as pictures. There are a few that will work. Here is how the kids dressed.

Mishelle dressed as Sally in Nightmare before Christmas. Angelly was a hippie. Collin did not really want to dress up so he wore his Jimmie Johnson outfit from the Big Give and we sprayed his hair black. (side note: Colored hairspray does not do so well in the rain) Mishelle got several comments about her outfit and even picture requests. She did a great job of looking like the character.

Got our wrist bands and head to Adventureland. We see Lilo and Stich for pictures and autographs.

We first ride Alladians Magic Carpets. We then go and do one of the family favorites - The Tiki Room. The cast member made sure we had good seating. We then head to the wish lounge as it closed at 7. Took a little break and got some bottled water. For future wish trippers be sure to take advantage of this. Then it was off to Pirates of the Caribean. The girls loved it but Collin did not enjoy it very much. He does not like dark rides. We had a small flashlight but he was still ready to get off. After leaving this area we come upon Cinderella's Carriage. We are able to get a picture with photpass. We then head to Fantasy Land for Dumbo and the Teacups. We then head over to Tomorrowland for the speedway. Had to get in one race anyway. We then go and do one of the other family favorites - It's a small world. Everyone is now getting hungry so we stop to eat at Cosmic Ray's. Just to let you know there are still kind people at Disney - a couple had a meal left on their dinning plan they are not going to use and they offer it to us. We were very touched by their kindness. Rested for a while and enjoyed the entertainment. We then head over to watch the fireworks. On our way we see Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and get pictures and autographs. Only took in a little of the fireworks as Collin did not like the loud noise. We then head back towards Fantasyland. There we find some more characters to get pictures with. We find Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, White Rabbit & Queen of Hearts and Tiger & Piglet.

It seemed Collin enjoyed meeting the characters as much as anything else. We now head to watch the parade. While waiting we are able to see the Villians stage show. We are in a good spot for the parade and even get to video the Headless Horseman do his pre-parade ride.

After the parade we head over to Toontown to meet more characters. Here we meet Mickey, Minnie, Tinkerbell and two of her friends Rosetta and Silvermist.

Tinekerbell, Rosetta & Silvermist were great. They were so into character. They took up a lot of time with all of the kids. The castmembers were very helpful in getting us in to see these characters.

We did some candy stops throughout the night. Not greatly impressed with the candy but the kids enjoyed it. It was now getting close to park closing and we had promised Mishelle she could do Haunted Mansion. So just before midnight (how appropriate) her and Lisa go to ride it and I start toward the front with Collin and Angellyn. Collin was really worn out by the time we left but he held up the whole night. MNSSHP was quiet an experience. Don't know if we would do it again but for our situation it was a less expensive way to to get an extra park day. We got in a good 8 hours so we got our monies worth. Now that we were all exhausted we go back to the village for a much needed nights rest.

Here are some more pictures on Lisa's facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114946&id=748503235&l=dc69a08344

 

[jessica52877]

I've really enjoyed looking through the facebook photos too! I love how nice give kids the world is. Your pictures really show everything! I hadn't see so much of it. The playground is a dream come true I am sure for the wish kids!

I love the costumes! Everyone looked cute. That was a great Sally costume! And Collin's worked out perfectly! Not real costume-y yet good for MNSSHP!

 

[kdzbear]

Great MNSSHP report. I am so glad Collin got to meet Snow White with all 7 dwarves. It looks like you all fit a lot into the evening. Your daughter's Sally costume is amazing! Now I am going to sneak a peek at your extra FB photos!

 

[maroo]

I am loving your report!!

What a great idea to get Mickey and Minnie to sign your stuffed animal! Great idea!

Looks like you guys did MNSSHP perfectly! You got to see lots of things.

Your picture of the headless horseman is the best I have ever seen!

I love your costumes, too!