Doing Disney with an Infant. Our April Photo Trip Report.

[Teknik_DC2]

As I walked to the que I now knew why Kiera was in the Fastpass line. The park was so uncrowded and with no wait at all for Everest the Standbye Que was closed and Everybody was being sent thru the Fastpass Que. Once again by the time I got to the load plateform I walked pretty much right on to the train. This time in a row by myself. Kiera also took a photo of the downhill drop like I did of her. This ride is so amazing that I can't even express how much I love it. Its too bad that I never got to experiance it with a working Yeti or it might even be better. Kiera and Daniel were waiting in the shop for me and then we started walking back towards the other Asia areas. Our Everest Marathon was over dispite having the time to ride many more times if we wanted to.

We were now going to walk over to the area of Asia where the Kali River Rapids ride is located. I had toyed with the idea of going on the rapids dispite not wanting to get wet. I figured i'd make the call based on the wait time. Its not that I don't like Rapids rides I just hate walking around in wet clothes. I figured though it'd probably be the last ride of the day so we would soon be back at the hotel and I could get out of the wet clothes. Needless to say though I never rode the ride. Considering both Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris were both practicly walk ons You'd think there'd be nobody at Kali. I was wrong though when the posted wait was 20 minutes for the ride. I guess everybody had the idea of it would be best to get wet just prior to leaving the park for the day.

While we were in the area we decided to walk thru the Maharajah Jungle Trek trail. We really enjoyed the African one so we were really interested in seeing what the Asian trail had. As we entered the trail there was CM that just had Daniel laughing so much. It was cute.

You can tell how different the 2 trails are immidiatly as you feel more like your in a Jungle in Asia compared to a Forest in Africa. One thing I really liked about the Maharahah Trek was that there are many "ruin" type buildings that you pass thru. Its themed so amazing. The first animal we came across was a large Komodo Dragon sitting out on a rock. We also passed an area with a bunch of birds before entering the first of the Ruins. There is also a section full of Bats that you pass thru. I'm not gonna lie they were kind of creepy.

These Ruins contain windows that look out on the Tigers. There were 3 Tigers out at the time and it was amazing seeing them so close. As we continued thru these Ruins though we soon came to another Window and one of the Tigers had what it seemed like followed us over to it and came up almost right to the Window. Daniel got really excited seeing the Tiger so close. These are such amazing creatures that are also pretty big.

There wasn't much activity as we continued walking down the trail after passing the Tigers. Just more incredible themeing as they really out did themselves with the themeing of this trail. It truely is awesome.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Just like the African trail the Asian one also has a Bird Aviary. Of course the Asian one though is themed much better continuing with that Ruins feel. The birds were also more plentiful and some you could get up so close to them that you could almost pick them up or touch them. Daniel really loved being able to see the birds up so close. But as with the other Aviary we were quick to get thru it so we didn't get and droppings on us lol.

The Mahajarah trail ends shortly after the bird aviary and it seemed shorter then the African one. Thru the trees you can see the Kali River Rapids loading area. Although the trail was shorter then the African one the detail and themeing is much better in my opinion. I do wish there was more animals but still if you want to make the Animal Kingdom a full day park then you shouldn't miss out on this (or any) trail. Its great.

As we walked back out to the main paths of Asia I was curious if the line for Kali had died down any and suprisingly it had actually Encreased to 25 minutes. That was the nail that decided I wouldn't be riding it. I hear the que for the ride is pretty cool but other then that the ride is a not as good version of the Grizzley River Rapids at Disneys California Adventure park. I wish you could view the rapids ride from the walking trails like you can in California Adventure but here you can't see any of the ride unless you are in line for it. With the trail finished it was now after 6:30pm and the park would be closing at 7. So we started to make our way towards the park exit.

Back on Discovery Island pretty much everyone in the park at this time seemed to be making there way towards the exit. We stopped again though in front of the Tree of Life to get some final photos and see some of the Animals that were around the tree. The Animals around the tree seemed to be much more active this time of day then they were earlier as we saw some Ducks up close as well as some Lemurs.

We then crossed the bridge back over to the Oasis area to make our way to the exit. The last time we were in this area together was when we first entered the park and I found out Kiera didn't have her phone. So we pretty much rushed thru the area without taking the time to see whats there. Yes there are animals and its very pretty. Once again take your time exploring the area. We then exited the park and got right on to a tram to go back to the car. We left the park about 10 minutes after it closed and the fact that we didn't have to wait for a tram really shows how uncrowded the park was by the time it closed.

We managed to spend pretty much the entire day in the Animal Kingdom and we didn't see everything they had to offer. With the Tree Branch falling the "Its Tough to be a Bug" 4d show was closed as well as the Trails around the Tree of Life, We never even stepped foot in the Camp Mickey-Minnie section of the park which means we also never saw the Lion King show (although seeing the full length broadway version in Vegas was the reason we didn't have it as a priority), and we never made it to Rafikis Planet Watch and Conservation Station. Again I only see Animal Kingdom being a "half day" park if you only care about doing rides. If you want to truely see all that the park has to offer it will take multipule days to see it all. Especially since the Animal Kingdom doesnt' stay open nearly as long as the other 3 parks. The Animal Kingdom offers a unique experiance not offered at any other Disney park and we really enjoyed our time there. We look forward to making it back someday and I will be paying close attention to the park to see how the idea of this Avitarland Expansion plays out.


And that concludes the update for our time at the Animal Kingdom. However there is still one more update before I conclude Day 8 of our vacation recap. Thanks again to all those still following and please again feel free to comment or ask any questions you have. Thanks everyone.

 

[khertz]

Animal Kingdom was great after the parade ended. It seriously felt like everyone in the park left after that parade. Add to the fact that the park closed at 7pm instead 5pm the day we were there and it seriously felt like we had the park to ourselves as you will see in the final update.

P.S. I gotta say i've been reading your Disneyland Resort Trip Report and i'm loving it so far. Its kind of fun seeing the different perspective on our "Home" park lol.

Good to know, I will keep this info in mind for our upcoming trip! I can't believe how quickly y'all were able to get through the line for Everest at the end of the day!! We were thinking of doing just a couple of hours in the evening one of the weekends we will be there before heading to church nearby, so it seems like that would be a good option. Maybe we could get there in enough time for for the parade since we have never seen it yet.

You are SO right about AK not being a half day park! We usually don't stay the whole day because we park hop, but we almost always do two days there where we get there for opening and stay until mid-afternoon, so it ends up more like a little more than a day that we spend there. We used to just go for the rides, but a few years ago when we went, I wanted to see some of the stuff we usually don't stay for. And like you, we STILL have not managed to do it all! On your next trip, you definitely need to see Festival of the Lion King. It's my favorite WDW stage show by far! We missed it last year because the time just never worked out, but I'm bound & determined to see it this October.

Glad you are enjoying my DL TR. It's funny because I think the same thing when I read your comparisons from your many DL experiences to your WDW ones! It's funny to see how a person accustomed to the "other" park experiences "your" park.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 8: Downtown Disney

After we left Animal Kingdom for the day we went right back to our Hotel. Im not gonna lie it was actually kind of nice to be done with the parks early again (something we hadn't done since our Universal Studios Florida day) and be able to go back to the hotel and rest up for a bit. Since I nearly killed my cameras battery again (the back up was used for most of the final pictures from the Asian trails onwards) it gave me time to recharge the primary camera before heading back out for the night. It also gave us time to rest our feet and Daniel was able to feed without being distracted.

We rested for just over an hour before we once again left our hotel for a nighttime activity that we have done on every single visit we've had to Florida. Even if we weren't having a "Disney" vacation. We would be going to Downtown Disney. We have always loved Downtown Disney. We fell in love with it in 2009 and have loved it every year since. Its a nice little slice of the Disney magic even if your not visiting any parks. You could spend hours here alone if you take your time looking at all the different shops and shows that take place here.

Parking was kind of a pain though as we weren't expecting it to be so packed on a Thursday night but it was way, way busy. But after driving around the parking lot we eventually found a spot near the Marketplace area of the shopping complex. Which was good cause this is the area we wanted to be in.

This was because by this time at night we were starving. It was much later then when we had normally been eating. But this was intentional as we had a place in mind for Dinner that we had been craving for since the last time we ate here back in 2010. That place is Earl of Sandwich.

When we ate here the first time we fell in love with this sandwich shop. We wish that we had one closer to us back home in Utah but its probably a good thing we don't because we would likely be poor if there was. It easily takes the top spot for my favorite Toasted Sandwich shop. When we have come here in the past the lines were always way crazy busy for it. However we came late enough that there was practically no wait to order. I decided to try the Full Montagu and Kiera got (if I recall right) the Hawaiian BBQ. We also got a Muffin and bag of chips to share and I got a soda cup. Now the food is very, very good but whats even better is how cheap it is. With all that we got it was still one of the cheapest meals we had the entire vacation. I love that although its on Disney Property it doesn't have Disney prices. So check out of Earl Of Sandwich when at Disney World. You won't be dissapointed.

After a filling and very good dinner we started looking around the Downtown Disney Marketplace area shops. And we started with one located right next to Earl of Sandwich. The Disney's Days of Christmas shop. Although we already bought our Disney Christmas Ornament a few days earlier at Epcot (we are "swapping" ornaments with last years) it was still fun looking around at all the different and fun Christmas goods that the store sells. Its a must look for any Christmas fanataic but since we bought the ornament already we walked out of the store with nothing.

The store I was looking forward to going to was the one we went to next. This store is the Once Upon a Toy store and sells an assortment of Disney themed toys. Theres also many none Disney toys too from Hasbro. What It is really cool about it though is that it has a couple of build it yourself sections. One is a build your own Mr. Potato head station which someday will be fun for Daniel. But the sation I was going here for was the Build your Own Lightsaber area. If you recall I really wanted to do this in Hollywood Studios but we ran out of time. So this was a must do for me.

The first thing I noticed about the station here was how big of a mess it was. The one in Hollywood Studios was much more organized and they had a CM on hand to assist. There was no one in sight here but I figured I could do it on my own. I took my time finding what parts I wanted to use and built the Lightsabor to my perfection. Eventually somebody did come over to start cleaning up the station and helped me out when I forgot a piece. It took long enough though that Daniel got bored and fell asleep lol. Once I finished though I was happy with the final result and thought it was alot of fun building my own Lightsaber. And I wasn't doing this just for fun. This was my souviner for the trip. Since I bought a Wand from the Wizard World of Harry Potter back in 2010 I had to have the Lightsaber to go with it. Its even cheaper then the Wands cost as a single blade lightsabor was only $23. Kiera told me I should do a double blade for only like $3 more but I told her I didn't want a double blade. I just wanted a single. We checked out and continued on thru the stores. I look to that day when Daniel gets old enough to do the Jedi Training Academy so we can have fun building him a lightsaber too.

As we continued along we stopped and looked in the TrenD and Team Mickey Athletic Club Shops. Team Mickey also currently has the RideMakerz shop in it as well where you can build your own car (like a build a bear). I think this would be cool but it could get pretty expensive very quickly. Needless to say we didn't buy anything in ether store and continued on past the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain which had lines out the door.

Our next stop was at another Must visit any time we are in Orlando. The World of Disney store. This store is the largest of its kind and you will be able to find pretty much anything Disney Park related in the store. Which was good because we've been waiting to buy stuff until this night at this store. The first thing we started looking for was a Purse for Kiera. After looking around the parks she found a few purses that the liked and was in need of a new one so she figured thats what she would get for herself on this vacation. We eventually found one that she liked (picture will come later) and we continued browsing the store.

The other thing we wanted to get was some Mouse Ears for Daniel. I mean thats pretty much a right of passage isn't it? Every little kid needs a pair of Mouse Ears on the first visit to Disney. Although we didn't find the Infant sized hats with the other hats. Instead they are located with the Baby/Infant/Toddler section of the store. We were also still considering getting him a shirt or something too for his first visit but we couldn't find anything we liked in his size.

One of our other vacation traditions we have is that we get some Postcards to represent the place we visited on vacation. As you know I already talked about this during the Universal portion of the trip and expressed that its getting tougher to find Park postcards that we don't already have. Well that seemed even harder at Disney as we couldn't find ANY single park Post cards. Every postcard they had was just a generic Disney World post card that featured all 4 parks. I wanted 1 for each park. Something we couldn't even find in the parks themselves. It was kind of sad but I just got 1 generic 4 park card and called it good. We also picked up a new Minnie Mouse pen for Kiera and then went and checked out. We spent a good chunck of time in the World of Disney shop and it was now nearing closing time.

After leaving the World of Disney we next walked down to the Lego Store. We didn't plan on buying anything here but its always fun to stop in and see the displays that they have built out of Legos. Its pretty amazing what all they can do. We especially liked the newer Disney themed displays outside the store as well.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Downtown Disney actually consists of Three areas. We were currently in the Marketplace area of the complex and after passing the T-Rex restaurant we would be entering the next area called Pleasure Island. Back in the Day Pleasure Island was the nighttime Hot Spot on the Disney Property as it offered many themed clubs and nightlife for adults. However 5 years ago Disney shut down all the clubs and the area is now nothing more then empty buildings and a few small shops and resturants. Disney supposedly has plans to renovate this section of the Downtown Disney complex but those plans now seem to be on hold. There really isn't even anything here to take photos of .

The Third and newest section of Downtown Disney is the West Side. With closing time happening at any minute we quickly ran into a couple shops. The first was the D Street store which sells many of the Vinylmations. I expected that this would be where I could find the Tron Vinylmations but since I found them earlier at the Character Warehouse We were more so just browsing and seeing the Different Vinylmations. I couldn't belive how expensive some of these can get. And that theres people that actually pay for them. I think some are pretty cool but I could never get in to collecting or trading them.

We also ran into the Candy Cauldron Shop as well and looked at all the Disney themed treats they had for sale. However like D Street we just looked around and didn't buy anything. This would also be our last shop we looked in as they closed the doors for the night right before we exited. Something that echoed thru most of the Downtown Disney shops at 11pm.

This West Side section to me seems like the hip and happening area of the Complex as it offers many entertainment options. From the Characters in Flight Hot Air Balloon to the AMC Movie Theater. Also Higher end entertainment like the Disneyquest indoor theme park and a Cirque De Solie Show. There are also some popular restaurants in this area such as Planet Hollywood and House of Blues. Coming soon is even the new Splitsville Bowling Alley. Although we didn't do any of these things on this trip we have at at House of Blues a couple times before and even went to a movie at the AMC theater and were blown away by how great that theater is. Just plan on paying that Disney premium for these items that you likely have much cheaper at home.

With everything closing up we decided to call it a night. Danny was tired and getting hungry again so we walked back thru Pleasure Island and the Marketplace and back to our car. We found and bought all that we wanted to get so it was time to head back to the Hotel.

We had a great evening at Downtown Disney and just wished that maybe we had a little extra time to look around. Still Downtown Disney will continue to be a must do on any of our Orlando trips even when we aren't visiting any Disney parks. Like I said before its just a small slice of Disney Magic. Check it out if you have time on your trip or if your just passing thru.

When we returned to the hotel we were exhausted from over a weeks worth of park time. Tomorrow was a day that we had looked forward to since Sunday. It was another take it easy day. A day that we planned to sleep in and relax and take it at our own pace. We had seen all the parks now so our day would not be rushed to try and see everything. We would have a long and good nights sleep. We only had 1 full day left in Orlando so we would take it easy and finish doing what we wanted to do.



And that conclude Day 8. Thanks again for following everyone. Only 2 days left to report on and this trip report (Minus the Bonus Content I will share) will be over.

 

[Jfstorm]

Glad to hear someone else love "the Earl"! We were exposed to them back in the day by a CM friend who worked at DTD and they always had break there. Here's a special note: there are several Earls roadside on the florida Turnpike Exits heading to south florida. They make great breakfast and lunch stops if you head to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for a cruise! could you guys find some Mickey ears that actually fit Daniel? we had a devil of a time finding one for Kaiden. You may have missed it; but found the most funny and adorable onesie at Darth's Mall. It was red with a baby Vader on the front and on the back bottom was printed "Now you will know the power of the dark side!" Super adorable!
well, cant wait for the last day to see how the trip finishes up!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 9: Epcot Part 1


Finally a day of rest had come. We have gone none stop with near rope drop openings for the past 4 days which makes for some early mornings when you also have an Infant to feed and get ready prior to heading to the parks. Today would be our final full day in the Orlando area and would finally be an easy a day. A day where we would sleep in and not rush to get to the parks.

We took advantage of not needing to be at a park early and managed to sleep in past 10am. Once awake for the day we continued taking our time getting ready for the day so with the late sleep in taking our time to get ready for the day we once again missed out on the free breakfast that our hotel offered. That was ok though cause by this point we were done with it lol.

At around 11:45am we finally found ourselves leaving the hotel. As we started out our final Full day in Orlando the next thing on our list after sleeping in was to find food. Typically we would have ate twice by this point. And since we wouldn't be eating a meal in the park for lunch like we had every other day of this trip we decided to try a restuarant that we don't have that came from a recomendation from my Mom and Step Dad before they drove home to South Carolina. That place is a Steak n' Shake.

We found a Steak n' Shake location just outside the other end of the Disney Property near Downtown Disney which worked great cause thats the direction we were going. The drive took about 10 minutes to get there and it was pretty easy to find. When my mom was discribing the place I was expecting it to be a Fast Food joint so I was kind of suprised to find out that its actually more like a restaurant. We were also able to get right in and get a table.

For those who have never been to a Steak n' Shake the name pretty much gives away what it is. Inside is themed like a Diner and there known for there Steak Burgers and Shakes. Kiera and I both ordered burgers and we also got a grasshoper shake to try. When we got the food we were both impressed with it and really thought the burgers were very good. The shake was also very good. And once again because we were not on Disney Property this was one of our cheapest meals of the trip. The pricing was very reasonable. We were really happy to try and it will go back again next time we are in Florida.

The next place we would be heading was down the street and on the other side of the freeway. A place that we had driven past on many of our previous visits but have never stoped at. We were heading to the Orlando Premium Outlets located just across the freeway from the Disney Property.

We have always been a big fan of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and with the Orlando Premium Outlets being owned by the same company we looked forward to similar shopping options. We found Parking to be much better at these outlets compared to the Prime Outlets on International Drive near Universal that we went to earlier in the week. Instead of just a large lot the Premium Outlets has a large Parking Garage.

As we entered the Outlet shopping area we found it felt very similar to the Prime Outlets. And we soon found out why. They are actually both owned by the same company. So many of the shops were the same between the two Outlets. We took our time and browsed the stores but they all seemed to be the same and carried the same items as the Prime Outlets that we shopped at earlier.

We really looked forward to looking at one store here and that was the Disney Character Warehouse. Yes we also went to this store at the Prime Outlets and even bought some stuff from it. But we were hoping maybe this location would have more (and different) items being located closer to Disney Property. The store actually seemed smaller then the Prime location and the stuff they carried seemed to be the same unfotunatly. Infact it seemed to actually carry less then the Prime Outlets did. We looked around the store for a little while but ended up walking away empty handed as nothing really stood out to us there. If your gonna go check out to the Character Warehouse to pick up discounted Disney Park merchandise then I recommend making the extra drive and going to the one at the Prime Outlets instead. The store seemed lareger and it had a much better selection being located further from Disney Property.

When we finally left the Premium Outlets it was nearly 2pm. The day was almost half way over but the late start and not heading strait to the parks felt great. But as you may recall we had purchased 5 day Disney tickets from Undercovertourist. We had only used 4 days so far. Our day had gone as planned as we got done all we wanted to and now we would head back to a Disney park for our final evening in Orlando. So where would we go? We started making the drive towards Disney Property and once again the Religious Sky writing was once again spreading Gods love.

So where do you think we are heading? We decided the night before however we had a feeling this is where we would end up on our final day even before our trip had started. Seeing all 4 parks we reviewed which parks we liked most. Each had its unique charm and something we enjoyed and would like to see again. And of course we didn't see everything that each park had to offer. The choice finally came down to the question of "If we never came back to Florida again what park would we like to see one last time". We quickly ruled out Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios as many of the themes and rides were very similar in the 2 parks to our Home parks of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Animal Kingdom got ruled out as well quickly as we did see most of the park already and with its early closing time we would barely have an time there. If its not obvious by now we would be heading back to Epcot.

For arriving at the park much later in the day we were actually pretty suprised at how close of a parking spot we were able to get. It was still close enough to a tram spot where we could have rode one if we wanted to but we instead chose to walk and made it to the gates quicker then those waiting for the tram. Our tickets were scanned one final time and then we entered Epcot.

Since we had been to Epcot not only once already on this trip but also the previous year as well our focus for the day would be to try and do things we hadn't done there yet and to find characters to take Daniel to one last time. As we walked thru the Leave a Legacy Plaza it became apparent though that today was gonna be a fairly mellow day as far as crowds go.

As we approched the first attraction in the park Spaceship Earth though we saw that there was only about a 3 minute wait for the ride. So we hoped in line and figured we would ride the attraction again. Within minutes we were on board and taking our journey thru time again. This time the photo imageing did not pick up Daniel though so it was Mine and Kieras photos on the screen during the decent and aftershow area. We of course really enjoy this ride and I believe it to be considered in the same category as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Its a ride you must go on when at Epcot.

After Spaceship Earth we entered the main Future World plaza and turned right towards the area of the park where the Land, Seas, and Imagination Pavillions are located. Thats because this area is also the area where the 1st Characters we would be seeing do there meet and greet at. We were going to see Chip and Dale. And there Wait was only about 5 minutes.

Upon seeing Chip and Dale Daniel once again lit up with excitement over these costumed characters. He was laughing and grinning and just loving every minute of his time with them. You'd think that with over a week of seeing these characters that he would have bored of them by now but he was every bit as excited as he was the first time seeing one. Chip and Dale were both very cute with him.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

While waiting in line Kiera saw a sign posted that said the Seas with Nemo and Friends would be closing early tonight at 6pm. With this being a ride that Daniel enjoyed from our visit earlier in the week we figured we would take him on it again since it would be closing early. The wait turned out to be awesome as we practically walked right on to the ride. There wasn't a wait. Daniel seemed much more in to the ride this time around then he was earlier and its a ride that we both like as well but agree that the Nemo Submarines at Disneyland is better. I was disspointed again as well to see the Angel Fish still broken and in the same position it was in almost a week earlier. Still this is a cute little ride that your kids will likely love. Doing the ride was the only thing we did in the Seas Pavillion though as we spent much time in there earlier in the week. After the ride we left the building.

As we exited the Seas Pavillion it was about time for Daniel to feed again. So we started to make our way across the park to Epcots Baby Care Center. The one Baby Care Center that Kiera and Daniel really hadn't used yet dispite being here earlier in the week. As we made our way there though we passed Bambis Butterfly House that is set up during the Flower and Garden festival so we stopped and decided to walk thru it on our way to the Baby Care Center. This tent has many flowers but whats really neat is the hundreds of Butterflys. We tried showing them to Daniel but he really didn't seem to care all that much so we left and continued on our way.

As we crossed the bridge to the Odyssey Restaurant complex where the Baby Care Center is located you get some very pretty views of the parks Future World section. As you round the walkways of the Odyssey though you also start getting some views of the World Showcase too with the best being Morocco. And whats that towering behind Morocco in the distance. Not something you would typically see from anywhere else in the park. Its the Tower of Terror at the Hollywood Studios. Infact Disney Imagineers designed and painted the Tower of Terror the way it is specifically so it wouldn't ruing these sight lines in Morocco. Instead it would flow with them and seem part of the Pavillion. Such a cool thing they did to make intrusions from outside the park blend in. To bad they couldn't do this will all the structures that intrude on the park (I'm looking at you Swan and Dolphin Resort).

The Baby Care Center in Epcot is set up similar to the Magic Kingdom where the Breast Feeding area is just one large room that is shared by many instead of the private rooms. Because of this strollers are not allowed in the baby care center and I obviously would not be allowed in the Feeding room. So while Kiera feed Daniel I decided to walk back up to Future World to ride another ride. Heading back up thru the Odyssey area I came across the ride I really wanted to ride again (or at all on this trip) Test Track. As you may recall Test Track is currently undergoing a Major overhaul and it will be closed until the Winter. The worst part is it closed less then a week prior to our vacation. I rode the ride when we came last year and it was easily my favorite ride in the park. Although it was closed it was interesting to see some progress had been made on the exterior in a few days.

I then came upon Mission: Space which is the attraction that I was heading to. I was expecting to find a fairly long wait for the ride especially in the middle of the day so you could imagine I was pretty suprised to find the Orange Team side only had a 10 minute wait. So awesome. I hoped in line for the Orange Team and frankly there really wasn't a wait at all. I walked right thru the line and strait to a preshow area. Before long I was loading into the Space Capsal and began my flight to Mars. The ride was once again great and I love how intense the G forces are on this thing. However I must be getting use to the ride as each time I ride it, it seems to not be as forceful to me. Still its a great ride that I consider a do not miss when at Epcot. So long as you can stomach Motion Simulators and High G-Forces.

As I exited the Pavillion I was gonna walk up to the Old Wonders of Life Pavillion and go inside since it was open as the "Festival Center" for the Flower and Garden Festival. However as I was walking to it Kiera sent me a text letting me know she was almost done feeding so I abandoned my plans, got a couple cups of Ice Water and walked back down to the Odyssey area and Baby Care Center where Kiera had just finished feeding. As I walked past Test Track though they had the Test Track All Stars out performing. This singing group was put in place to entertain guests who would be dissapointed walking to Test Track and finding it closed. The group sang pretty good but the question has to be asked. Really Disney? You couldn't come up with something a little bit better.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Once I meet back up with Kiera and Daniel we would head into the World Showcase where we would end up spending pretty much the rest of our night. Although being right next to Mexico you'd think thats where we would start our tour around the lagoon. Nope. We decided to walk to the other side of the park so that we could start in Canada.

It seems like on our previous the last 3 countries Canada, Britain, and France always get the shaft. Especially Canada. We just never seem to make it to them before nightfall and when we do we were so rushed that we didn't get the time to stop and look around like we had the other country pavillions. So as we entered the World Showcase these were the top priorities to see.

As I said Canada really seems to always get the biggest shaft on our visits so I was glad that we were able to take the time and explore the pavillion. I really liked many of the interesting things found in the shop and also some of the Canada shirts but we were nearing our budget limit so we decided against buying anything. The pavilion seems to be elevated higher then others as you work your way up to the top. In the back of the Pavillion is the O'Canada movie located in some amazing rockwork and waterfalls. We only viewed them from above though as there was no easy way to get the stroller down from up top. We walked down there last year though after the park closed when it was dark and its really neat walking thru the rockwork. Although the Pavillion seems to take up alot of space overall it seems to be pretty small. Still theres alot of details here to look for.

Located between Canada and Britain is huge tent that is typically hidden behind a closed gate called the World Showplace. It however was not closed today though because there was a large Cheerleading Competition taking place in it. Because of this the entire World Showcase had many family, Girls, and teams spread thruout the areas that were part of this competition. Dispite this though the park never seemed packed.

The next Pavillion we enter is Great Britain and although we bought food here earlier in the week we quickly passed thru it as we were trying to get the Kidcot Stamps from all the countries for Daniel prior to Illuminations starting. Because we were so rushed in Britain earlier in the week It was even the 1 country that I forgot to get a Hat picture in. Needless to say I was able to get it today giving me a Hat picture from each of the World Showcase Countries. We walked thru the shops of Britain and as we exited in the back of the Pavilion there was some sort of show taking place by a band covering songs from some of Englands most popular performers. It was very loud though so we left the area and continued on to the next country.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Next up is France but we practically just walked right on past at this time. Thats because there were characters meeting at in the next country at the time. We planned to come back to France after we were done there.

That next country is Morocco and the characters meeting were Aladdin and Jasmine. Now we know that Daniel loves costumed Characters. However we hadn't taken him to a live charcater yet. One that is a human and could talk and what not. We were excited to see a fairly short wait to meet Aladdin and Jasmine but that soon turned to disapointment as we learned the line had already been cut off. So we wouldn't be meeting them today or on this trip.

As we walked back to France we saw there was already a line forming to meet Belle and the Beast who would be coming back out in 10 minutes. We wanted Daniel to at least see one Princess so we figured what the heck and got in line. The CM soon came out who handles the lines and told us that Belle comes out first and the Beast will join 10 minutes after her. He then asked if there was anyone in line wanting to meet only Belle and if so then they would get to meet her first prior to those wanting to see Belle and the Beast together. This worked out great for us as we figured we'd save the time and only meet Belle. We were the first in the Belle only line and when she came out we were the first ones to meet her.

So how was Daniel with her. It was pretty funny as it was nowhere near the excitment he gets with the costumed Characters. Although he really liked her talking to him and would laugh and smile it was nowhere near what it typcally was. I'd say it was about the same excitment as when random strangers would stop and talk to him in the parks. It was really interesting to see the difference between live and costumed characters lol.

We were able to bring that excitement level back up though as when we finished with Belle we walked over to another character meet and greet that takes place in France. Its with the cat Marie from the Disney movie the Aristocats. Daniel once again got very excited seeing another costumed character and was back to being very happy and excited. The wait was also very short for Marie which is always a plus we found when meeting characters.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 9: Epcot Part 2


After meeting Marie we finished walking around the Franch Pavillion. This was a Pavillion that we always seem to look around when its dark so we took the time looking around other areas of it and also to see the Beauty and the Beast themed Topiaries that we had only seen before after nightfall.

With this being the warmest day of the trip we took the advice of some other people who were waiting in line to meet Belle to walk over to French Kidcot station and get one of the Duffy's on a stick that kids can color and stamp. Not because we were feeling crafty but because it made for a very good, free fan.

We had now finally explored and seen all of the Pavillions during the daylight we took our time making our way back thru the World Showcase. We walked right on past Morocco and into the Japan Pavillion. We started wandering thru some of the outdoor ports of the pavillion and after walking up the hill above the Koy Ponds we found the Quick Service restaurant located up here. It is kind of hidden from view but was a pretty area secluded from other parts of the park. We took a break and got some water before continuing on.

The next Pavillion was the America Pavillion and it also marks the center of the World Showcase. And on this trip we were finally gonna do the attraction located in this Pavillion. The American Adventure show. This show takes place I think every 45 minutes and we arrived about 15 minutes prior to the show starting. Before the show starts you enter the pavillion where you find yourself in a very beautiful foyer to wait for the show. Theres also a small exhibit of sorts to the side showcasing what many of the stars of the show did for US History. The finally announced that we could move into the theater but to get there first you travel thru a hall of Flags that has many Flags from US history hanging from the cealing. It is a pretty neat site to see.

When we entered the theater we found some seats towards the back but in the middle of the theater. To those who have never seen the show before its around 35 minutes long and its a show put on entirely by Animatronics of famous people who contributed to US History. The show is even narrated by Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. You will then see many of the great events in US History portrayed by these animatronics.

For this whole trip Daniel had been great. But during this show he was finally done. He was getting somewhat fussy prior to the show starting but about 3/4's of the way thru he really lost it and there was nothing that could be done to calm him down. With his crying getting louder each second Kiera decided to pick him up and exit the show. He had enough. We guess it was because of how dark the theater got but we aren't for sure what made him fuss so badly. Just and FYI though if you find yourself in the same situation and need to exit the theater early the exit is to the Left. Kiera went to the Right where we came in and got some odd looks from some of the CM's when she exited.

Overall the show was really good and makes you proud to be an American. It was really intersting to see and amazing how the show works. Remember that the show is on the longer side though so make sure you set enough time aside to do the show and also pay attention to show times so you don't find yourself waiting long for the show to start. Its not something I'd see on every visit but its something you need to see at least once.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

As the show exited and I left the building I found Kiera sitting on the curb with Daniel waiting for me. Of course once outside Daniel was as happy as could be like nothing ever happened. Needless to say Kiera wasn't too happy with him. One of the Flower Power Concerts had also started while we were in the show. This weekend Chuck Negron was performing who is part of Three Dog Night.

We left the American Pavillion and continued walking thru the World Showcase looking for Photo Pass photographers that might still be out. However we soon realized as we made it to Germany that we were getting hungry for dinner. We debated if we should hurry and continue thru the World Showcase first and then work our way back to find food but we ended up deciding against that as we figured we'd waist too much time back tracking. What I wanted for Dinner was in America and for Kiera it was in France. So we turned around and may our way back in those directions.

In America I decided to get one of the Large Turkey Legs. I have never tried one myself (except for the bites I had of my brothers at Universal Studios a week earlier) and that was one of my must dos on this trip. In France we went back to the pastery shop where Kiera got another Ham and Cheese Crousant and also an Eclair and Creme Suflee to try. Once again everything we got taisted very good. The Turkey Leg was too big for me to finish on my own and the only complaint about the pasteries was the hard part of the Creme Suffle taisted a little off but it was still good overall. Nothing like eating in France for your final night in Orlando.

After dinner the Sun had started going down so we walked back to where we last left off to continue walking the World Showcase. We picked back up in Germany and we soon realized that we had never seen this side of the World Showcase after dark. It was very pretty to see how the countries are lite up at night. We did manage to find one more Photo Pass photographer out in front of the China Pavillion.

We were almost finished with the World Showcase when it became apparent that Daniel was hungry and ready to eat. As we passed into Norway Kiera decided she would go to the Baby Care Center located just outside of Mexico to feed him. With 50 minutes left until Illuminations started I figured I would have time to quickly ride Maelstrom again. However I decided against that Idea when I found many people already staking out spots along the World Showcase Lagoon to watch the show. Since Kiera missed out on Illuminations earlier in the week I decied to stake out a good spot as well and waited out the time until the show started in a spot right on the Norway and Mexico boarder.

It was about time for the show to begin and Kiera had still not returned. I know I was still a few minutes walk from the Baby Care Center but Daniel is usually done feeding by now. The show started and Kiera still hadn't returned. But the very beginning was all that she missed out on. She still caught most of the show in time. The show was every bit as good as it was the first and second times we had seen it. And this third time was also the third location that we had watched the show from. I would say this location in Norway was still better then the one in America however I think the view from Canada was still the best of all. Daniel really enjoyed watching the fireworks and overall the show was great. Again words can't really do these shows justice so with a none dieing battery tonight I was able to take plenty of photos that I didn't share earlier in this report.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

With the conclussion of Illuminations it was also the official closing of Epcot. We along with everyone else left the World Showcase and started to make our way towards the exit. It was kind of nice being in Norway as for the most part when exiting you will be ahead of the bulk of the crowds.

While exiting though we once again saw that the Character Spot had practically no wait at all. Even a shorter wait then it did when we were at Epcot earlier in the week. Knowing Daniels love for Characters and this being his last chance to see them we decided what the heck. We would take him thru the Character Spot again.

First up of course was Mickey who Daniel once again just loved. But as we progressed from Mickey to Pluto and then to Minnie it became apparent that Daniel was tired. He wasn't having that excitment the he normally has. Donald Peaked his excitement a little bit but as we finished up with Goofy it was apparent that he was done and wanted to go back to the hotel. Heck he was probably done with the vacation by this point lol.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

One last thing we did before leaving Epcot was go to the Mouse Gears store to look around one last time. This would likely be our final oppertunity to buy any Disney Gear so we wanted to make sure we had everything we wanted. After looking around the store we decided that we had all we wanted already and left the store empty handed.

We made our way to the Exit taking photos along the way as Spaceship Earth looks so great after nightfall. At the parks enterance we looked at the Fantasia Topiearys one last time before we exited the park.

I mentioned earlier that we were suprised at how close the parking spot we got earlier in the afternoon was to the park enterance. Although it was close this walk at the end of the day seemed like it was so long and the car was so far away. But we eventually made it. While loading up the car in the distance we were able to see the Magic Kingdoms Fireworks going off as it was now 10pm. After watching for a minute though we decided to head back to the Hotel. We had to make a quick stop by Target though before getting to the Hotel to pick up an extra bag as we weren't sure if we'd be under our allowed bag weight with all the new stuff we bought.

Once back at the hotel Daniel got ready for bed and ate and then crashed out. Unfotunatly though we wouldn't be able to do the same as our vacation would be coming to and end tomorrow. Which ment tonight we had to pack up all our stuff in the room we had been living in for the past 9 days. The suitcases were pulled out and we started getting them packed up. Of course not without a picture of all our souvineers that we bought on this trip.

An hour and a half later we finally finished getting everything together, orginized, and packed so that we would be ready to head home tomorrow. As we retired to bed it was sad to realize this was all coming to and end. This vacation that had been planned for months and months would be coming to an end in less then 24 hours.



And this post concludes the Day 9 and our Final full day of our vacation. Thanks again to all still following this recap and sorry for the delay. With the Holiday and working retail things got pretty busy this past week. Anyways stay tuned as the final day recap will be posted soon. Thanks again.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Glad to hear someone else love "the Earl"! We were exposed to them back in the day by a CM friend who worked at DTD and they always had break there. Here's a special note: there are several Earls roadside on the florida Turnpike Exits heading to south florida. They make great breakfast and lunch stops if you head to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for a cruise! could you guys find some Mickey ears that actually fit Daniel? we had a devil of a time finding one for Kaiden. You may have missed it; but found the most funny and adorable onesie at Darth's Mall. It was red with a baby Vader on the front and on the back bottom was printed "Now you will know the power of the dark side!" Super adorable!
well, cant wait for the last day to see how the trip finishes up!

Wow I can't believe I missed your post Jfstorm. Sorry about that. Anyways thanks for heads up about other Earl of Sandwich locations. The next cruise we go on likely will be out of the Miami area so I will keep that in mind. The closest one to us right now is in Las Vegas but I also look forward to the fact that there will be one opening at the Downtown Disney in the Disneyland Resort in California. The best part is it opens just in time for our December trip there.

None of the Mouse ears we found fit Daniel at all other then the headband ones. We still bought him an infant sized cap though in hopes that he will have grown into it better before we go to Disneyland. I was suprised that considering its and Infant size that it isn't smaller to fit infant heads. Still he couldn't go to Disney World for the first time and not get his first Mouse Ears.

I never saw that Star Wars onesie but i'm guessing thats because I wasn''t there during the Star Wars weekend when Darth's Mall is open. I would have liked to attend the event though and see some of the unique merchandise they have during the event. Oh well maybe someday.

Anyways thanks for following along. Sorry again that I missed your questions and comment.

 

[khertz]

Looks like y'all had a really great vacation! It is always so sad when something you plan and look forward to for so long finally comes to an end. I am always so tired and worn out by the end, but still not ready to leave the magic and come back to the real world! I'm glad Kiera got to see IllumiNations, it's a really beautiful show. Danny still looked so cute with the characters, even late at night after a long week in Disney!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Well July was a crazy month for me but i'm finally back with the final recap of our trip. Sorry for the delay but here it is:

Day 10: Travel Home


The day we least looked forward to was finally upon us. Our vacation was over today. And by tonight we would be back home in Utah. Although we would be going home today our flight wouldn't be leaving Orlando until 2:30 so we had time to prepare to leave. Since we weren't in a rush we were still able to sleep in a little bit before needing to check out of the hotel by 11am. Because we slept in and finished packing we once again missed the breakfast that the hotel offers at no charge but that was ok. We has something else in mind.

We were able to get ready quicker then we thought we would so we got the car packed and checked out of the Hotel by 10:30am. Once again we really enjoyed our stay at the Baymont Inn and Suits and we wouldn't hisitate to stay here again on future visits. The Hotel was close to everything Disney and for the price we got it for on Hotwire.com we couldn't go wrong.

We like to be at the Airport about 2 hours prior to our flight to give us plenty of time but with leaving the Hotel earlier then we planned we had an extra 2 hours to kill prior to being at the airport. With this time to Kill we decided to return to the Disney Property one last time and grab lunch from Downtown Disney. To help kill some time we drove on the backroads thru the Disney Proprty instead of the main highways passing many of the Disney Resort Hotels. Eventually we even passed Hollywood Studios again and were able to spot the Tower of Terror looming in the distance.

Knowing exactly what we wanted for lunch we made our way to the Marketplace area of Downtown Disney. Its amazing how much less crowded the are is when you visit in the morning compared to in the Evening when we've visited each time before. We love Earl of Sandwich so much that we wanted to get it again before we left town. Kiera stayed behind in the car while Daniel feed though and I ran into the area to get our food. The wait was longer then when we were here the other night but that was ok. I got another very good sandwich and Kiera decided to branch out this time and got a Salad which she said was also very good.

We ate our food in the car before leaving the Downtown Disney Parking lot. Then it was time to face the music. Our time at Disney was over. It was time to leave the Florida property. And at this time we still don't know for sure when we will return for another trip to the Disney World Parks. It was a wonderful time and a new experiance tackling the parks with an Infant. Although our time at the Disney World resort was over at least our Year of Disney wasn't yet.

After eating we left the property and got on the I-4 freeway to head back to the airport. The drive on the freeway reminded of us of our time earlier in this trip making this drive to the Universal Orlando Resort and the great time we had there as well. However before continuing to the resort we merged onto the Florida 528 Highway to head out to the airport. We did make a quick stop though on International Drive to top the Rental Cars fuel tank off. We wouldn't want to be hit with those fees for returning the car empty. As we were about to get back on the 528 though just down the street was Sea World. This was actually the first time we had seen any of the parks coasters in all of our visits. Maybe someday we will visit this park as well.

Within 15 minutes we arrived at the Orlando International Airport and headed strait to the Rental Car return. Suprisingly as soon as we pulled up somebody was waiting to start checking our car back in. This is a first as we have usually had to wait in the past. As they started doing the vehicle check I walked over to get another cart to haul all of our bags into the terminal. I did have a guy stop and offer to take it for us but I declined. And he then kinda of got mad about it. I'm sorry guy but I will pay more to take the bags myself. I don't want somebody I don't know handling my bags in a parking garage.

The car passed its check in inspection. Something I always seem to stress about especially since I didn't buy there insurance. We packed up the cart and head into the terminal to get checked in. The line was longer then it was when we were leaving SLC but it still moved pretty quickly. We checked all the luggage we needed to and it turns out we didn't even need to buy that extra bag from Target the night before. We still would have been under our weight limits.

We still had 2 hours to kill before our flight left so we spent some time looking around the shops in the airport. We spent the most time though looking thru the Universal and Disney stores to make sure there wasn't anything we were forgeting that we wanted. Other then grabbing some pamplets to use for scrapbooking we left both stores empty handed.

With no more stores that we cared to look at we decided it was time to head thru security and take the tram out to where our gate was located. Security was very quick and effeciant and before we knew it we were on the tram.

As we exited the tram and entered the Concorse we were able to quickly find our gate as it was one of the first that we came to. We found some seats to sit in and then took turns watching Daniel while we each used the restroom prior to the flight. I also went and grabbed us a couple Non-Coffee Frappichinos from Starbucks. This is something that has been somewhat of a tradition when we travel. To buy Starbucks whenever there is a Starbucks in the airport. I got a strawberries and cream and Kiera got the Chocloate and Cream one. Both were very good and satisfiying while we waited for our flight.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We killed time playing on the Laptop and Kindle but eventually time time came that our flight arrived and it was time to board. Not being at the Hotel 24 hours before our flight I wasn't able to get us a good spot while checking in. Thats ok though as we had Daniel and would be doing Family boarding before the number we were assigned. This was our first time doing Family Boarding and it worked out great. We didn't find any seats until about mid plane but it was better then where we could have got.

As we got settled into our seats we started to notice those familiar looks that we got when we flew to Florida 10 days ago. The look of "They have a baby. I'm not sitting by them". To make matters worse for how good Daniel was flying to Florida and how good he had been this whole trip he started to get a little fussy during boarding. Needless to say this really keep people away from wanting to sit next to us. And with the flight not being a full we never had anybody sit next to us. We had the whole row to ourselves all the way to Chicago.

The flight to Chicago was uneventful. Daniel calmed down right before take off and we passed the time playing games and looking at the photos from our trip. It was nice not having anybody sitting next to us as it made it easy to get in and out of the seat to use the restroom or change diapers. The flight passed by quickly and before long we were landing in Chicago where we would have a nearly 2 hour layover. Hopefully it wouldn't be a repeat of the last time we were in Chicago.

If you havn't read my previous trip report then you don't know what happened in Chicago last year. To keep the story short do to major storms in the Midwest our flight not only got delayed leaving Charleston S.C. but then we got stuck in Chicago for over 4 hours. We finally arrived in SLC at 1:30am with me having to return to work at 6am. Needless to say that was a very stressful day of travel. I also didn't help that it was my Birthday that day as well. Needless to say though the Weather in Chicago was nice and sunny and no delays would end up happening.

Our flight last year wasn't the only one delayed as basically every flight in the Airport was delayed making the terminal Very packed and busy. So it was such a relief to exit the flight and find a terminal that wasn't busy at all. After using the Restrooms and with plenty of time to kill before our next flight we knew it was time to find some Dinner.

After looking around the food court and debating on our food options we eventually settled on a Sandwich shop called Potbelly Sandwich Works. Dispite having Earl of Sandwich for Lunch a Sandwich still sounded good compared to all the other greasy crap we had ate this week. As we entered the eatery we were also shocked to find that the prices were very reasonable for Airport food. And the sandwiches were big. Well worth the money. This was easily the best value compared to all the other places in the food court. Its a place I recommend checking out if your layed over in Chicago.

With our stomachs full we went back to the gate where we would board our connecting flight to go home. We killed some more time before our plane finally showed up. Once again we would be doing Family boarding as our tickets were in the mid B section. We again quickly found some seats and prepared for the flight as we saw those same Baby avoidence looks that we've got on all our other flights. However this time we did have a guy sit down next to us. That wouldn't last long though as shortly after he sat down Daniel started acting up again and was getting fussy as it was his feeding time. The guy next to us had no patience at all though as when Daniel started to fuss he stood up, took his stuff, and moved to another seat. We couldn't help but laugh. But hey it worked out in the end. Once again the flight wasn't full so we didn't have anybody sitting on the row with us. And Daniel calmed down once he could start eating right before take off.

As we took off and hit the sky we were offically on the last leg of our vacation. In 3 short hours we would be home. Our trip would be over and we would be back to our home life. It was actually really interesting flying in to our home airport while it was still daylight. On all of our previous vacations we have always returned home after it was already dark. It was very pretty to be able to see the Great Salt Lake during the day as we approched the Airport for our landing. It was also just as pretty seeing Downtown Salt Lake as we landed.

We had landed in Salt Lake. We were finally back in our home state. Daniel did great on the flight once again and we thought within the hour or so we would finally be home. We so looked forward to being able to sleep in our own bed. However a new problem came about. Kieras Mom was suppose to pick us up from the Airport. And She wasn't there yet.

Kiera finally got ahold of her to see what was up and she found out that her Mom hadn't even left there town yet. She was stuck in line at Wal-Mart. 35 minutes from the Airport. We couldn't be mad about it though as she was buying things for us for Daniels Baby Blessing that would be taking place at our Church the next morning. So we gathered our bags from the bag claim area and then found some seats to wait it out. We didn't have any other option anyways. Nearly an hour after landing in SLC Kieras Mom finally picked us up. It was dark now so that was familiar to the other times we've been picked up lol.

We loaded our bags and away we went. After stopping at Kieras parents to pick up my car we switched the bags and then continued on to our house. We were finally home. It felt so nice. The Vacation was officially over now. Life would start again tomorrow. It was sad to think about going back to work but looking back at the incredible vacation we had it should make it that much easier. Now when could I start planning our next Vacation.



And thats all he wrote. Thanks again everyone who has stuck this out and followed me since I started. Its been fun sharing our adventure with you and I look forward to some of your guy's trips. The trip report might be done but I still have some bonus content that i'm gonna share. And I should have that posted a little sooner then this past update lol. Thanks again.

 

[khertz]

I'm glad to see you had a mostly uneventful trip home. That's always a nice way to cap off a trip!!

We tried Potbelly for the first time when we were staying near Washington DC, and I LOVED the sandwiches there! It was within walking distance to our resort, and I went back several times for sandwiches throughout the trip. Really good, and like you said, a nice alternative to the crap we usually end up eating on vacation.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Bonus Content #1: Past Trip Readings

The first Bonus chapter is simply just links and photos to our past vacations. I don't know how many people enjoyed reading this review and would possibly want to read more so I figured I would share. We've done alot of amazing trips so far and been to some great places. I gotta say though no matter how much we love Disney we are really looking forward to the day where we get to cruise again. Between all the Trip Reports linked below (and this one) as a whole they consist of over 6,500 photos. Anyways Enjoy.


Our first vacation together was of course our Honeymoon which took place in February 2008 and took place aboard the Carnival Pide where we sailed the Mexican Riveara.

On the trip we visited the ports of Puerta Vallerta

Mazatlane

And Cabo San Lucas

We also spent a day in Hollywood

Click Here to Read Trip Report

Our next vacation was 9 months later when we ventured to Southern California to the Theme Parks there. I had never been to Disney's California Adventure and with the parks makeover quickly coming I wanted to see the park in as much of its original condition as I could. And with money from the Economy Stimulus we made this trip a reality in December 2008.

We visted on this trip Disneyland

Disney's California Adventure

Universal Studios Hollywood

And Knott's Berry Farm

Click Here to Read Trip Report

Having bought a house and recieveing the First time Home buyers Tax Credit we had the urge to cruise again. This time The Eastern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Glory in October 2009. Since we would be flying in to Orlando we figured we might as well add a few extra days to the trip and visit some parks as well.

So we went to Universal Studios Florida

And Islands of Adventure

Before boarding the Carnival Glory

And visited the ports of Nassau

St Thomas

And St. Maarten

Click Here to Read Trip Report

Our next trip was just a quick trip to Las Vegas for a few days over the Memorial Day weekend in May 2010.

Click Here to Read Trip Report

In October 2010 we would once again find ourselves Cruising out of Florida. This time out of Tampa aboard the Carnival Legend to the Western Caribbean. We would be doing this vacation to celebrate our friends 5th wedding Anniversary and once again we added a few days to go to the Univesal Orlando resort.

Our Primary reasoning was the newly opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Plus the rest of Islands of Adventure

And Universal Studios Florida too

Then boarded the Carnival Legend

And visted the ports of the Grand Cayman

And Ocho Rios Jamaica

Click Here to Read Trip Report


Our most recent trip in April 2011 took us back the orlando to start our biggest vacation yet with another Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Dream and our final one with just my wife and I as we found out 3 months prior to this vacation that my wife Kiera was pregnant with our first child.

This trip started with a day at Epcot