friendswithdave
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2008
- Messages
- 97
SUNDAY: So we get up and get packed. It doesnt take too long at all. We are kind of torn as to whether to go to EPCOT or Aquatica. 
The boys have been talking about wanting to go to Aquatica, so we let the kids decide where they want to spend their last day. In a 3-1 vote, the choice is AQUATICA! 
(Reece voted for EPCOT)
We get there around 9:45, and the parking lot is surprisingly full.
We still get a good parking place and cruise in. I make the executive decision that we will spend an hour or so riding slides and such before the park gets too full, then we can go to the kids play area, beach, or something like that.
Looking around, some of the slide lines are long already! We head over to the big boat slides, where the lines arent too bad. The first is Hooroo Run. It is a 3 person round raft that goes straight down with a few camel humps. Fast and fun!
Over in a flash, really. We head back up to the other big boat slide. This one is a more casual, twisty ride to the bottom, but just as fun. 
From at the top we can see that the individual speed slides dont have a line, so we cruise over to those. Here you are on a mat. You do one 360, then fast down the rest of the slide.
We do this once, then Haley takes a break and the kids and I do it a few more times.
OK, now Im tired of climbing stairs. Time to take a break. We head to the kids play area where Haley and I can chill while the kids can run wild and wet! This play area is probably the highlight of the park, and the best water play area I have ever seen, bar none! Lots of spouts, fountains, slides, sprayers, water cannons, everything a kid would want, in abundance!
After 40 minutes or so here, we decide it is time for lunch. We do the Banana Boat Cookout, all you can eat since we figured to be here all day. We would get our moneys worth then. The food was pretty good. Hamburgers, salad, fruit, hot dogs, chicken legs, and a few desserts that were good. A good value if you eat two meals, which we did. You also get unlimited soft drinks with this.
After eating, we headed to the beach and wave pool. This little kids area was next door, so I took Josie over there to play. She enjoyed that for awhile, then we joined the gang at the wave pool. We spent a long time here, probably 2 hours. Haley and I relaxed on the beach, while the kids played in the waves. After that we did the slow lazy river, then the fast river rapids ride. Both were fun for a few times around. Good to do mid-day when the park is crowded and the slide lines are long.
From there, back to the kids play area for awhile, then over to get a paid-for snack and drink. Looking at the lines, they had not subsided at all. So we went back to the kids area again until about 4:40 when we thought we would eat, then do a few slides before closing. That plan worked well. When we got done eating, we did the two big-raft slides again, then went over to the Dolphin Run where the line was now gone. Josie wasnt big enough, and Birch wasnt brave enough, so I went with Reece and Riley. It was fun, but dont ride it for the dolphins. Your view of them, if any, is but an instant.
Finally the line was short enough for Josies
favorite ride: Tassies Twisters. Again, this is a ride that sends you down the slide into a toilet bowl shaped thing, where you go round and round until you finally drop into the hole. This is a two person ride, so I rode with Josie, Reece with Riley, and Haley with Birch. It was almost closing time, so we headed for the showers, changed clothes, and sauntered out to the car. All in all, that was one of our favorite days. We didnt spend all day walking, waiting in lines, or hot; something we were almost every other day! We take a few pics and head out. 
We piled into the van and headed home. The trip home was pretty uneventful, except that Birch slept little if any the entire way. However, he was very good during the ride, with just a few cries or whimpers during the 9 hour ride. We left Orlando around 6:15, arriving in Raleigh around 3:15 AM.
Whew, what a trip! What a vacation! Looking back, Im not sure if there was much we would change for our vacation. We did and saw 95% of what we planned to do, which seems like a success to me. I only wish we could have had a second day at EPCOT, but I certainly dont regret spending our last day at Aquatica. It was so relaxing compared to the busy, hectic day I think we would have had at EPCOT. The hiccups we had were pretty much unavoidable, like Birch being sick the first few days. We also couldnt help the heat or the rain which was evident almost every day.
I think we did a great job planning our trip. I can honestly say we did not forget anything we needed, and I cant think of anything we needed that we did not bring. Thanks to TGM and the an unofficial guide for tips and hints on what to do, how, and when to do it. That really made our trip. The Guest Assistance Card we had for Birch was also very helpful in making the days at Disney a positive experience for all of us. While I cant go into details about how it helped us, it was very helpful.
This was my and my childrens third trip to the world, and Haley and her kids second trip. Like my other two trips, this was very enjoyable and Im glad we went. Haleys experience with her children was 180 degrees from her last trip. When she went four years ago, both her children were undiagnosed with ASD and Aspergers, and they stimulation was simply too much for them to handle. They also went unprepared and during Spring Break. This trip was enjoyable for them. Despite the anxiety the Birch, and to a lessor extent Reece, experienced during the trip, both had a great time and have created memories that will last forever.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions about our trip.
The boys have been talking about wanting to go to Aquatica, so we let the kids decide where they want to spend their last day. In a 3-1 vote, the choice is AQUATICA! (Reece voted for EPCOT)We get there around 9:45, and the parking lot is surprisingly full.
We still get a good parking place and cruise in. I make the executive decision that we will spend an hour or so riding slides and such before the park gets too full, then we can go to the kids play area, beach, or something like that.Looking around, some of the slide lines are long already! We head over to the big boat slides, where the lines arent too bad. The first is Hooroo Run. It is a 3 person round raft that goes straight down with a few camel humps. Fast and fun!
Over in a flash, really. We head back up to the other big boat slide. This one is a more casual, twisty ride to the bottom, but just as fun. From at the top we can see that the individual speed slides dont have a line, so we cruise over to those. Here you are on a mat. You do one 360, then fast down the rest of the slide.
We do this once, then Haley takes a break and the kids and I do it a few more times.OK, now Im tired of climbing stairs. Time to take a break. We head to the kids play area where Haley and I can chill while the kids can run wild and wet! This play area is probably the highlight of the park, and the best water play area I have ever seen, bar none! Lots of spouts, fountains, slides, sprayers, water cannons, everything a kid would want, in abundance!
After 40 minutes or so here, we decide it is time for lunch. We do the Banana Boat Cookout, all you can eat since we figured to be here all day. We would get our moneys worth then. The food was pretty good. Hamburgers, salad, fruit, hot dogs, chicken legs, and a few desserts that were good. A good value if you eat two meals, which we did. You also get unlimited soft drinks with this.
After eating, we headed to the beach and wave pool. This little kids area was next door, so I took Josie over there to play. She enjoyed that for awhile, then we joined the gang at the wave pool. We spent a long time here, probably 2 hours. Haley and I relaxed on the beach, while the kids played in the waves. After that we did the slow lazy river, then the fast river rapids ride. Both were fun for a few times around. Good to do mid-day when the park is crowded and the slide lines are long.
From there, back to the kids play area for awhile, then over to get a paid-for snack and drink. Looking at the lines, they had not subsided at all. So we went back to the kids area again until about 4:40 when we thought we would eat, then do a few slides before closing. That plan worked well. When we got done eating, we did the two big-raft slides again, then went over to the Dolphin Run where the line was now gone. Josie wasnt big enough, and Birch wasnt brave enough, so I went with Reece and Riley. It was fun, but dont ride it for the dolphins. Your view of them, if any, is but an instant.
Finally the line was short enough for Josies
favorite ride: Tassies Twisters. Again, this is a ride that sends you down the slide into a toilet bowl shaped thing, where you go round and round until you finally drop into the hole. This is a two person ride, so I rode with Josie, Reece with Riley, and Haley with Birch. It was almost closing time, so we headed for the showers, changed clothes, and sauntered out to the car. All in all, that was one of our favorite days. We didnt spend all day walking, waiting in lines, or hot; something we were almost every other day! We take a few pics and head out.
We piled into the van and headed home. The trip home was pretty uneventful, except that Birch slept little if any the entire way. However, he was very good during the ride, with just a few cries or whimpers during the 9 hour ride. We left Orlando around 6:15, arriving in Raleigh around 3:15 AM.
Whew, what a trip! What a vacation! Looking back, Im not sure if there was much we would change for our vacation. We did and saw 95% of what we planned to do, which seems like a success to me. I only wish we could have had a second day at EPCOT, but I certainly dont regret spending our last day at Aquatica. It was so relaxing compared to the busy, hectic day I think we would have had at EPCOT. The hiccups we had were pretty much unavoidable, like Birch being sick the first few days. We also couldnt help the heat or the rain which was evident almost every day.
I think we did a great job planning our trip. I can honestly say we did not forget anything we needed, and I cant think of anything we needed that we did not bring. Thanks to TGM and the an unofficial guide for tips and hints on what to do, how, and when to do it. That really made our trip. The Guest Assistance Card we had for Birch was also very helpful in making the days at Disney a positive experience for all of us. While I cant go into details about how it helped us, it was very helpful.
This was my and my childrens third trip to the world, and Haley and her kids second trip. Like my other two trips, this was very enjoyable and Im glad we went. Haleys experience with her children was 180 degrees from her last trip. When she went four years ago, both her children were undiagnosed with ASD and Aspergers, and they stimulation was simply too much for them to handle. They also went unprepared and during Spring Break. This trip was enjoyable for them. Despite the anxiety the Birch, and to a lessor extent Reece, experienced during the trip, both had a great time and have created memories that will last forever.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions about our trip.
