Cast of Characters:
Me, Lori, 36. Disney nut and compulsive planner. Starts planning the next trip before the last one is over.
DH, Craig, 37. Not as crazy about Disney as the rest of us, but has recently stated his intention to become a bass fishing excursion guide at Ft Wilderness when he retires. Im sure I can be talked into retiring to Orlando
DD, Jessica, 9. Also a Disney nut, needs to be talked into going on the big rides, but would discover that Rock n Rollercoaster was actually a FUN ride this trip. DD is part fish and will give the pool slides a workout.
DS, Ryan, 5. Loves Disney, but would happily spend his entire vacation in the pool. Also not the bravest child on the planet when it comes to rides, but loved Mission Space (go figure).
DSIL and DBIL, 30-somethings (technically DBIL just turned 40, but close enough). Big Disney fans, recently purchased DVC points at Saratoga Springs, so this will be their last non-villa Disney stay.
Monday, May 10th
We slept in a bit again this morning since the water parks dont open until 10am. We got some donuts and bagels from Capt Cooks for breakfast, and were able to get to Typhoon Lagoon just after 10. There were very few cars in the parking lot a good sign! We grabbed some chairs near the wave pool and played in the big waves for a while. This is a great wave pool.
Next we jumped in Castaway Creek and floated half way around the park to the kids play area. DS couldnt find a way to sit in the intertube in the creek that he was happy with and spent most of the time hanging off the sides of our tubes and sitting on top of us. He was nervous because he couldnt quite touch the bottom of the river if he fell off.
DS loved the kids area at Typhoon Lagoon. His favorite was the slip and slide that they were supposed to dive onto head first and slide down. After a few tries, DS was a pro, and the lifeguard was using him as an example to show other kids what they were supposed to do. While he was entertained here, DH and I took turns taking DD to the bigger slides. We all did a few runs down Keelhaul falls and Mayday falls on innertubes. Then we all rode the family raft ride together.
We jumped in the creek again and rode the rest of the way around. We played in the wave pool a bit longer and DS got knocked down by a wave and got a small boo-boo on his ankle. He insisted on getting a band-aid for it, so we made a visit to the first aid station. The nurse was very nice and fixed him up. DS is all boy and very rough and tumble, but if theres blood, there has to be a band-aid to fix it.
We had hot dogs by the pool for lunch, and then I took DD off to check out the body slides. DBIL rode one of the Storm Slides with her, but then wasnt about to climb those stairs again. Apparently it is a very long walk with many many stairs to get to the top think 4 steps down, 5 steps up, 4 steps down, 5 steps up.... DD didnt mind the stairs (its good to be young) and went down each of the 3 slides twice. Then DD had a brave moment and decided she wanted to try the big, straight-down, Humunga Kowabunga slide. No amount of money could get me to the top of that thing, but I didnt want to discourage her. She was up to the top and down so fast that I actually missed her coming down. I could barely see the top and was watching the wrong head. DD decided once was enough on that slide. I couldnt believe she did it all. I expected her to come walking back down the stairs.
On our way back to find the boys, we stopped at the shark reef. DD really wanted to try this, she has never snorkelled, so we got our equipment and sat at the edge of the pool to listen to instructions. I got DD into her mask and had her put her face in the water. She didnt like the feel and taste of the saltwater on her mouth, and opted to get out of the pool. She was really upset that she couldnt get herself to do it. DSIL took her to the end of the pool while I floated over and took a few pictures of the fish. This is a cute little attraction the fish come very close to you and there are a ton of them in there.
We found the boys back at the wave pool and packed up to head out, after a stop in the gift shop. Once everyone was showered and dressed we took the kids over to the Neverland club. I had made reservations for them here a few weeks prior, and they were really looking forward to it. We were given a beeper and signed a paper or two, and we were free for the evening. There were over 30 kids there that night and my kids had no trouble making a few new friends. They liked watching the movie on the big screen while they ate their dinner. DS spent a lot of time playing the full sized video games with his new friends, and DD did a bunch of crafts with her new friends.
While the kids were happy at the Neverland club, we headed out for a dinner at Boma. We had some time to explore the lodge first. This looks like a fun place to stay as well. We got a few drinks from the bar while we waited for our table.
DH was disappointed to find out it was a buffet, plus he and DBIL are very picky eaters and ended up eating more from the kids buffet than anything. I blame my MIL for letting them have bologna sandwiches when they didnt like what was for dinner. They were really missing out though, because I found everything I tasted (and I tasted a lot of it!) to be delicious. My favorites were the dried tomato hummus, the summer salad, the potatoes with Afritude, and the mustardy sauce with the prime rib. We sampled quite a few of the desserts. I dont like coffee, so the zebra domes did nothing for me, but there were a few others that were quite yummy, including a mango meringue, chocolate mousse tart, and banana bread pudding.
After dinner, DH was still pouting about not being happy with dinner, and I was pouting that he was being so miserable about it (so much for our night out), but we went over to Pleasure Island anyway in hopes that the comedy club would cheer us up. We havent been to Pleasure Island for years (before children). We watched a very good band on the stage while we waited to get into the comedy club. We really enjoyed the comedy club show. It is all improv, similar to the Whos Line is it Anyway? TV show. We walked around a bit afterwards, but none of us really being into the dance club scene, we didnt go in anywhere else.
We went back to Neverland to pick up the kids around 10:30. They didnt want to leave. We had to drag DS out of the game room. Apparently they had a good time. Well have to do this night out with the kids thing again on future trips.
Next up: Kennedy Space Center
Me, Lori, 36. Disney nut and compulsive planner. Starts planning the next trip before the last one is over.
DH, Craig, 37. Not as crazy about Disney as the rest of us, but has recently stated his intention to become a bass fishing excursion guide at Ft Wilderness when he retires. Im sure I can be talked into retiring to Orlando
DD, Jessica, 9. Also a Disney nut, needs to be talked into going on the big rides, but would discover that Rock n Rollercoaster was actually a FUN ride this trip. DD is part fish and will give the pool slides a workout.
DS, Ryan, 5. Loves Disney, but would happily spend his entire vacation in the pool. Also not the bravest child on the planet when it comes to rides, but loved Mission Space (go figure).
DSIL and DBIL, 30-somethings (technically DBIL just turned 40, but close enough). Big Disney fans, recently purchased DVC points at Saratoga Springs, so this will be their last non-villa Disney stay.
Monday, May 10th
We slept in a bit again this morning since the water parks dont open until 10am. We got some donuts and bagels from Capt Cooks for breakfast, and were able to get to Typhoon Lagoon just after 10. There were very few cars in the parking lot a good sign! We grabbed some chairs near the wave pool and played in the big waves for a while. This is a great wave pool.
Next we jumped in Castaway Creek and floated half way around the park to the kids play area. DS couldnt find a way to sit in the intertube in the creek that he was happy with and spent most of the time hanging off the sides of our tubes and sitting on top of us. He was nervous because he couldnt quite touch the bottom of the river if he fell off.
DS loved the kids area at Typhoon Lagoon. His favorite was the slip and slide that they were supposed to dive onto head first and slide down. After a few tries, DS was a pro, and the lifeguard was using him as an example to show other kids what they were supposed to do. While he was entertained here, DH and I took turns taking DD to the bigger slides. We all did a few runs down Keelhaul falls and Mayday falls on innertubes. Then we all rode the family raft ride together.
We jumped in the creek again and rode the rest of the way around. We played in the wave pool a bit longer and DS got knocked down by a wave and got a small boo-boo on his ankle. He insisted on getting a band-aid for it, so we made a visit to the first aid station. The nurse was very nice and fixed him up. DS is all boy and very rough and tumble, but if theres blood, there has to be a band-aid to fix it.
We had hot dogs by the pool for lunch, and then I took DD off to check out the body slides. DBIL rode one of the Storm Slides with her, but then wasnt about to climb those stairs again. Apparently it is a very long walk with many many stairs to get to the top think 4 steps down, 5 steps up, 4 steps down, 5 steps up.... DD didnt mind the stairs (its good to be young) and went down each of the 3 slides twice. Then DD had a brave moment and decided she wanted to try the big, straight-down, Humunga Kowabunga slide. No amount of money could get me to the top of that thing, but I didnt want to discourage her. She was up to the top and down so fast that I actually missed her coming down. I could barely see the top and was watching the wrong head. DD decided once was enough on that slide. I couldnt believe she did it all. I expected her to come walking back down the stairs.
On our way back to find the boys, we stopped at the shark reef. DD really wanted to try this, she has never snorkelled, so we got our equipment and sat at the edge of the pool to listen to instructions. I got DD into her mask and had her put her face in the water. She didnt like the feel and taste of the saltwater on her mouth, and opted to get out of the pool. She was really upset that she couldnt get herself to do it. DSIL took her to the end of the pool while I floated over and took a few pictures of the fish. This is a cute little attraction the fish come very close to you and there are a ton of them in there.
We found the boys back at the wave pool and packed up to head out, after a stop in the gift shop. Once everyone was showered and dressed we took the kids over to the Neverland club. I had made reservations for them here a few weeks prior, and they were really looking forward to it. We were given a beeper and signed a paper or two, and we were free for the evening. There were over 30 kids there that night and my kids had no trouble making a few new friends. They liked watching the movie on the big screen while they ate their dinner. DS spent a lot of time playing the full sized video games with his new friends, and DD did a bunch of crafts with her new friends.
While the kids were happy at the Neverland club, we headed out for a dinner at Boma. We had some time to explore the lodge first. This looks like a fun place to stay as well. We got a few drinks from the bar while we waited for our table.
DH was disappointed to find out it was a buffet, plus he and DBIL are very picky eaters and ended up eating more from the kids buffet than anything. I blame my MIL for letting them have bologna sandwiches when they didnt like what was for dinner. They were really missing out though, because I found everything I tasted (and I tasted a lot of it!) to be delicious. My favorites were the dried tomato hummus, the summer salad, the potatoes with Afritude, and the mustardy sauce with the prime rib. We sampled quite a few of the desserts. I dont like coffee, so the zebra domes did nothing for me, but there were a few others that were quite yummy, including a mango meringue, chocolate mousse tart, and banana bread pudding.
After dinner, DH was still pouting about not being happy with dinner, and I was pouting that he was being so miserable about it (so much for our night out), but we went over to Pleasure Island anyway in hopes that the comedy club would cheer us up. We havent been to Pleasure Island for years (before children). We watched a very good band on the stage while we waited to get into the comedy club. We really enjoyed the comedy club show. It is all improv, similar to the Whos Line is it Anyway? TV show. We walked around a bit afterwards, but none of us really being into the dance club scene, we didnt go in anywhere else.
We went back to Neverland to pick up the kids around 10:30. They didnt want to leave. We had to drag DS out of the game room. Apparently they had a good time. Well have to do this night out with the kids thing again on future trips.
Next up: Kennedy Space Center
