Our trip from 18 months ago...updated 3/5 with day 8 & 9, finally home

[banks37]

This is my first trip report i've posted here. It took me way to long to write and edit so sorry it's do old and out of season. Most TR on here now are aound the Christmas season. This report is pretty wordy with som pics thrown in. Hope you enjoy!

Pre planning and Day one on the road...

Cast Members:

Our Family:

Mike (39) – narrator
Becca (38) – my wife
Cole (9) – oldest son
Mason (6) - youngest son
Delaney (4) - daughter


Pre- Planning:
Due to the excessive cost of buying 5 airplane tickets to Orlando we were forced into driving to Disney from Buffalo New York last year. Our drive down last year took place during the school year which posed some problems. The biggest inconvenience of vacationing during the school year was the home work that had to be done by Cole during the drive down. With us having 2 children of school age we thought this would now be twice as difficult. We were also limited to the amount of time we could take off because of trying to limit the amount school the kids miss. Because of these factors we decided to visit the world during the summer. We also had some concerns over the Florida heat that time of year but in the end the pros seem to outweigh the cons.

March 2010
Disney had been releasing some great promotions lately and this month they released one that was custom made for our family. Disney released a package where children 10 and under were given complimentary dining and park tickets with paid adults. We talked about going down as soon as the kids got out of school in the end of June but decided the crowds would be way to high so we booked a 4 night stay at Port Orleans Riverside in a 5 person room for August 13 – 18th. About a week later we ended up changing our reservations to August 21 – 25th. Our thinking was that this week was during the value season and the rooms would be cheaper and crowds lower. As it turned out the savings were not that big and the crowds were still pretty heavy but in the end we were happy with the week we took. Our next vacation will probably be for the week after the one we booked for this trip.

We decided that we wanted to make this more than a WDW stay with a drive there and back so we decided on the way home we would make a couple of stops on the way home to see some of the east coast. Throughout the course of the summer we made various hotel reservations for the drive there and back. We only had counter service dining so did not make any PS arrangements.

August 19, 2010

Our normal pre vacation night consisting of packing what we could, loading up the Odyssey and charging all our electronics. Bed time was our usual midnight or so.

August 20, 2010

Woke up around 4:30 and finished the last minute packing of toiletries and other items. We did our best to take the kids into the van gently in hopes that they would stay asleep but just like last year once they were in the truck there was no falling back asleep for them. We ended up hitting the road at 5:45 with our final destination being La Quinta inn in Brunswick Georgia. Last year we drove to Jacksonville in one day to meet Becca’s parents at the navy base there but since it’s just us this trip we decided that we don’t have to make quit as an ambitious day one drive. Staying in Brunswick left us with only about a 4 hour drive the next day to get us into Orlando.


Road Rage (Not really)

We made it till Pittsburgh at 11:00 to top of the gas. We ate snacks we had in the car during the morning for breakfast. At 1:30 we stopped at the Virginia Welcome Center for our lunch that we had packed. We stopped at this same welcome center last year and loved it.



The lunch break was a great stop. We stayed about an hour and gave the kids a chance to stretch their legs and run around a little. Lunch was cold cuts and chips. Becca took over the driving duties as we left the welcome center. Her stretch of driving included a gas stop in Virginia where we filled up for $42. Becca drove the rest of Virginia as well as North Carolina and into the South Carolina Welcome Center where we stopped for a brief bathroom break at 4:30.



At around 7:00 we stopped at a Wendy’s in South Carolina for dinner and to buy a phone card because we left our prepaid cell phone at home, oops. Around Savannah there were unbelievable lightning that could be seen to the south and over the ocean but never really bothered us, we only came across some light rain. It was incredible to see We finally arrived at La Quinta at around 9:45 after a quick stop at Home Depot to pick up some bed bug spray which either worked or there were no bed bugs, either way with all the bed bugs in the news lately we didn’t want to risk it.
The woman checking us in was incredibly friendly, so friendly that I took the time to email the hotel manger about her when we got home. She was just what you would hope for after a 16 hour car drive. We were also greeted by what had to be hundreds of frogs that filled the air with a steady croaking noise. The room was very clean with no foul odors. With the rate we got we expected the worst but were very pleasantly surprised. The room was on the first floor and right next to the exit door which made it easy for bringing the sleeping kids in from the van. Once the kids were situated I drove across the street and filled up so we didn’t have to do it tomorrow. By midnight I was lying in bed to go to sleep.

 

[banks37]

August 21, 2010

Everyone was up around 7:30 and we filtered down the hall for the complimentary breakfast. Breakfast was good enough, your standard hotel breakfast fare, waffles, oatmeal, boxed cereal and so forth. We ended up hitting the road around 8:30, stopping at the Florida welcome center at 9:45 for a bathroom break. One step outside the van at the welcome center and there was no denying we were now in Florida in August, extremely hot and extremely humid, even at 10 in the morning.
We arrived at Port Orleans Riverside at 11:45, driving through a torrential down pour on I-4 in the heart of Orlando. It was so bad that traffic slowed to about a 10 mph crawl. When we checked in our room was ready, room 1449, the second floor of building 14.



The room could not have been better. It is the closest building to the food court and our room over looked the Sassagoula River. Originally we planned on driving right over to Fort Wilderness for lunch but since our room was ready we decided to drop off some of our luggage. Finding the room turned out to be a bit of a challenge, especially while dragging boat loads of luggage. Finally I found the room but not before I unsuccessfully tried to get into a room I thought was mine, but wasn’t, and a trip back to the truck to check double check the real room number. Eventually I did get to our spectacular room where I dropped off a good amount of our gear.
We made it back to the van and made the short drive over to Fort Wilderness for our lunch at Trails End Buffet. We seem to eat here ever trip and always enjoy it. When we arrived at Fort Wilderness there was a steady rain that we ran through to get to the bus depot to take us to Pioneer Hall. By the time we reached our stop the rain had let up for the walk to the restaurant. Lunch was great as usual and after bathroom breaks all around we walked to the boat dock.



We just missed the boat so we waited about 10 minutes in what now had turned into a sunny afternoon. On our way to MK we saw our first monorail of the trip, light blue.



When we arrived at MK a light rain started back up so we ducked in to the stores along Main Street and made our way to the tip board to come up with our game plan for the half day we had left at this park. We decide to head over to Adventureland where we went on Magic Carpets with a minimal wait followed by a walk on Pirates and then Jungle Cruise which was also a walk on.



From Jungle Cruise we waited for the next showing of Enchanted Tiki Room. While the family waited I ran over to Big Thunder Mountain and picked up fastpasses. I picked up the passes at 3:15 and they were valid at 3:40 (3:15 for 3:40). For as crowded as the park looked, the lines were practically non existence. Tiki Room was great. The kids love it and it’s a nice break from the heat in an uncrowded air conditioned attraction. From Tiki we walked down to BTMR and used our fastpasses to walk right on. After BTMR we picked up FP for Splash Mountain (4:15 for 4:50) and decided to head over to Pecos Bill where we split an order of loaded fries.
Our next stop was Haunted Mansion which had a 15 minute wait that passed by very quickly while we read some of the tombstones along the queue. After HM I ran over to Peter Pan to pick up FP since our window was open again (5:00 for 7:50) then over to Splash Mountain.



Everyone loved this also, especially Cole who wanted to keep going on it.



After Splash we tried to go on the train but just as we walked up to the train station it was shut down because of lightning so we walked back toward Fantasyland through a rain that was now getting heavier. By the time we got to Fantasyland it was coming down so we ducked into Mickey’s Philharmagic. When we got out the rain was still coming down pretty good so we ducked into Pinnochio’s Village Haus to get the younger two a bite to eat. Mason and Delaney shared a kid’s pizza. Cole wanted a full size cheeseburger so we did our best to dodge the rain on our way to Cosmic Ray’s. The lounge area was pretty crowded so we grabbed a table in the covered outside seating area with a great view of the castle. This area was totally empty. It was a perfect rest stop for us. The enjoyed watching the rain come down with the castle as a back drop.



After dinner the rain had just about stopped so we walked over to Tomorrowland where we picked up FP for Buzz Lightyear. While walking around I saw the fan was still on for the Balzac display so when we walked by it I opened my shirt over it and let it made some comments how I was so full from dinner. The kids thought that was a riot. After my comedy routine we parked the stroller in the covered stroller parking area under the WEDway Peoplemover and walked over to Carousel of Progress. Another classic that was enjoyed by everybody. From COP we went onto the peoplemover which was now open again (it was closed due to the lightning). After the peoplemover our FP for Buzz were ready so we got in line. Just as we were about to board the ride shutdown. Apparently someone was a little too aggressive with their spaceship and maintenance had to dismantle it. It was down for about 5 minutes but we had a good view of the action. Once we made it onto the ride it shut down again. It was down long enough for most of us to max out our score.



Just after we got our new high scores the ride was reset and we were all back down to zero again. I still managed to get another 500,000 before the ride was over.



From Buzz we walked over to Toontown picking up a cream cheese filled pretzel which was rich and delicious. In Toontown we went to Goofy’s Barnstormer which was a walk on. The ride was a big hit (I don’t think we hit anything today that wasn’t) and just like everything else we rode today the kids wanted to go on it again. It was now getting close to parade time but we decided to squeeze in Peter Pan as long as we were walking right by it and still had out FP. After pan we walked into Liberty Square which was about two people deep right where the parade turns so we continued down a little further until we found an open spot right in front of the shooting gallery. The parade was enjoyed by everyone, everyone except Mason who was now asleep and missed the whole thing. In his defense it has been a super long day.
After the parade we made our way back to the hub where we stopped in front of the Crystal Palace and enjoyed the fireworks with the Dole Whip we picked up from Aloha Isle. This turned out to be a pretty good spot to watch the fireworks and it left us with a pretty good escape route through the Casey’s. Before we knew it we were out of the park where I walked Becca, Cole and Delaney down to the Riverside bus stop. Mason, who was still sleeping in the stroller stayed with me for the boat ride over to Fort Wilderness so we could pick up our car. Along the way we (I) saw the Electric Water Pageant and had the pleasure of a monorail pass over us while we were on the water bridge.
Mason and I made the difficult trip back to Riverside, which involved setting my sleeping Mason on the bus while I ran back out and folded up the stroller. And then I did it in reverse when I got to the bus stop. There wasn’t anyone on the bus so I didn’t have to worry about inconveniencing anyone. When we made it back to the room at 11:00 the rest of the family was already there and the kids were sleeping. I laid Mason down and we started our Disney night time ritual which consists of getting out all the clothes for the next day and laying them all out along with hooking all our electronics up to the charging station. The next morning goes a lot smoother when you do not have to pick out the clothes for the day. I also made a few trips down to the van with some stuff we will need tomorrow. Around midnight I was able to finally go to sleep.

 

[banks37]

August 22, 2010

Mason was up first today, around 7:00. I was foolishly hoping he would have slept in a little but that’s not how he rolls. Laney woke up shortly after Mason so I took the kids out of the room to let Becca and Cole slept a little longer. We learned early in our family vacations that it is best to remove the children who are awake from the room so the other people can get the sleep needed to get them through the day. That responsibility fell on my shoulders which works out nice for me because I can get in a little resort time with the kids. Today for example I took Mason and Laney down to the pool where I let them get their feet wet and splash around a little in the kiddie pool. On the way back to the room we picked up our refillable mugs, which are part of our vacation package, and got some hot chocolate and ice tea.
Once we were back in the room we showered up Mason and Laney and got them ready to head out to Hollywood Studios. When the other two were done Cole finally woke up so we got him in the shower, dressed and walked out the door at 8:30. I stopped by the food court for some pop and we were on the road. We arrived to a very busy Studios and were directed to park in row 45. When we were sitting in the tram waiting for it to get moving we realized we forgot Laney’s hat. While we were debating on whether to go back and get it the tram guy announced that a silver van had left its door opened. Me and about 3 other dads got off the tram and made the march back to our respective vans. Mine was not the van in question but I did get Laney’s hat so the trip wasn’t a complete waste of time. I caught the next tram and after fighting the crowds at the security check point I walked over to meet Becca and the kids at the bathrooms next to the pet center. Next to the bathrooms there was a small secondary security checkpoint for people coming from the other parking area with no one waiting. This could be a nice crowd avoider for future trips to this park. Once we were all together we made our way into the park around 9:30 and proceeded to Starring Rolls for our breakfast snacks while I walked down Sunset Blvd to pick up some fastpasses. I picked up Tower of Terror (9:30 for 10:50) and Rock N Rollercoaster (9:30 for 11:50). I walked back down to Starring Rolls where Becca and the kids were just about done picking up the food.
After our delicious breakfast we walked by Little Mermaid but just missed the show so we made a pit stop at the bathrooms to wash up from breakfast. We walked through the princess gift shop on our way back to the Mermaid queue but due to our pokey children we had to let a few families go past us and by the time we got in line and made it up all the way to the turnstile we were told to stop and that the theater was at capacity. We decided not to wait for the next show and left our stroller parked where it was and walked through a pretty empty Pixar Place (Toy Story Mania and One Man’s dream were both down for refurbishment). We did stop for a second to watch Luxo make an appearance and take a picture with a couple of green army men.



Eventually we got into a pretty long queue for Backlot Tours and ended up being one of the last people let into this show. Thank goodness, I don’t think our hearts could have handled being stopped at the turnstile again. The show was the same as it was last time, but the kids all enjoyed it, at the exit of the ride there were some Star Wars costume displays. All the kids really loved and needed to get their pictures taken in front of Darth Maul and Darth Vader.



From the Backlot we walked down New York Ave toward Muppets but found that it was temporarily down so we continued to Star Tours which had posted a 20 minute wait and wasn’t offering Fastpasses so we passed on it for now. It was now 11:00 and Indiana Jones was starting at 11:30 so we decided we would jump in line. We waited in line for about 15 minutes before we were ushered in to the auditorium. Those 15 minutes may have been the hottest of the whole trip. The combination of all the guest standing so close together combined with the misting fans that were running made it awful. Once we were seated it wasn’t much better but as the show started and they separated the opening scene to move on to the next a nice breeze now flowed through the theater. The boys loved the show as usual while Laney made it about halfway through before her and Becca left to get some water. After the show Cole wanted to stop in the Indiana Jones gift shop near the exit but it was closed. He was looking forward to this all day, we felt real bad for him and said we would stop at some other shops so he could maybe find what he was looking for.
We continued our march across the park until we got to the Beauty and the Beast Stageshow where I took Mason and Laney onto the Tower of Terror. Cole stayed with Becca and got seats for 12:45 B&B show. The kids were troopers to go on with me and in the end they both enjoyed it. After the Tower we met up with Becca who was waiting at the entrance for us while Cole saved our seats. The seats were in the last row of the fixed benches with no one really in a row or two around us so they aren’t really in high demand. After the show I took Mason across the street where we finally used our RNR FP I picked up this morning.



Mason absolutely loved this ride while Laney was upset she couldn’t go on it because she was too short. While we were on RNR Becca took the other two to Playhouse Disney.
After RNR Mason and I picked up 2 orders of ribs and chicken and walked them all the way across the park to the AC Commissary where we were suppose to meet up. It was kinda weird to be carrying a tray of food across the park. When I got there Becca still hadn’t arrived so Mason and I sat down and I began to eat. A few minutes after I started to eat Becca arrived with Cole and Delaney so I watched the kids while she got in line. She must have been in line for about 20 minutes. By the time she got back to the table I had finished my meal and hers was pretty cold. I helped the kids get their food going while Becca started her meal. After everyone had finished and we cleaned up we made our way back towards Star Tours which we decided to ship because it posted a 20 minute wait. From Star tours we continued on past Indiana Jones where the gift shop was now open. Cole saw a bunch of stuff he wanted like the whip and a gun but everything was around $40 and out of his price range. He had some of his own Disney money that he could spend however he wanted. While we were in the gift shop Mason and Laney said they had to go to the bathroom so I took the two of them down to the bathrooms next to Hollywood and Vine. While we were in there some mass confusion happened which involved me losing Mason for a while. I went back to the gift shop to ask Becca if Mason had walked back down to her. He hadn’t so I went back to the bathrooms where I was able to see that he slipped into a stall while I wasn’t looking.
Once we were back together it was now 3:00 and we walked back over towards Mermaid but once again missed it. We decided not to wait the 25 minutes for the next show and fought our way through the crowds that were set up for the Block Party Bash and left the park. It took a while but we eventually made it to our van in the parking lot and made our way back to our hotel. When we arrived at Riverside we went back up to the room and put on our suits to head down to the pool. We did this same break in the day to go swimming thing last trip and everyone really enjoyed it. It was so hot at the parks and getting back to the hotel and taking a dip in the pool really helped us recharge. Our pool time was filled with trips down the slide, playing Pirates of the Caribbean and I even saw an old friend from college while I was swimming. While my friend and I were catching up they shut down the pool because of thunder and lightning in the area. We gathered our stuff together and took the 5 minute walk back to our room. By the time we got out of our room it was raining pretty hard and we were nice and dry (well kinda dry) in our room. The radar seem to indicate the rain was going to last about another half hour so we took our time getting ready and left the room to head back to the Studios around 5:15. By the time we got into the studios it was 5:30 and we made our way through the parking lot and didn’t stop until we were in the first non handicapped spot as close as you can get to the entrance. We had planned on seeing the 8:30 Fantasmic so we left the stroller in the car figuring the kids could tough it out on foot for a couple of hours. It was so nice to not have to push the double wide jogging stroller through the park. I figure for our next trip we will only have a single stroller and might venture out a few times without one at all. Dare to dream.



Once we were in the park our first stop was Mermaid. Mermaid wasn’t showing for another 15 minutes but we decided to wait so we could finally get it done. We waited in the building while the show that was now going on to finished up. We were able to stay dry inside while the last bit of rain pushed through the area outside. By the time the show, which Laney totally loved, was done the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared. Mason wanted a root beer float so we went on the hunt for a one. We had a hard time finding one. After striking out at Coca Cola Concoctions we stopped by the Dockside Diner and Dinosaur Gerties Ice Cream which were both closed. We finally found one at the food hut next to Indiana Jones. We all took turns finishing of the float as we walked over Star Tours which now had a 10 minute wait but was actually a walk on.



Becca walked the queue with us the slid out while the rest of us went on the ride. After the ride Cole looked around the gift shop for something to buy with his money. After a few minutes Becca showed up with ice cream bars for Cole and Laney.



While the two enjoyed their treats outside of Tattoine Traders Becca slipped out and picked up a carrot cake cookie we had heard about from a podcast. The cookie was just as good as advertised. After Cole finished his snack he ducked back into the store where he continued to browse without picking up anything. We finally pulled Cole out and walked over to Muppetvision where were seated at around 8:00. Becca and I love this show.
By the time the show was over it was around 8:20 so we hustled across the park to get to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater for Fantasmic. When we finally got there we heard it was standing room only. We have done the standing room in the past and it is not a pleasant experience so we decided we would wait for the second show which was at 10:00. We debated on driving over to Downtown Disney to get Cole a lightsaber he wanted and then come back for the 10:00 show. We quickly decided that if we left the park we would not make it back to the park in time for the 10:00 show so we gave Cole the decision of either going to DD to get his lightsaber there and miss Fantasmic or stay here build one from the parts available at Tattoinne Traders and see the show. Cole decided to stay here. In hind sight that was the best decision. This time of the night was very peaceful. The temperature was perfect now that the sun had gone down and the park was empty since a good chunk of the people that were here today were watching Fantasmic. On our way back we went on Star Tours one more time. In Traders while Cole was making his lightsaber the cast member told us that the 10:00 show will fill up fast so I took Mason and Laney over to the show while Cole and Becca finished up. We figured it is easier to get Cole to hustle than everyone. While we were waiting for Becca in front of Fantasmic a woman next to us was asking if anyone wanted RNR of TOT FP. I jumped at the chance to get the RNR ones since Mason has been saying all day he wanted to go on again. When Becca finally joined up with us I told her about our good fortune so we parted ways with plans to somehow meet up in the amphitheater. At 9:30 RNR still posted a 30 minute wait, we were on and off in about 20 minutes, Mason loved it again. Toy Story Mania being closed really fill up the other rides.
When we got into the amphitheater I did manage to find Becca. Before the show started I went up to get some popcorn and finally joined everyone just as the show began. Everyone in the family loves this show. Ever trip that we plan our first step is always to schedule our Studios day around when Fantasmic is showing and we build the rest of our itinerary around that. After the show we took the long march out to the van taking turns carrying various kids. We didn’t have our stroller because we didn’t plan on being here this late. When we got back to the room we went through the night time ritual and for some reason we started getting questioned on where baby cows come from and that quickly turned into where human babies come from. It was 11:00 and we were not about to get into this so we diffused the situation by sending them to bed.
Around 11:30 I walked over to the food court where I picked up a personal pizza and a cookie that I enjoyed back in the room. Around midnight I decided to take a stroll around the grounds which are simply beautiful at night.



A quick note on our day at the Studios, we always love this park but today seemed very hectic and we didn’t enjoy the park nearly as much as we normally do. I think that the combination of the heat and the time schedule that needs to be followed in order to see all the shows you want made the day seem like we were in rush mode all day. Our next trip here we’ll have to handle this park differently.

 

[goofy's_gurl]

Your kids are too cute. I have never seen F! Maybe next trip! I love going in August, if it drizzles it helps cool off the weather and you always find something other to do!

 

[banks37]

Your kids are too cute. I have never seen F! Maybe next trip! I love going in August, if it drizzles it helps cool off the weather and you always find something other to do!

THanks GG. We loved our Augist trip. It was only crazy hot a couple of times. Most of the time your in and out of AC and the rain does help.

 

[banks37]

August 23, 2010

Our kids were nice enough to sleep in for us today with Mason being the first one up at 8:15, Becca and I had been up for 30 minutes already. Once Mason woke up I took him out of the room and down to the food court for breakfast. For breakfast Mason got the waffle meal because he liked the Mickey head and I got the French toast. We finished our meal and made it back to the room around 9:00. When I got back up to the room Becca was ready to go while the other kids were still asleep. With Cole and Laney still sleeping Becca took Mason down to the food court to pick up breakfast to go for everybody else. I suggested that she take a bag with her for all the juices that we get with the meal plans and a refillable mug to put the syrup in.
While they were gone I got myself dressed and ready. The other two finally woke up around 9:20. We figured if they wanted to sleep we’ll let them. Shortly after Cole and Laney woke up Becca and Mason arrived back in the room with food for everyone. The rest of the morning consisted of everyone eating, dressing and showering. We were in the van on our way to Epcot at 10:00 and arrived at 10:15. We walked up to the park since we weren’t parked too far away and we cut to the left hand side and the small security baggage check instead of the primary checkpoint under the monorail. We went to this checkpoint last trip and we were able to get right through with no wait and this was the case once again. Once we were in the park we went over to the tip board to try and get a handle on where we would go first in this incredibly crowded park.
We decided to go to the Land Pavilion first so I ran ahead to get Soarin FP (10:35 for 6:05, yikes!). With FP in hand I walked back out and met up with Becca and the kids. We parked the stroller and walked into the Land Pavilion where we figured we go on the Living with the Land ride while we were right here. The ride is a family favorite and didn’t disappoint again, and it was practically a walk on which was a nice treat. After LWTL we left the pavilion and walked next door to the Seas pavilion. We started with the Nemo ride and marveled at how much space they dedicated to the queue we were thankful it was a walk on for us. If this ride had anything more than a 10 minute wait I would think we would skip it. After Nemo we spent about 30 minutes walking around the different areas including going into the aquarium viewing area we had never been into before. We probably could have spent another 30 minutes here; the kids were having a great time.



Once back outside we slapped on some sunscreen for this bright and sunny day and made our way over to Ice Station Cool. We took the back roads there, walking by the Imagination pavilion. The kids were looking forward to sampling all the different sodas and they all remembered the Beverly.



Our next FP window was just about available so I walked with the family by the fountains and over to Innoventions where I ran over and got our FP for Test Track while they went inside. On my way over to TT the skies opened up and I ran the rest of the way to join all the other people that were waiting out the rain under the TT canopy. What happened to our bright and sunny day? I had a few minutes to wait before I was allowed to get a new FP so I took the time to do some trip notes on my ITouch voice memos. Even after picking up the FP I still waited about another 15 minutes for the rain to let up a little more before I ran over to Innovations to meet up with Becca and the kids.



The rain hadn’t completely stopped but it was light enough for me to venture out from under the nice dry TT awning. Once I was finally at Innoventions I found Becca and the kids in line for the Waste Management exhibit. This was very hands on and there were enough tasks at each pavilion so each kid was able to be a part of the “job” we were asked to do.



After WM, Mason wanted to go on Sum of all Thrills but it was a 60 minute wait so we passed on that. Our next stop was the UL exhibit where the kids were able to take a shot at some of the destructive testing stations that were set up. Again this was a fun place and very kid friendly. Becca and I were able to sit and relax off to the side while the kids ran from station to station. Laney also took a few minutes to go to the exhibit next to UL where she made paper.
It was now about 1:15 and the rain had stopped so we walked over to Mission Space which claimed to be a 20 minute wait but was a complete walk on. I took all 3 kids on the ride which gave us a ship for just us. We went on the non-spinning side. I’ve done the spinning before there was an option but have chosen the non-spinning ever since they changed it around. From MS we walked next door to Test Track which posted a 50 minute standby time.



We had FP for later that evening but since we were here and the skies looked threatening we decided we’d jump in line. We waited only about 30 minutes before we were in our test vehicle. Our adrenaline junkies loved this ride, Laney rode the whole outside part with her hands in the air. After the ride our FP window was available again so we picked up another bunch of TT FP. (2:30 for 7:45).



Our stroller was still inside of Innoventions West staying dry so we picked it up and crossed over to Innoventions East to get our Disney Visa pictures with Mickey and the gang. The line was a little long so we gave the kids the option of waiting or moving on. They decided to move on. They moved on all the way to the next wall where they played on the Playstations that were set up. While we waited for the kids there was no line for the Segway ride. I convinced Becca to go on and she did pretty well on it.



From Becca’s Segway ride, which she enjoyed though not as much as I enjoyed my Fort Wilderness Segway Tour I did a couple of years ago. We left Innoventions and made our way to World Showcase walking through the rose garden. Once in World Showcase we turned left and continued on to Mexico. In Mexico we picked up a couple of churros and walked into the pavilion with plans of going on the boat ride. Mason was especially impressed with the interior of the pavilion. He told me that it was like we were inside our room. Cole also told us the reason he loves Epcot so much is because of all the food options.
From Mexico we walked over to Norway where the kids picked up there Kim Possible mission we registered for earlier.



After about 15 minutes into the mission we had made four stops and at this point Mason and Laney are getting bored with it. Cole, however, was really enjoying it so we split up, Becca stayed with Cole on his mission and I took the other two on Maelstrom. While we were in line Becca found us to tell us that Cole finished his Norway part of the mission and they were on to China. The wait for Maelstrom was only about 15 minutes. After Maelstrom I asked the kids if they wanted to watch the movie, Laney said yes but Mason said no. I overruled Mason and we stayed. I have never seen this show and always wanted to so we stayed for another 5 minutes in the air conditioning. After the movie Becca and Cole were waiting for us at the exit. She said they did a little more of the mission in China but decided they have had enough.
It was now 4:30 and the kids were getting hungry. We continued on past China, Germany and Italy before stopping in America to look at the menu there but decided against it. Our next stop was Japan where we picked up some sushi and rice from Matsu No Ma Lounge. We have never been in there before. The setting was great, a nice quiet, lounge type restaurant with a beautiful view of the world showcase. After our little snack we caught the end of the Japanese drummers and went down to Morocco where Becca picked up a little more dinner for herself, Mason and Delaney.



Cole and I left them at Morocco and went over to England where we picked up a couple of fish and chips for ourselves. After I got the food Cole was nowhere to be found so I went up to an open table next to the fish stand where I saw him sitting on a bench by the lagoon. He went looking for a seat for us. We decided to go with the tables instead of the bench. Our dinner was great and just as we were finishing Becca was walking up. As we were packing up to go Becca saw and old friend from high school at the table next to us. She briefly caught up before we continued our tour of the world showcase. On the way out of England I picked up a Bass Ale that I finished as we walked over to the Land pavilion to go on Soarin’.
It was now 6:30 and we were finally using our FP we picked up this morning. Becca sat this one out as she usually does and she struck up a conversation with a woman from India whose husband had been transferred to America for work. While Becca was waiting for us we waited in the 10 minute FP line, standby was posted at 90 minute. As we were being seated in the front (top) row I tried to take a picture of the kids sitting in their seats. A CM told me I wasn’t allowed to and she told me that the picture would look like they were in front of a wall. I put the camera away and after we enjoyed the ride I took a quick picture and contrary to her thoughts the picture turned out ok.



From Soarin’ we crossed future world to go on Test Track. Along the way we stopped in at Mousegear where we did a little shopping. We ended up getting a few things and losing a couple of kids during our time in there after bathroom confusion. After we made our purchases we finally got on TT, which could be even more fun at night, with our first set of FP. We decided to skip our second time on the ride and gave two of our FP to the woman and her son who we were talking with as we walked off the ride. We were now left with 3 FP tickets which took us a few minutes to actually get rid of. After asking a few families we finally saw a set of parents with their 5 year old daughter who were debating on riding in the single rider’s line because the standby line was around 90 minutes. They were very grateful for the FP. At this point we decided to skip Illuminations and make our way back to our van and go to Downtown Disney. On the way out we rode Spaceship Earth. Becca and I sat in the front of the car and the three kids sat behind us. I asked Laney if they would be alright to which she replied “Don’t worry about us!!” on our way out I was apparently videotaping a bit too much because Cole started mocking me for having to record so much. They’ll thank me later.
Once we were back in the car we started driving towards DD. I must have made a wrong turn somewhere because before I knew it we were on I-4. I took the first exit and after a few turns we were pulling into DD parking. I dropped off Becca, Mason and Delaney at World of Disney while Cole and I found a parking spot. It was pretty crowded and it took a while to find a spot. Once we were set Cole and I walked over to see how late the boat was launching until (11:30). We walked back towards WOD to meet up with the rest of the family, stopping at Once Upon a Toy and Team Disney along the way. Once we were finally in WOD we made a couple of laps with no luck looking for Becca. Eventually we decided to just camp out in the center and wait for her to find us, which she did about 5 minutes later. We swapped kids so that Cole could look around and the other two could get a break from the store. As soon as we walked outside Mason told me he had to go to the bathroom so I took them over and on our way back we stopped to watch the street performer. Mason and Laney were very entertained. While we were in the bathroom Becca must have walked out and looked for us because after about 5 minutes of watching the performance Becca came up to me and asked where I had gone to.
Now that we were all back together we walked over to the Lego store. Cole had wanted to go but after looking around for a few minutes decided that there wasn’t anything he wanted to get. After Lego we walked by Goofy’s candy store but didn’t pick anything up. Since it was so late we thought it would be a good idea for Becca and the kids to take the boat ride back to the resort, I don’t know if it really saved much time but it was a fun experience and this was the only time we would be able to take this shuttle. The Skipper told me that if I wanted to get back to DD and our van I should get off at the French Quarters stop and wait for the next boat going back to DD. I did and after waiting patiently as a few boats bypassed the boat dock my ride eventually showed up and I got back to DD around 11:15. On the way back I started getting a little hungry for a snack and had hopes of stopping at Goofy’s but it was closed by the time I got there. I walked over to the van and made my way back to the resort where all the kids were asleep by the time I got there and I was right behind them.

 

[banks37]

August 24, 2010

We wanted to leave for MK at 7:45 this morning. I woke u at 7:15 and Becca was up around 7:30 while the kids were still sleeping. Once I was ready to go I ran down to the food court to get some drinks for the day. When I got back to the room Laney and Mason were up and getting ready to head out. As we were about to walk out the door we woke up Cole got him dressed and were on the road at 8:00. We parked the van and then caught the yellow monorail into the park. We ended up walking through the gate at 8:30. We went right to Tomorrowland where I walked over to Space Mountain and picked up FP (8:45 for 10:45). I then met Becca at the Tomorrowland Speedway which posted a 10 minute wait, one of the shortest waits I’ve ever seen here.
After our lap on the Tomorrowland Speedway we walked over to Toontown which was not open until 10:00 today. We then walked back towards the heart of Tomorrowland where we picked up a strawberry smoothie at Auntie Gravity’s which was delicious. We all worked on the smoothie while we waited in line at Buzz Lightyear. We had to drink it fast since there was only a 5 minute wait for the ride. Cole was so excited after this ride because he beat my score. It was now 10:00 and we hadn’t had anything much to eat so we walked over to the Main Street Bakery where we picked up some breakfast snacks and grabbed a table in front of the Plaza restaurant overlooking the Castle to enjoy our food. We had a couple of cinnamon rolls, a blueberry muffin and a cheese croissant. The food was super good although Becca didn’t care for the cheese in the croissant, I liked it though. After breakfast and a quick bathroom break we made our way back into Tomorrowland.
Back in Tomorrowland we skipped by Laugh Floor because we just missed the show and went over to Astro Orbiter. As far as I can remember we’ve never been on this ride. The kids all enjoyed it and the timing was perfect.





Just as we were getting off the ride it stated to rain. It was now about 10:45 and our FP window was back open again so Becca took the kids over to the Laugh Floor while I ran over to Frontierland to get FP for Splash Mountain, when I got there, there was only a 10 minute wait and the FP were 10:45 for 11:30. BTMRR was the same times. Becca suggested that I take a poncho and I’m glad I did. On my walk over to Frontierland the skies opened up and my shorts and sneakers that weren’t covered by the poncho got pretty soaked. With the heat of the day I ended up drying out pretty quick. After I got the FP a train was approaching so I jumped on and took it over to the Toontown stop. As I was walking through Toontown the rain had now stopped and Goofy’s Barnstormer was a walk-on.
Back in Tomorrowland I waited at the Peoplemover for Becca and the kids. While I was waiting I noticed that Buzz only had a 15 wait at 11:15 with the FP return at 11:50. I waited about 5 minutes before Becca and the kids came over to join me. From the Peoplemover entrance we picked up the Buzz FP (11:40 for 12:15) and then walked over to Space Mountain where Mason, Laney and I went on. The cast member commented on how brave my little space pilot was. Mason sat in the front seat with Laney behind him and me behind her. This way I was able to reach over her seat to hold on to her shoulder. About halfway through the ride I asked her if she was alright, through all the laughing he answered yes and at the end of the ride she declared it “Super Awesome”. After the ride we met up with Becca and Cole in the gift shop and we browsed while we waited for another downpour to pass by. The showers let up enough for us to don the rain ponchos and head back out. We walked over to Stiches Great Escape. Becca and I didn’t really care for the ride but the kids did.



From Stitch we walked over toward Toontown passing the Mad Tea Party on the way. We asked Cole if he wanted to go on it to which he replied no and we moved on without giving the other kids the option because Becca and I were not going to go on that ride. As we continued on Becca took the kids through Mickey and Minnie’s house while I took another trip over to Frontierland where I picked up FP for BTMRR (12:50 for 1:30), the current wait time is only 15 minutes. On my walk back to Toontown, through Fantasyland some of the Standby times posted were, Pan – 55 minutes, Dumbo 15 minutes, Carousel – 5 minutes, Pooh – 40 minutes. I met back up with the kids and we walked back to Fantasyland and went on Dumbo which was now a 25 minute wait and then on to the carousel. I picked up Pooh FP and then we continued down to the Columbia Harbor House for a bite to eat. While I was getting the FP at Pooh someone had left 3 BTMRR FP on top of the FP distribution machine.
At CHH we picked up some clam chowder and a fish and chips to split. Cole asked for a taste of the clam chowder and somehow it ended up spilling all over our bag So I took it to the bathroom to clean it off. When I got back we finished our meal and walked over toward Splash Mountain but decided to go on BTMRR instead. On our way over to BTMRR I counted and saw that I had 29 fastpasses in my possession. I AM THE FP KING. We decided to do BTMRR, then watch the parade in front of Pecos Bill, hit Splash Mountain and then BTMRR again, this time without Becca, all with the FP I had.







That series of events took us from 2:30 to 4:00. After our mountain range expedition we met up with Becca outside of Pecos Bill and walked back to Fantasyland where we went on Snow White and the Pooh which took us to about 5:00. Not too bad considering we were held up in the middle of the Pooh ride for about 10 minutes. We wanted to get out of the park around 5 or 6 to head back to the hotel for some pool time. We stopped for a couple of cheeseburgers and chicken nugget meals at Cosmic Rays and watched the block party bash which was delayed slightly because of the rain this afternoon. We ate in the same place as our last meal here, and had the whole outside seating area to ourselves. After our meal we still had a couple more things we wanted to do after dinner.
We started the beginning of the end of our day at MK by walking through the castle, which we haven’t done in forever, and pointed out the tile mosaics to Delaney. From the castle we walked over to the Christmas store in Liberty Square, loosing Mason along the way, this happened a few times on this trip. After a few minutes he turned up. We took some pictures of the kids in front of the castle and then we walked over to “Dave’s Bench” and took a few pictures of the kids striking a relaxing pose. Dave’s bench is the stone bench/planter outside the entrance to Adventureland where a character Dave relaxes during a trip to MK in a WDW promotional video we always watch.



We continued into Adventureland and went on POC and JC, both of which were walk ons. The kids also made a couple of purchases at the POC gift shop. From POC we made our way out of the park stopping at the confectionary to use up some of our snack credits. Before we left the park we made one last round trip on the train. After our relaxing ride we left the park and hopped on the yellow monorail back to the TTC where we took the annual picture of the kids in front of mine and Becca’s brick we got during our honeymoon in 1997. The brick was looking pretty worn but it is 13 years old now.



Before we left we stopped by the Polynesian where we spent some time in the gift shops but didn’t buy anything. It was after 8:00 before we were finally in the car, 3 hours after we wanted to leave the park.
After a quick change back at our resort I walked with the kids over to the pool while Becca began to start packing. We ended up getting down to the pool around 9:00. The kids jumped right in and went crazy at the pool area for the next hour, swimming everywhere around, going down the slide countless times. I’m glad we were able to get in some more pool time for the kids today.



At one point we debated on going back to the Polynesian to catch Wishes but decided against it. I’m glad we did, the kids really needed, and enjoyed the pool time. The slide closed at 10:00 and we made our way back up to the room shortly after. Once in the room Mason told us he wanted to take a shower so we gladly threw him in so he wouldn’t need to take one tomorrow morning. The kids were in bed and asleep around 11:00 and then Becca and I took turns leaving the room to go down to Fulton’s. Becca picked up some souvenirs and a little something to eat. I browsed the general store and picked up some snacks to enjoy back in the room before we turned off the lights around midnight.

 

[banks37]

August 25, 2010

Everyone woke up around 8:00 today. We went down to have breakfast as a complete family this, our last morning at WDW. We picked up a couple of “Bounty” meals which consisted of french toast, eggs and sausage as well as all the drinks that came as part of the dining package. After breakfast Becca took Laney back up to the room for a tub and to continue working on packing our stuff. I stayed down at the food court with the boys. After Cole finished he walked over to the general store. Mason and I finished shortly after and went to meet him. We left without buying anything and then walked over to the swimming pool where I took some pictures and Mason took a bathroom break.





We made our way back to the room and I made what seemed like a hundred trips to the van to load it up for the drive home later today. It was very hot and very humid this morning. We ended up leaving the resort shortly after 10:00 on our way to Animal Kingdom.
We made it to the park pretty quickly and were ushered to our spot in a very crowded parking lot. We made it into the park and walked right over to Camp Minnie and Mickey where I split from the rest of the group to go get Kilimanjaro Safari FP (10:40 for 11:30). As I began to walk back towards Festival of the Lion King I noticed that I was missing a park ticket so I turned back to the FP machine. I didn’t see it so I asked a CM if they found one, she said she did and asked what name would be on the ticket, I told her and after a brief conversation about purchasing privileges on lost cards I was back on my way again. I made it into the show at 10:55, 5 minutes to spare. I sure paid the price for my hustle, I was dripping with sweat. I was very thankful for the misting fans that I cooled off in front of for a few seconds, at the entrance and inside the theatre the AC was pumping. The show was great as usual (another family favorite) and after the show we hustled (again) over to Dinoland to get in line for Nemo the Musical. I had a few minutes so I ran over to Expedition Everest and picked up FP (11:40 for 3:00). Once again I hustled back to Nemo and made it into the show just before they closed the doors. Once I got inside I looked at all the people and didn’t think I’d ever find Becca. It actually only took me about 30 seconds before I saw her tucked in the front right corner standing up looking for me. Becca told me that they saw the seats from the top and walked down to them. Everyone loved the show again, Becca and I really enjoyed the AC. We debated in going on Dinosaur but the 45 minute wait was a little too much. So we grabbed the stroller and made our way out of Dinoland.
From Dinoland we crossed over and went into It’s Tough to be a Bug. Laney wasn’t sure but we convinced her to go with us by offering up my lap so she wouldn’t be as scared. After Bug we went to Pizzafari stopping at the pin station where Mason ended purchasing a Stitch pin and a new lanyard because his first lanyard was getting full. Once we were at the restaurant I found a table with the kids while Becca waited in the incredibly long line for our food. Lunch was pretty good, good enough where we had to get some seconds for the kids to share. After lunch we made our way back to Harambe and finally used our Kilimanjaro Safari FP I got early this morning. Our KS experience was excellent. Our driver, whose name was Emily (I think) was very funny. The ride had a Jungle Cruise feel to it with all the jokes and comments she was adding in during the ride. After KS it was 2:00 so we made our way over to Expedition Everest. We stopped at the drums that they have set up outside the village where the kids tried their hands at a drum circle.



Continuing down Mason and I split off from the rest of the group after a quick bathroom break. Laney had wanted to go on EE and while she is tall enough Becca and I decided against it. We arrived at EE at 3:00 and there was only a 20 minute wait posted. With our FP we were on in about 3 minutes. I have never been through the regular queue for this ride and I suppose I would like to at some point but with my kids being the age they are if I don’t have to make them stand in a line I won’t for their sake, mine and the guests around us. Although they did pretty well on TT so maybe next trip. Needless to say Mason and I both enjoyed the ride.



From EE we went back to meet up with Becca and the kids near the bathrooms where we left them. On the way back we stopped to watch the orangutans While we were gone Becca and the kids picked up a frozen lemonade which Mason and I helped them to finish. It was now 3:20 so we made our way towards the entrance to get a spot for the parade. We made it to Discovery Island where we staked out our spot along the rope in front of Disney Outfitters.



This gave us a nice easy exit from the park once the parade was over. During the walk over it got a little dark and the breeze picked up slightly. We knew what this meant so we put on our ponchos and continued on through a little rain shower that popped up. While we were waiting the 20 minutes for the parade to start we all did a little bit of shopping. I ended up getting a baseball hat I’ve wanted to get all trip and Mason bought a Mickey dragon medallion to go on his dragon lanyard he bought. Once the parade started we all waived to all the characters and then joined the masses that were leaving the park after the parade just like us.



On the way out I checked some old park tickets that I thought had no days on them at guest services before we left our last Disney park for this trip. (I was correct they were fully used up ).



Cole wasn’t happy about AK this year because there weren’t enough “rides”. We agreed with him and gave him the option as to which hotel he wanted us to go visit before we hit the road, AKL, Polynesian or WL. He chose AKL. We made the quick drive over to AKL, walked through the lobby and grabbed some lounge chairs under an umbrella where we took in the atmosphere a little before we walked over to look at some of the savannahs. Cole really liked this hotel and said he wanted to stay here sometime, we told he has but since he was only 2 he probably wouldn’t remember. We ended up leaving around 6:30 but we were still not done with the property yet, we had one more counter service and tons of snack credits left on our dining plan.
We had planned eating before we hit the road, of course we thought this meal would take place around 5:00, not 7:00, which is the time we ended up getting our sandwiches from Earl. We were able to get a seat outside. We were also able to turn one of our several dinner credits that we still had into 3 snack credits and get some cookies for the road.



After filling up at Earls we went over to Goofy’s but not before the kids played in the fountain outside of Earls for a little bit despite being told to stay out of the water. At Goofy’s we tried to exchange some of our dinner credits for snacks here but we were told that they were unable to do this because they are not a full service diner and are only set up to process the snack credits. We ended up picking up a few things on our snack credits that we had left.
On our way out of DD we stopped off at Earls and picked up a few more cookies. We still had a few more dinner credits left so we hopped back in the truck and made our way to POR where Becca used the rest of our snack credits toward some more cookies. These were packaged and the tag said that they would still be good a little longer than the Earl’s cookies. By the time we were on the road it was 8:30, about 2 hours later than we wanted to. We finally arrived at Jeckyll Island on Georgia’s Atlantic coast at midnight, the kids had fallen asleep about 2 hours ago. The approach to the island was beautiful with palm trees lining the road and a wooden sign welcoming you to Georgia’s Jewel. We were greeted at the toll gate by a pleasant attendant with some island information for us. After paying the $5 toll to get onto the island we made our way to our hotel which was very easy to find. We stayed at Days Inn right on the beach. It was too dark to see anything but the sounds of the waves coming up on shore was wonderful to hear. When we got in the room Becca said that it smelled horrible, I didn’t think it was too bad and just about what I expected for the price we paid for a beach front hotel. There were ‘nicer’ options that we looked into while booking this hotel but we opted for the more affordable choice since we would only be on the island for about 12 hours. I brought in some stuff from the truck to our room and everyone was in bed and back asleep after our very long day around 12:30.

 

[goofy's_gurl]

I guess I will have to go with you sometimes, since you seem to always have FPs! It really looks like you guys had a great time. And sadly when you have a set time to leave it never seems to leave on time. lol

 

[banks37]

August 26, 2010

We were all up around 8:00 this morning and we made our way outside for a morning walk on the beach. While the hotel we were in may not have been the greatest, the location surely was. Our room door was about 500 feet from the shore line. The whole family took the short walk down the boardwalk between a couple of small dunes and onto the beach.



It was already pretty hot outside and even this early the humidity was considerable but that only made the waters of the Atlantic Ocean feel that much more refreshing and wonderful this morning. The sky was overcast with what looked to be some pretty good rain clouds well to the east. The waves were on the smaller side, just big enough for our kids to splash around in. In the distance the ocean was scattered with fishing boats and ocean freighters making their way up and down the coast.



After around a half hour we took the short walk back to our room where we got dressed in our swim gear and made our way to the breakfast buffet. The buffet was alright with a wide variety of food, everyone found something they liked. The dining room was very nice, it was located on the second floor and had a slight “retro” feel to it. Half of the room was all windows that overlooked the ocean. After breakfast I got changed into my suit and we all went down to the beach. We weren’t there for maybe 10 minutes before they all started asking to go to the pool.





After a half hour they finally made their way into the pool. Becca took them to the pool while I stayed in the ocean for another 15 minutes.
When I finally joined everyone at the pool the kids were playing with a boy they met.



While the kids were in the pool Becca was in the hot tub. Once I came to the pool Becca went back to the room where she showered and finished our packing. Back at the pool the kids called me over to the hot tub where they found a dead crab at the bottom of it. We all thought it was pretty funny the Becca was in there with the dead crab. We fished the crab out and the kid’s friend brought over a dead crab he found earlier.



After about 15 minutes both crabs were covered in ants, gross. Once Becca was showered and everything organized we switched jobs, she stayed with the kids while I loaded up the car. I don’t know if I have ever sweated as much as I did while I was loading the car. I had to leave the car running with the AC on just so every couple of minutes I could come in, wipe the sweat from my brow and try and cool down.
We got the kids out of the pool around noon, changed them and finally headed out. It was about an hour or so later than we wanted to leave but they were having so much fun we decided to let them stay in the pool and we would skip our planned drive through visit of Savannah. We drove around the island a little and stopped at a park and walked out on a fishing pier. We talked with a local fisherman who was building a crab trap which consisted of a series of loops made from fishing line. The kids loved that.





After our incredibly hot and muggy visit to the park and fishing dock we left the island and stopped off at Spanky’s, a local restaurant specializing in local fish. The food was pretty good, I went with something fried and kinda wish I tried something more of a house specialty and not something I can get at Red Lobster. Becca had the tuna and said it was good.
We were back on the road with Becca driving around 2:30, on our way to Asheville, North Carolina. Our GPs told us that we were scheduled to arrive at out hotel at around 8:00. We stopped for gas at around 4:00 where I took over the driving duties. We stopped for gas one more time just outside our hotel in Asheville at around 8:30 and arrived at our Holiday Inn Express at 9:00. We had each kid jump in the shower and finally got them to bed around 10:00. After they were asleep I tried to find my ITouch but after searching through all our luggage and in the car I wasn’t able to find it. We decided that it could be in the garbage can at the last gas station we stopped at so off I went. After searching through the garbage can at the gas station it was still nowhere to be found so I searched the car again with a little better light and sure enough there it was. I was so mad. I drove back to the room told Becca the good news showered and at around 11:00 headed back out to top off the tank and get some fast food. I ended up passing out around 1:00.

 

[appleorchard]

Wow, what a great trip! You guys really managed to fit in a lot! I cracked up about the kids being at the ocean 10 minutes before wanting to go to the pool--exactly what my grandchildren did at South Padre in Florida. We should have skipped the high-priced beach front property and stayed at the local Holiday Inn instead!

 

[banks37]

August 27, 2010

The kids ended up waking up around 7:30 today. Lucky me. We let them watch a little TV while we tried to wake up but there must be something about these hotel rooms because these kids just go crazy. We headed down for breakfast at around 9:00 and after your standard Holiday Inn Express breakfast we got changed and went swimming in their outdoor swimming pool. The kids swam for about an hour in their pool which was pretty nice and warm.



Once Becca came down we got changed and hit the road. We drove about 45 minutes or so to Chimney Rock State Park. The park was a great pit stop. We started off going on a the Great Woodland Adventure Trail which was an easy trail and took us about a half hour. The trail is designed for the whole family and has a few areas for climbing and playing around on some small rocks.



From that trail we got back in the van and drove up to the base of the gift shop which also had an elevator that took you up the THE Chimney Rock. We were at an elevation of 2,280 feet, 24 hours earlier we drove by a sign on Jeckyll Island that read 2 feet. The view from Chimney Rock was amazing and a little scary when you look at the iron fence around the plateau and realize that if that goes you’re in trouble.









Being next to the edge of the rock was a little too much for Becca so she took herself and Laney to the center of the rock. After some pictures Cole and I took the Skyline trail that took us up another 150 feet. It was now the heat of the day and the humidity was up there so the walk wasn’t an easy on but we made it.



When we walked back down Becca and the kids were having a snack in the gift shop.
It was now about 1:30 and we embarked on one last hike on the Hickory Nut Falls Trail. It took about 30 minutes to get to the end destination which is the Hickory Nut Falls which drops its water about 400 feet. The falls is accessible so we walked down to the base of the falls where we walked around in the mist and the water that trickles down the face of the mountain and waded into the pond at the base of the falls. The kids loved it and were pretty wet once we finally left the falls.



As we were walking back I ran ahead to pick up the car and meet them about half way so they all wouldn’t have to walk up some of the stair towers they had to get from the trail up to the car. We ended up leaving Chimney Rock around 3:00 and were on our way to our next destination. We were on our way to Gem Mountain gem mining attraction in Spruce Hill. The trip took about an hour through the windeyest roads I’ve ever been on. I’m really surprised someone in the back didn’t get sick.
The rough trip was worth it because the kids had a blast there. We arrived around 4:00 to a single story residential type building where we went inside and bought a 5 gallon bucket of unfinished, mined gems. We took the bucket outside where there was a trough with a constant flow of water running through it. You grab a handful of stones, put them in the pan screen and start sifting through the stones. The water removes the small stuff and you pick through what’s left over. After you pull out what you want you dump your extras on the other side of the trough and start over. The kids all had a really good time. The owners were also really nice.



There weren’t many people when we were there so they spent some time with us helping us sift through what we had and pointing out what was good and worth keeping and what was basically junk. We ended up with some pretty good stones. We left a rather large amethyst and a good sized emerald with them to cut and polish into a finished stone. We ended up getting them in the mail about two months later and they turned out really nice.
We ended up leaving around 5:00 and went right down the road to Sheppard’s Table for dinner. It was a small local diner that served some great food. After our meal we jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway which was just down the road from the restaurant and continued on to our next hotel in Summersville, West Virginia. We ended up taking the Blue Ridge Parkway north for about an hour. The views along the parkway were spectacular and there were plenty of places to pull over for pictures or even a picnic lunch. Overall our time spent in North Carolina was amazing and we’re glad we took the time to see the things we did on the way home. We got to our Hampton Inn, which was not nearly as nice as the Holiday Inn Express last night, around 11:00. We put the kids to bed and we followed right behind them.

August 28, 2010

The kids were up around 8:00 or so and we followed the same procedures as yesterday. Down to the lobby for the complimentary breakfast, up to the room to change into our suits and then down to the pool. Unlike the pool at HIE this one was not heated. That combined with a not oppressively hot morning made the swim a little chilly but I manned up and went in with the kids because they asked. We checked out around 11:00 and made our way up to Pittsburgh with plans on visiting their zoo. We took interstate 376 into the city taking us through Fort Pitt Tunnel. Except for their airport once, I have never been to Pittsburgh before. Entering the city through the tunnel was incredible. I didn’t see the city as I entered into the tunnel and when you come out, bam you are in the heart of the city, really amazing. We navigated our way to the zoo and got there around 3:30. Thanks to our membership with the Buffalo Zoo our entrance fee was covered. We spent about 2 hours at the zoo before heading home. The kids seemed to enjoy it and we talked about taking a long weekend here next summer and catching a baseball game, we’ll see. We made our way out of the city and after an uneventful ride the rest of the way we made it home safe and sound around 10:00. Wow, what a trip, now I need a vacation.