coastgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2006
- Messages
- 2,552
I decided to see this morning if I had even done any trip reports for our previous trips. ( For our first couple of trips to Disney, I used to post mostly on a different forum.) I did find an incomplete TR for our first trip to Universal in 2011. I really loved reading it this morning, and it made me more determined to keep good track this time. So many details I had forgotten—some that made me smile, and some that made me update my to-do list!
Interesting that I only posted about our first day at Seaworld, we went back a couple of times after that and enjoyed it even more when it was less crowded. Atlantis became our favourite ride of the trip. (Ok, ds and I liked FJ more, but dd was scared by it and dh was nauseated, so on overall points, Atlantis wins.)
We did move to Floridays for our last few days, and while it was fine, after having a house for 10 days, it felt small and dark. (Not a huge fan of the dark wood/heavy furniture thing, much prefer lots of light and bright colours.)
The only other major thing that wasn’t covered was our trip to see the space shuttle launch. We have tried before to see it, have been on the causeway at Cape Canaveral when we hear the cancellation on the radio, and we should have seen it from the deck of the Disney cruise 6 years ago. In total we had it cancelled out from under us at least 4 times during various trips to Fl. At home in Canada I got into the habit of watching the live launches on TV with the kids, and I learned that they cancelled dates more often than not, often painfully close to the launch.
Of course the program has since ended, and we knew this trip was going to be our last chance. I am a space freak, get all dewy-eyed at KSC, did the full-day “Astronaut Training Experience” back in 2007, followed Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield when he was on the International Space Station this winter/spring…well, I REALLY wanted to see the shuttle. It was set to launch on our last full day in Fl, Feb 24th 2011, and I knew if it was cancelled I’d never see it. The scheduled launch was the last flight of Shuttle Discovery.
This time we had a well-researched plan, and we went down early in the day and got a decent spot at a state park across the water from the launch site. (I think it was Jetty Park.) We were there hours ahead of time, brought a picnic and water, and lined up to use the loo while we waited—the place reached capacity well before the launch. It was hot, and we were captive in a way (captive to Mom’s obsession).
We found a radio broadcast from an amateur station that was running a NASA feed, with some commentary on top. As the time approached, there was A Problem. I don’t recall what—some status light was showing something it shouldn’t have. We listened to the feed as they tried to track it down. I was beside myself, and becoming resigned to missing this bit of history. DS, 10 then, was particularly unhappy, as I was insisting he continue to sit there (about 4 hours at that point IIRC), and we were probably going to be disappointed.
Then we had a Star Trek moment. Anyone else remember the original series where it would always come down to the final seconds before disaster and Scotty would pull it out? We were updated throughout “they have 30 minutes to correct the alarm”. “They have 16 minutes before they’ll have to abort the launch.” Etc. Etc. We were in the last minute, I swear, before they were going to abort the launch, and they fixed whatever it was.
Short of being at KSC (and we don’t have a congressman who could get us in—an MP doesn’t carry the same weight at NASA), we had a top-notch viewpoint, but I have to admit, the shuttle was far away and small when it rose up, and it was into the cloud cover in less than 30 seconds. It was a little disappointing! But it didn’t take us long to realize that we had witnessed history, and that there weren’t many more opportunities to view this particular piece of history. One of the most unexpected and cool parts was that, even at the distance we were, we felt rather than heard ignition. It rumbled through the ground like an earthquake.
I still talk about it, and how cool it was to be there.
After we left, it took us more than three hours to crawl home from Cape Canaveral. (The drive should take about an hour.) It was painful, but we laughed at the many Canadian license plates we saw creeping along with us, and I even spotted someone I knew in another car. I swear all my neighbours really were there that same week.
Coming home that trip was the only time we’ve hit really bad weather driving back to Nova Scotia after flying in to New Hampshire. We hit a snow storm, and I was amazed at the lack of road clearing on the interstate in Maine. We took the shorter route (the “Airline”) because the interstate was a mess anyway, and it was the nail-biting-est drive we’ve done.
All in all it was a great trip, so much so that we are pretty much planning a do-over this trip. Two weeks in a home with our own pool, and flexpasses for lots of time at Universal parks and Seaworld parks. No shuttle this time though!
I will see if I can post some of my favourite pics from that trip, just to tie up this TR.
Working backwards--here you see the boredom and resentment from my beloveds as I MAKE THEM wait to see FRICKIN' HISTORY, you people! You'll THANK me later!
The fireball and shuttle
Beautiful manatees at SeaWorld.
My two with my friend's daughters in the pool at the villa with "Shamwow".
My birthday princess at the BBB
Breakfast with an old friend at 'Ohana
Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks
Durmstrang/Beaux Batons show
Hogsmeade by evening light
The boy with his brand new wand
More Hogsmeade...this is one of my very favourite pics from this trip and it was my wallpaper for a long time.
And one last one from the freezing cold orange grove, chickens optional.
Interesting that I only posted about our first day at Seaworld, we went back a couple of times after that and enjoyed it even more when it was less crowded. Atlantis became our favourite ride of the trip. (Ok, ds and I liked FJ more, but dd was scared by it and dh was nauseated, so on overall points, Atlantis wins.)
We did move to Floridays for our last few days, and while it was fine, after having a house for 10 days, it felt small and dark. (Not a huge fan of the dark wood/heavy furniture thing, much prefer lots of light and bright colours.)
The only other major thing that wasn’t covered was our trip to see the space shuttle launch. We have tried before to see it, have been on the causeway at Cape Canaveral when we hear the cancellation on the radio, and we should have seen it from the deck of the Disney cruise 6 years ago. In total we had it cancelled out from under us at least 4 times during various trips to Fl. At home in Canada I got into the habit of watching the live launches on TV with the kids, and I learned that they cancelled dates more often than not, often painfully close to the launch.
Of course the program has since ended, and we knew this trip was going to be our last chance. I am a space freak, get all dewy-eyed at KSC, did the full-day “Astronaut Training Experience” back in 2007, followed Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield when he was on the International Space Station this winter/spring…well, I REALLY wanted to see the shuttle. It was set to launch on our last full day in Fl, Feb 24th 2011, and I knew if it was cancelled I’d never see it. The scheduled launch was the last flight of Shuttle Discovery.
This time we had a well-researched plan, and we went down early in the day and got a decent spot at a state park across the water from the launch site. (I think it was Jetty Park.) We were there hours ahead of time, brought a picnic and water, and lined up to use the loo while we waited—the place reached capacity well before the launch. It was hot, and we were captive in a way (captive to Mom’s obsession).
We found a radio broadcast from an amateur station that was running a NASA feed, with some commentary on top. As the time approached, there was A Problem. I don’t recall what—some status light was showing something it shouldn’t have. We listened to the feed as they tried to track it down. I was beside myself, and becoming resigned to missing this bit of history. DS, 10 then, was particularly unhappy, as I was insisting he continue to sit there (about 4 hours at that point IIRC), and we were probably going to be disappointed.
Then we had a Star Trek moment. Anyone else remember the original series where it would always come down to the final seconds before disaster and Scotty would pull it out? We were updated throughout “they have 30 minutes to correct the alarm”. “They have 16 minutes before they’ll have to abort the launch.” Etc. Etc. We were in the last minute, I swear, before they were going to abort the launch, and they fixed whatever it was.
Short of being at KSC (and we don’t have a congressman who could get us in—an MP doesn’t carry the same weight at NASA), we had a top-notch viewpoint, but I have to admit, the shuttle was far away and small when it rose up, and it was into the cloud cover in less than 30 seconds. It was a little disappointing! But it didn’t take us long to realize that we had witnessed history, and that there weren’t many more opportunities to view this particular piece of history. One of the most unexpected and cool parts was that, even at the distance we were, we felt rather than heard ignition. It rumbled through the ground like an earthquake.
I still talk about it, and how cool it was to be there.
After we left, it took us more than three hours to crawl home from Cape Canaveral. (The drive should take about an hour.) It was painful, but we laughed at the many Canadian license plates we saw creeping along with us, and I even spotted someone I knew in another car. I swear all my neighbours really were there that same week.
Coming home that trip was the only time we’ve hit really bad weather driving back to Nova Scotia after flying in to New Hampshire. We hit a snow storm, and I was amazed at the lack of road clearing on the interstate in Maine. We took the shorter route (the “Airline”) because the interstate was a mess anyway, and it was the nail-biting-est drive we’ve done.
All in all it was a great trip, so much so that we are pretty much planning a do-over this trip. Two weeks in a home with our own pool, and flexpasses for lots of time at Universal parks and Seaworld parks. No shuttle this time though!
I will see if I can post some of my favourite pics from that trip, just to tie up this TR.
Working backwards--here you see the boredom and resentment from my beloveds as I MAKE THEM wait to see FRICKIN' HISTORY, you people! You'll THANK me later!
The fireball and shuttle
Beautiful manatees at SeaWorld.
My two with my friend's daughters in the pool at the villa with "Shamwow".
My birthday princess at the BBB
Breakfast with an old friend at 'Ohana
Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks
Durmstrang/Beaux Batons show
Hogsmeade by evening light
The boy with his brand new wand
More Hogsmeade...this is one of my very favourite pics from this trip and it was my wallpaper for a long time.
And one last one from the freezing cold orange grove, chickens optional.
