Month: July 2009

Today we headed back to brunch at the Magic Kingdom, this time in the Crystal Palace.  Rather than royalty this time, though, we dined with old furry friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.

Having only seen half the park on our first day, we made sure to see the rest today.  We ventured off the take the Jungle Cruise, fly on Magic Carpets, stop by the Tiki Room and take a trip on the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Carribean – what a morning!  After a return to the hotel, a swim and a nap, we headed back to repeat some of our favourites.  As you can see, this ride (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Command) is a hit with everyone:)

As it was our last day in the Magic Kingdom, we also did a bit of shopping and posed for the obligatory “Ear hat” photo…much cheaper than buying us each one:):):)  Tomorrow, we head back to Epcot for the morning and then we venture into “Downtown Disney” and dine at the Rainforest Cafe.

Following our yummy breakfast with Disney Royalty, we headed to ride the Maelstorm, Norway’s ride at Epcot.  Partway through the ride, something broke down.  The boat stopped, and an announcer said that “We are experiencing technical difficulties.  A crew member will be with you shortly.”  This same announcement repeated for about 15 minutes, and nothing happened.  The group behind us were twittering furiously all this time, making Jamie very jealous as he is iPhone-free this week.  Then someone different announced that the water was about to stop.  It did, and drained away to reveal platforms.  Finally, after about 20-25 minutes, the lights came on and crew members appeared to escort us out through the back exits.  No one was hurt – we passed the repair crew in our escape.  We were given Fast Passes to other rides to compensate us for the time lost, and the kids got a behind the scenes tour of one of the rides – quite an adventure!

We then headed off to get our passes for Soarin’, and headed over to ride the Nemo ride and watch Turtle Talk with Crush.  We met Figment and had fun in the Kodak Imagination Lab – Mara and Cameron even got to try flying over Disney World!  Soarin’ was such fun that we made a return trip in the evening!  And, of course, the light and laser show “Illuminations” was extraordinary!!!  We enjoyed our tour around the world today, though it was a bit rushed.  We may try to get back here, as both kids had a great time.

We arrived at Epcot, fearing yesterday’s crowds and heat. The heat was there, but the crowds were not as thick – hooray!  We began our day at Epcot dining with the Princesses at Akershus in Norway.  Cameron enjoyed this every bit as much as Mara did!!!

Upon our return from the Animal Kingdom, we headed straight for the pool and a refreshing swim.  Then we boarded a boat and journeyed to dine with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald at Chef Mickey’s.  The food was OK, but the company more than made up for it.  Tomorrow, we’re off to Epcot!

Well, today dawned sunny and lovely.  We headed off to Animal Kingdom on the bus, enjoying the air conditioning!  The day heated up quickly though – easily our hottest day here so far!  We were very grateful to have the stroller, as it made travel less “whiny” for everyone:)  We got to play with dinosaurs, ride dinosaurs, and evn take in the new “Dino-Saur” ride – not a success!  Both Cameron and Mara were terrified, and if we could post the souvenir photo (they have a machine that snaps them as you ride) of Jamie and I shielding our kids from the noises, bumps, and sudden “thrills” of the ride, we would.  Fortunately, the kids recovered quickly.  Ice cream on a hot day can do that:)  We headed off to watch the Finding Nemo Musical (Amazing!) and then later in the day enjoyed the Lion King Celebration (Also Awesome!)

After catching up on some rest back at the hotel, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for more fun and excitement.  We watched the Spectromagic Parade and the Wishes Fireworks show – both spectacular!  And, because the kids (and Daddy!) had such good naps, we got to play at the Magic Kingdom long past our bedtimes.  What fun!

Our first full day at the Magic Kingdom began with a breakfast feast as guests of Cinderella’s Royal Table in Cinderella’s Castle.  The kids got to meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle.  Mara got a magic wand to take away, and Cameron got a knight’s sword – which he proudly showed to anyone who asked throughout the rest of the morning.  With full tummies and armed with sunscreen and hats (1st really sunny day here), we ventured into Fantasyland.  We rode “Dumbo the Flying Elephant”, “Peter Pan’s Flight”, “It’s a Small World”, “Cinderella’s Golden Carousel”, and “Winnie the Pooh’s Adventures”.  We also watched a very cool 3-D film called “Mickey’s PhilharMagic”.  Due to tummies recently filled with ice cream and cherry slushies, we opted out of the “Mad Tea Party” (swirling tea cups) and headed for the “Tomorrowland Indy Speedway”.  Here, Cameron got to steer the racecar while Diana pushed the gas pedal down – and if this is a sign of what may be coming in 12 years, teaching him to drive will be no small task!  But it was a lot of fun and no one got hurt:):)  Completely spent, and all sweaty too, we decided to head back to the hotel for a rest and a swim.  The thunderstorm began as we boarded the boat for our hotel – good timing!  Now, Jamie, Mara and Cameron are all sleeping soundly in the lovely air-conditioning.  The thunder and lightning have stopped and we will head back to the Magic Kingdom for dinner and some more fun, and hopefully the Spectromagic Parade too:)

Once rested (and cooled off!), we took the direct route back to Hollywood Studios. We dined at Mama Melrose’s Italian restaurant – very yummy! – and had time to take in a few more rides before Fantasmic.  Due to Cameron’s rather odd phobia of the Muppets, Mara and Jamie went to see “Muppets Vision 3-D” and came out all smiles.  Diana and Cameron hung out in the adjacent toy store:)  Then, as long last, we headed for “Toy Story Mania”.  We all had piles of fun on this ride, and it was clearly the highlight of the day for Cameron.  On our way to Fantasmic, we opted to check out “The Great Movie Ride”.  Jamie asked one of the attendants if she thought we’d have time to do the ride and still get to the light show.  She proceeded to escort us through a back door and lead us right to the front of the line!  Wow!  It really pays to be polite and ask a few questions in this place:)  The ride was fun, and the “awe-inspiring spectacle of fire, water, music and light” that they call Fantasmic was truly breathtaking.  What an amazing way to end our first full day here!

Today, we began our adventures at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  We took the scenic route there (because Diana thought she knew how to get there without seeking professional advice!) and enjoyed a morning filled with fun and games.  We saw “Playhouse Disney – LIVE!” and “Voyage of the Little Mermaid”.  We rode on “Star Tours” – a Star Wars flight simulator ride where you are in a “starspeeder” blasting through space. This ride was a big hit with Cameron and Jamie:)  The kids played in a giant playground designed to look like the set of “Honey I Shrunk The Kids”.  Exhausted, we got our fast passes for “Toy Story Mania” and headed back to the hotel to rest up for an evening at the park and the “Fantasmic” show.

We arrived and headed straight for the pool – it was lovely!  Then, after a bite to eat, we headed to the Magic Kingdom to get the lay of the land.  We bravely tried out a few rides, despite the travel fatigue factor.  Our first try was a small disaster – “Stitch’s Great Escape” terrified both Mara and Cameron.  Oops!  Fortunately, we made up for it with our second attempt: “Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor”.  This was an interactive Comedy Night hosted by Mike Wosowski, and Cameron even got chosen to play a starring role and participate in a joke with one of the comedians!  It was lots of fun:)  We ended the night with some photos of the pink castle on our way back to the hotel.  We’ll stay late and watch the parade another day.