WEDNESDAY
The kids and I met my mom and dad in Orlando last week. We had a great time!
We were lucky that the weather allowed us to fly, as the airports closed later during the Noreaster storm that dumped 18+ inches in one day.
We arrived in Orlando at 7:30 pm, picked up our groceries at Walmart Pick up at 9 pm, and got into our "Villa4less" townhome at Emerald Island Resort by 10 pm.
We were very pleased with the townhome. It was very roomy and comfortable.
Timmy says "it smelled like the sea." Aaron enjoyed the tennis courts out back, and Cora loved the kids toys in the kids' room.
THURSDAY
The next morning we woke up early and went to Epcot at Disney World.
We did a character breakfast first, so that we could get into the park early and enjoy breakfast. This was also nice since we could eat after the stress of getting into the park. We were full for most of the day from the meal too. We met Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.
We rode Soarin, the new Frozen Ever After, and Test Track.
We then rode Mission: Space (which made some of our party a bit motion sick for days actually), and Spaceship Earth (the big globe that Epcot is known for)
We then bid farewell to Epcot, walking a bit of the World Showcase to the ferry and headed to HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS.
At Hollywood Studios we watched a lot of shows.
We watched The March of the First Order, rode Star Tours, watched Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, rode the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster, watched Fantasmic, and Star Wars: A Gallactic Spectacular. Aaron and I also rode the Tower of Terror (which Aaron said was his favorite of the entire trip) while the others watched Movie Magic.
To top off a long day, we took the ferry back to Epcot at closing, and walked the entire World Showcase on the way back to the car. The cool thing about this was that we could see the Spaceship Earth globe all lit up, as well as the character topiaries and countries all lit up at night.
It was a lot of walking, but it was a beautiful day!
FRIDAY
We slept off the exhaustion from traveling and Disney World and visited Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in the afternoon and evening. What a place!
They have these dramatic presentations about space travel and exploration that are really fun to watch. We took the bus tour and watched where the space launches took place historically and where they take place now.
The park closed before we could see the IMAX and the Mars Exploration Areas, but we hung around the campus playing at the kids playplace and looking at the outdoor exhibits.
SATURDAY
We enjoyed another morning to sleep late and visited BLIZZARD BEACH at Disney.
This was an inexpensive add-on "Option" to our Park-to-park passes. We weren't sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it very much.
The park was made to look like ski slopes. There was even a chairlift up to the peak.
We tried every pool and slide. Our favorite was the Teamboat Springs, a rafting ride we could all ride together. The Cross-country Creek (tubing ride) was also a favorite. Aaron was proud that he rode the Summit Plummet, a near-vertical drop on a freefall body slide, and the Slush Gusher, another high speed body slide.
SUNDAY
We enjoyed attending sacrament meeting in Kissimmee and visiting and having lunch with Mom and Dad's neighbors from St. George who live there.
Then, we took a quick stop to see the Orlando temple, attended 2nd and 3rd hour church at mom's cousin David's ward and had a delicious dinner at his home. So fun to get to know these great families, and enjoy a restful Sabbath day!
(except for the tolls that confused us....do we have a SunPass?
If we don't have coins, do we drive through that lane anyway?)
MONDAY
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
The Knight Bus
Diagon Alley
Escape from Gringotts
Good thing we took a second pass around Diagon Alley. We found the Nocturn Alley (too dark to photograph) with lots of cool spells to cast on the windows and doors. Plus, we got to see Cora's favorite part of Universal again - the fire breathing dragon atop Gringotts!
The Hogwarts Express and seeing both sides of the Harry Potter Attractions were definitely worth the Park Hopper Pass. You can even run through Platform 9 3/4.
In the ride to Hogsmeade you can see characters and views out the window and characters shadowing the door, including a Dementor.
The cars look exactly like the movie
Harry Potter with his scar on the chin instead of the forehead.
Portraits of the kids in the Greenhouse.
Flight of the Hippogriff with Hogwarts Castle in the background.
Nothing could hold a candle to the Harry Potter area, but we had a lot of fun as well after that at the The race through New York with Jimmy Fallon, Shrek 4D, Fievel's Playland (had a raft waterslide in it!), Curious George Goes to Town (ball shooters and water fun), Woody Woodpecker's Roller Coaster, ET ride, and Suess Landing.
Aaron really wanted to do some roller coasters at the end, so while the others were at Suess Landing, we rode the Revenge of the Mummy, Dr. Dooms Fearfall, and The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. He really wanted to do the Rip Ride Rocket or the Hulk Coaster, but since he was 2 inches too short, he had to settle for the others.
Aaron says "I literally cried when they wouldn't let me on those rides." Maybe in a few years buddy.
The nighttime fireworks at Hogwarts Castle and a 2nd ride back on the Hogwarts Express was a great way to end the evening.
TUESDAY
We swam in the pool at the Villa, packed up, played 1/2 a game of Disney's Fantasia mini-golf near the Disney Swan Hotel, and headed to the airport!
We felt very fulfilled to have a great week with Grandma and Grandpa Parker and that all our flights worked out regardless of the Nor Easter Storms on the east coast.
MEANWHILE.........at HOME:
Ollie had a great time playing with Macha
And Scott and his Dad were working up a storm on the basement getting pipes ready, moving pipes, framing walls and closets and the ceiling.....it looks so great!! When it's all done, it's going to be awesome!
Also, Scott spent many days battling the squirrel in our attic, that is still there, incidentally.
I'll let him document those adventures.
2 comments:
Oh my goodness gracious! I cannot believe how much you packed into your Orlando visit!! I'm still bummed we didn't get to hang out or have you staying here with us. You guys were so busy! You really saw the best of everything though. So much fun! Good luck with the squirrel. Ha ha!
I know! I wish we could have seen you! We had such a great time, and enjoyed it very much. Glad you approved the itinerary. We worried so much about it, but it really did turn out great. Your walmart grocery tip was SO helpful!
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