Well, our vacation of 2010 is now over and I’m happy, but yet sad at the same time.   Happy because even with the kids fighting from time to time we did end up having a fun time with no mishaps  like years prior.  (ER visits & returning dinged up van’s.. all different vacations)

Disney was fun, but I do have to say that the magical spark was out of our kids eyes this year which was a bummer for Paul and I.  Last year when we went all the characters were real.. this year they told us it’s just a person in a costume.  Since we met most of them last year we were able to skip that part.  They still were able to meet Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger while Katie also got to meet Ariel & Cinderella’s fairy god mother!

Florida was colder than last year and last year was chilly.  The day we arrived it was in the 60′s or low 70′s and we were able to swimming in our private pool since it was heated, but from then on it was to cold to even think of going swimming, which was a major bummer as the kids LOVE to swim.

As you had read earlier we had gone to Epcot and had a good time there.  The following day we ended up going to Animal Kingdom and I would have to say out of those two parks, Animal Kingdom is our least favorite.   We always say to ourselves that since the park closes early we should be able to stay all day, but last year and this year we ended up leaving way before the parade even happens and we did everything.  What was cool (besides the weather that morning) was we got there when it opened and hurried over to Expedition Everest where there was only a “5″ minute wait.   It did seem like awhile for Katie & I, but I think that’s because we had no clue what car they would be in.  All of a sudden there they were coming down the big hill.  I asked Kevin if he wanted to go on it again as there still wasn’t a line and he said NO!    So we started walking away and we asked him again if he would want to ride with me this time and he ended up changing his mind and said he would!  So we hurried back and seriously… Kevin and I walked right on the ride!  We didn’t have to stop until the lady asked us how many.. I said 2 she said line whatever.. I’ll say 3 and all we had to do was wait till the next car showed up because there wasn’t anyone in front of us!    I’m so glad Kevin was a trooper and rode it again for me so I could experience it, but I  knew there would be no way he would want to do it again.  LOL     Since there STILL wasn’t much of a line Paul ended up riding it again.. this time by himself.   We never would of dreamed we (as a family) would of rode that ride 3 times in the first 1/2 hour of being at the park.  I still think the cold weather had something to do with it… so because of that, I would welcome the cold weather any day.

That night Grandma & Grandpa A ended up driving up and spending the night with us so they could go to Magic Kingdom with us the following day.   Once again we got there right after the rope dropped and hurried over to Buzz Lightyear since that’s Kevin’s favorite ride.  We were first in line (or so we thought.. now looking back there had to of been people inside already) and ended up waiting 20 minutes for them to open the ride.  The guy working would come out and say just one more minute then go back inside to come out and just put his finger up.. one more minute.  Then he finally came out and said the ride would be closed and to come back later.  Paul and I went to Space Mountain then while his parents took the kids on the mini race cars (putt putt type cars).   I knew they re-did space mountain so I was anxious to see what was different.  While they added things to do while you wait in line (Thankfully it was still early so we had no wait) the only thing I thought I noticed different on the ride was it was jerkier than normal and to me I was quite bored on it.  I remember last year Paul and I saying lets quick go again (great thing about getting there early morning.. you can get back on rides right away) but this year we said lets go.   By the time we left there, people were going into Buzz Lightyear so we went to the racetrack and got Paul’s parents and the kids and off to Buzz we went.

We got in line and waited to of got stopped right in front of Buzz (right before you get on the ride) because once again the ride had stopped.  This time I swear we waited at least 45 minutes for the ride to resume.   By the time we finally got on the ride and was done, the lines to all the other rides had grown in length which was a bummer.  We still had a good time though and was so glad Paul’s parents could once again enjoy it with us since that will probably be our last time down there for quite sometime.

The next day we decided to try MGM (Or now known as Hollywood Studios) and thankfully I read up on it the night before.  We once again got there at rope drop and rushed to Toy Story where we got our fast passes first and then started waiting in line, but I didn’t think we would have enough time to get over to the Jedi Training so we left to head over there.  I was hoping Kevin could participate in the training, but the line to be in it was long already so not only did we have to wait the 35 minutes for that show to start, but we also had to wait till the next one started an hour later.  I can say I’m glad we did though because Kevin had so much fun up there, let alone fighting Darth Vader and “winning”!!   Plus had we not of done it when we did, he wouldn’t of been able to as it ended up raining about 30 minutes after we got done with it.   After Kevin’s show we went back to Toy Story and that’s when it started to rain so we went and watched the Ariel show.    By the time we were out of there it was raining pretty good.  I was glad we had gotten the poncho’s out and covered our strollers with them so they were dry.  After Ariel we went and watched Indiana Jones, when on the Star Wars ride and then had lunch.  By that time we were so cold and wet we thought forget it and went home for the day.

The following 2 days we went back to Magic Kingdom as our kids just love riding the rides.   In the afternoon though we finally let the kids run around on the boat in toon town and they had such a blast.    Then they just HAD to go to the other kiddie area with the playground equipment.  Since the lines were long everywhere else (they always are in the afternoon) we just let them run and have fun.   After that we went to Tom Sawyers Island (which we had never done every year going there) and the kids just LOVED it there and was wishing their cousins (Carl, Alicia and Justin) could of been there shooting the “bad guys” with them.    We did stay all day (just after rope drop.. rope drop happened as we were waiting for the monorail) until the fireworks and let me say… it was FREEZING that night!  It was so cold during the spectro parade that afterwards we ended up going in the stores just to try and get warmed up a little.  (That’s with the kids wearing 2 sweatshirts and a coat.. we didn’t want to haul our winter coats with us all day so that’s why we wore layers instead)    We always tend to watch the fireworks outside the park by the ferries and I noticed they were starting to board once the fireworks were going off so we quick go on the ferry and what surprised me was a lot of people went to the front of the boat while we stayed in the back so we could watch the fireworks while going across the water.  The only bummer thing is we docked right before the grand finale went off so we did miss parts of that.   But at least we were already in our warm cars while everyone else was making their way our of the park!

The next day when we arrived at Magic Kingdom we ended up splitting up for the morning.  Paul and Kevin did their thing, while Katie and I did ours.  It actually worked out the best as Kevin can ride things Katie can’t.   That way she doesn’t have to wait for Kevin to get done with his things, plus we can ride the Pooh ride over and over again along with Peter Pan, It’s a small world… etc.     By the time Katie and I got off the Haunted Mansion I noticed Kevin’s stroller sitting there so we ended up waiting for them as we knew they would be coming out anytime and we were suppose to hook up in a 1/2 hour anyways.  

Another surprise ride that we enjoyed that we hadn’t rode before was Carousel of Progress.  We had rode it the day before and it broke down due to someone in another another room had tried to walk out during it.   (Paul didn’t mind as it was dark and he could rest his eyes)   So in the afternoon we rode it again kinda hoping the same thing would happen so we could rest some, but this time it didn’t.  The kids and I still had fun watching how so much had changed in the last 80 years or so.  

We still had one more day at Disney, but since the weather forecast said it was to be rainy and cold again we decided to leave a day early and head over to Orange Beach to spend a week there with them!    That will have to be another post though as I better get working on my grocery list since Paul is now up.  Before I can go grocery shopping we have to pick my car up from my parents house. (we parked it in there garage so when we didn’t have it sitting in our driveway while we were gone and we could drive right into our garage then)