Sea World and a Trip 'Around the World'

Tuesday was the day we planned to go to Sea World.  I kinda wish we hadn't. There were a few highlights, but overall we would have much rather been at Disney. 

For starters it was not as easy to get there as everyone said. We took a shuttle to Downtown Disney where there was a city bus stop directly to Sea World.  Except the bus drivers didn't know what they were doing and kept telling us the wrong stop to stand at.  After about 45 minutes of waiting we finally got on the correct bus...15 minutes later the bus driver figured out how to hook the electric scooter in and were on our way.

When we got there they dropped us off at the furthest point of the parking lot. Go figure.  We expected a lot of walking, but by this point it was 90+*, almost noon and none of us had eaten because we planned on eating right when we got there.  We made our way to the entrance, waited through the long lines at the gates and started looking for a place to eat.  

We purchased the all day meal plan and I had contacted them ahead of time to find out about gluten free food.  They told me there were plenty of options and even would have gf pizza ready for us.  We went to the pizza place and orders.  Well, they acted like no one had ever ordered a gf pizza before and didn't know what to do.  When they finally figured it out it took almost 30 minutes to cook it.  Poor Aly was so hungry, hot and tired...and we hadn't even started our day.  To top it all off, when they finally brought out the pizzas they were terrible.  Alyssa could barely eat it and Dan barely choked it down.  Good thing I brought some fruit strips and dried strawberries with us.  

After lunch we decide to go to Shamu Stadium to watch the show.  It was not as good as I remember and it didn't hold the girls attention at all.  About halfway through Dan had take Hannah out and go ride rides because all she wanted to do was find a roller coaster...which he absolutely loved :)  When the show was over we all joined them.  It was sooooo hot it was unbearable.  There was no breeze. No shade. No water from the broken misting fans. One of the employees told me that it was 112* with the heat index. I was done.   

After riding some of the rides, another bad food stand experience and seeing a storm move in, we decided it was time to call it a day.  We had only been there maybe 3 hours.  Alyssa wanted to go to the gift shop, so we did that and then watched the dolphins in the touch pool.  We couldn't feed them because it was sold out, but IF we ever go back there that is one thing I will make sure we do.  They are, by far, my favorite animal :)     

Here is the one and only picture I have from the entire day.  Me and Alyssa outside Shamu Stadium after the show.  Dan and Hannah were off riding rides! We look like we are having fun, but I don't think Sea World will be a part of the next Disney vacay.

We managed to get out of there before the rain really hit, but the ride home took for-ev-er. Almost two hours...and we only had to go 20 miles. When we finally got back, we had an early dinner at our hotel and swam in the pool for a little while.  Then the girls got a bath and had a 'sleep over' with grandma and grandpa so Dan and I could go to EPCOT for an early anniversary date.  It was actually really nice to have a low key night and give the girls some extra rest.

When we got married I thought we would be taking a European cruise for our 10th anniversary.  At least, that was the 'plan'.  However, that is in less than a month and there is no way that is going to happen :) Instead, Dan took me all the way around the world in one evening together.  From a romantic stroll through Paris, to an incredible Margarita in Mexico...I believe that is a close as I am going to get to 'Foreign' for this anniversary.  I am totally ok with that...Disney with my girls is worth it.  It was nice just to be alone together and celebrate the last decade.  Maybe we can do the cruise for our 20th...

Animal Kingdom

We woke up bright and early for our first full day at Disney World. Animal Kingdom had extra magic hours (a priceless perk of staying on Disney property) in the morning and we were determined to take advantage of it.  Grandma and Grandpa couldn't get their butts up early enough, so they agreed to meet us at the park a little later.  

When we got there we headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safari.  It is an open air bus ride that takes you through the plains of Africa. Usually there is a really long wait, but thanks to EMH we walked right on.  It is incredible how many animals and how active they were.  It is really similar to The Wilds in Zanesville, but there seemed to be more animals and everything looked much more authentic.

A happy girl with some pronghorns behind her ;)

Giraffes!!  This is why I wanted to make sure Grandpa came here with us!  There were probably two dozen of them wondering around, munching on the trees...some withing an arms reach of the jeep!

The elephant was taking a bath to start the day!

A mama warthog and her piglets.  I wonder where Pumba is...

Shopping in the African marketplace while we waited on the grandparents ;) Disney does such an amazing job of recreating an environment and an experience.  We truly felt like we were in a little African village and not a busy, tourist hot spot. Alyssa got a Minnie Mouse slap bracelet and Hannah got a rainbow color beaded Mickey head bracelet.

Once Grandma and Grandpa showed up we went on the safari ride again, before we found a place to eat breakfast.  After breakfast we met Minnie Mouse, then watched the 'Festival of the Lion King' performance.  It was awesome!

We headed over to DinoLand after the Lion King and rode a few rides.  There really weren't very many they were tall enough for at this park.  But, here is Daddy, Alyssa and Grandma on the Triceratops Spin.

It was getting really hot, so after a quick visit to the Boneyard, which was just a glorified jungle germ, we went to do "It's Tough to Be a Bug' under the Tree of Life.  Being that it is based on a kids movie we thought it would be age appropriate. Not so much...at least not if your kids have any fears.  The 'show' was a 4-D (not only did you wear 3D glasses, but they sprayed you with water and had puffs of air and smells come out at you) experience that was light heart-ed until the mean bug came along.  That is when it all went down hill.  Black outs and spiders coming down from the ceiling are enough to make grown ups shutter...I couldn't even tell you how many kids left the theater in tears.  Hannah still talks about how scary 'the mean bug' was.  Thanks for the nightmares, Animal Kingdom!  That effective ended our stay at this park.  Really, since we have such a great zoo here in Columbus, there wasn't that much that really wowed us.  We decided lunch at the hotel and a little rest would be best.  

One of the best parts of the morning happened when we were leaving. Grandpa was goofing off on his electric scooter (like he always did), speeding and whipping around tight turns when he nearly lost control and tipped the entire thing.  It was hilarious!  After he knew it would get a laugh he started trying to tip it on purpose.  

We had dinner Reservations at the Coral Reef restaurant that evening so we headed to EPCOT to check it our before dinner.  Like everyone had said, there really wasn't a ton of stuff to do, but we did ride the Finding Nemo ride. Then, we did Turtle Talk with Crush. That was so fun...the girls loved it! In the attached gift shop Hannah picked out a stuffed Flounder to go with her Baby Ariel and Hannah got a necklace that said her name and had a little Mickey Head on it.  We wanted to ride Soarin', but the line was too long so we did the land boat ride instead.  We all thought it was interesting, but the girls were bored to death.  

Hannah playing on Grandpa's scooter. Oh, the scooter.  How annoying it was and yet it provided so many laughs and entertainment at the same time.  Although, it didn't really get us any special privileges :(     

We went into dinner just in time to miss a pop-up thunder storm.  I was pretty excited about this dinner, but was greatly disappointed.  The service was terrible...maybe some of the worst I have ever had...and the food was just ok.  Definitely not worth what we would have paid if we weren't on the DDP.  It was so bad Grandpa complained and I emailed our travel agent to let her know how bad it was.  To make matters worse we were all irritated and the girls were so bored by this point the were acting up.  The big fish tanks had no effect on them.  This is a place we will most definitely not go back to next time! 

Hannah ordered the flounder for dinner.  She may as well have.  She didn't eat anything!

After our unsatisfying, over priced meal we decided to split up again.  Grandma and Grandpa stayed at EPCOT to go to the World Showcase and we went to were the girls really wanted to be...the Magic Kingdom.  In retrospect, that is where we should have spent our whole day!

The Magic Kingdom under the stars is pure magic.  The weather had cooled off and we headed straight for Fantasy Land.  Since it was time for all the night time festivities there were barely any lines!  We rode the tea cups first since Alyssa has been talking about them for over a year.  It was so fun to watch their faces and see the joy as we twirled around in our little pink teacup.  I don't think I will ever forget our first spin on it with them.  The sights, the sounds, the smells...that memory is locked away forever.

Before the ride...Alyssa looks terrified!

Daddy and Hannah

Here. We. Goooooooooooo!

Whoa!

This is so fun!

We also got to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Goofy's roller coaster, It's a Small World and Cinderella's carousal.  We left just enough time to catch the fireworks display before heading to the bus.  Even though we only spent a few hours there, it totally redeemed the horrible dinner experience.  This is what Disney is all about.  What a great night!

A Dream Come True...and a Little Pixie Dust

Because of Disney's sheer size it doesn't matter where you stay...no matter what, buses and monorails are going to be a part of the experience.  Thankfully, Disney has it down to a science and makes it as easy as possible.  Each hotel has a shuttle to whatever Disney location you want to visit...and with our park hopper tickets you could visit them all everyday if you wanted!  This time we had only one goal: "Magic Kingdom or Bust"!

Waiting for the bus!  Can you feel their excitement...they had NO idea what they were really in for!!

 Just a short bus ride stands between us and the 'real' castle.

Walking up to the gates Hannah was talking up a storm about the castle and the Princesses...I don't really know what she was talking about at this particular moment, but she looks so stinkin' cute!

We walked in the gates at probably the worst possible time. Planning fail #1. It was right at the tail end their "Celebrate a Dream Come True" parade and it was complete chaos.  Despite the excessive noise, immovable crowds of people and lovable Disney characters dancing in the streets, I managed to push our way to the center of town square so the girls could have this view:

 And their reactions to seeing it for the first time...

 

I wish I could have bottled it. Pure wonder and joy. Truly magical.

Once the parade ended, we took a stroll down Main street...with about 10,000 of our closest friends ;) The girls were so overwhelmed by everything that they didn't know what to think!  A photo opp was not at the top of their list, but I forced the issue anyway.  How can you go to Disney and not get a family shot in front of the castle??  Maybe next time we go Hannah can look like she is enjoying herself ;)

Daddy and Alyssa in front of the iconic Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse Statue...that sky doesn't even look real, does it?!?!?!

 Grandpa and Hannah taking in the sights.  What should we do first...

 Meet a princess, of course!! Waiting in line to meet Merida!!  

Our very first princess meet and greet!

Merida was really nice and she had a cool accent ;)  The girls really liked her, but they were really shy.  I think they were still just in awe that we were finally here!

 She is a real princess...

 Look what Merida gave me!!

 

 Trying to get a PhotoPass picture with the castle behind us...

Mission Accomplished:

I wish I knew what Alyssa was looking at in this picture!

After taking a look at the castle and meeting Merida it was time for dinner.  I had made reservations at Crystal Palace so we could be right in the Magic Kingdom for the first night...and, as luck would have it, we had a stunning view of the Castle from our table.  Crystal Palace is a buffet and character dining experience with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. The food was pretty good and, even though the girls don't really like Pooh, Alyssa had fun with the characters.  Hannah was pretty nervous (and tired since they had already been up for 13 hours by this point...with NO nap), but warmed up to them as the night went on.  Each one visited our table during our meal.  They signed our autograph books and posed for pictures.   

 Alyssa was right behind Eeyore for the 'parade' around the restaurant...Hannah refused to participate :)

After dinner we were all getting really tired...it had been a loooooooong day.  We decided it would be better to not any rides, or even show them Fantasy Land, until we could back more rested. Instead, we made a quick trip to Pixie Hollow, which Hannah had seen right before dinner, so the girls could meet Tinkerbell.  We also got to meet Rosetta.  It was so sweet...it is definitely in the top 10 memories of the whole trip.

Rosetta asked them if she could name some flowers in her garden after them ;)  She cute how they stay in character no matter what.

Tinkerbell was awesome. She really took her time signing the girls books and talking with them.  Dan was even captivated.  When we first saw her he said, "I can't believe how much she looks like her!"  Ummm...that is because it is her ;)

Tinkerbell was Hannah's first 'favorite' Disney character. This is what it looks like when you meet someone for the first time that you have only seen in movies and read about in books.  Melts my heart!

After meet the fairies we called it a night.  Sweaty and tired we caught the shuttle to Pop Century.  Back at the hotel, it took no time at all to get them to fall asleep.  Good thing, because we had to be up early for extra magic hours at Animal Kingdom...  

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

After a year of waiting and planning (well, really a little over 6 years, since I have planning this in my head since Alyssa was born), it finally came...time to leave for Disney World!!

Our flight was at 8:30am so we had to be up pretty early to finish packing the last minute necessities, eat a quick breakfast and get to the airport in enough time to wait through the security check point.  It wasn't hard to wake them up at all.  They were so excited...and so were we!!  Not only were we going to Disney World, it was also the first time they have ever flown.  Kevin dropped us off at the airport where we met up with Grandma and Grandpa!

I bought these Princess Mickey ears online and had their names embroidered on the back.  My plan was for them to wear the in the airport and at the parks since Mickey ears are an iconic souvenir and they were a fraction of the park cost at home.  However, they wore them for about 3 minutes while we were loading up the car and then never put them on again.  Glad I didn't pay full price! But, the are still cute and maybe they will wear them on on next visit...

 Grandma and Grandpa Miller bought the girls Princess suitcases for the trip!

 At the airport, waiting for our plane at the gate!  A friend of mine made the girls the Minnie headbands they are wearing...they wore those a lot!!

 Alyssa and grandpa waiting to board.

 Daddy and Hannah...they look so much alike!

Passing time with mommy and daddy's iPhones.  I don't know how parents traveled before the digital age, but I am thankful I don't have too :)

We flew from here to Atlanta and then connected to Orlando from there.  The layover was a little frustrating trying to find gf food for Alyssa in the airport, but both flights went smoothly.  I wasn't really too worried, but I was little surprised at how much the girls loved flying!  Way more than Dan and I do ;) 

Once we landed in Orlando, we hopped on the Magical Express and before we knew it we were pulling up at the hotel.  We stayed at the Pop Century resort, one of Disney's 'value accommodations'.  Besides the price, there wasn't much that would make you think it was 'value' priced.  It was really nice and the service was excellent (more on that later).  Our travel agent had told her hotel that it was the girls first visit, so they had a red carpet and lots of bubbles there to greet them when we got off the bus.  Very nice touch!

The hotel was based on a celebration of Pop Culture so they had a time line of past decades that ran the entire wall in the lobby displaying popular items from each year.  This is from the year Dan and I were born...any guess which year it was by the stuff displayed??

 Apparently there were curlers in 80's called 'Benders'.  Who knew ;)

 Giant Mickey right in front of our building!  You took the elevator to Mickey's butt and our room was on the left ;)

Facing Mickey was a larger-than-life Foosball court and a giant Big Wheel that stood 4 stories high!  To give you an idea of size, if I were standing next to the 'players' my head would be just under the bottom of their shorts... 

After we checked in and got our 'keys to the world', we took our stuff to the room, grabbed some essentials and headed to the shuttle for the Magic Kingdom.  It had been a long day of travel, but the girls couldn't wait any longer.  Let me memories begin...