Walt Disney World

Marc signed up for the Florida Half Ironman and that set the wheels in motion for our family trip this year. We used the time share that he inherited and were able to trade a one bedroom week on Kona for a 2 bedroom that slept 8 in Orlando. With the extra room we asked Marc's mom to watch the race and spend some time with us at Walt Disney World.

It turned out that there was a space shuttle launch scheduled for when we were in Florida, so we drove to Titusville to a little restaurant called the Wineburger that a friend's uncle who works for NASA had recommended to watch the launch from. Watching a launch has always been a goal after realizing that I would never personally make it into space. The launch did not disappoint and it was great to be watching it with my family while my son sat on my shoulders. My daughter might have missed it and kept playing with her Leapster had I not told her to look up. It was the highlight of the trip for me to see and head the shuttle Atlantis go up.

Of course the traffic was also a site to behold as many people were going to watch the third to last shuttle launch currently scheduled. Toll roads suck and I am glad to live in a state that doesn't have toll roads. Fortunately while waiting in the cash lane we noticed the rental car had an E-pass for the tolls and even though there was a surcharge of $2.50 per day it was worth it to change lanes and bypass the long bottle necks the booths created and actually get to Titusville as opposed to being stuck on the freeway for the launch.

On Sat we made our first trip into the Magic Kingdom with the kids. We had watched a history channel show on Disney World prior to our trip and my daughter had to see the Hall of Presidents to confirm that Lincoln would not ooze red fluid that looks like blood. She was also impressed with the first lady's dresses and plans to sew replicas of Nancy Reagan's red dress and Eleanor Roosevelt's black dress this summer. A very grand endeavor for a six year old indeed.

Thanks to FB I learned that a friend from high school was at WDW at the same time we were. We briefly caught up and got to meet each others families at the castle. The world gets smaller everyday and it was nice to see him and meet his lovely family.

My mil had mentioned wanting to go to Cinderella's castle for a meal with the princesses. I was able to get lunch reservations and we surprised my daughter with a Cinderella dress and gloves for the trip. She was very excited to dress up for the lunch. She was given a wand and my son was given a sword. It was fun to watch her with the princesses and my son was embarrassed when Ariel gave him a kiss and got lipstick on his face.

Sunday was Marc's race. We stood on a picnic table and got to see him finish in the top third for his age division and the entire race. In the afternoon we went to Animal Kingdom and met up with Marc's cousin who works there. He was idolized by my daughter and she loved bragging to the kids she met that she knows someone who works for Mickey Mouse.

On Monday we went to Epcot. My daughter and I did the "behind the seeds" tour in the land. She got to release ladybugs and we got to feed the fish during the tour. We also met up with two of Marc's cousins for dinner and got to visit with them.

Tuesday we went back to the Magic Kingdom. My son wore his cowboy boots and just met the height requirements for most of the rides. I certainly prefer Splash Mountain to the tea cups which we managed to avoid the entire trip. We also tried to do the rides that aren't at Disneyland.

Wednesday we had a dinner reservation with tickets to Fantasmic that evening so we spent the morning and early afternoon swimming at the hotel. Unfortunately the kids were out in the sun too long and their faces got a little pink after the sunblock wore of in the pool. When I re-applied sunscreen it burned their faces and we had to wash it off and buy baby block at Walgreen's on the way to the park. That got in their eyes and they screamed and cried on the tram. They eventually calmed down in the park, but not before cancelling the dinner reservation that was the hardest to obtain.

Thursday we went back to the Animal Kingdom and my son loved the dinosaur area while my daughter preferred the petting zoo. The hotel had movie in the pool night and we watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

Today we went back to the Magic Kingdom to ride a couple of rides and replace my son's broken toy and buy my daughter another pair of earrings since one of her new mouse earrings fell off in the pool. On the flight home we saw the oil slicks in the gulf when the pilot pointed them out.

Overall it was a nice vacation and the crowds weren't too bad given school is still in session. The life experience of seeing the launch was worth pulling my daughter out of school. I was glad the kids were big enough for most of the rides. I certainly favor Disneyland over Disney World as it is easier to get around especially staying within walking distance and the weather is much nicer in Anaheim without the humidity. Although I am not in a hurry to go back to an amusement park anytime soon.