Home From Vacation

We're back and we had a wonderful time. We spent four days going to the Disney Parks, one day at Sea World , 1 day at the pool and another day shopping at the outlets. Our JetBlue flight was great (I love the TV on the flight, it makes the time go by quickly). Staying on Disney property is wonderful and we loved the perks. We arrived in Orlando and headed directly to the Disney Magical Express and didn't have to worry about our luggage. We went directly to our hotel and our luggage "magically" appeared in our room. Once we arrived we headed out to Epcot. We visited all the countries and had dinner at the Garden Restaurant. We celebrated my birthday - - here is my cake.

The fireworks at Epcot were amazing. On day 2 we went to Animal Kingdom. There were no lines and we enjoyed the great rides including the Jungle Safari, It's Tough To Be A Bug, and the Rapid Ride. When we left Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Magic Kingdom. They had magical hours and were open till 11:00 p.m. Here we are at our Dinner in Magic Kingdom at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh. We went on all the rides with little or no lines. We were very tired after starting our day at Animal Kingdom at 9 a.m. and not returning to our hotel room till after 11:00 p.m. Day three was spent at MGM studios. We all loved MGM and much to my surprise, I loved Tower of Terror (we went on three times) and the Rock 'n' Roll Roller Coaster (went on twice). Day 4 we spent the entire day at Epcot and went on all the rides. Our favorite was SOARIN (we went on it three times). If you ever go, don't miss SOARIN. By far, it was my favorite ride. On Valentines Day we moved to the Hilton Grand Vacation Resort. We had a 1 bedroom suite and the hotel was really amazing. It was designed in a Tuscany style. Here are some pictures. Here you can see the walkway along the lake and all the Tuscany style Villas. They had studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. They had 2 pools. The main pool was amazing. This is a picture of a small part of the main pool. While at the Hilton, we had one good day were it was warm enough (high 70's) to sit by the pool and swim. We enjoyed drinks by the pool, did a little reading and swimming. It was probably the most relaxing day of vacation as we were usually on the run. On Thursday, we went to Sea World. I was really looking forward to it but have to admit I was a little disappointed. Perhaps because the Disney Parks are so well run and spectacular, Sea World paled in comparison. We did have a nice day. Kerry Ann and Pat went on Krank twice. It's a wild rollercoaster with many upside down turns. It was Kerry's favorite ride of the week. We saw Shamu, fed seals, fed stingrays and saw the dolphins, sharks, alligators, turtles, pengiuns, etc. We even had dinner in a a restaurant with a Shark Tank. Here is a photo from the Shamu Show.

Friday was freezing (although not as cold as at home) so we got to know the Orlando area and took a trolley down International Drive and shopped at the outlets. Kerry Ann got an early birthday present at the Coach outlet, her first Coach Bag. She was thrilled.

Epcot Attractions We Visited:

Spaceship Earth (was o.k., was good to sit for a while after being on our feet all day)
Universe of Energy (starring Ellen De Generes - enjoyed this one)
Mission Space (I wouldn't go on, but Kerry Ann and Pat did...they liked it)
Test Track (again, I wouldn't go on but Kerry Ann and Pat did, again, they liked it)
The Seas with Nemo and Friends (fun, if you are 6)
Soarin (absolutely amazing.... I loved it. We went on it three times. The best ride ever!)
Living with the Land (again, good ride to rest our feet for a while)
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (fun)

Had dinner at the Garden Restaurant - Nice all you can eat family style dinner
Had lunch in Mexico at the Catina de San Angel
Had dinner another night at the Coral Reef (very nice dinner)
Snack (mousse) several tiimes in France at the Boulangerie Patisserie - Kerry Ann's favorite spot for a snack

Animal Kingdom Attractions we Visted:

Its Tough to be a Bug (fun)
Kilimanjaro Safaris (saw a lot of animals including giraffes, gazelles, elephants, rhinos, lions, etc)
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (nice walking trail)
Flights of Wonder (very good show with birds)
Kali River Rapids (fun, I bought a poncho and was the only one who didn't get wet...it was cold!)

Had lunch at the Flame Tree Barbecue...we liked it.

Magic Kingdom Attractions we Visited:

Swiss Family Treehouse (boring)
Jungle Cruise (o.k.)
Pirates of the Caribbean (very good)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (rode twice, a lot of fun)
The Haunted Mansion (o.k.)
Mad Tea Party (fun)
Space Mountain (o.k.
Buzz Lightyear (fun...went on a few times)
Stitches Great Escape (yuk)

Had dinner at the Crystal Palace. The food was good (buffet) but oh so crowded and noisy. After Magic Kingdom got a little tired of crying kids and screaming parents.

MGM Studios

Tower of Terror (great...loved it! Went on it 3 times)
Rock N Roll Roller Coaster (another great ride, went on it 2 times)
Backlot Tour (fun - especially the earthquake scene)
Indiana Jones Stunt Show (fun)
Lights, Motor, Action Extreme Stunt Show (exciting)
Jim Henson's Muppet 3D (fun)

Had lunch at the Backlot Express (was good)

We missed the terrible ice storm that hit the tri-state area and despite all we read about the problems of JetBlue due to the storm, we did not have any problems. As a matter of fact we were the only plane leaving Orlando on Saturday that left on time.

Now that we are back, I am hoping to get some scrapbooking and cardmaking done. Look for my March contest. If you love Prima Flowers for crafting you will love this contest. Look for more info March 1st.