Disney World 2008

I know it's a tad late and thanks to all who patiently waited for it. Here is the recap. (Forgive any typos. I have very limited time.)

Sunday, February 24th

Bailey could hardly stand it. We got up, got dressed, and were off to the airport. Uncle Christian was so kind to take us to the airport so we could save money on parking. We got there with plenty of time and who should be in front of us in the security line but our travel buddies - Jeff, Anita, Amber, and Carla. The plane ride went off without a hitch and we were in Orlando before we knew it. We quickly went to catch Disney's Magical Express and hit our first (and only) bump. They used the term "express" very loosely. It took over an hour to get on the bus and then another 45 minutes to get to our hotel. No one could blame Bailey for being a little aggitated. Mommy and Daddy were as well. Finally at about 4 pm, we were in our hotel room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was beautiful. It was so amazing to walk onto our balcony and see animals.

Of course, not to be put off any longer, Bailey insisted we go to the Magic Kingdom. We met up with our travel buddies and spent the evening at the Magic Kingdom. We did most of Fantasy Land and Bailey even rode her first roller coaster - the Barn Stormer. She was a little nervous at first but before the trip was over, she rode it a second time and even called it "Bailey's Roller Coaster".

After taking advantage of the extra magic hours at the Magic Kingdom, Bailey fell asleep with her new Minnie before we even got to the bus stop to catch the bus back to our hotel.

Jason and I grabbed take out at the hotel quick service restaurant, The Mara. They had great pizza and burgers. They also had great apples with carmel dipping sauce. That became our consistent food source.

Monday, February 25th

Today we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Yes, the name has changed from Disney-MGM Studios but it is still the same fun! Bailey's favorite event of the day - dancing with the High School Musical cast during their show. Jason and I couldn't believe it when she got up and walked to the front with the other children and left us sitting about 5 rows back. We are definitely going to have to look into dance lessons. She didn't really follow the cast members but she got her own groove on.

We met our travel buddies for lunch at Prime Time Diner. That is one of my favorite places to eat. We finished up the park by about 7 pm and decided to call it a day. We headed back to the hotel and had dinner once again at The Mara. This time Bailey was awake and decided we should get take out and have a picnic in our room. So we did. And again, we had the apples with carmel dipping sauce.

Tuesday, February 26th

Daddy and Jeff played golf in the morning so Bailey and I had a very lazy morning and then we finally got up and got dressed. We went to the park at the hotel which was a great park and which I am ashamed to say I have no pictures of. After we did that, we went to paint pottery. It was the children's activity for the day. Bailey made a brown, pink, and white monkey. She's very proud of her monkey. When Daddy got home, she decided it was time to go swimming. Unfortunately, Daddy did not pack his swim suit but he did come sit in a chair and take pictures while Bailey and Mommy swam.

Afterwards we had another picnic lunch in the room courtesy of The Mara. (Yes, we had the apples again! I told you - consistent.) Then we all took a much needed 2 1/2 hour nap. When we awoke, we were trying to decide if we should head to Epcot for the evening. It had been threatening rain all day. However, it seemed to be clearing up so we went. We rode Spaceship Earth first since it had a 5 minute wait. We came off Spaceship Earth to torrential down pour. We waited about 15 minutes and it eased up so we decided to make a break and run to The Seas so we could ride the Nemo ride (two times) and see Turtle Talk with Crush. Aside from those two adventures, Bailey thought running through the rain was the best part of the evening. After The Seas, we went to The Land next door and had a snack hoping the rain would pass. While waiting, Daddy and I rode Soarin'. The rain finally let up and we headed to Mexico so we could check out the new boat ride. Bailey is terrified of fireworks and when we came out of Mexico they were in full force so we quickly headed for the exit. We weren't terribly hungry so we grabbed a frozen pizza at the hotel grocery store and had another picnic dinner.

Wednesday, February 27th

Today we got up and got moving as it was Animal Kingdom day - one of my favorites. We decided to first try the breakfast buffet at Boma - Flavors of Africa (in the hotel). It was fabulous! Once we finished, we headed to Animal Kingdom where we were forced to buy hats, gloves, and a High School Musical blanket for Bailey since it was so cold. The rains from the night before had brought in a cold front with a lot of wind. We didn't let that stop us and just chose to do the shows first so we would be indoors. We had lunch at Reastaurantosaurus. After lunch, Daddy had to go back to the hotel room as he realized he forgot our camera when packing the bag this morning. Bailey was fine with that as it meant we got to play at the Dig Site. Now the Dig Site is not the easiest place to keep up with a child. It is multiple stories and lots of twists and turns. After one incident where we lost each other, Bailey and I thought it best to head to the part where you dig for lost bones until Daddy returned and we could tag team Bailey.

For dinner, we again met up with our travel buddies at Rainforest Cafe. The girls were a little nervous when the first rain storm occured but they quickly adjusted and we had a great dinner with friends.

Thursday, February 28th

This morning Mommy got a much needed 90 minute massage while Daddy and Bailey played in the room. Afterwards, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch and shopping. We had lunch at Captain Jack's which was a huge disappointment. We thought we were going to a seafood restaurant but they had very little seafood. Then our waiter gave Bailey an orange juice that was expired. Needless to say, that'll be a one time visit for us. Bailey's strong suit is not shopping but Daddy magically got her to fall asleep in the stroller so I could look around for about an hour. When she awoke, we decided to head to the Grand Floridian to check it out and make a decision about going to another park. We got to the Grand Floridian and got a snack. There was a gentlemen playing the piano in the lobby so Bailey decided to get up and dance. Daddy and Bailey went to the store upstairs and Bailey decided she must have a Belle dress. After suckering Grandma with a sweet, "I love you and need that dress" call from Disney World, Grandma agreed to buying Bailey the dress. In the end, the $130 we spent on a dress, shoes, wand, and tiara were well worth it. She was so excited to be a princess. She didn't want to take it off. Since we couldn't pry it off her and it was too cold to wear it in the park, we decided another picnic dinner from The Mara (complete with apples) was needed back at the hotel. I'm sure everyone thought we were horrible parents letting her walk around like that in 50 degree weather. But it was really just a monorail ride and a short walk to the bus stop. Besides, the princess wouldn't have it any other way.

Friday, February 29th

Today is our last day. As always, the last day is always spent at the Magic Kingdom. Bailey, of course, would be wearing her Belle dress. Luckily, it was mid-70s today so we could let her. We decided to have the breakfast buffet again and then head over to the Magic Kingdom. It was a very eventful day full of rides and fun. However, the highlights of the day were Story Time with Belle in which Daddy was picked to play the Beast and lunch with the Princesses at Cinderella's castle. Amber and Bailey loved all the princesses and had so much fun at lunch.

It was a very magical day that ended once again with a picnic dinner from The Mara complete with apples.

Saturday, March 1st
Time to head home. I get very sad when leaving even though I know we'll be coming back really soon. To make sure my last day was filled with one of my favorites, I got the apples for breakfast. (I'm telling you - they were good!) The Magical Express was much more express-like this time and the plane ride home was just as perfect as the plane ride there. Uncle Christian was waiting for us at the airport and the dogs were glad to see us. Another trip, another memory, another happy ending.