Our last day....

After all the running around we were sure we would not do when planning this holiday, we actually spent our last day lazing at the pool, going out to eat and playing miniature golf like real tourists.  I think it was the best day of the holiday and, if we had done this earlier, we would probably have spent more days this way.

But the craziness of Disney, etc just grabs you when you get there and the deal we got with our tickets made us feel the need to go to parks every day.  Even when we chose not to go to parks, it was to go shopping, not for the simple art of relaxation.  Every time we go to this area we say we will not be so crazy busy the next time, but we always are!  And, if we only come here every 15 years or so, we won't remember these valuable lessons!

Corbyn could have spent all day, every day in the pool!

This is the life, just floating in the pool.

I had been in the pool for awhile before going sit on the edge.  I noticed this strange looking creature, having never seen anything like it before, I had to go look it up.....it was a leech! Right at the edge of the pool. Creeped me right out and I could not go back in.  Not sure how common they are in or around pools but I did not care for this being that close.  Sorry about posting the picture but it is interesting to see it -

complete with sweet potato!

Shortly after the leech siting, it was time to go eat dinner, thankfully!  We went to the Longhorn Steakhouse, one of our many traditional dining places.  When the server asked about food allergies, I told him my sensitivity to cumin and he said they season all steaks with a seasoning mix containing cumin.  I was really surprised that it had never bothered me before. Then I remembered, I always get Prime Rib, whew!  and it was as good as ever!

Following this, we went to International Drive and the CSI experience.  Poor Corbyn fell asleep when he and I were supposed to be doing something interesting on our own while everyone else went in to solve crimes CSI style.  He slept for over an hour, I could not waken him.  Then we joined everyone else and went to play miniature golf!

Having lived in Florida for 10 years (a long time ago though), I always noticed tourists playing this, but never had the chance as an adult.  I do have fond memories of playing miniature golf with my Grandma when I would visit her.  This was one thing I really wanted to experience with Corbyn and we all had a fantastic time.  The park was full of dinosaurs too, so he loved every second of being there.  And he had the high score of 71, does that make him the winner?!

This park also had a stream around it with paddle boats.  I was supposed to go with Whitney and Corbyn but changed my mind. And it was really fun watching them learn how to steer this little boat!

Well, this was our last bit of fun in Orlando, and we had to leave the area totally exhausted but happy to have been here.  Corbyn was a wee star the whole journey, showing a patience and calmness I never expected when traveling. Since I posted a lovely photo of him on his way out of Scotland, here is another calm and peaceful one of him waiting to board the plane back to Scotland.

Just a request - although I really enjoy doing blogs about my travels and also my cooking, I get virtually no comments.  I know the mother of the birthday girl attempted to comment on her birthday party but I never got that one and she tried twice.  I am always amazed at the number of views my blogs get, and from all over the world.  But it would be even more fun if my readers would make a comment sometimes.  I am not certain if the problem is what my friend experienced, that her comment just did not go through, or if there is something not working with however this is set up. And I have tried to see if that is the case and I can't find any problems.  So if you enjoyed my blog or have any other bits of advice regarding travelling to this magic part of Florida, I would love to hear from you!



"The purpose of a vacation is to have the time to rest. But many of us, even when we go on vacation, don't know how to rest. We may even come back more tired than before we left."   Nhat Hanh

Last Chance to find Mickey!

This was the last day of visiting parks!  We all had agreed that the very last day was going to be a total chill out day - which I needed to see to believe!  But this was the plan for the day....

So many things we had not yet done, like breakfast at Dunkin Donuts!  Today was the day and, as always, not a disappointment!  We got a dozen to share and could not leave for the parks until they were all gone - too hot to leave them in the car!








The next step was to separate for the first time.  Alan and I decided to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom, with Corbyn taking his crowd to the Animal Kingdom to start with anyway.  He loved this park and was really looking forward to being a tour guide!  Before they reconnected with us after sunset, they also returned to Hollywood Studios and then the Magic Kingdom.  This was them making the best of the transport system!

Alan and I arrived at the Magic Kingdom on the ferry, which is our favourite way to get there.  On this trip we witnessed a near miss though.  There are people renting motorboats crossing the pathway and as we were getting close to the dock, we saw 2 boats being stopped on one side of the route.  But there was another boat coming from the other side and both ferries had to make the equivalent of an emergency stop!    I don't think the pilot of the little pleasure boat even noticed the chaos she caused!  But we could hear both captains talking about this situation as we disembarked.

View of the Magic Kingdom as the ferry approaches

Another very sweet thing, is the huge numbers of little girls all dressed up in various Princess outfits!

 They were all so beautiful, but I couldn't imagine coping with the costumes in the heat!

Our first goal was to do Space Mountain.  This has always been one of my favourite rides, even though I boycott all other roller coasters generally.  But this one is in the dark and does not bother me as much.  I also have a soft spot for this ride because the very first time I did this, we stood in line for about an hour (that has not changed!)  and as we were first to go, everything stopped.  There was a malfunction - all the lights came on and you could see the roller coaster aspects of this.    I was not happy and very worried about the malfunction.  My boyfriend at the time convinced me we were going to do this and I ended up being the first in the single file capsule heading into unknown territory!  I loved every second of it and had to do it again!  A trip to the Magic Kingdom would not be complete without doing this!  Oh, and I was first again this time!

On the way to Space Mountain, we walked along Main Street and introduced ourselves to Mickey's Fire Chief.  He was very pleased to meet a fellow firefighter and gave Alan some very special stickers only he gives out at the parks!

Going at our own pace and eating when we wanted to eat was a luxury we had not had this whole trip.  I must admit, though, I missed everyone.  We were able to watch the daytime parade and I took a photo especially for Whitney. With the excellent wifi all over the Disney parks, I thought she would get this if I shared it with her, but she didn't.  Oh well!  I cannot see Ariel without thinking of her!







Here are some other characters from the parade:

Cinderella and Prince Charming

Tinkerbell

And of course, Mickey and Minnie bring up the end of the parade!

The freedom of having only one other person to wait for allowed us time to play with our cameras!  

Here we took photos of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  This ride just opened a few weeks earlier, but I am certain it was a different ride before, and one I liked even though it is another roller coaster.  It is a "family friendly" roller coaster, read kid friendly!  But the lines were always over an hour and I was just done with waiting like that.  So here is a picture of other people enjoying this ride!

After messing around and playing with cameras, and all that, Alan and I managed to run out of time for dinner!  But all was not lost, he had been intrigued by the turkey legs. So we found a place to colonise for our evening parade viewing and then got the two biggest turkey legs ever!

They were absolutely delicious, but far too big.  They even defeated Alan!  But glad we tried them instead of wondering for years what they might have been like.

The travelling party caught up with us while we were eating.  I was really impressed that they found us so easily right before the night time illuminated parade. This was so beautiful and it was fun to watch Corbyn get greeted by so many characters. He even got his nose rubbed by one of Cinderella's mice!

And when that was over, it was time to say good bye to Mickey Mouse and all his friends, but only after the most amazing fireworks display!

"Just a reminder that fireworks look even more amazing when you're not constantly checking your iPhone."  Unknown quote from www.searchquotes.com

As They Say - You can never go back! Revisiting Islands of Adventure

Only 2 more park days left of our visit to Orlando and we accidentally saved what I expected to be the best - for almost last.  It was just the way the days played out that we did not get to Islands of Adventure until now.  And I have said for 15 years that this is/was my favourite park!

Looking back, it had to be the perfect park, but what I failed to realise was that there was no other way it could be.  We had special tickets in May 1999 that permitted us to visit before it actually opened a week or 2 later. These were not VIP tickets, they were open to the general public at that time, but in a limited number.

So my first and only impression of this park was with virtually no crowds, no queues, and not a lot of noise.  I think the constant background noise of our present day had not really been thought through then.  Ok, some of the attractions were not completed or not running that day due to glitches.  Like the Popeye Bilge Rat Barge.  When I first saw this ride on this trip, I decided it might have been under another name then, but it had not been open to the public that day.  There were just rafts going down it all day - testing.


I did wonder at how different it looked than I remembered......it was only yesterday I realised what I was looking at was Ripsaw Falls!  This was too steep for me anyway and I never considered I was looking at the wrong ride.

That might be the risk of going to someplace you think you remember.  I never looked farther than this ride and never noticed the Barge ride, which I would like to have done.  However, by the time we were almost on our way out of the park there was a notice that the queue for the ride I would have liked to do was down to a reasonable level.  I said I was too tired, but I was also thinking of the wrong ride.  So it looks like I will never have this experience.

Much of Islands of Adventure felt just the same only busier as could be expected!  The first "island" is Toon Lagoon and it feels as if you are walking inside a comic strip!  And it is slow going when you have an interesting and intelligent 5 year old travelling with you, taking everything in and also trying everything out!

Next is Marvel Super Hero Island, actually I think you walk through this first!  Boy do things get messed up, I don't think I could even have said exactly what we did in this park in any order. Alan and I were really getting tired at this point!

Once again, much of this was very familiar.   My favourite 3d ride of all time is still on the go - Terminator. Then there was the Spiderman ride. Too bad it malfunctioned a few times during this because it would have trumped the Transformers ride at Universal......We never actually saw any Super Heroes and I was a bit disappointed about that for Corbyn, but he didn't seem to mind.

 The Jurassic Park ride had not changed at all and thrilled my grandson the way it thrilled my son!  I  guess some things are just "universal"!

After spending most of the days at the parks and shopping centres telling Corbyn to stop climbing, we stumbled upon a climbing wall!  This was perfect for him and well worth the $5 it cost to entertain him for what seemed like quite a long time.  He also seems to be a natural at this sport, you never know what kids will do when they grow up, but maybe this is his sport!

He also got to share a kids only ride with his mother.  I did pity the person "guarding" the entrance and turning away lots of disappointed adults!  But how nice to limit this quiet and gentle ride to kids and only one adult?

Keeping with the Jurassic Park tradition, and one I did not remember, was the lab where they can investigate the guest's brains and DNA make up.  Of course this is all make believe, but I was surprised my daughter admitted to being very offended and upset when they took samples of her DNA!  The impression allows you to believe they have done this by using a hypodermic needle, but what really happens is a puff of air comes through a little hole onto your palm.  I had no idea this had upset my daughter, but it made me observe Corbyn's reaction. And, sure enough, he looked puzzled and unsure about what had just happened to him!

When we left Jurassic Park, we then arrived into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  And this is so well done, I loved how it looked!  But that was about all I loved!  Oh, and the Butterbeer!  That was delicious!  However, we had made the decision NOT to be at Islands of Adventure the day Diagon Alley was going to open, so we were there the day before, in theory to avoid the massive crowds that were expected.  This part of the park is so popular that it was impossible to walk in a straight line without bashing shoulders with so many people.  Not my idea of fun.  The area is huge too, but at this point I was hot and tired and not ready to deal with crowds or queues!  I did go into the wand shop, but I had already discovered where you can purchase the same wands at a much calmer shop at the gates right before exiting Universal Studios. Not that I would pay that sort of money for a wand that does not actually have any magic powers!

Corbyn and I went into the sweet shop and they did have the magic flavoured jelly beans, but I let him get a pick and mix instead.  He had been such a good boy that I felt a jolt of sugar would not ruin the day. And I told him he could only get 4 pieces!  And he complied.  So the whole purchase was only $1.39 and did not ruin the day with too many chemicals or sugar!

Behind the train station, you can see bits of the original Duelling Dragons, now Dragon Challenge

At this point, I had lost my bearings and it was not until Alan drew my attention to the "new" Dragon Challenge roller coaster.  She told me this was the original Duelling Dragons I remembered so well.  Not that I ever rode it, but I did hold everything for my family as they enjoyed this.

Our next, and hopefully, last stop was another favourite of mine - Seuss Landing.  This part is very sad because Alan and I were so tired at this point, we just sat in a cafe and waited for everyone to go around this part of the park. And I love Dr Seuss and had been looking forward to being here with Corbyn all day.

But the batteries had been removed and we were done, how very sad.






After our little rest, we were ready for the next part of the day - dinner at the only Hard Rock Cafe I have ever experienced!

Apparently one aspect of eating at this Hard Rock Cafe is unique and I was not aware of that. But have been lucky enough to experience this both times eating here.  Once the video of YMCA starts, everything stops and all the servers dance and sing.  Then the customers will join in. It is a spectacle worth seeing but I can't find any pattern of when or why they do this.  I just believe we have been lucky to be 2 for 2 in our times being there.  Look on youtube for some of the dances, I doubt I could share them here and my video was too far away and not good enough quality to share!

My original plan was to eat at Margaritaville - my favourite Florida restaurant.  Yes, I know it is found in other places, but it feels like Florida to me and I have only eaten in Florida locations.

I did have a Margarita there a few days ago and was able to visit the gift shop, but am so glad I got to see the YMCA and enjoy a meal with my family at the Hard Rock Cafe.

"I am somewhat exhausted; I wonder how a battery feels when it pours electricity into a non-conductor?” 

― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective

An Apology to Epcot

I first visited the Magic Kingdom in the first year of it being open!  It was a fantastic high school trip following our chorus's success at the State Championship.  We sold Krispy Kreme donuts every Saturday to raise funds for this trip,  at $1 a dozen, you might get a hint at just how old I am!!

It seems to me there was only the Magic Kingdom and that was enough for us.  Epcot opened in 1982 and I first visited this in 1986 when Alan and I travelled to Orlando for our honeymoon.  (I must admit I was a bit jealous of all the honeymooners we saw all over the parks on our recent trip - there are special Bride and Groom Mickey ears they were wearing!  Would we have worn them back then?  I doubt it, but it was a really cute idea!)

Our strongest memory of our first visit to Epcot was Alan having to prove his age at the pub in the UK, sadly this time around, that did not happen.   We were surprised that no one even asked this time!  But, apart from that, I found that trip very disappointing and wasn't bothered if I ever returned.








We also took the kids there when they were very small, and again, Epcot did not ring my chimes.  In planning our recent trip, I had no desire whatsoever to return to Epcot.  But then I heard it had changed and decided "why not go!"

And I am so glad I did!  This park is so much fun and has such a variety of rides, activities and entertainment, plus world wide exposure to food!  Who would not like this park?  So I am very sorry, Epcot, for my rash early judgment!  And I don't think it has changed!  These parks are always updating themselves, but fundamentally, it is the same place!

Prior to this visit, my only positive Disney memory from Epcot was that this was (and still is) the only park I have ever spotted Mickey in an unplanned signing opportunity!  My first one was many years ago, in Japan, when Mickey was wearing a kimono on our first trip here.  Oh, that makes two very memorable events that time!

At this point in our trip, we had still not set eyes on Mickey, apart from shows and parades.  I did wonder if Corbyn's luck would be like mine, and it was!  We stumbled upon Mickey and a few of his friends signing autographs and posing for pictures. But we were too late, Corbyn would have been the last one in the line, but Mickey's handler did not permit Corbyn to do that because it was time for Mickey to leave.  He had this happen to him a few times in this trip with various celebrities, but this was the worst.  So action was taken to position Corbyn in Mickey's path when he was on his way back to his dressing room, or whatever.  And this worked very well, thank goodness!

In the days we had been here, Corbyn had gone from being a bit aloof about the Disney characters, to getting the magic, so we were really hoping the creative positioning would work.












And it did!

But who was more excited?  Corbyn or Mum?

In all the excitement, I was not able to pass on all the messages to Mickey I had been asked to, and I apologize for letting friends and family down.  But I think he knows we love him and are always looking forward to visiting him.

As well as Mickey being around at Epcot, there are 4 distinct areas and I had to look up Wikipedia for a list of attractions to make sure I didn't forget anything!

There are 4 main parts of Epcot with Futureworld the one you enter first.  There is Spaceship Earth where you can take a ride through time and learn how communication developed. This was actually the very last thing we did - on the way out. It is basic, mainly because it is original, but still fun!  Here is a picture of Alan and me in our future home (according to this ride anyway!)

It is a very pretty park, but we walked right through all the futuristic stuff and went straight to the World Showcase because we thought we would get through that quickly. We were wrong!  It was a lot of fun and also very interesting!

Our first stop was Mexico.....we took a boat ride through their history and, finally, I found the skeletons I had told Corbyn to watch out for in Its a Small World!  I guess I got my rides confused!

I imagine this is in reference to Cinco De Mayo. I am just happy to have found it!

The next country was Norway and the section there looks just like the city of Bergen, where we were only last year.  I always thought it was just a generic Norwegian setting, but now I am convinced it is really Bergen!  Here is the link to my blog about our trip to Norway.

There is a passport kids can get, and each country will sign a greeting in the passport in the language of that country and also stamp it.  Here is Corbyn getting his Chinese greeting   It is really a good idea because they learn a bit about each place and hear a bit of that country's spoken language!

 I wonder how many people have noticed St Mark's Square is the mirror image of the one in Venice?  Why was it built that way?

Walking straight through Morocco was impossible with all these wonderful drums for Corbyn to try!

We intended to eat lunch in Japan and seemed to time this just right. It was delicious too!

This was the day before the 4th of July so it was even more special to see the "Spirit of America live Fife and Drum Corps"!





While we were on our own, Alan and I virtually ran to back to Canada to see their 360 degree movie of Canadian cities and scenery.  We remembered this as being fantastic and it still is!

I did try to take a picture, but it didn't really work.  Must be seen in person to be appreciated!

And in France, there were 2 waiters with a table, 4 chairs and 4 bottles of wine.  Without saying a word, they put on a great and really funny show out in the heat and discomfort a pre-storm Florida.

When we caught up with everyone it was to use our Fast Passes on various rides.  The main one though, was the Test Track.  This seems to be the most popular ride on the park, but it was not meant for us to ride it.  There was a lot of storm activity throughout the day and these sort of rides must close if there is any lightning within a 10 mile radius, if I remember correctly.  They kept saying it might open soon, but the queue, even for Fast Pass was just too long.  And this was meant to be our last ride of the day.

Just one more highlight of this busy and interesting park - the Living Seas!  This is one of the largest aquariums in the US.  (I wonder how it compares with the one in Atlanta?)  Corbyn loved this and interrogated the staff member who was stationed there to answer questions. She was very impressed with the caliber of questions coming out of this little 5 year old!


We saw a very interesting 360 degree 3D movie about the life and journey of a turtle which was very educational without being boring.

But the best part for me anyway, was the manatees.  I feel we got a better view of them in Epcot than in Sea World, although the setting for them is Sea World is probably a bit better.  They were being fed when we were there and we learned that they feed each Manatee 100 lbs of lettuce a day!  When Corbyn predictably questioned why they fed them lettuce, he was told that the mineral and vitamin content of lettuce is very similar to seaweed and was good for them.

Here are the pictures I took of this time.  Imagine a little 5 year old boy saying what messy eaters they are!

and a bonus one of a boy in a shark's mouth

Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup. ~Bennett Serf