Disney trip begins
From my handwritten journal:
Friday July 20
3 a.m. came awfully early as Alex stood over our bed and asked, "Are you up?" He scared the hell out of me.
We all got up and got our suitcases ready for the limo. Bill and I had been up until 10:30 packing. I couldn't find my pink Disney jacket and Hannah couldn't find one Disney croc.
The limo came at 3:30 (on time) and Roger was very nice. Everyone slept in the the limo except me because I was too wired and worried. I was quite glad for the limo and expressed as much before we even got out of the subdivision.
Airport check-in was smooth (although we got teased a lot for wearing Packers shirts in Chicago) and we only had to wait about 20 minutes until we boarded. We sat girls' team, boys' team, boys sat in the front row so Bill could have some decent leg room.
I was so exhausted I silently freaked out a little on the plane. I listened to music to calm me down, which worked.
Hannah was so happy she was singing on the plane.
Landing was smooth.
None of us were teased for our Packers shirts in Orlando. It certainly sparked discussion with some people.
Ed our taxi driver was waiting for us at baggage claim. He patiently waited for our luggage with us (30 minutes). He is nice as pie.
He took us to our first hotel, Royal Pacific Resort, which is on the Universal property. Ed drove a 2004 black Suburban and we had a nice chat.
Our hotel was simply beautiful and everybody was very nice. We used express check-in, but our room was not ready yet. So we checked our luggage and headed to lunch.
We had lunch at the hotel in the hopes they would get our room ready before we left the property (no such luck). We ate at Emeril's Tchop Tchop. Alex walked on the bench seat like he was at home. The decor was stunning and the food was incredible. Bill's soup was great and I had the best burger I've ever had.
Since we were staying on property, we were entitled to head-of-the-line privileges at most rides.
We saw "Shrek 4-D," which was really neat.
Then we caught a performance of "The Blues Brothers" on their 27th anniversary. It was a great show.
Then we saw "Twister" where you see the effects of a tornado. Hannah cried (there was lots of fire).
We headed back to the hotel for a nap at 3. Since our room was still not ready, they upgraded us and checked us in. We got a garden view room which was very ice.
We napped until 6 p.m. and headed to Islands of Adventure. Alex said, "OK, I feel better," after the nap.
On our walk to the park, we saw some rickshaw people. Hannah asked, "Why don't we take the bike dudes?"
We went on "Spider Man," which was one of the most incredible rides I've ever been on.
We ate at Blondie's, where Bill and I each had a Dagwood sandwich. Hannah said, "Look! It's 'The Sandwich'!" It was delicious.
The kids split a Nathan's Hot Dog. Alex said it wasn't very flavorful. "One meal at Emeril's and suddenly you're a gourmet chef," Bill joked. "Bam!" Alex said.
Next we went on the wettest water ride I've ever been on. Twice in a row. It was called Bluto's Barge or something. We were all drenched.
Then we headed over to Seussland and quickly discovered the kids were too old for it. Hannah said the trolley ride (Seussical blue train equivalent) was "too dumb." We agreed.
Then we went back to the hotel to swim. They were showing "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" on a big screen next to the pool (a dive-in movie). The water was as warm as bath water and very nice. Watching the movie was neat.
I got a "Witch Doctor" drink at the pool bar and Bill got the best strawberry smoothie I've ever had. My drink was very strong and apparently made me a little chatty. I slept well, which is what I needed.
Friday July 20
3 a.m. came awfully early as Alex stood over our bed and asked, "Are you up?" He scared the hell out of me.
We all got up and got our suitcases ready for the limo. Bill and I had been up until 10:30 packing. I couldn't find my pink Disney jacket and Hannah couldn't find one Disney croc.
The limo came at 3:30 (on time) and Roger was very nice. Everyone slept in the the limo except me because I was too wired and worried. I was quite glad for the limo and expressed as much before we even got out of the subdivision.
Airport check-in was smooth (although we got teased a lot for wearing Packers shirts in Chicago) and we only had to wait about 20 minutes until we boarded. We sat girls' team, boys' team, boys sat in the front row so Bill could have some decent leg room.
I was so exhausted I silently freaked out a little on the plane. I listened to music to calm me down, which worked.
Hannah was so happy she was singing on the plane.
Landing was smooth.
None of us were teased for our Packers shirts in Orlando. It certainly sparked discussion with some people.
Ed our taxi driver was waiting for us at baggage claim. He patiently waited for our luggage with us (30 minutes). He is nice as pie.
He took us to our first hotel, Royal Pacific Resort, which is on the Universal property. Ed drove a 2004 black Suburban and we had a nice chat.
Our hotel was simply beautiful and everybody was very nice. We used express check-in, but our room was not ready yet. So we checked our luggage and headed to lunch.
We had lunch at the hotel in the hopes they would get our room ready before we left the property (no such luck). We ate at Emeril's Tchop Tchop. Alex walked on the bench seat like he was at home. The decor was stunning and the food was incredible. Bill's soup was great and I had the best burger I've ever had.
Since we were staying on property, we were entitled to head-of-the-line privileges at most rides.
We saw "Shrek 4-D," which was really neat.
Then we caught a performance of "The Blues Brothers" on their 27th anniversary. It was a great show.
Then we saw "Twister" where you see the effects of a tornado. Hannah cried (there was lots of fire).
We headed back to the hotel for a nap at 3. Since our room was still not ready, they upgraded us and checked us in. We got a garden view room which was very ice.
We napped until 6 p.m. and headed to Islands of Adventure. Alex said, "OK, I feel better," after the nap.
On our walk to the park, we saw some rickshaw people. Hannah asked, "Why don't we take the bike dudes?"
We went on "Spider Man," which was one of the most incredible rides I've ever been on.
We ate at Blondie's, where Bill and I each had a Dagwood sandwich. Hannah said, "Look! It's 'The Sandwich'!" It was delicious.
The kids split a Nathan's Hot Dog. Alex said it wasn't very flavorful. "One meal at Emeril's and suddenly you're a gourmet chef," Bill joked. "Bam!" Alex said.
Next we went on the wettest water ride I've ever been on. Twice in a row. It was called Bluto's Barge or something. We were all drenched.
Then we headed over to Seussland and quickly discovered the kids were too old for it. Hannah said the trolley ride (Seussical blue train equivalent) was "too dumb." We agreed.
Then we went back to the hotel to swim. They were showing "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" on a big screen next to the pool (a dive-in movie). The water was as warm as bath water and very nice. Watching the movie was neat.
I got a "Witch Doctor" drink at the pool bar and Bill got the best strawberry smoothie I've ever had. My drink was very strong and apparently made me a little chatty. I slept well, which is what I needed.