Magic Kingdom

I kept meaning to get Bohdin and Nyla's words but I haven't yet.  Magic Kingdom was our last day at Disney World and our last day before leaving.  Nyla's number one goal for this trip was to meet Tangled which is her name for Rapunzel from the Tangled movie.  We didn't stop to meet her first.  The first stop was Big Thunder Mountain but it wasn't open yet so Buddy and the kids did Splash Mountain.  I hung out with Cora and gave her breakfast.  I carried her out of the hotel room sleeping that morning so she hadn't eaten yet.  Splash Mountain is a long ride and even though the kids wanted to do it again I nixed it in favor of something new.  We could always come back with FastPasses.  Big Thunder Mountain had opened up so I took Bohdin and Nyla.  It didn't seem that Nyla liked it that much but as the ride ended she said they should rename the ride to "Wee Mountian".  She wanted to get right back on and she did with Buddy.  Bohdin went along as well but he didn't care for the ride quite as much especially after riding a second time.

We headed across the park and did a few more attractions.  The kids loved the new Dumbo waiting area and didn't want to leave to ride Dumbo.









When I came with two year old Nyla she was scared of dark rides.  Cora didn't have that issue.  She did really well on everything.  The only thing she didn't like was being left behind because she was too short.

Bohdin really wanted to play the new sorcerer card game so we picked up a deck of cards.  Buddy and Bohdin split off to do that while I took Nyla and Cora to meet Tangled and Mickey.  Mickey is right next door to the princesses and with a posted wait time of 15 minutes I thought we could drop in quickly with our FastPasses and say goodbye.  That line was so long and it is set up in a way that one can't tell that there is a very long wait in front.  Waiting in that line was my worst Disney experience.  We were there a good 30 minutes so we could see Mickey for 30 seconds.  I had to rush Nyla through because our princess FastPass was about to expire.  We hurried over to the princess entrance and got in line behind the other people.  After about 10 minutes a giant group of people came   in.  They weren't together.  There was a just a large influx of people all at once.  They didn't get in line behind me.  After several minutes I realized that they were in the FastPass line.  It had been empty when I walked in so I didn't even notice it.  I jumped over to the other line even though I was really close to getting in already.  It saved me a few minutes but it put me in an even worse mood after the Mickey wait.



The first princess was Cinderella.  Nyla didn't really care about her or Belle, the other princess in the room, but it is set up so that you sort of need to see all three or be really rude and decline.  Nyla spent a few minutes talking to Cinderella.  Once the pictures were over, Cinderella came over and thanked me for coming.  She was so amazing and lovely that my bad attitude disappeared.  If she was real I would choose her as a friend.



Nyla was really excited to meet Rapunzel.  She wore the dress to surprise her.  Tangled joked around with her that they looked so much alike that Nyla could take her place so she could go ride Splash Mountain.  I don't think Nyla understood the joke completely.  They talked for a few minutes and took some pictures and that was it.  We left for a much needed break.



Cora had a tough time getting to sleep for her nap.  It was late by the time she finally fell asleep and as  a result we went back to Magic Kingdom a good hour later than we intended.  We did a few more attractions.  Nyla was sad that she was too short for Space Mountain.  Bohdin rode it but did not like it at all.  We did the comedy show and it was so funny.  We lucked out.  There was a little kid there that said really random things and the monsters reaction to it was hilarious.






I took a picture of Bohdin on the ferry ride back to the parking lot.  I think he looks really tired.



The next morning we had one more pass left to use.  We voted in the car and everybody but Nyla voted for mini golf.  I wish we had listened to her because it was so hot and humid.  We were sweaty and didn't have that much fun.



We left right after the mini golf and made really good progress.  Cora did really well in the car and we made it past the halfway point.  It was 10pm when we stopped in northern Georgia.  I got out of the car and felt the first cool air I had felt in over a week.  It was amazing.

The next day we drove home with a break at the science museum in Nashville.  We've had a lot of use of the reciprocal museum deal this summer.  We made it home before 4 without incident.  It was a long trip and good to be back home.

Epcot

Sunday afternoon we went to Blizzard Beach for a little while.  The Disney tickets we received gave us four free visits to the water parks, mini golf, and a few other places.  The waterpark was a little crowded and we weren't able to explore all of it.  One of Bohdin's top things during our trip was a family raft ride there.  I think he did it three times.  One of the nice things about it was that Cora was big enough to join us.

Monday was Epcot day.  We left a little bit late and missed the opening of the park.  As a result we had to wait a long time for Mickey.  The park opens at 9 and we weren't done with Mickey until 10.  There wasn't a lot we wanted to do in the front of Epcot so after several attractions we left for the hotel on the earlier side.  We ended up taking too long of a break and rushed through World Showcase in the evening without finishing it.

There is a new scavenger hunt sort of thing in the World Showcase involving Agent P from Phineas and Ferb.  Bohdin received a cell phone and it gave him instructions on how to save the world.  His first mission was in Mexico.  He ran around the building finding various spots.  The cell phone activated interactive features which gave him more clues.  It was sort of neat but it took a really long time.  Bohdin and Nyla loved it and I let them do one more mission in Norway before I cut them off.  I know they would have liked to do them all.  We stayed for the fireworks and had a much better view than the last time we were there.  The park wasn't nearly as crowded so we could be right up on the fence instead of behind hundreds of people.






Doing the mission in Mexico.

Hollywood Studios Pictures

Animal Kingdom

There are a handful of things Bohdin remembers well from his last trip to Disney World 2.5 years ago when he was five.  The first is the orange exhibit at the science museum and the second is that he didn't get his last stamp from the booklet at Animal Kingdom.  Friday we went to the science museum.  We had a later start than we should have and by the time we arrived it was quite busy.  Bohdin didn't like that there were so many kids there.  Nyla and Cora liked it and we stayed in that area for a while.  There was a pirate thing going on that day and the kids were given some pirate treasure in a bag which they really liked.  We couldn't stay too long because Cora was getting tired and I was getting tired of keeping her in check. 






Saturday was Animal Kingdom day.  We didn't quite get there in time for opening but we were pretty close.  Our first stop was the safari.  Then we started collecting the stamps.  They have stations set up for kids who have to do something like a scavenger hunt or looking at replica dinosaur bones.  One of the stations was closed that day so we automatically received the stamp for that stop.  It helped our timeline. 

Buddy really enjoyed the bird show last time and wanted to see it again.  I was okay with skipping it but the timing worked out that I ended up going.  Buddy moved Nyla and Cora to a different area so they could see better while I stayed with Bohdin.  Last time I went I struggled with a two year old Nyla.  This time I was able to just watch the show and I liked it a lot better than last time.  Buddy said he didn't enjoy it as much. 



Next up was Kali River Rapids.  Bohdin loved this ride and did it three times.  Cora was too little so Buddy and I traded off.  When Bohdin was going for his third time I took the girls across the park to see Lion King but Cora fell asleep in the stroller.  The park had become very hot and crowded by this time and I made my way back to Buddy while looking for ice cream for Nyla.  We stayed in the park while Cora slept and piddled around.  Buddy and the kids rode Dinosaur, the kids earned more stamps, and we all sat down to eat our food.  It started raining after Cora woke up and we headed to Nemo indoors.  It was raining even harder.  Even with the ponchos it was a little wet.  The heavy rain turned into a light drizzle and eventually stopped.  We stuck it out and stayed until the park closed at 6.  We were all exhausted.


















Bohdin - The things I liked were Dinosaur, the Festival of the Lion King, and collecting stamps.  I also liked riding the train and Kali River Rapids.  That was my favorite thing.  It was really fun and this is how it went.  First you went up a hill and then there was a fountain.  Then you went on a flat area for a little bit and then there was a drop and it was best not to be on the bottom because you got the wettest there.  Then you went a little way down what seemed like a river and then there was a bridge to go under and two stone elephants started squirting water when a raft went by.

Nyla - I hated meeting the animals and I also hated doing Dinosaur. On Dinosaur I could hear a big blue dinosaur roaring with a spiky horn in its back.  And then I hid my eyes.   I liked riding the train and I also liked getting stamps.  I also liked doing the Lion King show and also Nemo.  I'm glad we went home.

Hollywood Studios

Our first stop was Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I discovered that they opened the park differently than the last time we were there and actually opened the park 15 minutes prior to the stated opening time.  We were there in time for the early opening and it was awesome.  We rode Toy Story before the park officially opened.  We rode three times in a row I think before we moved on to something else.  Crowds were pretty light that whole day except at Fantasmic.

After Nyla and I watched Beauty and the Beast I let her explore the park.  She had complained of our fast touring style and wanted to slow down and look around.  She wandered to the big sorcerer's hat which I discovered sold hats. 






After one last time on Toy Story before heading back to the hotel for a break I noticed the green Army men scaring people.  I watched a little kid freak out when he found out that what looked like a statue actually moved.  I ran over to Nyla who was just around the corner with Buddy getting the stroller.  I thought she would like it.  She stood next to him for a picture and he didn't move at all.  When she came up to me he came up behind her.  She turned around and screamed in delight.  We had to stay and watch other people get scared.  She loved it. 





Back at the hotel, Cora took a nap and Buddy took the kids to the lazy river.  The picture was taken from our balcony on the 14th floor. 



We went back to Hollywood Studios after a few hour break.  Buddy and I split up again so Nyla could meet characters and Bohdin wouldn't be bored.  He doesn't like meeting characters so he went to stunt car show instead.  Nyla met Mickey, Pooh, and Mulan.  She could have done more but she wasn't interested.  Mary Poppins, Captain Hook, the Incredibles, and one other character was there. 






Cora loved this doll and kept coming back to it.


Bohdin really wanted to do Star Tours but I didn't think he should.  Buddy got motion sickness from it last time and he doesn't get motion sickness as easily as Bohdin.  He tried it despite my advice and loved it.  I'm so glad he didn't listen to me.  He did it three times and convinced Nyla and I to try it.  I didn't like it and had to close my eyes but Nyla liked it.  We were pretty tired but decided to go to Fantasmic anyway.  It was the right decision. 



Bohdin - We did Toy Story Mania about four times.  My favorite thing was Star Tours.  I went on it three times.  Nyla and mommy did it once and daddy did it twice.  I also liked the Muppet Vision 3D.  I also liked the Indiana Jones show and the car stunt show.  I also liked Disney Jr on stage and the Fantasmic show.  I liked all of it.

Nyla - The soldier when I went to take my picture with him and I was done.  One forward step and his hands were forward and when I walked away and I turned around I noticed.  It was very good.

Forgot Some Things

I forgot some things while I was writing the previous posts.  When we were in Asheville there were a lot of musicians on the sidewalks so we heard a lot of music.  Nyla was looking at the window display of a wig shop.  Across the street were some people playing music.  I saw Nyla start shaking her hips around a bit as she heard the beat.  It seemed like an unconscious movement.

Cora decided she wanted to wear underwear instead of diapers.  For most of the trip down she used the potty pretty well.  Once we made it to Orlando she gave up the idea and wouldn't sit on the potty at all. 

Bohdin lost a tooth while we were in the hotel in St. Augustine.  I told him to put it by the sink so we wouldn't forget it in the morning but in the morning I couldn't find it.  He was sad that he had lost another lost tooth.  If I had any small cash on me I would have put some under his pillow but all I had was a one hundred dollar bill.  The tooth fairy is not that generous.  

Getting there part two

We arrived in St. Augustine in time to do a quick tour of the place.  We didn't quite finish up before they closed.  Bohdin was really interested in it and wanted to see everything.  Nyla was hot and Cora wanted to climb on everything.







Buddy reserved the hotels for us while we were traveling.  I would call him and confirm the city we would be staying in and he would then get on Hotwire and find something suitable.  The Savannah motel was interesting with really amazing management.  The room vibrated at times possibly due to the construction next door.  It also had the original bathroom for the 50s.  It was fine but not remotely upscale.  When I pulled into the St. Augustine hotel I thought I might be at the wrong place.  Buddy had chosen a three star hotel within walking distance of the beach.  It was so much nicer than the previous nights, I was surprised.  We took advantage of the location and went to the beach that night for a little while and again the next morning. Bohdin and Nyla said it was their favorite beach.

The beach was extremely wide. A lot of the beaches in the area have very hard packed sand but not this one.  I've never sunk into the sand so much.  When I was carrying Cora I sank well past my ankle once.  I took a picture of someone's footprint.  The waves were very strong and there was a rip current warning.  The waves seemed to be coming from two directions at once and the rhythm was unusual.  Cora wanted to jump the deep waves like Bohdin but she kept getting splashed in the face.  She wasn't thrilled when I pulled her back to the small waves.  The kids really enjoyed this beach and one its best features in their eyes was the sand shelf.
















I had originally intended to attend a walking tour of Flagler college but for everyone's sake I skipped it. I don't think the kids would have enjoyed it.  We headed to Orlando to pick up Buddy after noon.  The trip down was interesting.  It was a bit further driving that way especially with the detours like Savannah.  The kids liked it and it was easier on them.  I didn't want to get them too burner out on driving because they would be making the return journey in two days.  It was also their last chance to see the beach for the foreseeable future.

Here are Bohdin and Nyla's rushed responses about driving there.

Bohdin - My favorite thing was the beach with the sandbar because if you stood on the edge long enough the sand came off.  So it was really weird and fun to stand on the edge without falling off.  My other favorite thing was the waterfall.  There was a rainbow and it was just really neat and I got a new rock.  I also liked going to the park in Savannah.  It was really fun to explore.  There was another one right next to the first one and it was just really fun because it was so big.

Nyla -  I remember the waterfall and the beach.  I liked the sandbar and the moving sand where the water helped you move.