Back before Christmas we found out that the guys were going to be getting time off in March and that it was probably the last leave time that they would have before they got deployed. It must have been fate because right about that time we got an email from the MWR that said that Disney World was giving active duty military free 5 day park hopper tickets and that dependents got theirs at a reduced price (more than 1/2 off). Some friends of our decided that they were going to go and asked if we wanted to go with them, and as you can guess we said yes. We found a nice hotel that was not on the resort but then as we were researching things about the resort we decided to stay on the resort because of all the extra benefits. Also while making the reservations we found out along with discounts on the tickets they were also giving discounts on the hotels. We got there on a Sunday afternoon, and after sitting at the airport for almost an hour we finally got to the resort. The hotel we stayed at was call Port Orleans-Riverside, it was a beautiful hotel. As you might guess by the name it resembled riverside New Orleans. The restaurants had mostly southern food and the atmosphere was southern. The hotel sits on the river that runs through the resort and you could ride the boat from the hotel to what is called Downtown Disney. That first evening we took the boat to Downtown Disney and walked around. We also had dinner down there at an Irish Pub. After we got back to the hotel we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom, they were having magic hours which means the park was open late exclusively for guesses staying on the resort. We walked around the park and road a few rides like Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. At about 1a.m. we decided to head back to the hotel, we were meeting Tom, Karen, and the girls that next morning back at Magic Kingdom.
That next morning at Magic Kingdom we met our first characters. It is really kind of funny because all growing up my parents called me Pooh and Larry was called Tigger.
That day we walked all over Magic Kingdom. One of the may placed we stopped for a Kodak moment was the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. This tree house has be the largest and coolest one either one of has ever been in.
We also walked around Toontown where I got these photos of Mickey and Minnie's houses. Mickey had a garden in his back yard where he was growing pumpkins shaped like his head. Pluto's doghouse was also in the backyard. Minnie's house was full of pic of Mickey and her friends.
This is a picture of Main Street in Magic Kingdom at about 5p.m. In this picture there is a group people retiring the flag for the day.
While at the Magic Kingdom Emma got turned into a princess at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. She chose Jasmin as you might have guessed by her outfit. Presley was to young to have it done to her but she was a good sport about it.
The next day we went to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot. We spent most of the day at Hollywood Studios though. We got there before the park opened because we went to a character breakfast with the characters from Jojo's Circus and Little Einsteins. The girls had fun for the most part until Presley thought Jojo was trying to take her bacon.
After breakfast we went and walked around, met more characters like Chip and Dale, and we rode rides. My favorite one was the Tower of Terror. I rode it several times. If you don't know about the ride I will give you a hint; it's an elevator that drops. We also rode the new Toy Story ride that is similar to a shooting arcade. Also while at Hollywood Studios we went to the Beauty and the Beast play, that was a lot of fun.
After Hollywood Studios we went to Epcot. We didn't get to do a lot there because the lines were so long and the park was closing soon, but the World Showcase was open late that night so we spent most of our time there. The World Showcase has 11 different countries in it that sell authentic merchandise and food. I bought a margarita in Mexico and didn't finish drinking it until I arrived in Germany were we had dinner. Larry bought beer in 3 different countries and bought a rugbie ball in the UK.
On Wednesday we spent the day at the Animal Kingdom. It reminds me of a really big zoo with rides. We rode several rides like Expedition Everest, where a Yeti tried to attack us, Primeval Whirl, where we went back in time, Dinosaur, where dinos attacked us, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. The safari was a new and different way to look at the different animals. We saw lions, giraffes, elephants, alligators, and more.
We also went on the Kali River Rapids ride which we got soaked on. The Festival of the Lion King was a show that we went to while there that was fun and exciting to watch. We even got to met several characters at the park.
Along with Mickey and Minnie was met Koda from Brother Bear and Terk from Tarzan.
Larry decided that he wanted to be a sorcerer like Mickey. After Animal Kingdom we went back to Hollywood Studios to watch the show Fantasmic. These pictures are from that show.
I just thought that the lights beaming over the sorcerers hat at Hollywood Studios was cool so I had to take a picture.
Are last day at the resort we went back Epcot and the World Showcase. This time we got to go on a few of the rides at Epcot like Test Track. We also walked around World Showcase and got to meet a few more characters like Belle and the Beast, Mushu from Mulan, Aurora, Mary Poppins, Genie, and Dopey. Dopey insinuated that Larry had big ears and that I was crazy.
We had a great time even if my feet didn't. I got to be a big kid and get autograph from Disney characters and spend time with Larry, what else could I have asked for in a vacation.
