2 weeks of wonderfulness and now Harsh Reality

Here is a few pics of the Royal Rooms they are absolutely amazing.

Day 2: We went to the Magic Kingdom. We stopped at Poly for Breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto. It was a delicious and fun character breakfast. We got to MK about 9:30 and headed to Tomorrowland first. We did Monsters INC with no wait. My husband got to be "that guy" and my son got interviewed by Mike's nephew. Then we rode Buzz Lightyear with out and wait and on to CoP. Then we were off to Fantasyland. We rode Winnie the Pooh and Mickey's Philhargmagic. By then we were hungry again. So we headed down main street to the Plaza Restaurant. I had the salad and my husband had to loaded potato soup for appetizers. I had the plaza club and he had a cheeseburger. For dessert I had a strawberry sundae and he had a milkshake. Very yummy lunch option in MK.

After lunch we went back to Fantasyland. We rode the Carousel, Peter Pan's Flight, and It's a small world, and Snow White's Scary Adventures. Then we took the long walk to the new Dumbo ride and Goofy's Barnstormer. My kids love the Barnstormer ride. They were never on the old one. Then we walked back to Main Street and watched the Castle's Parade. The kids got to dance with King Louie and Timon in the parade.

After the parade we went over to Aloha Isle for a dole whip float. Then we rode Aladdin's Magic Carpet. We then we to Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. This was probably the kids' favorite dinner of the trip. We got out of dinner at just the perfect time to get a seat for the Main Street Electrical Parade. Unfortunately there were some technical difficulties and they couldn't do the Magic Memories and You show. However this gave us time to find a good spot to watch wishes. After the fireworks. We headed to bed.

Day 3: Hollywood Studios. We slept til about 8am or so and went to HS. First thing we did was get a Fast Pass to Toy Story Mania. Then we went on Journey of a Little Mermaid and Disney Junior Live on Stage. Then we went to Hollywood and Vine. We had lunch with Handy Manny, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Special Agent Oso, and June from the Little Einsteins. My kids are 6 and 3 so they LOVE these cartoons. There character interaction here was amazing. The kids got to spend so much time with each character. There was no rushing at all. They did dances to each of the theme songs from the cartoons. The food is buffet and pretty good. There is something for everyone and no one left hungry. Character meals are such a time saver because when we left the Disney Junior show there were characters there and the line was about an hour long. We had lunch and met the characters within 45 mins.

Then we went to Toy Story Mania to use our fastpasses. This ride is my kids' favorite. They have the Wii game for it to practice at home. Then we went to One Man's Dream. After that it was time for Lights Motor Action to start so we headed over there. My son loves Lightning McQueen and now he is actually driving around on the stage for a little bit. My son was going crazy. As the show ended my son and I rode Star Tours. I tried to get my husband to ride with him but he volunteered to stay with our daughter. After Star Tours the Countdown to Fun parade began. It has alot of our favorite characters in it. Its all Pixar. We then watched Muppets 3D.

We had dinner at Mama Melrose's with the Fantasmic! Package. For an appetizer we split the cheese and meat platter. This dish was fun it had cheese, prosciutto, salami, Italian pickles, olives, and nuts. For entree my husband had the steak and I had the chicken parmigiana. They were both delicious. I know this place gets some bad reviews, but we really liked it. For dessert we had the chocolate cannoli cake and the chocolate amaretto cheesecake. After dinner we were stuffed so we walked around for awhile looking in the different shops.

We went over to the Coke Bottle so the kids could play in the water. Then we rode A Great Movie Ride and then headed down Sunset Blvd. Tower of Terror had a 10 min wait and my son refused to ride it with me. My daughter is on 38 and a half inches so she couldn't ride it. I didn't want to leave my husband with both kids so I didn't ride it. So we walked around and checked out everything in that area, by then it was time to get in line for Fantasmic!. The nice thing about the package is that you can wait longer to get in line because there is a special line just for you. This was the first time my kids had seen the show. It was awesome as always and the kids were really worried for their hero Mickey. After the show everyone filed out of HS and went back to the resort for some much needed rest.

Day 4: Epcot We had breakfast at Akerhus in Norway. It was served family style with white cheesy potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. There was also a cold buffet with toast, yogurt, salmon, and fresh fruit. The kids loved meeting the princesses. Belle is the first one you meet and get your picture with. This picture is included in your meal unlike some of the others where they cost extra. Then we meet Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella. They were all very good with the kids kissing and talking to them.

Then my son and I rode Mission Space orange level. There was only a five minute wait so why not. Then we did the Seas Pavilion. We rode Nemo and Friends and did Turtle Talk with Crush. Then we went onto the Land Pavilion. We rode living with the Land and watched movie about conservation with the Lion King. We went on a journey into imagination with figment. And by that time we were ready for lunch.

We walked around world showcase to Italy and had lunch at Via Napoli. May I just say yummy!! I had the ricotta balls with meat ragu and my husband had mozzarella and tomatoes for appetizers. I had the Quattro Formaggio pizza and he had Magherita pizza. It was awesome and we laughed that it would be had to have regular pizza again. For dessert I had the "ugly but good" and he had the Italian soda float. Mine was really good however he thought his was only ok. After a filling lunch like that we were tired. We went back for a nap.

We woke up from our nap to find out it was raining. No big deal we grabbed our ponchos and headed back to Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth then headed back to World Showcase. We had supper at Teppan Edo. Another awesome meal!! The kids were wowed by the hibachi style and loved that they could eat with chopsticks. For appetizers I had the Wafu Ribs and my husband had Gyo No Negi-maki which is green onion wrapped in beef. The ribs were awesome the other was tricky to eat because the green onions didn't want to break apart. For entrees I had shrimp and he had Filet Mignon but were excellent and comes with white rice, noodles, zuchinni, onion, and mushrooms. Absolutely delicious!! For dessert he had soft serve ice cream and I had the green tea pudding. I wanted to try it because it sounded interesting. I was actually very good. By the time we were done with dinner Illuminations was over so most of the crowd had left. So we got to stroll through World Showcase with it being nearly empty again. Then we went back to resort to sleep for the night.

My son loved the princess breakfast. He liked all the attention from the beautiful ladies and being called Prince. He told Cinderella that she was his favorite and she gave him a big hug which made his day. He told Snow White that he didn't like the old lady with the apple. He also told Ariel he was glad she got her legs so she could be human. That got laughs, smiles, and more hugs from the princesses. They also danced around the room and he got to do that. They commented on how well he danced. I think boys do fine at Princess meals.

Day 5: Animal Kingdom. We slept in a little this morning then headed to AK. We had lunch at Tusker House. It is a buffet with a variety of African inspired dishes and American favorites. There were many options for every appetite from hummus to fresh carved meats to Cesar salad to roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. We met Donald and got a picture with him before entering the restaurant. Inside there was Goofy, Mickey, and Daisy. They also did a character parade with the kids using African music instruments. I had heard mixed reviews of this place, but we loved it.

After lunch we went on the Safari. It had changed a little since the last time. They no longer chase poachers and say that a gate has been left open where some work is being done so we went through the gate to investigate. They show some grassy area where they said they are working to put zebras. After the safari we listened to outdoor street party and watched some dancers. By then it was time to see Festival of the Lion King. The show was really neat and my son got to participate. He was asked to dance for Simba. That made his day and my daughter loved getting to make the animal noises during the show.

After the show we walked through park looking at some different animals. We pulled my son out of school for his vacation and one of the things he missed was the annual trip to the zoo. Of course AK is way way better than any zoo and so he got to learn alot about several different animals. After all that walking we were hungry so the kids had a Mickey Ice Cream bar and I had a chocolate covered Frozen Banana. After we finished our snacks we went back to the room for a nap.

We woke up to find it raining again, but that was no problem at all. We put on our ponchos and headed to AKL. We had dinner at Sanaa. We went out to the middle and watched the giraffes roaming. What an amazing opportunities. We were seated right by a window and during dinner we could see the animals off and on through out the night. Sanaa was a very yummy option. We love all of the places in AKL. For appetizers we had the Indian Bread Service, which is your choice of three Breads and three spreads, and that lamb kabobs. My husband thought the kabobs were too spicy but the kids and I really enjoyed them. We all loved the bread service. For entrees my husband had the flounder with shrimp and scallops and I had the beef short ribs and shrimp with green curry sauce served with rice pilaf. Both entrees were amazing!! For dessert my husband had the dessert trio with Strawberry Kulfi, chocolate cake, and chai cream. The Kulfi is their version on ice cream and it delicious. The chocolate cake was simple and good also. We were not big fans of the chai cream. I had the new banana flavored kulfi with chocolate sauce and strawberries. It tasted just like a banana split. It was awesome.

After our lovely meal we went out to see the animals once again. Then boarded the bus to head back to our resort for some much needed rest.

Day 6: This morning we woke up and went to the Wilderness Lodge for breakfast at Whispering Canyon. We had the skillet which consist of biscuits, gravy, red potatoes, mickey waffles, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs. I also had a strawberry milkshake; it is vacation after all. The kiddos went on a horse race and enjoyed playing at the log building table. It was a fun breakfast and the Wilderness Lodge is so beautiful.

After breakfast we went to MK to ride some things we missed the other day. We looked around in the Emporium for a little bit then headed to adventureland. We rode Jungle Cruise with no wait. Then the Tiki room was starting its next show it 2 minutes so we saw it. There was a 10 min wait for Pirates of the Caribbean so went on it. We stopped at drank a coke and walked towards Splash Mountain. It only had a five minute wait, which really it takes longer than that to walk through the queue and look at everything. After that ride we were hungry for a snack so we had some popcorn and relaxed while we people watched. We then went shopping some more and got the kids Mickey shaped cheese crackers. We strolled down Main Street shopping. How awesome it is to relax like that at Disney. The kids got a balloon and some other toys. I got a new purse. We leisurely strolled out of the park and back to our resort.

We took a nap and woke up to find it raining again. We were headed to California Grill so we spent some time getting dressed up for dinner. We got to the Contemporary faster than I expected so we went to the arcade for a little while. My son and husband could play video games for ever. It was a nice way to give them something they wanted so they would be really good during dinner. Then it was time to go to the 2nd floor. California Grill is amazing, the views of Disney World are awesome. We sat by the window viewing Epcot we were able to watch the firework from Epcot at our table. For appetizers I had the Spicy Kazan Roll. It was awesome thank you to everyone for recommending it. My husband had the jumbo lump crab with fried green tomatoes. He was really good also. For entrees I had the pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta and he had the lamb chops. But we cooked perfectly and tasted absolutely delicious. For dessert we had the peaches and cream and the chocolate valhorna cake. Awesome again!! This was our first time eating here and it deserves all the amazing reviews it gets.

After dinner we went outside to the observation deck. It was sprinkling rain but we didn't care. We watched wishes and it was beautiful. The kids really enjoyed the view. I love all the special opportunities for memories Disney creates. After our amazing evening we hopped on the monorail to go back to MK to catch the bus back to our resort. We still had park tickets for the next day but my family looked wore out. So I asked what park they wanted to visit tomorrow, but they all agreed it was time to head home. So we went to sleep knowing it was our last night in Disney.

Day 7: We woke up and packed our suitcases. We always leave with so much more than we originally had. Oh well. Once we made sure everything was in the van we did a once more look around the room and loaded up. We drove to the riverside mill for breakfast. We all had the bountiful platter with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a biscuit. It was pretty good and a great way to fill up our bellies for our long drive ahead. We stopped by the general store for some snack items and Ariel cookies and princess lollipops for our grand-daughters. We then waved good bye to Disney. My son asked if we could move there and I said I wish but that we were coming back in March. Its only 9 months away and will be here before we know it.

Then harsh reality started. We waited til Northern Florida to fill up our gas tank after getting back on the road our Overdrive light started flashing. My husband thought I had touched a button so he had me pull off at the nearest gas station. I hadn't hit any button and there was some fluid spraying all over our back window. So we checked our fluids and everything was good so we called my dad and he suggested buying some fix a leak fluid. Well of course the gas station we were at didn't carry that sort of thing so traveled on north. We crossed the Georgia line and there was a truck stop. So we got off the interstate and the van would hardly climb the up ramp. We got to the truck stop where the transmission completely gave way. We ended up having the van towed to a mechanic and renting a car to drive to Indiana. My son had to return to school and my husband has a doctor appointment so we couldn't stay in Georgia. This was Thurs. and the mechanic said the van wouldn't be done til the next Wed.

So we rented a car and took what we could and drove home. My husband and I returned to Georgia Tues evening and spent the night. Wed morning we picked our van up and returned the rental car. We drove back to Indiana. So finally we are home for GOOD! We had an amazing vacation and the way it ended will always be memorable too!