[llama]

Because by this time my kids have turned my brains to mush and because, unlike DisneyTeacher, I'll never be efficient enough to take notes, I've decided to give daily reports. So here goes. Cast of Characters: myself, dh and dd No. 1.

We decided to leave Winnipeg at 6 p.m. and drive to Fargo, ND our first night. While I was finishing my packing, I turned on the weather to see how it was in Orlando - instead there was a winter storm warning for ND Now, no offense to people in Colorado, but no two words strike terror in the hearts of people in our region, more than "Colorado low". It always means trouble, and it was headed to ND. A quick call to my dh and my dd at work, and we managed to get away at 1 p.m, hoping to beat the storm. (of course, no storm developed. Typical. ) Anyway, our quick getaway meant we were able to make it to Sioux Falls, SD our first night, and after an uneventful, (even kind of nice) drive, we made it to Orlando by 9 p.m. Saturday night - giving us a "bonus" day!! We pulled into the first Marriott we saw, and collapsed for the night. The next morning, refreshed, we got a quick start and were at Animal Kingdom by 9 a.m. First thing we had to do was pick up my dh's DVC annual pass. This was done quickly, with the help of a really friendly CM - yes, we were very definitely back - and we went through the gate and headed to the Safari. There was a 20 minute wait, so we decided to grab a fastpass and do the Gorilla Trail while we waited. OK - I'll try to put this part "delicately". We got to the "bat house", and when we walked in all these people were standing in a group, laughing. My dh goes over to see what's going on and starts to laugh to, motioning me over. Well - ummm - two bats were having a "private moment" (a la Clinton and Monica Lewinsky). I KID YOU NOT! Everyone was in hysterics. Who knew bats did THAT! (my dh claims they were just "grooming" each other ) Well - after that magical moment - complete with kids asking "what are those bats doing?" and parents desperately trying to steer them away - we finished up the Trail (nothing seemed quite as exciting after that) and headed to the Safari. It was great as usual. I always try to look for something new - and we saw the hippos OUT of the water, and an ostrich sitting on her eggs. After the Safari we headed to Dinoland (in front of a woman who kept calling it "Deeno-land" lol) and did Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl (I thought of you Erin), quickly. We followed up with ITTBAB (many kids screaming, as usual) and caught the FOTLK show at 1 p.m. Feeling hungry we headed to Tusker House for lunch and I have to say I was disappointed. I had enjoyed the chicken dinner there before, but this time all the food was ICE COLD. I ate it, rather than deal with complaining, but didn't enjoy it. After lunch we did the Maharajah Jungle Trail (I love those tigers) and went to Conservation Station, where we encountered the grouchiest CM at the petting zoo. There was no soap OR water (the taps weren't working) at the basins where you wash your hands, and she's snapping at everyone to "wash your hands, wash your hands" and we're all trying to explain we couldn't. She made one little girl cry. I was not impressed. However, the goats were cute and I thought of you again, Erin. After that we "hit the wall". We had driven 12 to 14 hours a day and it caught up with us.We enjoyed our day, didn't encounter any rude people, except for that CM and we happy to see the Christmas Tree up already. (and Christmas carols playing!) We headed over to our timeshare condo at Marriott Grande Vista (now, a word of explanation, before I get drummed out of DC). In the last few years, we've stayed one week at the Marriott and one week at OKW. Marriott is one of my dh's biggest clients and he feels he owes them some loyalty (and he loves to golf). The first year I whined and cried, but when I saw the Grande Vista I stopped. It is a gorgeous resort - rivalling DVC resorts (sans magic) in every way. Plus, it is very quiet and serene, so I do enjoy my stays here. I even get a chaise lounge in the bedroom. I feel very "Empress Josephine" on it. We unpacked. In our rush to get away I had forgotten a few things - like my dd's and mine's sneakers We managed a day with sandals, but couldn't go on. We headed to a factory store, picked up some sneakers (I want to say runners, I'm not use to saying "sneakers", but I'll try to speak American while I'm here), went to Publix for groceries and got Boston Chicken for dinner (I love that stuff - no Boston Market at home ). We relaxed for the evening and had an early night. On Monday it's SeaWorld and Dining with Shamu....

[mickaholic4077]

A great start to your trip!!

[Cincy]

Sound like you are having a great time so far.

[tinkerbelle24]

Sounds great so far. Sorry to hear about that CM. Let her try to make my kids cry, I dare her!!!LOL.... Cant wait to hear more.. Have Fun!!!!!

[roxie]

Great to hear from you.....I love daily reports!!!

[DisneySusie]

Thanks for the report! You are going to love Seaworld! It is one of my favorite places to go!

[cinderbella]

Wait a skinny minute.......you drove from Canada to Flordia?

Gee, I complain driving from South Carolina

[tiggerlover1971]

great trip so far LLama Cant wait to here more Yikes what a drive Canada to Florida.

[missy H]

Wow thats a long drive.......love thje daily TR keep it coming!

[Dopey]

Hmmm, nice to hear from you. I have a complaint though, you thought of Erin a minimum of two times up there, but your car just whissssssed past me, red carnation and all and you never even gave that a thought.

[lovemysons]

Oh, this is very nice. I like the reporting as it happens! Empress Josephine! Love it!

[daisyd]

This is going to be one long thread by the end of the month

Glad you made it safe!

[Maria]

Sounds like a great first day!!!! Excited to hear about Sea World!! Gald you had a safe trip down.

[Pooh Fan]

I am loving your TR so far. I can;t wait to read what you did today!

[llama]

Originally Posted by Dopey

Hmmm, nice to hear from you. I have a complaint though, you thought of Erin a minimum of two times up there, but your car just whissssssed past me, red carnation and all and you never even gave that a thought.

Oh Dopey - I'm sorry. Was that you??? I tried to stop, but my dh won't pick up hitchhikers - even if they have cookies. I promise to try to think of a different member everyday. In fact I DID think of you today. We were sitting in the "Pet's Ahoy" show with two ladies from Germany and I was thinking how nice it sounded to hear German spoken again and I thought of YOU.

Sea World Day:

We got to Sea World by 9:30 and it was not at all busy. We were able to park right by the entrance and breezed in. I love Sea World. I love the slower pace, interacting with the animals and the beautiful landscaping. I noticed that they had added some beautiful "English style" gardens. We headed to the Clyde and Seymour Sea Lion Show which is incredibly corny and so funny. I know the whole schtick by heart I've seen it so many times and I still laugh. After that we headed to "Pets Ahoy", a cute little show that they've created with animals rescued from shelters. I really like that Sea World does this and the show is so cute. Little kids just love it. We had decided to "Dine with Shamu" this year and that was scheduled for 4 p.m., so we got a quick bite to eat to tide us over. The 3 of us shared a spicy chicken stirfry (very good) and a piece of my favourite chocolate cake (I thought of you here Dana). It is the best chocolate cake in the world. After lunch we took in all the attractions, feeding the stingrays, dolphins and sea lions. I teased my dh that he never takes me out to dinner but he'll spend $8 on 3 trays of sardines to feed the stingrays. I love doing this. Interacting with the animals is so cool. We then saw the manatees (it must be really boring to be a manatee) and the sharks and penguins (again thought of you Dana). My dd and I browsed in a few shops and then we went to see the Clydesdale horses and the Clydesdale donkey (he's very cute). Everyone in the park seemed in a really laid back mood. People smiling and chatting to each other. It was a really nice atmosphere. We headed over to the polar bears, which always reminds me of home. We were in luck - no one was there and it was feeding time. The bears were wandering around, standing on their hind legs,as fish was dropped from above. The big female came over and stared right at me, nose to nose. I could see her breath on the glass. The attendant at the bears was a really nice lady from Maryland who LOVED those bears and told us a whole bunch of cute stories about what they did, and interesting facts about polar bears (and we were able to tell her a fact or two, too). She was really excited when we told her we were from Winnipeg, because she knew Churchill, Manitoba is the polar bear capital of the world. We spent about a half hour there, chatting and watching the bears. It was really a great time. After that we headed to the "Blue Horizons" show with the dolphins. This is a new show at SW and it was really terrific! It combined the dolphins with acrobatics, diving, birds and gorgeous costumes. It reminded me a bit of a watery Cirque de Soleil. By then it was time to dine with Shamu and we headed to the Shamu stadium. Because our kids are grown we've not done too many special meals, etc. on our trips, but I would recommend this one. We were all seated around one of the private whale tanks. It was a buffet meal - really good - including rolls, caesar salad, tossed salad, pasta primevera,roast chicken, beef bourgignon, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables, seafood casserole and rice. The kids table had chicken nuggets, spaghetti, mac and cheese, hot dogs, fresh fruit. And a wonderful dessert table. The food was very good. While we ate one of the trainers talked to us about whales and two of the whales swam slowly around. After dinner, they showed us how they trained the whales and what to watch for during the Shamu show - the hand signals, whistles, etc. I would highly recommend this dinner. Even beer is included in the price. After dinner we watched the last Shamu show of the day and headed home. It was a great time - very relaxing, yet we saw and did alot. We chose not to do the two rides. Journey to Atlantis leaves you soaked and with a bit of a headache I didn't want to try Kracken rollercoaster, though I've done it before and it really is great! So that was our second day. If you have the chance, visit Sea World. Definitely a great park. Now I'm relaxing on my chaise lounge, listening to kids splash in the pool. Man I love being here! Tomorrow, MGM...