Topic: Disney

On Friday, March 5, we drove up to Disney for the Royal Family 5K run which is part of the Princess Marathon weekend. Dan, Dave, Paul and I woke up early Saturday morning for the jog/run. It was a beautiful day for a run through EPCOT. On Sunday, morning Cristy ran the Princess half marathon. The whole family came over to cheer us on: Yoyi, Arturo, Gene, Tina, Lori and the kids.

The weekend wasn't all about the races we also visited 3 parks and stayed at the Treehouse Villas which are part of Saratoga Springs. Friday, we went to Animal Kingdom where we took Pictures with the characters at Camp Minnie Mickey, rode the flying dinosaurs, watched the parade and The Finding Nemo Musical.

Saturday, after the race we visited the Magic Kingdom. We did the usual, rode the carousel, Its a Small World, the teacups, the kiddie roller coaster,visited Minnie and Mickeys house and took pictures with the characters. We also had a wonderful lunch with the princesses in Cinderella's Castle.

Sunday, after Christina's race we went to EPCOT. Alexa, of course had to visit the Character Spot for her pictures. We also rode on Nemo, Imagination, Mexico and Norway. Alexa also had her first ride on Soarin. She was a bit nervous at times holding on to mine and Arturo's hand but she also screamed out WOW and loved flying over Disneyland. We had a quiet ride home with Alexa fast asleep in the back and Paul Andrew watching movies.

We once again visited Disney in January. This time it was for my birthday, Paul's last class in Orlando and Cristy was running a half marathon. We celebrated my birthday on Friday with dinner at the Italian pavillion in Epcot. The food was delicious. Despite the rain and freezing temperatures, Alexa insisted we watch the fireworks over the lagoon.

Saturday morning we were greeted by more rain and freezing temperatures. Cristy was raining that morning and saw snow, sleet and rain. We cheered her on at the Epcot finish line then went to Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort for a character breakfast. Thankfully the weather cleared up and we had a great time at the Magic Kingdom.

Sunday was a beautiful day eventhough it was still very cold. We spent the morning at Hollywood Studios. We did the usual rides and shows: playhouse disney, the little mermaid, toy story mania and pictures with the characters. We had a great time.

In September we visited Disney twice and began October with a trip down to Miami Beach. Our first trip to Disney was a weekend that Paul had class. Tia Cristy came along to help me out with the kids while Paul was in class. We visited Hollywood studies where we had lunch at Hollywood and Vine with Leo, June, Jojo and Goliath. Dan joined us for dinner in Downtown Disney at the T-Rex restaurant. The kids really enjoyed see all the dinosaurs, meteor showers and ice cave come alive every 20 minutes. Sunday as usual we visited the Magic Kingdom while Paul was in class.

Two weeks later we returned to Disney to cheer Tia as she ran the Expedition Everest 5K and scavenger hunt. The race was at night so we spent the day at EPCOT enjoying the Food and Wine festival. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time and the kids loved it. They loved the bunk beds and watching the animals from the rooms balcony. Not so Scary was also going on so the kids got all dressed up in their Peebles and Bam Bam outfits and trick or treated around the Magic Kingdom. Alexa and Paul Andrew also loved dancing with all Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and friends. Sunday morning began with a delicious breakfast at The Polynesian with Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Mickey. After a ride on the monorail we headed back home.

The following weekend Gene and Tina invited us to spend the weekend at their timeshare, Solara Surfise, in Miami Beach. The kids love playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean. It has been a very busy couple of months

We once again traveled with Paul up to Orlando while he had classes. This time we were joined by my parents, grandparents, and met up wtih Paul's parents and brothers. We stayed at The Fountains which belongs to the timeshare Paul's parents own. The room was large. It had two bedrooms, two baths a living/dining room and a full kitchen. The hotel had many amenities: large pool, pool tables, boats on the lake, fishing, and activites for families. Alexa and Paul Andrew's favorite part of course was splashing around in the pool.

Saturday night we were supposed to watch the launch but it was scrubbed due to the weather. Instead we all had a delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Sunday we checked out of the hotel around noon and said goodbye to everyone. Alexa, my mom and I stayed around waiting for Paul to finish his class. We hung out at the outlet mall, did a bit of shopping and Alexa got to ride the mechanical rides she loves to go on. Paul finished class a bit early and we began the drive back home.

We once again visited Orlando In June. However this time we did not visit the Disney parks. First of all its too hot and my passes are no good for the summer. We stayed at the Gaylord Palms and had a great time. Our rooms had a balcony that faced the indoor atrium. My parents came along with us for this trip and Uncle Dan came and visited on Saturday. The kids had a great time in the octopus pool and splash area. The pool was great because it had a beach entry. The indoor atrium had different areas. The Key West area had a boat and the southern most point booey, St Augustine had the fort and the Everglades had some reptiles. We had a great time strolling around the hotel even did a scavenger hunt and got some prizes. Paul as usual was in class most of time. We had a great time at the hotel!

Paul had class the weekend of May 15, so Alexa and I tagged along, and Paul Andrew stayed home with my parents. We stayed at the Hilton in Lake Buena Vista to try out a new hotel. It was great! We got upgraded to an Executive room and the Disney buses are only a 3 minute walk away at Downtown Disney. We had a very busy weekend. We arrived late Friday night, checked into the hotel and Alexa and I walked around Downtown Disney while Paul studied for his test the next day. Saturday, while Paul was at class, Alexa and I went to Hollywood Studios. We had lunch with the characters, saw Playhouse Disney Live, The Little Mermaid, and played with the parachute before watching the Block Party Parade. Sunday morning, started out with a character breakfast at Cape May Cafe. Alexa loved eating with Minnie, Donald and Goofy. After breakfast, we went to the Magic Kingdom. We rode the carousel, It’s a Small World, danced with Minnie in the parade and visited Toon Town. Once our day was over, we rode the Monorail to the Contemporary, where Paul was meeting up with us, to begin our drive home.

Recently, we have visited Disney twice, once in February and again March. In February we traveled with Abu and Aba and also met up with Dan. On Friday, Paul, Dan, Alexa, Paul Andrew and I, visited Animal Kingdom. We had breakfast at Tuscker House with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. Alexa had a great time. She even led the conga line holding Mickey's hand. The kids really enjoyed the safari and the Nemo show. Dan was nice enough to keep on eye on the kids for us so I could finally ride Expedition Everest.

Saturday, Paul had class and did not join us in Epcot. By this time Abu and Aba had arrived in Orlando. we all had a delicious lunch with The Disney Princess', Belle, Alice, Aurora, Ariel and Paul Andrew's favorite Jasmin. The kids rode Nemo, Norway and my favorite the Mexico ride.

Sunday, we visited the Magic Kingdom. Once again Paul had class and couldn't join us. This time we had lunch at Crystal palace with Pooh and his friends. This is definitely the kids favorite park. We watched a show in front of Cinderella's Castle, heard Belle read a story, rode Its a Small World and visited Toon Town. Alexa loves visiting Minnie and Mickey's house and taking pictures with them. I met up with Paul at the hotel (Port Orleans-Riverside) and we headed once his classes were done.

Our March trip was to see Cristy run in the Princess Half Marathon. Paul Andrew and Alexa carried signs that said GO TIA!!! They loved going into the park to see Cristy running. Alexa and I took advantage of the EPCOT being open early for the race and got to see all the characters without a line twice! It was so empty Mickey and Minnie were dancing with her and twirling her around. She was loving every minute. The day before the race we visited the Magic Kingdom with Boo-E, Ba and Tia and hit all of their favorite spots.

We had our second annual trip to Disney World for the Very Mickey Christmas Party on the first weekend of December. This year Martica had matching shirts made for all of us to wear that said Miami’s Mouseketeers. Our group this year was quite large, we were 21 in total with just 4 kids in the group, Matias, Angelina, Alexa and Paul Andrew.

Friday night, we went to the Very Mickey Christmas Party. We ate plenty of cookies and drank some delicious hot chocolate. The kids had a great time riding on It’s A Small World, Peter Pan, and dancing with Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and step sisters, Later in the evening, we all sat down and watched the parade. Alexa loved seeing all of her favorite characters, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. By that time, Paul Andrew was pretty tired and took a little nap. After the parade we decided to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. What a mistake that was! Just before our boat was about to go down the waterfall it got stuck. We were sitting there in the first row with Paul Andrew and Alexa in the dark for about 15 minutes before a worker told us to start rocking back and forth to dislodge the boat. We finally got to the edge of the waterfall and began our plunge in to the ride. I think we were the last boat to go down the falls because no boats followed us for the rest of the ride. Once we got off the ride we were able to catch part of the fireworks show but had to leave shortly after because Paul had class early the next morning.

Saturday morning we visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We all wore our matching shirts that day. The kids saw the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney Live, Beauty and the Beast, and the Block Party Parade. Alexa loved playing with the giant Parachute before the parade started. For lunch we ate at the Hollywood and Vine. We had a chance to meet June, Leo, Jojo and Goliath. This time Alexa was no longer afraid of the characters and Paul Andrew had no fear either. We left the park in time to catch the 2nd half of the SEC championship game which of course the Gators won. Go Gators!

Sunday, Alexa and I returned to the Magic Kingdom alone, My parents and grandparents started the drive back to Miami early with Paul Andrew. Paul once again had to go to class. Alexa and I had a great time. We rode on Jungle Cruise, It’s A Small World, Winnie the Pooh and as per Alexa’s request the Spinning Teacups. We spent a large part of the day in Mickey’s Toon Town. We visited Minnie and Mickey’s house. Then at the end of Mickey’s House, we were able to meet both Mickey and Minnie and take pictures with them. In Toon Town, we were able to also take a picture with Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Cinderella. The playground in Toon Town was also a big hit with Alexa. We left Magic Kingdom when Paul gave us a call he was done with his class and we began our drive home.

On May 1 we picked up Paul at the airport and drove to Disney to meet the Csonka family to celebrate Alexa's birthday. We had to leave Paul Andrew at home because he is still to little to go to Disney. We celebrated Alexa's birthday in Downtown Disney at the Rainforest Cafe.

Friday morning, we all went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. They just opened a new attraction with the characters from Playhouse Disney. Alexa got see the gang from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and My friends Tigger and Pooh. She loved it so much we saw it twice. While the rest of the Csonka family was riding the "big people" rides, Alexa and mom took pictures with the characters, played in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and walked around. We all enjoyed the parade together. There were lots of people jumping and dancing. By the end of the day we were all beat and went back to our hotel, Port Orleans Riverside.
.
Saturday morning was our character breakfast at the Beach Club Resort. We had breakfast with Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale. The food was good but Alexa kept telling the characters "no" and "done." Early in the afternoon we said goodbye to Tina, Gene, Dave and Daniel. We then drove home to pick up Paul Andrew who we all missed.

As if we hadn’t traveled enough, the next weekend we drove to Walt Disney World. It was a huge family gathering. These are the people who came along for the trip: Yoyi, Arturo, Cristina, Abu, Aba, Gene, Tina, Daniel, David, Paul, Alexa and I. We all stayed at the Contemporary. On our first morning we went to Animal Kingdom. The weather was pretty bad. It was foggy and sprinkling most of the day. We rode lots of rides and got to see a ton of animals while on the safari ride. Alexa’s favorite part of the day was watching the parade. That evening we had tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. There was a special parade that evening, as well as hot chocolate and cookies all evening long. Alexa fell asleep shortly after the parade but we got to ride a lot of rides because there were no lines. It was great. I have never seen Disney so empty.

Saturday, we went to EPCOT. It had been a while since all of us had been there. We rode Test Track, Mission to Mars, Finding Nemo, and Soarin. Alexa visited with all the characters and she had a great time. In the afternoon we walked thorough the world showcase and had some lunch. In the evening we stood by the lake and watched the fireworks show.

Sunday we took it easy because later that afternoon we were driving home. Our morning started with breakfast with the characters at the Grand Floridian. The hotel is absolutely amazing. Breakfast was real good also. After breakfast we took a little boat out to the campground and the Wilderness Lodge. Alexa had a good time playing in the playground at the campground. The Wilderness Lodge is an amazing looking hotel. They had it beautifully decorated for Christmas. Alexa had a great time during her first visit to Disney World.