SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2004

It started with a simple invitation to visit Daryl, Sally, and Presley in St. Petersburg, Florida (extended to us by Darlene and Wellington). It didn't take long for that to turn into a visit AND a drive over to Orlando. Eventually we reserved a large vacation home in Orlando for the week, and Presley and her parents stayed with us there for a couple days.

We had to reschedule the trip because of the hurricanes, but because it wasn't peak tourist season we were able to shift all our reservations fairly easily.

I want to recommend the best travel guide I've ever read: Passporter Walt Disney World Resort. I got one before we went on the Disney cruise last year, but the WDW edition is even more detailed. The book is spiral bound and has room for journaling, pockets for tickets and paper souvenirs, and lots of excellent recommendations. The authors write several editions so if you're going to a Disney park, check to see if they've got a book about it.

Day 1: pdx to mco

Have you ever thrown up on an airplane? Me neither. Well, if you don't count this trip. Don't know what was wrong with me, but I was nauseous from the minute we got on the plane, and halfway through the second flight, yep... I shouted at my shoes. How humiliating. Geez. Thankfully this unfortunate incident was not an indicator of things to come... the rest of the trip was mostly great!

We got to the vacation home late that night. Sally and Presley had already gone to sleep, but Daryl waited up to show us around and then headed off to bed himself. With the time difference we didn't feel too tired, so we unpacked and got settled in after a quick dip in the pool.

We found our home through www.allstarvacationhomes.com. It was roomy (5 bedroom, 4 bath) and the rate was reasonable. Location was great. The company was flexible with our rescheduling and we were impressed with that.

Day 2: Hanging out, birthday date

We spent most of the morning in the pool. The house had a great alarm system so we didn't have to worry much about the kids getting out there by themselves. Jack took a while to get used to being in the water; mostly he just wanted to stand on the first step. Katie was eager to show off her new swimming skills.

Daryl & Sally brought me a box of moon-pies! Why oh why can't we have a Cracker Barrel store in Oregon???

Oh, and the grass in Florida is so weird. It's hard and stiff and light green. Ouch! Even our crappy, dried-out, untended lawn at home is softer than that stuff.

Vic and I went to Downtown Disney for my birthday dinner at Wolfgang Puck Grand Café. I had one of the best meals ever--don't know why I'm always surprised the food tastes so good; Wolfgang is a god!! We also spotted a celebrity but are a little embarrassed to admit we didn't know who he was. There were lots of stares, pointing, and whispers but it didn't help. We're such losers.

Day 3: Animal Kingdom

Daryl, Sally, and Presley headed home today, but not before Presley showed off her new ear-piercing screams from the high chair. She's so adorable! I wish we had more time with her, and I wish we didn't live so far away because she's changing so much right now.

When Vic and I went to Disney's California Adventures a year ago, we loved the "It's Tough to be a Bug" 3-D movie. I figured since our kids like the "Bug's Life" movie that they'd like the show too. I figured wrong. They hated it. They screamed and had to be taken out. Bad start.

We weren't sure how Katie and Jack would react to seeing life-size Disney characters, but when Jack spotted Pluto across the way we knew we had nothing to worry about. He yelled, "Cluto!" and made a beeline for him. Katie also worked up a little nerve, though she was much more apprehensive. And then who does Jack get shy with? MICKEY!

Animal Kingdom was so much better than we expected. I was anticipating a glorified zoo, but it was very much like a typical Disney park. I think the most surprising thing was that they had some really unusual animals there. We saw real live meerkats, beautiful birds, lots of weird gazelle-like things, and some big critters too. The parade was noisy and fun, and I loved watching Katie's expressions as she recognized each character. The Lion King show was spectacular.

It was ridiculously hot that day, so we were glad to get home and jump in the pool for a long refreshing swim. The pool was screened in and we were pretty glad because there were lots of lizards and ginormous bugs landing on the screens. Yikes! With the help of flotation devices the kids were feeling a lot more comfortable in the water. Katie even ventured out to the deep end.

Day 4: Disney-MGM Studios

Darlene and Wellington drove up to Gainesville to visit friends today, so the four of us were on our own. The day started out pretty nice weather-wise, but once we got to the park it had gotten drizzly. By the time we got out of the Playhouse Disney show (which the kids loved!) it was raining hard. We took cover in an eating area for quite a while before the rain stopped. There was a very friendly squirrel there that entertained us by eating Jack's M&Ms. Who needs big attractions when you've got that?

The crowds weren't heavy so we didn't have to stand in many lines, but Katie and Jack were a little uncooperative about most of the attractions. We went to the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground and a few other shows and then headed home for naps.

More swimming in the afternoon/evening. I don't know how anyone could live here year-round without a pool. We went to Downtown Disney again for dinner. There are some fun shops there, and the kids loved the Lego play area.

Day 5: Epcot

We started out our Epcot day in Innoventions, where we all played with fun computer-y things. It was like OMSI with mouse ears. Then we headed over to The Living Seas for a very old and boring pre-movie and then a tour through a really fun aquarium. They have one room devoted to real-life versions of the characters in "Finding Nemo," and it was amazing to see how well Pixar had re-created them for the movie. There was also a manatee tank, which I was most interested in because I'd never seen one in real life. They are WEIRD, but really fascinating, and a lot bigger than I expected. That was definitely the highlight of the day (for me).

The World Showcase--the part of Epcot with all the "lands"--was disappointing. I couldn't understand the hype. The Eiffel Tower looked like something Jack built with an Erector set. The foods were not nearly as authentic as we'd hoped, especially in France. And you KNOW that England couldn't be authentic if people were actually enjoying the English food! We visited just a few of the countries before the kids got grouchy. The four of us left for home and naps, and Darlene and Wellington stayed for more touring on their own.

When we went back that evening we got to a few more countries. Big yawn. We ate churros that made me and Vic giggle ("Once again, I must sugar my own churro...") but even those weren't memorable. Overall, we thought Epcot was sorta lame and really not set up for little ones. Jack did enjoy trying on some hats in the big store though.

Best family activity: Kodak ImageWorks, where we made this picture (click for a big view of Vic's cool 'stache!):

Day 6: Magic Kingdom

This day was definitely magical. Even though we've been to Disneyland a kajillion times, it was amazing to see that world through our kids' eyes.

The castle at WDW definitely has Disneyland's beat. It's more majestic and just overall fancier-looking. Darlene says the one in Disneyland Paris is even better!

We headed straight for Fantasyland, where we knew the kids would be most easily entertained. Katie loved the carousel. Jack tolerated the carousel. We were so worried about them being scared on rides that when Katie said she wanted to go on Dumbo we made her watch it over and over so she could see how high and fast it would go. She insisted she wanted to go, though, and absolutely loved it! Vic said that ride scared the $#!+ out of him when he was that age, but she wanted to be as high as possible the whole ride long, and wanted to go again as soon as it was over! Jack immediately fell in love with the Winnie-the-Pooh ride and I was so thrilled to find something that he didn't just like, he really loved, I went on it with him several times.

We were also lucky to hit Toontown just in time to have very short lines to meet Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. Jack turned shy so mostly Vic posed with each one, Jack buried in his neck. Katie refused to even go near them. We also toured Mickey's house and by the time we were done Mickey was back from his cigarette break and ready to greet visitors. We didn't have to wait at all, and it was an absolute thrill to meet him up close and personal! Neither of the kids were one bit hesitant about going right up to him.

Vic and I loved "Philharmagic," the new 4-D movie. Those movies get better with every new one. The "Wishes" fireworks show was very well done. The kids thought it was too loud and wanted to leave right after it started, so we took a very slow route out and were still able to catch most of it. I loved the music! Never a big fan of amusement park food, but here we tried the Dole pineapple floats (mmmmm...) and funnel cakes (mmmmm again...) and were instantly hooked.

Day 7: Downtown Disney, BBQ with Mickey

It was our last full day in Florida, and we enjoyed the pool most the morning. We all headed to Downtown Disney for lunch at Rainforest Café, and then spent time wandering the stores and play areas.

In the evening we got tickets for Mickey's Backyard Barbecue, a big picnic at the Ft. Wilderness resort. Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy mingled with us all. As we left, Jack saw Mickey about 40 feet away and took off running. He nearly tackled him trying to hug him good-bye--it was so cute! He was one of the few characters that the kids took to immediately.

Day 8: mco to pdx

What a great vacation! We were completely exhausted but had a really fabulous time. It was hard not to do the comparisons to the California parks, but I have to say, Florida definitely has its advantages. We didn't like the weather much (thanks, Ivan) and obviously the flight to California's shorter... but there's no Presley in California!

She's the best reason for us to go back. :-)

...and maybe the pineapple floats...

postcards from orlando
OUR FIRST TIME IN DISNEY WORLD