Monday, July 22, 2013

Laura’s Florida Adventure

It only took two months to get around to it, but here’s a brief summary of Laura’s trip to Disney World with Oma and Opa in May.

Day 1: Travel and Shopping

All ready to go in a snappy traveling hat.

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On the ground in Orlando, riding the bus to Disney World.

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The hotel was called the Port Orleans, on Rue D’Baga in the Disney French Quarter.

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The doorman at the hotel reminded Laura of Mr. Kosloski (one of her substitute teachers, but one of Deborah and my sixth grade teachers).

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The grand entrance to Port Orleans.

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One of the cute Disney touches in the hotel room

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Taking a boat to the shopping area, Downtown Disney.

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Day 2: Epcot

The first theme park they visited was Epcot where they all tried out the TestTrack ride.

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Some other highlights from Epcot were the Disney character topiaries and a Finding Nemo themed underwater exhibit.

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Day 3: Magic Kingdom

The next day it was on to the Magic Kingdom

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The fake elephants on the Jungle cruise kind of paled in comparison to the real ones they saw the next day.

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This was the day that Laura really decided to give the Disney roller coasters a try. Opa was her reluctant companion. First came Splash Mountain.

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Then it was on to Space Mountain.

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Day 4: Disney’s Animal Kingdom

After a delicious breakfast (the best waffles ever, according to Laura), it was on to Disney‘s Animal Kingdom.

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The roller coaster at this theme park was Expidition Everest. Look out for the Yeti coming after you in the dark…

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See if you can spot Laura and my Dad in this picture.

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Here's a hint.

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This is the Kali River Rapids ride. I think they got a little wet.

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One of the main attractions at Animal Kingdom is the safari tour.

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Laura insisted on this posting this picture. “It’s a camera angle you never see!”

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A favorite of Laura’s—the lions.

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They topped off this day with a “Lion King”-inspired stage show.

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Day 5: Blizzard Beach Water Park

Another delicious breakfast, this time at the Wilderness Hotel.

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After breakfast they moved on to the water park—Blizzard Beach.

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There’s a long back-story explaining why a mountain chalet is in the middle of Florida, but I don’t remember the details. I think Laura would be glad to share the story, though.

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Another of the cutesy Disney touches.

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Day 6: More Magic Kingdom

Another trip into the Magic Kingdom! This time they started at the Crystal Palace for a character breakfast. Laura told me that the biggest revelation she had on the trip was that these characters were surprisingly plush and huggable.

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I think she had a little trouble picking out her favorite photos, so we posted them all!

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On the first time through the park, they missed the Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster. Rectifying that was high on their list of priorities.

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Then it was off for a quick trip to the Disney Hollywood Studio. They all took turns sketching Jiminy Cricket during an animation demonstration.

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Day 7: Relax

By this point Laura was pretty worn out. The last full day of the trip was a day for relaxing at the hotel. But of course they fit in one more character breakfast.

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Day 8: Back Home

Charging up her iPhone for the plane trip back.

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It was an exhausing week, but Laura had a great time! Thanks Oma and Opa!

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