Trip to Visit the Mouse in his House

I admit it. I am a Disney fanatic. I LOVE Disneyworld. And Disneyland. So when Mary Ellen asked where I wanted to go for my retirement trip, there was really only one place to go. When I was a kid, I never got to go to Disneyland. Although it was only 400 miles away, that seemed like forever for a young kid like me. My first trip was a few months after we got married when we went to visit Mary Ellen's aunt and uncle in the Los Angeles area. I was hooked on that first trip. The next time was many years later when Mary Ellen was pregnant with Rachel, our 5th. We had just bought our first camper and used it to go to Disneyworld for the first time. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed in Fort Wilderness, the campground on Disney property. It was (and is) the best campground you will ever see. Somehow, there were no flies, mosquitos, or other bugs. There were Disney movies every night. You could go swim in the lake, or bike around the campground, or take the boat or bus to any of the theme parks. We saw the light parade on the lake every night and the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.

This trip was different but just as wonderful. We decided to not rent a car and to book the entire trip through Disney - the flight, transportation to the park, the hotel, and even the food. We thought it would be the most "convenient". I figured the food would be mediocre, but I was wrong. It was fabulous. We dropped our luggage off at the Salt Lake airport, and the next time we saw it, it was in our room in the Caribbean Beach Resort. We got off the plane and walked onto a bus which took us to the resort. We ate a wonderful dinner at the resort that evening. It was steak with a Caribbean flare. Everything about the meal was great - the service, the steak, the vegies, and the dessert.

The next day we spent at Animal Kingdom. It is still one of the best parks to visit. I especially love the Safari ride. Disney has designed it so you ride through the jungle, then the savannah, seeing animals all around with no cages or bars. Besides the safari, there is also a couple of jungle walks (Asia and Africa) with animals and birds and beautiful pathways through the forests. We ate dinner at the Tusker House, a buffet with foods from Africa and Asia. Again it was wonderful.

On Day 2, we started out at Typhon Lagoon, a huge waterpark with a lazy river (we went around a couple of times) and a wave pool. By "wave", I mean a real tidal wave about 8 feet high at the start that travels the length of the pool (probably 200 feet) ending in a small wavelet for the kids. Lots of fun. There were also slides and chutes for the more adventurous (not us).

After the waterpark, we went to Hollywood Studios. They have a new ride - Toy Story 4-D Midway Arcade - where you ride around with 3-D glasses from one midway arcade to the next, shooting virtual darts, balls, pies, etc at various targets. There are about 5 different arcades each person has a chance to shoot at and build up their score. No prizes but you get "ranked" versus other people in the park that day who rode on that ride. Really a LOT of fun. We also saw the mini-cars in well done "movie" set, Muppet 3-D, and several other rides and shows (Beauty and the Beast was really well done.) We ate dinner at the 50s Cafe, where they had old 50s furniture, TVs, TV shows, etc in small 50s dining rooms where you eat with about 4 other families. The waiter/waitress is "mom" (since you are in Mom's house), constantly chiding patrons to "get your elbows off the table" or "stop fighting with your brother" with appropriate punishments (standing in the corner, singing "I'm a little teapot", or the like), with mom-style dinners (I had meatloaf, Mary Ellen had steak).

Day 3 was Epcot. We really enjoy watching the kids playing in the fountains between Futureworld and the World Showcase. Also they were having their International Food and Wine Exhibits, so there were many extra stalls with food from all over the world that you could sample. Part of the meal plan was a snack for each of us every day, which we could use in these stalls. We especially liked the cheese sampler with some wonderful cheeses. We also enjoyed The Seas, The Land, a new to Florida "Soaring" ride - taken from Disneyland where you are "gliding" over various California scenes. It is so realistic that you lift up your feet because you glide so low. That evening we ate at Cape May in the Beachclub Resort, a seafood buffet that was terrific.

The last day was Magic Kingdom, with its rides (Jungle Cruise, Journey with Winnie the Pooh, etc) and another wonderful dinner at the Crystal Palace, another buffet with beef tenderloin, salmon, and many other wonderful dishes. It also was a "character" spot so we ate with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet. Check out the pictures via the link at the right.

It was Florida, however. So it did rain every day. It was in the upper 80s and very humid. The crowds weren't bad though and no hurricaines this time. But we were prepared and the rain didn't really bother us at all. Mary Ellen could have done without the heat though.