Disney - day 6

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down.

Today it rained all day with tornado warnings and torrential downpours. We went to a great scrapbook store here called Scrappy Boutique. It is in the Florida Mall area and they had ALL the new products from the winter CHA. They had the new Basic Grey collections and had the older collections on clearance!!! I was in heaven. The lady there was super nice (and wants to move to Nashville) so we spent some time there chatting and shopping. Adam was very patient. Then we went to the biggest Goodwill store I had ever seen. Adam got a bunch of record albums there for his collection.

On the way back we stopped at a Perkins for lunch and headed back to the hotel for a little nap. Still raining. After our nap we went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Earl of Sandwich and dessert at Ghiradelli. Yum yum. Still raining.

Tomorrow we check out and start the yucky drive home. Sad day. My puppy Paco licked the phone when I talked to him. He loves his mommy.

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Disney - day 5

Today was a crazy day.

We started out going to Hollywood Studios. It is a short walk from the Boardwalk but we went out the wrong door so it was a looooong walk. We got there a bit after opening and went straight to the Fastpass for Toy Story. Next we went on the Aerosmith Coaster with a 10 minute wait. Next was the American Idol Experience. It is neat - they try to make it feel like you are really there during a taping. The 3 singers were so-s0. After that, we went on the Great Movie Ride - one of my personal favorites. Lunch was at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. This place is so much fun and the food is awesome. After lunch, we did the Little Mermaid show and then it was time for our Toy Story ride. Adam had never done it before so I whooped him but we had fun. We didn't really feel like doing anything else at the Studios so we took the bus to the Animal Kingdom.

It was supposed to be warm today but it was cloudy and breezy so it was actually quite nice. We got there just in time to run to the Nemo Musical. This is one of the best shows at Disney IMHO. It is fabulous. Next was a 20 minute wait to ride Everest and then a jolt over to the Kilimanjaro Safari before it closed. Lots of animals out - including the lion waiting for his dinner.

Our dinner reservation was at Kouzzina - Cat Cora's new restaurant at the Boardwalk. We had a 6:40 seating and it was about right. I found only one thing on the menu I would eat - flank steak and potatoes. Adam got the veal shank and brussel sprouts. Our service was HORRIBLE. The guy was not good at all and couldn't answer any questions. He was so slow. My steak was over cooked and weirdly seasoned. I ate about half of it. The potatoes were good but they were just sauteed redskins. Adam said his meal was good. We didn't get any appetizer or dessert or drinks other than soft drinks. Our bill was $55 before tax and tip. The restaurant is nothing special but our service was bad. All the entrees were between $20 and $30 with one side. Everything else was extra. Just getting dinner we were there over an hour. We didn't even look at the dessert menu. On our way out, we were asked by a family if it was good. We told them about our wait and the so-so food and service and sent them to the Flying Fish instead. So, I would say, could be $$$$ but not necessarily depending on what you order. Server was bad. Bread was awesome...

Best meal of the trip was definitely Narcoossa's at the grand Floridian.

Tomorrow is 80% chance of rain so we are going scrapbook shopping around Orlando and who knows what.

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Disney - day 4

Today was Sea World. Adam and I had not been there in years. We got up early and went to the Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast. Yummy muffins and coffee. Next we loaded the GPS and drove to Sea World. Unfortunately, of the 2 big rides there, one was broken all day (the Kraken) and the other was working intermittently (the Manta). We saw all the animal encounters and some of the shows. Of course we spent some time at the Penguin Encounter. The best show was the one with the pets they had adopted from shelters. Dogs, cats, mice, birds, even a skunk. A very cute show but I would like to know how the trained the cats. We also saw a dolphin show that was cool and of course the Shamu show. We saw the Clyde and Seymour show too which was very funny. It was not cold but not sunny. We wore jackets all day but my scalp is so sun burned. We got back before dinner.

We had dinner at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. It was good but our best meal so far is still at Narcoossa's. After dinner, we rode the boat to EPCOT to meet the Owner's Locker guy. Do a Google search for them if you come to Orlando/Disney a lot. They provide a great service. Now we are back in the room watching Lost...

Tomorrow is Hollywood Studios and dinner as Cat Cora's new restaurant on the Boardwalk called Kouzzina.

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Disney - day 3

Hello, here is my report for day 3 of our trip to Orlando.

We actually slept until almost 8:30, which is unheard of for us. Today we rode the boat from the Boardwalk to EPCOT. When we got to EPCOT (at the back door), we headed over to the land and seas, stopping first to visit Figment. That is one hokey ride but I kinda like it. Walked right on (the car in front of us was empty). Next we went to ride Living with the Land. Huge line but went quick. Then we got a bit stuck (crawling along actually) but we eventually finished. They had beautiful cotton growing this time. We skipped Soarin' and went to the Seas to ride in a clam shell to look for Nemo. Finally found him so we went and walked around the aquarium a bit. Next stop was back to World Showcase to eat some fish and chips in England. Yummo. After lunch, we walked the rest of the way around the world and headed to Minnie's butterfly garden. Not many butterflies - live ones, that is. Lots of dead ones though. Very sad. Next stop was Ellen's Universe of Energy. I like this ride and it is 45 minutes in the air conditioning - it was rather warm today. Our last ride was Spaceship Earth - another favorite. After that, we went shopping at Mouse Gears. I got a new hoodie Jillian is seriously going to want.

Dinner today was at the California Grill at the Contemporary. This was the most expensive meal so far but yummy. The food was good and we splurged on dessert. I got meat (again) and Adam got fish (again). I think I liked the fillet at Narccoossa's last night better. We got to watch the sunset from the top of the Contemporary with a beautiful view of the Magic Kingdom and the Grand Floridan. After dinner we went out on the observation deck and tried to take pictures of the castle in the dark. Not sure how they came out.

Tomorrow is Sea World (penguins - yeah!).

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Disney - day 2

Greetings from the happiest place on earth!

The Princess Marathon was this morning. We saw the stragglers as the bus went by followed quickly by the clean-up crews.

We tried to sleep in today but I can't sleep past 7 anymore. We had breakfast in the room and got ourselves ready and out to the bus by 9 to go to the Magic Kingdom. We immediately got on the train once we entered the park and did Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion in 30 minutes. We also did the Hall of Presidents, which we had never done before. Off to It's a Small World and Snow White before stopping at Pinocchio's place for lunch. Then it was a walk to Space Mountain (which was redone - the queue is different with games you can play along the way and it is a lot darker; I think the cars are new too) and a ride on the TTA (my favorite). Next stop was The Laugh Floor, which I love. That interactive show is hilarious. We had a great spot for the parade. It featured some of the volunteers at the park and then I think the parade is kinda new. It had new music and some things I didn't remember. After the parade, we shopped down Main Street and and then got on the boat to the Grand Floridian for dinner.

The Grand Floridian is gorgeous! I took a lot of pictures as we walked the grounds and explored the lobby area. Very pretty place and so many kids there! We went to Narcoossaa's for dinner. OMG, it was outstanding. Adam had some fish we never hear of, which he said was good. I got a fillet with yummy mashed potatoes, spinach, and green beans. For dessert, Adam got Coconut and Key Lime creme brulle (2 separate dishes) and I got a super dark chocolate mousse cake thingy. Yum-yum. We shared deserts and then tried to get to EPCOT for the Jose Feliciano show at 7:45, but we didn't get back on the bus from the MK until around that time. Instead we came back to the room for the Academy Awards.

Tomorrow is EPCOT and the Flower and Garden Festival and dinner in the Contemporary at the California Grill. TTFN.

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Disney - Day 1

Hello all. Here is my report from Disney for day 1.

We arrived this afternoon after spending the night in THE WORST hotel on the planet south of Atlanta. We got here at 2:30 pm with about a tablespoon of gas left. Thankfully, our room at the Boardwalk was ready. We are on the first floor about 20 yards from the bus stop. I sat on my patio and watched the EPCOT fireworks. That was a nice surprise. The room is a studio and it is one that has just been renovated. Very pretty with pink walls! After we went out and filled the gas tank, we rested in the room and then walked around the lake to the Yacht Club for our dinner reservation at Cape May. It is a buffet - mostly seafood - but there was stuff for me - the carnivore. It was good but probably a bit high at $31 per person. I did have an adventure when I ate one of the BBQ ribs and my lips immediately got a buzzy feeling. I must be allergic to some spice they had in there. Didn't stop me from having some yummy flan for dessert.

After dinner, we took the bus to Downtown Disney to get the obligatory scrapbook and souvenir shopping out of the way. Found almost everything I wanted. Need to hunt down some H2O body wash and a cute purse for my Gypsy. I got the 2010 12x12 album and the paper pack for 2010.

Day 2 is the Magic Kingdom and dinner at the Grand Floridian.

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Goin' to "the World"!

I am going to Orlando on Saturday. Doing Disney (of course), Sea World, scrapbooking shopping, and, because my husband is going with me - plenty of eating at expensive restaurants. I need a little break, so I am excited to spend a week of downtime with the hubby and no kids.

Also wanted to plug cropchocolate.com. They were a one-deal-a-day site but now have several deals each down. Very addictive but great prices and they have Basic Grey Woohoo! Great site is you like to get some of the older products super cheap.

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