Vacation

It's been less than two weeks since we've gotten home from Disney World.  This trip was  definitely different than our previous trips in just about every way.  Not in a bad way, but it was different.  We didin't take as many pictures as we had previous trips.  The weather was different, the company was different.

The first trip Paul and I took together to Disney World was for our honeymoon in March 2006 during the heart of Spring Break...  Definately a whole lot of new experiences on that trip including a bunch of special moments like being Grand Marshals in the afternoon parade at the Magic Kingdom.  And a different pace, somewhere between his wanting to see everything and my waning to slow down, than I was used to.  There were more people in the park than I had ever seen (growing up we always went in the fall or winter). We spent mostof our time at Epcot and actaully spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon. We had a budget and ate accordingly.  A few really special meals like dinner at The California Grill (very expensive, but it got comped), Canada Pavillion, Mexico Pavillion and a few breakfasts at Boma and Trail's End.  We wore "Just Married" buttons and were showered with attention from cast members and other guests alike.   We stayed off-site for the majority of the stay, a first for me, and we on-property for 4 days. For the first time in my life I felt usafe near my happy place when we were robbed on our last night before we transfered to Disney's property.  It was still a good trip, and our last night we wished we'd had more time to spend at the place.

Our second trip was our first as a family.  A Christmas gift from my parents because a remarkeable deal: buy 4 nights with tickets, get 3 nights with tickets free plus we got a free $200 giftcard.  This time we went in February 2009.  And froze. Quite literally.  The crowds were minimal.  The waits for rides almost not exisitant. Brian was 18 months old.  We did everything with him that did not have a height requirement: Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Seas with Nemo and Friends. We spent most of our time at the Magic Kingdom.  Our meals, for the most part, were pre-paid as we had gottent he regular Disney Dining Plan.  It was our first trip having to deal with our child's allergy to apples.  The chef at every restaurant came and talked to us.  We ate at character meals, most noteably The Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Fare.  We went back to Boma for breakfast. We attempted lunch at the Canada Pavillion.  We stayed at The Fort Wilderness Cabins because there were two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom for less than the studio at a Vacation Club Resort plus the cabins are separate from eachother: no one would wake Brian up while he napped nor would he wake anyone, besides us, up when he woke up.  We took things at a slower pace and were still exhausted by the end of the stay. The pattern was: go to the parks in the morning, back to cabin for afternoon, and back to the parks in the evening.

This last trip was our third.  We were lucky to be able to take Brian back before we would have to start paying for him at age 3.  I got a code in the mail for 35% to 45% off the room rate at the Disney properties; I think we got either 35% or 40% off.  We chose the Cabins at Fort Wilderness again.  The thinking was this would be best for us again.  We got the regular dining plan and park hopping tickets.  We paid for the trip ourselves. This time my parents and brother came with us. They had their own tickets, dining plan, and cabin. I made dining reservations.  We ate most of the dinners together and a few breakfasts. Otherwise we split up.  We didn't tour the parks together.  My parents and Eric had Brian overnight for a couple nights, and they usually would take Brian in the afternoons to the pool. Paul and I actually had "date" time.  We didn't go to any water parks.  We actually went to all the parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.  Paul and I learned about the differences in tequilas at La Clava in the Mexico Pavillion.  The Flower and Garden Show was taking place at Epcot.  The weather was misrablely hot and sticky.  We'd go to the parks in the mornings, come back to the cabin before 2 pm, and go back after 5 pm. 

We don't have any plans to go back right now.  Still recovering from the last trip.  I'm still recovering from the poison ivy that went through my system while we were on vacation.  Today is my last day of antibiotic and steriod.   I hope I don't need another course of medications.  The side effects stink. 

I'll put pictures up on Facebook soon with people (love the privacy settings), and I'll post others here as soon as I can get the computer to cooperate.  It's not not finding the library.