Here are a couple more of the kids entries from the trip. They aren't quite in order but thought you might like to read them anyway.
Marc
9-20: The surprise today was Universal Studios and started off with Jimmy Neutron's Nick blast and Shrek 4-D. Then we had lunch and saw a magic show. Then we went to the Woody Woodpecker kiddie zone. Then we went on the ET adventure and the Simpson's ride, one of my favorite rides this trip. After that we blasted some aliens on Men In Black twice! Then we rode a boat with Jaws and helped film a movie on Disaster, a major motion picture ride,staring you. Then we got on a bus back to our hotel and went swimming.
Andrew
9-15: Magic Kingdom I went on spas mountain. I also went on thunder mountain. It was whiked.
9-16: Hollywood Studios I wet on the tower of terror. It frakited me out.
Alex
9-15: Today is my brothers birthday and he got spoiled. Today we went to the Magic Kingdom again. It was a little dull because we were alreay there, but we went on Splash and Thunder mountain. They were so cool.
9-17: Today ws ourr last day at Disney World. We went to downtown Disney. I bought some legos. The store I went to the lego store. It's awesome. theres two dinosaurs made out of legos. There was also a bionicle made out of legos. There was even a woody made out of legos. We went to Epcot again. It was so fun even if we were already there. We went on the same rides so theres nothing to explain.
CJ
9-15: Let's go to the RV right now. Today is my birthday! I went on Splash Mountain, a very wet water ride. I saw animals on a Jungle Safari.
9-19: Did anyone in my class ever see the Atlantic Ocean? Because I saw it up close and even got to swim in it. Oceans have salt, lots of water, and fish. I mean more water than you could imagine. It even has hurricanes. The ocean also has whales and sharks in it.
Jacob
9-19: Today we went swimming when we got up. Then we had lunch at McDonald's. Then we went back to the Kennedy Space Center. Then we went to the beach and saw the ocean. The beach is really sandy. I saw some seashells. The water is salt water.
9-22: Today we went back to Universal Islands of Adventure for the last time. We rode our favorite rides-The Simpsons, Men in Black, and Spiderman. On Men in Black you had to shoot aliens near the head and shoulders. I shot them with some kind of gun. Now we are in the RV going home. We are sleeping in the RV again.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
On the road again...again
We got back to the hotel around 5:30 last night and loaded up in the RV. After a couple stops for gas and dinner we really started the long trip home. We drove through the night and are driving today until we get home. The overnighter in the RV was very different on this part of the trip than it was on the way down to Florida. That trip the kids were so excited it was hard for them to sleep and they woke up many times. Last night we stopped for gas around ten and got the beds all set up. They were all asleep within five minutes and didn't even wake up when we stopped for gas or to switch drivers. Al and Dewy have been switching off and trying to sleep whenever they are not driving.
We just stopped for breakfast and have crossed the border into Indiana. Only a couple more states to go! It takes so long to get through Indiana though. We are still expecting to be home before dinner tonight. So far traffic hasn't been bad and there hasn't been too much construction so far. We are all anxious to be home and back to the regular routine.
We just stopped for breakfast and have crossed the border into Indiana. Only a couple more states to go! It takes so long to get through Indiana though. We are still expecting to be home before dinner tonight. So far traffic hasn't been bad and there hasn't been too much construction so far. We are all anxious to be home and back to the regular routine.
Wednesday
Yesterday was our last day in Florida. We decided to sleep in and not set an alarm. We had to reload the RV before heading to the park and signed up for the 11:05 shuttle.
We were able to go to either park today and decided to start at Universal Studios. The kids loved the Men in Black and Simpson rides and wanted to do them both again. First we went on Twister which freaked out a few of the kids. I am proud to say that I did very well. If only I were that way in a real storm! Next it was onto The Mummy roller coaster which was awesome! It is an indoor coaster that follows the story from the movies and goes forwards, backwards, and has some quick drops and turns. We split up at that point and the Wilinski's had a caricature (no idea if I spelled that right) done of the four boys and we headed to MIB and Simpsons. Next we headed back to Islands of Adventure for Spiderman (again) and the Dr Seuss land. We headed back to the shuttle station to take the 5:20 bus back to the hotel.
Overall we all liked Universal. I think three days was just the right amount of time there. The parks were not very crowded and we didn't have long waits to get on the rides. I think they were a better fit for this vacation then DC would have been.
We were able to go to either park today and decided to start at Universal Studios. The kids loved the Men in Black and Simpson rides and wanted to do them both again. First we went on Twister which freaked out a few of the kids. I am proud to say that I did very well. If only I were that way in a real storm! Next it was onto The Mummy roller coaster which was awesome! It is an indoor coaster that follows the story from the movies and goes forwards, backwards, and has some quick drops and turns. We split up at that point and the Wilinski's had a caricature (no idea if I spelled that right) done of the four boys and we headed to MIB and Simpsons. Next we headed back to Islands of Adventure for Spiderman (again) and the Dr Seuss land. We headed back to the shuttle station to take the 5:20 bus back to the hotel.
Overall we all liked Universal. I think three days was just the right amount of time there. The parks were not very crowded and we didn't have long waits to get on the rides. I think they were a better fit for this vacation then DC would have been.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Universal/Islands of Adventure Day Two
We spend today at Islands of Adventure, Universal's other park. We got up early again and took the 8:30 shuttle. We were in the park by nine, right when they open.
We rode the Incredible Hulk ride right away because there was no line. Al, Dewy and I took Andrew with us. Jake and CJ were too short to ride and Marc and Alex were a little nervous about riding. The ride was awesome to say the least! I haven't been on one of those huge looping corkscrew coasters in ages. We got all and the wait was still only five minutes so I went again and brought Peg with me. It was so much fun.
We decided to head over the the Harry Potter section of the park because we thought it was going to be really busy, especially later in the day. If you are a fan of the books you would love it there. Part of the area is Hogsmead (the town the students go to on break from school) and part is Hogwarts (the school). As soon as you walk in you see the engine for Hogwarts Express. Across the street is Zonko Tricks and Jokes where you can buy Sneakscopes and other things from the book. Next door is Honeydukes Candy store which sells Burt's Every Flavor Beans and chocolate frogs. There are several stands throughout the area that sells Butterbeer. It is mentioned in just about everybook so of course we had to have one. I am not exactly sure what it is, but it tasted sort of like cream soda. Yummy! There are several other strores including one that sells broomsticks and Ollivander's Wand Shop. There are a few rides there including a kid's rollercoaster called The Flight of the Hippogriff, an adult roller coaster with dueling dragon trains, and a simulator/ animatronic ride that takes you through many of the places mentioned in the books. Marc and I are big fans of the book and loved it all. Al and Jake have seen most of the movies and enjoyed it just as much. We spent a good part of the day there. The highlight was easliy Ollivanders. They only bring about 20 people in the shop at a time. There is someone working the counter and they pick one person from the group to participate, and they picked Marc. He got to try a few wands while looking for the right one. In the process he killed a vase of flowers and ruined a shelf of wands. Then they gave him a third wand and the lights dimmed except for a spotlight on Marc. Obviously, that was the right wand for him! Then they send you through to the next area where everyone else can pick their wands. Of course Jake wanted one too and ended up picking one out before we left for the day. It was easily one of our favorite things on the vacation.
We ate lunch at with the Wilinski's before splitting up for the afternoon. We did almost the same things, just not in the same order. There is a whole area called Seuss Landing that is geared towards little kids. There is a Caro-Seuss-el that has Seuss animals instead of horses, a fish ride similar to Dumbo, am overhead train, and a Cat in the Hat ride-through attraction.
In the Jurrasic Park area we each went on the River Adventure and plan on heading back there tomorrow to try the Pteranodon Flyers. Toon Lagoon has a few water rides. Both are like rides at Great America. One is like the raft ride, and the other is like the log ride. The Wilinski's were able to ride both, but we only got on the raft ride. We got completly soaked! We walked out of the ride and saw Peg waiting for the rest of the group. We compared notes and then kept going on our seperate ways. In Marvel Super Hero Island we rode Storm Force Acdelatron and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. We all thought of Uncle Dan in this area! There were larger than life characters all over and the Wilinski's even got to meet a few super heroes.
Once we got back to the hotel we started packing up our stuff before heading to the pool one last time. Tomorrow we have one more day to go to Universal. We decided on the park to park tickets, so we will be at both parks getting those last few things done. Once the park closes we will be getting on the road for the long drive home!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Universal Studios, Day One
We are spending Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Universal Studios, and have decided to stay in a hotel instead of the RV. Everyone sleeps much better and is in much better moods when we have a little more space. The peace is worth the expense of a hotel. We found a Double Tree hotel that is just a few blocks away from Universal. We have adjoining rooms and the Wilinski's have a pull out couch in their room. There is a really nice pool and they have a hot tub. It sure helps us to relax after a long day at the parks! We were able to buy our tickets right at the hotel this morning, and they have a shuttle that picks us up at the front door here and drops us off close to the park entrance.
We got up early this morning and got on the 8:30 shuttle. We headed over to Universal Studios for the day. We were able to get on most of the rides today. The kids loved hanging out in the Curious George playground area. There were water fountains all over along with squirt guns, and two of those big buckets that dump water out. The kids got soaked! It was nice for them to be able to run and yell and cool off. Some of the other favorites were the Men in Black, Simpson, and Jimmy Neutron rides.
We will be going to Islands of Adventure tomorrow. We are looking forward to the Harry Potter area and trying a Butterbeer that they always talk about in the book. There are some big roller coasters there and I think we will try to ride as many as possible! Wednesday we will probably go to both parks and ride anything we missed or re-ride our favorites before starting the long drive home.
We got up early this morning and got on the 8:30 shuttle. We headed over to Universal Studios for the day. We were able to get on most of the rides today. The kids loved hanging out in the Curious George playground area. There were water fountains all over along with squirt guns, and two of those big buckets that dump water out. The kids got soaked! It was nice for them to be able to run and yell and cool off. Some of the other favorites were the Men in Black, Simpson, and Jimmy Neutron rides.
We will be going to Islands of Adventure tomorrow. We are looking forward to the Harry Potter area and trying a Butterbeer that they always talk about in the book. There are some big roller coasters there and I think we will try to ride as many as possible! Wednesday we will probably go to both parks and ride anything we missed or re-ride our favorites before starting the long drive home.
The Atlantic Ocean
This entry is a little out of order, but I don't think any of you will mind!
Sunday afternoon we left the Kennedy Space Center around four and headed to the beach. We told the kids and they were all super excited! It took a while to find a place to park the RV. So many of the public lots were small or the lots we found were private. We ended up at the Cocoa Beach Park and Recreation Center. There were three picnic shelters, a playground, and beach access. We all got changed into our suits, grabbed some beach toys and towels, and headed down to the beach.
Apparently there is a hurricane out in the Atlantic somewhere. I think it is Igor? We have not been watching too much TV so we are not up to date with what is going on in the world. Anyway, the waves were huge. Al lived in Florida for a couple years and is familiar with ocean waves so he set some rules right away. For the little ones, no wading past their waist. For the older ones, walk out and then swim back to shore. However, once we got down to the water and realized how strong the waves where, the rules changed a bit: Have an adult near you when in the water. Al was braver than the rest of us and went out into the water and rode the waves back into shore. Of course, all the kids wanted to do it then. So Al and Dewy took the kids out one at a time into the waves. They had a blast! Marc figured out how to let the waves carry him into the shore. Jake was happy until a wave went over his head and he got water in his face. He didn't realize that the ocean was salt water! He was upset for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before he was back in. Christopher and Jake figured out that if they sat on the sand and let the waves come to them their bodies would spin around in the waves. We had such a good time swimming and playing in the waves.
We decided to grill for dinner while we made the decisions about the rest of our vacation. We had a "clean out the fridge" dinner and the kids played on the playground before getting back into the RV to head back to Orlando.
Sunday afternoon we left the Kennedy Space Center around four and headed to the beach. We told the kids and they were all super excited! It took a while to find a place to park the RV. So many of the public lots were small or the lots we found were private. We ended up at the Cocoa Beach Park and Recreation Center. There were three picnic shelters, a playground, and beach access. We all got changed into our suits, grabbed some beach toys and towels, and headed down to the beach.
Apparently there is a hurricane out in the Atlantic somewhere. I think it is Igor? We have not been watching too much TV so we are not up to date with what is going on in the world. Anyway, the waves were huge. Al lived in Florida for a couple years and is familiar with ocean waves so he set some rules right away. For the little ones, no wading past their waist. For the older ones, walk out and then swim back to shore. However, once we got down to the water and realized how strong the waves where, the rules changed a bit: Have an adult near you when in the water. Al was braver than the rest of us and went out into the water and rode the waves back into shore. Of course, all the kids wanted to do it then. So Al and Dewy took the kids out one at a time into the waves. They had a blast! Marc figured out how to let the waves carry him into the shore. Jake was happy until a wave went over his head and he got water in his face. He didn't realize that the ocean was salt water! He was upset for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before he was back in. Christopher and Jake figured out that if they sat on the sand and let the waves come to them their bodies would spin around in the waves. We had such a good time swimming and playing in the waves.
We decided to grill for dinner while we made the decisions about the rest of our vacation. We had a "clean out the fridge" dinner and the kids played on the playground before getting back into the RV to head back to Orlando.
Change of Plans
As I said in my post about Kennedy Space Center, the kids were only interested a little bit. They liked to see the rockets and other space craft, but they didn't care to read the information or spend more than a few seconds looking at each item. If you ask them they will tell you they liked it, but it made us rethink the rest of our vacation. We were supposed to head to DC from here and spend three days visiting the Smithsonian museums, monuments, and court buildings. We decided the kids are not really ready for the more mature parts of DC and probably wouldn't appreciate it right now. We decided to spend a few more days in Orlando and are heading to Universal Studios this morning. None of us have ever been there so we are all excited. We can see the roller coasters from our room and the kids are anxious to get there. We'll see how the day goes!
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