Three Parks, One Day

Yeah, I know. Most folks talk of doing all 4 Orlando Disney parks in one day (not including the water parks). And we could have done this, but that would have meant cutting Mickey's Christmas party short, and that wasn't happening! I'll take the 3 we did and the way we did it and call it a success!

We arrived at Epcot around 8:30 am. Our GPS was kind enough to remind us that the park was closed until 9. Thanks Google, but the plan was to be there early! We opted for preferred parking, as that seemed key to our success. Preferred means parking close, which cuts down on the time it takes to transfer from park to park. And hey, with this type of parking, you get cold water bottles each time you park, so that's a win!

After a brief hiccup, where the attendant's bar code scanner would not work with our tickets, we were in! (Thanks customer service with the iPad that would work for scanning!). We had 3 rides in mind for this park, so we headed to Test Track. We were stuck inside for a bit, as the ride had some sort of issue, and this one ride took an hour. Worth the wait, but I was already concerned about the schedule. Mission Space: Orange went quick. Not much of a line at all for this ride. I'm still not sure how Disney makes it feel like you are pulling several Gs and actually launching into space, but we landed our spaceship on Mars successfully! A brief break for drinks and a Pluto popcorn bucket, and we were off to Soarin'. We were on the far right, which meant a bit of distortion in some of the taller objects, but hey, this ride is still one of my favorites!

On a related note, Radiator Springs Racers seems to have a very similar technology to Test Track, but is so much better.

Now, we moved the car to Animal Kingdom. We did Dinosaur, which was great, but I just kept thinking, this is no Indiana Jones! Traven and I then did the Primeval Swirl, as we could just walk on. It's a fun ride, but if you don't like sudden turns or spinning (Lori), it's not for you!

And now, a key moment of the day. Expedition Everest. Traven did NOT want to do this one. There was some bargaining, and I finally convinced him to try it. I'd only been on it once, so when he asked if it was dark, I said not that I remembered. Uh, turns out it has quite a bit of darkness. He survived, wanted to beat me up after, but I could see a slight sparkle in his otherwise angry eyes. A few minutes later, he said he'd probably do it again, that it wasn't that bad. We did Nav'ii River journey after this, which was pretty, but so not worth the 2 hour wait time some folks had. Thank goodness for FastPass+! As we left it, Traven was begging for another run at Expedition Everest. He loved it!

Lori was feeling a bit sick at this point, from Mission Space and EE, so she sat out our 2nd run at Everest. We had lunch reservations at the Yak and Yeti, and she felt better after eating. I have to say, this was my least favorite Disney eatery of all time. It's not that the food was bad, it just wasn't as good as I've come to expect from places like Carthay Circle and Blue Bayoo.

You know, I'm just going to say it. Disneyland > Disney World.  Yeah, World is bigger and has a lot more to do, but it just doesn't have the same level of magic as Disneyland.

After letting Traven do Primeval one more time, we were off to Magic Kingdom. I had never parked there - only taken the bus to the park, and I did not realize that you take the Monorail from parking over to the park. Bonus ride!

The party did not disappoint. I was curious how they cleared the park for those that didn't pay for the party, and it turns out it's a bit of crowd management plus wristbands. I wasn't sure what all the party entailed, and I'm not sure we even scratched the surface. There was non-stop entertainment from a stage in front of the castle. A dance party was going on in one of the restaurants. There were singers on a stage in Tomorrowland. Two parades, fireworks and who knows what else? And the treats, oh my goodness! You just had to look for the glowing candy cane blow-ups. We had apple cider, hot chocolate, grape soda and eggnog. We had sugar, gingerbread, chocolate chip and all manner of cookies. We were handed chocolates. We had slushies. We somehow missed the pretzels, and I think we missed many other treats. But honestly, how much can you eat?

The ride lines were great! With people distracted by all the other things going on, we walked right onto Pirates. Haunted Mansion was like a 10 minute wait. We did Peter Pan in 15 minutes. 15 MINUTES! We also did Small World, Big Thunder, Teacups, Tomorrowland Speedway and Buzz Lightyear,  We could have done more, but we honestly ran out of steam towards the end, and when the parade ended at 11:30 pm, we decided to call it a day.

So, as always, notes for next time?

• At over 28,000 steps, non-cotton socks and newer underwear are recommended. 
• Patience. Poor Traven was exhausted, and the problem is that when he is exhausted, he becomes even more hyper and grows a bit cranky. The lunch break helped, and he devoured a bacon cheeseburger around 10 pm. But he did require and deserved a lot of TLC.
• The party was so worth it. I'd for sure do one again.
• The inline games were fun, but bring lots of battery chargers! Between FastPass+, games, photos and other usage, I completely drained my phone twice.

Update #1:

I just remembered three things I wanted to mention! One, we went to "It's Tough to be a Bug!". I will always miss the Bug's Life stuff at California Adventure, but knowing this gem is at Animal Kingdom eases the pain a little bit.

Two, there's something magical about watching and hearing people experience something wonderful for the first time. I had some newbies to Soarin' near me on that ride, and to hear the wonder in their voices was special. And I think we had a room full of first timers with us for the Bug show, and there was a lot of screaming and laughter.

Third, there is so much to do and see at the Disney parks, that sometimes we can miss something for years. For instance, this was the first time that Lori noticed the hanging person in Haunted Mansion! That's right - that prop has been above her head dozens of times, and on this trip she finally saw it!

Ok, four things. When it comes to the holidays, Disneyland is so much better. I missed the holiday overlays to Haunted Mansion and Small World.

The Venison Chronicles

We have a certain family member who is scared of deer. Deer are literally the stuff of her nightmares. And being the loving, kind people we are, we tend to go out of our way to share pictures of deer with her.

The subject of deer tends to send me back to memories of my childhood. Growing up in Milton meant almost daily encounters with deer from early fall until late spring. The harsh winter conditions would push the animals from their higher summer elevations down into the valley, where they could find food and water. If it was a particularly bad winter, the deer casualties would be high. I think it was someone's job to drive the county roads on a daily basis to gather the fallen.

You also have to know that I could walk out our back porch door and instantly be hunting deer. We lived right next to the hills. Open the door, climb the old wooden stairs, cross the foot bridge over the canal and start the ascent. The first few hundred feet was our property, and it was a pretty steep climb. Hop the fence onto a bit of a flat area, and you were in deer territory. You could head to your left towards a thicket of scrub brush and Line Creek, head straight towards the mountains, or head to your right toward endless, rolling hills. My Dad and I actually filled our deer tags one year from this very spot. Two bucks standing in the distance, taken out at the same moment by two well place shots. Ah, good times. The nice thing about that time was it was a downhill, straight shot to get the venison down to the abandoned Dell Monte cannery, which sat right on the county road. Then it was a quick walk to get a truck, then take the meet back to our old stone building.

Parts of my childhood home were over a hundred years old, and one of many interesting structures was the stone building. It looked like something out of a Stephen King novel. It was constructed out of large bricks. No, not the type of brick you picture. These bad boys were probably about 1 foot x 1 foot, and had a texture like sand. You could carve your name into them pretty easily. It sat behind the back porch, had no windows and just a large, heavy wooden door. It was small, probably about 8 feet by 10 feet. It had a work table, blood stained from years of game processing. The ceiling contained several pulleys and chains, devised to hoist whatever needed to be handled. The only light was from a bare bulb in the middle of the ceiling. About 3/4 of the building was surrounded by the hill side. Between the house, dirt and large Cottonwood trees, the building never saw the sun. It had a chill, even on a hot summer day. Now picture two deer, swinging from the ceiling. You're welcome.

For our second deer related story, several of us had been up to no good. Let's just leave it at that. We had parked my buddy's car behind the church and were just hiding out. We were already on edge, when we started to hear it. Behind the church was a bunch of scrub oak and brush, and something was moving in there. Not like an animal - we'd all heard that many times. No, this was slow, heavy, deliberate. It was also breaking a lot of brush, something a normal animal would not do. As it grew nearer and nearer, louder and louder, we decided to make a break for it. We piled in the car and left in a hurry. There we were, driving way too fast down the county road, completely scared out of our minds, when it happened. A deer hit the car! Yes, you read that right. We did not hit a deer. A deer literally ran head first into the driver's side window. It pressed the side of its head into the glass, and held it there as we sped past. I can still see its wide open, dazed and confused eye staring at me. I'm not sure how we didn't die from a heart attack or from a flaming wreck, but we survived.

This next deer story might approach a PG-13 rating. My friend and I were skipping school to deer hunt. This was actually a pretty normal thing for that time. As we crested a hill and looked down into the ravine, we saw a nice buck. It had not heard us coming, and was really close. It was startled and running towards us. I took the shot. Somehow the bullet ripped a hole in the deer's throat and cleared off about 1/2 of its face. But it didn't go down, and it was still heading towards us. At this point, it is making a horrible sound as air and blood pass through the new opening.  I take a 2nd shot, but I'm so freaked out by the sight that I miss. My friend is laughing hysterically, and is no help whatsoever. The zombie deer slows, but continues its death march to extract revenge upon me. I take another shot, this time finishing the job. Next story.

It's the bow hunt. I'm covered in camo, my scent covered with some deer musk. I've also covered most of me in leaves, and I'm laying in wait along a game trail that leads down to Line Creek. My face is even covered up with war paint. I'm in the perfect spot for a 4 point I've been stalking for weeks. I'm hunting old school, with a re-curved bow. None of that compound bow nonsense for me. The bow has plenty of tension, and I've been practicing for months. I've been in place for about an hour, when I see him. I'm upwind, the setting sun to my back. He's about 50 yards off, but unaware of me and still approaching. When he's about 20 yards off, I begin my movement. Ever so slowly, I stand up. Now he sees me, but he's not sure what I am and can't smell me, so he's just watching. The bow slowly rises to a shooting position. I notch my razor tipped hunting arrow. He turns broadside to me. This could not be any better. 20 yards, broadside and still. As I release the arrow, my bow twists. They aren't supposed to do that! This causes the arrow to not only lose velocity, but it ends up hitting the deer with its side. So instead of bagging my deer, I end up giving it a good, hard slap! It takes off, and I'm just dumbfounded. I drop my broken bow and start my long, dejected hike home. This time, the deer won.

I had many other encounters with mule deer, but these are the most memorable. I've ran into 3 while driving, but all 3 times was in one of our old trucks, with the spare tire mounted on the front. When you see you are about to hit a deer and you are driving a truck like that, you still hit the brakes, but aim the tire at the animal. If it is smart and/or fast enough, it will get out of the way. Otherwise, that deer is going to go flying.

Leaving Nicaragua

I wanted to jot down a few thoughts and the information I know about Hermana Elquist's departure from Nicaragua, mainly for her. I worry that the entire event was such a shock that some of the many miracles along the way might get lost or forgotten. Of course, this is told from my point of view. I'm sure she will have things to add to the story.

Friday afternoon, Presidente Poncio sent out an email, saying the work was going well, the missionaries were on an adjusted schedule, but everyone was safe and not to worry.

Saturday was a very bad day in Nicaragua. More deaths occurred, including the specific targeting of two US citizens. Also, at least two church members were killed.

On Sunday, during Sunday school, my phone started to go off. Generally, I'd ignore it, but it was enough that I checked to see what was going on. The family of Hermana Curtis was asking me if I'd seen the news on Facebook. Members from Nicaragua were asking me if Alyssa was ok. I went home, thus beginning my 24+ hours of sheer panic.

News was trickling in, but the consensus seemed to be that the church had announced in some parts that the missionaries were leaving. It turns out that in many zones, they were already gone.

Saturday night at 10:00 pm, Alyssa received word that they needed to be to the church at 4:00 am to be evacuated. Due to the many roadblocks in place, the buses were several hours late. It took a long time and several bribes to pass through the blockades, but they eventually arrived at the Best Western in Managua, where the entire mission was gathered.

They had all left in such a hurry, with no chance to say goodbye to anyone. There was a general sense of disbelief and shock among the missionaries. Some (including Alyssa) begged to be able to stay. These youth really had learned to love the country and the people. In talking to Alyssa, she told us about the Sacrament meeting they put together in a conference room at the hotel. They were able to take the Sacrament together and hear from the mission president. She said it was one of the most spiritual experiences she has ever had. Tears were shed as they said their goodbyes and found out where they would be serving next. She even got a big hug from President Poncio, which she said she was not ready for. I can only imagine the heartbreak these wonderful missionaries experienced. Alyssa did get to say goodbye to Hermana Caballero.

Of course back home, Lori and I were a mess. We slept little, and basically just kept checking our emails and Alyssa's bank account for any activity. Suddenly early Monday morning, a charge for Las Hamacas popped up. I was unable to figure out what that  was. Frustrating! Then the family of Sister Curtis pinged me, saying a charge for over $200 had popped up on Emma's account, and she had purchased an airplane ticket. I was out jogging, trying to clear my mind, and I hit the panic button. Did Alyssa have that much in her account? I thought I'd better get some more in her account. I called my wife to pick me up, so I could get on my laptop and transfer some funds. Only after I hung up and had calmed down a bit did I remember I had the Mountain America app on my phone and could transfer money in with a few touches. Oops!

Lori told me I could not go to work. She had faith Alyssa would call with news, but she didn't know whose cell phone she would call. Michelle brought over our grandson to help distract us and pass the time. I saw a charge for Chick-Fil-A 69 come in. Where was that? I Googled it, and Lori actually called the franchise headquarters, but to no avail. I did see they do not have any international locations, so it would seem Alyssa was back on US soil.

Finally, Alyssa called! We had sent a Tracfone with her when she left, so she could call us while passing time at a long layover in Atlanta. She had kept it, charged it up, and put some more minutes on it. Smart girl! She once again called from Atlanta, only this time on her way to the Indiana, Indianapolis mission. What a relief for us, but she was so sad and I could tell she was just in shock from it all. Tears were shed, and we tried our best to reassure her. She called again once she was in Indiana.

When Alyssa got to the airport in Managua, the mission home had lost her residency card. The country was not going to let her leave. The church actually had to basically pay a bribe to get Alyssa out of the country. How crazy is that? And the truth finally came out - it was very dangerous down there! Alyssa said she has many stories to tell us. I can only imagine. She was so alarmed when she learned President Poncio was staying behind. She asked us to pray for his safety.

When I heard Indiana, two people came to mind. One, our son Braden served there! And two, one of Alyssa's best friends, Mckenzie Branch, was serving there RIGHT NOW! I texted her Mom, who almost immediately called Lori. Let's just say we have a pretty detailed shopping list now of things to send to Alyssa!

Kenzie's Mom also told Sister Branch that Alyssa was on her way, and she sprang into action. She is a sister training leader out there, so she called the mission president and arrange for her to be the one to pick up Alyssa and take her to her first area! And she said she was taking Alyssa a dress, as Alyssa is pretty concerned about the state of her clothing. I am so thankful for tender mercies such as this. Alyssa is very sad about leaving Nicaragua, but this will really help her. Here's a pic of the day Kenzie opened her mission call!

Another fun story. Sister Branch received her call about a month before Alyssa. Right after she got her call, she had a dream about Alyssa serving in the same mission. When Alyssa was called to Nicaragua, they chalked it up as just a dream. Let's just say the spirit was felt strongly, and more tears shed, when Alyssa was sent to Indiana.

Braden has been in contact with folks he knows where Alyssa will be serving, and I think some dinners have been arranged!

I know Heavenly Father was watching over the missionaries, and their departure couldn't have been delayed any longer. My heart breaks for the good people of Nicaragua, and they remain in my prayers. I pray for the safety of President Poncio as he remains in country. I pray for the members I have come to know that are down there. Mari Mendoza is a member in Managua, who actually works at the airport. She expressed the sorrow of watching all the missionaries leaving while she was at work, and I can't even begin to understand how that must have hurt. I told her to keep the faith, and that missionaries would be back someday. A temple will be built in Nicaragua for the good church members. The work will go on. Maybe the enemy feels he has obtained a victory in this battle, but the war goes on.

Spring Break 2018

What started off as a simple notion to take T to Legoland turned into a week long family outing. With her new work, Kaylee gets 4 free passes to Universal Studios per year, and discounted tickets after that, so it just made sense to include Universal.  And since we hadn't been to Knott's in years, I figured we ought to loop it in as well.  We had me, Lori, Traven, Jason, Kaylee, Braden, Michelle, Mason, Eric and Sally along. And, at the last minute, we somehow ended up with Elijah as well. Eli was a nice addition to the adventure. He has a very unique personality and sense of humor, and is BRUTALLY honest!

The drive down on Monday was pretty uneventful.  We listened to an audio book (Ready Player One) which helped the time go by faster. We hit a bit of a snag, where the first car down couldn't get into the rental, but Kaylee sorted that out on the phone. The place was a bit shady/ghetto, but it served its purpose just fine. It was an odd layout. The front of the house was on a busy street, so the parking was actually from the back alley. It was a sliding metal gate. Reminded me of what I picture a prison gate being like. It did have a two car garage, so that was nice. We had lasagna for dinner, and Mason had us all up bright and early to start Tuesday.

Tuesday was Universal.  I have never, ever seen it so crowded.  That park doesn't have that many attractions to begin with, so the lines were LONG. We did maybe half the attractions? We had dinner at The Three Broomsticks, which was tasty. I stayed to watch the light show on Hogwarts at 7:40. It went about 3 minutes, then broke. They tried again, it broke.  I waited until 8, it made it about 10 seconds and broke again. Good grief people, how hard can it be? Someday, when I do Universal in California again, I'll pay for the express passes. Honestly, staying on property in Florida really has me spoiled for Universal. I don't know that California will ever come close to what Florida has to offer.

Wednesday was Knott's.  I really enjoyed a boysenberry meatball sub. Also, the log ride there is so much fun, as is the rapids adventure. And the Calico Mine Ride is great! Once again, the crowds were HUGE. Awkward moment of the day was my GPS. At first, I couldn't get a signal. I finally did, thought I clicked "Knott's", and off we went. Well, we ended up in the middle of Ontario! I mean, not Canada, but we were still about 40 minutes away. I'm still not sure how I worked that out, but everyone was good sports. Again, Knott's offered an express pass option, which I will use when we go again.

Legoland has a nice, all you can eat pizza and pasta place.  That was good.  Traven totally geeked out over the lego displays, so that was fun to watch. He also wanted to ride the Technic Coaster alone, so I waited just outside the exit for him. And again, the crowds were AWFUL. Traven was done with lines, so I bribed him with Legos and we were out of there! I told Braden and Michelle that I want to take Mason back for their 5 year anniversary. We will be doing the express pass thing for sure!

Friday and Saturday we spent in Las Vegas. It's just how we left it last time - smoke filled and hot! We ended up locked out of the house on Saturday night, as the batteries in the lock failed. I had actually ran to Walmart, so the rest of them were stranded outside for quite a while. When I got there, T was pretty worried. I figured maybe a window was open? I walked around the side and sure enough, a window slid open! It was the laundry room. I called T back, and was able to lift him in. As he walked around inside, I went back outside to the front door. I said something like "Did you try knocking?" as T opened the door. He was pretty happy being the hero of the day!

We met a couple that Jason knew from his mission, on Thursday night. That was fun. I had a california burrito. It was gigantic!

I somehow lucked into becoming Mason's vacation buddy.  It was great! I carried him in most lines. He'd beg to come to me. It really made the trip extra special. He even had a "name" for me, which kind of sounded like a couple of grunts. I'll take it!

All in all, it was a great trip! Next time, I'd spring for the front of line offerings at all three parks.

I also think two days in a row of adventure is about all Eric and Sally can handle at this point.  Eric took a bad fall at Knott's because he was tired and missed a curb. He really dinged himself up, which led to an interesting discussion between him and Sally, and how a person can obtain muscle relaxants and heavy pain killers! They were very happy to just relax at the rental on the day the rest of us went to LegoLand.

Conference time!

I normally like to take notes on vacations.  However, the location of this conference merits some mentions!

I attended the LIVE 360:  SQL Server Live conference in Orlando, Florida.  The conference was held at the Royal Pacific Resort, which is also where I stayed.  Since I'd be there Sunday - Friday, I opted to rent a car, and also to spring for airfare so Lori and Traven could come along.

Picking up the rental car was so easy!  Thanks to my work, I belong to the Emerald Club for Enterprise and National.  You just take nifty airport indoor shuttle from where you landed to baggage claim, go down one floor, walk across the street and BOOM!  There's a sign that says "Emerald Club - pick any car in this row".  I chose a Nissan Rogue for the luggage and leg room and drove to the exit.  The lady gave me the "you don't come here very often" look and speech, but we were still quickly on our way.

As I walked up, I knew I was in for a treat.  The front of the hotel is surrounded by a lagoon, with rich vegetation everywhere.  You cross this bridge, surrounded by tikis with island music playing.  When you check in, you each get a personalized room key, because that bad boy is your Universal Express Pass.  That's right, if you stay there, and go to Universal, you get front of line treatment on every ride.  Unlimited.  Oh, I figured we'd find time to use that.

The room was nice.  It was huge, but it was clean and well kept.  Oh, check this out.  The hotel keeps in touch with you via text messaging.  How cool is that?  Any time I had a question or need, I could just text them.

There were several good restaurants on property.  Not overly expensive, and good food.  We tried two of them.  I think Jake's American Bar and Grill was my favorite.

The resort has a great pool.  I plan to go back and spend some time there.  There just wasn't time this trip.

I won't bore you with conference details, but it was the best one I've attended.

While I was conferencing on Monday and Tuesday, Lori and Traven went to Disney.  That was a true test of my will power, but honestly, I was so happy for them!  They were able to do some rides I haven't, so first hand reports were appreciated.  They were both great about texting me updates.  And I tell you, they were Disney Warriors!  I think they were gone from 7:00 am to past midnight on day one, and they were out almost as late on day two!

Since we had express passes, early park entry and were minutes away from Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, I managed to squeeze out some park time on days 3 and 4.  Not as much as I would have wanted, but I was there for a conference!

My one complaint against Universal is there lack of accommodations for someone with legs the size of mine.  To their credit, they are up front about it, and have test vehicles in front of the rides.  I'm nowhere close to getting onto any of the Harry Potter rides.  That's ok, while waiting at Escape from Gringotts, I chatted with a guy working there who doesn't fit on the ride.  That has to really suck!

The Hogwarts Express train ride is amazing.  From the train stations, to the train cars, it really feels like you are on a journey from London to Hogsmeade!  You can see shadows through the frosted glass to the interior of the train, and it would seem Harry and the gang are roaming around.  There's even a moment when a Dementor has its icy claws on your train car, but Harry chases it away.  Meanwhile, if you look out the window, you appear to be passing through London or scenes right out of Harry Potter.  It's all very impressive.

Traven suckered me into Olivanders again.  And he managed to get picked for wand, so now we own another one of them.  I couldn't say no.  The wand fitting is quite the production.  The owner has the lucky chosen guest try several wands.  Traven caused lightning with the first one, then wilted a plant with another one.  Finally, when he takes the right wand in hand, dramatic music plays and a spotlight hits him.  I'll bet the sell a lot of wands with that show!

Men in Black was a fun ride.  It's very much like Buzz Lightyear at Disney.  Simpsons, Minion Mayhem, Spiderman and Transformers are all very similar. 

E.T. is alive and well in Florida!  Man, I love that ride.  It still looks like it was built in the 80s, and I enjoyed every detail.  And of course, sending texts and Snapchats to my sister in law, who suffers from a fear of E.T., was also probably more fun that it should be.

Poseidon is an odd adventure.  It's kind of a tour meets special effects show.  You walk through 3 different scenes as the guide explains that is happening.  It ends with a battle between Poseidon and his enemy, which felt like watching Flash Gordon maybe?  I have never done an experience like this one before.  So odd.

Jimmy Fallon's race thing was not my favorite.  It's kind of similar to the other motion / screen rides, but not as cool.

Kong was great.  It's similar to the part of the tram tour in California that features Kong, but with more footage.  It's an amazing experience, watching Kong battle dinosaurs, sending your vehicle flying.

We did Jurassic Park right before the park closed on Wednesday.  We walked right up.  The ride attendants were like, well, sit anywhere you want.  It was just the 3 of us.  Traven took the very back row, and Lori and I sat right in front of him.  It was great doing the ride at night.  When we took the last drop, there was so splash.  No, we pretty much hydroplaned that bad boy, sending a shower of water right at our faces.  Traven was dry.  I felt like I had stuck my head in a cold shower.

They have two rides in Dr. Seuss land.  The one is kind of like the PeopleMover at Disney.  Loved it.  The other is very similar to a Disney classic such as Mr. Toad or Snow White.  It was nice.  Turns out, Lori is not a big fan of the cat, though.  He does cause a lot of trouble in the book!

Shrek 4D is also still in Florida.  It's still fun, though I've seen it enough at this point.

Oh, we did a couple of shows.  The horror effects show was so great.  At one point, one of the actors blames a kid for throwing a rock, and points to Traven.  From then on, he had a fun interaction with both cast members, and he played his part like a star!  He got to pose for a picture after.

By Thursday, we had completely worn out Traven.  Thursday was pretty much shopping day after the conference!

We did drive to Disney Springs one night.  We at at D'luxe Burger, which Traven claims is the best hamburger he has had in his life.  And he might know.  He had at least one burger every day of this trip!

All in all, I'm a big Universal Orlando fan now.  I can't wait to get back!  And that was with having a conference in my way.  I could really party it up full time!  I will for sure stay on property.  It was a short walk, but just in case you weren't up to that, they had a water taxi that would take you back and forth.  How cool is that?

Disney Dining Packages

For our 27th wedding anniversary, my wife and I headed to Disney.  After all, when you are married to a princess, sometimes you have to take her back to her kingdom!  With just the two of us, it felt like we could afford to spend some time and money on some upgraded dining.  Let's star with our Frozen lunch package at Carthay Circle.

Carthay Circle, located in Disney's California Adventure, is a restaurant that many overlook.  The outside of the building is a replica of the theater where Snow White premiered.  It's not flashy, and blends in nicely with the surrounding architecture.

As you enter, you are quickly approached by cast members in suits and formal attire.  You check in at the front desk, then take a seat in one of the many leather chairs in the lounge area.  The lighting is subdued, drinks are available for purchase if you are so inclined and it's quiet.  I immediately felt relaxed and looked forward to a slower than Disney paced dining experience.

When our table was ready, we were ushered to the upstairs dining area.  We were quickly served some ice cold water, our drink order was taken and we were looking over our menu.  Since we had opted for the Frozen lunch package, we didn't have a lot of choices, other than our main dish.

Honestly, I felt a bit like an uncultured buffoon.  I had to look over the menu later to even know what I had eaten.  But it was tasty!

The meal began with warm bread.  We then had what appeared to be small, round bread balls with lingonberry jam.  I wasn't really sure how to approach this.  It seemed I had more jam than bread.  And how do you get jam to stick to a small, round surface?  I did my best.

We then had a small portion of soup and a salad.  Both were so tasty.  Again, I'm not entirely sure what was in either.  The salad had a spring mix feel to it, with tomatoes, spinach and a vinaigrette dressing.

For our main entree, we both went with the beef.  It was so, so yummy!  It was herb crusted, with a blue cheese risotto.  It sat upon some unique potatoes.  There might have been a vegetable or two, but I was caught up in the steak.

The meal ended with "Olaf's Dream Summer Vacation".  It was so cute, I felt a bit guilty digging in.  But once I realized it was a cream puff, with chocolate sauce and a white chocolate Olaf head, I dug in.  I even ate his chocolate arms.  Who knew a snowman could be so tasty?

If you can afford around $100 a person, I highly recommend this dining experience.  I felt pampered and well taken care of, and the food was amazing.

The dining package included passes that put us on the front row for the Frozen show.  Even on a day when the park was not crowded, folks were lined up for this show hours before it started.  I think the value of not having to wait in line for that long factors into this package.  For me, it was worth every penny!

Our second splurge was the Fantasmic! package at the Blue Bayou.  Have you ever been on the Pirates ride?  Well, you surely noticed the restaurant on the right side as the ride begins.  That's Blue Bayou.

Again, we were well taken care of.  We checked in, and within minutes were seated.

My only complaint is with my old man eyes I could not read the menu!  It's pretty dark in there.  I had to take out my phone so I knew what I was ordering.  Trust me, no other complaints!

We started off with breads.  I believe we had sourdough and some sort of cornbread.  For starters, we chose between soup and salad.  I chose the New Orleans Gumbo.  I would have been happy if the meal had just been a huge bowl of it.  Chicken, sausage, spices and white rice all combined for a tasty warm-up for the taste buds.

For my entree, I chose the portobello mushroom.  It was served on a bed of Louisiana popcorn rice.  It was spicy, but not uncomfortable.  I was very full by the time I polished it off.  Again, I'm pretty sure there were vegetables, but it was dark....

The dessert was "Sorcerer Mickey Fantasmic Dessert".  Milk chocolate mouse with a chocolate glaze.  It was great!

The meal came with a cushion for watching the show.  We lined up at 8 pm for the 9 pm showing.  We were pretty far back in the line, but still ended up with great spots, smack dab in the middle.  By the way, the new Fantasmic! is incredible!

Just as an FYI, the dining package seating went in three waves.  First, they positioned the Riverbelle terrace folks to the right of the show.  Blue Bayou was then put in place front and center.  Lastly, the Hungry Bear crowd was placed to the left.  Those poor souls didn't have cushions.

Anniversary Trip 2017

For our 27th wedding anniversary, I planned a trip for Lori and me to Disneyland.  Now, I did get some odd looks and scoffing from some, but if you are married to a princess, doesn't it make sense to take her back home every now and then?

I love taking vacation notes.  It helps me do better and avoid repeating mistakes.  It also feels like someday, my posterity might look back and get a glimpse of who I was and what mattered to me.

I was nervous about Lori's back after her surgery back in January, so I wanted to eliminate a long car ride.  Allegiant Air burned us back in December of 2015, but they were by far the cheapest, so I gave them another chance.  When I first bought the tickets, we were set to fly out after work on Friday, then return Monday afternoon.  Allegiant decided not to burn us and cancel a flight this time.  Instead, they adjusted the times dramatically.  We ended up flying out early on Friday morning and SUPER early on Monday morning for our return.  It worked out that we went from 2 days in the parks to 3, so the change was a win this time.  I would say that when flying with Allegiant, keep your head on a swivel!

We arrived at LAX on time.  It took us a while to figure out that Super Shuttle has their own stop, but we found them and off we went.  This part of the trip was painful.  It's not that Super Shuttle wasn't good.  I'd use them again.  It's that we had several stops, and it felt like our turn would never come.    I think the trip from LAX to our hotel was longer than the flight.

We stayed at the Tropicana.  They are just finishing up remodeling every room, so the one we were in was crisp, clean and new.  I loved how close to the park we were.  It was about a 5 minute walk from the hotel to Disney security lines.  I would definitely stay there again.

With the new and improved Disneyland mobile app, I decided to do our tickets on my phone.  It was slick.  I bought our tickets while we were walking over.  I also opted to pay the extra for park hoppers and the new MaxPass.  Let me tell you, MaxPass did not disappoint!

Immediately as soon as our tickets were activated, MaxPass was ready to go.  I was able to get fast passes for rides in either park.  I could monitor their status and get new ones as soon as we were eligible.  When Soarin' and Indiana Jones had issues while we had fast passes, they seamlessly converted those passes to "Multi ride experiences", which is kind of like a fast pass wild card.  The only down side is you couldn't use these for Guardians or Radiator Springs.

MaxPass also includes PhotoPass.  We could have gotten a lot more use out of this.  As it is, I was able to get our exciting photos from some of the rides, so that was still fun and added to the MaxPass value.

I definitely would not do MaxPass without park hoppers.  We hopped a lot!  Basically, we did California Adventure fast passes until Guardians and Radiator Springs were gone, then we'd hop over to Disneyland.

The one downside to MaxPass is Disney's lack of Wifi in the park, combined with a whole lot of cellular data dead spots.  I frequently had to walk around to find a sweet spot where the app could work.  These network problems also contributed to killing my battery life.  Luckily, I was aware this would be a problem, so I had a battery pack case for my phone, as well as a portable charging pack.  Still, I was pretty much on battery fumes by the time we arrived back at our hotel room.

This was our first time experiencing a few things.  First off, Guardians of the Galaxy - Best.  Ride.  Ever.  From the line to the exit, it rocked.  There is so much to see while in line.  Rocket is a great as the host.  And the ride is off the charts.  The music is pumping (we had a different song each time we rode).  The ride never stops.  Even when it "stops" on a floor, you are still bouncing.  I was hesitant about the change from Tower of Terror, but I can safely say, this was an incredible upgrade.

Soarin' Around the World - again, this is a win.  It was great to see Patrick still doing the orientation.  The logos is similar, and the music is also very similar.  The sound and picture quality are so much better now, and including the actual Matterhorn and what looks like the inspiration for Cinderella's castle were nice touches.  The only odd thing for me was, if you are not seated in the middle, the Eiffel Tower has a major curve to it.  I didn't notice this on other landmarks, but it was almost comical for the Eiffel.

The remake of Fantasmic! is incredible.  I had watched it on YouTube, but to be there and feel it was something entirely more fulfilling.  We did the Blue Bayou dining package, which put us smack dab in the middle and also came with a cushion to sit on.  It looked like the other dining packages were to the left and right of us.  The location could not have been better.  We did arrive an hour early, and I would not have wanted to be any later.

The remake itself was great.  I enjoyed the introduction of Pirates into the show.  Again, the show and music were still very similar to before, but the changes were positive.

We also did the Frozen lunch package at Carthay Circle.  This gave us front row seats for that show.  We were so close that you could see Anna did not look like Anna should, so that was distracting.  However, this show was amazing.  I missed Aladdin, but everything about this show felt like an upgrade.  When Anna gets frozen, you can literally see it.  It snowed, ice appeared, Elsa transformed into an ice queen, etc.  Well done Disney.

The food at Carthay and Blue Bayou was amazing.  Be prepared to pay some serious cash for it, but I felt like, for our anniversary, we could splurge on a couple of the meals.

The fireworks were good, but "Remember" wasn't as awesome as I remembered.  Also, the Soundsational parade was meh.  Mickey and the Magical Map is feeling old and dated now.  Also, Star Wars Path of the Jedi feels like a waste of space.  Bring back Captain EO or Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

The train changes are amazing.  It really opens up now where it can.  You can see where the entrance to Galaxy's Edge will be.  You can see the huge cranes at work building the new land for us.

We were a bit too aggressive with our time in the parks.  We were over 16 hours on day 2.  Lori's FitBit had us over 10 miles per day.  Even on the 3rd day, when I said we'd "take it easy", we were over 10 miles and 22,000 steps.  Lori had some shoe issues, and had what looked like a piece of raw hamburger for a toe at the end of the 2nd day.  I really should have ramped it down on day 3, and I really thought I was.  Next time, definitely everyone should make sure their shoes are good to go.  And I probably should be more disciplined about figuring in down time.  Like real down time, not just what I imagine as down time.

Oh, I need to tell the story of Lori's phone.  On day #2, as we sat down for the train, Lori let out an "OH NO!".  Her phone was nowhere to be found.  By this point, we had eaten beinetts at Orleans Square for breakfast, been on Indiana Jones and Star Tours, as well as Small World.  We had no clue where it might be.  We went to City Hall on Main Street, where they made a few calls and could not find any phones that had been turned in.  They did give us a card, with a number we could call later to see if it had been found.

Lori called the number later, and it turns out they actually needed to create an incident for it and take down a lot of information.  We left them my cell phone number.  I was not too optimistic, but I hoped that some Disney magic would prevail.

Well, as we stood in line for Soarin', I received a call from Disneyland.  The phone had been found!  We went to the lost and found, located just outside the main entrance, and there was a joyous reunion!  The phone was no worse off than before, Lori had really tried to not let the lost phone bug her, but the sense of relief was apparent when they were reunited!

Don't worry, I had two jalapeno pretzels, a churro and a corn dog.  Yum!

Here are our ride totals:
Guardians (4)
Radiator Springs (2)
Mater's Junkyard
Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
It's Tough to be a Bug
Little Mermaid
Soarin' (4)
Indiana Jones (3)
Jungle Cruise
Pirates (2)
Peter Pan
Mr. Toad
Storybook
Small World
Star Tours (4)
Buzz Lightyear (2)
Toy Story Midway Mania (2)
Train (2)
Fireworks
Frozen
Dumbo
Tiki Room
Winnie the Pooh
Mickey and the Magical Map
World of Color
Fantasmic!
Star Wars Path of the Jedi
Snow White
Pnnochio

Longing for Disneyland

It's a slow day at work.  I'm sitting at my desk, and Lotso is staring at me.  My Toy Story collection is close at hand, as our my Disney villains.  I took my car for a wash today, and had to remove the Mickey antenna ears so I didn't lose them.  My Mickey sticker in the back window is nice and clean now.  Our trip to Disneyland for December is booked, and I have a countdown up and running on my phone.

I'm trying to decide what some of my favorite moments are at the park.  I get a bit cranky, edgy and excited finding my way to the parking lot.  I willingly hand over a king's ransom for parking, then want to sprint to the shuttle line.  Upon exit from the tram or bus, it's another full on sprint.  I am not patient if you lag behind, so if you are with me, let's do this thing!

I endure the baggage screening, making sure the entire party has made it through.  Now it's off to get into the park!

I love handing over my ticket, having it scanned through and getting in.  Don't forget to grab a map and a show schedule!  I'm in the park now!  Characters are generally roaming around, and families are trying to get that perfect photo op.  If I'm lucky, the Santa Fe will pass as I'm standing there!

What to do first?  You pass under the railroad, and there you are!  I always enter to the right, by the way.  Are there characters waiting here?  I love the looks on my kids faces when they get their photo ops!

Let's walk down main street now.  How often do you stop into these shops?  I can't wait!

A few of my favorite things you ask?  Oh, pretty much everything.  But here, in no particular order, are a few of mine.

- On a hot day, the moment when your frozen lemonade thaws enough that you can start shoveling it in.

- The first bite of a Mickey jalapeno cheese pretzel.

- The mess a churro can make as it spills cinnamon all over you.

- The feel of the GetAwayToday lanyard around my neck, and adding a fast pass or two into there.

- The look on my families faces as they exit a favorite ride.

- The rare time when you outwit the crowds and find a short line.

- Sitting down for a rest and watching a great show, like Aladdin or Mickey and the Magical Map.

- Soarin'.

- The feeling like I'm home.  Knowing every path, every shortcut.

- The sounds and smells.

- Knowing that, worst case, Bug's Land is never crowded.  Someday, Traven will outgrow that, but for now, it's a life saver.

- Using a FastPass and blowing by all the people standing in line.

- Picking out souvenirs.  Spending entirely too much on them.

Family and friends, what do I need to add to this list?

Phoenix Vacation

I'm not feeling too great, and sitting here is actually quite painful, but I still want to get down a few thoughts that have been shuffling around in my head.

First off, I would just like to thank my family for a great vacation.  We spent over 8 days together, and there was no fighting.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and get along.  Braden and Kaylee had an introduction to LONG drives, and they were troopers.  Spanish Fork to Phoenix is a long drive.  Braden drove his Grandma's car, with her and his Grandpa.  Kaylee drove my little Focus with Alyssa and Emily.  And Lori, Traven and I were in the Pilot.  Everyone did great!  The exact amount of time Emily slept is still open to debate, but I figure that's up to that car!

Our vacation rental was sweet!  Well, the master suite was enormous, so I lived like a king.  Traven ended up with his own room, as Braden preferred the air bed to having T sleep on his head.  Kaylee took the other air bed, while Emily and Alyssa shared a bedroom and the grandparents were in another.

We only ate out 3 times.  The rest of the time we cooked at the house.  It was such a relaxing vacation!  The one time we did eat out was at China Red.  Holy smokes, it was so good and the portions were gigantic.  We had leftover Chinese food into Tuesday!

We bought the POGO pass, which got us in to many events for a way discounted price.  Great idea if you are ever down in Phoenix for a week!

We did Makutu's Island, mainly for T, but it was actually Alyssa who got our money's worth out of it.  And she made Braden climb and slide along with her, so that was good.  Even Kaylee and Lori took a turn sliding.

We went to the Phoenix temple.  That helped with the relaxation part of the trip!  Of course, no POGO required for temple work.....

Some of us went to a Diamondbacks MLB game, and I loved it!  Ok, baseball games are too long, but for the part I was there, I loved it.

We did some laser tag, which was fun.  Traven really got into that.

The Phoenix zoo was a great time.  It was a lot bigger than I figured it would be.

Castles and Coasters was fun, although Lori and Kaylee ended up getting sick from a ride, so that sucked.  But some of us stuck it out, rode the rides and went miniature golfing.

On the way home, we went to the Grand Canyon.  What an incredible sight!

Sunday started the journey home.  Well except for me.  I'm in Las Vegas at a database conference.

Did I mention I love my family?  I think this was a great vacation.  Definitely more relaxing than many others I have been on.

Mike

Christmas Time at Disneyland!

I am a Disney addict.  I'm not ashamed to say it.  I love the parks, the movies and the characters.  My home features many Disney decorations.  My home office is wall to wall with Disney decor.  I fancy myself a bit of a Disney expert.  No, I can't recite numerous Disney facts, but I know quite a bit, and of importance to this blog entry, I know my way around Disneyland!

When my wife Lori first approached me about a trip around the holidays to Disneyland, with her brother Glenn and his family, I of course was on board.  It meant we'd have to go without our other children - Kaylee, Braden, Jason and Alyssa - which would be painful, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.  I imagined it would be different, but I was not prepared for the vast number of nuances and changes.  I have to say, Disney nailed it once again.  My Christmas may never be the same!

Before I dig right into the park experience, let me give you a run down of the drive from Utah down to California.  This was our youngest Traven's first time driving, and it had been years since Lori made the drive.  I have to say, they both did great!  Traven watched a lot of movies, played on the iPads, and for the most part was an angel.  Lori and I listened to a cheesy audio book, when she wasn't sleeping.  Honestly, she was out from Spanish Fork to the Arizona border!

We stayed at the Ayers Inn, the one a few miles from the park.  I enjoyed it.  There were not a large number of fellow park visitors.  It was more a mix of business people and other travelers.  It didn't feel as rushed as some of the other places we've stayed.

I have to say a bit about parking.  I know, who cares right?  I learned a couple of things.  First off, the Toy Story parking lot is quickest for getting in and out. Second, the Mickey parking structure opens earlier than Toy Story.  Third, Mickey is TONS busier, but we didn't really have to wait very long.  And fourth, Mickey is awesome for buying the customary souvenirs then taking them back to the car.  We did our shopping around lunch time, which was a phenomenal idea.

On a related note, booking with Get Away Today was once again a no-brainer.  We had our park tickets in hand.  No standing in line to swap a voucher or something lame like that.  The hotel worked flawlessly.  Get Away Today is a well oiled machine.

Now, a bit about the holidays at Disneyland.  Absolutely wonderful!  There was a giant Christmas tree at the start of Main Street.  Wreaths and lights everywhere.  Carolers randomly singing everywhere.  All the characters in their holiday attire.

The holiday fireworks show featured not only holiday music and fireworks, but snow.  Yes, Disney made it snow at Disneyland.  The lighting at the end of the snow highlighted each snowflake, making it feel like a winter wonderland.  I loved how Disney featured not just secular music, but some Silent Night, Joy to the World and other more religious fare.  Our initial strategy for fireworks watching was to arrive 2 hours early and get a seat.  Two hours before, it was already packed.  We opted to take a bench with a completely blocked view of the castle.  Strange, you say?  Well at about 10 minutes before, we simply walked into the street with those that had been standing for two hours, with fresh legs and ready to take in a show!  It worked out brilliantly.

World of Color got its Frozen on!  Olaf was the host.  He even led us in a giant sing-a-long.  And they didn't mess around, either.  Disney knew the vast majority of the crowd would want to "Let It Go", so BAM!  That was the show finale.  They didn't try to work it into the show or anything forced.  They knew it wasn't really a holiday song, but with Olaf hosting and other Frozen songs already having been played, it needed to be done.

They did away with the World of Color lunch special, so we sprung for lunch at Carthay Circle.  $40 a plate, $20 for children under 9.  And plan on about two hours to complete your dining experience.  I felt for the food it was a bit overpriced, but I actually enjoyed just relaxing and enjoying a good meal!  One thing about a trip to Disneyland, you need to plan in rest times!  Even with that, by the end of three days I was ready to be done.  Of course, I'd love to be back TODAY, but that's a problem I just have to live with.

The lines were non-existent.  We were so spoiled.  The longest we waited was for Toy Story Midway Mania and Peter Pan, and both waits were under 30 minutes.  We pretty much walked onto rides.  The only fast passes we really needed were Radiator Springs Racers, and we did that twice.  By the way, what an amazing ride.  I think I liked it even more at night.

My favorite holiday themed ride has to be Haunted Mansion.  It is pretty much completely different.  The music and sound effects all seemed so crisp and clear.  The decorations, down to the smallest detail, are all done just right.  Did I mention it's all based off The Nightmare Before Christmas?  So cool!

It's a Small World is also worked over for the holidays, but it just doesn't measure up to Haunted Mansion.  I mean, it's still way cooler than normal, though!

A word about positive peer pressure now, if you don't mind.  We vacationed with Lori's parents, her sister Emily, and her brother Glenn with his family (Allison, Annie, Eric, Eli and Caleb).  Traven is a just a bit younger than Caleb, and when they weren't fighting, they were best buddies.  And Caleb was up for any ride.  Traven had in the past vowed to never ride a LOT of rides again, but when paired with Caleb, he found a new level of braveness!  And it turns out he loved Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror and the Matterhorn.  He was not really crazy about Indiana Jones, and still refused Splash Mountain and Space Mountain.  But all in all, he did great!  He now says Tower of Terror is his favorite.  And on a related note, vacationing with the extended family was wonderful.

I am going back in two years with the whole family.  It will be epic!  I can't wait to experience it with all my kids!  And it would be great to have the rest of the family there as well.  Something tells me Lucy might have a good time there.

Disney World Review

Well, I know I already have one Disney World post, but this one is more just general notes for me on things that worked and things that didn't.

1.  One sit down lunch was wonderful, something I'll be doing on all subsequent trips to Disney.  It took over an hour, but it was amazing.  Just sitting down, away from the crowds, in an air conditioned environment was energizing.  And enjoying something other than the typical burger or chicken sandwich was a nice change of pace.

2.  My Disney Experience, with FastPass+, was beyond cool.  I could book my fast passes before hand, so rather than bouncing around the park, we could be more organized.  I could see the wait times in the app and adjust my passes accordingly.  Shoot, the thing will work as a compass and take you to the nearest bathroom!

3.  The Magic Bands are genius.  Honestly, I still feel a bit naked not wearing one.  It was the key to our room, our entry to the park, and it controlled our Fast Pass entrances.  You can even set them up so you can pay with them.

4.  Did you know some of the lines at Disney World have built in time killers?  We waited 40 minutes for Pooh, but T played the entire time.  It worked really well.  And the line for Space Mountain has a giant video game.  I tell you, Disney is a well oiled machine.

5.  Staying on a Disney property has me spoiled.  I don't know if I can go back!  Not paying for parking should be taken into consideration.  $17 a day down there.  Wowzers.

6.  A backpack, with supplies such as a water bottle and snacks, worked well.  There were plenty of places to fill up the bottles, and staying hydrated is important.  I had those 99 cent rain ponchos in there as well, so when the rains came, we were prepared.  I also took some zip lock bags to hold my wallet and phone, and a pair of sandals for the water ride.

7.  I say this every time, but a down day is nice.  Our fifth day was very relaxing.  We spent just a few hours in Magic Kingdom, then shopped, swam and packed up for the return trip.

Well, that's it for this short entry.  Enjoy!

Disney World

I realize my children, along with one  particular sister in law, are probably the only people that will read this entire thing, but so be it!  This will be a work in progress as our vacation progresses.

Day one was a travel day.  We left for the airport around 8:30 am.  We paid a bit extra to have 4 of our party of 10 board early, and that was a stroke of genius!  We were all able to sit together.  Well, except for Grandpa, who chose to sit alone.  Well, not so much alone as with strangers.  But, on a somewhat related note, I have not witnessed a Grandpa vs. Grandma argument yet on this trip!

We did use the Disney Magical Express, and their luggage service.  My first clue that something was amiss was when I noted most of the tags were for "Unknown Elquist".  When we went to board the shuttle, that's when we found out our Magic Bands were non functional.  They assured us they could straighten it up at the hotel.

No.

The desk clerks said to come back at 9 in the morning, that their wholesale department would have to negotiate with Travelocity in order for our reservations to get fixed.  And when we got to our rooms, no luggage.  There we were, no Magic Bands and no luggage.  It was a dark time.  However, luggage showed up around 1:40 am, so that was a good sign.

Cut to 9:00 am in the morning.  That's when we met Todd, the most amazing Disney worker EVER!  He saw me there with my 10 bands, a look of despair on my face.  Todd went to work!  In about 15 minutes, our bands were good, we had 10 "Family Reunion" pins, 10 "First Time Visiting" pins and 10 bonus Fast Pass tickets for use in Epcot.  I've never wanted to hug another man quite like Todd.  Love is a strong word, but I think most of the family is feeling a little for Todd!

After a questionable start, the day took off from there.  We went to Epcot.  We first rode Spaceship Earth, which Traven described as "the best ride ever".  He did feel the Romans were actually Lamanites, but at least I know he listens in Primary.

Next was Nemo.  Same ride as Disneyland, but no submarines.  But at the end, there is this whole real aquarium.  Again, Traven was a big fan!  Toad fish = ugly, that's all I've got to say.

Soarin' was identical to Disneyland, which is fine.  Never mess with perfection.

We also rode Living with the Land, which Grandma loved.  This is a very green ride, with lots of talk about how we can grow things differently to help the earth.  It pretty much sails through greenhouses.

We ate lunch in "The Land" building.  The turkey sandwich was good, and some went with Chinese, which was also ok.

Our family favorite for the day was next.  Test Track!  I thought it would be more like Radiator Springs, but it was a lot more thrill ride than that.  Lots of speed and turns.  AWESOME.

Mission Space was next.  We split half and half for Orange and Green.  Orange was amazing.  Disney, how do you make me feel like I'm pulling several Gs on blast off.  Seriously, I could feel my face sucking back!  What an incredible, unique experience.

We next rode Ellen's Energy Adventure, which added up to nap time for several of us.  Not me and Traven mind you.  We continued our day long conversation!

Two hours.  That was the line to meet Anna and Elsa.  Um, no thanks.

Maelstrom was the most overrated, boring ride I've experienced.  Big disappointment.

The whole countries thing in Epcot is not a big win for me.  But others in the family loved it.

The short 3 Cabbelleros ride was fun.  It felt a bit like Small World.

Dinner was at Mexico, which was basically chicken tacos for all.   Again, it was good.

Traven and Jason bailed to go swim, and the rest of us watched Illuminations.  Great show.  There's a freakin' giant globe that comes out, lights up and has all sorts of effects.  It's literally the size of a small planet.

All in all, for a day that started with a feeling of doom, it was a great day!  More to come.......

DAY TWO:  Hollywood Studios

We started the day with Tower of Terror.  Just different enough here to have you a bit more in suspense, a bit more nervous, all adding up to a bit more fun!

We followed that up with the Rock and Roller Coaster.  Sweet mother of monkey milk, that was a fast, exhilarating ride.  Aerosmith music blasting, going 0 to who knows what in the blink of an eye, corkscrews, twists, dives, turns - WOW.  Loved it!

We hit a bit of a snag here, with some health issues and the temperatures.  Combine that with Braden accidentally giving T his bedtime pill, and T needing a Benadryl, we were in for some grumpiness.  But we persevered and had fun.

Beauty and the Beast was a very nice production, and I'm told Little Mermaid was as well.  We loved the Indiana Jones stunt spectacular.  Some of us even took in Muppet Vision 3D, which is a classic.  Alyssa took Traven on the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playset, and took him to meet Phineus and Ferb as well as Mike and Sulley.  Oh, and we even got a photo with a green army man.

We paid a kings ransom for lunch at Mama Melroses, but it was worth it.  The pace was slower, there was no crowd and we just had about an hour to relax and enjoy some incredible food.  We did the Fantasmic Lunch!, which came with appetizers, entrees and two dessert plates.  Unlimited drinks and bread were included as well.  And VIP seating for Fantasmic!

As a bit of a Disney fan, I find it amazing that this was my first Fantasmic! performance. They do it in a stadium here, with seating kind of like you'd find at Sea World.  We were smack dab in the middle.  It was like World of Color meets a fireworks show, with a bit of parade tossed in.  We simply loved watching Mickey's imagination run wild, then the villains trying to take it over.  But in the end, Mickey triumphs (oh sorry, spoiler alert!), a ton of characters come out on the steam boat, fireworks erupt and I left feeling like it was a highlight for this trip!

Oh snap, I forgot at least two!  The Great Movie Ride was fun, as we got to see highlights from several films.  I'm a bit shocked that some of us did not recognize Ridley and a face sucking alien, but I did!

The backlot tour was LAME.  Hard pass on that one next time.

Oh, and of course Toy Story Midway Mania.  Rock solid, identical experience to California Adventure.

DAY THREE.  First off, a couple of lessons learned.  First off, the wait times can be deceiving.  Jungle Cruise said 15 miutes - we were in line around 70.  Second, Stich's Escape is far and away the worst ride in existence.

Today was a day with a lot of rides in common with Disneyland.
Peter Pan felt identical.
Small World was similar, but did not have the built in Disney characters.
Pirates was about 50 percent shorter.  Lame.
They have two Dumbos, both identical to Disneyland.
The train has three stops and is much shorter.
 Buzz Lightyear was identical.
The Tomorrowland Speedway was pretty much the same as Autopia.

It was a nice pleasure to see the Country Bears again.  I loved it.  Still funny after all these years.

Aladdin was a fan favorite, in particular for Kaylee.

The People Mover was awesome!  What a great, simple ride to kill a few minutes.

Mickey's Philharmagic was a lot like Muppet Vision, but was still cool.

Nighttime was amazing.  Electric Light Parade, followed by the show on the castle.  How they make the castle look like a movie screen is unreal.  And they've already factored in some new family favorites, such as Tangled and Frozen.  Traven was signing "Let it Go" at the top of his lungs.  And "Wishes" fireworks had some of the same music as the original in Disneyland, but was somewhat shorter.  Still it was a magical end to the day.

By the way, as soon as one raindrop came down tonight, people started scurrying.  It was odd to say the least.  I mean, it wasn't even a proper storm!

Lunch was at the Tortuga Tavern.  I had a taco salad.  It was nice to basically build my own.  Dinner was at the main cafe by the Speedway.  Bacon cheeseburger.  Yum.  I think it's the Starlight Cafe?

The Magic Bands are finally working like a charm.  We had to fix Eric's / Grandpa's at Hollywood yesterday.

DAY FOUR.  Today, it rained.  We had about every type of rain you can imagine.  Sprinkles, down pours, wind driven - we had it all going on.  This made for a wet day, but the lines were pretty much not there.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom around 9, and jumped right on the Primeval Whirl twice.  It's like the old Wild Mouse at Lagoon, but with some spinning tossed in.  We then rode some sort of Dumbo-esque Dino ride, which was still fun.  After that, Finding Nemo the Musical was next.  It was well done.  I don't think I'd drop everything to do it again, but I'm glad we went.

Ah, next was Dinosaur, which sent Traven into a screaming fit.  Honestly, he was screaming like he was near death.  I think the rest of us liked it, but not poor T!  We did the Whirl again, then went to Expedition Everest.  Well done Disney!  This is another winner.  Fast, twists, backwards, dark - it had it all working.  Loved it!  We then did the Khali River Rapids, which is not on par with Grizzly Rapids.  We finished off our rain soaked adventure with the safari, which I think most of us enjoyed.

Tonight, we had some go to downtown Disney, while some returned to Hollywood.  We were able to get in two trips to the Tower of Terror and a ride on the Rock and Roller.  Finished off our adventure with some pretzels and called it a day.  On day four, this was a good day to have less to do and be at a slower pace.  I think we are wearing out the Grandparents.

DAY FIVE.  Today was a nice and slow day.  This is good, because Magic Kingdom was beyond  crowded.  Like, you almost couldn't move in spots there were so many people.  We did Splash Mountain, which to me seemed a bit longer and better than at Disneyland.  We then lost Traven's MagicBand, which was ok since we are on day 5.  Probably, if I did this again, I might not let Traven wear his own band.  We then did Haunted Mansion, which seemed a bit longer as well.  It definitely has a different look on the outside.  We then journeyed to Space Mountain, which it turns out I am not a fan of.  Grandpa took Traven on the Speedway again, and Traven, Grandpa and I went on the Astro Orbiter.  That ride actually soars above the park, which was pretty awesome.  You ride an elevator up to get on the ride.  We then split up, with Traven, Alyssa and I going to the Pooh ride.  The line was long, but there were things for T to do the whole time.  He had a blast.  Drumming, spinning things, moving bees along a line, playing a touch screen thing, etc.  It was great for him.  We then came back, with Traven, Jason, Braden and Alyssa swimming.

All in all, a great trip.  The MagicBands are very convenient, once they are up and working.  FastPass+ with My Disney Experience is wonderful.  They need to let you reserve more than 3 attractions a day.  Oh, and staying on Disney property is the way to go.  I think I'd try a meal plan next time as well.  Probably have an extra rest/laundry day.

I can't believe it's over.  I can't wait to gather up our photos and relive the magic over and over again.  I really treasure these times, having all the kids together.