The Happiest Place on Earth

I remember back when my kids were little, we used to take Easter vacation and go to Disney World. I never dreamed back then that I would some day live 3 1/2 hours away from WDW and be enjoying it as much now as I did with the kids.

We have stayed at several of the WDW resorts over the years--the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom, Port Orleans Riverside and this time the Caribbean Beach Resort. We stayed in Jamaica. We have discovered, though, that each of the resorts pretty much have the same room layout--just different decor.
We arrived on Sunday afternoon, checked in and then hopped on the bus and headed over to Epcot. We had a delicious dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub which included my all time favorite dessert--Sticky Toffee Pudding. After dinner, we walked around a bit, took the boat over to the Boardwalk and back, then staked out our spot for Illuminations which started at 9:00. On Monday we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. We knew that the Space Shuttle was launching in the afternoon and since we had seen a launch from there before, we decided that we would do it again. The launch went off on time and without a hitch and we watched it as it took off over Tomorrow Land. I really wanted to see the Hall of Presidents since they had added the President Obama figure. Pretty neat!We also took in two parades and the fireworks--one of the most fantastic fireworks displays I have ever seen. But wouldn't you know, my camera battery died and the spare was back in the hotel room! I did get a rather fuzzy picture of Cinderella's Castle bathed in it's lighted Christmas finery before the battery died completely.On Tuesday we started out in the Animal Kingdom. I love it there because it is so lush and shady. We took the train ride and the trails in Africa and Asia. I love seeing all of the animals. Since we took the Safari Ride last time we were there, we decided not to take it this time. And of course, we had to take in my all time favorite show--The Lion King-- where Chuck actually was pulled out of the audience to help with the Wart Hog group. From there we went back to the hotel to rest up the sore feet and legs before heading to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. I don't know why, but I had never heard of this display before. Believe me, we will go back again next Christmas to see it again. What an amazing way to begin the Christmas season! It even snowed--probably the only snow I will see this Christmas. We had a great time on our short vacation. I love the fact that we have season tickets so we can go back whenever we want--and believe me--we plan to make good use of those tickets!