Oh Orlando....

We returned from a whirlwind trip to Orlando Wednesday night!!!  Whew... I definitely needed a vacation from my vacation when I got home!  It was a good trip.  It had some GREAT, amazing highlights... and like any trip with kids... some definite low moments.  But, all-in-all, it was great to go... and I think Ally really appreciated the time with us.  (I think...)  ;-)

We traveled down on Friday.... the flight was a bit delayed, which was a bummer.  I wanted to be able to get to the hotel and chill for a while... let Ally swim and take it easy.  We didn't get in until after 8 or so... once we got our bags and our rental car.  Scott's conference was at The Ritz at Grande Lakes and it was absolutely gorgeous!!!  Just gorgeous!!!  And I cannot say enough all the amazing things they did for kids!!! Scott kept saying "it IS Orlando honey" but still. I appreciated their catering to our little girl... and so did she! She will never experience hospitality quite like that!

We checked in, and Ally "checked in" at her very own reception desk. Where she was given toys and ice cream!  The bellman took us to our room, and was wonderful with her. Turned on the Disney Channel, telling her to sit tight while "mom and dad unpacked!"  He told her she could still go to the pool... that she could get ice cream any time she wanted... the list went on and on.

We went right down to the pool, and were able to order "room service" to be delivered pool side. The pool attendant (Nills - loved him!) also said he could go to the lobby bar and get us drinks.  So.... burgers and chicken fingers... and gin and tonics.... and swimming.... and we were all in heaven!

We headed up to bed at a decent hour... and when I say decent, we were watching The Late Show when we got up there, so really... it was pretty late for the seven year old!  But, we all fell asleep eventually.... and that's good cuz the day ahead of us was a doozy.......

Day 2:  Off to the Magic Kingdom!

After parking, taking a ferry, and then taking a tram... we finally arrived to the gates of the Magic Kingdom... then, we had to wait in a line to have our bag checked out... then, the debacle of actually having our tickets appropriately scanned... then, Scott had to go the bathroom as soon as we got in... and Ally got shit on by a bird.  Yes... that's how the first moments went.  ;)

Ally LOVES Pluto... Pluto is her very favorite... and the ticket she was issued had Pluto on it.... and after cleaning up the bird poo... the first character we saw as soon as we walked into the park, was Pluto himself!!!!! She was pretty giddy in that moment.... then, we had to get in line.

Don't get me started on the lines.  Now, I know Disney is all about waiting in line. I am familiar with waiting in line for rides, for shows, and even to meet characters... but Ally is not so familiar.  So, after about 20 minutes in line for Pluto... she decides she no longer wants to wait.  HAHA!!!!!  Luckily, a parade started (that we could view from our position in line) so she was distracted by that and I got her to wait until we could actually meet Pluto... almost an hour in line.... yep... an hour to meet Mickey's furry friend.

It appeared to be worth the wait... :)  It was for me anyway. I think sometimes I was more excited for her than she actually was.  :-)))))) She kept talking about Pluto all the way down Main Street.... where we went to see Cinderella's Castle.

The sun was getting pretty brutal by this point. We did not arrive first thing in the morning, we took our time... and probably got there around 10 am or so. At first I wanted to be there before the park opened, but after a couple drinks, Scott convinced me to take the more laid back approach.  :-)

The first thing Ally was dying to do was the Dumbo Ride.... so we headed right there.... and much to her dismay, there was a line. This was a theme throughout the rest of the day. Having a small fit every time we got in line.  Ugh. That was definitely a low-point for me. She would get in line... and sink to the ground in a heap.  :-( I know she's impatient, but I guess I expected her to be a bit more tolerant of things... after all, we WERE IN DISNEY WORLD!!!

But, we made it through the line at Dumbo....

From Dumbo... we made our way over to Toontown.... where we rode a roller coaster, took a trip around the park on the train, came back and met Pooh and Tigger, then walked through Mickey's house... and met Mickey and Minnie!

After all that excitement, we needed a cool break for some lunch!  We took a break for some mexican provisions... and some much needed time off our feet and out of the heat!!  Ally's impatience was growing... Looking back on all the pictures and smiles, you would never know that we had moments of pure hell in between....  ;-)

Right after lunch, as we were walking, we "ran into" Donald and Goofy... and autograph book in hand, Ally just had to meet them!!!  So, we waited in a fairly short line this time... to meet the boys in Frontierland!

I think we might have taken another break for funnel cakes at this point. ;-) I do love me some deep fried goodness.  :-)  We rode a bunch of rides.... the teacups..

And, then, we stupidly rode the Pirate Ride... which scared the living crap out of Ally.... nice... so we went on It's a Small World to try to cheer her up. We weren't able to completely accomplish any sort of cheering up at this point. She was getting tired. And grumpy. And she was hot.  So.... I suggested we go back to Toontown to wait to meet the Princesses. It was an air conditioned line.... and I thought this would be a nice break.  This, as it turned out, was a GREAT idea... and we met Aurora, Belle and Cinderella!

The day was winding down... so it was time for us to go secure a place on Main Street to watch the night parade and fireworks.  This was a tough wait time for Ally... but I think it was worth the wait. She enjoyed the parade and the fireworks that followed.... all in all... a nice day at the Magic Kingdom!

That's all from the Magic Kingdom... more to come on the days that followed.....