Orlando

Day 20 - Wednesday 30/6/10 - Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL

Our flight to Orlando was leaving Reagan Airport at 8am. We thought we'd better go early as we didn't know what to expect from security so we booked a taxi for 5.30am. We caught a glimpse of The Pentagon on the way and arrived at the airport at 5.45am. We checked in easily and were at security by 6am. That's when we hit a snag. After seeing the size of the carryons that the Americans took on our flight to NYC, Alex had decided that he was going to take one of our bags onboard rather then pay to check it in. I wasn't thinking when I did the last minute packing and put my toiletries in that bag. So we were stopped at security while the TSA agent went through my toiletries with a fine-toothed comb. I ended up losing just about everything other then my contact lens solution which he decided was okay for whatever reason.

We finally got through security and had just enough time to grab some breakfast before boarding. We had a couple of hours layover in Atlanta which was enough time to get a bite to eat and a Starbucks. I also attempted to buy some new toiletries but the stores were mostly touristy stuff. I did manage to find some cleanser but that was it. While we were there, I realised that we weren't going to arrive in Orlando at the expected time of 12.20pm as we didn't leave Atlanta until 12pm. The flight number and times on our itinerary were wrong. I was really hoping that our transfer wouldn't be affected.

We arrived in Orlando about half an hour later then expected and I couldn't see our driver anywhere. I called wheels2wings and was told that our driver was somewhere at the airport looking for us. I left Alex and the kids waiting for the luggage while I went in search of him. I was worried he'd be annoyed at having to wait, but he was great! He was so funny and entertaining. He talked the whole time on the drive to our hotel, giving us tips and hints and pointing out stuff along the way.

We arrived at The Dolphin around 1.30pm and our room was ready so we checked in immediately. It was  late for lunch so we needed to find something quick and easy. We headed out to the pool and The Splash Terrace but after waiting 20 minutes without being served, we abandoned that and just grabbed some pizza and fries from Picabu. We then hopped on a bus to The Magic Kingdom.

Our plan was to go straight to Splash Mountain for fastpasses and then see what else we could ride but as we walked in, a girl who was leaving asked me if we would like their Splash Mountain fastpasses. Perfect!

We arrived during the Dream-Along with Mickey show. It was the perfect welcome to DisneyWorld!

We still had 30 minutes before we could use the fastpass, so we headed over to Tomorrowland. It had started to rain but wasn't too bad at that stage.

The thunder and lightning started while we were posing for the photopass photographer and when he heard us talking about going on Splash Mountain he told us not to bother because it would be shut down due to the storm. That was disappointing. At that point we heard an announcement that the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade was being cancelled for the Cast Members safety, so we figured we'd best stick to the indoor rides and attractions.

We got fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and then went to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and submitted a couple of jokes while waiting in the line. The show was so much fun and Sammy was tickled when his joke was read out! Next up was Stitch's Great Escape followed by Buzz Lightyear. We then walked over towards Frontierland but all outdoor rides were still closed down. We entered Adventureland and visited The Enchanted Tiki Room and then lined up for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin as it had just started running again.

We had reservations at Chef Mickey's at 7pm so we left the park and caught the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. We were wet from the rain and the airconditioning on the monorail was on full ball. We were freezing!!

We arrived at Chef Mickey's right on 7pm but there was a line so it was around 7.10pm by the time we checked in and we were seated within 10 minutes.

I was so excited about this dinner and couldn't wait to see the kids' reactions. I had told them that we were going to have dinner with Mickey Mouse but I don't think they really understood. Their faces when the characters came around to our table were priceless! The food was good and the kids loved the dessert bar, but the characters made it so worthwhile.

Unfortunately I didn't realise that the flash was switched off, so the photos are all a bit blurry.

We caught the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom where we waited for a bus to The Dolphin. Sam started complaining about feeling sick, and next thing he was throwing up in the gutter! Some girls at the busstop offered us one of their shopping bags in case he needed to be sick on the bus, but luckily it was just a one off. I think he enjoyed the Chef Mickey's dessert bar a little too much!