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| Meeting Spiderman @ Islands of Adventure |
Let me first start by explaining the VACATION "CURSE" that I have on me. Something ALWAYS goes wrong. This is not me being negative, just pure truth. For example, I had a wonderful Christmas Vacation. We never hit traffic, weather was wonderful and everything went smooth as silk. BUT, the day before we were suppose to leave, I come down with the worst case of strep throat ever. I had never been so sick. Luckily, I did get over it within a few days of vacation. Therefore, I paid the curse tole and was rewarded by the rest of my vacation being great. This leads me up to THIS vacation. As we were leading up to summer break and leaving for vacation, I kept telling people that things were going ALL to smoothly. EVERYTHING was falling into place just right. Where this may make most people estatic, it made me scared as hell. I knew this damn curse was calculating it's move. And CHECK MATE. So as you read my blog, remember what I said.
Thursday, May 24th
We leave at 11:00. I had just got out of my last day of work/school and rushed home to leave. On the way to pick up Kylee's friend, the weather is great, no traffic and all is well. We get to
Metropolis, Illinois to pick up Jordyn and she is ready, once again....all too smooth. I'm getting more and more nervous. I do not have to wait long. First, we hit a wreck and sit in traffic for an hour and a half. Then we finally get going and realize that the luggage carrier is attached wrong and is making horrible banging noises on the roof. We stop over and over to try and get it right. At this point, my husband and I hate each other and we are sweaty as hell. Then we finally figure it out, and stupid me thinks the curse has had it's way....WRONG. We hit another construction zone and sit another 1-2 hours in stand still traffic. We were suppose to check in to our hotel, in
Lake City, Florida at 10:30 p.m., and got there at 4:30 a.m. The hotel we stopped at was nice though (for the 5 hours we slept there).
Country Inn & Suites in Lake City, Florida (GREAT STOP & STAY)
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| In Traffic Jams you take pictures....pretend you're happy |
Friday, May 25th
We got up really early, packed our things and got back in the car to head to
Daytona Beach, Florida. We actually made good time there and the weather was sunny. We were able to check into our hotel early. We usually stay somewhere else there, but decided to try something new. We tried the
Holiday Inn Daytona Shores. It was priced great and seemed to be a little old but had some great things. I would defiently recommend it to anyone going down looking for a decent place to stay (not a 4 Star, but decent if you just want to enjoy the beach). We spent the whole day swimming, playing in the ocean and on the beach. It was a great day. And this was the first vacation that Aydn was content playing by himself and even made his own friends. We kept it simple that night and ate at
Pizza Hut. We also hit up the grocery store
(Winn Dixie) to get snacks.
Saturday, May 26th
Spent the entire day at the beach again. Around 5:00 every night the hotel which had a little restaurant right by the pool, had live entertainers. This was probably one of the most favorite things Andy and I did. We spent some time hanging out, listening to the music (Eagles, James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac covers) while the girls were getting ready and Aydn was napping. Loved that. Then we went to eat at
The Ocean Deck. The Ocean Deck is a little beachfront restaurant/bar that we love. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting Daytona Beach. The wait for eating upstairs which is more family centered and quiet, was a long wait. We ate downstairs, which is more loud and seat yourself. It usually has Keroke going on and if it is really busy, it is hard to have a conversation. The place is very "beachy" though, and that is why we love it. The food is good and the price is moderate. After we ate, we decided to do some beach store shopping, Baskin Robbins and night time swimming.
Sunday, May 27th
The Curse decides to set in, and we get RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN!! So we spent the day shopping and going to see
Men in Black 3---Great movie!! We also went to eat at
Hooters which allowed us to show Jordyn the
Daytona 500 racetrack.
Monday, May 28th
So we find out that
Tropical Storm Beryl is here to visit us for awhile. We never got to enjoy the beach again. It sucked. Damn the CURSE. There is only so much you can find to do in Daytona Beach. It is a town known for it's beach and pretty much that's it. We sent the girls off to see another movie. They went and saw
"What to Expect, When Expecting". They did not like it. Andy, Aydn and I went to TGIF's. We had some great food, but it is a very overpriced restaurant.
Tuesday, May 29th
We woke up early and said our goodbye's to the rainy beach to head over to
Orlando for the remainder of the vacation, Since it was still raining, we decided to hit up
Universal Studio theme park. Most of the rides and attractions are inside, so that helps. The last two times we have visited this theme park, it has been pretty dead. We got there within an hour of the park opening, and were able to get on most all of the rides fairly quickly. We did so good that by noon, we were pretty much finished with all the rides. This park is fun, but has shut down a lot of the best attractions. They better do some major renovations and additions or they will be out of buisness soon. This is also not a good theme park if you have little ones (under the age of 5). They do have some fun attractions though like Men in Black, Simpsons and especially The Mummy! Universal also has a Shrek show that is great. E.T. is a classic for those who remember that movie. Twister hits a little too close to home for me. They have shut down King Kong, Jaws and Jimmy Neutron. I also did not see that many characters walking around like usual. After we left the park, we walked through
City Walk and ate at
Margaritaville. City Walk is really cool, but if you are going to get the full effect, walk it at night!!
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| Back 2 The Future Car |
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| Shrek | | |
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| JAWS |
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| CITY WALK |
Wednesday, May 30th
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| Train Ride (nice break) |
The weather let up for us and we were able to enjoy a really good day at the
Magic Kingdom. The ride waits were not horrible. We were able to ride every ride. They are adding on to the park with a new section called
Fantasy Land. It looks UNBELIEVABLE. They also have renovated the Haunted Mansion, always a favorite. Aydn rode every ride and even rode Space Mountain for the first time ever and loved it. We watched all the shows, including the Electric Parade and Fireworks. They've added a new show right before the fireworks that uses the castle. This new show is a treat, too cool. I will always have a soft spot for the Magic Kingdom, no matter how many times I have been or how old I get. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you are there, especially with your children.
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| Stitch |
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| Phillar Magic Show (must see!) |
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| Flying Dumbo (new location) |
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| Laughing Floor Monsters Inc. (Great show) |
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| Buzz Lightyear Ride |
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| Waiting on Peter Pans Flight Ride (Classic) |
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| At the end of Buzz Lightyear Ride |
Thursday, May 31st
Finally, the weather was clear and beautiful. The kids were really looking forward to going to
Islands of Adventure Theme Park. Once again, we got there right when the park opened. The girls headed directly to
Harry Potter, which I would advise to anyone going. Harry Potter gets super crowded and sometimes even shuts down b/c the crowds get over fire code. Last time we went, we never even got in that part of the park. While the girls went there, the boys and I went to Super Hero land and rode the
Spider Man. This ride is AWESOME. They have also made changes to it, to keep it fresh to those returning. Once again, we were able to ride most all the rides without a wait. By noon the lines had gotten somewhat long, so we bought the Fast Passes. They are expensive but worth it b/c this park has a lot of really fun rides that you want to ride over and over. This theme park has no parades or firework shows BUT is worth every penny. If you have not been, make plans in the near future to go. We were there the whole day and never got bored.
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| Harry Potter |
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| Castle in Harry Potter Park |
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| Harry Potter |
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| The Hulk Rollercoaster (one of the best out there) |
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| Store right after Dr. Seuss Ride |
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| Dr. Seuss Water Play Park |
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| Harry Potter |
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| The Grinch |
Friday, June 1st
We used the free time we had to sleep in. It was raining again so we got ready and headed down to
Downtown Disney. We spent the day at
Disney Quest. Disney Quest is a 5 story interactive arcade. It has a million games and things to do, including virtual reality. You pay a ticket price and then once in, can play whatever as much as you want. We had a really good time and spent around 5-7 hours there. It was crowded due to the rain. My advice to you would be, go early and when it's nice outside. Then we went and ate at
Planet Hollywood, which is also in Downtown Disney. This is a great place to go and walk around all night, eat and party. They have a lot of clubs, live music, shopping and cool things to look at. I wish we would of spent more time there. I would recommend it though for anyone who was even visiting around that area.
Saturday, June 2nd
Left and made the trip home. It was a long vacation, with not a lot of sun or beach BUT we made the most of it and it was full of memories.
**Of course we are the type of family who never sits still. Where most people would of slept in and spent the next day at home, we got up early and headed to the Herrin Pool. Aydn had a blast on the diving boards and the water slides. Then we came home, got ready and headed to Pag's for some pizza and DQ on the strip afterwards. I think tomorrow it is going to rain so I will stay home and actually unpack. We leave again next week, this time for over 2 weeks. I will try not to get behind in my posts anymore. This is a long one, but hopefully you will get some things to plan for in the future if you get the chance.
We leave at 11:00. I had just got out of my last day of work/school and rushed home to leave. On the way to pick up Kylee's friend, the weather is great, no traffic and all is well. We get to Metropolis, Illinois to pick up Jordyn and she is ready, once again....all too smooth. I'm getting more and more nervous. I do not have to wait long. First, we hit a wreck and sit in traffic for an hour and a half. Then we finally get going and realize that the luggage carrier is attached wrong and is making horrible banging noises on the roof. We stop over and over to try and get it right. At this point, my husband and I hate each other and we are sweaty as hell. Then we finally figure it out, and stupid me thinks the curse has had it's way....WRONG. We hit another construction zone and sit another 1-2 hours in stand still traffic. We were suppose to check in to our hotel, in Lake City, Florida at 10:30 p.m., and got there at 4:30 a.m. The hotel we stopped at was nice though (for the 5 hours we slept there).
We got up really early, packed our things and got back in the car to head to Daytona Beach, Florida. We actually made good time there and the weather was sunny. We were able to check into our hotel early. We usually stay somewhere else there, but decided to try something new. We tried the Holiday Inn Daytona Shores. It was priced great and seemed to be a little old but had some great things. I would defiently recommend it to anyone going down looking for a decent place to stay (not a 4 Star, but decent if you just want to enjoy the beach). We spent the whole day swimming, playing in the ocean and on the beach. It was a great day. And this was the first vacation that Aydn was content playing by himself and even made his own friends. We kept it simple that night and ate at Pizza Hut. We also hit up the grocery store (Winn Dixie) to get snacks.
Spent the entire day at the beach again. Around 5:00 every night the hotel which had a little restaurant right by the pool, had live entertainers. This was probably one of the most favorite things Andy and I did. We spent some time hanging out, listening to the music (Eagles, James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac covers) while the girls were getting ready and Aydn was napping. Loved that. Then we went to eat at The Ocean Deck. The Ocean Deck is a little beachfront restaurant/bar that we love. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting Daytona Beach. The wait for eating upstairs which is more family centered and quiet, was a long wait. We ate downstairs, which is more loud and seat yourself. It usually has Keroke going on and if it is really busy, it is hard to have a conversation. The place is very "beachy" though, and that is why we love it. The food is good and the price is moderate. After we ate, we decided to do some beach store shopping, Baskin Robbins and night time swimming.
Sunday, May 27th
Monday, May 28th
We woke up early and said our goodbye's to the rainy beach to head over to Orlando for the remainder of the vacation, Since it was still raining, we decided to hit up Universal Studio theme park. Most of the rides and attractions are inside, so that helps. The last two times we have visited this theme park, it has been pretty dead. We got there within an hour of the park opening, and were able to get on most all of the rides fairly quickly. We did so good that by noon, we were pretty much finished with all the rides. This park is fun, but has shut down a lot of the best attractions. They better do some major renovations and additions or they will be out of buisness soon. This is also not a good theme park if you have little ones (under the age of 5). They do have some fun attractions though like Men in Black, Simpsons and especially The Mummy! Universal also has a Shrek show that is great. E.T. is a classic for those who remember that movie. Twister hits a little too close to home for me. They have shut down King Kong, Jaws and Jimmy Neutron. I also did not see that many characters walking around like usual. After we left the park, we walked through City Walk and ate at Margaritaville. City Walk is really cool, but if you are going to get the full effect, walk it at night!!
The weather let up for us and we were able to enjoy a really good day at the Magic Kingdom. The ride waits were not horrible. We were able to ride every ride. They are adding on to the park with a new section called Fantasy Land. It looks UNBELIEVABLE. They also have renovated the Haunted Mansion, always a favorite. Aydn rode every ride and even rode Space Mountain for the first time ever and loved it. We watched all the shows, including the Electric Parade and Fireworks. They've added a new show right before the fireworks that uses the castle. This new show is a treat, too cool. I will always have a soft spot for the Magic Kingdom, no matter how many times I have been or how old I get. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you are there, especially with your children.
Finally, the weather was clear and beautiful. The kids were really looking forward to going to Islands of Adventure Theme Park. Once again, we got there right when the park opened. The girls headed directly to Harry Potter, which I would advise to anyone going. Harry Potter gets super crowded and sometimes even shuts down b/c the crowds get over fire code. Last time we went, we never even got in that part of the park. While the girls went there, the boys and I went to Super Hero land and rode the Spider Man. This ride is AWESOME. They have also made changes to it, to keep it fresh to those returning. Once again, we were able to ride most all the rides without a wait. By noon the lines had gotten somewhat long, so we bought the Fast Passes. They are expensive but worth it b/c this park has a lot of really fun rides that you want to ride over and over. This theme park has no parades or firework shows BUT is worth every penny. If you have not been, make plans in the near future to go. We were there the whole day and never got bored.
We used the free time we had to sleep in. It was raining again so we got ready and headed down to Downtown Disney. We spent the day at Disney Quest. Disney Quest is a 5 story interactive arcade. It has a million games and things to do, including virtual reality. You pay a ticket price and then once in, can play whatever as much as you want. We had a really good time and spent around 5-7 hours there. It was crowded due to the rain. My advice to you would be, go early and when it's nice outside. Then we went and ate at Planet Hollywood, which is also in Downtown Disney. This is a great place to go and walk around all night, eat and party. They have a lot of clubs, live music, shopping and cool things to look at. I wish we would of spent more time there. I would recommend it though for anyone who was even visiting around that area.
**Of course we are the type of family who never sits still. Where most people would of slept in and spent the next day at home, we got up early and headed to the Herrin Pool. Aydn had a blast on the diving boards and the water slides. Then we came home, got ready and headed to Pag's for some pizza and DQ on the strip afterwards. I think tomorrow it is going to rain so I will stay home and actually unpack. We leave again next week, this time for over 2 weeks. I will try not to get behind in my posts anymore. This is a long one, but hopefully you will get some things to plan for in the future if you get the chance. 
