Disney World

We had a great trip to Orlando and the weather was gorgeous the entire trip. As usual, we would've loved to spend more time. Unfortunately, the cold crud seemed to linger with us for the trip. Jeff and I both had it. Rachel and Anna now have it. I'll probably be visiting the pediatrician with them tomorrow. It took antibiotics to help Jeff and I get rid of it (and we still aren't over it 100%). And, I suspect Anna and Rachel need the same. But, they pressed on like little troopers as they did not let illness slow them down one iota at Disney.

We arrived Thursday evening late in the day and then woke up early and went to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. Our friend, Roger, joined us at the park on Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday. Either Roger is a glutton for punishment or we simply entertain him. I haven't figured out which it is yet.

We went to EPCOT on Saturday, Valentines Day.

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for all you Disney fans...EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Jeff said that he thinks it really stands for "Every Person Comes Out Tired." That isn't what Mr. Disney said but I think Jeff's opinion is more appropriate.

Roger also joined us at EPCOT and we met up with Mike, a coworker of Jeff's, and Mike's wife, Wendy. It was Mike and Wendy's first visit to EPCOT so we served as tour guides to help them navigate and to choose how to most efficiently spend their time since they only planned to be there for one day.

I think the best part of our visit to EPCOT was the stop at the World of Coke exhibit. Neither Jeff nor I have ever stopped there out of all of our visits to EPCOT. Actually, we never even noticed it being there. Nor have we ever visited the World of Coke in Atlanta, GA. So, we made it a point to stop there on Saturday. But, Jeff was set up. Roger had been to the World of Coke before. And, he knew which Coke products were good and which weren't. He deceitfully encouraged Jeff to try the Italian Coke product called "Beverly." Of course, the rest of us were in on it too. Roger told Jeff how delicious it was. So, it was the first thing that Jeff went for. And, Jeff was thirsty so he took a big gulp. Jeff took a big swig and quickly said, "Oh God!" I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard. I took a small taste of the Beverly drink myself and I have to admit, it was pretty bad! Poor Jeff....I almost felt sorry for him....almost. Are you kidding? Feel sorry for him? We live for stuff like that! :-)

During our trip around the World Showcase at EPCOT, we visited the American pavilion. We wanted Mike and Wendy to see the show there as it is one of the better ones in the World Showcase so we waited for it to start. And, in usual Disney style, there was entertainment to keep you busy while waiting for the main show to start. Anna was singled out by the singers. Most people would answer the city and state that they are from when asked where they live. Anna gave a different answer which was very appropriate considering where we were in the World Showcase. You'll have to watch the video to see how it turned out. However, I keep trying to add the video here and am not having much luck for some reason. I'll try to do it another day to see if I have any better success.

We spent Sunday at Hollywood Studios. The highlight of that visit was going to the new American Idol Experience show. We never watch TV at home so neither Rachel nor Anna have ever seen the show on TV but they sure did enjoy it at Disney. They enjoyed it so much that we went to two different shows that day. It's pretty realistic too. We got to vote on the people too. The park guests voluntarily audition to be in the show. And, the winner at the end of the day gets a pass to be at the front of the line at a real American Idol audition. They even had judges that were similar to the three on the real show....including a guy that was a bit candid like Simon is in the real show. We had a blast!

We spent Monday at the Animal Kingdom which is my least favorite of the parks. But, we still had a great visit nonetheless. The Everest ride always kicks my bootie.

Tuesday was our final day at Disney and it was also Anna's 6th Birthday. We spent it at the Magic Kingdom. Anna's favorite character is Winnie The Pooh so we got her a stuffed Pooh bear that was as big as her and it was waiting for her when she woke up on her birthday. Jeff and Rachel ventured to the Magic Kingdom the night before Anna's birthday to buy the giant Pooh for Anna.

She also got some Pooh earrings and a Pooh necklace from us. She had the best time at the park too. Since Disney is allowing any guest in for free on their birthday in 2009, we got other perks since we were already Annual pass holders. Anna got a $62 gift card from the park to use while at the Magic Kingdom. She bought toys for herself and Rachel. Anna was sad that we had to leave a bit early to return home to Georgia today. We had to return home today as Jeff has to travel for work to Dayton, OH, tomorrow. It's hard to believe our little girl is 6 already!

On the way home from Orlando, Rachel noticed a billboard as we we driving down the interstate. She asked us, "What are adult toys?" Jeff began explaining..."You know, remote controlled airplanes (I added, "and, battery controlled.") And, Jeff said, "Lots of action packed movies." I know our children have to learn about the real world at some point but some times they aren't quite ready for the real world and then parents are left in trying to figure out how to explain something to a child who is not mentally ready to comprehend the full scope of the subject. Or, in our case, you lie (sort of) a little just to get past the moment. Of course, the "We Bare All" sign was just a few miles up the road too.

Disney Drawings

I scanned two of the drawings we did while we visited the art studio at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
I only scanned mine and Rachel's. Jeff's was a combo of his and Anna's.

I couldn't scan all of mine because I drew mine larger than my scanner. But, what I wanted to contrast was Rachel's against mine. My version is pretty close to the actual artist rendering. I think Rachel did a phenomenal job on her own. Not too shabby for a 7 year old in my opinion!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween 2008

We arrived in Orlando on Thursday afternoon. My mother-in-law and father-in-law, Gail and Harold, and our neice, Mary Grace, accompanied us on this trip. Gail and Harold towed their own camper down though.

We relaxed at Fort Wilderness and had dinner at the Trails End restaurant which is located at Fort Wilderness on Thursday evening thinking we'd rest up as we had busy days planned.

Tour Guide Jeff already had the trip planned out along with cracking the whip on us slow moving people each day. Usually, I'm good natured for a couple of days of getting up early and hitting the parks but usually by the third day I'm ready to lynch Jeff. Add to that a blossoming head cold and you get a good idea of how perky I was after a couple of days.

Jeff planned our first park stop to be at Epcot for Friday. We were a bit concerned we'd get rained on quite a bit because the weather forecast had a high chances of showers each day while we were in Orlando but we were fortunate. We had a great visit to Epcot along with a good lunch at Biergarten (German pavillion on the World Showcase).

On Saturday, we went to the Animal Kingdom.

The kids (that includes Jeff) could not wait to get on Everest again. Yes, our children are completely desensitized to the thrill rides. Other children their ages won't even think about getting on something like Everest. With our children, the faster, the higher; the better.

Again, we had great weather with exception of a small shower as we were leaving the park in the early evening. But, with that, we were treated to one of the most beautiful rainbows we've ever seen. You could see the full spectrum of colors and the complete rainbow. Absolutely beautiful! We told the girls that it was a special Disney rainbow.

On Sunday, we we went to Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM). Our friend, Roger, who lives in Orlando, joined us at Hollywood Studios.

We had a great day including seeing the Indiana Jones, Lights-Camera-Action Stunt, and Fantasmic shows.

We attended the Art of Disney pavillion where we all attempted drawings of Minnie Mouse. When I'm back home from my business trip (I'm currently in Marietta again), I'll have to scan those and share them when time allows.
Additionally, both Anna and Rachel were selected for the Jedi Training Academy this time. This was Anna's first time to be chosen and she was fearless against Darth Vader.

The girls also constructed their own light sabers at the Star Tours shop to complete their costumes.

I almost forgot to mention that while we were waiting for the Jedi Training Academy to start, Jeff noticed a guy wearing an Auburn shirt so Jeff told him, "War Eagle!" And, the guy replied back with the same. Then the guy's wife asked Jeff if he was military...many people think he is because of his short hair. It turned out that this woman was the sister of a guy that was a fellow cadet at Auburn with me. His last name is Higgonbotham. It truly is a small world after all.

On Monday, we hung out at the campground during the day while trying to rest up for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that night. Our friends, Mike, Jen and their children Ellis and Cooper, had a delayed flight from the U.K. on Sunday but still made it for the Halloween party. Roger also joined us for the event. Jeff, Rachel and I dressed in our Star Wars costumes. Mary Grace dressed as a maiden.

Harold and Gail usually surprise us with their chosen costume. This time it was Popeye and Olive Oyl. Harold got the most attention that night. Everyone recognized him or wanted a picture of him.

Roger dressed as Stitch.
Cooper dressed as Wall-E.

We had a bit of rain that night but it was clear for the remainder of the evening. I was in complete awe that Jen, Mike and the kids were able to stay up as long as they did after flying in from the U.K. that morning. Ellis and Cooper finally collapsed right before we left at 11:30 p.m. Rachel was so happy to be reunited with Ellis again and she was so sad when we had to leave on Tuesday morning.

This was Ellis and Cooper's first trip to Disney World. In previous visits to Orlando, they always visited Sea World. The boys had a blast while they had the energy to enjoy it.

And, this is a picture of Mike above with part of Cooper's costume. This is what someone looks like who is sleep deprived and dealing with severe jet lag. :-)
Overall, it was a great trip but tiring to some extent....it always is. We enjoyed seeing all of our friends and miss them all again.

Jeff Turns 39 at Disney World

Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs. ~~ Anonymous

Jeff's 39th Birthday

Since we knew we'd be in Orlando on the day of Jeff's birthday, we had cake and celebrated an early birthday at home last Sunday. Long, Kim and Sophia joined us for dinner and cake. The only type of birthday cake that seems to be appreciated in my home is chocolate~~the girls are very much like their father in this aspect.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! May you have many more......

Shades of Green

Finally, last Friday, it was time to make the drive to Orlando for the Disney Pirate and Princess Party.

Anna was so excited. She was driving us crazy with the, "how many more days?" questions every morning leading up to our departure date. Both girls woke up before 6 am on Friday morning. They were more excited about going to the Magic Kingdom than opening gifts on Christmas morning. Our niece, Mary Grace, also went with us. We left for Orlando after the girls were out of school on Friday afternoon.

We arrived at Shades of Green around 11 pm. We drove up to the gate entering the resort and there was not a gate guard to handle new arrivals. The only gate we saw that was operational was the one with a sign that stated "for returning guests only." So, we were wondering how we were supposed to enter. There was a car in front of us and the driver entered their security card and proceeded to drive through the automated gate. It was then that Jeff said, "just punch it." Two other cars had come in behind us so despite my inner voice screaming "this isn't a good idea," I did what Jeff encouraged thinking we could make it through the gate before it came back down. The gate quickly came back down and luckily it stopped just in front and above the hood of my van so no damage was done except to my ego. So, I backed up and then found a button where the cards are entered that I pressed and a slightly agitated voice replied back. I'm sure the security guard thought we were idiots. And, in this case, I have to agree. Although, I do believe they need to edit their sign to make it more clear that the gate isn't just for returning guests so that it is more clear to people like us who are arriving late with crabby kids in tow. The last thing we wanted to do was get stuck at a gate blocking everyone else from entering.

After our slightly exciting entry into the resort, everything else went smoothly for check-in. We unpacked, had a snack and then settled in for a good night of much needed rest. Jeff wasn't feeling too great this weekend but he was determined to have a good time despite not feeling 100%.

I wanted to mention that the Shades of Green Resort is beautiful. It has a rustic look that gives you the feeling of being in Hawaii. It is surrounded by lots of stones, greenery, and water. But, like any resort, you still have rude guests. My personal rule is that if it is before 8 am or after 10 pm, we only whisper in the hallways. I would think other people would be as considerate but that doesn't seem to be the case...in any hotel I've ever stayed in. Yet one more reason I love our motorhome and prefer traveling in it to a hotel any day of the week.

There were a lot of wild turkeys walking on the grounds on Saturday morning. The girls had fun feeding them from our balcony.

Downtown Disney Marketplace

We only had tickets for the special party event at the Magic Kingdom for this trip so we decided to go to Downtown Disney on Saturday morning to shop and have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

Saturday was also the day of Jeff's actual birthday. To celebrate the occasion we had dessert at the Ghiradelli Shop. The hot fudge brownie sundae is delicious!

Rachel and Anna had some birthday money they had saved up that was burning their pockets so they bought a few items from the shops. Rachel really wanted to get a princess makeover at the Bippidy Bobbidy Boutique. But, it was $50 for hair, make up and nails and over $200 for a full makeover with a princess dress, crown, etc. You know...I'm all for having a good time but geesh! I love Disney but I tell you....the cost of going is unreal. And, we know how to do it cheaply in some areas but we still never leave without dropping a few hundred dollars. I told the girls I'd give them a princess makeover when we got home and they could put on one of the millions of princess dresses there that we already had. While that seemed to appease Anna, Rachel swears she's going to the Bippidy Bobbidy Boutique for her birthday.

After about a thousand calories and having much less money (Jeff jokingly told the girls they couldn't poop for a week after the meal we paid for at Rainforest Cafe as he wanted to get his money's worth out of that meal), we returned to our hotel for a much needed nap before the night's activities.

Disney Pirate and Princess Party


This was our first time to try the Pirate and Princess Party. Our friend, Roger, joined us for the event. Now that we have gone to this Disney special event, my favorite vote still goes to the Not So Scary Halloween Party. Jeff, Mary Grace, and I did not dress up. Rachel and Anna dressed as pirates. There were a hand full of adult guests who had dressed up in the park as well. During the Halloween Party, the Disney cast members give out candy. For this event, they give out beaded necklaces and fake stones that look like jewels. Overall, the party is more focused on the princesses than the pirates. The beauty of this party, like the others, is the minimal crowds. There's nothing like a five-minute wait to get on Space Mountain. The girls loaded up on the jewelry being distributed. At one point, Rachel looked up at me and said, "Momma, look at all of my bling." I guess I've used the term "bling" one too many times in their presence. I even collected some beads myself. I told Roger, "I couldn't believe how many necklaces I had collected and that I didn't even have to show my boobs once to get them." Only those who've ever experienced Mardi Gras in New Orleans can appreciate that. I never flashed anyone for beads there either. I don't know about anyone reading this, but if I'm going to show my stuff, it's going to be for a heck of a lot more than a 10 cent plastic beaded necklace.

On a side note....did you know that Disney designed many hidden Mickeys throughout the parks? There is a book that can be purchased titled, Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets, that tells you how to find them. They are designed in stones, metal work, and other not so obvious objects in the parks. One that I found in It's A Small World were the leaves in the jungle room shaped like Mickey heads (see below). I just thought I'd share that interesting bit of trivia for those who didn't know. It's all most people can do just to see the shows and ride the rides without adding the task of looking for hidden Mickeys but I thought it was something worth noting for folks like me who've ridden It's a Small World more times than I care to admit and could use a distraction. There are also special targets on the Buzz Lightyear ride that will give you more points. Jeff knows those secrets so he always gets tons of points when he goes on that ride. You can read up on these at this link.


Back Home

On Sunday, as promised, we had a princess makeover at home. OK...it may not be as wonderful as what Disney does but it was a whole lot cheaper. And, the girls loved it nonetheless.

Did I mention....I hate to unpack. Not having to pack and unpack was one of the many bennies of living in a motorhome full time. We'd just move our home when we wanted to travel--no packing/unpacking required other than unhooking the water and sewage.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

"Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought - sometimes it isn't much, either." ~~Walt Disney

We attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party last December and we have plans to do that again this year. This year we wanted to try the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party .

We left last Thursday much later than we should have. We arrived at Fort Wilderness around 7:30 p.m. We have long since learned that arriving late typically doesn't have good outcomes for us. This trip was no different. When we used to travel in our car and we arrived late, it was never pleasant either. Since it would be late and dark, it was assured we'd get lost and since everyone would be tired and cranky, it usually meant an argument. Arriving late and after dark is even less desireable in an RV. It's difficult to park an RV in the dark and again, if it's late, we all tend to be cranky.

The first campsite was difficult to get into and once we were settled, we began to set up lights, etc. I decided to vacuum the inside while Jeff was finishing up outside. Our site was very small and because of this some of our storage doors would not open....so Jeff had to crawl inside one to get the bicycle trailer out. While inside, he smelled smoke...like an electrical fire....so he took a peek outside and saw smoke pouring out of the shore power box (where the camper is plugged in). He then jumped out and hit is head on the storage door. He then came in to tell me about it and I noticed his forehead was bleeding. He was not a happy camper (literally). I mentioned that is why I always close those doors (I ran into one of the doors when we were inspecting the camper on pick up day....I chipped one of my front teeth). He was not in any mood for a lecture. I would've taken a picture of him to share as he looked like he'd been in a fight. But, I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to find humor in his predicament at this point. We laughed about it later.... but while in the moment...there was no humor in it. This was not the "happiest place on earth" while we were getting set up.

So, I returned to guest services and requested another campsite. Now, I fully welcome people from other countries to the United States but when I'm having a problem, I'd prefer to speak to someone in customer service where English is not their second language. I tried explaining our problem. I told him smoke was coming from the electrical hookup box and that we'd like another site. After he grasped what my problem was (or so I thought), he assigned us to a new site. I arrived back at our original campsite to find Disney maintenance personnel speaking with my husband about our problem. The guy asked Jeff if we had reported a problem about "a piano being on fire?" So, I guess the verbal exchange with the guy at the guest relations desk wasn't entirely clear after all.

Since we had to move, that meant packing up stuff we had already set up and putting our bikes back onto the bike rack. By the time we got to to our new site and got everything set up, it was close to 9:30 and the girls were exhausted. Our 9-year old neice, Mary, came with us for this trip. Even she was asleep on the sofa.

Friday~Halloween Party Night

On Friday morning we went to Shades of Green, the military resort on the Disney property, to buy our tickets. Jeff and I decided to buy an annual pass for him, Rachel, Anna, and me since we had several trips planned to Disney World over the next 12 months. And, we bought Mary a 2-day park hopper pass so she could see as many of the parks as possible over the weekend. To get the military discount, you have to purchase the tickets either at a military base or Shades of Green. Shades of Green is the only place that sells the annual pass though. We've stayed at Shades of Green before. It is an awesome resort that reminds me a bit of the Wilderness Lodge. There is a cool wood carved Mickey in the lobby decorated in a patriotic theme (see left).

We rode the ferry boat from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom. Then we took the tram to the Polynesian Resort which is located across the highway from Shades of Green. We decided to travel in this manner rather than driving so that Mary got to experience the journey in a more interesting way since this was her first trip to Disney World. We bought our tickets at Shades of Green and then headed back to the Polynesian Resort for lunch. After lunch, we went back to our RV to rest up since we knew we had a long night ahead of us. The Halloween Party goes until midnight and we planned to get our moneys worth.

The Halloween Party officially started at 7 pm. But, Disney allows you to enter the park as early as 4 pm with the party tickets. The trick-or-treating doesn't begin until 7:00 though. So, we arrived at 4 pm in costume to begin hitting the rides and to have dinner. Our friend Roger joined us this evening. Roger used to work with Jeff and me a few years ago and he took a job in Orlando and has been in Orlando ever since. It was great to see him as always and he helped us tag team the kids while at the theme parks. Its always good to have an extra set of eyes!

We decided to go with the Narnia theme this year for our costumes for the Halloween Party. Rachel was Queen Susan, Anna was Queen Lucy, I was the White Witch (Jadis), and Jeff was in a knight costume. Narnia characters aren't as popular as others but there were definitely a few children who recognized me. And, they would excitedly yell "it's the White Witch." One family even stopped me in the park to ask me to pose with their daughter for a picture. The girls had a blast trick-or-treating. And, Disney isn't skimpy with the candy....they give it out by the hand fulls.

I'm sure some of you may be wondering where is the rest of Anna's hair. She was adamant that her hair would be short like the character Lucy. So I took her before we left Georgia and got it cut. She looked like a different child. I miss her long locks but the new hair style is actually quite fitting for her.

The "Boo-to-You" parade was awesome and all of the Disney villians were out for pictures. Rachel got to dance with Jafar when she got a picture with him. Of course, what would a visit to the Magic Kingdom be for a Halloween party without visiting the Haunted Mansion? And, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is much better with the modifications that Disney made recently. Of course, our favorite ride is still the Buzz Lightyear ride. The fireworks show was awesome as always with the theme of "Happy Hallowishes."

We loved the Halloween Party and recommend it to others who might be considering it. We would definitely do it again! I was worried about it being too hot for our costumes but it ended up being very comfortable. And, we enjoyed wearing them as much as others enjoyed seeing us in them. We will be back in December for the Christmas Party and we'd like to come back in January or February for the Pirate & Princess Party. The major benefit to these special parties is that they limit the number of ticket sales which makes the wait time for rides minimal to none at all. And, at the Christmas event, they give out hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies. Plus, the parks are decorated up for Christmas and they are awesome to see!

Saturday~~Animal Kingdom and Epcot

We had planned to make this a liesurely weekend but since this was Mary's first visit to Disney World, we wanted to hit the hot spots and let her experience as much as possible. Since we went to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween Party, we decided to use the remainder of the weekend to visit the other parks. We went to the Animal Kingdom on Saturday morning. Everyone enjoyed the Jungle Safari ride and the Dinosaur ride. We didn't ride the new Everest ride this time but we plan to do that when we are back in December. We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at the Animal Kingdom and got the lava cake for dessert. It was huge! We shared it and then we all rolled out of the restaurant and headed to Epcot. We had hoped to ride Soaring but there was a 75 minute wait and they were no longer giving out Fast Passes. So, we went to the Living Seas exhibit. The girls had a great time looking at the manatees and walking around the aquarium. We went shopping afterwards. It was here that Anna spotted the Minnie Mouse outfit and she had to have it. Most of the stuff at Disney World is highly overpriced but she had her heart set on this dress complete with matching shoes and a headband with ears and bow. We figured why not? We have a limited number of years to enjoy this type of thing with them so let her have it. She wore it home on Saturday and wore it all day on Sunday so I'd say she got her money's worth (and so did we).

We returned to Fort Wilderness and went to the Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing Along Saturday evening. Fort Wilderness has this most nights of the week. They have an outdoor amphitheater where they play Disney movies. They have a campfire to roast marshmallows and Chip and Dale come out for photos with the kids. Our kids always enjoy this so we try to make it out for at least one of these each time that we stay at Fort Wilderness. There is no additional cost to go and if you are staying at another Disney resort, you can also go to this as well.

Sunday~~MGM

On Sunday, we visited MGM Studios for the majority of the day. We all rode the Tower of Terror. This was Rachel's, Anna's, and Mary's first time to ride the Tower of Tower. Prior to this trip, Anna did not meet the 40" requirement for several rides...but thanks to her "Magic Ride Shoes" with those big heels she made the cut this time. So this was her first trip where she could ride some of the more intense rides. Rachel and Anna loved the Tower of Terror. Jeff, Mary and I rode the Aerosmith Rocking Roller Coaster for the first time too. It was awesome! This was another ride that Jeff and I had not done before because the kids could not ride it either. That is one feature that I like better about Universal/Islands of Adventure versus Disney World...Universal has parent swap rooms. Once you wait in line, one parent can wait with the kids in the swap room area. Once the first parent is done with the ride, you swap, and the second parent immediately returns to the front of the line. This is great in that you can still do the rides without having to wait in the lines twice if everyone can't or doesn't want to ride.

Rachel and Anna love the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground. That is the one thing they always look forward to at MGM. We spent all of this money and the thing they like the best is a playground....something they have outside of our RV every day. It's kind of like Christmas...you give them great toys and they get more enjoyment out of the boxes that the toys came in instead of the toys themselves.

We took them all to see the Playhouse Disney, The Little Mermaid, and the Beauty and the Beast play.

We watched the parade at MGM in the afternoon. I was glad that we did. It was the first time we had taken the time to do so as we usually try to take advantage of the short wait times on rides while everyone else watches the parades. The MGM parade has completely different characters including the ones from Pixar movies, Star Wars, the Muppets, and the typical Disney cast. Pinnochio picked Anna out of the crowd because of her Minnie outfit. And, Cruella picked out Rachel. They were both so excited to be noticed.

After a long day at MGM, we returned to Fort Wilderness and had dinner at the Trail's End restaurant and then the girls went swimming for a while. The pool at Fort Wilderness is open 24 hours and its heated so you can still swim during the cooler months. I wasn't in the mood to swim and bugs were swarming me sitting by the pool so we only stayed about an hour. But, it was already around 9 pm and after another long day, we were all ready for bed.

Overall, it was a great weekend. The weather was beautiful and not too hot or humid. The crowds weren't that bad either. Although, I suspect it was probably busier than we wanted because of the school break this week. It was a whirlwind weekend but we had a great visit and can't wait to come back in December.