When you wish upon a star...

On October 7, 2018 I was able to reap the rewards of my previous six months of planning, scheduling and dreaming of a most wonderful Disney experience for the Colorado girls. I had been wanting to make this happen since last year, but somehow it never came to fruition; so this year, as I made my New Year's Resolutions I knew what one needed to be. 

Every year, besides a resolution, I always try to "challenge" myself to do something I've never done before and that fete (zip lining - see last post) was accomplished with my other three grand kids in North Carolina. So last New Year's Eve found me with two big things to accomplish in 2018.

A lot of time and effort were required in the planning of a trip to Walt Disney World for four individuals who had never seen it and were HUGE Disney fans. I compiled lists that I checked twice (actually about twelve times), drew maps to plan out our walking routes, printed detailed calendars of each day, chose between rides and attractions at each park and kept track of about a dozen confirmation numbers!

The "Wonderful World of Disney" works like no other attraction I know. Sixty days in advance of your arrival, a "window" opens for you to go to their website to book "Fast Passes" for the rides and shows. This is crucial to seeing as much as possible, because with those magical passes, you get to go on the "express" waiting line. Sometimes, it shaves over an hour of wait time or more per ride. 

At the 60-day mark we were camped out in a KOA near Niagara Falls that had limited cell service and no WiFi. To ensure I would not fail, at 7:15 a.m. I gathered all my lists, laptop, cup of coffee, pen and pad and headed up to the porch outside of the office to connect to their internet. Don't let me leave out the fact that I needed to grab my umbrella too, as we were experiencing torrential rain. It sounds like the old saying of having to "walk uphill both ways" to get somewhere - and that's just how it felt.

Four hours later, all my boxes were checked off - and I could breathe. Let the official countdown begin for Walt Disney World. Sixty days and counting! Oh my....such a long....

time.....Fast forward 60 days and OMG, it's THE day and I can't believe it's here. The girls were already on the plane heading to Florida, believing they were going on a business trip with mommy to California.  I had wanted the trip to be a surprise, and I'm not sure it was a TOTAL surprise, however, there was enough excitement all around to make everyone happy and they really had no idea how special it was going to be.

George and I checking into Fort Wilderness

The trip officially began at the airport where I told them they were going to be staying in Florida with us and going to Walt Disney World together. I had a pair of ears for each - just to make it official.

Once everyone had their "Ears," it was time to get to the hotel to settle in and get ready for dinner at The Rain Forest Cafe in Disney Springs. Let's get this party started!

Lola at Disney Springs

Papa George smiled the whole trip!

Ready for the magic!

Getting ready to enter Magic Kingdom

The first day found us boarding a boat to the Magic Kingdom. We were able to get on many rides and see loads of characters at the parade down Main Street. We had a special visit with Belle, rode the Barnstormer, Peter Pan's Flight, Mad Tea Party and - of course - It's A Small World. You can't go to WDW without riding that one!

The Mad Tea Cup Ride WAS mad.

Nina and Belle

Emma and Belle

Lola and Belle

Nina with Mommy on the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train

After a long and exciting day we headed to Fort Wilderness' Trails End Restaurant where we had a great buffet dinner.

On day two we drove to Animal Kingdom where we got soaking wet on Kali River Rapids  We got even more soaked while on the Safari ride. A rogue storm blew in, we got drenched and Papa George lost his good Tilly hat. Some lucky worker is now wearing the best safari hat at Animal Kingdom. 

We had dining reservations for Tiffin's Restaurant and it was amazing food for adults, but skip this place if you have kids or picky eaters.  After dinner Meily, Nina and I went on Avatar Flight of Passage! What an amazing ride; I can't wait to do it again! 

On Wednesday, we returned to the Magic Kingdom and got to ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and Meema's favorite - The Enchanted Tiki Room where, "All the birds sing words and the flowers bloom." 

Today's lunch was at the Diamond Horseshoe. The girls also waited on a very long line to meet the famous Buzz Lightyear in person and were able to get some great photos. Meema is starting to feel a little tired. A quick check of my Fitbit had me passing my greatest number of steps ever. It was flashing at over 15,000 steps!

Meema and the girls waiting for the bus to Epcot

Lola pointing to Remy!!!!!

Thursday found us heading into Epcot. We had a full day planned here along with a break for dinner at Chef Mickey's, located in the Contemporary Hotel. Entering Epcot, Lola was able to take her picture with a figure of Remmy (from Ratitoue) in the background. Remmy is "our" special thing. 

The morning at Epcot was spent riding Soarin', Living with the Land, watching Pixar Film Shorts, as well as an  "up close and personal" visit with Minnie Mouse and Pluto. 

If you look close, you will see us all.

 

Outside Under the Sea With Nemo

The "Fake" Mickey at The Contemporary's Chef Mickey Restaurant

The "REAL" Mickey

Daisy with Lola and Emma

Silly and Goofy

After dinner, we headed to the World Showcase where we visited Norway and Mexico. We rode the Frozen and Three Caballeros rides. At this point, I am starting to feel my age. Tonight, besides recharging my body I'll need to recharge my Fitbit - I wore it out!

Hollywood!

Entrance to Hollywood Studios

I awoke Friday morning extremely tired, but then realized that it would be our last day visiting a park. Today was Hollywood Studios. Due to height restrictions, this park had us splitting up often. Nina and Meily went on Star Tours and Rockin' Rollercoaster and Papa George, Emma and I visited Olaf (who seemed to like Papa George a lot) and then had lunch. All the girls got to participate in the Frozen Sing Along and everyone got on our last ride, Toy Story Mania. 

At Minnie's Diner

Mickey and the girls

Donald in his Halloween costume.

The best part of the day was our lunch at Minnie's Diner, located at Hollywood and Vine. Besides getting a great buffet lunch, we got to see Minnie, Mickey, Daisy and Donald. Each one signed autograph books and posed for pictures. 

It turned out that Meema was not the only one who was tired. Our last ride was to be Slinky Dog Dash, but the ride was closed for mechanical problems. I don't think anyone was disappointed, because returning to the hotel for a swim sounded like the perfect activity.

Saturday morning as Papa George pulled up stakes and checked out of Fort Wilderness Campground, I drove over to Port Orleans for breakfast with the girls. It would be their last chance for "Mickey Head-Shaped" Bignets. Everyone was tired, but happy. 

The trip was a success. All the hours of planning, adjusting, changing and double-checking went off without a hitch. The only complaint we all had was actually nothing we could have controlled anyway - the putrid, hot and humid weather. We experienced 92-95 degree temps every day with 100% humidity, yet we all trudged through like (storm) troopers.  

True to "Florida Weather," it rained at some point each day, but instead of getting cooler, it only got hotter.  My glasses kept fogging up and slipping off my face. We only got caught in one deluge at Animal Kingdom and rain ponchos I bought back in May sure came in handy! A very handy item besides hand sanitizer!

Sadly, the magical adventure drew to a close. It seemed like it had just started, yet here we were giving hugs and saying our goodbyes. After they boarded the Magical Express Bus for the trip to airport I headed to my car to make the short trip back to our home-site to crawl into bed for a long nap with a heart full to bursting. My life is blessed.

Sorry all for the lengthy post, but I had to get it all documented before I forgot the little details.

Deep thought for the day: 

When you wish upon a star, 

makes no difference who you are. 

Everything your heart desires 

will come to you.

Click HERE to be serenaded by Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket singing Disney's most magical song.

2018 Exploring New York - Stop 2 - Niagara Falls

Our second stop found us in the Niagara Falls KOA located in Lewiston, NY. While it was not the closest to the Canadian border, it was affordable, clean, had good washers and dryers (that I needed to make serious use of) and an owner who went above and beyond to make my stay productive and pleasant.

While exploring the US side of the Falls, we were shocked by the sheer number of foreign travelers. I know that sounds like a strange comment - after all, we were at one of the biggest tourist destinations in North America, but there were SO MANY more here than I've ever seen anywhere else, including Walt Disney World. 

I determined on this trip, that while it took nature millions of years to create Niagara Falls, it took mankind only about 100 years to turn it into a tacky tourist trap. 

If only it was THIS GOOD.

The US side was very run-down. The roads were in terrible condition and Niagara Falls Park provided dirty restrooms and a horrible 'pay-to-ride' "hop on trolley" that had people crammed to "standing room only." The putrid smell of body odor on a hot and humid day had us opting to walk instead of ride. 

I found it sad that on both sides there was no way to access the falls without having to participate in a paid group tour. I was expecting to experience a serene moment hiking down to the Falls, but that didn't happen on either side. I don't mean to come across as cheap, but I was looking for an intimate encounter, not something resembling a flash mob scene. The Canadian side was full of neon lights for Ripley's Believe it or Not (yup...I couldn't believe it), wax museum, motorized car track, Ferris Wheel, t-shirt shops, and loads of fast food restaurants. It all just seemed out of place to me.

The act of "Border Crossing" was interesting. On one day, we waited over an hour on line, and the very next day we breezed right through. It didn't really matter the time of day, it mattered only by the Border Guard occupying the booth on the line you chose. It was very similar to a supermarket check-out line...We always choose the wrong line! I do hope there is a lot of discrete metal detecting and covert surveillance going on at the crossings, because it seemed way too easy to cross. Interestingly, even though we were not carrying any contraband, it was a bit nerve-racking having to answer the simplest of questions. 

On the third day up in Niagara we experienced heavy rains and it was "THE DAY" that I needed to book Fast Passes for an upcoming Disney Trip. This neck of the woods, like the last, had terrible cell service so I was a little worried that I would need to drive somewhere early in the morning to find a location where I could find cell signal to book the passes, but the KOA owner, after I explained my dilemma, very generously offered to provide me with the password to her personal Internet. I'll be giving kudos in that campground review.

As it turned out, since I was working on the front porch of the KOA in the torrential rain at 7:30 AM, there was a strong signal that allowed me to get the job done. Everyone else, including George and Lucy, seemed to have slept late. It took me four hours to get the job completed, but in less than 40 days, Disney, here we come! 

Small Talk Winery - a young vineyard - comfortable and casual.

The rest of that day and most of the next found us in Niagara on the Lake in Ontario - a town noted for its great Rieslings and Ice Wines. It was a wine-lovers haven. My designated driver was very generous and patient while we made stop after stop and I explored and tasted to my heart's content.  I added a few more bottles to my collection of "wines from the north." I was impressed with most of the wines I tasted. You won't find any heavy-oaked Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, but they were interesting and tasty. As I look back now, it seems like the wineries all blended together, but some stick out more than others, like Small Talk Winery.

Acres and acres of vines. Rancourt was bigger and a tad more formal. 

Strewn provided a very nice tasting. I was offered tastes of two additional wines, which was not a common occurrence.

Months ago, I had booked reservations for dinner at The Skylon Tower's revolving dining room in Ontario. It was an experience I would recommend to anyone wanting the most spectacular view of both the US and Canadian Falls. The acoustics were awful and the hostesses disorganized, but the meal - despite the din of clattering dishes, tinkling silverware and clinking of glassware - was delicious enough to distract from those negatives. 

Skylon Tower, US and Canadian Falls-bottom right, lit up at dusk.

Lobster Dinner with a killer view.

Canadian Falls top right, US center.

A trip up to Niagara Falls had been on my bucket list for years. Perhaps the hype, expectations and anticipation were to blame for my "less-than-stellar" experience.  The Falls are magnificent. The commercialism is disappointing. My "Deep Thought" sums up my feelings.

Next blog - Stop #3 - my favorite of the entire journey! Letchworth State Park.

Deep thought for the day:  Big expectations often lead to small gratifications. ~vc