Kennedy Space Center/Cocoa Beach

On our last day we had originally planned to visit Universal Studios, but after a full tiring day at Epcot we weren’t sure we wanted to do another day at a park back to back. We figured it was more likely we would go to Universal some day with the kids and decided instead to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We took a tour of the grounds which included seeing the Space Shuttle from the observatory. It is preparing for one of the last 4 trips of the space shuttle. We also saw the Apollo/Saturn center, and the processing building. It was neat to hear and see all the stories and memorablila. We also got to go on several simulations. The one that allowed us the experience of feeling the G-force was very real like and I almost lost it on that one. We couldn't get over the fact that there were alligators all over the side of the road. We didn't want to get out of the bus. I managed to get a picture of one, but we often drove by too fast. Mark also say an armadillo and manatees. While we were in the area we decided to visit the coast at Cocoa Beach as well. It was chilly, but we enjoyed a walk on the beach anyway. The weather cooperated on the days that were important and downpoured on the days of conference and shopping. After several days of airplanes, rides, and simulations I need to be grounded for awhile. A day later I’m still feeling dizzy and motion sick.

Epcot

We spent a whole day at Epcot. It was a long 12 hours, but we were smart enough to do all the fast pass rides early in the day so we didn't have any long waits. At Test Track we opted for the single rider option which got us in 30 mins faster. We didn't have a long wait for the Mission:space ride either. We got fast pass tickets for Soarin'. I was surprised how much we were able to do and we had plenty of time left to see what we wanted to of the World Showcase. We were a good 500-1000 feet away from the fire from Illuminations, but we felt extreme heat. It was a fun filled day. Out of the many times Mark has been to Disney World, he'd never been to Epcot, so we were glad to get a chance to experience it. His favorite ride was Living with the Land. He was able to see some of the fruit that was plentiful when he lived in the Phillipines. We lucked out with the shuttle buses this time too. Not too much of a wait.

Resort hopping

We decided to look around at some of the resorts one evening. We started at Coronado Springs to reminisce from our previous stay. We also visited the Grand Floridian. We were told to visit the Animal Kingdom Lodge around dusk for the best view of the animals. We must have hit dusk a little too late because most of the animals were hiding and it was too dark to get a picture of the ones we could see. We also visited the Boardwalk. We visited several on our last trip as well, so we're getting a better idea of where we want to stay next time.

Hollywood Studios

Mark got a discount to the parks on the days of his conferences, so we went on my birthday to Hollywood Studios. Because we went in the evening there were no more fast passes left and the lines for the major attractions were extremely long. A lot of the shows were over for the night by the time we got to them. We did do enough to make it worth our while, however. We waited out the line for Tower of Terror and the Toy Story ride. We also saw Beauty and the Beast as well as the American Idol experience. The girl 5th from the left won. She sang Reflection from Mulan and had a real good voice. It's a little disappointing standing in lines for so long for how short most of the attractions are.

Orlando/Downtown Disney

Mark is blessed to have paid Educational conferences for his work. These opportunites are great to take advantage of vacation time as well. We were able to go to Orlando two years ago with the whole family. This year we went to Las Vegas and Orlando again, just the two of us. We stayed in a fancy hotel across the street from Downtown Disney. The view is looking out our room. We ate at Planet Hollywood the first night. That was a little too much stimulation for me. Very crowded, lots of noise, lights, and movement. We were also able to eat at the T-Rex restaurant. The atmosphere was better because we went earlier in the day (still loud noises though). The entrees were real expensive, but the portions were massive, so we were able to split one and still be filled. If I had known how close and accesible the temple was and had thought about it earlier, I would have used some of my free time to attend. It was right across the street from the church I attended. Oh well, next time. Instead I did a lot of window shopping. My favorite were the flea markets, Disney items for a lot less than at the park.

My sister, Kari

We've been lucky to have my sister around for the past several years. However, life changes and there were new opportunities waiting for her in Spokane, WA. We're sad to see her go, but look forward to all the upcoming visits.