On January 17th, we flew out of the Long Beach Airport to go to Orlando to spend a week visiting the granddaughters and then Pam, Fred and family.
Arriving around 10 PM at Orlando Metro, Kendall and Mikayla picked us up and we drove to Davenport where the girls have their apartments. Jordan and Mary invited us to stay at their place as they have the room and we were welcome. They were both asleep when we arrived after their early days at work. We had Mikayla's room and she took an air mattress to the living room. Kendall decided to stay as well. Jordan and Mary were off in the morning to their jobs and Kendall & Mikayla took us over to The First Watch Restaurant for a great breakfast.
Now, off to Walt Disney World and The Magic Kingdom Park! Kendall gifted Grandma with her own Ursela Mickey Ear Headband. It has been years since she has had any Mickey ears! We rode the tram from the parking lot, took some pictures at the Mickey Garden in front of the train station at the entrance, and entered the magic under the sign welcoming us with "Here You Leave Today and Enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy".
Our first stop was at the Magic Kingdom Town Square Theater to have a meet and greet with our and everyone's pal Mickey Mouse and get some pictures taken!
This was the last week of the original Country Bear Jamboree show before a renovation with new songs and a new show. We loved and always went to see the Jamboree when it was in California and wanted to see this original show for one last time. The Country Bear Jamboree became the big hit of the opening day of Walt Disney World in 1971! Mary Anne's Dad loved this show and told us that you just couldn't say that you went to Disneyland if you didn't see The Country Bear Jamboree! We had the added fun of interacting with the stars of the show outside of the theater!
We enjoyed the day taking an occasional picture or two, but generally just enjoyed being with Kendall, Mikayla and then Jordan in the afternoon when her shift was over; plus Mary joining us when her teaching day at school was over.
Selfie outside of The Haunted Mansion --- different than Disneyland's Haunted House!!!
Going on The Jungle Cruise!!!
Rapunzel's Tower ... Jordan has arrived!
Grandma and Kendall Love!
Just Grandma and Papaw having a wonderful time!
At The Monsters Joke Show, guess who was picked out of the audience on camera to get a churro for everyone in the audience?!?!?!
.JPEG)
We went to “A Tale as Old as Time” show where Kendall was selected to be one of the guards in the production! Beginning with stepping into Belle and Maurice’s quaint country cottage and marvel at the charming décor is just the beginning. Next, we get to tour Maurice’s workshop, where his inventive gadgets are displayed—and a special enchanted mirror the Beast gave to Belle. Say the magic words and the mirror comes to life!
We watch the story of how Belle and the Beast met, and then behold the walls disappear and we are magically transported to the Beast’s castle. Here the Enchanted Wardrobe selects participants. Guests of all ages may volunteer!
Then we met the beautiful Belle. The story takes place inside the Beast’s splendid library, where Lumière the talking candlestick directs the action. When Belle appears, the selected participants get a chance to play their part in her fairytale story and we cheer along with the fun!
For a new experience, Kendall was able to make lunch reservations for all of us at The Grand Floridian Hotel & Resort. It was lovely to visit a resort in the complex of Walt Disney World but not in the parks. The Grand Floridian is the premiere hotel of WDW. It truly is grand from the marble inlaid characters in the floors to the chocolate art piece on display. Plus the food is yummy and so enjoyable!
We had a great time and were in the park until around 9PM. Kendall, our professional tour guide, said that we did everything except the roller coasters (she knows the grands do not ride them as a rule). We didn't miss a thing!
Friday we attended Hollywood Studios. As Kendall says, the park is sort of the dump for putting attractions that they don't have a real home for. It's a mix of a lot of different themes. We really enjoyed being there.
We wanted to see Toy Story Land, an area that we do not have in California. It really is done quite well. I made the exception and rode the Slinky-Dog Roller Coaster .... fun, fun. fun!
Over to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge to walk with the Storm Troopers through Batuu! The land is just as spectacular as it is in California. This is Disney at its best! The Rise of the Resistance is spectacular as it has been since introduced to the parks when Batuu opened!
The girls and we were thrilled to run into The Mandalorian and Grogu (The Baby Yoda)!
After having a marvelous time in Batuu and finishing riding The Rise of the Resistance we headed off to ride Star Tours. New film and new scenes were in our version of the ride. Fabulous!
We also went to The Muppet Vision 3D attraction and rode Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway throughout the day.
Another bonus for us was taking the boat over to the Yacht Club Resort and The Beach Club Resort. The two resorts are one building painted different on the outside, and physically separated even though one continuous building. The inside decors are completely different as well.
We had booked lunch at Beaches and Cream. This marvelous ice cream shop has the flair of the old Farrell's. The Disney decor is fabulous with all of the art. Add to this, the food is delicious!
What an extraordinary two days at the parks we had with the girls! We go to Disney a lot and enjoy every trip, but being with your granddaughters is so super special. We love it!!!!
Saturday mid-day Mikayla and Mary took us to Pam and Fred's for the second half of our trip. We all had some good conversation before they needed to head back home. Kendall and Jordan both had to work this morning and Mary and Mikayla wanted to be back home when Jordan got back.
Pam had good days while we were there and was like normal much of the time. She's giving this Stage 4 cancer a kick in the butt and showing it that she's the boss. We were so happy to have had a good time with her on our stay.
The complete photo album is at this click-on link.
0 comments:
Post a Comment