February 16, 2015: Elisa's Florida Road Trip Day 2: Animal Kingdom, Disney World

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Disney World - here we come!!!

Happy Sunday Peeps!!

Today, me and the gang are leaving Clearwater, and headed for Orlando to Disney World!  

(Courtesy lifecheating.com)

I scheduled a busy day so we are heading out early in order to get to our Disney hotel, check in, drop off our luggage and head over to Animal Kingdom - the first theme Park we'll be visiting on this trip. 

I pre-booked some Fast Passes to save time waiting on lines, but the only catch is that they each have a specific window of time for which they can be used.

courtesy disney-pal.com

The first one is scheduled for use between 12:20- 1:20 for Kilimanjaro's Safari in Africa, so we have to move quickly in order to make it there in time.  

The next Fast Pass for Animal Kingdom today is in Asia for 2:20-3:20 on Expedition Everest!  I really don't anticipate Kelsey coming on this roller coaster with me and Gianna, but I can tell you I'm clearly psyched to get on some fast rides!

And lastly, Finding Nemo, the Musical from 3:30-3:50.

The kids scheduled in the following other attractions for the day:
* Affection Section (Rafiki's Planet Watch)
* Dinosaur (Dinoland)
* Pimeval (Dinoland)
* Tigers (Asia)

Dinner reservations are for 6:30 at the Yak & Yeti - one of my favorite Disney restaurants!  I'll be doing a Foodie Friday Review on this place in the very near future!


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Ok -- let's cut back to yesterday...

After a great breakfast at Clear Sky Beachside Cafe (which I'll be reviewing in an upcoming Foodie Friday feature!),  we drove over to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  In a word - FUN! Alittle crowded, but enjoyable nonetheless.  

Was able to see the dolphins, sharks, turtles and even some cool sea urchins!  Gianna was filming away for her YouTube Channel and we got some great photos!

In Clearwater Beach

But, the day was not without its interesting moments.  

First, I couldn't find my SIM card adapter for my Mac Air, which I distinctly remember throwing in my bag, as I take that little device with me wherever I go.  Ok - I'll survive.  Found a Wal-mart near by and I'll just run in and get another one.

Then, I take out my camera (which I charged at home for several hours on Friday - or so I thought it was charging) and when I went to take my first picture of the day yesterday, the battery light flashed and the camera shut down.  GREAT!!!

So, now I'm relying on my phone to take pictures, but after texting everyone I know (I know, it's my fault) during breakfast and taking a bunch of pictures, it too died somewhere along the way in the Aquarium.  

With Gianna's camera, I was able to get some decent pictures and no harm done.

We then decide to take a little excursion from the Aquarium to the Aquarium Museum, via the "Jolly Trolly" (provided by the Aquarium) and on the way back, the Trolly breaks down about a mile away.  REALLY? Not very jolly! 

Not having great luck with vehicles on this trip.  Actually, it turned out to be a refreshing and invigorating walk.  Of course, Gianna was complaining the whole time, but other than that, it was fine.

Now, as you may remember from yesterday's Daily Scoop, we still had the dwarf mobile from Dollar Rent-a-Car.  Well, today was the day we were going to return this compressed box to exchange it for another.  During an earlier conversation, the agent told us to just call and hour before arriving at the Dollar office at the Tampa airport location to confirm that a Larger vehicle will be ready.

My husband did just that, but within 4 minutes of talking to the person, handed me the phone, exclaiming some superlatives at the representatives (to which the kids could not stop giggling) because the reservation was in my name and they wouldn't talk to him.  I confirmed the information they wanted and he was off to go take care of the car exchange.

After he left, Gianna turned to her sister and said  "Kelsey just accept that whenever Dad travels with us, things go wrong."  Enuf said on that subject.

I'm happy to say that we will be driving to Orlando in a Chevy full size Impala. Awe, just when I was getting used to the intimate family ride.

So folks, it's only the second day of my trip, but, I've certainly had some fun!

Just a little cousins' story:  Last night my sister and brother-in-law Carlo were having dinner at my parents' golf club in Boca Raton, when all of a sudden an older woman was choking on her dinner.  Carlo, who is a dentist, made his way through the crowd and performed the heimlich maneuver and saved her life!! KUDOS TO CARLO!!! 

My brother-in-law, Dr. Carlo Izzo saved a woman from choking last night!

See ya back here tomorrow when we'll be in Disney World!!
-E
xoxo

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Tanya's Daily Scoop

What Day is it anyway?

So difficult to tell what day it is when you are traveling! 
We are still up here in Crestline, California with the International Peace Choir and you hear so many of the group asking "what day is it?" 

The last thing that you want to do when you are having fun, keeping busy, and making memories is keeping track of the day or time for that matter!

I am definitely no stranger to that concept, and there are even plenty of times when I look up and even start to wonder what city or country that I'm in! LOL 

It doesn't take me all that long to realize (usually within a second or two), but it certainly does happen...more times than not! 

My mom (who doesn't EVER travel) thinks I'm losing my mind, and just cannot grasp the idea of wondering where you are...even for a second! 

I find it kinda funny, and just a sign that I travel...
A WHOLE LOT!

Even being up here in the local southern California mountains, I have had my moments of thinking I was much further away they we really are! 

While I should be glad that I have any signal or wifi whatsoever - it is still incredibly frustrating to lose all the work and time that you put into something (especially when that something was original). 

So in having said that, I lost every bit of this story below, and had to recreate:

The kids are all having such a blast up here! Between the workshops and training, to the nature walks, stables, and who can forget the s’mores, they are enjoying every second of these LONG days. 

Once it was lights out and everyone else had gone off to bed, Dave and I hung out in the main cabin for a while longer, until I decided that I too should head off to my bunk.

As I sneaked into the pitch blackness of the girls cabin, I tip toed to my bed and found gift there waiting for me! 
Sneaky sweet Dave had left my Valentine’s present on top of my sleeping bag. 
How delightful and what a great surprise it was! 

I wanted to get out of my clothes and comfortable when I opened it; so once I was in my jammies and all tucked into my sleeping bag, I then had opened a beautiful bracelet. 
Awww, so thoughtful and with such good taste! 

Now off to dream-land - or so I had thought.

Next thing I heard was a whisper calling out my name…This is when the fun had really begun!

One of the other mom’s was standing in the middle of the room terrified of a black widow spider that she was pointing at and crawling directly above her bed on the wall/ceiling. 
This mom was freaked out, and I could totally understand where she was coming from (as I myself have a big fear of all insects). 

I am soooo not the person to turn to in situations such as this one! 

But I managed to do what needed to be done, I climbed up on to the top bunk, getting me to within reach. I took a shoe (someone else’s of course), and I smashed it! 

All...well almost all while staying nice and quiet, so that not to wake the entire room full of exhausted sleeping kids and a few equally as tired mom’s. 

Well…I was quiet up until the point of impact, when I freaked out and screamed, waking everyone up in the process! 

Sorry guys…

Next thing you know, urgently needing to get this shoe out of my hand, I flung the shoe back to its partner. 
However, the "partner" was located on the bedside ground right next to another mom. 
She woke up just in the nick of time to see a shoe with a deadly spider on it being flung at her! 
With no time wasted at all, she immediately went into aerobatics, twisting and flipping off of the bed like a gymnast in action! 

I never knew she could fly!  

After much screaming and laughter, I managed to crawl back into my sleeping bag, asked that I please not be disturbed by any further insect situations, and finally went to sleep! Zzzz

As of this morning, I've been noted as the big brave HERO for my actions! LMAO

Aside from the Spider Drama, while the kids are quite busy; I'm getting plenty of down time, fighting with the wifi and hanging with 'Carley' the miniature horse!

Guess we'll see what adventures I get myself into today!

Cya on Monday,
-T