Three days in and everyone is already tired and sleeping the day away as I right this. Okay, it’s only 8:30am and we told the girls they could get up late today...around 9am. Today is a free day...no theme parks...or, as we call it...water park day! We never go for more than 2 days in a row before shutting down and heading to one of the 2 top rated water parks in the world they have here. Typhoon Lagoon is our family’s unanimous choice and today should be a good one with temperatures in the 90’s and the sun expected to stay out until late this afternoon. Let see now...what have we been doing so far...
1. WATER. This year has been the year of getting wet. Day 1 started off with Elaine and Emily getting thoroughly soaked on Splash Mountain. We have gotten wet on the ride before, but I have never seen one of us come off THAT WET! Sarah and I were laughing our heads off!! Emily was having a blast and Elaine actually never said one bad thing and was ok with it (though she was a bit uncomfortable for about 30 minutes til she started to dry off). Day 2 at Animal Kingdom, and this time we came prepared to get soaked on the Kalli River Rapids. Armed with our Disney ponchos that have seen us through many a water ride and rain storm, Emily decided to roll the dice and not use the “upper” part of the poncho thinking it would be good to get wet since the humidity was starting creep up. Elaine, Sarah and I, however, ‘geared up’ for what lay head. The results...Emily dry, Michael dry, Elaine’s front half soaked once again, Sarah completely soaked down her entire back side (head to toe)...it seems her poncho developed a large tear in it while on the ride. Water just seems to find its way to Elaine and the girls.
2. WEATHER: The first few years we came down to Florida they had been experiencing a drought and so we just took it for granted that each day would be filled with bright sunshine and hot temperatures. Once in a while, it would rain just a few minutes in the afternoon and maybe one day would be a rain out. Last year, we experienced a couple of heavy rain days and but still mainly sunny. This year has been something different, each morning we wake up and head out in the bright Florida sun, clouds swirl around but blue sky and sun win out. By early afternoon, the clouds have come in and the sun does its best to break through. By 4pm, black clouds show up and the random storms begin. And, because this place is so big, one part of Disney World can experience blue skies all day while the other part gets hit with thunderstorms for most of the afternoon. The best example of this was yesterday in Animal Kingdom. 3pm the clouds roll in, 3:30pm, the rain came and came and came, people were hiding underneath shelters every where they could looking like the rain would melt them away. Us west coasters just took it in stride and headed off to the other side of the park. 4pm rain is done...for now. 6:30pm another storm is brewing and the wind is picking up. Its the end of the day so we head out of the park to go back to our resort for a swim. We decided to use the parking lot train and sit for about 10mins as the driver waits to pick up a full load...all the while you can see the clouds moving in. And then...WAM! Down comes the rain...BIG TIME RAIN...with a wind. As the driver starts to pull away, the wind starts blasting everyone on the tram with the rain (the trams are open air with just a roof over the seats). People are scrambling to get anything they can to use to help keep dry and the family in front of us have ponchos but can’t make them work. Every time the tram turned a corner the, the wind and rain would get even worse and you’d think we were on another Disney water ride. The best, though, was that as we hit the parking lot, the rain somehow got heavier. As we began a mad dash to our car, laughing the whole time at what’s happening, everyone else is jumping off the tram and running as if to save their lives...yelling, ”AHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHH, ITS RAINING, AHHHHHHHHH etc.” You would have thought people we dying out there in the parking lot! Elaine almost got caught in her uncontrollable laughing fits from everyones nonsense. Just another day here in Florida this year.
3. RANDOM THOUGHTS...Parks visited so far: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon. The FREE DP food continues to be enough to feed 2 families. Lighting storms can be just as fun as watching a fireworks show, especially when the bolts are lighting up what seems like a mile or more of skyline. When the humidity hits, it’s great to find the slow, under-used air-conditioned attractions to hang out in for awhile. Walking a Disney theme park can rack up alot of miles; the pedometer has been reading 18,000 steps or 18km each day.
Late night ADDITION:
1. When attending a water park it’s best to go back for a second round of sun skin protection, especially if your name is Michael and you do not normally spend 6 hours swimming out in the sun (I am writing this after coming back from the water park today with a burn that has gotten worse as the evening has come upon us).
2. Finally, everyone should, at-least one time, attend Disney World's Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba. We went this evening and it was fantastic (we saved all of our loose change and birthday money throughout the past year for spending money and decided to use a portion of it going to La Nouba). It was worth giving up some snacks and t-shirts for!
Time to hit the hay and get some sleep. Tomorrow, we are back at the theme parks and the long miles of walking that come with it.
Till next we meet...have a magical day.
=8-)