Utopia Land Delivers With Side Effects -Day One and Two

Where does one begin to describe a whirlwind week in Disney World that spans seven parks in five days? Conjure up the the scene from Pinocchio's Pleasure Island and that about fits the bill for our trip. OK, I exaggerate a little but we sure did gorge ourselves on all the fun we could muster with some consequences on the side.

Our first day was pleasantly spent strolling the grounds at Sea World. The oceanic wonders amazed us in different ways. The Dolphin Show included parrots in their theme, the Sea Lion and Otter Pirate Show was hilarious and the Killer Orca Whales promised splashes that soaked to the bone. The Wild Arctic virtual helicopter ride brought out the sarcasm in John and Chandra as they threatened to turn the pilot into the FAA for grievous infractions, and the Manta roller coaster really did make you feel like a Manta Ray swimming through the water. Alex went on that one a couple of times.

They used 6 different Sea Lions for the show

               SEA WORLD              

Susie treated Brooke and Alex to their own genuine pearl. A diver harvested the oyster from the sea bed and the girls got to see the oyster opened to reveal the pearl. They measured them, you could see the variation in color. Alex got a peach pearl and Brooke got a golden pearl. Susie remembers the family trip to Disney Land where she received a pearl the same way and wanted to pass on the nostalgia to her girls who are as precious as pearls.  

Day two we ventured to the heart of it all, The Magic Kingdom. We encountered a parade the first minute we stepped into the park. All the kids eyes were as big as Quarters as they saw the characters from their favorite movies walking down the street towards the infamous castle. Aunt Johnna made sure the girls were set for the day with their Mickey ears and we were all on our way to the rides.

We were lucky Dom had a phone App for all the rides because we timed each one perfectly and didn't have to wait long for any of them. We saw The Swiss Family Robinson Tree house, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Small World, The Haunted Mansion, drove a race car and did our favorite ride; Space Mountain a few times. Nathan, even conquered his childhood fears and rode Space Mountain with us. He remembers his mom taking him on the ride as a child and how scared he was. I have to admit it was a little scary being on a fast roller coaster in the dark.

We were all proud of J'Den for facing his fears too, he rode Space Mountain a few times even though he doesn't really care for fast, dark roller coasters.

Tatum, was quite a trooper. Her first ride was the Aladdin Carpet ride. She sat next to Auntie and Nana. She was an amazingly good baby the entire trip. She loves hanging with the big kids.

It was a packed day with lots of walking and rushing to the next attraction. We were lucky to spend the day with Anastasia; Denny's oldest girl. She's beautiful,all grown up and going to college in Saint Petersburg, Florida. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.

Nathan being brave, handing over the wheel to Alex.                

Mary and Brantley, Dom and Johnna's in-laws were sweet enough to plan dinner with Winnie the Pooh character's. Gavin really enjoyed Eeyore and he beamed every time Piglet, Tiger or Pooh came by to give him a hug.

After feasting on multiple plates of food, we were awed by a fireworks show. It started with Tinkerbell, flying down from the castle with her wings lit up. A perfect end to a Magical Day.