The First Couple Days

We finally made it here the other night and, true to form, as soon as we passed through the gate I immediately felt all giddy inside! Something about being in the "Happiest Place on Earth" just gets to me and makes me happy. When we pulled into the resort, the security guard spoke those familiar words, "Welcome Home" and all was right in my vacation world. Thought I would include a few photos of our room.


Kitchen in our DVC Resort room

Living room

jacuzzi tub anyone????

The 2nd bdrm at our resort

The next morning, we headed out to the waterpark, Typhoon Lagoon. Even though we have been to Disney many, many times, we have never been to this particular waterpark. However, I have decided that this trip would contain many firsts!

So we are at the waterpark and who do we run into? The youth group from our church at home! They were here for the weekend to attend the Night of Joy concerts at the Magic Kingdom. If you don't know what the Night of Joy concerts are, they are 2 nights full of Christian music stars such as MercyMe, Casting Crowns and Third Day, performing concerts throughout the Magic Kingdom. When I made our reservations back in February, I didn't realize that was going on this weekend. I would have loved to have seen it. Anyway, they were at the same waterpark so it was neat seeing a bit of home on vacation.

Some of the other sights were much less "wonderful". I realize that there are so many different cultures in the world and I do respect that but I just think some things should be covered up at a family waterpark. Most of the people there were dressed in typical bathing suits, everything from sporty swim shorts and tankini tops to string bikinis. I didn't have a problem with those. The ones I found to be inappropriate were the thongs. Some of them were just....bad.  I saw so many butts that I thought there might be a proctologist's office nearby! Unfortunately, it got worse from there. When we ran into our youth group, one of the girls told us that there was a woman on the beach area sunbathing topless! People, it's a FAMILY waterpark!!!!!

Anyway, that was the only downside to the day. Everything else was so much fun. Lots of fun slides and rides and the wave pool was completely awesome! Every minute or so, a huge wave forms and flows from one end of the pool to the other. I don't mean a little wave either! I would definitely recommend this waterpark!

The "Big Ball" at Epcot

The next day was Epcot. My FAVORITE park here! It rained most of the day but it kept the heat down and kept my already sunburned skin from frying any more! One thing we did at Innoventions was visit the Green House. Not for plants but green building practices! They have the interior of a house set up showing all kinds of different products and building innovations to save energy, clean the indoor air and more. Every room we went into, I found a dozen things I wanted to incorporate into our house. Even the kids found something to enjoy in there!

While the rides in Future World are awesome and we really enjoyed them, they cannot compare to World Showcase. This is the area where they have pavillions representing different countries. There are shops, restaurants and attractions that highlight that particular country's charm. My favorite part? THE FOOD!!!! We hit the french pavillion and got some pastries for the kids and a baguette and cheeses for us. My new love? Brie! I have always liked it but there is a difference between real brie cheese and the stuff in the grocery store.

If I can make a suggestion on where to have a meal, it would have to be at the Germany Pavillion. This was another first for us. This is a buffet meal and you sit several families to a table. The food was outstanding! I didn't know half of what I was eating but I didn't care! Plus, the fellowship of the 2 other couples that ate with us was a blessing. I apologize for the awful pictures. I only have my phone with me!

Then there was some entertainment in the form of a traditional bavarian band. They were wonderful musicians and showmen and kept us all laughing throughout the meal.

Sorry for the blurry picture!

This guy played the bells and it was amazing! One of the bells fell off the table because he was playing so fast and he never missed a note!

I never did find out what this horn was called but the notes were made simply by their breath control and mouth positions. There were no buttons or levers to make different notes. They were REAL musicians!

This instrument was like a xylophone but instead of flat pieces, he was hitting wooden tubes of varying length and making beautiful music.
Everyone from the hostesses to the waitstaff is from Germany so you are really immersed into their culture.
We are using our "extra day" at the parks to really explore the countries.
You really need 2 days for Epcot, one for Future World and one for World Showcase!
Well I am off to enjoy the pool. Actually, the kids are enjoying the pool and I am enjoying the wireless internet from my lounge chair!