Characters R Us - Orlando Day 2

Yes, I know....*WE* are characters, but I was referring to the Disney Characters in today's blog post title. I will speak more of the characters later....

Luckily, a good night's rest did all of us some good. Madeline had a much better day today - not stellar, yet much improved. David had some business stuff to attend to - pre-conference/meet & greet things however we were still able to pack our day with activities of our own as well.

When we headed out of the hotel, our first stop was Hollywood Studios. I was amazed at how quickly we were able to see the main attractions there with little to no wait time. There is totally something to be said about us being here during off season. We were able to see a mini-stage performance with Ariel (Little Mermaid), ride a few rides, play in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" area, see the "Block Party", and meet and greet Woody and Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story.

Side note: Regarding the character meetings, I have to say that I am *totally* proud of my pre-Orlando purchase. Target had a Disney autograph book in their $1 bin. I bought one at home and brought it with us. Madeline had so much fun getting character autographs today (of course I forgot to bring it to the character dinner last night) and the autograph books here are about $10. Also, Madeline hasn't yet had a chance to wear her Sleeping Beauty costume that I bought for $7 and gave to her for her birthday. I will bring that along to Magic Kingdom when we go but....those costumes are going for $60 here!! (and of course we won't be doing the Bippity Boppity Bo spa treatments of $100+ either)

Anyway....back to today's adventures. The main ride that we actually rode was the Tower of Terror. Yes, you know...the one that drops you 13 stories!! Yes, Madeline rode it. And yes, I can say that she wasn't thrilled about it. And yes, David felt the need to tell Madeline that these types of thrill rides are Mama's idea of a good time..... Thanks David, I am trying to raise a thrill seeking amusement park-loving, roller coaster addicted child that will be my ride partner as she gets older!

After several hours at Hollywood Studios, Madeline was pretty much in sensory overload. After we left the park we decided to opt for the more serene mode of transportation to the next park. We rode the water shuttle (instead of bus) to Epcot. This was a perfect switch as Epcot was very slow when we arrived. We took the opportunity to enforce "relaxation time" in the stroller (no, again, I *never* mentioned the word nap. That word does not exist in Madeline's vocabulary.) The "relaxation time" offered the opportunity for Madeline to build up more steam for the evening and it also offered the opportunity for a leisurely stroll for Mama and Papa. We enjoyed the themes of the various countries. We had tea in China and dinner in Mexico and our plan is to return later in the week for dessert - sticky toffee pudding in England. We can say that, from the actual travel we have done, Epcot did do a nice job of representing the various areas we've seen. In fact, David even commented on the similarity in Epcot's China to what he saw in China (minus the smog of course). This would all certainly be a big bore for Madeline however Epcot was filled with characters. While at Epcot tonight Madeline saw Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, Mulan, Jasmine, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Marie (from Aristocats) and Belle and she got photos and autographs of all of them!

After a looong day we hopped on our shuttle bus back to the hotel and Madeline pretty much fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Later, as I was writing this blog, our room phone rang and it was my sister, Margaret saying that some guy called her to tell her that he found my phone. Yep, my phone fell out of my pocket while on the shuttle bus and the bus driver just called the last number dialed on my phone. Margaret had no idea where I was staying but the bus driver mentioned the hotel that he was near. Margaret took a chance and looked up the hotel that he mentioned, called them and asked to be connected to us......and viola, we were found!!! We were able to reconnect with the bus driver (who went out of his way off duty) and my phone. Whhhhewwww......thanks Margaret and Mr. Bus Driver Man!!







Okay.....enough excitement for today! Time for bed!! (more pictures below)

Jasmine



















Sleeping Beauty



















Marie (from Aristocats)



















Belle



















and....David and Madeline playing 3D Toy Story Game (in Hollywood Studios)