From Manatees to Disney

Grrr!  Even though this post is about the best trip ever, I'm super frustrated because the computer glitched while I was trying to publish it and I lost everything.  Ah well, second time's a charm, right?  As long as it's not the third...

So at the end of May, Annika, Eli, and I all took a trip to Florida to see my grandpa and his wife Elaine.  A visit was long overdue!  It'd been seventeen years since I was last there, and I'd never visited him at his Sarasota, Florida home.  When I told my Mom about our plans, she wanted to join us but needed some time to figure out work details.  Flight prices change fast, so by the time she got back to us, the deal was gone.  In the end, it was far more affordable to fly into Orlando and rent a car.  The "savings" were just enough to justify a day at Disney World.  You can see how slippery the slope!  Before I knew it, the weekend trip had been extended to six days, and we'd booked an Orlando hotel.  Thumbs up for fun!

Always trying to pinch a penny, we flew Spirit Airlines and packed minimally, as our bags had to fit under the seat.  Fair enough--after flying Frontier and Ryanair, we are well-accustomed.  Still, I wasn't expecting the airline seats to have NO seatback pocket.  Besides the little tray table, it was just plastic--no place for a water bottle, cell phone, nothing!  Easier to clean the plane after, I suppose.  The direct flight still got us to Florida, even if I did end up paying $4 for a water bottle so that Annika could take her medicine.  Here she is enjoying the Floridian scenery as she rides the tram.

NomiAnn's flight didn't arrive for several hours, so we had plenty of time to pick up our rental car.  Here we are reunited and on our way to the hotel.  Once we got there, we had just enough time to check in and change clothes before heading on our first grand adventure.

About a week before our trip, my neighbor Rachel Richins randomly commented that if we ever traveled to Orlando, she knew of this incredible kayaking tour that our family would love.  She had no idea that our family was headed there for the first time in decades!  I took this as a sign that we should splurge.

We booked a Sunset Kayaking Tour with Bioluminescence through BK Adventures.  Near Titusville, Florida, it took us right past NASA's rocket launch sights and onto Merritt Island's Wildlife Refuge.  Everyone looks excited!

NomiAnn and Eli are ready for adventure!  I don't think any of us really expected what came next.  A manatee popped up right beneath NomiAnn and started nuzzling her hand.   She is a manatee whisperer!

Annika takes her turn for a pet.  I had no idea that the manatees would be so friendly, or that there would be so many!

It felt like there were manatees surfacing and rolling everywhere.  I suspect that mating season contributed to the extra activity.  We also got to see bottle-nose dolphins, although they were a bit father away.  Apparently this kayaking site on the Haulover Canal is just a mile away from Mosquito Lagoon where Winter from a Dolphin's Tale was found. 

Now as advertised, the sunset.  While cloud cover blocked our view of the sun dipping below the horizon, we still enjoyed the beautiful afterglow.

We came onto shore, enjoyed a snack, and then headed back out with glow lights for the bioluminscent part of our tour.  The water is filled with tiny dinoflagellates--more than a million per liter of water.  Once it gets dark enough, you can run your fingers through the water and see them spark.  It's magical!  I liked the bioluminescent comb jellies even more.  They don't sting, but flash brightly to ward off predators.  The guides gave Annika a net, and she caught nine.  We made sure to release them after, as you can get fined a huge amount per jellyfish for keeping them.

Even though it was nearly midnight by the time we got back to the hotel, we were still up early the next day because...Disney!  Mickey waffles were certainly the perfect start.

Playing at the park as we wait for our shuttle bus.

Getting ready to board the ferry.  This was Annika's very first trip to Disney.  As for Eli, he was only three and doesn't remember it.  So many reasons to seize the moment!

Retirement's a pretty great reason too.  Congratulations, NomiAnn!

At last, the Magic Kingdom!  Looks just like the movies.

Disney is for all ages!

It made me happy to see NomiAnn riding the carousel with her grandkids.

Eli tries his hand with the Sword and the Stone.  Drats.  Guess he's not the future ruler of all England.

But who knows?  He might have a future in race car driving.  Here he is on the Speedway.

The one to really look out for is Annika.  She insisted on driving, even though she couldn't quite reach the pedals and doesn't really steer.  When they finally made it back, NomiAnn couldn't exit fast enough!

Thanks to the use of Lightning Lanes, we were able to ride almost everything we wanted:  Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, It's a Small World, the Jungle Cruise, the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and more.  Some, like Space Mountain, we even rode twice.  As fun as the rides were, however, my favorite part were the shows.  The Festival of Fantasy parade was fantastic!  Here we are waiting for it to start.

The Ruffians from Tangled really fly!

Best costume award goes to the coral from the Little Mermaid.

Can't forget the fire-breathing dragon, courtesy of Maleficent.

A farewell from Mickey and Minnie themselves.

Good advice to all who tackle Disney--pace yourselves!  There's a lot to take in.

Flying high in Tomorrowland.  The storm clouds from up high looked a bit threatening.

Sure enough, they cancelled the second parade just five minutes before it was scheduled to start.

Yup!  Definitely rain.  Not to worry, Disney is fun in any weather.

To top off a perfect day, we finally go to ride the new coaster Tron at about 9 pm.  I was rather nervous about letting Annika ride, but she really wanted to and had already ridden Space Mountain twice by this point.  It turned out to be super smooth and pretty dang fun.  Plus, when we came out there were fireworks!

The only downside of the day was waiting in the pouring rain for half an hour until our hotel shuttle bus arrived.  We were pretty dang soggy by the time we made it back, but nobody melted and we slept happy full of Disney dreams.

The next morning we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping in, then hopped downstairs for some more waffles.

With a late check-out, Annika had plenty of time to swim.  Nothing like a pool all to yourself!

Next stop, Disney Springs!  Just a mile from our hotel, we wanted to figure out what the fuss was all about.  Celebrating 100 years?  That's pretty cool, Disney.

The Lego creations were our favorite!

Let it go!

Now where to go?  Next stop, Sarasota!