The trip was FANTASTIC. Unfortunately, the day after we got home we both got REALLY sick. We’ll call it the flu, but whatever it was, it was no fun whatsoever, and since it hit us both at basically the same time, we obviously picked it up somewhere on our vacation.

Day 1 - After rising at 4 A.M., leaving the house at 5, to be ready for our flight departure time of 7:05, we were on our way. We arrived at Orlando International Airport at about 10:20, got our luggage and headed for the Disney’s Magical Express pick up location. All went amazingly well. After a short wait, we were soon on the bus headed for our destination, Port Orleans Riverside. By about 12:30 we were checked in, our luggage stored, and ready to head into the parks.

Or first stop would be to Disney/MGM Studios. After a quick lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet, we enjoyed a slow paced afternoon on the “left side” of this lovely park. We took in Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show for the first time ever ( we had tried in July, but it was rained out after we sat in the rain for 45 minutes). We also hit The Great Movie Ride, Muppet Vision 3D, did some shopping for the new grandson. Soon it was time for our dinner reservation at Hollywood and Vine. Our wait was no more than 5 minutes. We both really enjoyed the food at Hollywood and Vine and will probably return. Following dinner we had time to catch a ride on Star Tours before heading to seating for Fantasmic. Turns out, despite what seemed to be a light crowd at MGM, the Fantasmic theater was nearly full. We were glad we had taken advantage of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. We were shocked during Fantasmic when 2 of the boats collided, the ones carrying dancing Snow White and Ariel hit as they passed. No disaster, the actors maintained balance kept on dancing. At the conclusion of the 7 pm show, it was still early, but as our day had started quite early, and we had yet to actually see our room, we headed back to the resort, found our room, and had our luggage delivered. Day 1 was done, and was a fantastic start to our vacation.

Day 2 began as our days often do at WDW, I woke early, showered and was out of the room before DW ever stirred. Since the Riverside food court was closed, there was limited selection available for breakfast. I chose a bowl of cereal and coffee in a refillable mug. About the time I was finished, my wife joined me, and off we went to Animal Kingdom. First things first, grab a fast pass for EE. Again, the crowds were light. We strolled the park, hitting our favorites including It’s Tough To Be A Bug, and Kali River Rapids, grabbed lunch at Pizzafari (yes, pizza again, although DW had a delicious looking Hot Italian Style Sandwich, me being a good Catholic boy on Friday in Lent, I had cheese pizza). Following lunch we headed for our FastPass to EE, then a quick ride on Dinosaur. At point, DW decided to head back to the room to clean up some before our dinner reservation at Coral Reef. I headed to see the new Finding Nemo – The Musical (loved it). Following the show it was off to EPCOT.

We met back at EPCOT for our dinner at Coral Reef. Unlike the reports I had read, our wait was again only about 5 minutes. They had some special menus printed with our name and “Happy Anniversary” on them. The meal was good, but I won’t give it any more than that. DW had a steak which she described as just ok. I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi, it was good, but not special. We enjoyed the place, we’re glad we saw it, but probably won’t choose it again anytime soon.

Following dinner we road the NEW Seas with Nemo & friends, I really liked this. Then took in Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Journey Into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth. We then headed to find a spot to watch Illumination. We ended up on a bench in Norway and had a great view of the show. Following Illumination, we had a snack at Kringla Bakeri og Café. We then took a ride on Maelstrom, before calling it a night. Again, another great day.