Given the popularity of Disney World - recession? What recession? - you pretty much have to get to the parks when they open at 9:00 in order to get on the most popular rides. As a result, the four of us have been burning the candle at both ends so far on the trip. Of course, we're not alone - it's not unusual to see a family walking through the lobby at 11:00 pm carrying dinner to their room.
So, it was with great joy and fanfare that we slept in yesterday (drum roll, please). We moseyed over to our sister hotel, the Dolphin, for a buffet breakfast, which featured a grill to order section. Connor and Meghan were happy campers, getting to order whatever they wanted for breakfast. After downing scrambled eggs, french toast and fruit, Meghan excitedly returned to the table to inform me that they had a handle that you pulled and Fruit Loops came out. What would they think of next? Connor, on the other hand, started off the day a bit slowly.
On the way back Connor woke up enough to lovingly pose with his sister on the bank of the lake between the Swan and Dolphin
and he really woke up when we said we'd spend the day at the pool. (Of course, since the temperature was rocketing toward 100 degrees, we spent the next hour sheep dipping the kids in suntan lotion.) The pool at the Dolphin (shared by the Swan) is beautiful, featuring a grotto and a waterfall.
The pool also features poolside food and drinks. Now this was something that Connor could sink his teeth into - barbecued ribs at poolside.
In the meantime, Meghan was off making new friends, something she's very good at. Pretty soon, she'd been invited to eat pizza with another family - at least we're pretty sure they did the inviting.
Despite plenty of fun and refreshment,
the heat eventually wore us down and we went back to the room to shower and rest for our final foray to the Magic Kingdom. Marie and I wanted the kids to see the SpectroMagic Parade, which features floats with thousands of lights depicting Disney characters and stories. We remembered the Electric Light Parade from the 80's, and hoped this would measure up.
We arrived at the park around 8:00 pm, and dropped into the Main Street Bakery for cookies and cinnamon buns (for the next day's breakfast) as big as economy cars. We arrived at our viewing point on Main Street around 8:30, thirty minutes before the parade began. One highlight of the buildup to the parade is the changing color of Cinderella's Castle. Meghan really enjoyed this touch.
And then the parade began, and it didn't disappoint! Our kids - and every other child and adult in the park - were mesmerized by the flow of amazing floats and characters.
Disney doesn't do anything halfway, so we shouldn't be surprised by anything they do. And yet we constantly are, not to mention the fact that they do this 365 days a year. After the parade was over, we grabbed a bus back to the Swan, grabbed a few late-night snacks from the 24/7 buffeteria, and headed back to the hotel to pack up for our flight home the next day.
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