The girls slept in just a bit while I
got ready and got all the suitcase organized. Ate a light breakfast
and when we were ready to call down for bell services. This worked
out great. They transfered 4 bags and a stroller directly to Beach Club
Villas, so we only had to take the bags we needed to Derek's house. We
left the remainder of the bags for later pickup (I think I really confused
the poor bellhop!) and drove to Typhoon Lagoon.
We love this waterpark. With the girls being so little, the big
slides aren't a draw for us. We love the landscaping and tropical
theme. We bought tickets (getting a 20% discount using the APs) and
purchased sand buckets and a refillable mug ($10). They place a scanable
tag on the side of the mug, and you can then refill it at your convenience
at any of several self service refilling stations around the park. If
you bring the mug back on future trips, you can just buy the barcode sticker
for half price.
Kristen headed in to secure a good 'home base' in Ketchakiddie Creek while
I got towels, life jackets and a locker. Ketchakiddie Creek is a great play area for children under
48 inches tall. When I got back, Kristen had gotten a great spot with
a table and huge umbrella. There was sand under us with water running
by making a great play area for the girls. Madison LOVES playing in
the sand and water, so she was in heaven.
The girls played in this area for awhile, then we headed over and rode
the lazy river. This goes all the way around the park, and is so relaxing.
We ended up doing this a couple times before we left.
Brinn was quite taken with the smaller kids slides and the wave pool.
She just loved getting 'washed away' in those huge waves. Maddy
was a bit less enthusiastic about the waves, but enjoyed the smaller waves
further in.
We also did the family raft ride which was a lot of fun. We grabbed
a quick lunch and ended up getting two more buckets for the girls. The
kids meals are hotdogs, chips and a drink served in a sand bucket w/ shovel
($4.99). We ended up giving them away to other small children that
wanted to play in the sand. Those mugs come in handy, I filled it at
least 6 or 7 times and again when we left.
Storms threatened a couple times, and it rained for a few minutes twice,
but no lightening. That umbrella came in very handy, keeping our 'bag
o' stuff' and towels dry during the cloudbursts. We stayed until about
2:30pm, and then headed back to the Wilderness Lodge to get our bags and
change clothes. Said our goodbyes to the Lodge, and hit the road
to Ocala. Its about 75 miles or so, and was a pretty easy drive. We
left WDW at 3:30, and arrived at my brother's house by 5:15pm (stuck a bit
in rush hour traffic).
The girls had slept the entire way, and were both sleepy and shy.
Derek welcomed us with a quick tour of the house, and an introduction to
his girlfriend, Tonya. We brought in our bags, got settled in and met
all Derek's pets. Four cats, two German Shepards and several Lizards
and turtles, (breeds them). Once the girls warmed up we headed out to
dinner and at Gator Joe's on Lake Wier. Very good, and seemed like a
real bargain after paying Walt Disney World prices.
Headed back and spent a nice evening catching up a bit with the girls
coloring in the new coloring books Uncle Derek and Tonya were kind enough
to provide.
Off to bed!
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