Day 8 - Our Last Day :(

Well, we once again had a wonderful trip with the Chappell Family, and like all good things, it must come to an end. Traditionally we have saved our last day to do the few things that we didn't get a chance to do yet. For us, the most important thing was to see the Characters that we had yet to see - with Minnie Mouse being top priority. Seeing as we had spent the least of our time at Animal Kingdom and had never been to Camp Mickey and Minnie, the Finnigans decided this was the place for us. We headed straight to the theatre to take in a performance of The Lion King, which we had never seen. It really was a great show. And afterwards was the real highlight.



A suprise run in with Koda and Kenia, which was super exciting for Riley because Brother Bear has been a favorite of hers. It was also nice that Emily was no longer crying in fear when approached by characters.




Then it was on to Minnie and Donald, for snuggles and nose kisses. Now our trip was complete, we had seen all of our favorite characters - the most important part for preschoolers!! Just Can't wait until February 2010!!!
We then had to hop on the Magical Express, which we rode with the Chappell family to the airport. An emotional good-bye as we were dropped off at different stops at the airport (only to be reunited inside for one more meal and lots of hugs goodbye - pulled on my hearstrings). Then is was homeward Bound.

AKL - at night.

Animal Kingdom Lodge at night - gorgeous. The activities at this place just keep going and going. The big kids spent an evening hanging around the resort while the little kids and Grandparents called it a night. (really just can't remember which night we did this?!?!)

We first went out to the Uzima Pool Bar, and were going to get a bite to eat, but it was a bit cool and drizzling, so we just grabbed some margaritas and went back inside.

We ended up relaxing in a corner at the Victoria Falls Lounge which overlooked Boma, and did something that we'd never done before, ordered room service to a bar?!?!? They didn't really have much food to offer at the bar and we weren't hungry enough for the restaurant, so this seemed like a good idea. And it was.

Yummy snacks and we didn't have to go anywhere else. And this is where we were introduced to the Zebra Domes, or Amarula balls or whatever you want to call them, just a delicious yummy dessert that I need to remember.
While we nibbled and had some drinks, we could hear the kids with their drums having a nightly parade in the lobby - just not our kids, they could never stay awake long enough.

We also adventured outside to the night vision viewing area. Which was super cool to see the animals at night, and pretty funny to see Jay practically harassing the poor guide - I wish I could remember some of the things he said that had us cracking up over. After a stop at the campfire, we called it a night. It really was a magical place at night, wish the kids could have enjoyed it.

Day 7 - The Magic Kingdom - Nightime Edition!

On Day 7, we decided to go back to the Magic Kingdom. It is always a park that we have to be back to twice. There is just so much to do with the little ones, plus it being Christmas time, we had to go back for the evening to see the Christmas lights.
We decided to go a bit later in the day and split up again so that everyone was able to do the things that they wanted to do most.

First thing on Riley's agenda was - Princesses. Riley and Kris took the train back and met us in Toontown fair. With a stop at Minnie's house first and then on to the Judges tent to see Cinderella, Belle and Aurora.






Cinderella was sweet. Riley was in princess heaven. And she was the very first character that Emily was able to approach without a complete and total meltdown. Each Princess talked to Riley and she was able to have their undivided attention for several minutes each. Next year we will have to battle the super long line to see Tinkerbell and friends, but I'm sure it will be worth it.


Another thing that we had wanted to do, that we had never done before was take in the "Story Time with Belle". Nestled in a cozy corner just to the side of Cinderella's Castle sets the stage for Belle to come out and tell an interactive story to a VERY small audience. As you can tell, Riley was completely absorbed in the moment. It was quite a sweet thing to do with our young girls.




After catching a bite at Casey's Corner for some hotdogs, we connected back with the rest of the family for a few more rides. Another favorite, the Magic Carpets of Aladin, and the crazy Madd Tea Party Teacups!!!

Before dark, Papa managed to take Riley on the Cinderella's Golden Carousel - TWICE.


At nightfall is when the Magic began. The Holiday wish ceremony with Mickey, Minnie, Princesses and friends followed by the Lighting of Cinderella's Castle. It was magical, looked like the castle had been completely covered in Icicles. And yes, the kids did manage to stay awake, it was December after all, so nightfall came early!!

Our Animal Viewing Station- Our Balcony

In our spare time, while hanging out at the resort, we often went out onto the balcony to see the animals. Then, once we got our fill, we would just carry on with our day. (How you can take for granted a giraffe out your window, I'm not sure).
These are some of our balcony moments.

Day 6 - Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge

Today was a planned park-free day, so the fact that we awoke to rain, was fine by us. We had a booking with a Disney Photographer at the Wilderness Lodge in hopes of capturing some great family photos. Seeing as it isn't too often that we are all together, it was a keepsake we really wanted to have. The lodge and the grounds were beautiful, and we did get some great shots and I'm very glad that we did it. Even if we had to bribe Riley to hang in there by promising a pin for her Princess Lapel and a lolipop. It did take quite a bit of time to get all of the pictures, not so much fun for little ones really, but they did a great job. Here are some the results of the photo shoot.














After the photo shoot we went to the Whispering Canyon Restaurant for breakfast. What a great place!! Fantastic food, hilarious waiting staff and great activities for the kids. The best is when you order a large coke they bring it out to you in like a litre mason jar, and I hear if you order a small you will get like a shot glass. They had a big table set up at the front of the restaurant where the kids can play with Lincon Logs, so Papa took them up there for a while. They stopped everything mid breakfast for a Pony Race. All the children in the restaurant all got up, picked out a wooden broom horse and raced around the periphery of the restaurant. Riley so looked up to her cousins and was always so excited to be doing what they are doing. Jon Owen pulled into an early lead, bets were high, so there was a bit of excitement on the home stretch. So cute.




While the big kids were off playing, the little ones had some snuggle time, before cuddling in for a little nap. And as promised, the lollipops came out.



When we arrived back at Animal Kingdom lodge there were plenty of things to do. Just as you enter into the lobby there are large bronze medalions on the floor where all of the children were squatting around making art rubbings, so Riley and Lauren joined in and made a few. Then it was down to the Boma Restaurant for cookie decorating, before going out to the daily activity - Animal Picture Frame decorating.
Riley was in her glory. She must have sat their for an entire hour colouring in every last milimetre of her jaguar frame. Emily worked on a hippo. Since it was raining, the resort opened up the arcade, free of charge, all the games you could play, so we spent a good chunk of time in there as well. It was a really great family day. By this point the cousins were completely bonded. They all shared so many special moments together. It was so nice to see how much they all loved each other. In the beginning Riley was attached to Lauren, then she had a special fondness for Jon Owen, racing in the hallway and playing with their toys in the living room. By the end she was getting all of the snuggles from Hudson. Emily was smitten by Hudson right from the beginning and that really did change any. My girls just wanted to hug and kiss him all of the time. The best was watching them at the end of the day, all lined up together on the couch watching their movies as content as could be. Enjoy the pictures of our fun day just hanging out.