We tried to pick parks and attractions today that Doug would like as this was really his first day at Disney World. Thus, we started with Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios followed by The Great Movie Ride. Even though we had just been there yesterday, Cam, Meg and I really enjoyed it. Doug had a phone call for work at 10 a.m. so after the preshow for Muppets 3-D Vision he stepped out. He didn’t mind as we all like the preshow the best anyway.
While Doug was on his phone call we finished the show and then went to One Man One Dream. Cameron had never been through the exhibit as we usually go when he and Brett are on Star Tours. We all really liked it. Doug had just finished up when we got back to Muppets Theater. We did a little bit of shopping before we left the park to walk back to The Boardwalk.
Our next stop was EPCOT for lunch. They did not have quite as many food places as they did during the Food and Wine Festival, but there was still a lot to try. While Doug was in Rose & Crown the three of us waited to meet Mary Poppins. Cam did not have her autograph yet and we all love that movie. While we were in EPCOT we also rode a couple of the rides and Meg was finally able to say that she saw the environmental movie - Circle of Life. After we walked through the butterfly garden and stopped at some shops, Cam and Meg decided to go back to the Boardwalk. Meg wanted to rest and shower and Cam wanted to catch The Masters scores. Doug and I tried some different food dishes and drinks along our walk back. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time to tour the countries.
We made it back to the room to rest for a half hour or so before dinner in the lounge. Doug liked the bang bang shrimp and pork that they served. Our last stop for the night was Magic Kingdom. It was a lot different than Wednesday night. The crowds were unbelievable and the wait times long. Luckily, I had changed our Fast Passes to Friday night or we might have been out of luck catching any of our favorites. We were happy with what we were able to ride - Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh. Cam and Meg even got to eat at their favorite stop again - Cosmic Rays. We decided that they might be the only ones who can repeat Sonny Eclipse's skit word for word.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Doug Arrives!
Today I hit the 30,000 step mark for the first time this vacation. We did so by first walking to Hollywood Studios for it’s 9 a.m. opening. We were glad to be able to ride Toy Story Mania without much wait. Cam and Meg then took a turn on Rock N Roller Coaster. I decided to skip it so that I was ready for our next adventure - Twilight Tower of Terror. It was just as exciting as always with lots of drops and darkness. We rode The Great Movie Ride and ate lunch at Rizzo’s Pizzeria next. Rizzo’s replaced Pizza Planet, and we really liked it. Cam and I delivered a rebel spy on Star Tours before walking back to The Boardwalk. Meg was waiting for us there as she decided to skip out on the ride.
We next went to Typhoon Lagoon. The weather was cooler than yesterday as it had rained this morning. Because of this the crowd was light. We were able to ride their new family raft ride twice plus the water coaster - Crush and Gusher. The lazy river wasn’t quite as fun as Blizzard Beach’s, but the wave pool more than made up for that.
After the water park we caught a bus to Disney Springs. We found out that Disney Quest would be closing in July, so we wanted to check it out one last time. Cam didn’t remember it from previous trips. We had fun and spent more time there than we thought that we would. Once we were finished we grabbed some dinner and spent some quality time shopping. Everyone found something that they wanted and a few gifts for friends and family members. Cam was proud of his purchase at the Lego store - a Lego chess set.
We had checked with Doug several times during the day. His flight was delayed from Midway multiple times and we were afraid that he wasn’t going to make it tonight. The weather had not been very cooperative today and yesterday with high winds. There were a lot of flights that had been cancelled. Just getting to the airport was challenging as Doug said that the winds were so strong that several semis had been overturned.
I was glad to see that he had taken off by the time we left the shops. He would be about an hour and a half late, but at least he would make it. We changed our plans a little bit because of his schedule, but were still able to make it to Illuminations at EPCOT. Meg and Cam headed to Test Track after the fireworks show while I walked back to The Boardwalk to let Doug into our room. I was able to meet him with a Sam Adams and saved a few desserts for him before the lounge closed. EPCOT was open until 11 p.m. for extra magic hours which we took full advantage of. Cam and Meg met us at Norway, so we could all ride Frozen. Doug stopped in Germany for a grapefruit beer and German pretzels along the way. Somehow we ended up with five pretzels and everyone was able to fill up before the ride started.
We next went to Typhoon Lagoon. The weather was cooler than yesterday as it had rained this morning. Because of this the crowd was light. We were able to ride their new family raft ride twice plus the water coaster - Crush and Gusher. The lazy river wasn’t quite as fun as Blizzard Beach’s, but the wave pool more than made up for that.
After the water park we caught a bus to Disney Springs. We found out that Disney Quest would be closing in July, so we wanted to check it out one last time. Cam didn’t remember it from previous trips. We had fun and spent more time there than we thought that we would. Once we were finished we grabbed some dinner and spent some quality time shopping. Everyone found something that they wanted and a few gifts for friends and family members. Cam was proud of his purchase at the Lego store - a Lego chess set.
We had checked with Doug several times during the day. His flight was delayed from Midway multiple times and we were afraid that he wasn’t going to make it tonight. The weather had not been very cooperative today and yesterday with high winds. There were a lot of flights that had been cancelled. Just getting to the airport was challenging as Doug said that the winds were so strong that several semis had been overturned.
I was glad to see that he had taken off by the time we left the shops. He would be about an hour and a half late, but at least he would make it. We changed our plans a little bit because of his schedule, but were still able to make it to Illuminations at EPCOT. Meg and Cam headed to Test Track after the fireworks show while I walked back to The Boardwalk to let Doug into our room. I was able to meet him with a Sam Adams and saved a few desserts for him before the lounge closed. EPCOT was open until 11 p.m. for extra magic hours which we took full advantage of. Cam and Meg met us at Norway, so we could all ride Frozen. Doug stopped in Germany for a grapefruit beer and German pretzels along the way. Somehow we ended up with five pretzels and everyone was able to fill up before the ride started.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Hot! Hot! Hot!
We slept in this morning until 8 a.m. or so. Everyone was tired from all of the walking and traveling we had done these past six days. We left by 9:15 for Fantasia mini golf. We were the first ones there and were glad as the line filled in quickly after we started. We had a lot of fun and a few hole in ones.
We picked a great day for swimming as the temperature was easily above 90 degrees by noon. The pool was crowded, but Meg and Cam enjoyed it. We left for Magic Kingdom after swimming. We had lunch reservations for Be Our Guest. Our food was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the castle. We ate in a different room than our last trip. Both were beautiful, but we liked the portraits in this one better.
Magic Kingdom was crowded, but we were still able to ride most everything that we wanted. Meg enjoyed taking Aaron through the line at Haunted Mansion via FaceTime. Splash Mountain broke down while we were there and the guests had to be taken off the ride. We had Fast Passes for Space Mountain this time. I thought about trying it, but Meg said that it was a rough ride, so I shopped instead.
The park was open until 1 a.m. tonight, but we left before that. It had thinned out after the fireworks and the only two rides that we did not have time for were Peter Pan and the Jungle Cruise. We had planned on riding those with Doug, so we didn’t really mind missing them this time.
We picked a great day for swimming as the temperature was easily above 90 degrees by noon. The pool was crowded, but Meg and Cam enjoyed it. We left for Magic Kingdom after swimming. We had lunch reservations for Be Our Guest. Our food was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the castle. We ate in a different room than our last trip. Both were beautiful, but we liked the portraits in this one better.
Magic Kingdom was crowded, but we were still able to ride most everything that we wanted. Meg enjoyed taking Aaron through the line at Haunted Mansion via FaceTime. Splash Mountain broke down while we were there and the guests had to be taken off the ride. We had Fast Passes for Space Mountain this time. I thought about trying it, but Meg said that it was a rough ride, so I shopped instead.
The park was open until 1 a.m. tonight, but we left before that. It had thinned out after the fireworks and the only two rides that we did not have time for were Peter Pan and the Jungle Cruise. We had planned on riding those with Doug, so we didn’t really mind missing them this time.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
From Morning to Night
We started our day early as we wanted to ride Frozen before the crowd filled in. Cam forgot his Magic Band which delayed us for awhile. Meg was able to save us a place in line while he ran back to get it and we only had a 20 minute wait or so. We were also able to ride Figment, Nemo and Mission Space before heading back to the Boardwalk.
Meg and Cam had passes for the water parks so we decided to try Blizzard Beach next. It had been several years since we had been there. We enjoyed it, especially the lazy river. We had planned on playing mini golf there as well, but as we were leaving the water park a storm blew through. It was a quick one, but it closed the golf course for an hour or so. We decided not to wait and caught the bus back to EPCOT.
After we changed and grabbed sweatshirts we caught the bus to Animal Kingdom. We had a Fast Pass for Expedition Everest and also wanted to see their new show River of Lights. Once we got to the park we were able to do more than we planned riding both Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. We even had time to catch “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” one of our favorite 3-D shows.
The line for River of Lights started almost two hours before the show began. We waited until 8 to get in line and were told that it would be standing room only. We were all ok with that and only had to wait 30 minutes until they started ushering us to our spots. Cam and I liked the show a lot. Meg wasn’t as thrilled as she felt it was too much like Illuminations. Either way we were glad that we tried it.
Meg and Cam had passes for the water parks so we decided to try Blizzard Beach next. It had been several years since we had been there. We enjoyed it, especially the lazy river. We had planned on playing mini golf there as well, but as we were leaving the water park a storm blew through. It was a quick one, but it closed the golf course for an hour or so. We decided not to wait and caught the bus back to EPCOT.
After we changed and grabbed sweatshirts we caught the bus to Animal Kingdom. We had a Fast Pass for Expedition Everest and also wanted to see their new show River of Lights. Once we got to the park we were able to do more than we planned riding both Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. We even had time to catch “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” one of our favorite 3-D shows.
The line for River of Lights started almost two hours before the show began. We waited until 8 to get in line and were told that it would be standing room only. We were all ok with that and only had to wait 30 minutes until they started ushering us to our spots. Cam and I liked the show a lot. Meg wasn’t as thrilled as she felt it was too much like Illuminations. Either way we were glad that we tried it.
Monday, April 3, 2017
On to Walt Disney World
Doug dropped us off at the Baltimore/Washington Airport this morning before he left for home. Our flight didn't leave until 11 a.m. and we had plenty of time to get something to eat and find our terminal before we boarded. The flight was a quick one. I started the movie Moana. It wasn't the greatest, but since I hadn't seen it before it held my interest. Meg watched a show she had downloaded and Cam played chess.
The Magical Express ride was fun like always, filled with excitement and our favorite safety video with Gus. We were happy to find out that our room was ready, so we dropped off our carry on bags and headed straight to EPCOT. Heinisch family tradition calls for us to stop first in Germany for a German pretzel and then Mexico for our first ride of the trip - Gran Fiesta Tour. We left singing Three Cabarellos. The International Flower & Garden Show was in full bloom as well and we enjoyed all of the characters as topiaries.
Our Fast Passes were scheduled for Magic Kingdom, so we headed there next. I rode Big Thunder Mountain for the first time in a long time. I really liked it although it was a little rough. Seven Dwarfs Mine ride was also a lot of fun. We saved Splash Mountain for last. It had been closed several times throughout the day, so we were glad that we got to ride it. Usually, I get soaked, but this time I was seated in the back row and stayed fairly dry.
I talked Cam and Meg into leaving before the park closed. I wanted to make sure that our luggage had arrived and it had been a tiring trip. We made it in time to get desserts in the lounge and were glad to see that all of our bags were waiting for us. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking while they watched some of their favorite Disney shows. Doug called several times on his way home. He made it to Syracuse by the time we got to Magic Kingdom. The trip was pretty easy and he was even able to jog before dinner.
The Magical Express ride was fun like always, filled with excitement and our favorite safety video with Gus. We were happy to find out that our room was ready, so we dropped off our carry on bags and headed straight to EPCOT. Heinisch family tradition calls for us to stop first in Germany for a German pretzel and then Mexico for our first ride of the trip - Gran Fiesta Tour. We left singing Three Cabarellos. The International Flower & Garden Show was in full bloom as well and we enjoyed all of the characters as topiaries.
Our Fast Passes were scheduled for Magic Kingdom, so we headed there next. I rode Big Thunder Mountain for the first time in a long time. I really liked it although it was a little rough. Seven Dwarfs Mine ride was also a lot of fun. We saved Splash Mountain for last. It had been closed several times throughout the day, so we were glad that we got to ride it. Usually, I get soaked, but this time I was seated in the back row and stayed fairly dry.
I talked Cam and Meg into leaving before the park closed. I wanted to make sure that our luggage had arrived and it had been a tiring trip. We made it in time to get desserts in the lounge and were glad to see that all of our bags were waiting for us. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking while they watched some of their favorite Disney shows. Doug called several times on his way home. He made it to Syracuse by the time we got to Magic Kingdom. The trip was pretty easy and he was even able to jog before dinner.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
President's Day
Today was a tour of Presidents, stopping first at the White House. It was a beautiful sight especially with all of the tulips in bloom. There was a cherry blossom race this morning so at first we weren’t sure that we would be able to get a close view, but the gates opened just as we walked by.
We had tickets for Ford’s Theater at noon and wanted to hit the gifts shops beforehand that were located across the street. The walk to the Lincoln site was a quick one from the White House, so we had plenty of time. Brett, Cam, Meg and I all found something fun to purchase and even a few gifts for friends.
Ford’s theater was crowded as were most exhibits this weekend, but we were still able to get through it in under two hours. We found all of it fascinating, but the conspiracy theory and the lives of those involved in the assassination of Lincoln were most interesting to Cam and I. The tour also included the Peterson House and Lincoln’s death bed.
The day turned out to be beautiful so we decided that Mount Vernon would be next on our agenda. It also was crowded, but we were able to watch a movie on the life of George Washington, walk the grounds, visit his and Martha’s tomb and tour the mansion before closing. All of us could agree that we would love to live there.
Dinner was in Alexandria at Clyde’s. The decor was interesting as we were seated in a room of duck decoys. The food was good, however, and from there we were easily able to get to Jefferson’s Memorial. The Heinisch children felt that this was the most impressive of all of the monuments, and I could not argue. Having the President standing, looking out on the water did make for an awesome sight.
As it was close to nine we decided to say goodbye to Brett after the memorial. He had to work in the morning and we had a 45 minute drive to our hotel by the Baltimore/Washington airport. It was fantastic to spend so much time with him these past three days. He has impressed us all with his ability to live on his own and make each stop home. Can’t wait to visit again in July.
We had tickets for Ford’s Theater at noon and wanted to hit the gifts shops beforehand that were located across the street. The walk to the Lincoln site was a quick one from the White House, so we had plenty of time. Brett, Cam, Meg and I all found something fun to purchase and even a few gifts for friends.
Ford’s theater was crowded as were most exhibits this weekend, but we were still able to get through it in under two hours. We found all of it fascinating, but the conspiracy theory and the lives of those involved in the assassination of Lincoln were most interesting to Cam and I. The tour also included the Peterson House and Lincoln’s death bed.
The day turned out to be beautiful so we decided that Mount Vernon would be next on our agenda. It also was crowded, but we were able to watch a movie on the life of George Washington, walk the grounds, visit his and Martha’s tomb and tour the mansion before closing. All of us could agree that we would love to live there.
Dinner was in Alexandria at Clyde’s. The decor was interesting as we were seated in a room of duck decoys. The food was good, however, and from there we were easily able to get to Jefferson’s Memorial. The Heinisch children felt that this was the most impressive of all of the monuments, and I could not argue. Having the President standing, looking out on the water did make for an awesome sight.
As it was close to nine we decided to say goodbye to Brett after the memorial. He had to work in the morning and we had a 45 minute drive to our hotel by the Baltimore/Washington airport. It was fantastic to spend so much time with him these past three days. He has impressed us all with his ability to live on his own and make each stop home. Can’t wait to visit again in July.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
22,000 steps and Counting
We picked up Brett outside his apartment for our early morning excursion to Arlington Cemetery. It was a little cool, but the sun was out so it felt warmer than yesterday. Brett had several gravestones that he wanted to see that were off the beaten path along with the typical ones that we had planned on visiting. We started at the eternal flame marking the grave of John F. and Jackie Kennedy. There were white crosses adjacent to them for each of President Kennedy's brothers that were on our list as well. After paying our respects and reading their speeches etched in stone, we continued up the hill to the home of Robert E. Lee. His is a fascinating story of marriage to Martha Washington's great-granddaughter, living in a home with beautiful views of the Washington monument.
The tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard were next. The ceremony was impressive and we were very close to the entrance of the soldiers. In the same area were memorials for the Spaceship Challenger and Columbia and the mast of the USS Maine. Brett really wanted to find the graves of William Jennings Bryant and General Pershing. Doug agreed to go with him as it was a good distance from our location and we had already walked almost 6000 steps.
Therefore, I headed back to the Kennedy grave sites with Meg and Cam. We spent time texting Cal while we waited and planned for our next stop. Brett was pleased to report that he found both graves even though Bryant’s was hidden. Once we met up again we walked to Thurgood Marshall’s and William Howard Taft’s grave sites. As a bonus we were even able to locate Medgar Evers on our way back to the visitors center. It was a lot of walking up and down hills, but we were all happy with our visit to Arlington.
We decided to make our next stop the National Zoo. Cam wanted to see the Pandas. We had watched them on the live panda cam on the drive out. The pandas were just as active as they were on the camera and we all enjoyed seeing them out and about. We spent the next several hours walking through the rest of the zoo enjoying the Asia trail, the ape house and the small mammals. Cam and Meg found panda shirts before we headed out.
We were close to the National Cathedral so we stopped there next. I had never been in it and wanted to see the inside. Everyone else said they would be ok either way, but in the end we all thoroughly enjoyed our self guided tour. It was impressive to say the least with an observation tower, stained glass windows and over half a dozen chapels. Woodrow Wilson was even buried in the cathedral.
As we left the cathedral we decided that our feet were ready for a much needed rest. We had almost doubled my daily FitBit goal of 10,000 steps. On our way to the Embassy Suites we drove by the home of Vice President Mike Pence. It was impressive to say the least as were the embassies of the ambassadors to the United States that we passed along the way.
The hotel happy hour wasn’t quite as great as advertised, but our feet appreciate the rest. We drove to the Pentagon Mall afterward. Meg said it was the nicest mall she had ever been in and I would have to agree. Brett found a new pair of Vans while the rest of us spent time window shopping. We found a Bonefish Grill close by and enjoyed a nice dinner together. As we dropped Brett off for the night I couldn’t believe all that we had accomplished in one day. Although I have walked more steps in one day, I was still impressed with the 22,000 I logged in today, especially since it included over 50 flights of stairs.
The tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard were next. The ceremony was impressive and we were very close to the entrance of the soldiers. In the same area were memorials for the Spaceship Challenger and Columbia and the mast of the USS Maine. Brett really wanted to find the graves of William Jennings Bryant and General Pershing. Doug agreed to go with him as it was a good distance from our location and we had already walked almost 6000 steps.
Therefore, I headed back to the Kennedy grave sites with Meg and Cam. We spent time texting Cal while we waited and planned for our next stop. Brett was pleased to report that he found both graves even though Bryant’s was hidden. Once we met up again we walked to Thurgood Marshall’s and William Howard Taft’s grave sites. As a bonus we were even able to locate Medgar Evers on our way back to the visitors center. It was a lot of walking up and down hills, but we were all happy with our visit to Arlington.
We decided to make our next stop the National Zoo. Cam wanted to see the Pandas. We had watched them on the live panda cam on the drive out. The pandas were just as active as they were on the camera and we all enjoyed seeing them out and about. We spent the next several hours walking through the rest of the zoo enjoying the Asia trail, the ape house and the small mammals. Cam and Meg found panda shirts before we headed out.
We were close to the National Cathedral so we stopped there next. I had never been in it and wanted to see the inside. Everyone else said they would be ok either way, but in the end we all thoroughly enjoyed our self guided tour. It was impressive to say the least with an observation tower, stained glass windows and over half a dozen chapels. Woodrow Wilson was even buried in the cathedral.
As we left the cathedral we decided that our feet were ready for a much needed rest. We had almost doubled my daily FitBit goal of 10,000 steps. On our way to the Embassy Suites we drove by the home of Vice President Mike Pence. It was impressive to say the least as were the embassies of the ambassadors to the United States that we passed along the way.
The hotel happy hour wasn’t quite as great as advertised, but our feet appreciate the rest. We drove to the Pentagon Mall afterward. Meg said it was the nicest mall she had ever been in and I would have to agree. Brett found a new pair of Vans while the rest of us spent time window shopping. We found a Bonefish Grill close by and enjoyed a nice dinner together. As we dropped Brett off for the night I couldn’t believe all that we had accomplished in one day. Although I have walked more steps in one day, I was still impressed with the 22,000 I logged in today, especially since it included over 50 flights of stairs.
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