welcome home

We're back!  We got home Christmas Eve and had a wonderful Christmas morning, and now the Pea is with her dad and I am back to the grind.  There were a few bumps in the road and things didn't go according to plan (do they ever?) but overall it was a fabulous trip.  I am still recovering from the cold I picked up from one of the thousand kids that sneezed and/or coughed on me, but I'm on the mend and ready to share our first day.

Our flight was great, we arrived early, and there was no one in line for the Magic Express when we got downstairs.  I figured they would wait until a few more people showed up before they let us on the bus, but to my surprise they ushered us right on, and off we went.

Are we there yet? 

Yes!



Jambo!

The lobby tree at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Our room.

The carpet...can you spot the hidden Mickey?

After checking in we headed for our first park...EPCOT!

EPCOT

First stop: The Land Pavilion.

We were too late for Soarin' fastpasses and both starving, so we grabbed some grub.  I dug right in before remembering my plan to feed my food porn addiction, and was practically done by the time I took this shot...oopsie.  There WERE four pieces of Tuna.  The Pea told me I was weird every time I took a shot of our food.  Every.  Single.  Time.

Ahi Tuna with noodles, kids chicken and taters, strawberry shortcake.

This ended up being one of Pea's favorite rides.

Next stop: The Seas Pavilion, for Turtle Talk with Crush.

And then...off to World Showcase!

EPCOT's tree...it had big balls.



Storyteller in China



Storyteller in Norway

School Bread-yum!



After some aimless wandering it was time for our dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and our first of 3 planned dinners with Princesses.

Princess Belle greeted us at the door, and then we were escorted to our table.

There was a cold buffet with meats, cheeses, salads, etc.

I don't know if it was because it was before either of us got sick and lost our appetite, or it really was the best meal, but it surpassed all our others.  

Pea had the kid's Meatballs, I had the Mushroom Ravioli.

Cindy, Aurora, Snow White, and Ariel all came to the table to chat and sign the Pea's book. 

 After dinner we staked out a nice spot to relax while we waited for Illuminations to start.

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.



After the fireworks we headed for the exit...along with every one else, and two hours later we were finally back in our room.  We decided that the next time we left a park at closing we would take a cab.  Watching as two full buses pulled away, and then cramming ourselves onto the third, was just no fun and we got back to the room far later than I wanted to.  We had resting up to do for our day 2...Pirate Day!