Thank Goodness We Did Not Wait Any Longer!

Kevin surprised me about a month ago but telling me that he really wanted to go to Disney. Of course, I thought it was a great idea and so we got to planning our trip right away. Ah, that's one of the best things about retirement. Being able to plan things more or less, last minute. 

 It was so nice to be able to use the Trenton Mercer Airport right near our home, only 10 minutes away. We often sit on our back deck and watch those planes coming in flying right behind our house, just above the tree line as they are landing. We've only used this airport one other time (when we went to Chicago) and so we were excited to be able to fly Frontier from our airport again. 

Because many of the on property Disney Resorts were booked, we found a great hotel about 15 minutes away, which was the Margaritaville Resort in Kissimmee. 

We stayed at a Margaritaville in Nashville and so we knew it would be great. We were definitely not disappointed. The property was in a great location and had very nice amenities, including a deck from our room and beautiful pools. The rooms are very cozy and have an island feel, just as you would expect of a resort owned by Jimmy Buffet. They also had a fantastic lounge and restaurant and pretty much everything we had there was delicious. 

We spent just under a week in Orlando visiting Disney and Universal and boy what a difference 25 years makes. That was the last time we had been to either of these parks and call me crazy but I don't remember all that walking. Kevin and I both have issues with backs and knees and after 3 days of visiting the parks, instead of feeling 60, we felt 100!! 

We especially enjoyed The Magic Kingdom and although we were only there for one day we got to see all the highlights that we remembered from our youth. We especially enjoyed the Haunted Mansion, riding on the paddlewheel ship, the Hall of Presidents and don't laugh - we loved the "It's a Small World" ride. We did Peter Pan's Flight, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and especially loved the Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid.  The Magic Kingdom was definitely our speed as we are no longer up for crazy rides and roller coasters but it they are fun to watch! 

The next day we spent at Epcot, which we remembered fondly from our trip there in 1987 and again when we went with my Brother and his family in 1998. Our first stop was up into the sphere called Spaceship Earth. We enjoyed all the countries and had lunch in Mexico at the San Angel Inn Restaurant and it was as good as we remembered. We really enjoyed the American Adventure Pavilion and the Frozen Ever After ride was fun. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure was probably our favorite and was especially fun. We were lucky enough to get a dinner reservation at the Coral Reef Restaurant and as we remembered, it was delicious and fun to sit right up against the huge aquarium!

The third day was spent at Universal and I admit that I only wanted to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Although you had to buy 2 park entrance fees to see "both" parts, it was worth it. I thought the train that went back and forth between the 2 parks was adorable but it wasn't fun having to wait so long to get on.  I remember the days when you could pay one fee and walk between parks but apparently those days are over. 

Our  next favorite area was the Seuss Landing. This area, although probably meant for the little ones, had us enjoying the bright colors and easy going rides. We enjoyed the rest of the park, mostly at a distance watching those crazy roller coasters and getting a kick out of all the screaming. 

The last day was spent relaxing at the resort and I'm so glad we planned it that way as we were both exhausted and our bodies were hurting a bit  having walked at least 7 miles each day in the parks. The weather finally turned nice and warm, a comfortable 81 degrees and so into our bathing suits we went to spend a day a the pool. When waiter Eric came by for drink and food orders, we were reminded of the many island resorts we have stayed at. No need to even get up, they bring the fun right to you - just perfect!! I admit that I took a quick dip in the pool which felt amazing, especially being I had not been in a bathing suite in over 5 years. Kevin did not join me but he took a nice nap under the umbrella and I think he was very content to stay right there until the sun went down. 

Well, there you have it! Our last minute trip to Orlando. It was fun to go back to where we have been and experience it again, now that we are bit older. Our next flight is scheduled for March when we will go to Tampa to visit Kevin's Aunt and Uncle and then we'll venture over to Siesta Keys for a few days of sitting on the beach. Have I mentioned that we are enjoying retirement?