Thursday, September 23, 2010

Wow it has been a while.....

Summer has come and gone...The kids are back to school, and actually so am I. Looking forward to my favorite season of the year Fall. Here in New England it is one of the best times to enjoy the great outdoors....but that is for another post.

Looking back this was a fun filled summer. We spent a month after coming back from the Epic (we weren't impressed), in Falmouth, Ma. Falmouth is on Cape Cod and in the summer is a bustling little town, that reminds you of days gone by. From visiting one of my favorite shops "Blast From the Past" on Main Street, to Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium. There is so much to do and see here. The best beach in Falmouth is hands down Old Silver Beach, but get there early their parking lot is small and it fills quickly! If you want to venture to other parts of the Cape, there are whale watches and aquariums, bike paths and National Parks. Kids can miniature golf, ride go-carts and do soccer and batting cages.

Want to see baseball as it used to be played, and see some upcoming talent? Go see the Cape Cod leagues team on a warm summer night. Baseball up close and under the lights. In some towns there are bands that play on certain evnings, and there are art festivals and food festivals. You can take fishing charters, visit Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket to hob nob with the well off. Or you can sit back and just enjoy the lazy days of just smelling the ocean breeze, and BBQing in the back yard. There is something for everyone....

Came home on Aug 1 and we were on a plane to Orlando, Florida on Aug 5th. Spent 10 great days in Disney, and one very wet but enjoyable day at Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Disney, is my obsession.....love planning to go, being there and hate coming home. One of those few vacations where there is something for everyone and everyone is happy. We spent 2 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Kadani Village. Can't tell you how beautiful it was. We did not have a Savannah view, but when we walked out of our door and into the corridor there was a viewing area not 10 feet away. We stopped everyday to see the animals. We then transferred to the Dolphin Hotel. I love the Swan/Dolphin hotels but prefer the Swan only because it is smaller. Our suite here was gorgeous! We could see some of the fireworks from Illuminations from one of our windows. Love how easy it is to get to Epcot and The Studios. Not to mention that they have great rates...Sometimes you can get a rate there for the price of a moderate and have a 4* hotel. If you are a teacher or a nurse there is a special rate just for you. If you need help booking it let me know and we can help you. Then finally we had our last night at the Boardwalk. Another beautiful room, I can't say any of the three rooms we stayed at was a disappointment. They were incredible! We tried Magical Express for the first time and I was actually pleasantly surprised how quickly we got to the hotel, but then again we did get in after 6 pm.

The first Sunday of our trip we ventured to Island Of Adventure to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was more than impressed with the theming of the area. You really felt immersed in the movie...the shops were not for show and inside they were selling what they did in the movies. I loved the Gringots ATM, and do not miss the frozen butter beer....The line to get into the Wand shop was over 3 hours long on a day that it poured 80% of the time. The Harry Potter ride itself was incredible and Disney better stop and see what is going on over there! I have always thought that the Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure ran circles around anything Disney had ever done, and I am a die hard Disney fan. Yes, the screens at times were a tiny bit grainy, and I could have done without the Dementors as I think they didn't quite fit in. But the ride as a hole was incredible. It is a must do...and you will want to do it again...If Island of Adventure/Universal continues putting out rides like this I will be visiting them more often. I plan to go again the next time I visit, on a day not so "WET"!

We took advantage of early entry and fastpass at Disney, at Island of Adventure we used front of the line, but it does not include the Harry Potter stuff. You must wait in line for that. We really did not need the front of the line, since it was raining and that helped clear the crowds. If it had been a sunny day, they would have come in handy to actually see the rest of the park. BTW, do visit the rest of the park...it has some great rides!

On Aug 16th we got on a plane and came home. It was almost time for my twin daughter to start high school and my oldest to go back to college for her second year of college. I am so feeling old. Now we are all back to school and summer is just a memory...but I am lucky that I have such fun filled summers with my girls and such great memories I can relive over and over!


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1 comment:

Judy said...

W.W.O.H.P. was awesome! Hope next time the weather will cooperate more. 10 days seems like a long time when planning, yet went by in the blink of an eye. Can't wait to start planning the next excellent adventure.
LOVE visiting the Cape, love the option to just chill or spend all day on the go.