Last second trips can be rewarding and sometimes stressful and ours was both. What was most rewarding was seeing the face of Octavio brighten up as we did different activities such as going on rides at Magic Kingdom, playing skeeball in the hotel arcade, going down a water slide at our hotel, or just running the elevator to push the button to call it. What was stressful was not so much the vacation as was the last second planning of it especially with my work being so crazy as of late but whatever stress there was before hand was well worth it as I for one loved this vacation and think O and Mama enjoyed it as well. This isn't to say that there weren't some tense moments like when Octavio didn't know whether to be scared, nervous, happy or excited at any number of rides at Magic Kingdom. Take for example his first ride, the Dumbo ride. Our well prepared plan was to get to Magic Kingdom and make a b line to the Dumbo ride and with any luck the wait would not be too long. Well, after getting up at the crack of dawn, taking a shuttle to the transportation center and then a monorail to Magic Kingdom only to decide to turn around and head back to the hotel. Things started off kind of rough. It also didn't help that it was pouring out and that O seemed more tired than ever. But after a few hours at the hotel, some sleep by the little guy, some food in our bellies, and the weather seemingly cooperating on our plan to make it back to Magic Kingdom, we ventured back to Disney and were rewarded with short lines and nice weather and a great time by all.
Back to the Dumbo ride, O seemed kind of excited at first but as soon as that Dumbo car went up in the air, he didn't know what to make of it and got pretty nervous. Can't blame the little guy as I'm sure it was weird for him. There were a couple of other "children" rides we went on that had their hairy moments and it seemed what O liked most were not the rides but rather the shows such as the Country Bear Jamboree and the Tiki Bird Bar and we can't forget, the Monster's Inc. show, which was my favorite by far.
O was so cute at Disney. He even took a nap during our time there which wasn't that bad given that we were hungry and it allowed Mama and I to take a break.
Back at the hotel, from the moment we got there I was excited to see our room and all the entertainment available at the hotel. O had his own room, not that he ever used it much, but it was still nice. I think he liked the painting of SpongeBob. He even gave Patrick a hug or someone dressed as Patrick in the mall of the hotel.
People were friendly. There were plenty of kids running around and having a good time. O wasn't too big a fan of the pool but did like the spray parks and also had a good time at the arcade where your Mother and I discovered that Dance Dance Revolution is pretty tough. Naturally, basketball wasn't too bad and your mother fared pretty well in Deal or No Deal and after spending who knows how much, we got some Dora Dominoes out of it of which you've lost a handful already and maybe even eaten or thrown away a few.
I can't forget the infamous timeshare presentation. I was caught getting tickets for a Nickelodeon show and lured into agreeing to this timeshare presentation in exchange for a $100 gift card for the hotel. One, mind you, that had more restrictions than NAFTA but was still worth it. The timeshare property was pretty nice and if I had unlimited resources I probably would have hopped all over it. But given our one income family and limited resources, timeshares are not on the agenda anytime soon. It also didn't help that after saying no numerous times to many different offers and O having a diaper situation during the presentation that I was happy to head back to the hotel. No means no, remember that little guy.
Another big plus to the trip was the smooth and effortless transportation to and from the airport and hotel that set the tone for a great trip to start and nicely concluded it as well. How did anyone ever live without shuttles and valet parking before? After 5 days away, I think you more than any of us missed our apartment as no more than 1 minute had gone by before you were playing with your toys like you had never left and making a huge mess just like old times.
While I'm sure you'll never remember this trip in the years to come, I'll never forget it and hope it's one of many our family will take and enjoy.
Love,
Pa
