Disney World (2010)

It was the winter of 2010 and my mom and I were traveling to Orlando, Florida...to Disney World! During our stay, we visited almost all of the theme parks: Epcot, Magic Kingdom park, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Because we were only there for six full days, our plan was to visit one park each day.

We stayed at the Calypso Cay. It worked out really well because the hotel offered free shuttle bus transportation to and from the theme parks.

Epcot

Epcot stands for ‘Environmental Prototype Community of Tomorrow’. As you can imagine this park looks very futuristic and it has rides with names like ‘Test Track’ and ‘Mission Space’. There was also this “prototype” room where I designed my own roller coaster and got to ride it using a simulator! Later, we went on the Nemo ride and saw a show called ‘Turtle Talk with Crush’. Finally, after walking around the World Showcase, we ended our day with an awesome laser show.

Magic Kingdom

Today was completely magical. We entered the Magic Kingdom and our eyes immediately lit up- straight ahead was the glowing, magical castle of our dreams! As we got closer, we saw Minnie and Mickey Mouse dancing together. Everything was decorated in red and green for the holidays and there was even a giant gingerbread house! 

We spent our day going on rides and, at night, we ate dinner in Downtown Disney.

Islands of Adventure

HARRY POTTER!!! Finally the day had come! I was going to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! This section of the park is like another mini park so we had to get a (free) ticket with a time slot on it...

Hogwarts!!!

There are three main rides: Dragon Challenge (roller coaster), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (3-D simulation), and Flight of the Hippogriff.

Hey, Buckbeak!

Later, we grabbed some Butterbeer (!!!) and waited in line to check out Honeydukes!

(I recently found out that an Ollivander's Wand Shop was added as well.)

Since we spent so much time in the magical world of Harry Potter, we didn't get a chance to ride any of the Marvel superhero rides, which was a bummer. I think at least two days should be given to this park.

Universal Studios

Here, we saw the Macy’s Christmas Parade, and went on the Revenge of the Mummy ride, among other movie related rides.

Hollywood Studios

In Disney's Hollywood Studios, we went on the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror (the only main rides there). The rest of the time we just watched shows.

Animal Kingdom

For some reason I didn't expect this park to be very exciting, but boy was I wrong! I had definitely underestimated the Animal Kingdom's awesomeness. The Mt. Everest roller coaster was probably my favorite. Unfortunately, we didn't go on the safari but I've heard it’s a really neat experience.

Bye Disney!

Christmas Eve was our last day in Florida so we sadly packed up our bags to catch our flight back home. We stopped by Subway for lunch and ended up walking into a Walmart where we noticed a bunch of Disney items. So we basically got some last minute souvenirs- a Mickey shirt, a mug, and a few key chains.*

The weather throughout our trip had been nearly perfect (it rained our first day at Epcot). Florida is known for having hot, humid weather but wintertime in Orlando is just right! (A jacket was only needed during the night when it got a bit chilly.)

*(Another) Souvenir Tip: It can be REALLY easy to spend a lot of money in these theme parks. To avoid this, I recommend using a Penny Machine for a quick and cheap souvenir (just make sure to bring lots of quarters and shiny pennies!). 

~sb

Hawaii (2010)

During the spring of 2010, my family and I traveled to beautiful Hawaii! It was my first time traveling there so I was pretty psyched. We spent our time exploring Oahu and the Big Island, two of the eight main Hawaiian Islands.

Oahu

Our first flight landed in Hawaii’s main airport in Honolulu. From there, we took a connecting flight into Oahu. (a bit about Oahu)

The first few days we... walked on Waikiki Beach, visited an army museum, and fed fish at the resort's lagoon. We also went to the Dole Plantation where we took a train tour of the pineapple and sugarcane plantations. After the tour was over, I got to try some yummy pineapple ice-cream! Next was the Polynesian Cultural Center. This day-long experience included various activities and performances that taught us about the incredible Hawaiian culture. Then, at the end of the day, everyone came together for the Luau where we ate a Hawaiian dinner and enjoyed a live hula performance. (here's what the meal included)

Another day we took an audio tour of the anchored U.S.S. Missouri. This vessel was the last battle ship built during World War II, and it now stands next to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We explored the sleeping and eating quarters of the ship and then headed off to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. This white, simple structure floats on the water, and is connected to land with a bridge. Once on the memorial, we were struck with a sudden sense of peacefulness. Everything was white and the only thing we could hear besides the occasional whisper was the American flag flapping in the light wind.

Because our time in Oahu was quickly coming to an end, we decided to grab a few souvenirs...What better place to go than the Hawaiian flea market?! First off, there were rows upon rows of vendors with their little stands, so the variety was endless. Seriously. We did NOT intend to spend that much time there! Secondly, you can get some pretty great deals and that's always a plus, right? I ended up buying a purple side purse, a glow-in-the-dark turtle, and some Hawaiian flower hair clips.

Big Island

Our first stop on this island was to the car rental. Super exciting, I know. But seriously if you are thinking about doing a good chunk of sight-seeing, I recommend renting. It is wayyy easier and faster than finding a taxi, and you can explore the island at your leisure.

SO our actual stop was at a random beach...and as we left, we saw this sign:

o_o

A few days into our stay, we drove to Hapuna Beach to relax on the white, powdery sand and go for a swim in the "blue-tiful" waters. Or at least that's what we thought...Little did we know that a few AWESOME sea turtles were going to join us. There I was floating around, soaking up some rays when all of a sudden I spotted two sea turtles swimming less than 4 feet away from me! It was totally cool, dude!

Later, on our way up to Pololu Valley Lookout, we stopped by a little coffee place where we got a tour of how coffee is grown and later sold in Hawaii. While there, we spotted quite a few lizards that looked like this:

 

Overall, the Big Island is probably most famous for its active volcanoes. Some places even offer helicopter rides that let you check out the lava up close. We just decided to hike over the hardened lava rock to see the moving lava from a distance. We went around nighttime (6-8pm) with a large group of people and saw a small amount of bright orange lava moving slowly down the rocks. It was definitely a strange sight! It was crazy because people actually have houses on stilts near the lava and they sell tickets to tourists that want to watch the lava from their balconies!

Akaka Falls Park was another location we visited. This picture should sum it up:

270 ft

And here's Punalu'u Black Sand Beach (oh, and some more turtles):

For the last few days I...swam a bit, read in a hammock, and relaxed some more. Hawaii was a breathtaking experience, and we were all a bit bummed to be going back home.*

*Hawaii Travel Tip: Go to Costco before you leave. Grab a few boxes of 'Hawaiian Host' chocolate covered macadamia nuts. You shall not be disappointed. :)

~sb