JACT at Disney World 2021

James & I are young at heart, so it was just a matter of time (10 years) before we made the Disney dive together! Timing is everything & December 2021 worked out perfectly because we now had family living in Florida. James's son Ryan along with his fiance Alyssa, had moved to Sanford, & my daughter Krishna moved to Fort Meyers with her daughter Mikaela. We hadn't seen our adult children for three or more years, so we booked a timeshare exchange at The Berkley Orlando in Kissimmee, Florida!

We each had airline miles saved up for free flights, so we planted our butts on the couch with our laptops to book our trips. We selected a flight from Seattle to Dallas & on to Florida, reserved seats next to each other & simultaneously hit the BOOK button. James received a confirmation but I received a NO SEATS AVAILABLE message! Alaska only had so many seats to be used with free mileage, so I had to hub thru San Diego. Sooo… we traveled separately, like the President & VP... if one plane goes down, someone can still take care of the country! LOL

Thankfully, neither plane crashed & we landed in Orlando within about 20 minutes of each other. James asked me to meet him at the car rental garage, so I followed the signs, spotted the fountain he said he was parked by, but couldn't find him! We argued on the phone as I described everything around me, which matched everything around him.

Finally, I pulled up our Life 360 app to see the gps placed him on the other side of the airport. Evidently both sides mirrored each other, & I found him at replica garage, parked by a fountain! We laughed & headed to Kissimmee, checked in to our resort, then enjoyed a late dinner at Rock & Brews. Vacation officially started!

Saturday, Ryan & Alyssa picked us up in his Tesla (so cool!) to take us golfing at Disney's Lake Buena Vista course. We rented clubs & a cart for less than some of the green fees we pay up North! I loved observing father & son reconnecting after so many years. I was a little nervous & lost golf balls at every hole, but I couldn't feel down about my game with the sun shining & the sand traps shaped like Mickey Mouse! We sure had fun catching up with the young couple's exciting lives in Florida.

Ryan works as a recruiter at Walt Disney Imagineering & on Sunday, he & Alyssa got us into Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was a warm high 70's sunny day, which on Dec 5th is a real treat for anybody from WA State where it's only 30F. It's also a shock to our senses seeing Christmas decorations everywhere in what looks & feels like summer! However, I loved listening to Christmas music while waiting in line for the rides, the first of which was the Slinky Dog roller coaster from Toy Story.

The Star Wars Galaxy's Edge attraction impressed me most that day. The first movie I saw on the big screen was Star Wars & I've been a fan ever since. Stepping into this world excited me so much that I had to hold back from spontaneously bursting out amidst the crowd, "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!" I instead used my energy for a Smugglers Run- onboard the Millennium Falcon!

The morning went by fast & while we explored Hollywood Studios, Krishna & Mikaela were driving three hours to meet us at Magic Kingdom. I hadn't seen my 7-yr-old granddaughter since she was two, as they were living in Michigan before moving to Fort Meyers. She warmed to me instantly & for the rest of the afternoon, we were holding hands, hugging, laughing & bonding. The Haunted Mansion intrigued us both & inspired some of my favorite conversations that day.

As the afternoon faded into evening, Ryan & Alyssa, as well as Krishna & Mikaela, all had to leave early to end their weekend & prepare for work on Monday. James & I meandered around the park, then found just the right spot to watch the fireworks. I grew up loving Disney so watching the finale was the perfect ending to this fun-filled family day. Please click the linked YouTube video below to share in on our joy:

On Monday, we slept in, then caught the shuttle bus from our resort to Disney & a monorail to Epcot Center. As we strolled thru the World Showcase, each country featured a holiday cookie or a regional appropriate alcoholic beverage. Well, you can guess which option we chose to explore! When we arrived in Morroco, we were quite a few drinks in & adding places like the Pyramids of Eygpt to our bucket list. I love how we start dreaming up our next potential adventure every time we get a little buzzed! We then Ubered back to the resort before we got too out of control LOL

We dedicated Tuesday to Disney's Animal Kingdom. This was my favorite Disney park which covers 580 acres, making it the largest theme park in the world! On the African Safari, our guide shared intriguing facts & stories as she navigated the terrain among the giraffes, rhinos, antelope, etc. The excursion truly felt like I was on a whole other continent.

But then we entered a whole other WORLD when we walked into the land of Pandora to experience Avatar Flight of Passage! I had no idea this attraction even existed & I was amazed at the details. Please click the linked YouTube video below to join us on this adventure:

We recouped from the last four days of non-stop activities by laying poolside on Wednesday. We briefly left for food & walked through some souvenir shops but returned to our home away from home to just lounge about. Oh, & we watched Avatar since we were still feeling thrilled from the incredible Flight of Passage simulation.

By Thursday, we were ready for Universal Studios, but that, my friend, will be shared in the next blog! Thanks for reading to the end & for watching our videos. This vacation was two years of planning for us, so we encourage you to make your long-term goals right along with your weekend plans to keep living life to the fullest. Plan your own adventures today! #JACTventures