Yes I went to Orlando Florida for Kiwanis International Convention and managed to catch a Pirates Dinner Show, Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure, the convention, a district dinner, time with friends, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Magic Kingdom. I didn't see everything in Orlando (so I could definitely come back and see/do more!). Just the same here are some thoughts I had while I was there:
— The Pirates Dinner Theatre is a really great time: not only is there more food than one should suitably want to eat (and it's pretty good too!), but so much eye candy! 😉 Of course audience participation is key, as is the plot, acrobatics and well… did I mention sword fighting yet? I loved the mix of things and the fact that there really aren't any truly bad seats.
— Universal Studios is way low stress and a lot of fun! Loved the Simpsons Ride, the Shrek 4D ride and The Men In Black 2 ride
— Islands of Adventure is where the thrill rides are at! I definitely recommend it — as much as I don't recommend it while it's raining (rides get closed for safety). Spiderman, Popeye, and Dueling Dragons rides were my favorites of the ones I did ride when they were operational.
— Parades are MORE fun when you know the people in them. Gotta love CKIers (and Kiwanians) in Disney (etc.) costumes!
— Kiwanians are good at service. While their house of delegates is DEFINITELY not as crazy as CKI's, controversy does arise regardless!
— I was reminded that alligator tastes great, yet again… and that I still don't have a sweet tooth.
— Some people get REALLY excited about shopping.
— What exactly is the difference between American College students and Canadian University students anyway… it's very noteworthy but hard to describe in words.
— I definitely recommend Disney's Hollywood Studios to older people. The Aerosmith ride rocked! The Tower of Terror was actually quite the thrill ride, and I don't care what you say but the Toy Story 2 ride is FABULOUS! Another HUGE favorite was the Muppets 3D ride.
— Did you know that you can eat healthy at the amusement park? I adored my veggie sandwich (so tasty!) for example. I was definitely impressed.
— The Magic Kingdom was worth it! Loved Splash Mountain (do people nowadays not know who Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox are anymore?) — Space Mountain wasn't as impressive as I would have thought. Mickey's PhilharMAGIC was great, as was the Winnie-the-Pooh ride, Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion. Heck, all the rides were impressive — just not necessarily for the same reasons (not as much thrill rides) as for the other parks.
— Why no one sells pencil cases anymore is beyond me.
— Why Disney branded stuff was mostly either completely not suitable for me or aimed at older or younger age demographics was saddening, but definitely saved me some money!
— It is actually not terribly expensive to purchase food in the parks.
— The monorail and ferry are fun.
— I'm not a fan of getting less than 4 hrs sleep. There. I've said it!
All that aside, it feels good to be home, as busy as I often am.