Busch gardens
Up early today. I slept much better last night, thank you very much. Kids and hubby all woke up before they were woken up, so they must be excited or something.
We were up, fed and out the door at 7. With an almost 2.5 hour drive to get across the state to Busch gardens, we were ready.
The kids were prepared and had iPads and headphones in the car, so overall it was a quiet drive. I almost napped a bit, but hubby and I listened to a podcast to pass the time.
We arrived about when they opened, which seemed wise, but we had front of the line passes, that didn't start until a hour later. So we chose to wander through some of the animal exhibits and have a snack until we could bypass the lines with our fancy wrist bands.
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| It's still Christmas at Busch Gardens |
Cheetah Hunt--the ride planned to ride first--was closed all morning. So plan B - Sand Serpant and Scorpion came first. Scorpion being our youngest's first upside down coaster... A very big deal and not a small amount of stress she had about it. In the end it was good. Not quite ready to go again, but openly saying it was nothing to worry about.
The train and lunch were next. Then back to check on Cheetah Hunt.... Not open yet. So we went to Montu, the inverted coaster. Dad rode it alone, while I gently encouraged brother to consider giving it a try. He was upset Cheetah Hunt was down and had expressed interest in inverted coasters. When dad got back they went to check it out... And it got a thumbs up. He enjoyed it... Also not enough to go again, but will ride an inverted coaster with me this summer - can't wait!
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| Gotta ride the carasoul |
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| rockin Dad's hat while he rides a big coaster |
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| previously mentioned BIG coaster |
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| Big coaster in action! |
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| Everyone gets a turn in Dads hat.... it's a good hat! |
Well we eventually got to Cheetah Hunt when they were open and everyone who was ready got a ride.... Whew! What a ride. Its been years (like 12 years) since I last really rode and enjoyed roller coasters. And this one was nice. Really smooth. Lots of air time (which I have mixed feelings about - I am comfy on the ground) and a good length. I'd go again next time.
The little lady and dad rode the rapids. We hit a few other things and it was 4 o'clock. Which was our go time. We had an hour drive to our timeshare and we were all wearing out.
I will hit the highlights from this point on, and share some random thoughts at the end.
It's always nice come to our timeshare, it feels new and familiar at the same time. And it's Disney, which I love.
They have streamlined check in at our home resort and it was quick. We also saw our new owners locker had been delivered (more on this later) so we grabbed it on the way to our room.
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| Our home away from home |
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| this is what the villa looks like before we descend on it and live in it for a week |
Dinner was from the resort's quick service and we ate in the room.... Bed was calling but we had to catch the end of the Cowboys game and do a bit of unpacking. I like being able to unpack on vacation.
Random stuff....
Busch gardens employees don't seem happy... Except for the one working on the train. All the stores and restaurant workers barely smiled. And the ride workers were almost abrupt. A far cry from what I usually encounter at Disney.
Note to self: Don't expect the same experience at Starbucks locations outside the Seattle area.
Whoa... This keeps happening to me. I just need to remember. In Seattle there is a lot more competition... So if your local Starbucks is sub par, you can walk a block and go to the next one.
Lastly, what is the protocol for when you request something from housekeeping??! I called back after over 30 mins. I felt bad hounding them only to find the person I talked to never requested what I needed. No one was coming!
Not sure what to take away from that????
I am all unpacked and settled in and it feels so nice.
Tomorrow Epcot!
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