Day 2 Spring Break: Hello, Florida!

Even though it didn't seem like we ever actually slept, we woke up at our usual 7am, chipper and well rested.

Continental breakfast at the hotel was pretty decent actually, and after getting cleaned up and dressed, we were in the Sienna ready for our relatively short trip to Orlando.....time about 9:15am.

Drove until 10:30am before stopping for a bathroom break. I really was serious when I said we stopped the first day every two-three hours.  We really did.

At noon we were hungry. Shocker. So, we stopped at none other than our second favorite (Cracker Barrel being number 1) place to stop on the road: Steak & Shake!! We were in Florida at this point and only about an hour or so from the resort.

What's not to like about a steakburger, fries and a milkshake? 

And, aren't they so cute in their hats?!

We arrived at our new "home away from home" around 1:30pm and got checked in pretty quickly despite the lobby being a bit of a zoo, which I'd read from the reviews was pretty typical. This resort was HUGE. We were in building 500, on the second floor #527. There were 10 buildings at least. People everywhere. They must have had a crew of 1000 or more. People on golf carts everywhere. They'd run you over if you weren't careful.

This was a timeshare resort, so of course, first things first they had to get us to sign up for a "free" breakfast, which we politely agreed to, knowing that we probably wouldn't go. And we didn't. I'd read about this in the reviews too.

The reviews for this place were mixed, but we were really pleased with the room and service we had. The check in process didn't take nearly as long as I expected (again, keeping it in perspective, I had prepared for an hour wait like at Great Wolf Lodge since that's what I'd read in one of the reviews).  I did request a renovated room, which was honored, along with my request for free WIFI, which is really only reserved for timeshare "owners." Exchangers and guests were supposed to pay $10 a day for WIFI.  But the salesclerk who checked us in was really nice and gave us both a renovated room and free WIFI. Woohoo!

We were "exchangers" as we had used a week of Mom and Dad's timeshare, which they never use anyway. I don't know why it took us so long to do this- they haven't used their timeshare for years.  We should have been doing this years ago!

The key is you have to plan your vacation months in advance. Mom and Dad aren't planners, so this doesn't suit their "get in the car and go" travel philosophy. We booked this in November 2014.

The grounds were nicely maintained and there were lots of pools and recreational facilities. There was a lake, which we could see from our screened porch, along with a golf course, tennis courts, mini golf, b-ball, gazebos, grills, etc. It really was a "resort" in that you really could have just hung out there all week and had plenty to do. We didn't do any of the activities (didn't have time) but there were plenty of them. The spa looked nice too, though we didn't use that either. We did take advantage of the pool though! And the whirlpool bath in our room!   

We had the smallest unit the resort offered: a studio. King sized bed and pull out double bed for the kids. We had a coffee maker, toaster, fridge, microwave and sink. The cabinets were even stocked with the essentials: silverware, glasses, bowls, plates. Papertowels, dishwashing liquid, even a few boxes of laundry detergent, which we actually used to do a load one of our last evenings there as someone was getting low on undies (TMI, I know). Studios were the only units that didn't have their own washer/dryer. They were on the odd floors of each building, so we didn't have to go far. Our bed was super comfy; and while the kids' bed was the typical comfort level of a pull out, they didn't complain once. Beauty of 5 year old sleepers- they "take what they get and don't throw a fit." ha! We could totally get away with this arrangement for at least a few more years. 

View from our screened porch

The other side of the porch

Lounge chair as well as a small table and chairs where we ate breakfast several mornings. 

Daniel and Anabella (ok, us too) loved this whirlpool tub. 

After we unpacked, we walked around the resort a little before leaving to visit Dennis, Lynn and Ann.

Look, it's a hideout!

Each building had its own pool and they were all a little different.
We enjoyed our pool time while we were there, that's for sure.
They were heated. :) 

Around 4pm or so, we headed to Dennis & Lynn's house in Orlando where we were meeting up with MaMaw & PaPa who had come up for the night from Ft. Lauderdale. Ann, Clifton's cousin, was also there.  Daniel is named after Ann & Clifton's grandfather, Daniel Clifton. Ann, who is 92 and about as lively and spunky as they come, was really excited to meet the twins. Dennis and Lynn (Lynn is Ann's daughter) had met them last year when they visited the Credles at their house.

Anabella warmed right up to Ann ("Nana" as Ann told her she could call her), and they became fast friends! We were all outside looking at Dennis's motorcycles (and watching Daddy ride them), while Anabella stayed inside and gave her new Nana an ear full. Ann said she told her all about her ballet recital coming up (which I've never even heard her mention to anyone) along with all the details about our new room- you know, the "big bathtub" and all. Warmed our hearts. So sweet.

The kids had a blast talking with Nana and running the track that Dennis mowed in his yard for them.  No, I'm not kidding. He literally got out the lawn mower and mowed a "racetrack" around his back yard. They ran round and round, had races, blew bubbles, declared Dennis king, rolled out a carpet (paper towels), made crowns (from paper towels) and everything. Dennis was quite the entertainer, and the kids adored him. Later that night Anabella said to me, "Dennis is a lot of fun, isn't he?" She's a quick study, that girl of ours. :)

King Dennis

Four generations

We ordered pizza for dinner and since they twisted our arms, even took back some leftovers for later that week.

It was a great visit.

And, as if that in and of itself wasn't enough, Dennis gave us two passes to get into Disneyworld for free. He's retired now, but used to be an electrician at Disney for years. Chip and I went to visit them in 2008 and did Disney then, too.

Back in the room, we settled in, and I caught up with my journaling.  We all looked through the Sea World brochure to map out some things to see the next day.

YehYeh and New Bear said they liked being on the road and all, but were happy to finally be tucked in bed. 
Sleep tight, everyone. 
Big days ahead!