Disney January 2011

So we went again to Disney! Think one can get sick of the place and honestly I dont think thats possible.

Well we drove down from NY and had to leave a day early because of a pending snow storm! Had we not left early we would have missed out for sure!

We were staying at Kidani Village. Located near the Animal Kingdom, for DVC (Disney Vacation Club members) Im not a member but my brother is and we were meeting him there. We used his points to stay at the resort. Kidani is one of the newer resorts by Disney featuring a Savannah right outside your window, (if this room option is selected). We opted for a regular room since the days were short and chances are we wouldnt be in the room to see the animals. They had these huge windows in the lobby and in other areas were you could view the animals.





My favorite item was the soap with Mickey right on it!

We had a two bedroom villa that could fit 9 people! There was a king in the master, two queens in the second, a pull out couch and pull out chair! Plenty of room for all of us. I personally love villas as it gives you the ability to have meals in your room. Ive never gotten a dinning plan because of this feature. We ate breakfast every day and had dinner almost every night.

Because we were staying on property, a first for me, we used the extra magic hours at night at all the resorts. Now in January it was not crowded at all to me, heading to the parks after 2pm and staying late really worked out for us. I think the longest time we waiting for anything was about 10 minutes.

We never used Disney Transportation since we were able to park for free at the parks. One night leaving Hollywood studios we jumped on the bus just to 'see' how it was. The bus was really nice and new, they kept it dark which was a little strange, but we got back to the resort in just 10 minutes. I thought it was funny that they went to Kidani Village before Jambo house. MY brother says its because Kidani is exclusive for DVC members and they get priority, I dunno how true that is but it was neat.

My brother is in the military so be sure to check out tickets thru them first. We got a pretty good deal.

January seems to have a lot of areas under construction. One of the water parks was closed, many rides were up for refurbishment, and in the magic kingdom they are building a whole new section! It also seams that a lot of restaurants are closed during extra hours, not sure if it was because of Janaury or if it was normal for the extra magic hours. You can actually get the schedules for the magic hours inside the park so you can plan accordingly.

Will we go back? For sure!

Colorado

March 2010 we took a trip to Colorado to visit my brother in law and family.

We flew into Denver and what we were not aware of is the altitude! Man one can lose their breath instantly.

The views were amazing, the mountains were everywhere!

We visited Boulder, Golden, Pikes Peek, Bear Lake, Coors Factory and more.

The snow was so high in some places it was insane! We stood on a lake that was between mountains and totally frozen over.


The Stanley Hotel! Were the shining was filmed!

We visited the Coors factory, now I dont drink beer but they give you the opportunity to taste beer and give you 3 drinks at the end of the tour! Fresh off the lines.

I was the designated driver of course. Sucked for me, but it was interesting!


We ate at a restaurant called Hamburger Marys. Very interesting and the food was good too....

We saw the cave of the winds, which was cold and windy of course. It was underground, tunnels and caves and water. A little hard to take pictures.



My favorite site, the Garden of the Gods! Check out this picture.

Colorado was a nice place to visit and very scenic, I have a ton of images.

Carnival Valor October 2010 Western Caribbean

Took a cruise on the Carnival Valor 10/10/10! It was my first 7 day cruise, Sunday to Sunday!

Leaving out of Miami heading to the Western Caribbean - Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Cozumel and Belize - not in that order.

Leaving port on Sunday we were not sure about the other ports because it was hurricane season. But we would make the most of it. We were traveling with my cousin, who was celebrating her 10 years anniversary which was exciting!

It was a warm day, we flew from Newark NJ on Sunday AM. On our flight there were some people that were a little bit rowdy and one wore a captain hat. We were tired cause of the early flight and because of them there was no relaxing on the plane. Even the people sitting next to me were cruising but they were on another ship. Getting off the plane we headed toward the bus transfer to head to the ship. Man were we frustrated to see these same people on the bus and again boarding the Carnival Valor! Ugh! We later dubbed him 'Captain' lol - he was also seated not to far from our table in the dinning room.

We were kinda early at the pier but it was no biggie. After getting thru the terminal and being allowed on the ship we went straight to eat! The best thing about cruise ships - ALL THE FOOD YOU CAN EAT! Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea we did. But we did get to eat. There was music playing, people eating and drinking. Once we had something in our stomachs we explored the ship. There were so many places to see!

There was a slide, two pools, hot tubs, mini golf, a HUGE TV above the pool, theater, and more.

Day one port Grand Cayman. At this port we had to tender - this means the ship stays away from the shore and you have to take a small boat from the ship to the shore. It was a first for me and a little scary. The waves were really high and caused the ship to sway A LOT! At Grand Cayman we just took a cab to the beach - the locals told us it was the first day of sun in over 10 days! We were lucky. After the beach we walked around the main port, did some shopping and headed back. The waves were so high it took over an hour and a half to get everyone back on the ship. The little boat would sway and hit the ship the banging was loud.

The next port: Well we should have gone to the western Caribbean but there was hurricane Paula hanging out there. Its a good thing we detoured. The new ports were announced as Ocho Rios and Nassau. We didnt plan for them and had no idea what to expect - some people were upset others didnt really care. I didnt care, I was on vacation you know!

We had an extra day out to sea because of the detour and ported to Ocho Rios. What usually happens with the money paid out? Well turns out they did refunded what we prepaid for excursions but port fees were not refunded. The new ports were more then the original ports so the cruisers made out there.

Ocho Rios Jamaica: The port seemed industrial but we decided to do an excursion. Snorkeling and The Dunns River falls. Watch out for people offering you to purchase something its not required and dont feel pressured. The first part was snorkeling. I was afraid as the first time I tried to do this I choked on water and couldnt get it to work. I also wear glasses and was afraid I couldnt see. Well I took a dive! I finally figured it out and I got to see under water! After snorkeling, we got our hair braided! It hurt me. But It looked pretty cool. Then we bused over to Dunns River falls. Man I can believe I hiked up there. It was amazing! Its a must if your in Ocho Rios Jamaica!

Another day out to sea: Decorated towels, Mexican Buffets, Food! We had dinner at the special restaurant on the ship. It was the anniversary gift for my cousin. Amazing!

Next port: Nassau - now we have done this port before on another ship. So again we didnt pick an excursion, instead we took a water taxi from the pier over to Atlantis. Just walking around there has some great sights. Its a beautiful place but costs a lot to get in.

Thats the only disappointment we had with the detour. Hitting a port we had been to before.

In any event, we saw some amazing shows on board - there were two formal nights on the ship.

Upon return to the port in Miami we did an excursion to Port Everglades - saw some Crocodiles and Alligators. Our flights were later in the day so we had sometime to kill.

Well upon arrival to the airport we checked in. The airline had a message about giving up your seat which we asked about, they offered us an earlier flight at no charge. So we took it!

Guess who was on that plane! Yup the Captain and his crew! lol... man no resting on that plane!

So we got back a little earlier and still had a great time, would I do i again? Sure I would! Love cruising.