Florida, Parks & Swim with Dolphins
An excited group had huge smiles on their faces as we entered the gates of Disney's Magic Kingdom. As we walked up Main Street we could see the magical, fairy tale castle in front of us.
We could feel the excitement brewing as we
queued patiently to meet the cheekiest mouse in town. We went into Mickey's rehearsal room, filled with props and
posters from his magical career in theatre. He was every bit as friendly as we had imagined and poses were struck, photos were taken and everyone walked away having fulfilled a dream.
The Festival of Fantasy parade was next on the agenda and we were privileged to be able to get a fantastic
view on the front row. The parade was a riot of colours and sounds, with all of
the famous Disney characters making an appearance. All of our favourites, Mickey Mouse, Alice in Wonderland,the evil Captain Hook and the lovely
Cinderella waved as they passed us by.
We loved meeting all the Disney characters. We met Ariel in her grotto which was then finished off with a smashing ride on 'Under the Sea', a journey about the
story of the Little Mermaid. We then met Rapunzel and Princess Tiana at the Fairy Tale Hall, who both looked dazzling in
their stunning gowns.
There were so many rides for us to try out and after looking at the park map we headed to our first thrilling ride. We flew down the rickety old tracks on the Runaway Train, whizzed around on Teacups and flew high in the sky on the Dumbo ride.
The most indescribable day was had at Discovery Cove. We
settled in a great spot on the beach and immediately set off to try out the
lazy river, with its gentle current that carried us through the bends and
curves of the river and under some glorious waterfalls. In no
time at all, it was our turn to experience swimming with the dolphins. First we were introduced to our dolphins and
had lots of opportunities to stroke and feed them. They gobbled up the
fish that were thrown, and expertly caught them every time. The trainers showed
us their techniques and signals and then asked the dolphins to jump through the
air and to communicate with us using different sounds and noises. One sounded
just like a high pitched scream. Everyone even had the chance to kiss a dolphin
before holding on tight to the fins and being pulled back into the shore. It
was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience.
The stunning Macaw parrots happily posed for a photo!
We watched with our mouths open at the much anticipated Dolphin show. These intelligent animals span, danced, jumped and flipped; they even seemed to speak. Next we were entertained by the Orca whales. They were every bit
as incredible as the dolphins, just a great deal bigger! The audience learned
all about these stately creatures and the conservation projects assisting them
to survive. The highlight perhaps was the soaking the audience received when
the whales playfully flicked their tails to spray water over everyone.
When we weren't being thrill seekers we took time to relax in our luxurious villas where we soaked up the rays on the sun loungers and cooled off in the swimming pool.
Disney stories were
brought to life through fireworks, projections, lasers and lights. It was truly
spectacular and we sat mesmerised by the event. Finally we were treated to Once
Upon A Time, where beautiful pictures of Disney characters and fairy tales were
projected onto Cinderella's Castle, with a bedtime story read alongside the
visual effects. What a grand finale!
At Universal Studios we saw many different characters that we recognised who were waiting to greet
us like old friends. Sponge Bob Square Pants came to say hello and posed for
pictures with everyone. It wasn't long
after that we happened upon the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine.
We helped Spider-Man battle his arch enemies as we followed his adventures above the streets on the 3D ride. All of the group were given a fantastic keepsake photograph of their meeting with Spider-Man, superimposed onto a comic
book cover. They looked superb.
Off to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and
Diagon Alley. It was incredible to see a life size re-creation of everything
Harry Potter. Diagon Alley looked exactly the same as it did in the films. The
more adventurous in our group decided to brave the Escape from Gringotts Ride.
We queued in the Gringotts bank under the watchful eye of some very realistic
and animated Goblins and loved the exhilarating experience of the 3D thrill
ride. We explored the magical shops and indulged in a delicious ice cream from Fkorean
Forteque's Ice Cream Parlour. All aboard the Hogwarts Express train to take a magical journey from King's Cross Station to Hogsmeade Station. Hogsmeade was a sight to
behold and as we walked towards Hogswarts we all gasped at how large and impressive the castle looked. 
A beautiful morning was spent visiting visited the Lake Louisa State Park "the
real Florida". We explored, stopping at Dixie Lake and
the beach on the shores of Lake Louisa. We were mesmerised by the variety of wildlife, not surprising really as
Lake Louisa is renowned for its clear water.
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