We woke at our cheap hotel well rested and ready or a day of free Disney fun. Got breakfast at the hotel, and then hit up a couple of touristy shops. Zoe wanted an Ariel shirt, but we could only find a swimsuit … Which she thought was awesome. From there we parked at Downtown Disney and wandered a bit. Avi had fallen asleep so it was nice to explore the fancy Disney shops with Zoe who
(mostly) understands how to browse and not buy.
Zoe then got soaking wet in the squirt fountain and didn’t believe it would make her cold. She was then so cold on the shuttle boat that she curled in a tiny ball in the sun. Once Avi woke we boarded the “Sassagoula River cruise” boat that shuttles between the Port Orleans resort and downtown Disney. It was a fun way to get a boat ride and we enjoyed the playground at the resort for a bit. She was dry by the time we returned and checked in for a late lunch at the T-Rex cafe.
We had been into this place before a while ago during our last Disney World vacation. But we hadn’t seen the whole place or eaten, so this was a special visit. The whole restaurant is dinosaur themed with giant animatronic Dino’s and bugs and fossils. It even features a periodic meteor shower when all the Dino’s go nuts and the ice cave changes colors. It’s similar to a rainforest cafe, just paleo. Predictably, Zoe loved it and Avi enjoyed that we were seated by a huge tropical fish tank. This was after I asked to be moved away from a table in the main aisle. The food and service was just eh, and it was so loud I couldn’t speak just yell. Oh well, it was still a fun experience.
After T-Rex we were done with Disney and wanted to get on the road north. Tonight Bryan was meeting us for a kayak trip down the Suwannee river! Well, he beat us to the campground since he got off work early. It gave him a chance to scope out our kayak route and figure the car shuttles. Our drive north was just under 3 hours, and both kids slept the ENTIRE time. Seriously. I woke them as we pulled into the Stephen Foster historical park and they both screamed “Daddy!!!!” as we parked at the campsite.
It is so nice to be back with Bryan. I’ve missed him these last two weeks. It’s especially awesome that we get to do a fun part of our trip together as a family. Zoe was so excited to give Bryan the cool stuff we have gathered for him along our trip: a few shells, a special leaf, her Jr ranger badge, some key limes, key lime jelly beans, and even a tiny key lime tree. Avi was just so happy to snuggle with Daddy and give him big hugs! Now we are just having much needed family time doing what we love best: camping.
