Wednesday - Queen Victoria visits

The day started a little iffy, a little sun, a few clouds, overcast, more sun and then the day ended with a bang! Julie and Craig spent most of the afternoon at the pool, and about 4 o'clock we all got ourselves cleaned up, met Carolyn and Brian and headed down to the Cove to get a prime viewing seat to watch the glorious Queen Victoria leave.

The Queen Victoria, part of the prestige Cunard Line does not have a home port. This British ship targets a different clientele with its ballroom dancing, royal theater and suites that can cost north of $10,000. for two-week trips. Wednesday was the liner's first stop at Port Canaveral.The weather forecasted heavy winds and rains and as the sky darkened, we could see the majestic ship leave her mouring and headed down the canal, heading out to sea. Just then the sky opened up, the winds blew

(later it was reported that 85 mph winds were recorded at the Space Center which is directly across from our vantage point) at one point, it looked like it was heading directly towards us.

we were trying our best to stay brave and take pictures, but the

weather won as we all headed inside just as she passed us by.

What a beauty she is.....

We stayed at Fishlips to celebrate her brief visit,

taking advantage of the 1/2 price drinks and appetizers at Happy Hour.

Another vacation day marked off the calendar....hopefully tomorrow will not prove the forecast correct for heavy rains and tornados.....

Hollywood Studios & Epcot on Tuesday

Monday evening, Guy was able to show Craig how he has mastered his Escargot recipe....by the smile on Craig's face, he was impressed! Tuesday we awoke with anticipation and we were relieved and pleasantly surprised to see rain had left the atmosphere and we were blessed with a beautiful day....just perfect for visiting a couple of the parks. A pleasant surprise awaited us as we entered Hollywood Studios parking area...they were waving people thru the gate, without having to pay the customary $14.00 parking fees....I'm guessing it was because of the large amount of people coming in, it would have cause a massive traffic jam....

there were actors scattered throughout the area, performing their little skits, drawing guests into their acts

now that's a big hat!

street musicians and dancers were crowd pleasers

Guy wanted to take the backstage tour and as we boarded the tram, Julie and Craig insisted that I take the end seat....the smirks on their faces indicated something wasn't quite right and I was right! They had noticed the water on this side of the vehicle and of course, I was the brunt of the demonstrations.....it was a hot day, so the cool water actually felt good....

drive thru the old Props area was interesting.

After a couple hours, we drove over to Epcot Center where the Flower and Garden Festival (presented by HGTV) was happening. Above is one of the sand art displays. They were nice, but could not compare to the exhibts that Cape Canaveral had last year (see blog for April 2010)

Spring has sprung!

The highlight of Epcot for me is always going on 'Soarin' a least a couple of times. As we entered Epcot, the signs read the ride was totally booked for the entire day....even the Fast Passes were not being issued anymore....I was totally disappointed as I was looking forward to Julie and Craig experiencing it for their first time....

We went into Mexico for a beverage and snack. I do not really like Mexican food and was quite surprised that I really enjoyed the quacamole dip....of course, washing it down with a Margarietta did make it go down better.

The American Pavillon always is another highlight.

Teppan Edo was our restaurant of choice in Japan

it's always fun to watch the chef create his "onion volcano"

the meal was scrumptous, as always....

Craig getting into the spirit of the evening

we lasted through the spectacular Fireworks display and headed home, exhausted and thankful the weather allowed us such a grand day.