Cayetano Reunion 2006 Trip Report Day 1

Well, It has been a month since we got back from the Cayetano Family Reunion;) Attendance was okay, but hope to see more of you in the future (only other attendee was Kathy and family).

We had a great time. The weather was great! Sunny and not too humid? Just unbelievable! We flew down to Orlando on Southwest Airlines just like we did the last time but we did not take the car seats for this trip because we will use Disney Transportation exclusively so we did not need to rent a car. We were allowed to preboard because Maddie was under 4 years old so we were able to get great seats towards the front of the plane (first on, first off). As our plane lands in Orlando on Thursday, June 22^nd, the girls start to get excited about going to Disney. Since we are staying at a Disney resort (Contemporary Resort), they provide transportation from the airport to our resort. They call this Disney’s Magical Express. They show a short video on the bus that gets everyone in a Disney mood. We also did not have to worry about our luggage – they would deliver it directly to our room. I guess it is much like going on a cruise where your luggage goes directly to your cabin.

When we finally get to our resort Sheila checks in while the girls and I lounge around in the lobby soaking in that Disney magic. Well some pixie dust must have blown our way because when Sheila tells us we are staying in one of the Tower Rooms facing the Magic Kingdom, I could not believe it. WOW! Our room is on the 8th floor of the tower building facing the Magic Kingdom. The room has been recently renovated with a flat panel TV and all. This is one of the hotels that have the monorail going right through it. The view from the balcony is unbelievable - we can see Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain! I just wanted to keep the curtains open to enjoy the view. Sheila does not have much time to enjoy the view because she has a class she needs to attend so as soon as we drop off some of our belongings in our room, we head back downstairs to grab some lunch at the Food and Fun Center. I order a Cuban sandwich, Sheila has a bacon cheeseburger, and the girls have chicken tenders and a hot dog. The Food and Fun Center really needs to be remodeled because it is like an outdated, small school cafeteria. Lauren even mentions she does not like eating there. After lunch, Sheila attends her conference and I take the girls back upstairs to our room for a nap.

After our nap, we head down to the pool. Nice pool. The water is just right. I can just walk right in without having to get used to the water temperature. We do not have tickets to the parks yet so we plan to spend most of our time at the pool and at Downtown Disney (shopping area).

When Sheila finishes with her conference for the day, we take a bus to Downtown Disney. When we get there, Sheila heads straight for the World of Disney store while I take the girls to the Lego Imagination Center. We meet back at Earl of Sandwich for dinner. It was crowded there that night. The girls and I manage to get a table while Sheila stands in line to order our food. Sheila orders me the Full Montague sandwich - roast beef and turkey with cheddar and Swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. Sheila has the Earl's Club - roast turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. The girls share a pizza. The sandwiches are delicious - much better than the Food and Fun Center at the Contemporary Resort. After dinner, we head back to the resort. Before we go upstairs to our room, I get a craving for ice cream so we get some Mickey Ice Cream Bars to take upstairs to our room while we watch the Wishes fireworks display. Maddie is a little scared of the fireworks so she stays in the room while Sheila, Lauren and I enjoy the fireworks from our balcony. What a great 1st day at Disney!