On the Trip

Day 5

Today started out well as we all got to sleep in a little. Then we packed up all our stuff, waited for the elevator in a very long line, and headed to Cocoa Beach. We then went shopping at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and got a surprise when the local therapy dog training group showed up with a whole bunch of dogs in training. It let everyone have a quick pet fix. Then we headed to the beach. The weather and the ocean were perfect today. We made a home base then some kids went to find lunch while others went right for the ocean. The adults all went and rented beach umbrellas and beach chairs. As the afternoon went on a few of the boys rented body boards, some of them made sand castles, lots of them went seashell hunting, and they enjoyed jumping in the waves. The kids also enjoyed the more layer back schedule for the day. I think they all had a really great time. When it was time to go they washed up, stopped at the seven eleven and we got back on the road to head back to Iowa. We will continue heading north with a dinner stop and a bed time stop. I think they are all pretty tired so hopefully it will be a quiet ride.

Day 4

Today was our final day at Disney and it was a jammed packed day. Both the band and choir had a planned performance at Disney Springs and we also got to enjoy all the excitement of the Magic Kingdom. We got our morning started with a trip on the monorail which was exciting as it was such an iconic piece of Disney World. Once inside we finally took our group picture and then went off for the day. The band kids got a little time to explore before they headed out to perform. Both groups got the pleasure of performing for the shoppers at Disney Springs which is Disney’s shopping, dinning and entertainment district. The band had a great crowd for their performance and it was a really great show. Our parents who watched said they got complemented on how great the kids did. As they were performing and getting packed up, the choir started heading out for their performance. We got a bit lost but eventually got to where we needed to be and got ready to perform as the band headed back to Magic Kingdom. The choir’s performance had a brief rain delay but in the end they too had a great performance for a slightly soggy audience. The Disney reps were impressed with all our kids and I think we did AGWSR proud. With all that we finally all ended up back in Magic Kingdom to finish up the day. When I asked them their favorite things a lot of them enjoyed the classic rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain. It sounded like that was one of the favorites. They also enjoyed the nostalgia of the day and seeing and riding things from their childhood. Many of them also said they just enjoyed hanging out with their friends. Of all their answers the firework show came up the most as the best thing so hopefully we ended on a high note. After the fireworks we headed back to the hotel to pack up, get some sleep so we can be ready for 1 more day here in Florida.

Day 3

Today was our Adventure Day! We started our day off pretty normally by getting breakfast at the hotel and then heading out to Hollywood Studios. We got a little lost on the way and ended up behind the park so we got to see some of the back stage area. We eventually had a very nice disney security guy ride with us to our parking spot. Then we made our into the park. About half the group made their way directly to the Tower of Terror while another group braved the two and half hour wait for Rise of the Resistance, the new Star Wars Ride. Both groups really enjoyed their rides, although a few of the Tower of Terror folks said it was great but they were never going to do that again. Another popular ride was the Slinky Dog Dash Roller Coaster. A number of kids mentioned it was there favorite and it sounded like they found some creative ways to kill time in the rather long lines, including a game of Heads Up Seven Up., Rock Paper Scissors, and Ninja. A lot of the boys found the lightsaber store in the new star wars land and now their wallets are little lighter and we have very large souvenirs to pack on the bus. Over all I think they enjoyed all the things our time at Hollywood Studios brought us. Then we got a little lost go to the bus, changed and headed to Medieval Times for our first performance. I have to apologize now that we didn't get it live streamed. The logistic of the performance got a little mixed up and I needed my phone to play our pitch instead of live stream via twitter... never fear though, we tool actual video and it is posted on the Livestream page here so you can catch it. Anyway we got to perform as the first show of the day was letting out so we had a very attentive audience. The band performed ftheir three songs irst and did really great job, even though it was a little windy and they had to catch a stand or two. It was really great so check it out on the other page. The choir followed them with their three songs. The choir had to wing a few things in their performance but the kids did a wonderful job following and adapting and it ended up turning out really well. From there we headed into Medieval times to eat and watch the show. Our tour guide told them to make her proud and they cheered for our section's knight and the kids really took it to heart. They yelled and screamed and were standing up and clapping for our knight every time he was in the ring. They really really got into it and it was really fun to see. I will see if I can find a video of their antics as we cheered. Unfortunately our knight did not win, but we said if the battles were determined by crowd noise instead of the script, our knight would have won. They also do not give you silverware at dinner so we all got to eat with our fingers.... but that being said our chicken was very very tasty. We gave them a few minutes to shop after the show so we now have swords to go with our lightsabers....Should our bus be attacked we will be well protected. Our adventure wasn't over yet though... as we got done with the show the promised rain appeared in the form of a monsoon. It was absolutely pouring. In the end, we had to make a run for it.... so we ended the day very very wet. Over all I think they enjoyed spending time with friends, riding rollercoasters today and hopefully made some good memories. I will post some of their pictures below.... Till tomorrow.

Day 2

We finally made it to Florida! We started our morning at 7:00am by stopping at a rest stop to get cleaned up. They weren't very happy that we woke them but I think that means they got at least a little sleep. We got to Universal Studios at the same time as what felt like 1/2 the teenagers in the country but we all got through security and started our day. Universal Studios actually has two parks and the students could hop between them both as well as explore the City Walk shopping center. I asked the kids tell me the best parts of their day so I thought I would share a few of them with you. The rollercoasters were really popular with a lot of the kids. The Hulk and Spiderman were specially mentioned as some of the best. One group said that the best part of the day was getting stuck on the Cat and Hat ride. I am assuming that it was the thrill of moment, or maybe having an interesting story to tell that made it the best, or maybe it was just the most memorable. Also making the best of the day list was getting to eat Green Eggs and Ham and watching the Mardi Gras parade during the afternoon. I know that our kids also enjoyed Harry Potter world and frequented many of the stores across both parks. We left the park around 8:30 and got checked into our hotel. Since we were in early, they got to check out the pool. I think it was still pretty chilly so most of the took a quick dip and then headed back inside to warm up. Hopefully, as I write this, they are all getting a good nice rest in preparation for tomorrow. I am hoping to add some more pictures tomorrow from our time at Universal, and maybe add some more of their favorite things as they tickle in. We are looking forward to our first performance tomorrow and some Disney World.

Day 1

Well we are on our way! Our day started before dawn as we loaded up the buses and set out on our grand adventure. The buses were pretty quiet for the first few hours as most of us tried to get a little more sleep. We made a quick bathroom break in Hannibal MO’s Walmart where we made quite a scene walking in at 9:30 on a Sunday morning. We then headed onto St. Louis and stopped at one of their malls for lunch. Chinese, Panera, and a stop at a bubble tea shop were the most popular. When we returned to the buses, we discovered we had a flat tire. We were very thankful that we found it while we were stoped and not on the side of the road. So while we called and got the tire fixed everyone got some more time in the mall, which many of them seemed pretty happy about. I think some of them found some deals and I know we gained at least a couple of Build a Bears. So after that brief delay we loaded back up and got back on the road. We got to play spot the Arch as we travel through St Louis and the kids sent the afternoon watching movies, napping, and a few were even reading books. We stopped in Kentucky for a fast food supper. We’re going to finish off our day with one more stop and then try to get some sleep for the night so we are ready for Universal Studios tomorrow.

Page updated

Report abuse