The weather forecast for today was good again and we had many things to do in mind. We started with getting up early and at about 10:30 we left the hotel towards Animal Kingdom. We still had FastPasses left over from our first visit during this vacation, we wanted to have some additional PhotoPass pictures and we wanted to ride the Kali River Rapids…

After parking the car at Dinosaur 37 we walked towards the park entrance. In the park we first got our picture taken with Dug and Russell from the Disney Movie UP and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger before we went for the rides. We started with a FastPass for Dinosaur and from there we walked towards the Expedition Everest to utilize our FastPass.

From there we walked towards the Kali River Rapids, the ride where you might get wet but will get soaked! Danielle wasn’t sure about going on but I insisted that might not turn out good for me since Danielle is usually the lucky one and comes out of the ride without a dry spot, but I took the gamble. The wait time listed was 40 minutes but in the end it was a walk-on so no time for a second thought and we went on. I guess the pictures do speak for itself and I can tell you it wasn’t pretty for me…

After exiting the ride we went tot Dinosaur and then it was time to leave Animal Kingdom for the very last time during this vacation, on our way to the exit we got some additional PhotoPass pictures. From there we drove back to the hotel because Danielle wanted to change her clothes, I wonder why…

After a quick-lunch at the Chick-fil-a we went to the Premium Outlets at the Vineland Avenue to look for a new suitcase. After checking out all the shops we ended found a lightweight suitcase at The Luggage Factory. We didn’t buy a new suitcase to take an extra one back home but because one of our suitcases is over its lifetime and might not survive the flight back home in one piece and that is a risk we didn’t want to take.

Finally done with shopping for this trip we went back to Walt Disney World to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at the Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s. But that wasn’t the best idea since the park closed at the time we arrived. At the moment we found out I changed the directions and we went to Epcot to see Illuminations for the last time during this vacation.

But before it was 9:00 we went to Duffy in Christmas outfit since the pictures we took yesterday with our own camera where not focussed due to wrong camera settings. Afterwards it already got fresh so Danielle walked all the way back to the car, parked at Create 42 at the end of the lane to get our vests, in the meantime I took a flight to Mars with Mission:Space and at the time I arrived back on earth Danielle entered Epcot again.

Danielle got a Salted Caramel Mocha at the Fountain View (Starbucks), I got a Funnel Cake at the American Adventure, we went on the Maelstrom in Norway, we took the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico and then we went to our favorite spot to watch Illumination in Germany. And while waiting Danielle got herself a Glühwein to stay warm, I got a glass of beer and we shared a Pretzel.

Soon it was time for the most beautiful firework shows we have ever seen and I got some nice shots again. After the show we left the park, probably for the last time during this vacation, without saying anything. This is such a great park with an amazing atmosphere we can’t go back.

Back in our hotel we needed to start preparing our suitcases for the flight back since we can check inn tomorrow and we’d like to fly back with 2 suitcases only to save 75$. After about 1,5 hour we were done with 2 somewhat heavy carry-on suitcases and 2 suitcases which are exactly 23 kilo, the allowed weight.

Today was the usual one day bad weather we have during our vacation, at least we hope it stays to one day only with still two days to go. Usually we go out shopping in the local indoor malls but we’ve done this already and have pretty much seen everything. So we decided to drive to a somewhat bigger mall in Miami about 220 miles from our hotel, that’s about 350 kilometer.

The destination was the Aventura Mall where one of the bigger Macy’s stores is located as well as one of the 2 Tommy Hilfiger Anchor stores in Florida. To make the trip worth it we got a 50$ gift card from the Tommy Hilfiger Anchor stores in Miami due to a complaint I filed in the first week of our vacation which we needed to pick-up.

Yes we know that’s about the same amount of dollars we would spend on the roundtrip Lake Buena Vista – Miami – Lake Buena Vista so where are the benefits? Well besides the in general 25-40% lower prices compared to Europe we got a 10% off on our entire purchase as a returning customer and there was an action with 25% off of every woven shirt and blouse in the store.

We woke up early to make sure we would leave on time and at exactly 8:00 we drove to the 7eleven across the street to fill the car with gas. At the first Starbucks along the route with stopped to get coffee and a small breakfast. From there Danielle took over the steering wheel and drove without a single stop to the latest stop of the turnpike Florida while Sander was surfing, sending whatsapps, sending mails and gaming on his 2 phones and iPad. After the driver change we arrived at the Aventura Mall at 11:30 and we went straight to the Tommy Hilfiger Store.

Shopping was as amazing as the last time, we got helped some great new items and Danielle was really lucky since the first items from the brand new women’s holiday collection arrived today. After a solid 2 hours we left the store and saved $244,75 together with the gift card this was $294,75, in Euros that would be about €220, so I think the trip was well worth it since the gas costed $63,79.

After the shopping we where hungry and we decided to visit the Grand Lux Cafe, this was a deception. It should be the better version to the Cheesecake Factory and we think it can be but we where just unlucky wight the table we got and our server. The Kobe Burger we picked was delicious. The server already knew his service wasn’t the best and he already apologized a couple of times when handing over the bill, so this was a first time for me tipping clearly less than what is usual in the States.

After lunch we walked through this huge mall but except for checking out the new iPad Mini with the Retina screen and the faster processor, checking out the Macy’s we only bought something at the Victoria Secret. And then it was time for his to drive back to our hom…hotel.

As soon as we were back in the Greater Orlando area we decided to go to a pizza place Yelp suggested, we ended up by a very small New York style pizza place where we ordered a MEDIUM-sized pizza with two different toppings. One side had Hawaii and the other half was BBQ Chicken.

After having this one finished we drove the last 20 minutes to our hotel where Danielle checked out our luggage situation. We might not need a 3rd suitcase this time but that is something we will figure out on friday evening after we have bought a new suitcase since one of our suitcases is in a bad state and might not make it back to Europe without falling apart.