Since we were at the Pumpkin Festival for the weekend of the big day, we decided to celebrate a few days later. We gave up giving gifts for birthdays and anniversaries several years ago. We decided to go someplace special or do something that we normally would not.
The year Steve turned sixty-five, we took a western trip to Colorado and Wyoming, flying out of Connecticut to Denver. We spent two weeks. Had a great time. Toured Denver...the capitol and mint. Taken to lunch by our friend Tim. Rafted. Starred in a Melodrama. Pikes Peak (twice--by car and cog rail). Revisited Fort Carson (where Steve served most of service time). Cheyenne capitol. Casper and vicinity. But neither our calendar nor budget allowed me the same flexibility for my big year.
I love the tourist trap shows and things in Orlando. We decided to go to spend the day. We used to have season passes for Disney, but again for the last couple of years, this has not had a place in our calendar. For my fiftieth birthday we had gone to Cape Canaveral and Medieval Times. Steve said that I was the loudest person there. That may be why MY jouster won the tournament. For sixty, we went to Disney’s HoopDeDoo! Loved it.
I really wanted to try the Dixie Stampede this time, but despite the other three venues (Branson, Myrtle Beach and Pigeon Forge), it had closed its doors in the Orlando area.
We looked at several of the “dinner shows” and decided that we would like to try Arabian Nights. Florida residents get fairly good discounts on most of the attractions. One does have to prove it by showing a license or some sort of ID. So, in making the reservations, we so identified ourselves. When we reached the box office, we were already plugged in for the discount. We showed our ID’s and voile! We got front row seats in section H1. Excellent seating.
But, before all this happened, we kenneled Frisky as we figured that we would be home late. Then we left. Had breakfast at Denny’s. I had a Belgian waffle. The waitress was kind enough to get me some warmed strawberries to top it.
Arriving at Arabian Nights, we purchased our tickets.
It was still very early in the day. What would we do to kill some time? We did not want to spend much money. So, we decided to walk through Downtown Disney which I always find fun. We spent some time at the LEGO store. It truly is amazing what they do with those things. The prices charged for LEGOs bought at Disney, however, are very pricey.
We walked through the toy store too. Mr. Potato Head is the star of a large portion of the store. My original potato head was stryofoam. When it got beat up, I used a real potato. Threw it out when it got black and used another one. We had limited pieces that could be used. Today’s potato head is a large plastic potato –shaped blob. One can buy a gazillion accessories today. In my day, the set was basic without many added chances to change his look. The potato head can now look like many of the characters from Disney films (a pirate looked like fun). Lots of noses, hats, shoes, ears, eyes.
Then, we went to play a game of miniature golf. I thought that I wanted to find the Congo, but did not bring the address with me. We found three “Pirate Cove” courses. We settled on the one closest to Old Town. It is behind the huge yellow teed golf ball. Again, mentioning our being Florida residents, we received a discount. We decided to play at Blackbeard’s portion of the course. The other choice was Captain Kidd.
2845 Florida Plaza Blvd.
Kissimmee, FL 34746
407-396-7484
“Pirate's Cove, ‘the Original Adventure Golf,’ offers an unequaled miniature golf experience! The adventures and legends of infamous pirates come to life in our award-winning theme park settings. Putt your way through caves, over footbridges, and under cascading waterfalls, all amidst a fun-filled atmosphere of natural wonders, extraordinary landscaping and enchanting pirate lore. “ (from web site)
Steve and I apparently are fairly well matched. We have not played miniature golf in at least fifteen years (maybe twenty). We were both wayyyyyyyyyy over par. I did get a hole in one. Startled the lady at the “pro” shop with my loud wild hooting holler. I won by four ; but as I said, we really were well matched. We actually thoroughly enjoyed it.
Next we walked around Old Town. It is kind of dead during the day, but there were some fun windows in which to window shop. We noticed a large number of vacant stores…another sign of a drooping economy, I guess. Stopped at Checkers for soda and a quick snack.
Arabian Nights
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| Our ticket taker, setting the mood of the evening! |
3081 Arabian Nights Blvd
Kissimmee, FL 34747
1-800-553-6116
407-239-9223
By this time, it was getting close to 4:15 when Arabian Nights opens with an appetizer “buffet”…a very good pasta salad and nachos and salsa. A very pretty belly dancer gives three five to ten minute performances while we wait for the main doors to open. Very nice.
“The entire Arabian Nights performance and dinner show is hosted inside the Palace of Horses, the world’s largest indoor equestrian arena for a permanent show, where 11 different breeds of horses are trained and cared for by the dedicated staff of this amazing dinner theater production.” (from web site). The stars of the show are the Arabians. The other breeds:
• American Paint Horse
• American Cream
• Appaloosa
• Belgian
• Canadian Warmblood
• Irish Draught
• Percheron
• Saddlebred
• Shetland Pony
Our seats were first row, ringside. Great seats. Food…ok, but cold. I had ordered the chef’s selection which was pot roast on puffed pastry. It wasn’t very puffy. The meat was decent, but the mashed potatoes were (as Steve would say) “not real.” Very disappointing. Steve had sirloin which was a better selection. The ladies sitting to my right were from England and “on holiday.” The show started before we had time to finish our meal. So, we finished it in the dark. Dessert was white cake with raspberry, chocolate cake or vanilla or chocolate Dixie cups. Dessert portions were really small.
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| Swing your pardn'rs, Do, Si, Do! |
The show, however, was great. It started with a lone woman on horseback and a story was built around her. She was an American. Her ancestry, however, proved that she was a princess. The story came complete with a genie in a lamp. She needed to find her a prince within a short given time period or the black prince would take over her realm. She traveled with the genie all over the world, including America. A black stallion was involved. And, of course, a prince.
Great Equestrian show! Dressage. Gypsies. Bare Back riders. A great western square dance on horseback. Lots of Americana complete with our stars and stripes. A beautiful black stallion performed just by hand signals. Native American tribute. Unicorn. Dark evil henchman. A goat ran through in the middle of the show (when I asked Steve to tell his highlight, he immediately mentioned the goat). Lighting and special effects were amazing. A bit of magic (or illusion). Smoke. Fog. The best of the best for those who love horses and seeing them a beautiful equestrian setting. Riders came close to the “wall” so that one could almost touch the horses. (An upgrade allows one to go to the stables before the show). Show was magnificent .
The finale was a beautiful American tribute with Lee Greenwood’s I’m Proud to Be an American!
The horses came back into the arena for frolic time and to "play." Some of them galloped about. Some rolled. Some just stood and looked like the stars that they are.
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