[NewM3driver]

We love the Grand Floridian and have been going there for years. To do the Grand right you need to stay in the MAIN BUILDING concierge. We had a 2 room suite for 11 days and it was really quite nice. The orchestra and piano player plays right into your room. What we liked best was the security. Only concierge keys would get you up the private elevator. The kids could go out to the lounge on the fourth floor and you knew they were completely safe.

The Grand is great, but honestly , the Disney parks have been a bit of a let down lately. Lets just say the magic is gone and leave it at that.

A suggestion. Forget about the mouse trap. Head west. We did the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Cali this past summer. It is a different level of nice. Authentic, world class, five diamond resort and spa for the same price as the grand. World renowned golf, the Pacific Ocean 5 minutes in a golf cart away, fabulous food, spa, and unprecedented service. (on day two the staff knows your name and they know what your kids like and don't like)

Trust me your kids will love taking golf lessons with a pro more than standing in a two hour line to get in the haunted mansion, again.

They will love swimming in the Pacific Ocean and never forget watching the sun set while eating dinner at Georges at the cove.

Take them 20 minutes south over the bridge to Coronado Island. Spend a day at the Hotel Del Coronado. (the real Grand Floridian). The professional sand castle builders are spectacular.

Drive them up the coast to Laguna beach. It doesn't get any better. Shop. The Taco Shack is perfect for lunch. Don't miss the Masters show... outdoor theater at night time under the perfect Southern California sky. They won't miss seeing the fireworks show, again, in that mob around the castle.

Take a boat to Catalina Island. The fishing is spectacular.

Head to Anaheim. Show them the *original* Disney. It is smaller but cleaner and much more like the park you remember as a kid. Spend just one night at the Grand Californian. It is a mix between the Grand Floridian and the Wilderness Lodge. After Torrey Pines the Grand Californian looks and feels like a copy, but it is a very nice hotel. ONE day in the park and escape!

Hop in the X5 and drive east. They will love the Mojave Desert, detour slightly and drive over the Hoover Dam, let them swim in the pristine green waters of Lake Mead. Stop just for a night or two in Las Vegas. We love the Bellagio.

Back in the X5. It is an easy 4 hour drive to the Grand Canyon. You don't need a fast pass to get in, lol, and I promise you it will take a teenagers breath away. Don't just look, camp. Go rafting. Sit around a real campfire. roast a marshmallow. Look at the stars. No really, LOOK at that fabulous sky. Count the shooting stars.

There will be MANY photo opps for the X5 (and the kids) along the way.

Now you are living.... and you don't have to fight a mob of tired, whining kids in strollers, lines for boats, packed monorails, ornery people... to get back to your hotel.

There is life beyond Disney. Live it! Take a thousand photos. I promise your kids will LOVE you.

(A couple weeks in Italy doesn't suck either, lol, and I promise you your children will be interested).