Regina, David and their children crossed the threshold into the beautiful Victorian inspired lobby of their hotel.
The entire lobby was one large open space with smaller rooms attached to the main area. There was a section in the middle that housed an elegant fountain that was surrounded by beautifully carved white columns. This created the illusion that it was in a room of it's own, even though the fountain could easily be seen from all angles of the lobby. As well as this, everything from the decorations to the sets of armchairs and tables around the outskirts of the lobby were classy but modern in style. The entire lobby was an elegant white with brown accents in the decorations, and this created a casually luxurious look while also giving the area a feeling of comfort and warmth.
"Welcome to the main lobby of the Grand Floridian Villas." The doorman said as he entered the lobby last. "I believe you've already started the check-in process online at home?"
"Yes we have." Regina responded.
"Excellent. In that case if you'd allow me to show you to the Online Check-In desk, your welcome package is already waiting for you."
Regina felt David's arm slip around her waist and she raised her eyes to meet his affectionately.
"I can go get those if you want." He said. "Why don't you guys have a look around the lobby?"
She smiled in response, and closed her eyes briefly as he kissed her temple.
"I'll be right back." He said, before following the other man.
Regina kept smiling even after he had left. There was a soft blush on her cheeks again and her gaze had dropped to the floor. However she soon became aware that there were two people watching her. Her eyes met Kaelyn's first, who was looking up at her with eyes that were still shining with excitement. Second her gaze locked with Henry's. He had his backpack slung lazily over one shoulder as he shook his head at her, smirking.
She cleared her throat in slight embarrassment, adjusting her hair.
"You two never quit." Henry said.
"There's nothing wrong with a couple showing each other affection." Regina said with a twinkle in her eye.
Kaelyn shook her head emphatically in agreement, causing her mother to laugh.
"See? Your sister understands."
"Just... keep it PG okay?" Henry asked. "Or you know, G. We're going to be in public for a lot of this trip."
Regina flashed her eyes at him amiably, choosing not to respond.
"Mommy I wanna see the fountain!" Kaelyn said, apparently bored with the conversation.
The little girl tugged on her mother's hand, dragging her with her towards the fountain in the center of the lobby.
The fountain was in the middle of an open space which reached all the way to the upper levels of the building. Each floor had an elegant wraparound balcony, and there were two large chandeliers that had layers of lights beginning at the very top, and which reached down through the building. They only stopped at the level just above where Regina, Henry and Kaelyn stood by the fountain.
"Look!" Kaelyn exclaimed as they reached the fountain. "Penguins!"
"Hey I recognise those guys." Henry commented as he followed behind them. "Kaelyn do you know what movie those are from?"
Kaelyn continued to stare in wonder at the exquisitely carved bronze penguin statues throughout the fountain. Some were made to look like they were splashing around in the water, carrying teapots and tea trays with cups and saucers. Two of the penguins were standing on the fountain itself, holding on to the top rim while pouring 'tea' into the cups being held out to them by their friends below.
"Ummm..." Kaelyn thought.
Henry crouched to her height. "Think, what movie do we know that has dancing penguins that like to serve tea?" He asked kindly.
Kaelyn looked up at her mother who shrugged, smiling affectionately. Of course she knew the answer but she knew Kaelyn would figure it out.
The three year old looked at the penguins again, thinking. She gasped. "Mary Poppins!"
"Yeah! Good job Kae!" Henry said, holding out his hand for a high-five.
Kaelyn giggled happily as her little palm tapped his lightly. She leaned forward against the fountain to look down into the water.
"Kaelyn be careful." Regina warned gently. "You don't want to fall in."
"They're so cute!"
Regina smiled. "Yes they are. Would you like to see the penguins at the top?"
Kaelyn nodded. She lifted her arms up to her mother, and Regina picked up her daughter so she could get a better look.
Kaelyn reached out towards the penguins holding onto the top of the fountain, but she wasn't close enough to touch them.
"We're all set." Came David's voice from behind. Regina turned to see him arriving at her side. "Hey, who are your new friends?" He smiled, winking at his wife.
"Mary Poppins!" Kaelyn exclaimed.
"Ahh I see." David said, brushing his fingers through her hair. "These little guys are getting ready to throw a tea party for Julie Andrews I guess?"
Kaelyn nodded.
"Who knows, maybe we'll see Mary herself sometime this week." Regina said softly.
"Really?!"
"You never know."
"I wanna see her!"
"Well, just wish really hard and then maybe she'll hear you and come find you." Henry said.
"Really?"
He shrugged, "I dunno, maybe. But she's a busy person so don't take it personally if it takes her a while."
David shook his head in amusement. "So, wanna go up and see the room now?"
"Yeah!" Henry and Kaelyn said in unison.
"But can we grab something to eat soon?" Henry asked. "I'm starving."
David laughed, patting Henry's shoulder. "No problem buddy."
The elevator they took had a floor indicator above the doors that instead of looking like a normal arrow, was cast in the image of Mary Poppins' parrot umbrella. It was bronze so it blended in well with the surroundings and wasn't immediately noticeable. This detail needed to be pointed out to Kaelyn who was too enthralled over the fact that they were going on an elevator, which was a very rare experience for her.
Henry practically ran through the hallways when they reached their floor, determined to be the first to find the room. He had in hand four colourful armbands with Mickey head silhouettes on them. These secure bracelets would act as their room keys and also allow them faster access to areas in the parks. When they arrived at their room, they found their luggage already there, just as promised. They entered through a hallway leading into the kitchen of the suite, and this attached openly to a living room that had very comfortable looking furniture and a medium-sized flat screen TV.
David entered last and shut the door behind them. He looked around as he followed the rest of his family into the kitchen.
"This'll do huh?"
"It's perfect." Regina commented.
Henry grinned. "Of course you like it Mom, it looks like a baby version of our kitchen."
Regina breathed a laugh. It was true, the design was similar, but privately she knew this kitchen didn't hold a candle to her own. And not to mention that hers was much larger. One thing this kitchen did have that was new was a large round table with a cushioned bench surrounding 2/3 of the table, allowing for lots of seating room.
Along with the kitchen and living room, their suite had a room with a washer and dryer, two bathrooms and two bedrooms. The master bedroom contained a king sized bed while the other room had two queen sized beds. When they saw the master bedroom, Henry joked that it looked like Regina had designed that as well. The entire suite had a modern classy look, while still looking warm and inviting. The colour palette was full of browns and whites, similar to the family's own home. The kitchen, living room and bedrooms all had coved ceilings, and the decorating was full of Victorian and French regency inspired accents.
The entire villa suite could be described as cozy even though it was rather spacious. The design and decorating style gave it a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, and it really did feel like home.
With their parents following more slowly behind them, Kaelyn and Henry had hurried into the other bedroom which was the only room they hadn't seen yet. Kaelyn bounded towards the furthest bed and tried climbing up onto it. It was a little too high for her, but within a few seconds she was lifted up by her underarms. She shrieked happily as Henry dropped her onto the bed.
"I guess you claim that one?" He grinned, flopping down onto the other bed. He landed next to a red runner at the foot of the bed. On this were three towels that had been rolled up to create the silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head.
On her bed, Kaelyn crawled towards the four pillows that had been placed standing up in a row against the white faux-leather headboard with a mahogany frame. All of the beds had already been turned down, and there were squares of chocolate placed by the pillows on each one. They were milk chocolate in gold wrappers with pictures of the Grand Floridian on the front of them.
Kaelyn picked them up as David and Regina walked into the room.
"For me?" She asked.
"A gift from housekeeping." Regina replied. "That was sweet of them wasn't it?"
Kaelyn nodded, bringing one closer to her face so she could look at the pictures on it.
"I think you mean mousekeeping." David corrected his wife.
"Excuse me?"
"Mousekeeping, that's what they call the housekeepers here."
She gave him an amused but questioning look.
He laughed. "It was in the welcome booklet." He explained as he wrapped an arm around her.
She rolled her eyes amiably as Henry unwrapped one of the chocolates from his bed and popped it into his mouth.
"They're really good." He mumbled as he chewed.
"I have one too?" Kaelyn asked, holding a chocolate up to her parents.
Regina looked to Henry. Normally she wouldn't allow sweets before dinner, but she didn't want to say no since Henry had already eaten one. Besides, they were on vacation, if ever there was a time to bend the rules it was now.
"Of course you can. Just one though. You can have the other after dinner." She smiled, taking the chocolate and unwrapping it for Kaelyn.
Once they had settled in a little, they tried to decide on what to do for dinner. They had not made any plans in advance because they hadn't been sure if they would feel up to going out after the somewhat long day of travelling.
"We could stay here and order room service..." David suggested as they stood in the kitchen. "Maybe watch a movie or something. Or the Concierge told me there are some tables available in the Grand Floridian Cafe, it's just over in the main building and the kitchen's still open for a bit."
"It doesn't matter to me." Regina said softly.
"Wanna go see the castle." Kaelyn asked, jumping up and down excitedly.
"We're gonna see it tomorrow squirt." Henry said, taking hold of her hands as she continued to jump.
"Maybe we should go down to the restaurant, a bit of a walk might use up some of Kaelyn's energy." David whispered.
"Or it could wind her up even more." Regina responded.
"Think we should just stay here tonight? It has been a long day."
"I just want food." Henry said, overhearing their conversation.
"We could unpack while we wait, we would have more time to relax if we stay here." David said.
"Let's just stay here, I wanna watch a movie."
"You won't feel like we're missing out by spending our first night here in the room?" Regina asked her son.
"This place is great, I think we should just hang out for tonight. It's getting late anyways."
"Well if that's what you want it's fine by me." She smiled.
David wrapped his arms around Regina from behind. "Okay, I'll get the menu then."
She sighed happily, leaning into his embrace. She turned a little, leaning up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms more securely around her and deepened the kiss. When their lips parted, he rested his forehead against hers as she wrapped her arms around him. Regina closed her eyes in contentment for a few moments, simply enjoying being in his arms.
"I got the menu." Henry announced.
His parents looked up to find him already deciding what to eat.
"You guys were going to take all night." He explained, glancing at the menu again. "Woah there's twenty-four hour room service! Nice! Hey they have New York strip steak! Kae what do you feel like?"
Kaelyn jumped at him, grabbing onto his arm. "Ice cream ice cream!"
Henry laughed. "I mean food! You need real food first. Let's see what's on the kid's menu. Hmm... What about grilled chicken and vegetables? Or your favourite, peanut butter and jelly?"
David and Regina shared a smile as they watched.
"Do you already have an idea for what you want?" Regina asked him.
"I don't know, maybe just a burger or something. You?"
"Something light I think. I'm not that hungry." Regina responded, smiling as she watched Kaelyn continue to bounce her energy off of her brother.
"We already know what we want." Henry announced, shoving the menu in the direction of his parents. "If you want I can call them when you decide."
Regina gave him a look as she took the booklet. "You're not going to order the whole menu if we let you do that are you?"
Henry grinned. "I won't, I promise."
"Okay," David feigned his disbelief. "Let's see what they've got here."
He and Regina remained standing with their arms around each other as they looked over the menu.
It was less than two hours later and the family had already finished eating dinner. They were now snuggled up on the couch together watching a movie. David had his arm around Regina who was curled against him under a blanket and leaning her head against his shoulder. Henry was leaning against the arm of the couch and Kaelyn had squashed herself in between Regina and Henry after changing her mind halfway through the movie about sitting on David's other side.
Mary Poppins had been on their mind because of the subtle decorations all over the Grand Floridian Villas, including inside their hotel room, and so that was the movie they had chosen to watch. They had just passed the Feed the Birds scene when Henry's eyes narrowed as he heard something that wasn't part of the movie.
"What's that?" He asked, leaning forward in his seat.
David and Regina looked at each other as they listened. They could hear the sound of distant thundering coming from outside.
"Is it fireworks?" Regina guessed.
David nodded, checking the time. "I think so. It must be their nightly show."
Henry jumped up from the couch. "I wonder if we can see them from here?"
Kaelyn scrambled after him as he hurried towards the balcony.
"Henry watch your sister out there," Regina called after them as they disappeared outside.
They could hear Kaelyn and Henry's excited voices until Kaelyn's face reappeared in the doorway.
"Come see!" She urged her parents.
Regina gave a soft sigh, smiling reluctantly up at her husband. She was quite comfortable where she was.
David's arms tightened softly around her. He knew what she was thinking and he felt much the same way.
"We don't have to stay out there long." He said, stroking her hair.
"No... And besides, I'm sure it's beautiful."
He waited for her to move first so he wouldn't end up forcing her to get up since she was leaning on him, and after a few moments, she did. They held hands as they followed their children out onto the balcony into the crisp evening air.
To the left of their building was the main building of their resort. Over the rooftops they could see part of the fireworks show which was being held in the Magic Kingdom around Cinderella's Castle. However, from their vantage point despite the little section that was blocked by the hotel, much of the fireworks show remained unobstructed. They had a good view of it from across the lake known as the Seven Seas Lagoon. They could hear the music drifting over the water and they noticed that they could even see the castle changing colours in the distance, even if it was quite small.
Henry was holding Kaelyn so she could get a better view, and her eyes were shining as she watched the beautiful colours and shapes lighting up the night sky.
Regina moved to stand beside Henry and leaned forward against the railing.
"Pretty nice view huh?" Henry asked.
"Indeed it is." Regina replied.
"It's so pretty!" Kaelyn cooed from Henry's arms.
Regina smiled when she felt David's hand on her shoulder. He occupied the spot at the railing on her other side, and she slipped her arm around his waist as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Standing like that they watched the rest of the show.
The whole show was about twelve minutes long, and they lingered outside for a little while afterwards to enjoy the beautiful weather. From where they were sitting on their elegant white balcony, every once in a while they could see a ferry or other type of boat passing by in the lake below.
They were quite high in the building but were right on the water, and so despite the fact that they were technically in the middle of a theme park they felt almost as if they were in the country. The peaceful sound of the waves crashing gently against the shore and the sound of the palm trees rustling in the wind created a very relaxing atmosphere. Since the air was cooling down however, they soon decided to go back inside to finish the movie.
David re-occupied his seat on the couch from earlier, and Regina settled into his embrace again. She grabbed the blanket and he helped to fix it around her, knowing she had been shivering when they were outside.
"Mmm, thank you." She said, closing her eyes as she curled against him.
Henry flopped back down on the couch beside them and switched the movie back on. Kaelyn climbed up next to him. She wormed her way under the blanket and sat on her father's lap, pulling the blanket over herself. Regina smiled at her, running a hand through her hair before they all turned their attention back to the movie again.
By the time the movie had ended, Kaelyn had fallen asleep on her father's lap. Regina was still curled against David, and she had an arm wrapped around her sleeping daughter.
Henry turned off the TV, yawning into his hand before reluctantly standing up from the comfort of the sofa.
"Off to bed?" Regina looked up at him.
Henry nodded, suppressing another yawn.
"Good idea. I think it's about time we all turned in." Regina said, beginning to get up too.
"It's a good thing this little princess already brushed her teeth and put her PJs on." David said, looking down at the deeply sleeping three year old.
Regina nodded, smiling affectionately at their daughter.
"I'm gonna go get ready for bed." Henry said, trudging off through the kitchen to the hallway towards his and Kaelyn's room.
Regina carefully lifted Kaelyn from David's lap, trying not to wake her. The little girl squirmed a little at the movement but soon settled against her mother and fell quickly back into a deep sleep.
David grabbed Bunny from the sofa and followed his wife. When they reached the room, David moved the four pillows from Kaelyn's bed. He lay two of them flat at the head of the bed and then placed the other two off to the side because they probably wouldn't be used. Regina laid Kaelyn down in the center of the bed. David placed Bunny next to the little girl, while Regina pulled the blankets up to Kaelyn's shoulders and then sat down on the edge of the bed.
Regina smiled, brushing her daughter's dark brown hair gently with her fingers.
"Goodnight my little princess." She whispered.
Henry came back from the bathroom dressed in his pajamas, and with his travel case and clothes tucked under his arm. He dropped the stuff he was holding onto the surface of the TV stand. He had a laundry bag but was too lazy to search his suitcase for it at the moment.
"Night," he said as his parents left Kaelyn's side.
He returned the hug his mother gave him.
"Goodnight sweetheart." She said, pressing her cheek to his in a kiss.
David and Henry shared a quick hug and then Henry got into bed.
About ten minutes later in their own bedroom, Regina came out of the bathroom to find David already sitting in bed and looking at his phone. Regina pulled back the covers and got in, taking her hand cream from the bedside table and massaging some of it into her skin. After capping the bottle, she moved towards the middle of the large bed as David put his phone away.
"Today went pretty well I thought." He said as Regina rubbed the excess hand cream into David's hands. "I'm glad there were no delays at the airport."
"Yes, it went well. And the hotel is perfect." She agreed, settling into his arms.
She sighed happily, closing her eyes as his arms wrapped more protectively around her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.
"I think tomorrow should be fun." David said.
"Mhmm." She replied softly as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm really happy we decided to do this David."
"Me too. I think Henry and Kaelyn are going to have a lot of fun here this week."
"I think we all will." She rubbed her hand tenderly up and down his arm. "Come on honey, let's get some sleep." She said, before reluctantly manoeuvring out of his embrace to lie down.
He pulled the blankets over her and then lied down on his side. They each wrapped an arm around each other as they shared a kiss.
They stared affectionately into each other's eyes for a few moments before Regina leaned towards him for another kiss.
"Goodnight David."
"I love you." He said, gently brushing her hair back.
"I love you too." She whispered.
She closed her eyes tiredly, but there was a warm smile on her lips as she soon fell asleep in her husband's devoted embrace.
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you liked the new chapter! Please don't forget to review xxx
