It is a glorious, sunny and warm Floridian morning. I am sitting on a terrace overlooking the game reserve area watching two giraffes enjoy their breakfast. The boys are still asleep exhausted from the previous night.

The rocking chair I am sitting in is made out of the African railway sleepers with the bolt holes still visible. I have a dinning table with 12 chairs at home made out of the same wood. It was handcrafted for me in Johannesburg by the local artisans. Indonesian teak was used in the colonial days to build the extensive rail network in what used to be Rhodesia. The trains transported gold, platinum, diamonds to the ships in Cape Town sailing back to Europe. As the railway is no longer used to such a degree, the sleepers are being pulled up and used for the unique furniture pieces.

As the day progressed, it got sunnier and warmer. There was no filming today, so we decided to relax around the swimming pool and enjoy the sunshine. For boys, that meant three hours in a heated pool. Later they were itchy from chlorine, as their skin got very dry. Some arnica oil remedied that quickly.

In the evening we headed over to the MGM Studios on our Disney guest extended hours pass. Quite a few attractions were closed, but we had a great time. We started with the Star Wars Flight Simulator. It was enjoyable for the boys, as they are fans of the Star Wars. This is a ride to be tried once for the experience.

Next we watched the 3D Muppet Show from the front row of the theater looking silly with our 3D glasses. Sebastian, who is 9, found the show very funny.

In Animation, a live actor was interacting with an animated character, Mushu and his designer. It was interesting to see how Disney creations go through many transformations from their inception to their final form. Before exiting Animation, we answered a few questions, and a computer came out with the perfect animated character match for each one of us. Sebi was pleased to be Buzz Lightyear, Marko was Lumiere, Ivan Woody and I was matched to Nala from Lion King.

For the final big thrill of the day, we went to one of our favourite roller coasters, Rock’n Roller Coaster. The pull at the beginning of the ride is so unexpected that we couldn’t resist purchasing a photo of all four of us in a car taken at that very moment. I am screaming my head off, Sebi is dead serious, Ivan is holding for his dear life, and Marko’s hair has taken a life of its own looking like something out of a cartoon. How is that for a family portrait?