I made plans with my longtime friend to spend a few days in Orlando to celebrate Ace's early birthday. We moved the dates earlier because we both have medical appointments—Ace's 2nd birthday falls between his veterinary cardiology and ophthalmology visits and I have dental surgery scheduled as well.
In the weeks leading up to our trip, Ace and I spent time at the Lake Sumter Landing bus depot so he could get comfortable with huge buses, engine noise, and the loud slam of the doors. After a couple of weeks of practice, Ace was more than ready. When it was time to go, he boarded the bus with pure glee. And no, it wasn't a Greyhound—Ace made that very clear in how happily he hopped on.
Ace guided me through the Ground Transportation level and Terminal C at Orlando International Airport (MCO) with impressive precision. He found the restroom, the elevator, and the sliding doors outside while I pulled my luggage. At one point, he eyed an escalator and a staircase, clearly identifying them, but he also knew I couldn't take either while wheeling my suitcase. Smart boy.
We stayed with my friend and her Yellow Labrador Retriever puppy-in-training at Vistana, a resort near Disney Springs. Somehow, we ended up joining a Cinco de Mayo Pub Crawl. It was definitely my friend's idea—not mine—but it was an interesting way to learn what a pub crawl actually is. You hop from one pub to another, sampling a specialty drink and snack at each stop. There were three pubs on the resort property and Ace even posed for a picture with a donkey statue. A first for him.
The next morning, we left early for Disney Springs to train with different types of transportation. Everything was a first for us as a team. We took a Disney bus to Caribbean Beach Resort to ride the Disney Skyliner, a gondola gliding over the resorts. From there, we arrived at the Art of Animation Resort and caught a bus to Magic Kingdom. We walked over to the ferryboat, sailed across the Seven Seas Lagoon, and then boarded the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. Somewhere along the way, Ace received his Disney birthday button. He thought it was pretty cool, even if it wasn't edible.
I had created a fun "Ace's Walk of Fame" craft project to show off Ace's growing career—a little mix of movie-star pride and guide dog excellence. Ace soaked up the photo opportunities, held his "stay" like a champion, and radiated pride. He knows he's a star, and honestly, he deserves it.
Later in the afternoon, we headed to ICON Park, an indoor-outdoor attraction full of things to see and experience. We visited Sea Life Orlando Aquarium, Madame Tussauds, and the Orlando Eye. Sea Life was dim and serene, filled with glowing tanks. We watched an eight-foot shark glide past, which fascinated Ace until the shark disappeared behind the rocks and never resurfaced. Ace then noticed a pedestal by the jellyfish tank and hopped on it to watch the jellyfish drift down toward him. It was a beautiful moment.
At Madame Tussauds, Ace met wax figures of Neil Armstrong, Walt Disney, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, and the most unfortunate-looking of them all—Shrek. Ace decided Elvis was his favorite, mostly because his handler shares Elvis Presley's birthday.
We ended the evening with a quiet ride on the Orlando Eye, a giant slow-moving Ferris wheel,
Our final adventure was riding the SunRail, a double-decker commuter train. Ace didn't mind the scent, the rumbling, or the roar of the locomotive. He remained cool and collected as the train breezed by. The weather was ideal—windy and comfortable—which made it even better for practicing stairwork, escalators, and walking the pedestrian bridge spanning busy Colonial Drive.
Throughout our stay, Ace found plenty of opportunities to stretch his hindquarters on pedestals, work on his stair and escalator skills, and enjoy every moment of his early birthday celebration. It was a trip full of firsts, achievements, and joyful memories.
We are proud to finally check off the major travel experiences we needed to accomplish together as a team:
✔ Airport Bus
✔ City Bus
✔ Disney Skyliner (gondola)
✔ Ferris Wheel
✔ Ferryboat
✔ Monorail
✔ Sunrail