The Incredible Family's First Trip to WDW update 7/6 photopass pictures

[chcmama]

We just got back from our first trip to WDW yesterday. So I decided to try my first trip report. For those of you who want to go back and check out my pre-trip report you can Click Here
If you don't want to go back here is a cast of characters
First is me (34)

I have been to Disneyland 5 times, I love Disney but dh isn't quite as excited about it as me.
DH (37)

He loves thrill rides so he would rather spend his time at Universal but he visits Disney for the kids. He has been to Disneyland 2 times, both with me.
DD (10) lets call her Violet

She has been to Disneyland 1 time when she was 6 and has been begging to go to WDW. She used to love the princesses, Aurora was her favorite, but now she likes Ariel.
DD (7) lets call her Dash (I will explain later)

Her favorite princess is Jasmine, it used to be Ariel. She made her trip to Disneyland when she was 2.
DS (2) lets call him Jack-Jack

He loves Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Little Einsteins.

The story on my dd being called Dash: When the Incredibles came out my dd's decided that it was our family, in fact my younger dd was so convinced that we were the Incredibles that she told the school secretary that her dad's name was Bob. Even though Dash is a boy she still identifies herself with him because he is the middle child like her. One other funny story along these lines, we were waiting in the minivan for dh one time and my ds, who was one at the time, dropped his bottle and I twisted around to get it for him and my younger dd said "that's why she's elastigirl"
Next up: Our night in Chicago and families with children do not get to board first.

 

[HonnyDipp]

I'm the first to sign up! I'm glad you had a great trip, can't wait to hear more!!!

 

[chcmama]

April 25th-the day we leave
The day started off great, we got up and it was sunny out and int he 50's. We finished our last minute packing and left our house about 9:30am. Our flight left Portland around 2pm so we planned to get there by noon. The drive up went smoothly and we pulled into the economy lot and began to wonder how many people were on vacation. The lot was very full, we had to drive around a little to find a spot. We finally found one and we made Violet take a picture of what section we were in. In the rush to get everything out of the car, we almost forgot JackJack's carseat, but we did remember before we got to the shuttle stop. I went back and got it, we had to wait a few minutes for the shuttle but it came quickly, we got loaded and we were off. Dash and I were randomly selected to have to be checked by a counter agent and not just whip through the self checkin kiosk but it still went quickly. Security even went fast, I couldn't believe how easy it all was going. We were ready for lunch so we stopped at a Wendy's at got some lunch. We boarded the plane on time no issues. I was a little concerened because I had checked the weather in Chicago and thunderstorms were forcast for this evening. DH and the girls sat in front of Jack Jack and me, I was sitting next to a lady from Pittsburg who was trying to get home in time for her daughter's graduation from college. After we boarded the plane pulled away from the gate and then we sat there for a little bit. The pilot came on and said we were waiting for weather to clear up in Chicago and we would be sitting for a little while. A few minutes later he came on and said we would be pulling back into the gate, almost immediately he came back on and said nevermind we were going to take off. I was glad we were finally on our way. Jack Jack was very excited about riding on a plane, here are a few pictures of him on the plane

He did really good on the flight, played with some of the stuff I had packed for him, he played with the headphones, I think he was pretending to go fishing or something. He would toss them down to the floor and then pull them back up. He eventually fell asleep and I was able to watch most of the Great Debaters. Part way through the flight the pilot comes on and announces we are in a holding pattern until the weather in Chicago clears up, they estimated 1 1/2 hrs of this and if we had to wait that long we wouldn't have enough fuel We didn't have to wait that long but we did get in about an hour late, which put us landing about when our flight to Orlando was supposed to be leaving. We get in the airport and see our flight has been delayed until 11:30pm. I was glad we hadn't missed it but we were already going to get in about 12:30am and this would put us in at about 3:30am The gate area was pretty crowded so we went to a different gate got some Quiznos for dinner and hung out for a few hours. DH went to check and found out our flight had been canceled. He headed down to United customer service and came back saying the line was hours long, now what were we going to do DH went back and there were some of those self serve kiosks by it and he checked out our reservations and they had us booked on a flight the next morning at 10:45 and waitlisted on a 6am flight. Now we had to decide what we were going to do for the night, it was already 11pm if we left to find a hotel we would have to be back pretty early to see if we could get the 6am flight so it didn't seem worth the hassle of leaving. Good choice since we found out there were no hotel rooms left in Chicago anyway. The girls were getting upset, Dash was concerned that we weren't going to be able to go to Disneyworld now and then she said we should have just wanted until the next day to go. So now came the fun part of trying to get the kids to sleep in the airport. DH layed down on the seats and Dash laid on top of him, I took JackJack for a walk so he would leave the girls alone. When I cam back Dash was asleep, DH slipped out from under her.

We finally got Violet to sleep, it took longer because she was trying to stay awake I think.

By this time we had found some blankets and pillows off one of the planes and covered Dash up.

A plane came in the gate we were sleeping at and dh went to talk to the agent at the gate about our tickets for the next day and he gave us seat assignments on the flight we had tickets for and they were in the 8th row, I was a little excited thinking this putus in economy plus, extra leg room is always nice JackJack was the toughest to get to sleep, he had had a nice nap and the airport was so exciting, it was about 2am before he finally fell asleep.

DH was then able to fall asleep, I slept a little off and on but I had a hard time getting in any position that I would be comfortable enough to sleep in. DH went over to the gate for the 6am flight about 5 and they said to come back and check around 5:30, then he went and bought some bagels and coffee cake stuff for breakfast. We headed back to the gate as they were calling our name, they had 5 seats for us but they were all in the middle and not together. Since we didn't really think anyone would like to take care of JackJack on the flight and Dash didn't want to sit alone we passed on the seats and got waitlisted on the 8am flight. We were the first on the list but there was only 1 seat left so we headed to our 10:45 flight. Apparantly they had switched planes and were going to use a bigger plane to accomadate all the people that were waiting to get to Orlando. So, some of the seat assignments were going to be different. They called us up to the counter and said ours was fine. Now I was getting really excited because the change in planes had put us on one that had business class and being in the 8th row put us in business class. The lady who was working this gate was NOT Disney like but what can you expect in the Chicago airport with a bunch of cranky passengers who have been sleeping in the airport. She made a point to let everyone know that families with children would not get early boarding because if we just looked around we would see that most people were traveling with children. Now I have been travelling with children for almost 11 years and its been about 8 years since we were allowed to board early because of having a child, so I found this statement unneccessary , besides she wasn't very nice. She calls our seating number so we go up all excited about business class and she scans our tickets in and they don't work, now if you remember she called us up and looked at our tickets, but she now says she didnt' look at our seat numbers and of course we couldn't sit there because that was business class, so to row 32 we went. Have a Disney day. The girls really enjoyed this flight because we each had our own tv screen and there were lots of movies and shows to choose from, dh and I watched waterhorse, jackjack watch alvin and the chipmunks. We ended up buying a couple snack boxes on this flight and sharing them. Our flight to Orlando went smoothly, our luggage was waiting for us when we got there, apparantly it flew on the 6am flight. We got our rental car and headed off to our resort, the Sheraton Visatana Resort. We had no trouble finding it and we were so excited to finally be there.
Thankfully the rest of the trip report will be much more positive and fun.

Next up: Our room and the crowds and DTD

 

[chcmama]

I'm the first to sign up! I'm glad you had a great trip, can't wait to hear more!!!

Thanks for joining in, I hope you enjoy it.

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow! That's quite an adventure to get to Orlando! Glad you finally got there

The pictures of your kids sleeping in the airport are adorable! They actually make it look "comfortable" because they're all snuggled with the blankets, especially Dash!

 

[chcmama]

Wow! That's quite an adventure to get to Orlando! Glad you finally got there

The pictures of your kids sleeping in the airport are adorable! They actually make it look "comfortable" because they're all snuggled with the blankets, especially Dash!

Thanks for reading. The chairs in the airport look more comfortable than they are, instead of being flat with cracks they curve up at each division so there is a bump there, since the kids are smaller, especially jack jack, I don't think they notice the bumps as much, but I could not get comfortable at all.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Sorry about all the trouble you had getting there! Sounds sort of familiar...when we went in December our flight was scheduled to leave Milwaukee around 7:30 (which meant we'd also be in Orlando pretty early and be able to do something) but they come on and say our flight was cancelled! Luckily we were able to get on another flight that night but we didn't make it to our hotel until almost midnight. They did give us free flight vouchers which is why we're going this week!

Anyway, enough about my story...can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[dreamer17555]

Joining! Ao arry about all the flight trouble. That had to be hard. The kids seem like real little troopers though! Can't wait to read more.

-Becca-

 

[MRYPPNS]

What a way to start off! Looking forward to more

 

[pajules]

Welcome Back!

We just got back today and I'm looking forward to swapping stories. I'm glad to hear we weren't the only ones who had an interesting flight down.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I'm joining in. Looking forward to reading more and hoping your trip got much better after the flight down!

 

[pooh'smate]

Glad to hear you made it back home safely. Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip. Hope that it was better than your flight to Orlando.

 

[chcmama]

Sorry about all the trouble you had getting there! Sounds sort of familiar...when we went in December our flight was scheduled to leave Milwaukee around 7:30 (which meant we'd also be in Orlando pretty early and be able to do something) but they come on and say our flight was cancelled! Luckily we were able to get on another flight that night but we didn't make it to our hotel until almost midnight. They did give us free flight vouchers which is why we're going this week!

Anyway, enough about my story...can't wait to read more about your trip!

That's nice you got free flight vouchers, we got nada. I don't think they give anything when it is weather related. There was a guy yelling at one of the gate agents because his flight got in late and he missed his connecting flight and he felt they should have held it for him. I can understand his frustration, but the guy he was yelling at certainly didn't make the decision.

Joining! Ao arry about all the flight trouble. That had to be hard. The kids seem like real little troopers though! Can't wait to read more.

-Becca-

The kids really did do good, thanks for joining

What a way to start off! Looking forward to more

It was a rough start, glad to see you over here.

Welcome Back!

We just got back today and I'm looking forward to swapping stories. I'm glad to hear we weren't the only ones who had an interesting flight down.

I'm sorry you had flight trouble too, I can't wait to read about your trip too.

I'm joining in. Looking forward to reading more and hoping your trip got much better after the flight down!

It did get much better, thanks for joining

Glad to hear you made it back home safely. Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip. Hope that it was better than your flight to Orlando.

It was much better, glad you joined.

 

[Msslaydbug]

Can't wait to here the rest ! That was a really rough start !

 

[misscmac]

Not a fun way to start the vacation but I am glad everyone was able to get a little bit of sleep in the airport! Waiting for more

 

[geeech]

Suscribing

Glad you made it..

 

[chcmama]

Can't wait to here the rest ! That was a really rough start !

Thanks for joining, more to come soon

Not a fun way to start the vacation but I am glad everyone was able to get a little bit of sleep in the airport! Waiting for more

Jack Jack definatley got the most sleep, I got the least by far.

Suscribing

Glad you made it..

Thanks for joining, the more the merrier

 

[chcmama]

April 26: check in and DDT
We got to our resort without any problems. DH is very impressed with the roads and how easy we found the place. We were staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort on 535. It was in a great location for WDW, very close and easy to get to. DH went to get checked in while the rest of waited in the car. I think we started to melt as we were all wearing pants and long sleeve shirts. This was the last time I had socks on until we left It wasn't too long and DH came out with the keys and we found our room. This is a pretty big resort with lots of sections, we stayed in the Palms section which is not one of the newest sections but not one of the oldest either. The unit could probably use some updating but we care more about function than whether it has new counters and cabinets. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 tvs, and a little patio. Lots of room we never felt on top of each other at all. Here are a few pictures I took of our room
Here is the living room the couch pulled out for a bed, this is where JackJack slept

the kitchen

the girls room, it had 2 double beds

the kids bathroom

Our room with a king size bed

Our bathroom with a jacuzzi tub

The view from our patio

Our patio

Once we got all our stuff inside, we immediately unpacked the swimsuits and dh took the kids swimming while I unpacked, took a shower and brushed my teeth (by this point my teeth feel like they have little sweaters on them ) After I got out of the shower and dressed dh got back with the kids, I got them dressed while dh showered and we went to dinner. We decided to eat at Cici's pizza which was right across the street. We were pretty hungry so a good place to go for lots of food at a cheap price. The pizza was ok, not great but not horrible either. The breadsticks were delicious and the brownies, cinnamon rolls, and apple pizza were all really good too.
Then we decided to go to Down Town Disney to get a taste of Disney. We were a little disappointed because we were supposed to spend most of the day at Epcot today before our plans had gotten changed. We got to DTD found a parking space, then headed to World of Disney. While we were walking up there was a squirrel that ran in front of us and up the building. It was peaking down at us and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it, it looked so cute.

World of Disney is crazy huge. It was also crazy crowded on this Saturday night. I told the girls to stick close to me because I didn't want to loose them, DH took Jack Jack and waited outside. We looked around there for a little bit then went out and met up with dh and jack jack and went to the Lego Store, we never made it inside though. It was packed in there and I began to get worried about what it was going to be like at the parks while we were there. I got a few pictures outside though.

We wandered around some more, checked out the sports store, dh was hoping to find JackJack a soccer jersey but the prices were a little much for him. We went to the Mickey Marketplace where everything is under $10, I was hoping to see the grab bags people talked about but didn't see them. I did see the autograph books we were going to get so I went out to get dh so we could buy them (I forgot to bring my money with me) We couldn't find dh or JackJack anywhere, I thought they were going to wait right outside and look at the boats, the store is pretty small, how long did he think we were going to be in there? I went to look in Goofy's Candy Co. because I had mentioned wanting to go there next, he wasn't there. So, the girls and I went back to wait outside the marketplace and look out over the water. I decided to take a few pictures

Finally, dh shows up, he had been in the Rainforest cafe showing jackjack the animals. No problem, but he could have told me first. (this will become a trend through the whole trip) We decided that it was just too crowded that night to really look at stuff so we headed back to our room to go to bed so we would be ready for our next day. When we got back we realized that dh had forgotten to get the room key before we left so we had to go back to the front desk to get another one. Then we stopped at the little store in the resort and got some milk for JackJack, water, and some aloe gel to be prepared for the inevitable sunburn. The girls went to bed pretty good, JackJack took awhile to sleep after all he is the only one that got the same amount of sleep as he usually does. Eventually he crashed and I finally got some rest after 2 days.
Next up: Swimming in big puddles

 

[dreamer17555]

Oh it must have been nice having all that space to spread out, sharing one hotel room really brings new meaning to family togetherness

Downtown Disney does get packed on weekends, you get locals heading over to Pleasure Island. I learned that the hard way on one of my earlier trips (before I met DH) Can't wait to see how your first day in the parks goes.

-Becca-

 

[chcmama]

Oh it must have been nice having all that space to spread out, sharing one hotel room really brings new meaning to family togetherness

Downtown Disney does get packed on weekends, you get locals heading over to Pleasure Island. I learned that the hard way on one of my earlier trips (before I met DH) Can't wait to see how your first day in the parks goes.

-Becca-

It was very nice to have all that room, I think our family may have ended up smaller if we had been in a regular hotel room



Today Violet turns 11. I can't believe that she is that old already. I was up late last night making cupcakes for her to take to her class today. She wanted them to be Mickey Mouse cupcakes but I ran out of time. It was a little crazy coming back from our trip right into getting ready for her birthday. So, we are going out to dinner tonight at the restaraunt of her choice .
My next update might be a little delayed, we spent our first day at Blizzard Beach and all the pictures are on an underwater camera that I have to wait to get developed.