Greatest Surprise Trip Ever.....Thanks Honey (April 26-30, 2010)

[BelleTinkMom]

Hello and thanks for reading my TR.

Let me start by introducing my family. We live in Southeast Louisiana, about one hour south of New Orleans. That is about 700 miles to Disney one way.

There is me, Jaime, mom of 2 beautiful girls. I work full-time as a Human Resources Representative, full-time mom, and full-time Disney planner!! I love all things Disney. I love reading about Disney and learning anything that can help with future trips. I also love to take pictures. I will post lots of pics. I don't have my Photopass Photo CD yet, so I will have to update when I receive my CD.

There is my wonderful husband, Shannon. He works in the oilfield. I have officially transformed him into a Disney addict. He is a good sport and listens to everything I have to say about Disney.

First DD Jaden is 9. She was 6 the first time we went to Disney. She absolutely loves Disney. She also keeps me busy with Competition Dancing. We travel alot for her dancing, about 3 times per year with lots of extra practices.

Second DD Madison or Madi just turned 5. She was just 2 the first time we went to Disney, and now is addicted like myself. She remembers alot from our first trip. Especially the tea cups. She is also a dancer.

Here is one of the very few pictures I have of us all together, not to great of a shot. I am usually not in the pictures.

This is our third trip to Disney. We never thought we could afford it, til I looked at the Disney site. And then, voila, we are hooked.

Our first trip was in May of 2007 and consisted of myself, DH, DD9, DD5, my mother and father, my sister and her daughter4. We flew to Orlando and used the Magical Express Bus. Our trip was a whirlwind 5 days of trying to do everything. We did alot and were wiped out.

Our second trip was in May of 2009 and our group from the first trip minus my sister. She couldn't get off of work. We made this trip longer - 8 days. We flew again and had a wonderful trip.

And now, I will give you all the details of our 3rd Disney trip which was a SURPRISE....

This trip was only myself, DH, DD9 and DD5.

We decided to save a little money and drive the 12 hours to Disney. DH wanted to leave at 2 am We packed the car the night before and were up and pulling out of our street for 2:11am. I left the kids in their pj's and they fell back to sleep after a few minutes in the car.

I will continue with the car ride.....

 

[BelleTinkMom]

I forgot to mention one important detail...The kids think we are going to Destin to the beach. They have no idea that they are going to Disney World. We decided to make it a surprise trip and no one knew we were going to Disney. Boy was this a hard secret to keep. I had to be excited all by myself at work.

After the decision to drive was made, next was do we split the drive and spend the night about halfway. I wanted to split and DH wanted to drive straight through. Well I gave in and he drove straight through. I offered to drive, but he drove the whole time.

The car ride went very smoothly. DD5 is very impatient, so I thought she would get bored riding in the car for 12 hours. But with the DVD player, coloring books, writing tablets and her Nintendo DS, she was occupied for the whole trip. Also had snacks and juice boxes for them.

DD9 is a big help in the car. As much as they fight, she is a really big help when we take trips in the car.

First stop was a bathroom break for DH right into Florida about 6 am. Well of course, we stop and the kids are up and Hungry. Go figure. Luckily the next exit has a Cracker Barrel and we stop to eat breakfast. Luckily the kids really don't know the Florida area, because we ate at the exit we would have taken to go to Destin. They still have no clue.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful for the most part. We made a couple more bathroom stops. DD5 has a bathroom problem with not being able to hold it. Well you would know it, she has to use it in the middle of nowhere. We are already on the toll road so we pull over at the next exit that says they have a bathroom, but the only gas station we found is shut down. So we turn around and head in the other direction and find a bathroom. Yoohoo. Make it just in time.

Back on the Road Again.....Make it to ASMo at 3:30pm. 12 1/2 hours on the road is a lllooonnnggg time (with time change).

 

[BelleTinkMom]

I just realized how many pictures that I could have taken. I did not take any of us in the car or our stops. Oh well....on with our trip.

As soon as we start seeing Disney signs along the interstate, DH and I start wondering when the kids will notice. But they never do. When we take the exit that the GPS tells us to, then DD9 spots a Disney bus. She keeps repeating that the Beach is close to Disney World. and DD5 (4 at the time) keeps saying she wants to go to the Beach. Now, Disney is something DD5 talks about daily. As we keep seeing more buses, DD9 is starting to realize that we are in Disney World and finally asks if we are at Disney World. We tell her yes and she gets really excited and starts to clapping. DD5 starts to cry saying she wants to go to the beach. I have to turn around in my seat and tell her that we are not going to the beach and that we are REALLY Disney World. I guess that in her little mind, we were going to the beach and that was it. Then she starts to get really excited.

So our GPS does not take us to our hotel. Here is where we arrive: Downtown Disney

I was disappointed not to pass under the Big Welcome to Disney World sign.

It takes us past Downtown Disney and past a couple of hotels and then nothing but trees on both sides and she says "You have reached your destination" Ha!

So we turn around and follow the signs to the Animal Kingdom Resort area. We are following the signs and DH is listening to my directions, for once, and then decides to also follow my hand signals. The sign reads: Epcot next right, Animal Kingdom resorts keep left. I "say" keep left, and make some sort of hand gesture with my right hand and he proceeds right. So the sign read: Epcot. We are now in the toll line to pay to park at Epcot. Of course he pulls up so that the toll both is on my side. I tell the attendant that we took the wrong turn and she shows us where to make a left turn and again we are on our way, still trying to find our resort.

The joke of the whole trip was about making a right turn when we said left.

 

[Brave teacher]

YAY!!! You started, and I get to be first to post! You've read my PTR, so you know we are fans of driving all the way through. My DH is the same as Shannon. Just let him drive. Future reference...When driving on the Turnpike, turn off on Irlo Bronson Highway/SR429. It gives you a very uncrowded entrance into WDW on the AK side of the resort. Since we stay at Kidani, we enter on that side regularly.

I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

YAY!!! You started, and I get to be first to post! You've read my PTR, so you know we are fans of driving all the way through. My DH is the same as Shannon. Just let him drive. Future reference...When driving on the Turnpike, turn off on Irlo Bronson Highway/SR429. It gives you a very uncrowded entrance into WDW on the AK side of the resort. Since we stay at Kidani, we enter on that side regularly.

I'm looking forward to reading more!

Yea!! My first reader post. I was just reading your TR when you posted. Thanks for the driving directions. I will write that down in my Disney binder for future trips.

 

[MadiMouse]

Great start! So funny how your youngest DD wanted to go to the beach! Ha!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[heaven2dc]

Loved the surprise! At least your DD5 will get to go on the Poly beach

 

[jenniferkeala808]

hey we were there around the same time! Well, I'm joining in, can't wait to hear more!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Great start! So funny how your youngest DD wanted to go to the beach! Ha!! Can't wait to read more!

Once she realized we were really in DW, she totally forgot about the beach. Thanks for joining.

 

[Brave teacher]

Yea!! My first reader post. I was just reading your TR when you posted. Thanks for the driving directions. I will write that down in my Disney binder for future trips.

No problem! It's a nice way to enter. You can actually see park icons from a distance as you drive the highway. It gets me pretty excited the moment I can see the Contemporary. I, then, start searching for the Castle.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Loved the surprise! At least your DD5 will get to go on the Poly beach

Thanks for joining

 

[BelleTinkMom]

hey we were there around the same time! Well, I'm joining in, can't wait to hear more!

Thanks for joining.

 

[DisneyGirl2023]

just found your trip report i hope you finally made it to the resort i bet your kids like freaked out whrn they saw that they where going to disney

 

[BelleTinkMom]

We arrive at ASMo and the kids are just about jumping out their seats. We park and check in. When we walk into the lobby, there are balloons everywhere. I have girls and what do they want, balloons. So, I thought that the lobby would be busy with guests checking in because it was 3:30 pm. But the lobby was empty, maybe we beat the rush.

I did online check-in about 8 days before our arrival. That was great. When the cast member was ready for us, all our information was ready. They had our tickets already printed. All I had to wait for was for him to retreive our gift card from a locked cabinet. We booked the package with the free $300 gift card. Love free money.

He was very patient because the whole time we were speaking, I couldn't get my girls to stop asking for a balloon. Another cast member obviously heard, like everyone else that was in the lobby, and he asked which one they wanted. DD9 chose a blue balloon with mickey and fireworks and DD5 chose a flower balloon.

Now we are all set. We are in Fantasia Building No. 5 Rm 8864.

We drive around to park the car, and to the room we go. We got the preferred room we wanted. Short walk to the food court and bus stops and a pool view. We unload all the luggage and make our way to the room. The kids are still so excited, they can't do anything but run, jump, scream, etc.

When we enter our room, this is what's waiting for us:

Of course, we added DD5's flower balloon.

We get settled in our room then head to DTD. I wish I would take more pictures of DTD. We are starving at this point. All we ate today was breakfast at 6am then just had a couple of snacks I had packed in the car.

For dinner, we ate at Wolfgang Puck Express. I just love this place. I was dissappointed that they no longer had the BBQ Quesadilla's, so I had the BBQ Chicken Pizza with red onions, cilantro and smokey BBQ sauce instead. DH had the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes, he enjoyed it. DD9 had Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce and DD5 had Macaroni and Cheese. They enjoyed this. My girls are pasta eaters, anything with noodles, they are eating it. After we ate, we did a little shopping.

I didn't take to many pictures at DTD, here is what I have:

After a little shopping, we headed back to the resort to get some rest for our first day.

Will post Park Day 1 tomorrow.

 

[Brave teacher]

That sounds like a lovely evening at DTD. I have pictures of the boys at the same statues from a week ago. The meal at WPE sounds yummy. We need to eat there one day.

YAY for getting your room requests. I like to see how people's results are with online check-in. I still haven't done it.

 

[jillianml]

Your girls are so cute.I luv the youngest saying I thought we were going to the beach!

 

[MadiMouse]

Yay! Another update!! My DD is the same way about "Boon-boons" (balloons). Lol. I just love DTD. Oh, such pixie dust that you received the room/bldg you requested.

No more bbq quesadillas??? Boo! Lol.

I can't wait to read more!

 

[dvcminnie]

Great trip report, how exciting for the girls.

 

[luvdumbo]

Joining in!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

That sounds like a lovely evening at DTD. I have pictures of the boys at the same statues from a week ago. The meal at WPE sounds yummy. We need to eat there one day.

YAY for getting your room requests. I like to see how people's results are with online check-in. I still haven't done it.

For our 2009 trip with my parents, I was able to check her room with online checkin, but not my room. The online checkin makes checking in at the resort a little faster.