Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[amandaw]

Welcome one and all to my second trip report!

As the title of the report states this trip was.....different. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good trip. But, it was definitely different from our normal Disney trips. How so? Well, I found that I really slowed it down this year. Or at least it was slow compared to our normal commando pace. We still got lots of things done but we didn’t completely kill ourselves in the process. Another difference is that I simply put my camera away a lot of the time. I really just wanted to be there and enjoy the moment with my family. I still came home with more than enough pictures to put into a scrapbook and to share here with you lovely people. Now, there were also some other forces at play that gave me no choice but to slow down. But, I shall get to those in due time.

First, let me do a quick introduction for anyone who isn’t familiar with my family. Here we are in EPCOT back in 2011:



There is my husband, Ed. He is not a huge Disney lover. I know, the horror! But, it is slowly growing on him more and more. He does enjoy our vacations when we’re there and definitely has fun. He works very hard for our family and is a wonderful father and husband.

Then there is little old me, Amanda. I love Disney and Disney planning. Sometimes I think enjoy the planning as much as the vacation itself. I am a stay at home mom for our son, room mom for his class, maid, personal shopper for the household and household financial planner.

And last but certainly not least is our 4 year old son, Reid. He is already a big Disney fan. And probably knows as much (if not more) than Ed about the parks. He is in PreK4 this year and I wish it would last forever because I am not ready for him to go off to Kindergarten next year. Although, he is more than ready to go!

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to the fun stuff: our Disney trip! Initially, we were supposed to be going in December of this year. But, when they announced the Tower of Terror 10 mile run, our plans changed. Ed has been into running for a little over a year now. And Tower of Terror is his favorite ride. So, he was very excited about the race and really wanted to run it. I figured it may get him more interested in Disney and may score more Disney trips for myself, so why not?!? Then, he talked me into giving running a try and I signed up for the 5K race. And with that, our new dates were now Friday, September 28th through Sunday, October 7th.

 

[amandaw]

1. Thursday, September 27th
2. Friday, September 28th - Part 1
3. Friday, September 28th - Part 2
4. Friday, September 28th - Part 3
5. Saturday, September 29th - Part 1
6. Saturday, September 29th - Part 2
7. Saturday, September 29th - Part 3
8. Ed's take on the ToT Race
9. Sunday, September 30th - Part 1
10. Sunday, September 30th - MNSSHP Part 1
11. Sunday, September 30th - MNSSHP Part 2
12. Sunday, September 30th - MNSSHP Part 3
13. Sunday, September 30th - MNSSHP Part 4
14. Monday, October 1st - IoA Part 1
15. Thanksgiving Mini-TR
16. Monday, October 1st - IoA Part 2
17. Monday, October 1st - IoA (Final) & Dinner @ Citricos
18. Tuesday, October 2nd - Breakfast at 'Ohanas
19. Tuesday, October 2nd - Magic Kingdom Part 1
20. Tuesday, October 2nd - Magic Kingdom Part 1 Cont.
21. Tuesday, October 2nd - Magic Kingdom Part 2
22. Wednesday, October 3rd - Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine
23. Wednesday, October 3rd - Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine Continued
24. Wednesday, October 3rd - DHS Part 1
25. Wednesday, October 3rd - DHS Part 1 Cont.
26. Wednesday, October 3rd - DHS Final
27. Thursday, October 4th - EPCOT morning
28. Thursday, October 4th - EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Part 1
29. Thursday, October 4th - EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Part 2
30. Thursday, October 4th - EPCOT Final
31. Friday, October 5th - Magic Kingdom Part 1
32. Friday, October 5th - Magic Kingdom Part 2
33. Friday, October 5th - Magic Kingdom Part 3
34. Saturday, October 6th - Breakfast at Tusker House
35. Saturday, October 6th - Animal Kingdom
36. Saturday, October 6th - Lunch
37. Saturday, October 6th - AoA Cont.
38. It's a Wrap!

 

[amandaw]

About a week before our trip, I started to feel not quite right. My stomach was always hurting. I hardly had an appetite. When I did eat, I could hardly take more than a few bites without feeling sick. Every night I was running a low grade fever. I knew there was a stomach virus going around my son’s school and I was really hoping that was all that was going on with me.

On Wednesday, Sept. 26th, I tried to get as much packing done as possible. I got pretty much all of our clothes packed. And I managed to put these battery operated LED shoelaces on our stroller:



I had bought these off of Amazon. They were only like $5/pair. I had bought orange ones for Reid’s stroller and yellow ones for Ed’s running shoes, since his race was at night. Unfortunately, the laces were just a little too short for Ed’s shoes and made them too tight for him. So, I ended up putting both pairs on Reid’s stroller.

After that was all done, I decided to just go to bed. I figured, at this point, rest was more valuable to me than packing. The next morning, I woke up and got ready for the day. I took Reid to school and returned home to finish packing us up. While packing, I decided to try a piece of plain bread. Luckily, I was able to eat the whole thing without getting sick. YAY!

I finished packing us up around 11:30am. I texted Ed to let him know that I was ready to go. See, I really was:





Then, I decided to relax on the couch and try out a pack of peanut butter crackers. More success! Could I actually be on the tail end of the virus?

Ed got home around 12:30pm and proceeded to load up the luggage into my car. I set up some stuff in Reid’s carseat for him:



We arrived at Reid’s school a little after 1pm and I went in to get him. As I expected, he was not happy to see me there early. After all, they had not played on the playground yet. It took much convincing by myself and his teachers but he finally agreed to leave with me. When we got in the car, he finally let it sink in that we were really leaving right that moment for Disney. And he finally showed some excitement:





We were on the road for 1:33pm. Reid watched Cars 2 and had a snack:



He was in a silly mood:



He fell asleep not long after the movie. He ended up sleeping for about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, he woke up cranky and it was right as we being detoured off of I-10. There was a very bad accident around Pascagoula, MS and they shut down the interstate. We decided to take a quick potty and gas break. Then, we had to detour onto another rode in order to get back up to I-10. This took about an hour just to go a few miles.

Once we were back on I-10, we quickly made our way into Alabama. Reid was getting hungry and a little restless. I knew we’d be stopping soon but wanted to prevent a meltdown. So, I told him that while he was sleeping Peter Pan had flown by and dropped off a goody bag for him:



This really cheered him up & kept him occupied until we got food. We ended up getting food at a Wendy’s and ate in the car. Let me say this real quick - I had bought the tray for Reid (in the picture above) for this trip. It’s called a Tabby Tray. I found it on Amazon for like $19. It was worth every penny!! It worked wonderfully in the car, especially for meals. Okay, back to our story. And there was another success with dinner - I was able to eat french fries without getting sick.

We continued making our way closer to Tallahassee without any problems. Reid watched the Phineas and Ferb movie but he never fell asleep again. About 45 minutes before our hotel exit, he needed a potty break. So, we found a gas station in the middle of absolute nowhere and took care of that. By 10:45 pm (Eastern time), we were pulling into the Wingate by Wyndham. We got into our room which was perfectly fine for a night. Everyone hopped into bed and I set our alarm for 6:30am.

 

[KatMark]

I'm here...now back to read.

Okay...I'm back.

Love the intros, and the start of the drive...Reid is just so cute.

I'm sorry you weren't feeling well for awhile before the trip. I was going to ask if maybe you were pregnant, but don't think you'd be running if you were. I hope the sick feeling stayed away for the trip.

 

[RGirl]

Yay!!! I am so excited that you started your TR!!!

I am, however, very nervous about you having been sick for so long before the trip. I hope The Illness is truly gone!

It looks like Reid was doing great on the drive!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Yikes! What is going on with your tummy? I can't imagine running if you were feeling like that!

 

[marDgreen88]

I'm so excited that you started your TR, and you KNOW I'm here!!!

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry about your sickness before the trip! I really, REALLY hope that it didn't actually happen ON the trip.

The picture of Reid with the gator pillow on his head brought a huge smile to my face - so so cute!!

Can't wait for more!

 

[amandaw]

I'm here...now back to read.

I'm so glad to have along!

Okay...I'm back.

Love the intros, and the start of the drive...Reid is just so cute.

Thank you! When he's in a good mood, Reid loves to ham it up for the camera.

I'm sorry you weren't feeling well for awhile before the trip. I was going to ask if maybe you were pregnant, but don't think you'd be running if you were. I hope the sick feeling stayed away for the trip.

Thank you. I definitely had pregnancy cross my mind but I was pretty positive that wasn't the culprit.

Yay!!! I am so excited that you started your TR!!!

Thank you! And I'm so happy you're here!

I am, however, very nervous about you having been sick for so long before the trip. I hope The Illness is truly gone!

I can't even begin to explain how awful I felt. I was in tears that Wednesday night thinking I was going to have to disappoint Reid & tell him we couldn't go to Disney.

It looks like Reid was doing great on the drive!

I have to say that he really did well!

Yikes! What is going on with your tummy? I can't imagine running if you were feeling like that!

It definitely affected things that for sure. I was just glad to be feeling a bit better that Thursday when we hit the road.

I'm so excited that you started your TR, and you KNOW I'm here!!!

Thanks! So glad you're here!

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry about your sickness before the trip! I really, REALLY hope that it didn't actually happen ON the trip.

Thank you. I was really worried for a while there that I wasn't going to be able to make the trip. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

The picture of Reid with the gator pillow on his head brought a huge smile to my face - so so cute!!

Awww....thanks! I love that picture of him. I was laughing so hard in the car when he did that. He can be so silly.

Can't wait for more!

Thank you!!

 

[merbobear]

Subscribing. I read your cruise TR a while back & I'm in to read about more of Reid's adventures! Hope your illness didn't cloud up much of your trip!

 

[Amunet]

I'm subscribing to read ... but I don't post much. Thought I'd let you know though ^_^

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Yay! First page! I'm usually a silent reader, but so enjoyed your PTR, Amanda. Looking forward to reading all about your trip!

Reid is just too darn adorable!!

 

[TinksThree]

I'm on board!!!! That really stinks you weren't feeling well! I think the "worry" of it continuing can be as bothersome as the actual feeling of sickness (as I learned on my trip!). You got some really cute pictures for the drive down! I can't wait to here more...the ups and downs!!

 

[petals]

I couldn't help notice that you've a new trip report. Joining in

 

[pinkxray]

I'm sorry to hear you weren't feeling well. I hope you feel better once you get to Disney.

Aw, Reid looks like he is being such a good boy on the drive It certainly helps that you were prepared. I love the tray, neck pillow, and surprise from Peter Pan.

I can't wait to see how you liked the Boardwalk. (You did end up there,right?)

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Subbing in!

Reid is just too darn cute...any kid who puts an alligator on his head is OK with me!

Sorry you were feeling not great before your trip...hoping you keep feeling better 'n better as the trip progresses!

 

[SheenaXena21]

Subbing

 

[GaRain]

Cute start so far - so I am in.
I LOVE his little R2D2 player!
I want one!!!

 

[Marsheliz]

About a week before our trip, I started to feel not quite right. My stomach was always hurting. I hardly had an appetite. When I did eat, I could hardly take more than a few bites without feeling sick. Every night I was running a low grade fever. I knew there was a stomach virus going around my son’s school and I was really hoping that was all that was going on with me.

On Wednesday, Sept. 26th, I tried to get as much packing done as possible. I got pretty much all of our clothes packed. And I managed to put these battery operated LED shoelaces on our stroller:



I had bought these off of Amazon. They were only like $5/pair. I had bought orange ones for Reid’s stroller and yellow ones for Ed’s running shoes, since his race was at night. Unfortunately, the laces were just a little too short for Ed’s shoes and made them too tight for him. So, I ended up putting both pairs on Reid’s stroller.

After that was all done, I decided to just go to bed. I figured, at this point, rest was more valuable to me than packing. The next morning, I woke up and got ready for the day. I took Reid to school and returned home to finish packing us up. While packing, I decided to try a piece of plain bread. Luckily, I was able to eat the whole thing without getting sick. YAY!

I finished packing us up around 11:30am. I texted Ed to let him know that I was ready to go. See, I really was:





Then, I decided to relax on the couch and try out a pack of peanut butter crackers. More success! Could I actually be on the tail end of the virus?

Ed got home around 12:30pm and proceeded to load up the luggage into my car. I set up some stuff in Reid’s carseat for him:



We arrived at Reid’s school a little after 1pm and I went in to get him. As I expected, he was not happy to see me there early. After all, they had not played on the playground yet. It took much convincing by myself and his teachers but he finally agreed to leave with me. When we got in the car, he finally let it sink in that we were really leaving right that moment for Disney. And he finally showed some excitement:





We were on the road for 1:33pm. Reid watched Cars 2 and had a snack:



He was in a silly mood:



He fell asleep not long after the movie. He ended up sleeping for about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, he woke up cranky and it was right as we being detoured off of I-10. There was a very bad accident around Pascagoula, MS and they shut down the interstate. We decided to take a quick potty and gas break. Then, we had to detour onto another rode in order to get back up to I-10. This took about an hour just to go a few miles.

Once we were back on I-10, we quickly made our way into Alabama. Reid was getting hungry and a little restless. I knew we’d be stopping soon but wanted to prevent a meltdown. So, I told him that while he was sleeping Peter Pan had flown by and dropped off a goody bag for him:



This really cheered him up & kept him occupied until we got food. We ended up getting food at a Wendy’s and ate in the car. Let me say this real quick - I had bought the tray for Reid (in the picture above) for this trip. It’s called a Tabby Tray. I found it on Amazon for like $19. It was worth every penny!! It worked wonderfully in the car, especially for meals. Okay, back to our story. And there was another success with dinner - I was able to eat french fries without getting sick.

We continued making our way closer to Tallahassee without any problems. Reid watched the Phineas and Ferb movie but he never fell asleep again. About 45 minutes before our hotel exit, he needed a potty break. So, we found a gas station in the middle of absolute nowhere and took care of that. By 10:45 pm (Eastern time), we were pulling into the Wingate by Wyndham. We got into our room which was perfectly fine for a night. Everyone hopped into bed and I set our alarm for 6:30am.

I have enjoyed reading thus far!! We have a 4 year old as well so I love reading TR with small boys!! )) We were there a week before you guys were!

 

[megan511]

Hi Amanda, I'm here!

I am so sorry you were feeling ill before your trip. What a bummer! I'm glad you were feeling better Thursday and I hope you didn't feel sick on your trip.

I love all the pictures. Reid is so cute! His R2-D2 laptop is adorable and that tray looks really cool. I may have to get some of those for Ant and Tessa. They make such a mess with snacks in the car.

I can't wait to read more!

 

[pas130]

Amanda's trip report

Sorry you weren't feeling well, hope you continue to feel better. Reid did excellent in the car