"Hello? I'm in the Carousel of Progress.."*UD1/13pg74"All Good Things...*

[mommytothreeboys]

I promise that I will explain the title later in my Trip Report, but for now, I'll just say it's one of several things that happened on this trip that will stick with all of us and we'll be joking about for years to come!

For those of you who did not read my PTR, the link is in my signature...feel free to read! I've provided links to the updates on the first post so you can just read those and not all the chit chat..although some of the best stuff is in the chit chat! Here's a quick overview of our trip plans and the cast of characters otherwise known as my family!

Our trip dates: April 19-28, 2009

Where we stayed: Port Orleans Riverside, Alligator Bayou room w/ trundle as we are a family of 5

Park Plans: April 19-Arrive and chill at pool and DTD
April 20-Animal Kingdom with morning EMH
April 21-Waterpark and DTD
April 22-Magic Kingdom
April 23-Disney's Hollywood Studios
April 24-Epcot with evening EMH
April 25-Epcot
April 26- Magic Kingdom with evening EMH
April 27-Park of choice
April 28-Go Home

Cast of Characters: Me(Missy)-39: I am a stay at home mom to three awesome boys. I love all things Disney, but Snow White is my favorite princess and Tink is my favorite Disney character. I love to plan our trips and think the planning process is part of the fun!


DH(Jeff)-38: Enjoys all things Disney almost as much as I do! Jeff is the telecommmunications and technology manager at our local cable company and works way too hard. He deserved this vacation. His favorite Disney character is Pinocchio.


DS(Dan)-14: A planner like his mom, Dan likes to know the itinerary and to have a plan! Dan is in 8th grade and is quickly becoming the typical teenager, much to my dismay. His favorite Disney character has been Donald Duck, but recently he has taken to liking Eve from Wall-e.


DS(Isaiah)-11: This one is gonna put me in an early grave. Isaiah is in 6th grade and if he is given a line or a boundary, he'll figure out how to cross it! Not surprisingly, his favorite Disney character is Stitch!


DS(Jonah)-8: The baby of the family and it shows. He's a bit of a mama's boy, but that's okay! His favorite Disney character is hard to pin down, but he likes Buzz, Pluto, and all things Pirate.


So there you have it. Our basic plan and our cast of travelers. I will post the first installment and get this party started soon...I promise. For those hopping over from my PTR...thanks for sticking around! For everyone else...Welcome!

LINKS TO UPDATES
Too Excited to Sleep! Departure Morning!
Non-Update Update
POR! We're HOME!
Deep Fried Candy and Pirates of the Day!
EMH Rocks!
Let the Trading Begin!
Guest Services, Kali, Rain, and FOTLK!
Goofy, DinoLand and Protein Spills!
“I Was About to Jump In and Save You!”
Shop and Eat--an evening at DTD!
Bonus Post! Title Explained!
A Magical 'Ohana Breakfast
What? No Pixie Dust?
We Got Some Explorin' To Do!
I Love a Parade!
PhotoPass--Hooray!!
Shave and a Haircut....Ok, maybe just a haircut!
Dole Whip, Singing Birds, and the Backside of Water
What a Way to End the Day!
TSM and HSM!!
An Incredible Meet and Greet
Car Chases and a Block Party
Two Happy Endings!
There's No Crying at Disney
Where's the Update?!
A Mini Camping TR
Hoo-Ray it's EPCOT Day!
Faces Only a Mother Could Love!
Can we Save China?
Viva Mexico!
Soarin' Drama and Pool Time!
Back to School!
A Late Epcot Night
A Late Epcot Night II
Kowabunga!
Back to Epcot!
Speed, Space, and Glowsticks
A Magical Beginning
Fun with Stitch..and other Monsters!
Spinning Teacups and Face Painting!
Time for TINK!
Buzz, Lunch and a Stroll through Fantasyland
Halloween FUN!
Laughing CMs and MK EMH!
Our Last Park Day--a SLOW beginning!
Napping in Italy!
Back to the Future!
"Oy, Oy, Oy" and Good-bye!
All Good Things Must Come to an End

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Whoa...Am I...FIRST???...A NEWBIE FIRST???

Oh I'm so excited!!!

[lizet313]

Just want to say I'm in

[starlight_003]

I am here!!

[carissanboys]

Here! Can't wait Missy!!

[luckylady]

I'm in. Welcome home.

[dryvithome]

I'm also in to hear about it.

[ladybugmom]

Yay!! I'm here, too Missy!!! Can't WAIT to hear all about it!!

[mommytothreeboys]

Before I begin this report let me start with a disclaimer. I tried to keep notes of each day’s activities, like what time we arrived, how long we stood in lines, etc. After 3 days of that I decided that for me, it was sucking the joy out of enjoying the moments. So....after that I just enjoyed each day and didn’t take notes. I say that to say this....I may not have detailed information about times, etc, but you will definitely get my impressions and feelings about this trip. Those are really the things that matter to me anyway, so it works out! I will do my best to give as much detail as I can regarding the other things, but forgive me if my memory is fuzzy at times!

Now we’re off!! Our flight was scheduled to leave the Buffalo Airport at 7:10 am on Sunday April 19th. We live about an hour from the airport and my DH likes to arrive early for a flight, so that meant an early morning for all of us. We went to bed early after enjoying a rousing game of Disney Scene-It and set the alarm for 3:15 am! YIKES!! My DSIL was driving us to the airport and we were meeting her at her house at 4:00 am.

Of course, I had a hard time sleeping as did my boys. I heard them up several times during the night..we were all SO EXCITED! 3:15 came and after a snooze or two, we all got up and got dressed for our big departure day! All of the bags were packed and already in the van so all we needed to do was grab any last minute items for our carry-ons and head out the door. We were pulling up to DSIL’s door at exactly 4 am!

We set the GPS for the airport and off we went! A flawless departure so far...no forgotten items, no major setbacks! Woo-Hoo! On the way to the airport DSIL informs us that she had been up all night because her house had been broken into that evening. UGH! My nephew’s brand new iPod and Playstation had been stolen. What a mess! She was a good sport though and still got up at 4 to take us to the airport!

We arrived at the airport around 5:15 and DSIL hugged us all, wished us a safe trip and headed back home. We headed into the airport to find the Southwest counter and check our bags. I had printed boarding passes the day before and we were in boarding group A. YAY! We had never flown SW before and I wanted to be sure we got seats together.

After checking our bags we headed through security which was quick and painless. We then headed to the gate and in search of some breakfast. Can you believe there is not a McDonald’s at the Buffalo airport?? We ended up eating at a little snack shop and got breakfast sandwiches that were pre-wrapped and positively YUCK! The danish was ok and the coffee was hot, so we just made the best of it! Here are a few pics of the boys at the airport EARLY in the morning!





Trying to avoid the obvious "monkey on your back" comment!!


Jammin' to some Disney tunes!



We boarded the plane without incident and we all sat in the same row with the aisle between us. I sat with Dan and Jeff sat with the other two boys. Dan and Isaiah got the window seats. Jeff sat in the aisle seat and I sat in the middle seat. So far so good.





After a smooth, direct flight to Orlando we arrived at MCO at 9:40 am....10 minutes earlier than scheduled arrival. Nice job SW!

Next up.....Our Magical Express experience and arrival at POR!

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on for more! I often say that trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation.

[mommytothreeboys]

Originally Posted by Soldier's*Sweeties

Whoa...Am I...FIRST???...A NEWBIE FIRST???

Oh I'm so excited!!!

Originally Posted by lizet313

Just want to say I'm in

Hi and

Originally Posted by starlight_003

I am here!!

Hi there...thanks for coming over!

Originally Posted by carissanboys

Here! Can't wait Missy!!

Yay! Carissa is here!!

Originally Posted by luckylady

I'm in. Welcome home.

Originally Posted by dryvithome

I'm also in to hear about it.

Thanks for joining in! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Originally Posted by ladybugmom

Yay!! I'm here, too Missy!!! Can't WAIT to hear all about it!!

Hi Becky!

[mom2mek]

Hi Missy! I followed you over from ladybugmom's pre-trip!

I'm very interested in how you like POR! We are also a family of 5 which narrows down the choices a bit for where to stay onsite. We have stayed offsite many times because we are always with a big group of family, so we rent really large houses a mile or two from Disney and it works out really well. But I'm always interested in hearing reviews of the onsite hotels with comparable size families!

Can't wait to read more....boy that was an early morning....

Sara

[Stacybaeasm]

I can't wait to hear the story behind the title. I'm in and enjoying it so far. Your boys look like a hoot! I love that all 3 were reading or doing some activity while waiting for the plane.

[Planning fanatic mom]

Yeah!! you're home !!!!!

Loved your PTR. Can't wait to read the TR!! Don't worry about all of the details. We'll like anything you can remember.

I like Dan's haircut.

[mommytothreeboys]

Originally Posted by mickeystoontown

Signing on for more! I often say that trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation.

I'm counting on that since I really don't know when we'll be going back. Trying to convince my DH that we need to do a 2nd honeymoon trip just the two of us!

Originally Posted by mom2mek

Hi Missy! I followed you over from ladybugmom's pre-trip!

I'm very interested in how you like POR! We are also a family of 5 which narrows down the choices a bit for where to stay onsite. We have stayed offsite many times because we are always with a big group of family, so we rent really large houses a mile or two from Disney and it works out really well. But I'm always interested in hearing reviews of the onsite hotels with comparable size families!

Can't wait to read more....boy that was an early morning....

Sara

HI Sara and welcome! We have stayed at POR twice now and enjoy it. I will have more to say about specifics later in the report. We definitely are limited with a family of 5 though. I totally agree!

Originally Posted by Stacybaeasm

I can't wait to hear the story behind the title. I'm in and enjoying it so far. Your boys look like a hoot! I love that all 3 were reading or doing some activity while waiting for the plane.

My boys really are fun and spending the week with them was great. Now that we're home I miss them during the day. I'm sure that will wear off though! LOL!

Originally Posted by Planning fanatic mom

Yeah!! you're home !!!!!

Loved your PTR. Can't wait to read the TR!! Don't worry about all of the details. We'll like anything you can remember.

I like Dan's haircut.

Hi! I was wondering if any of you observant readers from my PTR would notice Dan's haircut! Nice job!