Ok, here we go (FYI, pictures will probably be removed in about a week or so for privacy purposessorry).
FRIDAY
We had intended to leave about 4AM for our 8ish hour drive to Orlando. The plan obviously was for the 8 kids to continue to sleep for several hours before we had to deal with them. We got out of the house about 4:30AM, little did we know, NOBODY other than the baby went back to sleep. In fact, there was not a nap to be had until well after arriving at GKTW. Overall the trip went well, and we made good time. The funniest part was when they were told they couldnt open their backpacks of toys from MAW until they saw the actual sun. We had about a 20min period around daybreak where they were straining to try and see the sun over the trees as it being light did not count, they had to see an actual SUN. The 6yr old finally saw it and was so proud she was the first
When arrived at GKTW about 1ish, our villas (we got 2 adjoining units, THANK YOU GKTW) were not quite ready so we headed to Katies Kitchen for lunch followed by Ice Cream. At this point, I must pause and say how amazing the food was. Honestly the Gingerbread house was not my personal favorite, but Katies Kitchen was awesome, the portions were large and it worked great for our family; especially on raining days which we had several of. The staff everywhere was great and made eating so simple.
While I went to orientation, Jo & the kids all did the Pirates and Princesses party at GKTW, which was really cool. The kids had a great time, got TONS of jewelry and toys, and we even had someone pickup on Micahs issues and single him out and spend a ton of time dancing with him and giving him personal attention.
After the party, it was bedtime snacks, hugs/kisses and off to bed for a long day at MK on Saturday.
SATURDAY
We got up early on Sat, and had the cart come by our villa with some snacks as we had brunch ressies at Ohana for 10:10.
We then headed out, parked at MK and took the monorail over to the Poly. We did kill about 30 minutes at the Poly just hanging out and buying a couple of small things, including a hand-sized Minnie mouse the 2yr old fell in love with (we slept with it last night).
Brunch was great, the food was great, my wife has allergies and the chef was very helpful and we had no issues. The CM knew Micahs wish was to meet Mickey, and this was our 1st stop of the trip so she made sure all the characters spent tons of time at our table. Mickey, however, took forever showing up; and when he finally came around the corner Micah was done waiting and took off running across the room to him. Mickey hugged him, took his hand and brought him back to the table. He then hung out for several minutes, joined by Minnie & Pluto as well as we had a party at our table. I can truly say Micahs first meeting of Mickey was Magical!!!!
Following eating, it was time to head to MK. Having never been before, this was quite over-the-top. But we had a great time. We spent most of the afternoon and early evening walking the park, riding rides and having a blast. The kids had a great time, as did Dad
We were able to cover just about everything on our list except Fantasyland (intentionally left for 2nd day at MK) and Tomorrowland (just plain wore out). They kids rode Splash Mountain twice, and my 13yr old son informed us that if that is what rollercoasters are like, I dont want to ride one. So much for being big & brave LOL.
One thing I do want to share was an amazing gift from the CMs at the Princesses and Fairies.
When we entered the building, there was a posted 30min wait for Princesses and 60min for Fairies. I approached, w/o much hope, the CM at the entrance and asked if there was ANY way my two oldest daughters could meet the princesses w/o the long wait. She corrected me in that the whole family had to go, and walked us around to the exit. About 10 minutes passed, and she came back out and walked us into the Princesses. We entered the room to discover they had stopped the line and emptied the room so our family could have 1-on-1 time with all three princesses!!!!!! My girls were in heaven, and my sons were close behind.
They had several minutes where they talked, hugged, chatted with the princesses; and Micah left with Cinderellas lipstick on his cheek.
As we were wrapping up one of the CMs asked me have you seen Tinkerbell?, I told him that the kids would love to but we didnt think we could. He very nicely instructed me to go sit back down and wait. About 5 minutes later, we were ushered into the other room, and again found the 3 fairies standing alone waiting from us. They were great, and Tinkerbell fell in love with the baby.
After that, we did a few last things in Toontown and then headed back to GKTW for dinner, carousel X 3-4times and bed.
SUNDAY
Sunday we got up early and headed for the coast. We got free passes from GKTW for Kennedy Space Center and decided to spend the day there. We arrived late morning, and were able to see most of the exhibits and the IMAX by early afternoon. We then road out to the Saturn V building so the kids could see a real moon rocket. By chance, while we were there I was able to get some pictures of Endeavor on the pad as it was staged in case there was an issue with the one in orbit.
After Kennedy, we stopped by Teen Missions (teenmissions.org) which is a non-profit that sends teens all over the world every summer on short-term missions. My wife & I met there in 97 so a friend who is on staff gave us & our kids a tour. If anyone reading this has kids, check out Teen Missions, it is a life changing opportunity for kids, and makes a big difference both in the people they meet and in their own outlook on the world.
TRIP CONTINUED IN NEXT POST>>>>>
) and I found yours. I am so sorry that your little boy has been threw so much and hopes everything stays well for your trip. 8 kids at Disney World! I think you and your wife deserve an award.
