blestmom
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 9, 2004
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1 mom + 5 kids = Best Vacation Ever! (WITH PHOTOS)
September 21 October 5, 2005
Cast:
Me (41) Official Disney nut of the family
DS (15-turned 16 on trip)
DS (14)
DD (12)
DD (9)
DS (7)
Background:
My mom and dad took us to Disney a lot as kids. I always loved it! After getting married and having kids, it just wasnt financially possible, and I took a long break. Fast forward to 2004, I got this crazy notion to take the kids down by myself, since my DH is a teacher, and cant go during Value Season. He isnt a Disney nut, so that was okay with him. We got cheap airfare leaving in only 3 weeks, so I had very little time to plan. We stayed at my all-time dream place, the Fort Wilderness cabins. We had a great time, but I was already scheming to get back again, because I hadnt time to PLAN! So I surprised the kids in December with another trip...this time using free frequent flyer miles (which took a gazillion years to get enough for all of us!) This time, I planned a lot...MVMCP, dinners, etc. We had a great time, extended family joined us, and since we stayed for 2 weeks, it was cheaper to get the Annual Passes. As many of you know, once you have those, they just call to you for another trip. I just happened to be reading some email one day when I saw a message about .93 cent hotel rooms. Long story short...we ended up with 2 rooms for 2 weeks, and with Annual Passes from our last trip, all we needed was airfare. Thanks to my mom, she gave us airfare as combined Christmas/birthday gifts. So all we needed to cover this trip was car rental, food and souvenirs. Yipee!
(Since we homeschool our kids, missing school isnt an issue, making the off-season work well for us)
Day 1: TURBULENCE, BARF AND PIXIE DUST (9/21)
We left Anchorage, Alaska shortly after midnight. We have two 5-hour flights, with a 1-hour layover. There was a 45-minute delay getting out, but that was okay, because they gave us free headphones as compensation, so we had them for all the rest of our flights. Unfortunately, there was so much turbulence, the seatbelt sign was on almost the entire flight. Several of us felt queasy (including me) and I have NEVER had motion sickness before. My youngest daughter (9) ended up getting sick in the plane. I had to borrow my younger sons sweatshirt because she was a mess. After getting to Salt Lake City, my older daughter also got sick while waiting for our connection. This made my younger daughter start all over again. (At this point, Im thinking Im crazy to think I can take 5 kids by myself). I just prayed we would have no problems getting on the plane. Thankfully, we did get on, but there was even more turbulence on this flight. Once on, my older daughter just kept getting sick. This has NEVER happened to her before. My younger daughter fell asleep. I thought Oh dear, were all going to get the flu. But once we got to the airport, and got outside in the fresh air, they felt fine, and that was it. I think it was all the turbulence...it was pretty bad.
Since this was our first experience staying off-site, we decided to rent a car. Ive never rented a car before, and had reserved a full-size with National. When I got out to that row, there was only one car there, and it looked pretty small. Here is where the Pixie Dust started...and it just continued on our entire trip! I saw lots of minivans and mini-SUVs over on the Emerald Aisle. I asked sweetly if I could possibly have one of those cars for the same rate. They said sure! So we took a nice big Uplander, and headed out. This was so cool! I felt pretty darn grown up! We found our hotel easily, and went to check in. More pixie dust...
Only one of our rooms was ready. I told them I wouldnt mind waiting in one room, while they cleaned our second room. He seemed very glad I wasnt upset, and gave us coupons for a free breakfast buffet! This is great so far! We liked the rooms. We unpacked, then headed down to Downtown Disney to get my Pal Mickey (yes, mine...Im not that grown up) and to grab sandwiches at the Earl of Sandwich. We ate back in the room, and just relaxed after the long journey. We decided the key word to this vacation was RELAX, so we didnt set an alarm. We all slept very well that night.
Here is the view from our balcony:
Day 2: MAGIC KINGDOM BIG TIME SPENDER (9/22)
We knew it was going to be hot, and it was. We just arent used to hot weather in Alaska, so it took some getting used to, but it was okay. The lack of crowds sure made up for any discomfort! Everything was a walk-on! We didnt get to the parks until 10:00, after sleeping in, and we had no trouble with crowds all day. On our other two trips to Disneyworld, we have always been pinching pennies. That meant peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the parks, splitting sodas, bringing in our own water, etc. This trip, since it was costing us less, I really splurged on the kids (at least for us, anyway) and I felt like such a big time spender. The first thing we did was have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. I told my kids to order whatever they wanted. They just looked at me like I was nuts. It was so cool to see them order whatever and not worry about the money for once. It took my kids awhile to get used to asking for water and getting one, not having to share anything, and eating every lunch at the park. Plus an ice cream treat every day!
My kids:
We did everything we wanted to that day, with no crowds and no waiting. It was so relaxing! We did meet who we called the Cast Member On The Edge. He just took his boat loading job way too seriously at Jungle Cruise and scared this poor elderly woman half-to-death when she (GASP!) crossed the center aisle after he told her not to! We ended our day by watching Wishes. It was our first time seeing Tinkerbell fly down...that was so cool! On the way back to the hotel, we grabbed some groceries to have breakfast and snacks in the hotel room (my cheapness shows through!)
Day 3: EPCOT SPECIAL ENDING (9/23)
When going through the turnstiles, our APs werent working, so they told us to go to Guest Relations and get new ones. The girl there was from France, and was so sweet! She made us new APs, then asked us if we wanted special seating for the Illuminations fireworks. I thought she was just going to tell us a good place to watch but no! She put us on a special list for VIP seating! How cool is that!
Everything was pretty much a walk-on again. We were all excited to try Soarin. We got Fastpasses, then went in the stand-by line. We did wait 20 minutes. We loved the ride! My kids are big Sponge Bob fans, so they thought it was so cool that the pre-show is hosted by some guy named Patrick! (My kids are easily entertained) . By the time we got off, it was time for our Fastpasses, so we went right back on again!
We then went to Test Track, and our APs werent working in the Fastpass machines. So they CM there gave us 6 Fastpasses, and we went back to Guest Relations. They gave us 6 more! Boy, so far, things are going well!
I splurged again, and played Big Time Spender...bought the kids drinks, lemonade ice, lunch in France, dessert in Norway, dinner in Mexico, and cookies in Germany! Gee...this is SO MUCH FUN! When it was time for Illuminations, we went to our special VIP seating, with about 8 other people (I wonder what their story was?) and watched as a large wedding party went by...it was like watching a coronation of a princess! The view was fantastic, and I almost had tears in my eyes, it had been such a great day, and I was there with the people I love the most...my children! I was so happy I was floating on air!
DAY 4: MGM MOMS LITTLE SECRET (9/24)
For me, MGM is usually a pretty relaxing day. We always seem to take it more easy at this park. One reason is that I dont do Tower of Terror. Now, I have done it, twice, in the past. The first time was way back when it first opened, and I remember them dropping you only once or twice....it didnt feel like quite so much. The second time I rode it, I expected it to go down, then up, then down...you get the idea. Well, we went down, then down again, and that was it....I just wasnt expecting it, and I said that was enough for me. I most likely will get back on some day....maybe.
We all love Rock n Roller Coaster, except my youngest DS (7). So I went on it once, then the rest of the time, I would let my other kids do those rides, while I sat with my youngest son and waited. The older kids thought that was so nice of me, until they came out early once and caught me red-handed...those were the times I snuck off and got myself a Cappuccino Smoothie (it was the closest thing I could find to a Mocha Frappaccino!) It was hot, and I felt like splurging on myself! The deal was, I would drink about ¾ of it, and give the rest to the little guy. Well, now my secret was out!
We had a very relaxing day, and ended the evening by getting a great seat at Fantasmic only ½ hour before the show. I love this show....one of Disneys best, IMHO.
DAY 5: ANIMAL KINGDOM SLOWING DOWN (9/25)
Today we realized that we were getting tired. We took it easy. We got Fast Passes right off for the Kilimanjaro Safari, but when we came back, the Fast Pass line was so long! I guess the ride had broken down, so now they were letting all the people with Fast Passes from like an hour ago on. It moved pretty fast, though, and we enjoyed the day. We finally saw Flights of Wonder which we had never seen before.
After watching the Parade, we were thankful for the shorter day. We headed back to the hotel, the kids swam, and we just relaxed.
DAY 6: DAY OFF (9/26)
Since this was a relaxing vacation, and we had a lot of time, we decided to take a day off from the parks. We swam, watched t.v., went to Downtown Disney, ordered out from the Olive Garden, and swam some more. We all felt refreshed and ready to go the next day!
DAY 7: MAGIC KINGDOM SO FAMILIAR, SO COOL! (9/27)
Another great day at the Magic Kingdom. With older kids, we were able to split up at times (which of course meant more Cappuccino Smoothies for me!) The rides were pretty much walk-ons again. What I really noticed today was that my kids are starting to feel like this is home to them, too. You know what I mean...that familiar feeling you get when you turn a corner and you pretty much know what is going to be there. Thats why I love Disneyworld so much. And it was great to see it in my kids!
For lunch we ate upstairs at the Columbia Harbor House. We all decided this was our favorite Table Service restaurant. We were the ONLY ones upstairs.
Great food, great atmosphere....great company. Ive got really super kids. I love being with them...well, most of the time! My youngest daughter didnt want anything there, so later, while we were split up, I took her to Pinocchio Haus for pizza...it was so good, and again, it was practically deserted! Just before closing time, there was some lightening (no rain) so the outdoor rides werent running, but they still had the fireworks. We just enjoyed walking around the dark, almost deserted park. It is so beautiful there!
DAY 8: EPCOT MY FAVORITE DAY OF ALL! (9/28)
This was the kind of day I had been dreaming of. I love Epcot, and with relatives on other trips, we so often would just scurry past much of the World Showcase. This trip, I wanted to slow down and see all the little stuff. This day, we bypassed Future World, and went right to the World Showcase at 11:00. The place was deserted!
! I took pictures of my kids with NO ONE around and rides with NO lines just to show people how empty it was!
! My youngest daughter had a homemade passport/autograph book, so she got autographs and pictures from each countrys Kid Cot station. That was so cool!
We did a lot of special things: listened to the Japanese story teller,
, my daughter was chosen as a volunteer for the French mime,
, were front and center for the Voices of Liberty, and we listened to Off-Kilter (so cool!)
In the late afternoon, we headed back to Future World. My second oldest son (14) and I took the Behind the Seeds tour at Living With the Land, while my oldest son took the other kids on some rides. My 14-year-old is a big gardener, and we just loved this tour! Fascinating!
He got information on how to make his own hydroponic planter, and he bought a hydroponic plant for a souvenir. We then rode rides for the rest of the evening. Test Track broke down for a bit while we were on it. It just stopped right before you go out the door. We sat there for quite awhile, then, BAM! It started up again. Kind of felt like Rock n Roller Coaster! Kids thought that was great fun. We ended our evening with dessert from France and Illuminations again.
DAY 9: MGM UM, DONT TELL DAD... (9/29)
Another relaxing day. Slept in and got to the park around noon. No crowds,
so we were able to do Indiana Jones,
(half-empty theatre)
Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours, then had lunch. Afterwards, we did the Backlot Express and the Great Movie Ride. We then split up and the boys went to Lights, Motors, Action and we girls went to Beauty and the Beast. Walked in 10 minutes before show time and got a seat in the second row...awesome!
Watched Fantasmic again (I never get tired of this show). Then it started to rain (thankfully it was right when the park was closing) so no swimming tonight!
Today I really splurged with the kids and souvenirs. Like food, that is something we are very frugal on, but it is so cool to see their faces light up when they get something special. I just told them not to tell Dad right away....
DAY 10: ANIMAL KINGDOM CATASTROPHE AVERTED! (9/30)
Another very relaxing day (get the theme of this vacation?) Today I let the younger kids swim before we left. We got to Animal Kingdom about 11:30. My oldest son is very much into making video movies. Not just your average home movie...he has very extensive computer software to make some excellent movies. He had really been wanting to film on Kilimanjaro Safari, so today was the day! When we got there, however, he realized that he had accidentally brought the wrong tapes...the ones that were full, not empty. He felt just sick about it. I quickly consulted my map, and saw that there was a photo hut right near where we were. I highly doubted they would have the kind of videotape he needed, but thought is was worth a try. At first we didnt see anything, but then, way in the back, high up on a hook, were a few packages of tapes. Sure enough, they were just the kind he needed. I was expecting to pay dearly for them, but werent overpriced at all! More pixie dust, I tell ya! We had a great day...lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue.
After Animal Kingdom, we didnt feel like heading back to the hotel, so we went to Fantasia Gardens mini-golf. No one was there, and we had a ball! We then went back to the hotel for more swimming.
DAY 11: MOMS MOST FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD (10/1)
Today we voted for another non-park day. The boys watched football on ESPN (we dont have cable at home, so this was a real treat) and I took the younger three swimming. Since the boys wanted to watch more football, the rest of us went to Downtown Disney. Then we went to my most favorite place in the whole world...Fort Wilderness campground. I absolutely love it over there! We parked in the lot, then spent a long time walking around. I feel like I know every inch there. We walked from the Outpost up to the Settlement. There we let the kids pet the ponies, and saw the horses in the horse barn.
We went to get a take-out pizza from Trails End to enjoy during the outdoor movie. Once we got the pizza, it started to downpour. We waited a bit, then hopped aboard a bus to the campfire and movie. We found a seat on the bleachers, and enjoyed our pizza. Then it started to rain. We ran under a roof for a few minutes, then the rain stopped. By this time, lots of people left, so we were able to move to the nicer benches for the remainder of the movie (The Incredibles). We bought stuff to make smores, and the kids kept me happily supplied! After that, we walked leisurely back to the car, and I dreamed of the next trip when we can stay in the cabins in my favorite place in the whole world!
DAY 12: MICKEYS-NOT-SO-SCARY-HALLOWEEN-PARTY
Today we enjoyed our breakfasts that we got for free from the hotel. Then the kids went swimming. In the afternoon, we all got ready for MNSSHP. We had never been before, so we werent sure what to expect. We decided to dress up, although I read later that the earlier in the month, less people dress up. Oh well. I went as a Mouseketeer, DS 16 a baseball player, DS 14 a basketball player, DD 12 Jasmine, DD 9 Sleeping Beauty, DS 7 Woody.
. We got to the Magic Kingdom about 4:30. We were kind of early, and at first didnt see a lot of other people dressed up, and we felt kind of stupid. Our first stop was City Hall to get a birthday button for my oldest son, who turned 16 today! Then we went to Caseys to get hot dogs for dinner. By this time, we saw lots more people wearing costumes, so we felt more comfortable. The piano player at Caseys noticed my sons birthday button, and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to him. How sweet! We went to Adventureland and rode Pirates with no wait, then on to Splash Mountain. My youngest son didnt want to ride, so I waited out with him. When my other kids went down the splash, I saw my DSs baseball hat fly off. I felt so bad for him. It was his cap from Seniors Little League, and while I could always get him a new cap, he had made marks under the bill of his pitching record, etc. Man, I could have cried. He asked someone about getting it back, but they said it was impossible, but have a happy birthday. Bummer. Oh well. Cant be helped so no use crying about it. We enjoyed the party very much. We chose not to watch the parade because my younger son really doesnt like the scary part, and the older ones arent too excited about parades anyway. We did a lot of trick or treating, and ended up with an insane amount of candy. We did get a little rain, but it started while we were on Peter Pan, so we just hopped over to Philharmagic, and by the time it was over, the rain had stopped. A highlight of the evening was when we were on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and we went through Space Mountain when it had the lights on! Cool!
And over in the princess meet-and-greet, Prince Phillip made a big deal about my younger daughter being Sleeping Beauty! It was a great night, and we stayed until midnight.
DAY 13: EPCOT WHERED THEY COME FROM?
After being spoiled by no crowds up to this point, we were surprised on Monday how crowded it was. We spent a lot of time enjoying the Food and Wine Festival. I had never been to this before. It was fun to try something new, but I dont think Id plan a special trip just to go to it. One different thing we did this day was to listen to the spiel for the DVC. It was hot and crowded so we decided why not? They picked us up in the World Showcase, and we got to see behind the scenes. That was fun! For 2 hours, we got wined and dined with cookies, pop and ice cream. Of course, the kids got all excited about the DVC, but my DH and I decided that since we usually stay at the FW cabins, it wouldnt really save us much. So we decided not to join. We only stayed at Epcot until about 6:00 because of the crowds, and since it was towards the end of our trip, we decided to go back and hang out at the pool.
DAY 14: MAGIC KINGDOM/EPCOT OH MY!
I know the Magic Kingdom is said to be crowded on Mondays but oh my! I wasnt expecting these kinds of crowds! I guess we had gotten really spoiled. We only stayed for the morning, and decided to head over to Epcot to see if it was less crowded. It wasnt. We enjoyed some more of the Food and Wine Festival, and we bought the cookbook so we can try our hand at some dishes at home (weve already made the Flourless Cake from Ireland!) Again, we headed back to the hotel around 6:00, and decided to get in some last bit of swimming. The kids swam for over 2 hours!
DAY 15: TIME TO GO HOME
We had a late afternoon flight, so after packing up, we headed over to Downtown Disney for some last minute souvenirs and one more ice cream splurge at Ghiradellis.
We dropped off our rental car with no problem, and went to check our luggage. Two of our suitcases were overweight (guess thats to be expected with all that splurging!) so we shifted some stuff around until they were all underweight. We got lunch at the airport, and then enjoyed two of the nicest flights Ive ever been on. That was such a joy after our last flight experience. Both planes were only half full, so on the second flight, I was able to lay down and slept for a long time, which is a first for me. I was already dreaming of our next trip!
This was, by far, the best trip Ive ever had to Disney! Im hoping to get back again in January 2007, get Annual Passes, stay in the Fort Wilderness cabins, then go back again in January 2008, before the APs expire. See? Ive already got it all figured out. Now, to start saving.....!
Hope you enjoyed my report!
September 21 October 5, 2005
Cast:
Me (41) Official Disney nut of the family
DS (15-turned 16 on trip)
DS (14)
DD (12)
DD (9)
DS (7)
Background:
My mom and dad took us to Disney a lot as kids. I always loved it! After getting married and having kids, it just wasnt financially possible, and I took a long break. Fast forward to 2004, I got this crazy notion to take the kids down by myself, since my DH is a teacher, and cant go during Value Season. He isnt a Disney nut, so that was okay with him. We got cheap airfare leaving in only 3 weeks, so I had very little time to plan. We stayed at my all-time dream place, the Fort Wilderness cabins. We had a great time, but I was already scheming to get back again, because I hadnt time to PLAN! So I surprised the kids in December with another trip...this time using free frequent flyer miles (which took a gazillion years to get enough for all of us!) This time, I planned a lot...MVMCP, dinners, etc. We had a great time, extended family joined us, and since we stayed for 2 weeks, it was cheaper to get the Annual Passes. As many of you know, once you have those, they just call to you for another trip. I just happened to be reading some email one day when I saw a message about .93 cent hotel rooms. Long story short...we ended up with 2 rooms for 2 weeks, and with Annual Passes from our last trip, all we needed was airfare. Thanks to my mom, she gave us airfare as combined Christmas/birthday gifts. So all we needed to cover this trip was car rental, food and souvenirs. Yipee!
(Since we homeschool our kids, missing school isnt an issue, making the off-season work well for us)
Day 1: TURBULENCE, BARF AND PIXIE DUST (9/21)
We left Anchorage, Alaska shortly after midnight. We have two 5-hour flights, with a 1-hour layover. There was a 45-minute delay getting out, but that was okay, because they gave us free headphones as compensation, so we had them for all the rest of our flights. Unfortunately, there was so much turbulence, the seatbelt sign was on almost the entire flight. Several of us felt queasy (including me) and I have NEVER had motion sickness before. My youngest daughter (9) ended up getting sick in the plane. I had to borrow my younger sons sweatshirt because she was a mess. After getting to Salt Lake City, my older daughter also got sick while waiting for our connection. This made my younger daughter start all over again. (At this point, Im thinking Im crazy to think I can take 5 kids by myself). I just prayed we would have no problems getting on the plane. Thankfully, we did get on, but there was even more turbulence on this flight. Once on, my older daughter just kept getting sick. This has NEVER happened to her before. My younger daughter fell asleep. I thought Oh dear, were all going to get the flu. But once we got to the airport, and got outside in the fresh air, they felt fine, and that was it. I think it was all the turbulence...it was pretty bad.
Since this was our first experience staying off-site, we decided to rent a car. Ive never rented a car before, and had reserved a full-size with National. When I got out to that row, there was only one car there, and it looked pretty small. Here is where the Pixie Dust started...and it just continued on our entire trip! I saw lots of minivans and mini-SUVs over on the Emerald Aisle. I asked sweetly if I could possibly have one of those cars for the same rate. They said sure! So we took a nice big Uplander, and headed out. This was so cool! I felt pretty darn grown up! We found our hotel easily, and went to check in. More pixie dust...
Only one of our rooms was ready. I told them I wouldnt mind waiting in one room, while they cleaned our second room. He seemed very glad I wasnt upset, and gave us coupons for a free breakfast buffet! This is great so far! We liked the rooms. We unpacked, then headed down to Downtown Disney to get my Pal Mickey (yes, mine...Im not that grown up) and to grab sandwiches at the Earl of Sandwich. We ate back in the room, and just relaxed after the long journey. We decided the key word to this vacation was RELAX, so we didnt set an alarm. We all slept very well that night.
Here is the view from our balcony:
Day 2: MAGIC KINGDOM BIG TIME SPENDER (9/22)
We knew it was going to be hot, and it was. We just arent used to hot weather in Alaska, so it took some getting used to, but it was okay. The lack of crowds sure made up for any discomfort! Everything was a walk-on! We didnt get to the parks until 10:00, after sleeping in, and we had no trouble with crowds all day. On our other two trips to Disneyworld, we have always been pinching pennies. That meant peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the parks, splitting sodas, bringing in our own water, etc. This trip, since it was costing us less, I really splurged on the kids (at least for us, anyway) and I felt like such a big time spender. The first thing we did was have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. I told my kids to order whatever they wanted. They just looked at me like I was nuts. It was so cool to see them order whatever and not worry about the money for once. It took my kids awhile to get used to asking for water and getting one, not having to share anything, and eating every lunch at the park. Plus an ice cream treat every day!
My kids:
We did everything we wanted to that day, with no crowds and no waiting. It was so relaxing! We did meet who we called the Cast Member On The Edge. He just took his boat loading job way too seriously at Jungle Cruise and scared this poor elderly woman half-to-death when she (GASP!) crossed the center aisle after he told her not to! We ended our day by watching Wishes. It was our first time seeing Tinkerbell fly down...that was so cool! On the way back to the hotel, we grabbed some groceries to have breakfast and snacks in the hotel room (my cheapness shows through!)
Day 3: EPCOT SPECIAL ENDING (9/23)
When going through the turnstiles, our APs werent working, so they told us to go to Guest Relations and get new ones. The girl there was from France, and was so sweet! She made us new APs, then asked us if we wanted special seating for the Illuminations fireworks. I thought she was just going to tell us a good place to watch but no! She put us on a special list for VIP seating! How cool is that!
Everything was pretty much a walk-on again. We were all excited to try Soarin. We got Fastpasses, then went in the stand-by line. We did wait 20 minutes. We loved the ride! My kids are big Sponge Bob fans, so they thought it was so cool that the pre-show is hosted by some guy named Patrick! (My kids are easily entertained) . By the time we got off, it was time for our Fastpasses, so we went right back on again!
We then went to Test Track, and our APs werent working in the Fastpass machines. So they CM there gave us 6 Fastpasses, and we went back to Guest Relations. They gave us 6 more! Boy, so far, things are going well!
I splurged again, and played Big Time Spender...bought the kids drinks, lemonade ice, lunch in France, dessert in Norway, dinner in Mexico, and cookies in Germany! Gee...this is SO MUCH FUN! When it was time for Illuminations, we went to our special VIP seating, with about 8 other people (I wonder what their story was?) and watched as a large wedding party went by...it was like watching a coronation of a princess! The view was fantastic, and I almost had tears in my eyes, it had been such a great day, and I was there with the people I love the most...my children! I was so happy I was floating on air!
DAY 4: MGM MOMS LITTLE SECRET (9/24)
For me, MGM is usually a pretty relaxing day. We always seem to take it more easy at this park. One reason is that I dont do Tower of Terror. Now, I have done it, twice, in the past. The first time was way back when it first opened, and I remember them dropping you only once or twice....it didnt feel like quite so much. The second time I rode it, I expected it to go down, then up, then down...you get the idea. Well, we went down, then down again, and that was it....I just wasnt expecting it, and I said that was enough for me. I most likely will get back on some day....maybe.
We all love Rock n Roller Coaster, except my youngest DS (7). So I went on it once, then the rest of the time, I would let my other kids do those rides, while I sat with my youngest son and waited. The older kids thought that was so nice of me, until they came out early once and caught me red-handed...those were the times I snuck off and got myself a Cappuccino Smoothie (it was the closest thing I could find to a Mocha Frappaccino!) It was hot, and I felt like splurging on myself! The deal was, I would drink about ¾ of it, and give the rest to the little guy. Well, now my secret was out!
We had a very relaxing day, and ended the evening by getting a great seat at Fantasmic only ½ hour before the show. I love this show....one of Disneys best, IMHO.
DAY 5: ANIMAL KINGDOM SLOWING DOWN (9/25)
Today we realized that we were getting tired. We took it easy. We got Fast Passes right off for the Kilimanjaro Safari, but when we came back, the Fast Pass line was so long! I guess the ride had broken down, so now they were letting all the people with Fast Passes from like an hour ago on. It moved pretty fast, though, and we enjoyed the day. We finally saw Flights of Wonder which we had never seen before.
After watching the Parade, we were thankful for the shorter day. We headed back to the hotel, the kids swam, and we just relaxed.
DAY 6: DAY OFF (9/26)
Since this was a relaxing vacation, and we had a lot of time, we decided to take a day off from the parks. We swam, watched t.v., went to Downtown Disney, ordered out from the Olive Garden, and swam some more. We all felt refreshed and ready to go the next day!
DAY 7: MAGIC KINGDOM SO FAMILIAR, SO COOL! (9/27)
Another great day at the Magic Kingdom. With older kids, we were able to split up at times (which of course meant more Cappuccino Smoothies for me!) The rides were pretty much walk-ons again. What I really noticed today was that my kids are starting to feel like this is home to them, too. You know what I mean...that familiar feeling you get when you turn a corner and you pretty much know what is going to be there. Thats why I love Disneyworld so much. And it was great to see it in my kids!
For lunch we ate upstairs at the Columbia Harbor House. We all decided this was our favorite Table Service restaurant. We were the ONLY ones upstairs.
Great food, great atmosphere....great company. Ive got really super kids. I love being with them...well, most of the time! My youngest daughter didnt want anything there, so later, while we were split up, I took her to Pinocchio Haus for pizza...it was so good, and again, it was practically deserted! Just before closing time, there was some lightening (no rain) so the outdoor rides werent running, but they still had the fireworks. We just enjoyed walking around the dark, almost deserted park. It is so beautiful there!
DAY 8: EPCOT MY FAVORITE DAY OF ALL! (9/28)
This was the kind of day I had been dreaming of. I love Epcot, and with relatives on other trips, we so often would just scurry past much of the World Showcase. This trip, I wanted to slow down and see all the little stuff. This day, we bypassed Future World, and went right to the World Showcase at 11:00. The place was deserted!
! I took pictures of my kids with NO ONE around and rides with NO lines just to show people how empty it was!
! My youngest daughter had a homemade passport/autograph book, so she got autographs and pictures from each countrys Kid Cot station. That was so cool!
We did a lot of special things: listened to the Japanese story teller,
, my daughter was chosen as a volunteer for the French mime,
, were front and center for the Voices of Liberty, and we listened to Off-Kilter (so cool!)
In the late afternoon, we headed back to Future World. My second oldest son (14) and I took the Behind the Seeds tour at Living With the Land, while my oldest son took the other kids on some rides. My 14-year-old is a big gardener, and we just loved this tour! Fascinating!
He got information on how to make his own hydroponic planter, and he bought a hydroponic plant for a souvenir. We then rode rides for the rest of the evening. Test Track broke down for a bit while we were on it. It just stopped right before you go out the door. We sat there for quite awhile, then, BAM! It started up again. Kind of felt like Rock n Roller Coaster! Kids thought that was great fun. We ended our evening with dessert from France and Illuminations again.
DAY 9: MGM UM, DONT TELL DAD... (9/29)
Another relaxing day. Slept in and got to the park around noon. No crowds,
so we were able to do Indiana Jones,
(half-empty theatre)
Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours, then had lunch. Afterwards, we did the Backlot Express and the Great Movie Ride. We then split up and the boys went to Lights, Motors, Action and we girls went to Beauty and the Beast. Walked in 10 minutes before show time and got a seat in the second row...awesome!
Watched Fantasmic again (I never get tired of this show). Then it started to rain (thankfully it was right when the park was closing) so no swimming tonight!
Today I really splurged with the kids and souvenirs. Like food, that is something we are very frugal on, but it is so cool to see their faces light up when they get something special. I just told them not to tell Dad right away....
DAY 10: ANIMAL KINGDOM CATASTROPHE AVERTED! (9/30)
Another very relaxing day (get the theme of this vacation?) Today I let the younger kids swim before we left. We got to Animal Kingdom about 11:30. My oldest son is very much into making video movies. Not just your average home movie...he has very extensive computer software to make some excellent movies. He had really been wanting to film on Kilimanjaro Safari, so today was the day! When we got there, however, he realized that he had accidentally brought the wrong tapes...the ones that were full, not empty. He felt just sick about it. I quickly consulted my map, and saw that there was a photo hut right near where we were. I highly doubted they would have the kind of videotape he needed, but thought is was worth a try. At first we didnt see anything, but then, way in the back, high up on a hook, were a few packages of tapes. Sure enough, they were just the kind he needed. I was expecting to pay dearly for them, but werent overpriced at all! More pixie dust, I tell ya! We had a great day...lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue.
After Animal Kingdom, we didnt feel like heading back to the hotel, so we went to Fantasia Gardens mini-golf. No one was there, and we had a ball! We then went back to the hotel for more swimming.
DAY 11: MOMS MOST FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD (10/1)
Today we voted for another non-park day. The boys watched football on ESPN (we dont have cable at home, so this was a real treat) and I took the younger three swimming. Since the boys wanted to watch more football, the rest of us went to Downtown Disney. Then we went to my most favorite place in the whole world...Fort Wilderness campground. I absolutely love it over there! We parked in the lot, then spent a long time walking around. I feel like I know every inch there. We walked from the Outpost up to the Settlement. There we let the kids pet the ponies, and saw the horses in the horse barn.
We went to get a take-out pizza from Trails End to enjoy during the outdoor movie. Once we got the pizza, it started to downpour. We waited a bit, then hopped aboard a bus to the campfire and movie. We found a seat on the bleachers, and enjoyed our pizza. Then it started to rain. We ran under a roof for a few minutes, then the rain stopped. By this time, lots of people left, so we were able to move to the nicer benches for the remainder of the movie (The Incredibles). We bought stuff to make smores, and the kids kept me happily supplied! After that, we walked leisurely back to the car, and I dreamed of the next trip when we can stay in the cabins in my favorite place in the whole world!
DAY 12: MICKEYS-NOT-SO-SCARY-HALLOWEEN-PARTY
Today we enjoyed our breakfasts that we got for free from the hotel. Then the kids went swimming. In the afternoon, we all got ready for MNSSHP. We had never been before, so we werent sure what to expect. We decided to dress up, although I read later that the earlier in the month, less people dress up. Oh well. I went as a Mouseketeer, DS 16 a baseball player, DS 14 a basketball player, DD 12 Jasmine, DD 9 Sleeping Beauty, DS 7 Woody.
. We got to the Magic Kingdom about 4:30. We were kind of early, and at first didnt see a lot of other people dressed up, and we felt kind of stupid. Our first stop was City Hall to get a birthday button for my oldest son, who turned 16 today! Then we went to Caseys to get hot dogs for dinner. By this time, we saw lots more people wearing costumes, so we felt more comfortable. The piano player at Caseys noticed my sons birthday button, and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to him. How sweet! We went to Adventureland and rode Pirates with no wait, then on to Splash Mountain. My youngest son didnt want to ride, so I waited out with him. When my other kids went down the splash, I saw my DSs baseball hat fly off. I felt so bad for him. It was his cap from Seniors Little League, and while I could always get him a new cap, he had made marks under the bill of his pitching record, etc. Man, I could have cried. He asked someone about getting it back, but they said it was impossible, but have a happy birthday. Bummer. Oh well. Cant be helped so no use crying about it. We enjoyed the party very much. We chose not to watch the parade because my younger son really doesnt like the scary part, and the older ones arent too excited about parades anyway. We did a lot of trick or treating, and ended up with an insane amount of candy. We did get a little rain, but it started while we were on Peter Pan, so we just hopped over to Philharmagic, and by the time it was over, the rain had stopped. A highlight of the evening was when we were on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and we went through Space Mountain when it had the lights on! Cool!
And over in the princess meet-and-greet, Prince Phillip made a big deal about my younger daughter being Sleeping Beauty! It was a great night, and we stayed until midnight.
DAY 13: EPCOT WHERED THEY COME FROM?
After being spoiled by no crowds up to this point, we were surprised on Monday how crowded it was. We spent a lot of time enjoying the Food and Wine Festival. I had never been to this before. It was fun to try something new, but I dont think Id plan a special trip just to go to it. One different thing we did this day was to listen to the spiel for the DVC. It was hot and crowded so we decided why not? They picked us up in the World Showcase, and we got to see behind the scenes. That was fun! For 2 hours, we got wined and dined with cookies, pop and ice cream. Of course, the kids got all excited about the DVC, but my DH and I decided that since we usually stay at the FW cabins, it wouldnt really save us much. So we decided not to join. We only stayed at Epcot until about 6:00 because of the crowds, and since it was towards the end of our trip, we decided to go back and hang out at the pool.
DAY 14: MAGIC KINGDOM/EPCOT OH MY!
I know the Magic Kingdom is said to be crowded on Mondays but oh my! I wasnt expecting these kinds of crowds! I guess we had gotten really spoiled. We only stayed for the morning, and decided to head over to Epcot to see if it was less crowded. It wasnt. We enjoyed some more of the Food and Wine Festival, and we bought the cookbook so we can try our hand at some dishes at home (weve already made the Flourless Cake from Ireland!) Again, we headed back to the hotel around 6:00, and decided to get in some last bit of swimming. The kids swam for over 2 hours!
DAY 15: TIME TO GO HOME
We had a late afternoon flight, so after packing up, we headed over to Downtown Disney for some last minute souvenirs and one more ice cream splurge at Ghiradellis.
We dropped off our rental car with no problem, and went to check our luggage. Two of our suitcases were overweight (guess thats to be expected with all that splurging!) so we shifted some stuff around until they were all underweight. We got lunch at the airport, and then enjoyed two of the nicest flights Ive ever been on. That was such a joy after our last flight experience. Both planes were only half full, so on the second flight, I was able to lay down and slept for a long time, which is a first for me. I was already dreaming of our next trip!
This was, by far, the best trip Ive ever had to Disney! Im hoping to get back again in January 2007, get Annual Passes, stay in the Fort Wilderness cabins, then go back again in January 2008, before the APs expire. See? Ive already got it all figured out. Now, to start saving.....!
Hope you enjoyed my report!
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May I ask what curriculum you use; I have two teens aged 13 and 16 and trying to find something different than what I used this year. Thanks again and glad you had fun! 
