6 Canucks do Disney for the first time. During President's Week-YIKES!

[CanadaMomto5]

Let me start by introducing us. Myself, turned 42 this trp. DH, 39 (really), DS Thomas 8, DS Marcus 7, DD Kate 5 and DD Elizabeth 3. DD Ashley was home at University, she went as a kid. All the rest of us were enjoying our first Disney vacation.

The trip was a surprise for the kids. As we were driving (a good 20 plus hrs), we told them we were going to Florida, but not to Disney. I did all my research covertly. At night while they slept, while they were in school, hid my books about Disney, referred to it as D or E or the other places when talking to DH. DH nearly blew it one night, asking "Do they have laundry at Disney?" during dinner. Thank goodness our kids only listen to 10% of what we say! We set off assured they were not onto the surprise.

Drove over 16 hrs to Savannah, GA on day one. DD 3 asked "are we almost there?" 40 minutes into the trip. Thank goodness for DVD players and Nintendo DS. How did our parents survive road trips with us?

After a good nights rest at a Hampton Inn, we set off for "D". It was Daytona weekend and the traffic on the eastbound I4 was horrific! We were thankful we were heading the other way. Stopped at a Target to load up on things we needed or just plain forgot. Including meds for two of the kids who now had colds. Having been healthy all winter in Ontario. Sigh.

Pulled into Disney World and the kids went nuts. "We're going to Disney? For real?!". Worth every second of the scheming all those months!

Next up-our first (part) day at Disney!

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Count me in, sounds fun!!!

 

[OhMari]

My geography of Canada is horrible.
I'm ashamed to admit it.
Where is Ontario located, or which U.S. state is it near?
I was just in Savannah.
I would of told you to take a quick look at some of the
squares in Savannah or just drove around some.
Flowers were blooming in Jan.

Hope you had a great trip.

 

[CanadaMomto5]

My geography of Canada is horrible.
I'm ashamed to admit it.
Where is Ontario located, or which U.S. state is it near?
I was just in Savannah.
I would of told you to take a quick look at some of the
squares in Savannah or just drove around some.
Flowers were blooming in Jan.

Hope you had a great trip.

We are nearest to Buffalo NY.

WE walked around Savannah last trip (no Disney, just Fort Myers). It was a cloudy, rainy day, but we still really enjoyed it. Very pretty place! Have a great pic of Kate smelling flowers in early Feb. last yr.

 

[CanadaMomto5]

Arrived at Fort Wilderness and checked in easily. Was surprised signage to the Fort was not better, but we figured it out, with the help of Annie. She is our annoying voiced GPS-hence the Annie, for annoying. Asked for and received a cabin close to a bus stop. We planned to drive to most parks, but knew the boat was the way to go to get to MAgic Kingdom.

Quickly unpacked, and hopped said bus to the Settlement Depot. Much has been said about the internal bus at FW, but I have to say we were impressed. Longest wait was 5 mins, midday. Took the boat to Magic Kingdom and hopped off to explore. We just walked around, soaking in the sights, smells and crowds. We rode the railroad to get a birds eye view. Then off to dinner at Cosmic Rays.

Ever try to corral 4 kids in a place like that? We managed to order some food and DH found a seat. Right down by the singing guy. I wonder why it wasn't taken. Sigh. Made our way through a noisy dinner. DH and I each had bacon double cheeseburgers, which were fine. Two kids had PB and J and LOVED them-no uncrustables where we hail from. The other two had chicken (or at least an edible oil product disguised as chicken) nuggets. Fisrt and last of the trip-they were pretty bad.

Traipsed off to find a spot for the parade. We settled into a prime parade and Wishes viewing spot on Main St. (thank you ROBO!!) Entertained ourselves with the changing castle colours, people watching and the thrill of being at Disney. Some buttery Disney popcorn helped too. After a long hour's wait (during which I ran into someone I know from the Y back home-go figure), we saw Spectromagic. My youngest sat beside me and waved at anything and everything. One of the dragonflies (?) came over and shook her hand. The look on her face made every dollar and moment of time we spent on this worth it and more. We enjoyed the parade, and then discovered Wishes would be a while. We stood in the middle of Main St, light rain started. Elizabeth fell asleep. We woke her for the start of Wishes, and I don't have to tell you it was magical. Even in the rain. The girls waved to Tink as she made her way across the sky. I spent half my time watching the faces of my kids, savoring their reactions to it all.

EMH until 3 am tonight. 3 AM? Are you KIDDING me? Worked to our advantage-short line for the boat back to FW. We were all in bed by 10, ready to start our first full day in the morning.

Next up: AK. Switched days to avoid MK on President's Day. Who knew it was such a big holiday?

 

[OhMari]

Federal gov. workers have Presidents Day off, so they take a long holiday to WDW.
Hope you come back and finish.
I like to read TR's were people stay over at the Camp grounds.