Can't think of a cute title but I've got pics!!!

[irishbosoxfan]

Ok--Our trip consisted of 7 (yes 7) people---2 adults and 5 (count them..5) kids not only that we decided to camp,in July,at Fort Wilderness over the Fourth!!! Crazy...maybe but then we've never been ones to take the easy road!!!

To fill you in on all who went on our first "REAL" vacation-- There was

DH-ME-DS15-DS11-DD8-DSD8-DD4

Our flight is scheduled to leave at 7:20am so for hours I'm trying to put kids to bed with the threat that "If you do not go to sleep now the only place you'll be able to sleep tomorrow is on some airports floor" but it didn't work because DS15 kept insisting he was going to stay up all night so of course the younger ones decided to follow suit. Well slowly but surely they all lost their all-nighter battle with DS being the last one to toss in the towel at about 3am.

At 4:45am DH and I start the battle to wake 5 kids get them dressed and to the cars to make the 20 minute trip to the airport--We arrived at MCI at about 5:30 and leave DS15 outside the doors with our luggage while we drove to the economy parking lot with the four younger ones then hopped the shuttle back to the terminal.

We brought our bags inside to the check in counter then walked around the terminal to kill some time and ate at Cinnabons for breakfast (This is something I will not do again! )

The flights were smooth-Our layover in ATL wasn't to long and as our flight was over Orlando we noticed rain running down the windows---No Problem--People always talked about the rain in Orlando as more sunshowers than downpours so we were not worried.

We deboard(deplane)(de'plane de'plane-what show was that...something Island I think) hop on the tram,grab our 2 bags from the carousel and head for the Magical Express counter. Here we had about a 10 minute wait before we got outside to the bus. On the highway heading to WDW it was pouring and DH nervously said "Maybe we should've gotten a hotel" my reply to him was "This is Disney World, maybe Walt will smile down on us and send some pixie dust our way and it will stop raining"

After 2 stops the bus arrived at FW. The kids explored the lobby while DH checked us in and then we were led outside by the nice man who drove the FW van,loaded up and given a quick tour of the campground as he made his way to our campsite. We told him we had brought our tent with us and he said that was great because when our luggage arrived from ME they would just put it in our tent if we were not there. WOOHOO!!

We had campsite number 2021 and immediately set about setting up our tent,as we were doing this we noticed that it wasn't raining anymore,the sun had come out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky!! (THANKS WALT!!!)

Since the weather turned our way we decided to hit Magic Kingdom and hopped on the bus to the beach where we boarded the ferry and started off across the lagoon and at about the halfway point DH remembered we were supposed to be getting our groceries delivered by gardengrocer.com and called the front desk and they told him not to worry they would hold the items at the front desk until he came to get them.

My picture taking started on the dock for the ferry and didn't stop until the plane took off for home but I won't bore you with the over 700 pictures I took but just insert pictures from that part of the trip we are discussing!


Once at the MK we strolled around just taking everything in. I couldn't believe it! We had made it to WDW!

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We ate first at PECOS BILLS to the tune of $73-We were using the dining plan for other meals while we were there. After leaving PB's we got in line for Pirates of the Carribean and loved it-It was cool to see scenes from the film incorporated into the ride. From there we went on the Magic Carpet Ride and DH managed to get spit on twice while riding!

We walked back up to the hub and walked thru the castle to Excaliber where each kid tried to pull it out to the Haunted Mansion where my DD8 was possessed by the spirit of a burly old ghost as he rode in the car with us then to Splash Mountain which everyone loved and to this day I still hear Zippee Do Dah from DD4 as she walks around the house!

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As we left SM we managed to get front row seats (if you will) to the Spectromagic Parade and decided to stay on the bridge waiting for the fireworks which took so long in coming we decided to head back up towards Main St and found that this was a mistake because that is where everyone else was but we did end up seeing the fireworks from the left side of the castle and this in no way diminished it for the kids

UP NEXT--Day 2 MK again!!

 

[pumba]

hey not bad for Pecos Bills and that many people eating.....YOU DID GOOD......thanks for the beginning of your trip and hope you have good weather in your tent

 

[poohsmommy4]

That sounds wonderful. I can't wait to hear the rest.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Ok so we got back to our campsite the first night and instead of our luggage being there as promised we had a note It said your luggage is at the office,come get it--Well maybe they were a little nicer but you get what I mean!
So DH heads up to the office to pick up our luggage and groceries and the air conditioner which hopefully has arrived because I mailed it Monday with our extra tent poles for the tarps--A little bit later the van rolls up and the guy unloads our luggage and we grab the air mattresses,get them blown up put the sheets and blankets on them and bunk down for the night.

Early the next morning DH and I wake up and set about getting the campsite set up----We put up the second tent that is to hold our luggage,put up the screen house over the picnic table,fill the cooler with ice,set up the air conditioner all the while trying to wake up the kids who were having absolutely no part of it

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One thing DH and I learned on this trip----Our family will probably never ever ever be a family that gets to open the parks I swear we never made it to a park before the full hour of 2 any day we were there except the last and that was only because we made everyone get up around 7am

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So after the site is set up we head to the dock,jump on the ferry and make our way to the MK!
For weeks I had been filling the kids in on what hidden mickeys were and I swear that was probably the biggest mistake I made with this trip because EVERYTHING was a hidden mickey and no matter how many times I tried to explain it--It just didn't work so I resigned myself to saying "No that isn't a hidden mickey" about a million times in the few days we were going to be there.
But I did find this one and even with the visual they didn't get it!

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We hoped on the train and took it to the back of the park where we ate lunch at Cosmic Rays and if there is one place that needs to be refurbished this is it! We got our food and searched and searched for a seat and when we finally managed to find 2 tables fairly close together our food was cold. Maybe if they got rid of that stage and threw in a few more tables it wouldn't be so bad!
After lunch we rode the Tea Cups,met TweedleDee and TweedleDum and rode Goofys Barnstormer

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After this we made our way back up to the front where we caught the monorail to the Grand Floridian and 1900 Park Fare for our reservation at Cinderellas Gala Feast. In the lobby we ran into Fairy Godmother but we only had time for a quick hug and picture because our table was ready---Inside the kids met Suzy,Perla,Prince Charming and of course my DD8's favorite Cinderella! The food wasn't very good and the choices for the price were pitiful but Fairy Godmother made up for it by remembering the girls names when we came out and making them feel like they truly were princesses!

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After 1900 we headed back to the MK where we rode the carousel and just narrowly missed being on Cinderellas horse afterwards we went on the It's A Small World Ride where I took probably about 100 pictures and blinded everyone in front and behind us! (If any of you were there and read this-please accept my apologies!)

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After we hopped on Peter Pans flight which made me nervous because you are flying around London without a seatbelt and DD4 kept wanting to lean forward and to the side to see everything below.

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During the fireworks which we only seen a few minutes of we got in line for Dumbo and after a 25 minute bathroom break for DS15 we got in line for the Indy Speedway and after about 1 1/2 hrs made it to our cars--DD4 drove ours without barely looking at the road in front of her but I must say I got some cute pictures of the back of her head during her first driving experience!

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After we got thru with Indy our Fast Passes for Stitches Great Escape were good so we headed over there. I didn't think it was that great and it scared the beejesus out of DD4 but DD8 and DSD8 loved it!

After this we headed back to Splash Mountain for our last ride of the night because it was the one ride all the kids could agree on!

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NEXT--Day 3 Epcot

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Ok Day 3 is Epcot and by far the longest day we ever spent anywhere-all day long all I heard was "My feet hurt","Why can't we get one of those cart things",Why is this place so big","My feet hurt"-----You get the picture.

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ANYWAYS...Right off the bat we hit the Cool Center and the kids think it's cool to try all these sodas for free! I just stood by with my camera at the ready waiting for one of them to hit Beverly--Hey I read the boards,I know what is about to happen am I mean...Maybe but boy was it fun to watch!

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After the learn about getting something for nothing and what it may entail we head for the World Showcase. We bear right and hit Canada first,

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next was the U.K where we were able to meet Eeyore,Pooh,Tigger,the yellow rabbit(sorry his name escapes me) and Mary Poppins while waiting at the Kidcot station!

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As we went along we had lunch at the Liberty Cafe where some regiment came marching thru while we were sitting there and the kids thought it was cool(it scared the poop out of me at first-I'm not used to grown men yelling and stomping while I'm eating...Kids however are a different story!) When we left DH was like "Hey there's Mickey and Goofy" I turn around see them coming out the side door and just about screamed "RUN!!" at everyone so those poor characters were surrounded in a matter of moments!

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As we continued our trip around the world I of course had to once again eyeball every hidden mickey the kids found and even though the bridge just before you get to China is loaded with hidden mickeys none were as cool as the one DH found in the clouds as we were standing there!
CAN YOU FIND THE HIDDEN MICKEYS?!!

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Later that day while everyone crowded around to see the fireworks the kids made it clear they didn't want to see any more fireworks so we took the opportunity to book it to the Future section of Epcot and managed to get on Test Track in a whopping 5 minutes!!

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This is us doing 64.8 mph!

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Immediately after TT we went right to Mission Space where we did the child swap because DD4 was to short which it turns out I had reason to be happy about So DH,DS15 and DS11 went on while i hung out with the girls in the after ride area where we helped our team to victory on some game I don't remember the name of. When DH and the boys got off I went on with the girls and DS11 who wanted to ride again----Now mind you the boys went whole hog while I was planning on only doing half the hog until they came out saying it was no big deal so we switched to the dark side and boy was I sorry I did

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Afterwards DH had a headache,DS15 was dizzy and nauseous,the girls and I held up the floor at the Electric Umbrella which we went to after thinking if we got some food in us it might help us feel better and DS11 was asking over and over if we could go on again after we ate (crazy crazy kid,no idea where he gets it)
After that with 5 of us pretty much down for the count we headed back to Fort Wilderness to sleep it off and get an early start on MGM the next day!

NEXT--Day 4 MGM

 

[BeckWhy]

Aww.. Don't feel bad you took 700 pics. I plan on taking more than that when I go!

 

[UtahMama]

OHHHHH! the picture of the purple wigged dude on the Spectro float was in a nightmare of mine once!!! I cant look at him!

I have never heard of an A/C for a tent- Cool! My family loves to camp, but I do not so I was anxious to read how this worked out for you. You have one more child than me...I thought I had a busy life! Sheeesh...you go girl!

We love the hidden mickeys too...clever disney making ones in the clouds!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Ok today was the coolest day of our Disney trip and you will find out why in this installment
Today July 5th will break every trip we will ever again make to WDW!
But we decided that MGM is our favorite park and was the one park where the kids acted like they liked each other and got along great!

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Right off the bat we had lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet and if it wasn't for the dining plan we would have spent over $92 for individual pizzas

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After lunch we went on the Muppet 3D ride and everyone loved it and wanted to go back in as soon as it was over!

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At this point DH and I split up---He took the boys to see the Lights!Motors!Action Stunt show while the girls and I hauled butt clear across the park to catch the Beauty and the Beast Show but boy was that run worth it! We managed to get seats in the third row just behind the handicapped section so our view was virtually unobstructed and the girls were spellbound!

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After this we met back up and rode on Star Tours

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and after decided to stop and get some ice cream

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and at this point the kids were playing around and DS15 got kicked in the foot with his sandals on and his big toenail got broke splitting it just about in 2 so we headed up to the first aid office (which Disney should staff a little better as there was one nurse on and she was trying to deal with a severe allergic reaction,a possible heart attack plus the regular owies and one guy was pitching a fit about how hard could it possibly be to get a bandaid for his DD's skinned knee) While DS15 and I were waiting inside,DH was outside with the other 4 kids (he moved outside when the heart attack lady was rushed in to make room) and while outside Jasmine was standing off to the side so he told the kids to grab their autograph book and go see her but when they got there her handler told them she wasn't working and was unable to sign any autographs so DH started talking to this CM Derek

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about what we were doing wrong and how hard it had been to get the kids to meet the characters and how we would stand in line after line and before we got anywhere near the front the character would leave so Derek worked some true Disney magic! HOW you might ask???? WELL...
First he got our dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon switched to 50's Prime Time which was sold out

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DH being made to eat his spinach!

then made us the "MAGIC FAMILY" where we received VIP seating to Fantasmic! which we were escorted to by a CM who met us at the front of the theatre then after the show the CM came,rounded us all up and escorted us behind the stage to an outdoor area where we got to meet a whole slew of characters by ourselves! Just our family!! The kids were in heaven and DH and I were truly impressed! They didn't rush us and I must have taken about 50 pictures-I swear every time the little light on my camera turned green I barely pointed and just kept snapping away!! The kids were able to meet Mickey,Pluto,Mary Poppins,Belle,Jasmine,Snow White,Hercules,Meg,Prince Charming,Grumpy and others! And that is why I say this day will be remembered each and every time we make a trip to WDW because the kids will want it to happen each time!

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After that the kids danced their way out of the park as we went back to our campsite to catch some sleep and dream of princesses!

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[DisneyFan06]

I love the report, especially with the pictures. It sounds like you had a blast!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Today was slower paced and a day to try to see what we had missed the day before!
We walked around and managed to catch JoJo and Goliath which DD4 wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with people she seen on tv everyday but she knew she wanted a hug first and pictures and autographs later!

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After this we hit the Backlot Tour

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and as we left the "CARS" cast members were just outside

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After we grabbed something to drink and let the kids soak themselves at the big Coke bottle

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When they had cooled off we headed up to see Playhouse Disney on Stage and DD4 was in her element! Jumping around,dancing for the whole world to see and singing just as loud as her lungs would let her!

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Immediately after we caught the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show which made my DD4 decide that Aurora may just have to share the title of he favorite princess!
We had reservations for the Hoop De Doo Review Dinner Show so we headed back to FW for dinner

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and while in there the sky opened up and it was the downpour to end all downpours

Figuring the parks wouldn't have much to offer in the rain we went to Downtown Disney

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and let the kids spend their souvenier money on pins which took them 2 hours to do so when we finally made it out of there we hit Earl of Sandwich then strolled along checking out the sites and letting the kids get spit on by Stitch

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The kids really enjoyed looking at all the Lego creations

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Then we headed back to our campsite to see what damage had been caused by the downpor and were pleased to find that virtually no water had made it into the sleeping tent but everything in the screenhouse was soaked to include the box to ship our air conditioner back home!
Since we were leaving tomorrow we put the kids to bed and started to break down some of the campsite then we ourselves hit the sack because we had to be up extra early the next morning!


Next-Day 6 Epcot then home

 

[DisneyFan06]

Aww, no Animal Kingdom? I am still looking forward to reading about your last day at the World.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Ok like I said last night we started to break down the site but today it was a mad dash to make sure we had everything packed before they came to the campsite to pick it all up!
We managed to get the kids up but they didn't move from the picnic table!
DH and I deflated the beds,rolled the tents (the 2 tents and the screenhouse from around the kids) pack the last of the bags,take down the clothesline which did absolutely nothing to dry the clothes because of the humidity then DH set out on the quest to sell our air conditioner because the box got soaked and disintegrated and I set off with all the extra stuff we didn't need to bring back with us and managed to give it away to people camping around us!
After they came to pick up our luggage DH went to the office and checked out then we headed to Epcot for our last meal at Disney which was at the Akershus restaurant in Norway
Here the kids met
Belle in the hallway before we were seated
Jasmine

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Mulan

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Snow White

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Aurora--Who is DD4's favorite so there was no way we were going to miss this meal because she had yet to see her and I didn't care if I had to wake the kids at the crack of dawn to make it to this breakfast but dang it all we were going!!!

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Ariel in the hallway as we were leaving---They told us since we were leaving that we weren't supposed to get back in line to see another princess but I think the death stare from 3 little girls and 2 adults (the boys couldn'tve cared one way or the other) changed their minds

After we left the retaurant we walked back to the front and hoped on Soarin where my fear of heights really kicked in and threw me off for the rest of the day
After this we headed back to FW to get our luggage for ME..==Do you remember way back at the beginning I mentioned that we had mailed our air conditioner and extra tents poles?? Well when they brought our luggage out wouldn't you know it,our tent poles were there! They never told us they had arrived and since they hadn't told us we assumed they never arrived so as the ME bus pulled up DH ran the package back inside and asked them to just sent it back RETURN TO SENDER and they told him that they couldn't do that--Huh,What?Why?--No time to argue we had to go----I was steamed if we had received the tent poles when they had been delivered our AC box would have been protected and we would have been able to mail the AC back home instead of selling it for 1/2 price and how come they couldn't stick the tent pole package back in the mail when it had never been opened?
DH was mad and threw the postage to return the items in the trash so then we were not only out the AC and the tent poles but the postage I had prepaid to mail the items back home---Boy was I ready to kill him

BUT ANYWAYS... We got the ME back to the airport,hopped on our flight and headed home a whole lot sadder but we decided we loved it so much and felt we still had so much more to see we are planning our next trip for FEBRUARY!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this report--I tried to not drag it out and give just the facts but I'm sure there is stuff I forgot----Let me know what you think and please feel free to ask any questions you may have!!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Wow I managed to get that whole report on one page! I wonder if that's a record!

 

[MagicalMom]

I really enjoyed your report & pictures! Hope you make it to Animal Kingdom next time.

 

[nowellsl]

I am impressed! I don't know if I would attempt to camp even if I had a car, but lugging all that stuff around must have been quite a chore! It sounds like you had a great trip - thanks for sharing all the great pictures.

 

[Bev J]

Wow what a trip! You are all real troopers to camp with a large family and flying in too!!
AC for a tent- cool- never heard of that one before. Was it specially made for a tent or a regular AC unit? Next time if the box gets ruined maybe the resort can locate a new one for you to ship it home?

You all sure lucked out at MGM, we too have learned it can pay off just haveing a nice conversation with a CM. Being friendly works both ways! We were once escorted to Splash Mountian going in the back way and into the next log leaving by a friendly security CM, it started with a hello, on to talking about pins and what ride are you heading to.....we had a grand time!

Thanks for posting your trip and pictures, enjoyed them all alot!

Bev

 

[lindakmonty]

LOVE your title and pictures. Great TR

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Lugging around the luggage wasn't a chore at all!! We loaded the truck the night before we left---We had 13 bags TOTAL--When we got to the airport we dumped it outside then each kid grabbed one to bring in the airport except DS15 who took 3 (1 rolling,2 duffel) then DH and I took 3--I should mention no bag was close to 50lbs so they were lightweight then we gave them to the airline and didn't move them anywhere after that because we used ME!

As for the AC we bought a product called the ACBOOT and it creates a window in your tent thru which can be used any regular window air conditioner and boy was it a lifesaver with all the humidity!

 

[Disfan3]

great report!!

how great it is to be magic family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is ssooo exciting and the pics are fabulous!!!!!


glad you all had a magical trip


PS...MGM is my personal fav of all parks too...shhhh!!!

don't tell cuz my kids LOVE Epcot

 

[littleteapot]

Great job! Will you be camping in February too?

Thanks for all the great pictures.