Hello again. Here's the first installment of our recent 5 day trip of a family of 4 (Mom, Dad, Son (age 6) and Daughter (age 12).
The first part of the trip showed how life can be filled with minor pitfalls that are filled with possibilities. The bad news was that our original 5:30 flight was downsized to a smaller plane so they needed to cut and transfer passengers, the good news was that they were giving us $300 each in travel vouchers for our switch. The bad news was that the kids would have to miss a half-day of school (I'm an educator so I hate to have kids miss school) but the good news was that the new flight was getting in early enough to go to Epcot. The bad news is that we found out on the WEB that Test Track would be closed for the 5 days we were going to be there, the good news was that with the ability to go to Epcot the first night we would be able to ride it just before its repair hiatus. Anyway, the first day went smoothly as follows:
I had stopped in our local Disney Store that morning to get a few last minute Disney Dollars before our trip. After picking up the kids and going to the airport, we arrived in Orlando about 15 minutes early, went to baggage claim and passed by the Disney Store where we had bought our daughter's autograph book 8 years earlier (it was nice to see a Disney Store that was like they used to be before they reorganized them into a mere shell of their former selves). Car rental went smoothly, and we drove straight to the Caribbean Beach Resort (our first on-site stay). Checking in we noticed the first sign that it was going to be a great vacation - despite all the check-in windows it was capable of opening, only two were open and there was still no wait for check-in. The Custom House was virtually empty with only about three or four families there. We checked in, got our passes, and went straight to Epcot before going to our rooms. We parked at the Beach Club and took a leisurely stroll down to Epcot through the International Gateway, spending time to notice the beautiful foliage and landscaping along the canal - a beautiful sight at night.
Once in Epcot (about 7:30) we headed straight to Test Track and what would be the longest wait of our stay, a 25 minute wait for Test Track (all FPs were gone for the day). We had a nice conversation with the people near us so the time went fast. Our son loved his first WDW ride (and his first real memory since he didn't remember his 1 yo Disney trip) and wanted to go on it again. Unfortunately the line was too long, so we went on Spaceship Earth (no wait), which became one of my son's favorite rides. We also began to notice those little touches like the sparkly lights in the Future World walkway around SE. After SE we went to the World Showcase where we plopped a good site for Illuminations five minutes before the show, eating some great veggie wraps after the show. A grand beginning to the vacation.
We strolled back to our car via the canal (parking at the Beach Club when you are staying at any of the resorts is a great way to leave Illuminations quickly and easily) listening to some of the street musicians and briefly looking at the shops. We went to our rooms, put in our luggage, and then went to the Food Court Area to pick up our trading pins, our refillable mugs, and have some ice cream. We went back to our rooms, watched some Disney Toons, and went to bed (a little late for getting up for early entry the next day, but what the heck).
See you soon with Day 2
SC
The first part of the trip showed how life can be filled with minor pitfalls that are filled with possibilities. The bad news was that our original 5:30 flight was downsized to a smaller plane so they needed to cut and transfer passengers, the good news was that they were giving us $300 each in travel vouchers for our switch. The bad news was that the kids would have to miss a half-day of school (I'm an educator so I hate to have kids miss school) but the good news was that the new flight was getting in early enough to go to Epcot. The bad news is that we found out on the WEB that Test Track would be closed for the 5 days we were going to be there, the good news was that with the ability to go to Epcot the first night we would be able to ride it just before its repair hiatus. Anyway, the first day went smoothly as follows:
I had stopped in our local Disney Store that morning to get a few last minute Disney Dollars before our trip. After picking up the kids and going to the airport, we arrived in Orlando about 15 minutes early, went to baggage claim and passed by the Disney Store where we had bought our daughter's autograph book 8 years earlier (it was nice to see a Disney Store that was like they used to be before they reorganized them into a mere shell of their former selves). Car rental went smoothly, and we drove straight to the Caribbean Beach Resort (our first on-site stay). Checking in we noticed the first sign that it was going to be a great vacation - despite all the check-in windows it was capable of opening, only two were open and there was still no wait for check-in. The Custom House was virtually empty with only about three or four families there. We checked in, got our passes, and went straight to Epcot before going to our rooms. We parked at the Beach Club and took a leisurely stroll down to Epcot through the International Gateway, spending time to notice the beautiful foliage and landscaping along the canal - a beautiful sight at night.
Once in Epcot (about 7:30) we headed straight to Test Track and what would be the longest wait of our stay, a 25 minute wait for Test Track (all FPs were gone for the day). We had a nice conversation with the people near us so the time went fast. Our son loved his first WDW ride (and his first real memory since he didn't remember his 1 yo Disney trip) and wanted to go on it again. Unfortunately the line was too long, so we went on Spaceship Earth (no wait), which became one of my son's favorite rides. We also began to notice those little touches like the sparkly lights in the Future World walkway around SE. After SE we went to the World Showcase where we plopped a good site for Illuminations five minutes before the show, eating some great veggie wraps after the show. A grand beginning to the vacation.
We strolled back to our car via the canal (parking at the Beach Club when you are staying at any of the resorts is a great way to leave Illuminations quickly and easily) listening to some of the street musicians and briefly looking at the shops. We went to our rooms, put in our luggage, and then went to the Food Court Area to pick up our trading pins, our refillable mugs, and have some ice cream. We went back to our rooms, watched some Disney Toons, and went to bed (a little late for getting up for early entry the next day, but what the heck).
See you soon with Day 2
SC
