First-Time! Fantastic Adventures on the Fly!

[choppee]

I'm loving your report! It's so fun to see you all enjoying everything for the first time.

Thanks so much for joining! I appreciate your company.

 

[choppee]

You guys are too cute....no way I can't sign-up for this report!

I'm loving it! It's awesome to hear a first-timer's perspective.

Thanks for joining! Hope you enjoy the ride!

 

[luckylady]

Yea for family who understand the need to go to Disneyworld. Hay if the place isn't going to cost anything I'd stay there to. Your right, no one wants to cook on vacation. We also learned the first time about staying off site, only our stay was in Lake City I think it is called. 45 minutes down the road. Keep up the great work on teaching your kids compassion. So many don't have it these days.

 

[choppee]

The next day we all slept in due to the fact that we had been out so late last night (didn't get in until 2:30-3:00! ) and we were all exhausted. I didn't want to push the family so hard that this became a vacation they would remember with dread, so we took it easy. Didn't get to the Studios until about 11 or 12 that next day. I know! I've learned. Don't schedule two hard park days in a row! Well, I only had four days to visit the parks and had scheduled for us to see all four parks.... I know. Pure foolery. I will NEVER do a lot of the stuff I did again. Like I said before, LIVE AND LEARN! I did read the advice a lot of you guys gave, but apparently I didn't apply it as well as I should have. In retrospect, I gave importance to the park stuff and ignored all the things that supported the trip itself. Gonna cook up a new plan this summer and do it differently. You'll see when I do my pre-trip report and/or trip report in the future! It's cooking now...

So all rested, we got into the car and drove off the World. My Strawberry lady is looking forward to seeing her hero...Ariel! I promised her that we would be sure to do just that. We parked and got onto the tram that takes you to the front entry way.

Me with my shades...and yes! I found those earrings in Walmart of all places. Love them!

I found the entry to be a bit underwhelming....but hey, so what? I don't know quite what I expected, to be honest. Lots of folk! But I expected that.

We started walking around the location and was immediately aware that the place was verycrowdedwithpeople!!! My sonny boy right away starts asking to go back to the hotel. Too hot! Too crowded! So I make a decision...let's go someplace out of the crowds! So I see a meet and greet for Buzz Lightyear! Score. We head in and all complaining stops.

This picture actually cracks me up--it's like Buzz is telling Fatdaddy to calm down!

After leaving the meet and greet, son all happy again, we notice that the crowds are still large, and that the heat is going to get to us if we don't get out of it. So what to do? Keep a promise to a little girl. We go and see her heroine!

We found this to be a great show, full of wonderful A/C. The underwater effect was fascinating to the Strawberry. "Are we really underwater? How can we breathe? Can we swim?" All this until the show actually started.

We decided to do another show, this one being another of our kids' favorites....Disney Junior!

Nice A/C again! And the storyline kept the kids rapt with attention. I couldn't believe that they stayed so attentive for this show. Score!

Next up, the kids decided they wanted to play. Hey, Hubby and I are just along for the ride anyway, so we decided to check into the attraction Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! They loved this area, and stayed almost an hour!

It was really neat how they made it seem like we had shrunk with all the giant items. The Monster had a great time with the ants and the grass--we played hide and seek for quite a while!

Hubbs and I decided that the crowds had cleared enough for a few items that we wanted to do. We also saw the Indiana Jones show (I'm a HUGE Indiana Jones fan!), and we rode the Tower of Terror! I know what you're thinking...we tortured the little one! No, we switched off! The girls had a blast. They were 6 and 8 and made of steel, apparently. Forgot to mention that we went on the Haunted Mansion in MK as well, and the kids were having fun with that until the little one saw his first ghostie...Live and learn. Made sure to switch off, this time. I loved it!

By this time, we were scheduled to do Fantasmic, and well, you know, the Fatdaddy wasn't trying to hear it. So you know what happened, Hubby and the girls got to view it and I stayed in the back area with the son. Sigh. This year, I swear, I will have EARPLUGS!

Things I learned!

1. Never schedule a "Do or Die" trip! Make time for days in between parks!
2. EARPLUGS! EARPLUGS! EARPLUGS!
3. The Switch Off option is great if you want to visit the big people rides!
4. Do more ADRs...you can eat at the parks more easily than you think.

 

[Christy13]

Haven't finished reading it all yet but really enjoying it

 

[choppee]

Haven't finished reading it all yet but really enjoying it

Thanks! I think I'm getting the hang of this. Next trip report will be more streamlined and cohesive, I think. I will take better pix, focus on the interesting points and do food porn! Have a lot more ADRs this next trip in June.

 

[choppee]

So! This was our last day in the condo at the Polynesian Isles. I had planned to move to our second resort this morning while the hubbs took the girlies to Epcot. Fatdaddy was a little tired and did not go. He spent extra time in bed and time with mommy! This was a good plan, because I wanted everybody to feel happy in the long run. Can you tell I'm a people pleaser?

Moving out and moving in lasted the morning. Hubs placed all our bags in the van and I dropped him and the girls off. Fatdaddy and I raced to our new place which was the Orange Lake Resort. Very nice! Wished we had had a little time to really enjoy the pool, though. Live and learn!

After I moved us in (left the bags for the hubby to get!), we left the resort to get to Epcot (or Epocot like Fatdaddy called it). We were planning to meet for an ADR at a French restaurant! Being a French teacher, you know this had to happen!

We didn't get pix of the meal we ate, but we sure loved the dessert! Here I'll post a few pix....

Baby girl giving daddy a kiss 'cause he said they can have dessert! He's a wuss with the girls!!!

Me and Fatdaddy! I think that's our food on the tray in the back...sorry! Will do better next time.

And wow! Guess who came to visit! One of the kids' favorites. Remy! My daughter tried to speak French with the guy. She did pretty well! My son wasn't interested. Chocolate cake! A very rare opportunity for him! He's eating as fast as he can because he thinks I will change my mind...

I enjoyed this nice restaurant, and I enjoyed speaking French with the servers who were all francophone. My husband, who's only French is "French toast" and "French fries", was happy to let me and the kids order for him! He got some chocolate cake too.

We walked out and did a little sight seeing. We had to stop by Lightning McQueen and Mater...

And as we walked enjoying the sights, we noticed some drizzle falling! Good thing I packed these Dollar Store rain ponchos! Score!

We decided to leave while the rain poured down. We knew we could come back for Magic Hours (thanks friend), and the girls needed some down time.

When we returned, we did the Test Track four times! Really loved that attraction. Gave us the need for speed that we all loved. The kids loved the cars at the end!

Sitting in the front seat as the driver gave them a real thrill!

We have one more park to go...looking to a fun day tomorrow.

What I learned!

1. It's okay to take an easy day or an off day. Gotta leave something to come back to see!
2. REST!
3. Eat dessert first!
4. Moving from place to place is a bad idea with kids. Too much drama!
5. If you can, stay on site!
6. The Dollar Store is a great resource for necessities that are way too expensive to purchase on site.

 

[arianrose]

You are such a fantastic storyteller! Thanks for letting us (me) reminisce with you.

 

[choppee]

This was the park that I was really looking forward to. Animal Kingdom held interest to me because I love The Lion King! I saw the Broadway play--can you say amazing? Really loved it.

Since we had such an easy day at Epcot--late start, early retire--we were good to go to arrive fairly early at Animal Kingdom. We parked, got onto the tram and we were on our way in! Loved the entry--African elephants are waaaayyy cool!

Though I've never been to Asia or Africa, I loved what seemed to be the authenticity of the sights! The Harambe Market was a place I could explore for hours!

While we were walking and enjoying the sights, the kids caught a glimpse of some very important characters that I had never introduced to them before...remember these guys? They had a ball with them. No wait!

Mount Everest was next! Alas, Fatdaddy was too little, so I stayed with him. He didn't mind--a cast member entertained him and other little bitty kiddies with some bubbly fun!

We met back up and Monster stated that she wanted to see some dinosaurs! Easy enough to do...let's go and find some! We rode this ride and all the kids had a ball. Can't remember the name of the ride, but it was in the Dinosaur area.

We did the Jurassic ride, but this wasn't a good one for the littles...they hid their faces and shook during the ride. Hm...we hurried them away from that encounter, though hubby and I liked it. We decided to use our fastpasses for something more tame. A safari!

We are all seated and ready to go. The kids are excited to be seeing some real wildlife. They are big animal lovers.

I really loved the landscaping of this animal preserve!

The horns on these bovines were incredible! The photos do not do them justice.

And look! Look how close this one got! Really lucked out with this pic.

An elephant! Just like the entrance. Beautiful!

The flamingo babies were extremely cute! You can barely see the little grey puffs of feathers on the ground, but there are there.

The guy who did our tour was extremely knowledgeable about the animals, and he answered all our kids' questions with great responses. He even took a pic with the kids! Wonderful!

Walking away, I watched this guy do his work. I should have bought something, it was so beautiful. He was from Nigeria and was a true craftsman.

So...we were hungry by now. Where shall we eat? Why, we will eat where I scored some coupons for the kids! And they loved this place!

Continued in next post...

 

[choppee]

So when I last posted, I mentioned that we were going to eat our lunch at the Rainforest Cafe! This was actually outside of the park, and we had to exit to get into the main entrance of the restaurant. Something to consider, so keep your tickets handy! We spent a little time in the area while the kids enjoyed the sights and played in the open space.

We checked in and the kids were immediately drawn to the giant aquarium near the front entrance. They asked, "Can we get one of these?" And put it where??? They found Dori and Nemo several times...

Finally! I remembered to do some food porn. Fatdaddy got the pizza...ate every bit!

Strawberry followed suit, and the Monster got her usual sliders. They were perfect little burgers!

Hubby got a chicken sandwich and I remember getting a seafood something with scallops...I remember because the scallops were in a cream sauce that I found to be a little off-putting. I removed the sauce! Otherwise, we were happy with our choices.

In the gift area, we browsed around--Strawberry just talked with this tree...I found the tree to be creepy, but she and Fatdaddy really liked it! Monster thought it was weird too, and stuck by me.

Once we finished, we went outside, returned to the park and took a walk in the wooded area. The kids had a great time running around and finding the birds that roamed freely.

Loved the parrots! They were so colorful. Monster said they looked like rainbows with wings!

We walked around and found ourselves back at the Harambe Market. There was some really interesting music...we decided to check it out! Loved these guys.

After their performance, they took a pic with the kids. Really nice! Let our son play with one of their drums for a few minutes. He loved it!

A quick family pic...

When we walked away, we decided to try and see Raifiki's Watch. You know what that means...a train! I liked the sideways orientation. so did the kiddies.

We did see Pocahantas at Raifiki's Watch, but unfortunately, I don't seem to have a pic! Sorry, still learning. But on the way back, we finally got to see the Big Cheese!

This was actually the best line for Mickey that I had seen in all the parks. Everywhere else, the line was intolerable! Here, we stayed in line only 10 minutes!

After doing Nemo, Kali River, and the Lion King after the meet and greet, the kids began to wind down. We felt it would be best to head on back to the condo. We were leaving Orlando the next day, and would need the time to pack up, rest, and just kick back. We headed out around 6:00 pm that day.

What I learned!

1. Animal Kingdom is a great shady park!
2. Double check with the cast members if the ride is scary!
3. AK is a great spot to see the Mouse! Best lines for him anywhere
4. Check the height requirements before hand to avoid disappointments

 

[MagicKisses2]

Sounds like you are having a great time!!! There is so much to take in, it's hard to see everything the first, second and third time you visit.

Like you said, now there are many reasons to go back!!

 

[glennbo123]

Me and Fatdaddy! I think that's our food on the tray in the back...sorry! Will do better next time.

See, you didn't forget to take food pictures after all....it's right back there.

Hey, you're already rockin' some Disney earrings.

Great learnings you're having, thanks for listing them.

 

[choppee]

Thanks to all who have been reading this first trip report of mine--I have been off for a few days since it's the last day of the semester for graduate school. Duke is trying to kill me!!! But happily, all the work is done and papers are in a assessed. Got all A's this semester and I am soooo thankful.

So. On to the final submission....

This was our last day in Orlando, and we were going to take it easy. We woke up late having spent the previous evening washing clothes, lounging by the pool and generally resting. We had had four days of running! Everyone was in need of a break. When we woke up it was rather late--around 10 AM which was amazing for us. Usually our house is up and popping each day around 8 at the latest. We checked out around 12, and packed up the van. We decided to spend our afternoon at Downtown Disney for lunch, a change of pace and last minute souvenir shopping!

Our first sight as we parked was this sight here. The Disney Quest! When our kids are older (teens), this might be a nice spot for them to spend a day while hubby and I walk around doing some shopping nearby.

Or, perhaps hubby and I will watch this show while they play! Always wanted to see the Cirque du Soleil!

We meandered down the sidewalk, no real destination in mind. We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds! Being in crowds for the last few days had been a bit disquieting, and the early afternoon found the downtown area still sparsely populated.

I think around this time our bellies started to remind us that it had been ignored, so we ducked into the House of Blues for a little sustenance...and yeah, I had a Restaurant.com coupon for it!

We checked to see if there was availability, and of course, there was. The restaurant was quiet and the breezy porch was quite comfortable to just sit and people watch. The kiddies were enjoying the quiet, and enjoyed the chance to chatter among themselves. Monster got a chance to play on her DSi.

Can I say wow??? Really enjoyed the character of this restaurant and the food! The kids enjoyed looking at all that there was to see. Fatdaddy loved the bottlecaps on the podium near the front.

As we ordered, the girlies did a few puzzles together...and yes, those are indeed Mickey Mouse earrings! The girls had pizza, and Fatdaddy had the nuggets. Delish! I had some shrimp po'boy, and hubby had a chicken sandwich. Really good food. We will be back!

On the way out, I ordered a key lime pie. I had realized that I was in Florida and I hadn't bothered to do that! As I re-entered, hubby took this pic of the kids at the bird bath.

As we walked around, Fatdaddy saw a shop that was very much like Build A Bear, but for toy automobiles! These remote control cars were built at stations and were absolutely cool! I wanted to get one, but we had just bought him a car for his birthday...hubby said we couldn't justify the purchase, but hey, next time? I'm buying one for myself! They were that neat!

Soon, it was time to go. Last minute bathroom breaks and snack finding, souvenir shopping and sight-seeing all done. We loaded up, gassed up, and found ourselves passing this sign all too soon.

Things I learned:

1. Spend more time at the Downtown Disney next time! There is enough to do here to last an entire day!
2. Go to Downtown Disney during the daylight hours. Limited crowds!
3. Get the daggone remote control car. You'll kick yourself repeatedly if you don't!
4. Lunch at Downtown Disney is pleasant. Try other restaurants as well!
5. Budget for kids to have their own shopping gift cards for souvenirs! The kids love to do this for themselves. Birthday gifts!

As of that date, when we finally got back to Georgia to meet back up with family and spend some time resting and enjoying each other for another week, I decided with the hubby that we were definitely going to have to do this again! We loved our experience, warts and all, and want to do it again having more knowledge about how to plan and organize our time and fun. Although we had done the planning and did the research, and although I scoured and hunted through the trip reports on the DIS, I realize that even with all the advice, it doesn't always really take until you do it for yourself the first time. You guys were great for making the trip become something that wasn't a disaster which I can see can put some people off from coming to WDW for more than a once in a lifetime trip. This June, we will be back--and I'm excited! I know a lot more than I did before, and know better how I want to do things. I thank you guys for being such a great resource and a friendly word of helpful advice. Maybe this trip report, though short, can help someone else see the beauty of the DIS and Disney. Au Revoir!

 

[court9008]

I enjoyed reading your TR. Ironically, my first trip to WDW was in July 2011. My trip was a rather last minute decision. I did research and planning, but I still hit some bumps. Like you, I chalk them up to lessons learned. I plan on reading your other TRs.

 

[erij11]

I loved your trip report! I can't wait to read your next one! My first trip was in July 2014 and we are going again this year in July. I'm definitely taking your advice on planning a couple of down days. We went commando with rope drop everyday except one and we were all exhausted.

 

[TheChapman6]

Loved reading your report since I'm planning my first trip also I loved the tips at the end of each day!

 

[choppee]

I enjoyed reading your TR. Ironically, my first trip to WDW was in July 2011. My trip was a rather last minute decision. I did research and planning, but I still hit some bumps. Like you, I chalk them up to lessons learned. I plan on reading your other TRs.

thanks so much! please do read the second trip report whenever you get a chance. i'll actually have quite a bit more to add after this year, 'cause i'm going to paris in june and want to hit disneyland paris if i can swing it, los angeles in august--disneyland's 60th and may go to universal in december! got a lot going on this year. and yes! lessons learned. it makes it better and better each time, i promise.

I loved your trip report! I can't wait to read your next one! My first trip was in July 2014 and we are going again this year in July. I'm definitely taking your advice on planning a couple of down days. We went commando with rope drop everyday except one and we were all exhausted.

ooooooohhhhh, the down days. you'll see a lot of those in my next trip report....it made SUCH a difference. i didn't need such a vacation from my vacation! commando is a rookie's mistake that almost everyone makes! seems like a good idea at the time, but in practice? ugh. my hair was on end by the end of our vacay. and thanks for joining along!

Loved reading your report since I'm planning my first trip also I loved the tips at the end of each day!

you know, those tips are something that i hoped would be helpful to someone. yay! you're my 'someone'! here's another thing i should have added: get gift cards each paycheck leading up to the trip/vacation so that your out of pocket isn't so bad at all in conjunction with your saved cash for the vacation. we did that the last vacation and it was like we had no problems trying to save cash...it was already there! good way to save and plan.