First trip report ~ 10/30 11/3 20 people

[eghrain2]

I have decided to try my hand at a trip report since I have somehow become addicted to reading others for weeks way before my own trip last month.

Almost all my family went but we didn't try to stick together for the most part, except for my aunt and her daughter and grandson who let me make all their plans.
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Me ~ 42 New Disney addict (already planning next trip for 2010)
DH ~ 38 Not a Disney addict at all ~ Doesn't believe in planning
DD ~ 6 Loves all the princess's and non coaster rides
Perry ~ 16 ~ friends son that I took with us
Aunt ~ her dd ~24 ~ her grandson ~ 3
Sister ~ 38 ~ very thrifty ~
Her DH 42 does whatever my sister wants
My sisters children Ds 3 ~ ds 13 ~ ds 16 ~dd 16 &
My sister's ex husband ~ 38 (Hard to explain but he is very involved with the 2 children they had and wanted to come with us)
My Mother and her husband &
My brother 32 (late for everything, couldn't be on time if his life depended on it
His girlfriend and their 2 children dd 3 and ds 7

Yes almost the entire family went flying Southwest together but half of the family chose the coranondo and me and my aunt's family stayed at the boardwalk inn.

I had my plans (or so I thought) all written on a little notebook and felt it would be no problem to follow them.

I had of course all my adr's with confirmation numbers tucked away in a bag suggested here , a sling bag that had just the right amount of compartments for tickets, camera, fastpasses etc... but I can't for the life of me remember what the name is.

We all met at the airport for our 10:30am flight from Columbus, Ohio to Orlando , arriving at 12:35pm. I am very, very afraid of flying so I usually try not to talk to anyone and close my eyes on take off so as not to have a full on panic attack. But just in the last year I decided that life is to short and I had to start flying if I wanted to go anywhere and have a few wonderful trips outside of Ohio!

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We all made it through security just fine and onto the plane for Orlando. Our plane was packed and we were worried that those with small children wouldn't be able to sit with them , but it all worked out.
I did ok on the plane, and was so relieved when we started to land .

We (my family and my Aunts family) got in the line at for Magic express to the Boardwalk Inn and didn't really wait long before we were on our way!
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[eghrain2]

There was no line once we got to the beautiful lobby and were told our rooms were ready, so we went to get ready for our adr for Akurshus at 4:50pm and dressed for our MNSSHP that night before heading to the walkway to Epcot.

I thought our room was nice, but the walk to our rooms seemed to take forever and ever, it was on the same floor as the lobby but it took 10 minutes to get there. We were near one of the quiet pools and had a full size balcony (very quiet)

I decided at the last minute not to wear my costume I dragged on the plane with me, but got my dd in her Alice costume and met my aunts family out front on the boardwalk.
Actually the entire family had adr's for Akurshus around the same time, as well as tickets for the Mnnshp party later.

I think we walked around through England and Canada, but we didn't have much time to look so we walked to Norway and checked in, I was thinking on getting fastpasses for their boat ride but we were called within minutes and sat near the door the Princesses come out of.
Our Princess was Belle and she seemed to be in a hurry with dd, so we went up the the cold bar and as soon as we sat down Sleeping Beauty came out the door, followed by Alice (who was very sweet ) telling my dd it was like looking in a mirror. Cinderella came next and she was the last one.

I had the salmon and it was very nice, the desert plate they bring to you was very pretty and I saw the school bread I had heard so much about, and wrapped it up to take with me, but forgot it on the table!
I have tons of pictures but it won't let me post them until I have 10 post under my belt. So I will submit this as my first post and post pictures as soon as I am able. I am off to work

 

[eghrain2]

I would like to list my adr's I made at this time, being I'm still trying to post pictures but still need 7 more post before I'm able to.


Oct 30 Akurshus
Oct 31 spoodles Le Cellier Spirit of Aloha
Nov 1 1900 Park Fair CRT
Nov 2 boma rose & crown
Nov 4 kona


I really tried to cram everything I could into this small 4 day trip, and there simply wasn't time to do everything I had wanted, but we came close.
To be continued and hopefully soon with the pictures.


We actually ended up changing a few of meals to different places due to being so tired we were waking up with headaches because of lack of sleep mixed with walking, carrying my dd quite a bit. I wish I had rented a stroller a few times because my poor husband had to carry this child so often .

To be continued

 

[eghrain2]

I really want to include some photo's of everyone so I will hurry to get my post in.

 

[eghrain2]

We were not all at the same table, but at 4 tables sort of close , but not so close that we could talk to each other. Plus all the adr's were a few minutes off from one another so some of us finished and left before the others. I didn't try to keep the entire family together which would have been impossible, So we lost my sister and my mother on our way to the monorail.

to be continued.

 

[eghrain2]

My dd has never been to the magic kingdom so I was very excited for her as we walked to the monorail to go to the party. She had on these alice costume shoes that already hurt her feet, so my dh had to carry her all the way to the monorail, but she started running when we changed to the ferry to go to the kingdom. We lost my mother and her dh who were right with us on the monorail, which she called to say they got back on the monorail and were lost heading to the poly. I explained to her to stay on and to take the monorail back to the magic kingdom. to be continued.

 

[eghrain2]

Decided to rent a locker to put jackets, and bags into while we go on as many rides as we could before the parade. I finally found my mother and she was inside already waiting on me. It was so crowded at the entrance to get your bags checked, but it didn't take much time before we were in!

 

[2chinooks]

I have always wanted to do a family trip, but my Dad has no interest in Disney World! I know that he would like it if I could get him there...

 

[eghrain2]

I have always wanted to do a family trip, but my Dad has no interest in Disney World! I know that he would like it if I could get him there...

Yes I know how that is, my family for the most part doesn't get my love for disney at all, and even will go as far as to call me a freak. They don't really enjoy eating at the disney resteraunts , paying for the pricey meals, tipping on top of that etc... They call all the people that make adr's , buy the dining plan, write reviews, and take pictures of their meals pigs.!
My thoughts on it is, where else can you go that compares to Disney ?

 

[eghrain2]

It was very crowded making our way down main street and I don't know where my sister went , I was with the rest of the family as I wanted to get to fantasy land and I wanted to start with peter pan. There was a villian show going on so we had to go left around the castle (not in the plans) and my dd wanted to watch the show, which I told her we'd see them later.
Than she wanted to ride the tea cups, but I was sticking to the plans to start on Peter Pan.
I really had to force everyone to keep moving forward because every snack hut, every shop, every ride they wanted to stop and it was so hard keeping them together.
When we got to the ride it said 20 min, but looked like less to me so we all got in line , and while going through the line I spot my sister's family at the front getting on their ship already. My dd is a daddys girl and always sits with him at all resteraunts, all rides etc... And this was one of the few rides I wasn't the 3rd wheel. Only one more post till I can post photo's. ​

 

[eghrain2]

My brother lives in Beverly Hills, Fl and won't be arriving until the next day. He will be staying with the rest of them at the coronando , and also he is my mothers baby, as well as the most frustrating person on the face of the earth.

Anyway we rode Peter Pan , than my aunt loves IASW and wanted to go on that next. no one but me and my dd , and her grandson would ride this cute ride, so this is when we lost my mother, her husband and my sister again.

My dd loved this and wanted to go right back on it, but I told her maybe later on, since there were so many choices and really all the rides were 10 minutes or less.

I guess my cousin parked her sons stroller somewhere she shouldn't have, and they moved it. It took at least 20 minutes for us to find it , and than locate my dh (who was getting angry at having to wait for our large group to just get from one place to another.

We probably didn't move through fantasy land like I had hoped, and they wanted to go on potc next. I said fine and we passed a smoking section on the way and just had to stop once again since most of my family smokes.

It was good weather, I thought but my moms hubby was cold and didn't bring a jacket, so I gave him my girly cropped sweater , and he actually put it on . We rode pirates with no wait, I'm not even sure I have ever been on that ride. I have only been to disney a few times before, and I was just a kid. I really loved it, and of course bought a few things in the gift shop on the way out. to be continued

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[eghrain2]

dd with Alice at Akurshus Princess Dinner

Belle with dd

dd with cindy

dd posing

Aunt with her dd and grandson at akurshus

Perry (friends son) & dh

dd at Norway

 

[eghrain2]

I am going to finish our first day finally.
After potc ride we started walking towards fantasy land to finish more rides and of course pass the smoking section again and everyone wanted to stop . when we finally got going again I see people lining up for the parade right at pecos bills.

I really wanted to see the parade so we decided to stay put and find a good spot. I went to get some frozen lemonade and soon the parade started. And yes people at the last minute came right up on our heels and put their children in front of them so close that I was afraid I would step on there little fingers, so I had to scrunch closer to my family.
Loved, loved the parade, dd as well. (My mother in background with dd and dh)

After the parade I begged everyone to go on splash but they said it ws to cold , so since I knew dd wouldn't go on tm, we agreed on the hm which had only about a 5 minute wait. So after hm we were walking to fantasy land and got to see the fireworks from there, it wasn't the best spot, but it was not very crowded where we were standing and it was nice.

My daughter started complaining about her feet again, even though she now was wearing her sneakers, and made my dh carry her , so we went trick or treating a bit in liberty square and stopped around the castle awhile as well to watch the villian show, and I don't remember any other rides that night.

I did send my husband back to our hotel with dd since he wanted to get her home and not have to carry her , and I stayed to shop just a little since I found my mother again at the smoking section by the castle,

but even though I told him to walk to the bus station, and get on the boardwalk bus, he somehow ended up on the monorail going to the ttc, and called asking how to get back . Oh my gosh!
He was still carrying her and she is only about 55 pounds, but she is tall and I felt so bad for him.
I told him how to get back to our bus, and I went to the bakery and loved using the snack credits for treats and coffee. I also went to a few other stores, and stopped on main street to just sit and gaze for awhile.
It was probably almost 1am when I finally was walking to the bus stop,hoping I didn't miss the last bus, and who do I see but my dh still waiting with a sleeping dd. He said it took him awhile to get back and than the first bus was packed that he had to wait for the next. He was sort of angy and very tired.

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I put my mother on the correct bus, and waited with my dh for our bus, which just wasn't coming. Finally the bus headed to the bc told us to come over to his bus and he would take us back. I guess there not allowed to leave anyone behind, and we saw bus after bus pulling away empty, but they didn't stop for us. I'm so glad he was nice to offer us a ride back.
Next report will be day 2 epcot
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