The Most Pixie Dusted, Magical Trip Ever! Our National Lampoon's Disney Vacation!

[Lizzybean]

I don't have any pictures downloaded to my laptop but as soon as I get that done I'll update! That said, Let's Begin!


In May/June we decided to make our annual summer vacation a Disney trip instead of our usual jaunt to the beach. It was a little last minute but we knew we could make it work! We decided to come down July 28-August 4 and celebrate our daughter's 5th birthday (July 31st) while there. We even invited my mom to come along! We weren't concerned about the heat since Chicago has sweltering summers (this one was NO EXCEPTION and Orlando was much more comfortable) and we head down to the beach every year about that time anyway. The crowds had me nervous but a good friend or "personal pixie" offered to put together touring plans which were WONDERFUL!

So please, meet my family:

I'm a telecommuting mommy who seems to be on duty 25 hours a day. I always seem to be busy doing something and it is impossible for me to flip the switch into relax mode.

DH is in sales and works longgggg hours and relishes his vacay time. He was PRETTY apprehensive of this whole "disney" scheme I cooked up!

DS13 is just starting the typical angsty teenager phase but he was thrilled when he found out about our trip.

DD8 is a big sweetie but also has a quick witted sense of humor that keeps everyone laughing.

DD4 (who turned 5 during the trip) is def the baby of the family and a giant ham!

My mom, or DG I guess, hasn't had a real vacation in years and deserved one! She was so excited to go on vacation with her daughter, son-in-law and grand kids. She also is not known for keeping secrets but she managed to keep the ultimate one and we were able to surprise the kids with the vacation.


The "SURPRISE"!!!

We wanted the kids to have the ultimate surprise so we spent the beginning of the summer telling them we didn't know when or where we were taking a trip and it may just be camping. I bought disney supplies for gift bags (3 different reusable bags from Dis Store on sale) on the down low and didn't put the bags together until minutes before we left! I filled them up with homemade autograph books (which I found ideas for here at disboards), plushes, DW coloring books, stickers, DVDs, sunglasses, washclothes and socks. I picked up my mom the night before and dropped off the dog so the kids were getting a little suspicious. We decided we needed a cover so we told them they were dropping us off at the airport for a mommy/daddy trip and going to grandma's for the week. They bought it! We loaded into the car and that's when I pulled out the gift bags and started recording. We told them their luggage was in the back (new disney clothes and all) and we were headed to see the big Mouse and a lot of princesses. Their reactions were PRICELESS! They were SHOCKED!! And then it was time to head out...

 

[Lizzybean]

Thursday July 26th 5pm: Leave Chicago and start driving to Orlando! We had a packed minivan--my, DH, 3 kiddos, and my mom!

Friday July 27th 12pm: Arrive in Orlando and check into Embassy Suites on Intl Drive for the night. DH and the kids went shopping and swimming while Mom and I slept. Not sure how he did it!

Saturday July 28th 7am: Breakfast at ES, check out, and head to SOG to pick up our park tix!

**SOG was a beautiful resort and for a moment we wondered if we should've booked 2 rooms there instead of a cabin at FW but our original choice turned out perfect!

9am: Arrive at Epcot! We went straight to Soarin' and bounced around at rides until noon. We then went straight to Mexico where DH and I waited for La Cava to open! We had Blood Orange and Avacado margaritas and they were amazing!! Mom and the kids had some quick service outside on the water and loved it as well. At this point it was a bit warm and everyone wanted to get checked into the resort and relax.

We headed over to Ft. Wilderness and were all checked in around 1pm with a cabin ready! It was WONDERFUL! We loved the theme! The only odd thing was a tv remote in the family room missing the power button. I called the front desk and we had a new remote in less than 5 minutes!! This was just the beginning of the outstanding service we received from EVERY cast member we crossed paths with the entire trip!

Once my mom and the girls were situated DH and DS agreed we should head back to Epcot, so we did! We grabbed lunch in Morocco at Tangerine Cafe and it was awesome! I loved the beer and we all enjoyed the falafel! We then toured around the 1/2 the world and picked up a jalapeno cheese pretzel, beer in Norway and Germany, did some shopping, rode Maelstrom in Norway and Mission Space Orange. It was great! We headed out before the park closed and planned to hit Illuminations another night. Once home we decided to take a late swim in the quiet pool and it was a perfect way to unwind.

Sunday July 29th: Woke up early so we could make out 8am reservation at Tusker House. We really liked it and the kids had a blast. I was surprised the food was so good! Everyone really liked the quiche (especially me). The character interaction was awesome and Daisy was the favorite of the group hands down.

After our meal we jumped onto the Safari. We had a wonderful driver and it was a fun ride! It was so amazing to see all of the animals right up close. Then we picked up FPs for EE and went to ride Dinosaur and watch Finding Nemo. DD4 did not like Dinosaur and started crying when we got off. A CM saw her and told her she was too sweet to cry and offered a pin, ANY pin, (she chose a beautiful Tinkerbell one) and this began our pin obsession (and never ending pixie dust). As soon as the Nemo show was over we jumped on EE and we were so proud of our DD4 bc she rode it too (even after Dinosaur)! When we got off the ride a cast member pulled out a button and wrote Conquered Expedition Everest on it and gave it to the proudest little girl in AK. Next we booked it over to Kali Rapids bc we were getting a little warm! We got soaked and had a BLAST with the other guests in our raft! It was pretty hot at this point and we decided it was time to head back to the room to relax.

After some downtime in the cabin and a quick lunch fixed in our kitchen we headed out to MGM with Mom in tow. DH ran to Toy Story (but sadly they were out of FPs) while I stopped in at Guest Relations for a birthday button for DD4. DD4 was pretty bummed about Toy Story but we soldiered on. We decided to hit ToT, however, once we got to the basement area DD4 got a bit scared and started crying. The sweetest CM came over to her and asked what was wrong. She told him she was scared even though she rode EE and she was sad she couldn't do Toy Story. The CM told her she could go to Toy Story after ToT and then I had to explain we showed up late and all of the FPs were gone. The next thing I knew the CM was pulling out FPs for our family and he stayed with us until we got on. DD4 did great on the ride and as soon as the doors opened to get out, there was our new CM friend waiting for her! He gave her a high 5 and a big hug and sent us on our way. I "knew" CMs were nice and friendly etc. but I was shocked at the astounding level of courtesy, kindness, and genuine appreciation they showed for guests. In fact, I made sure to write emails and stop by Guest Relations and report some of these amazing CMs who made our trip so special.

We picked up FPs for RR and ran to Toy Story. We LOVED all of the rides and decided to forget Fantasmic and head over to MK for EMH. Minus some tour group drama trying to get out of MGM it was a wonderful experience!

We stayed at MK until 2am riding rides, eating food at Casey's, and shopping. It wasn't crowded at all and we walked on to EVERYTHING! We rode Dumbo and Barnstormer at least 4x. Finally, our exhausted crew barely made it to the boat back to the resort! Now my mouth is watering for cheese fries!

 

[Lizzybean]

Monday July 30th: We got a late start and slept in until 11. We decided to keep the kids at the resort and we had nice afternoon by the Meadows Pool. Once we went back to the room DH and I decided to spend a night alone. We made a ressie for Sanaa and headed out for dinner at AKL (or AKV I suppose).

Sanaa was the food highlight of the trip. We really enjoy Indian food and maybe my expectations were low, but I didn't think Sanaa would rival some of the better places I've visited. It was truly delicious. The samosas and bread were amazing and our entrees were even better. My dish was supposed to be spicy and it WAS. I was very pleased. We had a window table and watched the giraffes munch on leaves during our entire meal. We kept oohing and ahhing every five minutes.

After dinner we decided to go back to Epcot for dessert, drinks, and Illuminations. It did not disappoint. We picked up pastries in France and had a few gran marnier orange slushies at a little table overlooking the water. It was so romantic and the weather was perfect. Illuminations was stunning and I'm glad we didn't miss it. Once the fireworks were complete we thought "what the heck?!?" and headed for MGM emh until 1am.

As soon as we arrived we beelined for ToT. We were able to just about walk on and lo and behold, the CM assigned to our elevator was our friend from the other day! We called out his name and chatted the whole ride "down" to the basement. The next thing I know he is pulling out FPs for us AGAIN, enough for the whole family, so DD4 could go on her favorite ride the next day during her birthday. I was about to tear up at his sincerity and kindness. I asked to speak to someone in management so I could tell them how above and beyond this gentleman was and next we were whisked downstairs in a real elevator to the exit area. Management was awesome, one was from our hometown, and when they brought us back up to the ride they put us on the ride immediately and in the front row. If you haven't done ToT at night, DO IT! It was SOOOOO different!

The park was fairly crowded so we made a quick dash over to Star Tours, had a drink and a snack, and called it a night.