The Rowdy Rogers Family Races Around the World! UPDATED with PICS!

[DisneyGal24]

The Rowdy Rogers Family Races Around the World! UPDATED!

Let me introduce the cast:

Me, DH, DD6, DS3

We love all things Disney!

Let me explain how we ended up on this trip. We went on a five day trip to WDW in February 2011 with just DD who was almost five at the time. We had a blast! DD loved it and we loved seeing it through her eyes. We missed DS though! He stayed home with Mamaw and Papaw for a number of reasons. He didn’t travel well at the time or sleep very well at night. He had a ball with the grandparents and never knew the difference. On the way home DH and I decided to go to Disney every other year and that meant we would all go back in February 2013. Needless to say that plan changed. In the first week of January 2012, we received our school calendar for the 2012-2013 school year (we are both teachers). Surprisingly our Winter Break had been changed to the week of President’s Day. It had been the week before. So we scoured the internet for crowd level predictions and it confirmed what we already knew—President’s week is REALLY crowded. Plus the fact the DD6 goes to school in a different school system, has a different calendar and would have to miss at least a week of school made us change our plans. So within in the matter of a few minutes we decided to go in June 2012. We immediately booked All-Star Sports, QSDP, 9 day park hoppers for June 5-15th!! We chose All-Star Sports because we had never stayed there before. We are a fan of the values since we have already stayed at All-Star Movies and Pop Century. We also booked two character meals: Akershus Princess Breakfast and Chef Mickey’s Breakfast. We will pay OP for these meals. For the past six months, DH has worked extremely hard planning this trip. I know it is going to be amazing and exhausting all at the same time. Hope you enjoy our adventures around the world! I am sure with ten days, a three year old (in the terrible threes) and six year old princess there will be many interesting things to share. So buckle up and get ready as the rowdy Rogers family races around the world!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 1
(Part 1: The Trip)

We were so excited to get to WDW that we left at 10:01 pm Monday night. At first we were going to leave at 4:00 am on Tuesday morning but in the months leading up to our trip we kept moving the time up. I even abandoned my beloved Women’s College World Series to leave (its okay I have them recording and I kept up on Twitter). The car was already loaded so we grabbed DD and DS out of bed and put them in the car. At 10:21 pm we crossed the state line from Tennessee into Georgia. I know, a small step! By 11:23 we were on the interstate 75 heading south and both kids were awake! We went through Atlanta around midnight and DS still wasn’t back to sleep. I was starting to think maybe we should have waited to leave. By the time we bypassed Macon around 1:00 am both kids were snoozing away (for the moment), DH was driving and I was navigating. Around 1:45 am, DS woke up and said, “Mommy, I love Mickey!” It was so sweet! We stopped for gas and to switch drivers in Tifton, GA, at 3:00 am. Of course, both kids woke up when the car stopped and this is when I realized I forgot DS’s crocs. Once we crossed into Florida at 3:47 DS was still awake! About two hours later we were in Gainesville to switch drivers again and get some caffeine. Not too long after that as we were driving DS was fussing about not getting to Disney World fast enough and DD says, “Focus, just focus!” At exactly 6:48 am we entered Disney property. We decided to grab a quick bite to eat at the McDonald’s just down from All-Star Sports.

Next Up: What do you mean our room isn’t ready?

 

[Moodyzblu]

Joining in ! Can't wait to hear all about your trip !

 

[reyasmommy]

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[DisneyGal24]

(Part 2: What do you mean our room isn’t ready?)

We checked in around 7:15 am. Now, remember we drove all night so DH and are going on ZERO sleep here. Since we have checked in so early our room is not ready. We opt to keep our two requests (Homerun Hotel and ground floor) and wait for our room to become available. They take our cell number to text us when the room is ready. I ask when they think the room will be ready and the CM tells me, “Check in isn’t until three and rooms aren’t guaranteed until 5.” My bad side (the one my husband calls Nancy, after my mom-lol) starts to come out in me. I take her comment completely the wrong way and I feel like my head is going to spin around and explode. However, I remind myself that we are in Disney World and that I am overreacting because I haven’t had ANY sleep! DH and I decided to take the kids to explore around the resort. We check out the pool and the building we will be staying in. The kids LOVE the big Coca-Cola cup and insist on going inside it. After a few minutes we decide to go to a park. This was a HUGE task. We had to dig through the van and get out clothes for all of us as well as what we would need for the park. Plus, it was hot and humid. We chose Epcot because the first thing the kids wanted to do was meet Mickey and Minnie and we knew that the Character Spot would be the best place to do that quickly. Not to mention Donald, Goofy and Pluto! By 9:30 we were in line to meet Daisy just inside the entrance to Epcot. After hitting the Character Spot and grabbing some ice cream we decided to ride the monorail to the TTC and then take the ferry to Magic Kingdom. We had visions of meeting the princesses and checking out the castle. However, as we were getting off the ferry we could see hoards of people piling into the Magic Kingdom. Since we were exhausted from the drive and not willing to fight that crowd we immediately got off the ferry and headed straight for the bus stop. We decided to grab lunch at the End Zone food court. I ordered the chicken quesadilla with rice and black beans. DH ordered the bacon cheeseburger. Both kids got the hot dog kid’s meals with fries. By the time we finished up with our delicious lunch (12:45) our room was ready! Both of our requests were honored. The next few hours were a bit of a blur. We unpacked, rested, and the kids played. After showers we headed over to the Disney Character Outlet. It was definitely worthwhile. DH picked up some
3-D Vinylmation pins and a Vinylmation figurine. I picked up a cute purple shirt for $20, DD found a Tinkerbell ink pen, and I purchased DS a Lightning McQueen coin bank and some Mickey Mouse flip flops since I forgot his Crocs! We had dinner at the End Zone Food Court (we love the convenience!) again. DH and I both ordered spaghetti and the kids had grilled cheese. Both were great. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and relaxing!

Up next: Magic Kingdom

 

[Goofy442]

Joining in

 

[DisneyGal24]

Joining in

Welcome!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 2: We are officially at Walt Disney World!

At around 8:45 we were waiting for the Magic Kingdom rope drop show! We are morning people so rope drop works for us. It hit me as soon as the show begin that we were really in Disney World. Seeing the show and then the castle nearly made me cry (and I am not usually sentimental!) We immediately got in line for Rapunzel. DD was thrilled! It was worth the twenty minute wait. Then we headed over to Buzz Lightyear. Both the kids love this ride. It’s all DS could talk about. By 10:00 we were waiting in line for the teacups. This is DD’s absolute favorite. The weather was overcast and sprinkling. Rain was definitely brewing! After teacups we headed over to Dumbo and the Barnstormer. Dumbo was hit. It will be awesome when they have the second one running and the new queue operational. The Barnstormer totally surprised me. I did not expect it to be so fast. It was the first time DD and DS had ever been on a roller coaster. They thought it was awesome. DS wanted to ride it again. We picked up a fast pass for Peter Pan on our way to Cosmic Rays. DH was disappointed that they didn’t have the chicken and ribs plate anymore so he settled for a BBQ sandwich (just kidding we love WDW BBQ!). The kids shared chicken nuggets. Lunch was fantastic. It was nice to cool off and relax for a little while in Cosmic Rays. A little after noon, we went to Philharmagic. This is definitely another of the kids favorites. We made it for the end of the Move It, Shake It Party and then waited for the Dream Along with Mickey Show (another of DD’s favorites)! What am I talking about? DD loves it all! While DH and the kids found a spot, I headed over to Adventureland to grab a Dole Whip (AWESOME!!). Once we rode Peter Pan and started to leave Fantasyland it started to pour down rain. The kids stayed dry because we had purchased a stroller cover but we just had an umbrella. We ended up hiding just outside of Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle. So many strollers were drenched! By 2:20 we had escaped to the bus. Our shoes were soaking wet but the kids and stroller were dry! Back at the resort we did a little shopping. DD found a baby Minnie ($22- yikes!). DS found a spinning Mickey Mouse light ($15). We traded some pins and went back to the room to get ready to swim. As soon as we get ready it starts raining. DS looks at his daddy and says, “Daddy, are you going to be a superhero and stop the rain?” It was classic. Since the pool was closed we played a few games at the arcade and dined at the food court.

Up next: Day 3- Rain, Rain Go Away!

 

[MelMel11]

Enjoy your trip!! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 3: Rain, rain go way!

We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 7:30 for EMH. As soon as we stepped off the bus the sky was black as night over Seven Seas Lagoon. It looked scary. So we went through bag check and decided to hang back near the bag check awning just in case. Good thing we did because when it started raining we rolled the stroller into an area of the awning that wasn’t being used and we all stayed dry during a brief thunderstorm. The rain let up and we made it into the park just fine. By 8:30 we had ridden Buzz Lightyear twice and were in line for Tomorrowland Speedway—big mistake! DS was very excited to ride the race cars but the wait ended up being much longer than we expected. We finally made our way over to Adventureland to meet Tinkerbell by 9:30. After that DH got two fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and we rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, met Jasmine and Aladdin and ate ice cream. Then DD and I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad together. It was awesome! I was scared for DD but she loved it! Then DS wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. He thought it was cool but after it was over DD announced, “That was not my favorite ride!” Too funny! As it began raining again we headed back to the resort and had lunch at the End Zone Food Court. I had the nachos, DH had the bacon cheeseburger, DS had chicken nuggets and DD had spaghetti. After a quick dip in the pool and some rest we were ready to go to Animal Kingdom. We wanted to catch the “Jammin’ Jungle” parade and the Lion King show. By 4:00 we were at Animal Kingdom waiting for the parade. DS fell asleep on the bus and stayed that way in the stroller. DD really enjoyed the parade. We headed over to the Lion King show and DS woke up. As we were going in the show a CM pulled us out of line and seated us on the second row! AWESOME! The kids enjoyed being so close to everything. Toward the end of the show, the kids were asked to participate. DD originally didn’t want to do it but once she saw her 3 year old brother go out there she followed him! They got to walk around the arena and shake maracas. They were such hams! They thought they were big stuff. We actually got a little pixie dust!!!

 

[Goofy442]

If my DH feet get wet he is so cranky. I love when a little magic happens.

 

[DisneyGal24]

If my DH feet get wet he is so cranky. I love when a little magic happens.

I know! Luckily we brought a fan with us and we would put our wet shoes in front of the fan to dry. That did the trick. We got more magic later in the trip. Stay tuned for more!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 4: Epcot Fun and Magic Kingdom Melt Down

On Friday, we went to Epcot again. As soon as the park opened we headed straight for Soarin’ (so did everyone else). DD and I rode it while DH and DS rode the escalators. Gotta keep the little guy entertained any way you can!Then DD and I met up with DH and DS at Mission Space. The kids played in the indoor play area at the Mission Space exit while we waited for DH. After that we went to the big golf ball (Spaceship Earth). My kids think this ride is so neat. By 10:00, we had been to Seas with Nemo and DS and I were waiting for Turtle Talk with Crush while DD and DH rode Soarin’ together. Luckily they were able to use child swap (love this feature!). For lunch we went to Liberty Inn in the World Showcase. The food was good but I can't remember what we ordered! Sorry! We had never been to the America section of the World Showcase before so that was cool. By 12:30 we were going to the buses. We decided to stop for a Photo Pass picture with the fountains and the ball in the background. Just as the photographer began snapping away it started to rain. We quickly put down the rain cover on the stroller and threw on our $9 Disney ponchos. We went back to the resort for a short rest. We decided to hop over to Magic Kingdom to catch the afternoon parade. We arrived around 2:30 and found a great spot just in front of the Main Street Train Station. While we waited, we traded pins with CMs. After the parade was over we went to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. I had forgotten how funny it was. DS was cracking up. It was cute! Next we tried out the People Mover. I know, it is not an exciting attraction but we really thought it was fun! It was relaxing and while we were on it we spotted Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland. So we got in line to meet him as we exited the People Mover. DS was just mesmerized. He couldn’t stop looking at Buzz! At this point we probably should have went back to the resort because everyone was hot, cranky, and tired. Instead we decided to try out Tortuga Tavern. It was closed! I was so disappointed! Then we went to Pecos Bill. The kids didn’t like anything on their menu. Ugh!! We ended up at Casey’s Corner. After all that running around, whining by the kids and the heat I was on the verge of another Nancy moment (that’s my bad side-DH named it after my mom-lol)! But I pushed through! DH ordered the food while the kids and I looked for a table. YIKES! There wasn’t much seating and we had to wait around for a table. We were able to snag one after a few minutes of semi stalking some people who were finishing up (lol!). The only down side to Casey’s is very little indoor seating. It was HOT and we were very close to the castle where they were doing the Dream Along with Mickey Show. My kids love this show and kept whining because they could hear it but couldn’t see it. By the time DH arrived with the food the show was over and we had just started eating when the Move It, Shake It Dance Party began. The kids wanted to check it out so DH took them closer to watch it. The food was great. DH and I both ordered the BBQ slaw hotdog and the kids shared at hotdog meal.

Next Up: EMH Kilamanjaro Safari!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 5: Animal Kingdom and Resort Hopping

We were up bright and early on Saturday. Since DD and DS were sharing a lot of meals, we had extra meals left on our QS meal plan. DH started getting up early and grabbing us breakfast at the food court. The Mickey waffles are delicious!! After a little breakfast we got ready to go to Animal Kingdom for EMH. We went straight to Kilimanjaro Safari. It was awesome! This was the best safari we had ever been on. Tons of animals were out. The giraffes were hanging out right by the road. One even stood in the middle of the road and blocked the path of the group behind us. After the safari, DH rode Expedition Everest while the kids and I waited. I love roller coasters but I cannot handle going backwards-Yuck! I kept the kids occupied with a few snacks while we waited. Dinoland was our next stop. The kids love this area. We all hopped on Triceratops Spin. There was no wait at all. The Boneyard play area was a huge hit. The kids loved it! We had to drag them away to go to Camp Minnie and Mickey. This area is awesome. Lots of character interaction and picture opportunities! We arrived at Camp Minnie and Mickey just in time for opening (10:00). The kids met King Louie and Baloo, Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Chip and Dale. The kids were excited to wish Donald a happy birthday! By 11:00, the kids and I were at Pizzafari for lunch. I had a cheese pizza and cesar salad while DD and DS split a kid’s cheese pizza. DH was really eager to get the chicken and rib plate from Flame Tree BBQ especially since it is not offered at Cosmic Rays in the MK anymore. We were back at the resort by 12:30. We went swimming and rested for most of the afternoon. I did 3 loads of laundry and some ironing (Mom’s work doesn’t end even and Disney !). Around three we went to the food court for a little snack. DH got a HUGE ice cream sandwich. It was two chocolate chip cookies with two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream in between! I had a cookies and cream milkshake, DS had a mickey bar, and DD had a mickey ice cream sandwich. Afterwards we traded vinylmations and pins at the resort gift shop. That evening we decided to do a little resort hopping. We decided to start at our neighbor resort, All-Star Music. We wanted to trade vinylmations and pins, eat dinner and check out the resort. We decided to eat first. It seems to be all we think about! Lol! DH and I ordered the chicken nuggets while DD and DS split spaghetti. DD fell asleep sitting straight up at the table. It was precious! While DS was napping in DH’s arms DD and I explored the resort a little. DD declared she wanted to stay at All-Star Music next time!

 

[DisneyGal24]

I have added a few pics. Check it out!

 

[Moodyzblu]

Cute pic of the kids !!

My boys just loved the Boneyard ... They'll spend a good hour or so in there ! I love the down time.

 

[DisneyGal24]

I know! It was hard to tear them away!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Day 6 (part 1): Church and DVC Tour

We actually slept in a little bit. Church didn’t start until 9:00. Unfortunately, we missed our turn along the way and got a little lost. We were a few minutes late for church. We found a little congregation called Main Gate Church of Christ that met in a conference room at a hotel just off Disney property. It was definitely different from what we are used to. It seemed like people kept pouring in. They said they usually have around 30 in attendance each week but that Sunday we were pushing 100. Our kids didn’t know what to think about it. Afterward, we made it Pepper Market just in time for their breakfast buffet. This is QS credit and it was remarkable. They had everything—eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, biscuits and gravy, cereals, pastries, fruits and more. I highly recommend it! By noon we were back at the hotel getting ready to swim. The kids liked going up to the Surf’s Up pool because it has a kiddie pool and they didn’t have to wear their floaties but DH and I really enjoyed the Homerun Hotel pool because it was quiet and less crowded. After a little rest we went to the lobby to wait for the DVC van to pick us up. I have to admit we only did the DVC tour to get the VIP fast passes but after going and seeing the rooms we were very interested. They even treated us to ice cream after it was over. Hopefully next year we will be staying in a studio at Animal Kingdom Villas or Old Key West!

Next Up: Running through a storm at MK!!