TR: And now for something completely different - a WDW Family did DLR *(new - 4/15: HK Disneyland)*

[hokieinpa]

Here and excited to read about your Disneyland experience!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm here! Thanks for the heads-up!

I'm super excited to hear about your trip! Thanks for the trip down memory lane - I love all the pictures!

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Yay! Can't wait to follow along!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yahoo!!! I love your intro posts and all the awesome photos. The ones of this kids when they were little are super cool. And of course the Diamond Celebration photo with your appropriately colored tie dye shirts is beyond cool. Great job!

I love the Splash Mountain photo, and of course the one with Snow White and Olivia too. So cool. Really looking forward to following along with your TR and seeing the perspective of DL from another WDW veteran

Thanks Matt! Wasn't quite sure what pictures to use in the intro without giving away some from the TR so figured this would be fun - I know I enjoy seeing older pictures that other reporters post!

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about your trip to DL and i will be taking detailed notes!

Can't wait to tell you all about it! Hope you get a few good tips out of this

Woo hoo I am here! Been waiting- thanks for the head's up!!

Ok I actually read the first post now-

Love the alternate titles. The kids are so much bigger since the last trip- great family picture. And we are back on for November and also pulling a first grader out of real school for the first time. I mentioned it at conferences last week and held my breath expecting judging but the teacher was fine about it. Phew!

Nothing like a trip down Disney Memory Lane. Enjoyed all the pictures!

Work has been a bit crazy so not getting to this as quick as I hoped, but definitely excited to get started.

Glad to hear things were pretty smooth with the school/teacher. Glad you enjoyed the pictures!

Looks like you had a great time. Can't wait to read all about it. Travel day has got to be interesting if there was Olympic suitcase riding.

Definitely a great time - if not 100% smooth. Baggage definitely plays a big role (and roll) in travel day!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hey, when you've got a good thing going...

You left off the asterisk.

"If you were ever thinking of visiting Disneyland, this is the year to do it!"*

* Unless you're going during the first part of the year when everything is closed in preparation for this amazing celebration.

That's the one with the Genie, right?

I can totally relate to him. I mean it is almost like we're the same person. Staying in the Contemporary and watching the monorail go through the hotel has been basically my life long dream too.

Wow!

Enjoyed the trip. That's what it's all about, after all. The memories!

Good point ... should have specified that by "year" I mean the "18 months that cross two calendars years that Disney is using to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Disneyland"

No, no, no, ... not the one with the Genie - you are probably thinking of the puffy robot that knows karate

In some ways it is sad that Peter has achieved his life dream and he is only 3 years old .... oh well - he did up things a bit on this trip when it comes to monorails

definitely agree about the memories - one reason I like doing this TR and the videos - great to look back on and remember them!

Yay! So glad you've started this - can't wait to hear all about it!

Glad I have gotten to start this too! Hopefully I can keep the updates coming at a decent pace

I'm here! So happy you've started your report..and also embarassed that I've been back way longer than you and have not started mine

Love the intro post. Can't wait to here about this trip!

glad you are here! And no worries - always a lot to keep track of and work on. Glad you enjoyed the intro

Following along! Can't wait to read about your trip.

Glad you are following!

Thanks for the heads up, Phil. Can't wait to read all about it!

No problem Annie - glad you are here!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I am here and ready to read all about these west coast adventures!

yeah, Amber's here! Hope your upcoming trip is great!

I'm here and super excited to hear all about your trip!

I loved the little walk down (Disney) memory lane!

Wow, you do look excited! (I assume that emoticon is a self portrait ) Was actually thinking of your trip reports and how neat it is to see Izzy at different ages when I was working on that intro.

Great start!! Love the past trips, adding a kid each time! Hahaha.

Looking forward to hearing about the trip

Well, hope adding a kid isn't a requirement to go on a future trip

Your TR definitely helped with my planning so hope you enjoy this TR!

Joining in! I love all the pictures from past trips - so cool to see how the kids have grown! Can't wait to read about DL.

definitely fun to look at old pictures, sometimes you forget how much they have grown when you see them everyday.

Oh I hope you loved Disneyland! I think it's such a different experience from Disney World; I'd hate to have to choose between the resorts!

Won't spoil things too much but we definitely loved Disneyland and the level of detail it has. Though I think I would love to go back with no kids to have more time looking at the details

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Very, very sneaky. Excellent

Awesome picture! And all the kids are smiling and looking! Perfect.

Phew!

Very cool.
OH my goodness love this shot

This is amazing! And I love the sticker over her tummy

I'd LOVE to visit one day! In fact, we probably should have done it already considering we had a 'babysitter' with us

Excited to read all about it!

We definitely got some good Photopass shots! We've been pretty lucky on our trips to get at least a few good ones

Snow White has a special place in my heart as she was the first princess Olivia was into and we always seem to have great interaction with her at the parks

V&A was such a great meal - definitely encourage it. Recognizing it isn't cheap - but definitely an experience!

Hope you enjoy reading the report - including all the parts you got to live

I'm here! Thanks for the heads-up!

I'm super excited to hear about your trip! Thanks for the trip down memory lane - I love all the pictures!

glad you are here and no problem! Glad you enjoyed the pictures!

Yay! Can't wait to follow along!

glad you are here!

 

[horse11]

Following along!!! WOW Emma has gotten so big!!!! Can not wait to hear about your trip!

 

[khertz]

Judi, is clearly my better half, and she grew up going also going to Florida to see family (don't worry, not the same family)

Love this! Great intro. I'm looking forward to the rest of the TR!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Can't wait to hear all the details. I just finished reading through your PTR.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Following along!!! WOW Emma has gotten so big!!!! Can not wait to hear about your trip!

Thanks for following ... is crazy how quick Emma has gotten big and is a boogity and getting into so much stuff - but also super sweet

Love this! Great intro. I'm looking forward to the rest of the TR!

Hey, just wanted to be clear - need to be accurate for my readers Hopefully you find the rest of the TR as entertaining!

Can't wait to hear all the details. I just finished reading through your PTR.

Thanks for reading through the PTR - guess it was entertaining enough to get you coming back for more

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 4: Travel Day(s) - Part 1​

First off, Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Olivia wanted to do a group costume as a family so we did that for the first time. Some came out a bit more "Disneyboundingish" than full costumes, but we think it works - some might say, we look "Darling" Also a bit of a theme to our jack-o-lanterns

******************************************

October 9
Sorry officer ......​

My first day of vacation from work was Friday October 9th. The plan was to pack and then head out when Olivia got home from school around 4pm - today we were driving out to central PA to Judi's parents house as we were going to leave our dogs there. While overly organized and planning for trip - I am not very proactive with regards to packing. Generally our strategy is for Judi to puts together packing lists and then day before or day of we then put everything on list in suitcases. I did id get ahead of what Disney themed clothes we had:

Unfortunately Emma was being super clingy to Judi that day and she just wasn't able to get the kids stuff together so I had to do it. This was stressing me out as I was not sure what was where between drawers in their room, laundry, and storage bins as we had brought out fall clothes but wanted more summer stuff as weather was hot in California - hotter than I thought it would be this time of year. I did the best I could but really didn't see much for Emma but figured worst case we can but stuff given we had a car, etc. (spoiler alert: we would need to do this). I also was trying to minimize bags given that even our first checked bags for the flight were an extra cost. Ultimately did use one big checked bag and then 4 carry one plus 4 personal items plus the diaper bag (which United says doesn't count as a personal item) - and this still allowed for extra room for souvenirs (spoiler alert: we needed that space)

One positive to the day was that this was also the day of the first playoff game for the baseball team we root for in 9 years - so having the packing to focus on kept me from stressing thinking about the game to come. The kids were also into the baseball games to come:

I managed to get the car loaded up - definitely some high quality Tetris skills displayed to fit all the bags and the dog create and the extra car seats we would take on the flight with us. All-in-all left about an hour later than I wanted and overall just found it more stressful than normal as Judi just wasn't able to help as much as normal, but could have been worse.


Given that we left a bit latter than planned, we plotted into Waze the best way to go and it had us go a different way than normal which took us through a State Park. We soon found that the speed limit while in the park was lower than when the same road not in the park when we saw some flashing red and blue lights behind us. Fortunately the police officer let us off with just a warning (the fact that Olivia was freaked out by the whole thing and kinda crying saying how scared she was of the situation might have helped our cause) - so yeah, stressful packing, leaving later than wanted, pulled over by cops - trip was off too a stellar start



After that we did ok. Stopped about half way (total trip takes close to 6 hours with all the stops we always wind up making) for some Wendy's and take advantage of cheap gas in New Jersey (oh and picked up some Starbucks for the back-half of the trip ... hey, have to be complete with the dining portion of this TR )

Ultimately, we got to Judi's parent a bit after midnight. But the kids had slept in car so they were excited and wanted to play - though we wanted to get them to bed (so we could go to bed). All in all, we were in bed by about 1:30am.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 5 - Travel Day(s) - Part 2
October 10th
There has to be an easier way to travel with 3 car seats!​

In the morning Olivia asked her Grandmother to make her waffles, which of course she agreed to. Emma got in on the action as well:

We spent most of the morning mostly just getting ready, rearranged some stuff in the car and headed out about 11:30 am. Those of you who read my last trip report when we hit crazy traffic and only got to the airport about 40 mins before take-off can probably understand why I wanted to leave tons of extra time.

Peter was excited to get going - Olivia was already getting annoyed of me taking pictures:

The drive to Dulles airport was pretty uneventful - though Judi and I spent a lot of time discussion how we would do things once we got there as far as bags, etc. Ultimately we decided that we would pull in to the departures area and Judi would get a luggage cart while I started to unload the bags from the car. Then we would get Peter and Emma into the stroller and have Olivia push that while Judi pushes luggage cart and I get them settled on benches just inside. We left a couple of bags in car which I would take with me on shuttle after dropping the car off - I had pre-arranged to leave the car at a nearby hotel which cost only $40 for the entire week. No issues with leaving it and I was back in about 20 mins or so. Definitely would recommend the Fairfield as an option for anyone flying out of Dulles:

All in all we had a bit more than 2.5 hours before our flight. I checked in (which took a little while as they didn't have Emma's info in system as a lap infant), paid my $25 for the bag check, and dropped that bag off. Once we got to the start of the where we had to go to get to the security lines we realized we would have to leave luggage cart - so Judi strapped Emma into barrier (which, by the way we realized we had forgotten at home but Judi was able to borrow one from her sister) and then we put the car seats and personal item bags on the stroller and divided up the carry-ons with Olivia and Peter each responsible for one.

Ultimately it worked out ok as they were planning to shut one security line down so had us be the last group there which helped as not feeling like we were delaying anyone behind us. As it just takes a while to get all of us and the stuff through security. Definitely if it wasn't for the car seats it wouldn't have been nearly as bad - this where the first alternate title/this chapter title came from.


Then to get to our gate we had to go Down one elevator, up 2 more, then on a shuttle (barely fit through door) with how our stuff was arranged (again, really the car seats that were the challenge. Family on the shuttle:

We d id still have some time and were able to eat at the place I wanted to - Bar Symon (sat at seats at front railing overlooking our stuff which didn't all fit inside the railings. This is a relatively new addition to the airport and is owned by Iron Chef Michael Symon.

The food was pretty darn good - if a little pricey. My burger was really good - though cooked a bit more than I wanted. Parmesan fries were really good. Solid beer list - though most I had already had in past so opted for local ipa which was pretty solid and relatively smooth. Judi went for mixed drink which she enjoyed. Kids were a bit antsy but did ok (other than Emma spilling water)

Main menu:

Kids menu:

Beer list and my beer (the DC Brau - The Corruption):

My bacon cheeseburger and the Parmesan fries:

Judi's Turkey Burger and one of the kids burgers:

Coming up - more luggage fun and we take to the skies!

TTFN

 

[khertz]

Oh my gosh, after traveling with two kids through an airport and only 1 carseat, I can't imagine how you did it with 3! So many times I caught people giving us that sympathetic look and thinking I can't wait until these kids are old enough to handle themselves through an airport and I can give that look to other people instead.

The food at the restaurant in the airport actually looks REALLY good! And looking over the menu, I see several things that I'd like to try. The grilled cheese on sourdough sounds so good!

 

[annie170]

I'm exhausted just reading about getting through the airport with three small kids! I remember those days very well.

I love photos that show a contrast of how kids are feeling, like Peter and Olivia in the car! Too funny!

Michael Symon's restaurant looked pretty good and those Parmesan fries look like something I would try to recreate.

As a lifelong White Sox fan, I can't say I was disappointed to see your Mets manhandle the Cubbies! I'm curious if there is a geographical relationship between being a Mets fan or a Yankees fan in New York. I grew up living the south suburbs of Chicago and am now just over the state line in Northwest Indiana. Southsiders are predominantly Sox fans and northsiders are Cubs fans. You will find Cubs fans on the south side because it is "cooler" to be a Cubs fan than a Sox fan. Is this similar in New York?

 

[alohamom]

Signing up and cant wait to rad more!

after dropping the car off - I had pre-arranged to leave the car at a nearby hotel which cost only $40 for the entire week.

Sheer brilliance, that is what this "park and not stay" idea is! I am going to look into this in my area for future trips!!!

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm sorry the packing and driving was delayed! It's overwhelming to pack for so many people.

Once we got to the start of the where we had to go to get to the security lines we realized we would have to leave luggage cart - so Judi strapped Emma into barrier (which, by the way we realized we had forgotten at home but Judi was able to borrow one from her sister) and then we put the car seats and personal item bags on the stroller and divided up the carry-ons with Olivia and Peter each responsible for one.

Flying with 3 kids is no joke. We love Southwest since we can check all of our luggage and just have carry ons. But those car seats are a pain to haul through the airport and get through security. Inevitably, the security officer tries to get us to shove everything through the scanner even though I promise that it wont' fit.

Then to get to our gate we had to go Down one elevator, up 2 more, then on a shuttle (barely fit through door) with how our stuff was arranged (again, really the car seats that were the challenge. Family on the shuttle:

People usually either give us a sympathetic looks or a wide berth when we make our way through the airport.


Glad you made it through security and found some food! Those Parmesan fries look good!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh my gosh, after traveling with two kids through an airport and only 1 carseat, I can't imagine how you did it with 3! So many times I caught people giving us that sympathetic look and thinking I can't wait until these kids are old enough to handle themselves through an airport and I can give that look to other people instead.

The food at the restaurant in the airport actually looks REALLY good! And looking over the menu, I see several things that I'd like to try. The grilled cheese on sourdough sounds so good!

At least Olivia is getting to the point that she can help some, so that was good - but yeah, just so much stuff - specifically the car seats! Definitely got some sympathetic looks but I think also some looks of "wow, that is pretty impressive!" I think the fact it was a Saturday and not a busy business travel time helped as far as impact to, and reaction from, other travelers

Definitely a good meal - nothing unbelievable but solid for an airport. I did read in one review that they thought the grilled cheese was good but a bit small for the price.

I'm exhausted just reading about getting through the airport with three small kids! I remember those days very well.

I love photos that show a contrast of how kids are feeling, like Peter and Olivia in the car! Too funny!

Michael Symon's restaurant looked pretty good and those Parmesan fries look like something I would try to recreate.

As a lifelong White Sox fan, I can't say I was disappointed to see your Mets manhandle the Cubbies! I'm curious if there is a geographical relationship between being a Mets fan or a Yankees fan in New York. I grew up living the south suburbs of Chicago and am now just over the state line in Northwest Indiana. Southsiders are predominantly Sox fans and northsiders are Cubs fans. You will find Cubs fans on the south side because it is "cooler" to be a Cubs fan than a Sox fan. Is this similar in New York?

I got a bit exhausted recapping it too! Definitely think capturing emotions on the kids is fun and good to keep track of/look back on. Peter is funny in sometimes he is totally into it and then sometimes he wants nothing to do with pictures.

Parmesan fries were really good - and they had a couple of bar-b-q sauces at the tables and there was this vinegar based coffee one that went amazing with the fries!

So as far as the Mets/Yanks fan split, Long Island is definitely the highest concentration of Met fans, and then the northern suburbs and into Jersey are more Yankee fans. In Manhattan, older fans are fairly split between Yankee fans and then Dodger/Giant fans that converted, but the majority of the bulk of the city roots for whichever team is better and thus the "in" team to root for. Since the Yankees have been better for a while there are definitely more Yankee fans but Mets are coming on!

Signing up and cant wait to rad more!

Sheer brilliance, that is what this "park and not stay" idea is! I am going to look into this in my area for future trips!!!

Thanks for joining!

FYI - I used a website called SpotHero that has different places for long term parking and found that the rate at the Faifield was a lot cheaper through that site than directly, so something to keep in mind

I'm sorry the packing and driving was delayed! It's overwhelming to pack for so many people.

Flying with 3 kids is no joke. We love Southwest since we can check all of our luggage and just have carry ons. But those car seats are a pain to haul through the airport and get through security. Inevitably, the security officer tries to get us to shove everything through the scanner even though I promise that it wont' fit.

People usually either give us a sympathetic looks or a wide berth when we make our way through the airport.

Glad you made it through security and found some food! Those Parmesan fries look good!

Thanks! Definitely is a lot - in the past it hasn't been too bad as Judi is pretty organized with her lists and basically gathers everything and I just have to fit it into suitcases - just the extra hiccup that is Emma challenged that method

Definitely no joke! Try not to complain as I know we are fortunate to be able to travel with our kids like this - but still! Normally we fly JetBlue where we have gotten one bag free but the United was cheaper and times worked better - even with an extra $25. Definitely would have been much easier sans car seats! Just no other real option as to rent them from the rental car companies costs a fortune and Judi just doesn't trust that they would be models she likes/trusts.

Traveling on a Saturday definitely helped as far as crowd reaction to us - definitely some sympathetic looks and nods of acknowledgement for the effort. If this was more of a business traveler time I am sure they would have had a different reaction

All it all, while not fun, it could have been much worse getting through security and definitely glad we had time for dinner!

 

[Dugette]

Love the family costumes!

We soon found that the speed limit while in the park was lower than when the same road not in the park when we saw some flashing red and blue lights behind us. Fortunately the police officer let us off with just a warning (the fact that Olivia was freaked out by the whole thing and kinda crying saying how scared she was of the situation might have helped our cause) - so yeah, stressful packing, leaving later than wanted, pulled over by cops - trip was off too a stellar start

Wow, you sure know how to start your trips out the stressful way! Glad it was all okay!

Uh oh, you lost Emma! (I just noticed that baby mirror showing an empty seat).

And to think I sometimes feel it's hard to travel with ONE child.

Definitely if it wasn't for the car seats it wouldn't have been nearly as bad - this where the first alternate title/this chapter title came from.

Were you bringing all three on the plane? Or gate-checking? Just curious.

Dinner looks quite good for airport food!

 

[DisMom1981]

Loving the family costumes. Glad you got out of a ticket- I got one on our first trip to WDW somewhere in Virginia. Put a damper on the beginning of the trip for me, but I quickly learned how to use cruise control!!!

My DH is at game 5 right now and I'm biting my nails off at home watching! #LGM