O.K., I've spent the past hour and 1/2 & 3 attempts to post my trip report to no AVAIL, it won't let me: here goes, if someone can move it for me to the trip report board, great thanks, I'm too tired to keep trying:
It was titled: Flips, Dips and a great 1st trip!
Well, here goes, I'm not nearly as talented/crafty as some of the peeps who post here, A.K.A. Delswife, Zurgs, Janet2k, VetteChick, but I'll try..
11 peeps, 2 strollers, 2 car seats & 500 pieces of luggage (o.k. not than many but if felt like) SIDE NOTE: LY/MI copyright of "Wobin", hope it's o.k. to use your signiture phrase!
and they're off.. Flight left at 7:20 a.m. 10-2, so we were up 4 a.m., that was FUN!
got all 11 peeps, 4 pieces of travel equipment and 500 or so pcs of luggage checked & ready to go..Smooth flight, my kids did well, thought youngest would have a hard time, as she had a double ear infection but she was a trooper!
Arrived MCO around 11 a.m., and you could feel the heat & humidity in that little gate thing that attaches your plane to the airport, MAN it was hot!
Day 1: Remember the Grizzwalds on Vacation (we will all be whistlin' zippidee doo da out our...?) Yeah, that was my family last week! Tip 1: NEVER EVER RENT a car offsite, (Thrifty LY/MI for your great price) but when you have as much CRAP as we did, it was a pain in the butt! Rent onsite!
Arrived what seemed like a gazillion hours later with our 2 rental cars, 500 pieces of luggage & 11 peeps to our rental house, plopped everything down, showered & off to Chef Mickeys! A great time was had by all here, and props to my girls, they waited patiently for Mickey & his friends to make way to our table (of course they were WARNED the entire flight down that they had to excercise PATIENCE) but they were on their best behavior.. PIXIE DUST MOMENT OF CM's: WE had a view of the castle, and as Dusk was setting, the shades automatically opened and VOILA! The castle appeared, I have the best pictures of my girls, standing by the window of CM's with that deer in the headlights look in their eyes, PURE MAGIC!
Day 2: Off to MK, bright and early! What did I learn? Even if you don't have an 8 a.m. ish ADR, go to that line of people, we got in no problem, no one asked they just said are you here for the breakfast, I smiled & said why yes I am
(O.K. so my A.D.R was at 10:15, I brushed it off as a true Pixie Dust moment!)
Took our time strollin' up Main St. USA, great castle shots, with virtually no one else on them..
Waited at the drop for Fantasyland, straight to DUMBO walked on.
Had a special meet/greet set up for my DN at 9:20, so we just hung out at the Grotto. (side note: my DN has a heart defect), and she loves Ariel, so I took a whim and wrote a letter to Disney, (thanks goes here to Janet who has made us all see the magical side of Disney through her journeys/thoughts ideas) long story but I realized a dream is a wish your heart makes, and DISNEY people can make your dreams come true, "RANDALL" "LISA" "DOUG" & your staff: if your reading, LY/MI! ALL I can say is there wasn't a dry eye in the grotto, and again PROPS to my girls, they quietly sat on the sidelines as my niece got some major attention from Ariel & the Disney people, it's o.k. though that is what Auntie/Godmothers are for, and they also got a "kiss" from Ariel & some one on one time.
Next was Breakfast at CRT, worth the money for the Princesses auto's/pix, thought food was good.
Rides that followed: Snow White (tip: if it says Scarry in the title, it's not for small kids) 3 of the 4 in our group were scarred & crying..
Philharmagic
Teacups (2x for my youngest who loved them)
Carasoul
Barnstormer (Grizzwalds, screamin' like kids with our arms up)
Splash Mtn (Grizzwalds, we were hootin' and hollerin' and singing loudly at the end of the ride along with the song)
Alladin
Haunted Mansion
Peter Pan (remember when I said Grizzwalds, sorry if we annoyed anyone with our, "HEY KIDS, there it is, Big Ben, Parliment" My sister & I had a good laugh with 3 or 4 rounds of this)
IASWAA
Wait times for standbye were pretty long by mid-day, we used FastPass when we could..
Saw the Share A Dream Come True Parade, if you have Princess' fans, this is a must! Saw Spectromagic, WOW!
Didn't stay for fireworks, it was a long day & we were all tired!
Day 3: AK in a.m, Safari 1st, 15 minute wait, it had just rained so the animals were out.
My 4 yr old announced that she does not want to be a bug, we all loved the show, she did not!
Stood in line for Lilo & Stiches autograph, Stich stole a babies nuk & someones Fruit Snacks, it was cute!
Kali River Rapids, my 6 yr old & I learned the heard way where not to sit!
WE were SOAKED & that was the end of our stint at AK. Back to rental for a swim/rest.
EPCOT at night for Test Track (70 minute wait), also did Mission:Space, what did I learn? While cool, I do not want to be an astronaut! It took me an hour to recover from my mission!
Made our way around the world, quickly, did Maelstrom for my Grandma who has cousins in Norway, ate some good Norwegian pastries.
Stayed for Illuminations, a little too intense for my kids, (we were on the bridge that is to the left of Rose & Crown)
Day 4: MGM at opening, straight to TOT (side note: if your 8 yr old begs to go on TOT & says they won't be scarred, don't do it!) WE scarred the daylights out of dd, she was WHITE as a ghost for about 1/2 hour after, 6 yr old on the other hand LOVED IT! Headed off TOT straight over to RNRC, again 6 yr old loved it (almost missed the height cutoff)
After the two big rides were out of the way we did:
Voyage of L.M.
Disney Animation
Playhosue Disney Live
Backlot Tour
Lunch was at Prime Time 50's - all good food, atmosphere was good, too crowded for the kids I thought though, they behaved but it was because I kept giving them the "look".
Then we made way back towards BATB/FANTASMIC gate..Were going to try for BATB at 3:30, but decided to hang out by the FANTASMIC gate, to no avail, it DOWNPOURED at 4:30, I was a drowned rat along with my Dh, 2 strollers & 4 kids, everyone else was gone after snacks & found there way to the area with umbrellas until the rain was over.
Decided it was a sign to just go back and rest (we were all tired) we would come back Friday for Fantasmic!
Day 5: Rest all day off to MK for MNSSHP, got lots of compliments on our costumes (7 dwarfs), it downpoured before the party started, so they cancelled 1st parade. Worth the admission price & a TIP: you get stroller/wheelchair/locker rentals free on party nights, we didn't know this until DH went to get the dbl stroller.
Day 6: Final day in parks, decided just to go back to Epcot to catch SOARIN'. TIP: Height requirement is 40", didn't know this until we were into the FP line, ready to give tickets, DD 4 wasn't tall enough. SOARIN' was worth the wait, we then went to INNOVATIONS, kids had fun. Line for TT too long so it was off to MGM, we needed more thrill rides, but decided no TOT, 8 yr old decided she was over the shell shock of TOT & wanted to go on RNRC, got fastpasses for that. We now know they are serious with the 0-60 in 2 seconds! We just walked around the gift shops & took in the ambiance of MGM, saw BATB this time, good show, DD4 didn't like the Beast though. Then hung out, more ice cream & waited for Fantasmic! to open up at 6, got our seats & we took turns walking back & forth with the kids..
Day 7: Pack, swim, rest & look through the 600 + pictures we took on this trip!
Day 8: up early to finish packing, back to the rental place that was a gazillion miles from the airport with our 11 peeps, 2 strollers, 2 car seats, 500 pieces of luggage & a lifetime of memories!
Highlight of our trip: FAR TOO MANY, but there were tears in my eyes on the plane home, dd8 was next to me & said,"Mommy I just want to see the Castle one more time" silence, as I gulped back the tears & looked away so she wouldn't see me. Then she touched my arm & whispered, "Mommy, is it o.k. if I cry a little?" Open the flood gates! LY/MI baby! We decided before we even left that we would be back..DISNEY is truly the Happiest Place on Earth!
Chip
It was titled: Flips, Dips and a great 1st trip!
Well, here goes, I'm not nearly as talented/crafty as some of the peeps who post here, A.K.A. Delswife, Zurgs, Janet2k, VetteChick, but I'll try..
11 peeps, 2 strollers, 2 car seats & 500 pieces of luggage (o.k. not than many but if felt like) SIDE NOTE: LY/MI copyright of "Wobin", hope it's o.k. to use your signiture phrase!
and they're off.. Flight left at 7:20 a.m. 10-2, so we were up 4 a.m., that was FUN!
got all 11 peeps, 4 pieces of travel equipment and 500 or so pcs of luggage checked & ready to go..Smooth flight, my kids did well, thought youngest would have a hard time, as she had a double ear infection but she was a trooper!
Arrived MCO around 11 a.m., and you could feel the heat & humidity in that little gate thing that attaches your plane to the airport, MAN it was hot!
Day 1: Remember the Grizzwalds on Vacation (we will all be whistlin' zippidee doo da out our...?) Yeah, that was my family last week! Tip 1: NEVER EVER RENT a car offsite, (Thrifty LY/MI for your great price) but when you have as much CRAP as we did, it was a pain in the butt! Rent onsite!
Arrived what seemed like a gazillion hours later with our 2 rental cars, 500 pieces of luggage & 11 peeps to our rental house, plopped everything down, showered & off to Chef Mickeys! A great time was had by all here, and props to my girls, they waited patiently for Mickey & his friends to make way to our table (of course they were WARNED the entire flight down that they had to excercise PATIENCE) but they were on their best behavior.. PIXIE DUST MOMENT OF CM's: WE had a view of the castle, and as Dusk was setting, the shades automatically opened and VOILA! The castle appeared, I have the best pictures of my girls, standing by the window of CM's with that deer in the headlights look in their eyes, PURE MAGIC!
Day 2: Off to MK, bright and early! What did I learn? Even if you don't have an 8 a.m. ish ADR, go to that line of people, we got in no problem, no one asked they just said are you here for the breakfast, I smiled & said why yes I am
(O.K. so my A.D.R was at 10:15, I brushed it off as a true Pixie Dust moment!)Took our time strollin' up Main St. USA, great castle shots, with virtually no one else on them..
Waited at the drop for Fantasyland, straight to DUMBO walked on.
Had a special meet/greet set up for my DN at 9:20, so we just hung out at the Grotto. (side note: my DN has a heart defect), and she loves Ariel, so I took a whim and wrote a letter to Disney, (thanks goes here to Janet who has made us all see the magical side of Disney through her journeys/thoughts ideas) long story but I realized a dream is a wish your heart makes, and DISNEY people can make your dreams come true, "RANDALL" "LISA" "DOUG" & your staff: if your reading, LY/MI! ALL I can say is there wasn't a dry eye in the grotto, and again PROPS to my girls, they quietly sat on the sidelines as my niece got some major attention from Ariel & the Disney people, it's o.k. though that is what Auntie/Godmothers are for, and they also got a "kiss" from Ariel & some one on one time.
Next was Breakfast at CRT, worth the money for the Princesses auto's/pix, thought food was good.
Rides that followed: Snow White (tip: if it says Scarry in the title, it's not for small kids) 3 of the 4 in our group were scarred & crying..
Philharmagic
Teacups (2x for my youngest who loved them)
Carasoul
Barnstormer (Grizzwalds, screamin' like kids with our arms up)
Splash Mtn (Grizzwalds, we were hootin' and hollerin' and singing loudly at the end of the ride along with the song)
Alladin
Haunted Mansion
Peter Pan (remember when I said Grizzwalds, sorry if we annoyed anyone with our, "HEY KIDS, there it is, Big Ben, Parliment" My sister & I had a good laugh with 3 or 4 rounds of this)
IASWAA
Wait times for standbye were pretty long by mid-day, we used FastPass when we could..
Saw the Share A Dream Come True Parade, if you have Princess' fans, this is a must! Saw Spectromagic, WOW!
Didn't stay for fireworks, it was a long day & we were all tired!
Day 3: AK in a.m, Safari 1st, 15 minute wait, it had just rained so the animals were out.
My 4 yr old announced that she does not want to be a bug, we all loved the show, she did not!
Stood in line for Lilo & Stiches autograph, Stich stole a babies nuk & someones Fruit Snacks, it was cute!
Kali River Rapids, my 6 yr old & I learned the heard way where not to sit!
WE were SOAKED & that was the end of our stint at AK. Back to rental for a swim/rest.
EPCOT at night for Test Track (70 minute wait), also did Mission:Space, what did I learn? While cool, I do not want to be an astronaut! It took me an hour to recover from my mission!
Made our way around the world, quickly, did Maelstrom for my Grandma who has cousins in Norway, ate some good Norwegian pastries.
Stayed for Illuminations, a little too intense for my kids, (we were on the bridge that is to the left of Rose & Crown)
Day 4: MGM at opening, straight to TOT (side note: if your 8 yr old begs to go on TOT & says they won't be scarred, don't do it!) WE scarred the daylights out of dd, she was WHITE as a ghost for about 1/2 hour after, 6 yr old on the other hand LOVED IT! Headed off TOT straight over to RNRC, again 6 yr old loved it (almost missed the height cutoff)
After the two big rides were out of the way we did:
Voyage of L.M.
Disney Animation
Playhosue Disney Live
Backlot Tour
Lunch was at Prime Time 50's - all good food, atmosphere was good, too crowded for the kids I thought though, they behaved but it was because I kept giving them the "look".
Then we made way back towards BATB/FANTASMIC gate..Were going to try for BATB at 3:30, but decided to hang out by the FANTASMIC gate, to no avail, it DOWNPOURED at 4:30, I was a drowned rat along with my Dh, 2 strollers & 4 kids, everyone else was gone after snacks & found there way to the area with umbrellas until the rain was over.
Decided it was a sign to just go back and rest (we were all tired) we would come back Friday for Fantasmic!
Day 5: Rest all day off to MK for MNSSHP, got lots of compliments on our costumes (7 dwarfs), it downpoured before the party started, so they cancelled 1st parade. Worth the admission price & a TIP: you get stroller/wheelchair/locker rentals free on party nights, we didn't know this until DH went to get the dbl stroller.
Day 6: Final day in parks, decided just to go back to Epcot to catch SOARIN'. TIP: Height requirement is 40", didn't know this until we were into the FP line, ready to give tickets, DD 4 wasn't tall enough. SOARIN' was worth the wait, we then went to INNOVATIONS, kids had fun. Line for TT too long so it was off to MGM, we needed more thrill rides, but decided no TOT, 8 yr old decided she was over the shell shock of TOT & wanted to go on RNRC, got fastpasses for that. We now know they are serious with the 0-60 in 2 seconds! We just walked around the gift shops & took in the ambiance of MGM, saw BATB this time, good show, DD4 didn't like the Beast though. Then hung out, more ice cream & waited for Fantasmic! to open up at 6, got our seats & we took turns walking back & forth with the kids..
Day 7: Pack, swim, rest & look through the 600 + pictures we took on this trip!
Day 8: up early to finish packing, back to the rental place that was a gazillion miles from the airport with our 11 peeps, 2 strollers, 2 car seats, 500 pieces of luggage & a lifetime of memories!
Highlight of our trip: FAR TOO MANY, but there were tears in my eyes on the plane home, dd8 was next to me & said,"Mommy I just want to see the Castle one more time" silence, as I gulped back the tears & looked away so she wouldn't see me. Then she touched my arm & whispered, "Mommy, is it o.k. if I cry a little?" Open the flood gates! LY/MI baby! We decided before we even left that we would be back..DISNEY is truly the Happiest Place on Earth!
Chip
