Wizards, Beach and Cars, LIVE (soon) - crazy even for me!

[mumto2]

I've done a spur of the moment trip before. But even then, I had a month or so to plan and surprise the kids. But, Disney nut that I am, even I am not sure I can pull this off...

Me - WDW has been my happy place since I first stepped foot in the MK - in my 30s!

DH - reluctantly agrees that since he has not yet found a 12-step program (and he has looked, believe me), that it is best to give in to my addiction from time to time

DD13 - as obsessed by Disney as I am

DS7 - has discovered that DHS has everything he loves, except Test Track

The backstory: I just got a big promotion, but with it come several projects that will mean no time off for quite some time. If we want to celebrate and spend time together as a family, we've got two weeks to make it happen: one week to plan and one week to celebrate. Of course, where else would we celebrate than in my happy place?

One little challenge though: the week to celebrate is also July 4th!

At first, DH tried everything in his power to get us to go somewhere else. Then DD mentioned that she had a FB posting from Disney (told you she was obsessed) that the Cars Suites were open, and that they looked awesome. She showed DH the photos, and he fell in love (he has watched the movies almost as many times as DS).

So while he was weak with longing for a trip to Radiator Springs, I went online to discover that not only was there availability there, we could do a split stay with the resort I have longed to try for years: Beach Club. So I lied to myself and decided that the crowds couldn't possibly be that bad - less than a week out and I'm having no trouble getting a room??? Surely this was meant to be (No one, I mean NO ONE had better tip off the DH about sites like Undercover Tourist and their crowd predictions...).

Later that day, we were at Costco when DS (who at this point knew nothing about the trip) notices the US ticket display and asks if we can go to Harry Potter some day since he is starting to read the first book. Hmmm, thinks I...

When I find out that Royal Pacific has availability and you get crowd-beating perks with your stay, I add a third hotel to the mix. So here it is, Wednesday afternoon. We leave in three days and I have no grid worked out yet for the trip, nothing packed and very little planned. I had better get to work!

I do have an ADR for July 4 for Mickey's BBQ. We've done the BBQ before and enjoyed it, so I thought the special program for the 4th would be a great way to celebrate without dealing with the madness of being in the parks that night. Other than that, no ADRs yet, and nothing more concrete than spending quality time at Stormalong Bay while we are at BC.

This could be the craziest trip yet...

 

[wdwtwins]

Hi! I'll be joining in!

 

[mumto2]

Well, maybe not so live. It's great that you can get free WiFi in your room. It would be even greater if it worked. Seriously, I was never able to stay connected for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I would rather pay for a connection that was, well, connected than deal with the new free system.

But enough grousing. I have a trip report to share!

 

[mumto2]

We spend Saturday getting ready for the trip - last minute stocking up on sunblock, finding the extra beach towels, everyone on the DIS knows what I am talking about. I still have no grid, no more ADRs and no definitive plans, so I hit the Universal boards here hard for some last minute cramming before the final exam. I learn that staying at the Royal Pacific and getting not only the early entry to WWoHP but also the express pass may have been the smartest thing I've done in a long time. Phew, glad I aced that part!

I craft a plan for IOA, but do so in my head, as DH is raving about how laid back this trip is (silly man seems to think the pixie dust just happens on its own, and doesn't understand my planning compulsion...) Thanks to the DIS, I now know that our first stop is not Forbidden Journey, but Olivander's. I tuck this little nugget carefully away, especially since both kids have announced their intentions to purchase wands while visiting Hogsmeade...

So by Saturday evening, we are packed and ready to go. DS keeps claiming to be "too excited to sleep," DH is snoozing, and DD is on the computer looking at YouTube ride videos. Me? I am fine-tuning the plan of attack on Hogwarts...

 

[mumto2]

Sunday morning dawns early, and we are off. We are making good time when, just outside Savannah DS7 announces he has to go and absolutely can't hold it. So we decide it's 11:40, we'll stop for lunch. The McDonalds was out of everything, including ketchup. Only they didn't tell us until after I paid them $21. The staff looked completely shell-shocked as more and more customers became more and more angry. Forty-five minutes later, we were back on the road. DH claims that it was my fault, as I haven't been inside a McD's in over a year (have worked on eliminating processed food from our diets), so when I came in the staff was so shocked, they just didn't know what to do...

We make our traditional stop at the FL welcome center and get some juice, but it is too hot to explore the animal tracks exhibit, so we head down the highway, arriving at the Royal Pacific around 4. At check in, the kids are given free popsicles, and we all go to figure out the express pass station, especially DS, who wants to do it himself, but is too short for the camera to get a picture of him. He ends up standing on a suitcase, but starts to lose his balance just as the photo is being taken, so he ends up with a very startled look in the shot.

We go down to the room and put on our suits. I had read on the DIS that we could pool hop, but we were too eager to go swimming, so we just went out to the pool. It was great! We got there in time for the kids to join in the pool party games, and I found a beach chair poolside. Ahhhhh, vacation had really begun.