August 2018 - "Best Day Ever" Trip - Day 1
Our trip title comes from the fact that starting from when we told him we were going to Disney World and continuing through the trip, DS (and then DD) kept randomly saying "Best Day. EVER!" ala Rapunzel, or "Best vacation ever" or "Best ride ever" etc.
Arrival Day - 8/10
Cast -
Jen
Joe - DH
DS - 5 (has been asking to go back to Disney World since we left April 2016)
DD - 2 (first trip for our Minnie obsessed girl)
We kept holding off on telling our kids that we were going to Disney World, until suddenly it became that we were going to surprise them. And then it was that we were going to surprise them on our way to the airport.
Originally our trip was going to be Sunday to Sunday, but by extending it out Friday to Tuesday (11 nights instead of 7) we actually ended up saving enough on our airfare that we could cover the expense of the 4 additional nights! We were also able to get better flight times, which was nice.
We were set to take off at 9:40 and arrive at 12:30. Perfect for spending the day exploring a new to us resort. We planned to have a late lunch, spend some time exploring and in the pools and arcade. We successfully got out of the house with all our things at 5:30 (it’s about an hour to the airport and with two kids 5 and under we wanted to allow ample time for parking and checking in and security… our last trip in April 2016, we would have missed our flight due to the lines at security if a very nice TSA agent hadn’t let my 7 months pregnant self and husband with the stroller through the empty pre-check line when we were halfway through the regular line), without the kids noticing that we had packed up the car. Smooth ride ot the airport and about 10 minutes out, we parked and asked DS what he’d like to do. Disney World is one of DS’s happy places, and the reveal was as awesome as I’d hoped. Our DD also kicked her feet in excitement when she heard we were going to Disney World. Parking, checking in and security were a breeze and we were in the terminal and at the gate with plenty of time to spare. We ate breakfast and were generally just excited. We boared on time and started taxiing a few minutes before we were scheduled for takeoff.
….
Then we stopped. And sat. For several minutes. At first, I didn’t think much of it. Must be air traffic ahead of us. Then the captain came on and said that as we were taxiing a caution light came on, so we were uncleared for take off and we had to return to the gate to have techs check it. Then we got to the gate and sat for a few minutes. Then they said techs had been called and it should be about 15 minutes before they arrived on site. Then we were allowed off to deplane for a bit because they weren’t sure how long it would be. So I hopped off, got the kids a few snacks and another coffee for me (DD managed to spill my coffee when we boarded) while DH, DS and DD stayed on the plane. I returned. The kids were watching their tablets. I was reading. Then they announced that they were sending a new plane for us and we all had to deplane. Southwest did their best to make a bad situation better and gave everyone on the flight $100 vouchers for future travel.
We finally boarded in Hartford around the time we were supposed to land in Orlando. “Welcome aboard flight 298. The flight so nice, we’re taking it twice.” We took off about 1pm. Once that adventure was over, we had a very smooth flight and arrived in Orlando about 3:45. When we arrived at the Magical Express, there were nearly no other people there. We were picked up within minutes, on a bus with maybe 15 other people on it.
Okay, so we’re really on our way now! Off we go on the bus. Our travel woes are over.
…. Around the corner from Art of Animation we were sideswiped by a car … so lightly I wasn’t even sure the car had connected with us, but the driver said it did. So then we were waiting on the side of the road for another bus to come get us.
Then on bus 2 of 2 for 5 minutes and we finally arrived at Art of Animation. We had never been to the hotel before, so we had a lot of fun exploring the lobby. Check in was a breeze. We made our way to the Little Mermaid section. Enjoying the larger than life theming along the way.
Alright. We’re at the hotel, we’re in our room. Clearly our day of travel difficulty is now over. We check out the awesome theming. We take some pictures. I take my shoes off …. And the floor is wet. Not soaked. At first I questioned if maybe it wasn’t just cold. But no, it was wet like it had been shampooed and hadn’t dried. So we called the desk. And they said they’d move us. Except there were no Little Mermaid rooms left.
So the crazy day culminated with being upgraded to a Lion King suite for our two night stay. Which was pretty awesome!
We went over to the food court to grab a late dinner with a local friend. We decided to bring dessert back to our room, and DS requested a Mickey Premium bar...we watch a Disney vlogger who had mentioned them a few times recently and apparently it made an impression on DS...he loved it.
Then we all crashed after such an unexpectedly long travel day!
