Trip report Day 1 (of 8) Sept 6 - Sept 13

[Diznut]

So my family and I (DH and 2 kids 1 and 4) just got back. I kept a journal on the trip and decided to post it as a trip report. Hope it helps even 1 person -- learn from our mistakes!

Day 1
Wow. What a first day. We took Disney to a new extreme and this time with a 1 and 4 year old! The day started at 5a. Well … 2a for Jim and I since we never really fell back to sleep when Avery gave a shout out. Too excited and too uncomfortable in a full size bed at the Laquinta inn and suites Armonk we lay there until 5a. We finally got up and took our showers while the kids slept. At 530a we woke them and they were so excited for Disney. They rose in great moods and jumped into their strollers ready to go. The shuttle to the airport was quick and efficient. We arrived in plenty of time. But that is when the trouble started. Right at check in. A not so nice desk clerk must have had a bad night because she wasn’t giving us any breaks. She started off by lying to me when I asked if a particular seat was available. She then weighed our bags and told me 1 of them was 8lbs over. I understood this. And thankfully we came equipped with a back up bag and transferred the extra pounds into that. THEN she told me my larger bag was 1 inch … yes, 1 inch bigger then the allotment. I was charged 75 dollars for this … yes, 75 dollars. Jet Blue will be getting a call from me when I get home. Maybe even before hand now that I think of it. So ticked off and tired I proceed to security. I really didn’t want to start off the trip on a bad foot, or let this wench ruin my vacation. Security was a breeze and we sat at the gate with two tired and cranky kids counting the minutes until boarding. I believe it was just over an hour. I thought I could do this and we’d be okay. Well….shortly after we arrived, it turns out our flight was delayed and there was no ETA. It was a big set back but this actually didn’t bother me as much. We needed to repair/replace the tire on our aircraft. I always believe things happen for a reason and wouldn’t want to fly on an unsafe craft, so I sucked it up. The kids were on edge, both in different ways. Jim did all he could to appease Avery and I tried to keep Casey’s mind off the fact that we weren’t on one of the planes he had been staring at for hours. So as we all hung on the words of the PA person I was delighted to hear that we’d finally board. We did so without any issues. I was particurily glad that the empty center seat between Casey and I was empty and Avery would have a place of her own (despite the wench at check in telling me it was occupied). We’ll see how the return goes. Why do I do this?? It’s not worth the aggravation just save a couple bucks. I really need to just book her a seat next time. So anyway, the flight was okay; sort of. Avery fell asleep not long after take off and Casey was happy to be on the plane and watching cartoons. But he grew board with that when his tummy started to feel sick. There was a hurricane in the area and so the flight was bumpy (Hanna). I didn’t feel well either and actually thought I might up chuck. So Casey clung to his barf bag and I tried to comfort him until the turbulence was over. By then Avery work up and was a little unhappy. So the rest of the flight (1/2) was longer then the first half. We made it though and touched down around noon. We quickly got off the plane and headed to the magical express area. This was kind of a hike. There we waited some more. Seemed to be the theme thus far. The rather quick moving line eventually led us to the loading area where we’d find our motor coach. This line was not that long, but we had to wait a long time. Potty breaks, diaper changes, and people watching for close to a ½ hour finally ended with us getting on our bus headed to the parks. The kids hung in there, I gotta say. The ride was about a ½ hour and after 3 stops we arrived at our hotel. The all star movie resort. It was close to 2p by now. We had 230p dining reservations which clearly we wouldn’t make. But we hoped they would take us anyway. After waiting in another line to check in we left our non essential park items with the bell boy and headed to the transportation area to catch a bus to Disney studios. Clearly we were very ambitious and maybe even stupid to jump right into the magic so quickly. But we’re wild and crazy so off we went. There we waited …. Yup, there’s the theme again. Bus after bus came and went for all other parks but the one we wanted. We grew impatient; mostly due to hunger seeing we hadn’t had a real meal by now and it was after 2p and we’d been up since 5a. Another couple waiting with us said Disney studios was closing in 3 hours b/c of some private function. And that the ride we really wanted to go on (toy story mania) would probably be a very long wait with no fast pass option. That’s all I had to hear and we hopped the next bus that came around the corner and it happened to be going to Epcot. So that is where we were going! Already my months of planning went right out the window. The ride over I spent on the phone with the dining people. Since its free dining time its next to impossible to get a last minute reservation. We were lucky enough to get Mexico and were really excited. We switched things around and it was going to be okay. When we got to Epcot we headed straight for Mexico but Jim ran over to The Land to get fast passes for Soarin. Lunch was okay. Casey was excited to watch the boats and Avery was really tired and would cry unless I fed her tiny pieces of Swedish fish. Hey, what ever works! We rushed through lunch b/c Avery had really had enough and we promised Casey if he was good during his meal we’d ride boat. Time was limited, it was getting late, we still had to at least do soarin and now we had to squeeze in this boat ride. Thankfully it worked out and going on that ride was actually really fun. The kids loved it. We headed right to soarin afterwards and Jim got Avery to nap while Casey and I rode the ride. This ride was so much fun and I was so happy to do it with him. There is nothing like seeing Disney through the eyes of your child. We were on a high afterwards and Casey wanted more and more rides. But since it was getting late we promised him one more. We did Space Ship Earth. The line was nothing and the ride was awesome. They changed it up a bit since we went on it last. When it was over – so were we! We b-lined it to the busses that would bring us back to the hotel. I was excited about seeing our bags again and unpacking while Jim got the kids ready for bed. When we arrived it was 630p and no bags. I was furious. I just wanted to unpack! Jim bathed the kids and thankfully around 7p the bags got here. Avery reluctantly settled down and Casey drifted off too around 8p. Jim uploaded all our video and pictures onto the computer while I went to grab us something to eat. We enjoyed a very nice counter service meal and dessert. I was surprised how good it was. The hotel is nice. Perfect for our needs and I really don’t see the use in staying anywhere more expensive. The rooms aren’t that much more spectacular and everything is so spread out nothing is perfectly located. We all have to use busses, etc. For the price, you can’t beat it. Besides the whole magical express wait time and baggage issue, staying on property in this hotel is great. I’m excited to start the week and hope it doesn’t go by too fast. I want to really slow time down and enjoy this special vacation as a family. We’re so blessed to be here and I want to live in the moment as best I can. I hope the kids continue to be such good sports. The days to come will no doubt be tiresome, but a whole lotta fun too. Well … until tomorrow!

[Diznut]

Day 2
So, our first full day has come and gone. Wow … very exhausting. More so then I might have expected. We might have to revamp our schedule a bit to work in some quiet time back at the hotel. But today that wouldn’t have worked because Animal Kingdom (the park we visited today), closes at 5p. If we came back for a nap, we would not have enough time to return. But the day started out okay, and then sort of got hairy. Avery was the first up around 645a. Followed by Jim and I, and then Casey. That was actually a pretty good wake up time. Neither of them made a peep all night long and were asleep at 8p. So Casey jumped up first and moved Avery’s little curtain blocker aside and we all had a good chuckle. Then Casey started to act up a bit. He was clearly tired and not really adjusted to the new environment and all the excitement. So right away he was on my nerves. He insisted on going to Epcot and didn’t want to go to Animal kingdom. We thought he might have said this because he didn’t understand the other park. But even today after we were done he still said he liked Epcot better and wanted to go back. So that’s tomorrows plan. But back to today…. The morning was ruff. Avery and Casey were kind of cranky and whiney. Which made for cranky and whiney parents. So good moods didn’t happen for another hour or so. It was just get through breakfast and get us to the park. Which we did …. We headed right over to Dinoland and caught the 10 o’clock Nemo Musical. That was awesome. We all really enjoyed it. Next up was a stroller nap for Avery and the flying dino’s for Casey and Jim. We fast passed Dinosaur intending to take Casey and while we were waiting for our time to roll around Jim and Casey explored the Bone Yard. Then we headed to Dinosaur and Casey had 2nd thoughts and decided he didn’t want to go on because he was scared. I totally understood and since he met goofy and Pluto earlier, all he wanted to do was meet more characters. So the golden rule I’m told is listen to your kids. It’s their vacation too and not worth a melt down. So off to camp Minnie Mickey we went. We met Donald, Mickey and Minnie. Casey was thrilled and in a great mood. He’s not really psyched about waiting in lines though. That has been a challenge so far and I hope it gets easier. After that we met more characters …. Pooh, Tiger, Eyore, and piglet. We did lunch at pizzafari which was tasty and we caught its tuff to be a bug. Everyone seemed to enjoy that but Avery was freaked out by the giant carved gorilla and neither of them were too jazzed about the dark waiting room inside the tree. The movie held everyone’s attention though. Then we hauled butt to the Lion King show. We made it just in time. Casey loved every moment of the show and Avery loved the first half. After that we were on borrowed time. Continuing our adventure we headed to Africa. We boarded the safari jeep and took in the animals and all this ride had to offer. Several times during the day up until this point Casey was still giving us a hard time. Clearly he was tired and just not himself. This is a long day and lots of stimulation. Combined with heat, crowds and hunger he just had his moments. After the safari we grabbed our stroller which had been splotted on by a bird (lovely) and went to Asia to ride the roaring rapids. Avery was desperately needing another nap at this point and thankfully Jim was able to put her to sleep while Casey and I rode the ride. It was fun and wet and cooled us both off. The best part of Casey’s day I think came right afterwards. We stumbled on a splash area with a water fountain and squirting holes. He loved this … but did take a pause when he announced to the entire area he had to take a dump. Stripped down to his undies he played and played and would have stayed there for hours. We had to reluctantly tear him away and head to Mommy and Daddy’s ride – expedition Everest. We did a kid swap and it worked out great. I could have skipped that ride though … Jim felt the same way. Sort of made us sick and busted my back up. We capped off our day at AK with dinner at Yak and Yeti. Casey was great, Avery was o.v.e.r. it all. She was difficult to keep happy and I don’t blame her. It was 5p by now and the kids were BEAT and so were the adults. In true fashion up until this point, we scarfed down our meals and headed to the exit. We were one of the last people to leave which was kind of cool. Poor Jim’s feet were all blistered. Oh, the meal was awesome …. Asian food … yum-o. We caught the last bus out of the park and off to the hotel we headed. Quick baths and then to bed we all headed. What a long day …. We must work in a trip back to the hotel tomorrow for naps and maybe some pool time. Epcot is open late and there is no reason for us to do it all straight. It’s too much for everyone. AK was just okay... not my favorite park. The rides and shows are cool, but the layout is complicated and everything is so far away from the next. We were always twisted up and that frustrated me. Over all despite the ups and downs of the day, it was a good one. I also noticed that even though the rides have little to no waits, the parks seem so crowded. It’s strange. Well tomorrow is another day, another adventure, and hopefully better moods. Until then …..

[Diznut]

Day 3
Today was the best day so far. We woke up early as usual…. 630ish. And put the TV on for Casey to watch while we got ready. It was a way to keep him happy and stay off our nerves. Avery was in a good mood and we quickly got ready and were out the door much faster then the day before. We’re getting better at this I think. We’ll have it down pat right before we leave. We had breakfast at the hotel like yesterday and were on a bus to Epcot around 830a. Perfect timing. We entered Epcot before it was even open, but not much before. We were there to see the ropes drop which was an awesome experience. Casey saw a bunch of characters and pretty much made a b-line for them. They were headed to the character meet and greet area of the park. He met Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, Goofy and Pluto. This made his day and started him off in a great mood. First ride was Test Track. This had zero wait time and Casey and Jim went on that one first. He liked it … I’m sure he was a little scared at times, but didn’t say so. I asked him if he wanted to ride a second time with me, but he declined. It worked out fine and he kept busy in the gift shop making a craft. I was on and off in 15 minutes. Off to the next ride we went. Nemo at the living seas was next. We all really enjoyed that ride and Turtle Talk with Crush afterwards was such fun. Except Avery started to lose it by then and Jim had to abort. By now it was a little after 11a and we both agreed it was best to go back to the resort and have lunch and take naps. This was a perfect plan and one we’ll likely duplicate moving forward. Avery fell asleep quick around 1230p, and Casey eventually did too … of course I had to threaten to take Elmo away a couple times, but he eventually passed out. And so did Jim and I. It was really perfect. At 330, we all woke up refreshed and excited for the rest of the day. The kids and parents were all rested and back to Epcot we went. We did Imagination first. We didn’t have a ton of time since our 5p dinner reservations were creeping up. But we were in the right area. The ride was fun and held both kids attention throughout. Afterwards in the little exhibit they kids had a blast. Casey and Avery both loved jumping on all the musical lit up squares … Casey even broke a sweat; but that’s not too hard to do. Avery enjoyed the freedom of walking around. By now it was dinner time and off to the Coral Reef we went. Minimal waiting until we were brought to our table. What a GREAT spot we had. Right up against the tank …. It was amazing! Casey starred into the aquarium the entire time waving to the divers and talking to the sea life. He even colored a picture and wanted to show them. Avery was kept occupied by food; as usual. Service was okay, and the dinners were yummy. Not huge portions, but good. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and yummy desserts. This dining plan is the way to go. After that we had full bellies, and were excited to hit up the next attraction. We went next door to take the boat ride in the Land. That was nice and Casey said it was like going to the super market. We crossed over to Ellen’s Energy showcase which was closing up shop … it was 7p and that was the last show. We lucked out. That was a funny ride and held Casey’s attention, and for the most part Avery’s too. She was a bit squirmy. After that we rode the boat ride inside Norway. Again, big hit …short ride though. After a quick pee break for Casey on the side of a closed snack shack we continued our walk around World Showcase. It was dark by now and 40 mins away from fireworks. We had hoped Avery would take a snooze but opted to enjoy the ride instead. We found a great spot in front of Canada and picked up a McDonalds fry … the answer to all our problems, per Karen. The show started right as a rain cloud opened up on us. It came fast and drenched us. We tried to cover the kids as quickly as we could, but they were still wet. Avery did not enjoy this. Moments later the show started. That made everyone happy. Fireworks, music, and lasers …what’s not to love? We got a head start for the exit when it was wrapping up. It worked out okay. We didn’t have to wait long for our bus, and even though it was crowded the kids were mellow and chatting with some Brazilian folk passed the time. Back to the room we arrived at 10p sharp. Beds; no bath tonight and not a peep from either of them. I think it was a great day and the key to making that happen I think is a mid day snooze. Everyone needs that I think. Until tomorrow ….

[Diznut]

Day 4
So the day started like the previous one. Up early, oatmeal for the kids, some TV while we got dressed and showered, and then off to breakfast we went. The moods were okay … could have been better. I really didn’t expect Casey to be so moody on this trip. I sort of thought he’s be at his best since we were doing so much fun stuff. But there have been a lot of break downs and attitude problems. All of which just get me in a twitter and then it’s down hill. I think we were all pretty tired. Avery gave a couple shout outs during the night and we were up early despite going to bed so late. This caused for some tension early on. And as always it was hot, humid, and sunny which draws the energy out of you. But off to the Magic Kingdom we went. Again, we arrived at opening which was the BEST thing we could have done. Casey was dying to ride the Dumbo ride and insisted we do it first. No objections here, so that’s where we headed. Trying as best we could to take in all the sights and sounds around us, including the stunning castle. I don’t think Casey appreciated it as much as I had hoped. I know this was partly because of his mood … which was on the edge. Fantasy land was empty. It was amazing. We had to wait 1 round before our turn on Dumbo. After that we did Pooh, the merry go round, met Arial, Peter Pan, Snow white, and it’s a small world. This all in about an hour. Moods were low at this point; including mine. Everyone needed a snack, potty break, and we needed to make a game plan. It was 1030ish. A bag of cheetos later we agreed it was best to ride the Haunted Mansion and then head back to the hotel. That’s exactly what we did. We had to wait a long time though for the bus which was annoying. That’s the one thing I get irritated with…the public transportation. But we don’t really have an alternative. I think if we had a car, we’d do a lot more walking to/from the parking lot which wouldn’t save us any time. It just comes with the territory I guess. And I enjoyed this park MUCH more then the others. There is so much less walking and all the attractions are really close together. You can ditch your stroller for 3 or 4 rides at a clip. Lunch was fine, the kids were tired. Nap was shorter then I would have liked. This was due to Avery … she decided after an hour and half, she was done. I was spoiled with the 3 hr one the day before. Casey was passed out though but eventually woke up a bit groggy. Everyone snapped out of it eventually and pulled ourselves together and headed back to Magic Kingdom. This part of the day was much better; seems to be the trend. We cut through Noodle Station and headed for Buzz Light year’s ride. That was fun. Then Casey was thrilled to meet Buzz. Next up was the people movers (or what ever they call it now). Then I just had to ride Space Mountain. That was thrilling … such a great ride. Jim will surely get his turn tomorrow. Then it was time for our dining reservation. We headed over to the Crystal Palace. We were dining with Pooh and friends. The food was okay, the service kind of lacked, but Casey LOVED seeing the Pooh gang again. That made it all worth it. He even got to march in a little parade around the room. He was so busy following the dude in front of him that he continued to follow him even when the parade was over right into the buffet line. It was funny. Not so much fun for Avery. She got freaked out any time they came near her. Now it was a little after 6p. Less then an hour left before closing and so we took advantage of the great moods we were all in to do a couple more rides before heading home. We started with the Jungle Cruise which was so corny, yet funny... Our guide was actually cracking me up a couple times. Then we rode Aladdin’s magic carpets, and lastly Pirates of the Caribbean. On our way out we had fun in the pirate shop before heading to the exits. Everyone did really well on the way home and bed time went smooth. Casey has been asking to go in the pool since we got here. So both Jim and I agreed tomorrow would be a perfect day. We’ll spend the morning at the resort swimming and relaxing. Then lunch, early nap, and then to MK the second half of the day. I think this is just the kind of day I think we need. Until tomorrow ….

[Diznut]

Day 5
I’m starting to run out of diapers and formula. Getting a little nervous. Anyway today was great. We took Casey’s feedback of saying there’s been too much Disney and hung by the resort pool, arcade, and room this morning. It was perfect. Casey got to do something he really wanted to do, and Avery got to take a real nap at her regular nap time, and we all loved it. It think the urge to go go go is starting to wear off. We are slowing down and having a better time because of it. When Avery woke up from her nap around noon we went to MK. We had lunch first at Star light café and then Casey wanted to do the tea cups. What a better time to ride …. On a full stomach. I was the sucker who agreed to go on. It was fun, and I didn’t do any additional turning! Then we were close to toontown and Casey and Jim did Goofy’s little coaster and we all toured Mickey and Minnie’s house. That was cute and Casey really got a kick out of that. By then it was just about to down pour. So we thought it was best to take the train since the station was right there. But by the time we got there the thunder and lightening started and they didn’t run the train. That was fine. We just grabbed a seat under the station and waited out the heavy rain. The kids were actually okay….mind you I was feeding them candy to keep them happy. But once it let up and reduced to a light rain we braved the elements and went about our day. We caught the doors opening for Mickey’s philharmagic. That was a really cute movie and Casey LOVED it. Avery was in a trance and zoned out too. We continued our wet walk to the country bear jamboree. Avery was having none of this so I kept her busy by walking up and down the exit ramp. Casey loved this show and would clap at the songs. Before that though, it was parade time. Because of the weather, they had to go with the plan b parade. It was cute and had a lot of characters and Casey seemed to enjoy it. Next up were the big rides. First Splash Mountain with Mommy. He clung to me so tightly and didn’t want me to even move a finger away from him. I thought my arm was going to have permanent dents in them from Casey’s arms. He liked it though and I was happy to have done that with him. Jim took him on Big Thunder Mountain next which he said was great and wanted to do again. That sort of shocked me. I tried to get Avery to sleep but was unsuccessful. By now it was getting close to our dining reservation at the grand Floridian. We took the train from frontier land to Main Street, then the monorail to the resort. We were a little late, but it wasn’t an issue. That hotel is amazing. I’d love to stay there some day. The restaurant was excellent. The service and food was so good. The kids started to lose it towards the end and we really needed to jump ship. It was pouring outside, so we suited up in our ponchos and braved the elements once again. It wasn’t that bad, quite fun actually. Wet and cold we rode the bus back to the hotel. The kids were great and went to bed fine. It was a great day. Really, very little issues today. Seems to be hit or miss but today was a hit. Casey is happiest when he has our undivided attention – that is really a vacation for him. Avery is happy when there is something interesting to look at or eat, and we parents are happy when they are happy. So we are getting there. I honestly could use another week. Some day we’ll stay for 10 days. That would be awesome. Until tomorrow…

[Diznut]

Day 6
So today we were supposed to get up, go to breakfast, and head to the magic kingdom. We did 2 of those 3 things. When we went to the bus stop for the MK, we noticed a really long line and a note saying extra magic hours today. We made a snap decision to switch today’s plans with tomorrows and since there was no line at the Studio’s stop and a bus waiting for us, we went for it. On our way over to the studios, I was on the phone with the dining desk. I swear, they must know me by now since I’ve called so much to make changes. This is so unlike me to veer off the plan so much, but it is what it is. We had reservations tonight for Chef Mickey. If I could switch them to tomorrow when we planned to be in the MK, that would be good. But no such luck. The only reservation I could get for tomorrow was at the Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch. So we kept our Chef Mickey slot and just planned to head over to the contemporary after the studios. I had heard such great things about this place I really didn’t want to miss out on our opportunity. So anyway, with the dining reservations squared away, we were off to the studios. Moods were okay. Not fantastic, but okay. We arrived at the gates around 9a when the park opened. We planned to head right over to the Toy Story ride. We had heard this ride gets really busy later in the day and that fast pass usually runs out early. It was at the top of our list and the main reason for coming to this park; we didn’t want to miss out. On the way over we passed Daisy. She seems to be the one character we can’t meet. We put the brakes on to get in line to meet her only to find out they were cutting off the line so the characters could take a break. What ever, we’d catch her again; it’s a small park and we were lead to believe she’s be out all day. Off to the ride we continued. The wait was 20 mins already and the park just opened! I couldn’t believe it. But we didn’t mind waiting because the line was really fun. Decorated in all the classic toys and from the movie. We stopped to take pictures along the way and the line moved fast. We rode the ride and it was a lot of fun. One of my favorites so far on the trip. I really enjoyed it! I would have ridden again, but Casey has a no duplicate ride policy that he strictly enforces. After that we passed the little mermaid theater and show time was in 10 minutes. Not bad. We decided to wait. Avery was approaching melt down and Casey was on the verge all day. Casey and I saw the show (which he loved) and Jim and Avery had to duck out since she was losing it. Next up was time to meet some characters. First up were Leo and Annie and then Handy Manny, then Quincy. We tried to meet Daisy again and luck would have it they were cutting off the line. I was annoyed this time and felt bad for Casey. But he seemed to really take it okay. Now it was 1 minute before the Playhouse Disney show and Casey had to make a potty break. When he was done, the doors had already closed. But they were good enough to sneak us in trough the back and we were able to enjoy the show --- it was really good and Casey loved it. By now Avery had fallen asleep and Jim took Casey on Star Tours while I sat with sleeping beauty and made some phone calls. Once they were done with that it was chow time. We agreed on ABC Commissary. That was a mistake I think. I brought my burger back and chose a salad which still wasn’t the greatest. And everyone else seemed okay with their choices. Potty and diaper changes afterwards we headed to the great movie ride. That was fun and the kids did okay on that. We did some walking afterwards and headed towards the Woody and Buzz meet and great. That was a looong line and both kids were really losing steam. The line was sort of fun and it was inside in the AC so I was happy. It was beastly hot this day and was painful to be outside for too long. After we met Casey’s friends, we took the kids to Honey I shrunk the Kids play area. This place made me NUTS. It was hot and crowded and I kept losing Casey! Too many hidden spaces and places I couldn’t go or didn’t want to go. He really enjoyed it though and probably would have spent the whole day in there. I was darn near a panic attack and we left after 20 minutes or so. Everyone was really spent by now. We grabbed some ice cream during which Avery had a fit and we managed to tick off a grandma who was sitting with her sleeping grand child on the same bench we were sitting. Well, he wasn’t asleep by the time we left! And granny was none too happy with us! We had planned to go right to the contemporary since it was 330p and our dining reservations were for 5p. But Casey begged us to go back to the hotel. Both kids were covered in chocolate and desperately needed baths and since he was asking so nicely and clearly needed a break, we agreed. The time off would do us all good. That bus ride was bad. Not only were both kids hot and cranky, but the line to get on the bus was long and in the direct sun. Avery screamed the whole ride which felt like days and by the time we arrived at our stop we just wanted to hit the ground running. Turns out the chill time at the hotel was well needed and I’m glad we did it. Both kids had baths and around 4p we were in route to dinner. Surprisingly that ride went okay. Not wonderful, but okay. We took the monorail to the resort and headed to Chef Mickey’s. I’m really glad we did this. Casey could barely sit in his chair he was so excited to see the characters. They all came to his table throughout the dinner and I had to actually feed him or he wouldn’t have taken the time to do it himself. Avery was so so. She needed a wide variety of food being fed to her quickly or she’d be fussing. Plus she became attached to the water cup with straw and we had to eventually hide it. Dinner was really good too and I think that dinner was by far Casey’s favorite. I enjoyed seeing him so happy. Afterwards we began or monorail and bus journey home. It went pretty well I have to say. We were expecting the worst. Casey forgot his cup on the monorail and I ran back up the ramp like a lunatic to flag down the driver … I even you who’d him! They were gracious enough to open the door for me and I got his cup. When we got home there was no fooling around. P.J.’s, bottles, and teeth brushed – off to bed they went before 8p. Tomorrow is our last day at the park and then we go home Saturday. I think we will have had our fill by then and will be okay going home. Until tomorrow ….

[Diznut]

Day 7
Last day at the parks. Didn’t start out as one of our best days. In fact I was screaming at Casey and grabbing his arm before we even step foot into Magic Kingdom. He through a fit on the bus because he lost his Cars jibbit. He’s going on less sleep then usual and over stimulation, and a packed schedule, and food off his usual diet. Everything pretty much blew up today. It was a really hard day until we left the park. I had words with him more then once. But it started out like all the rest. The kids woke up early, watched some TV, had their oatmeal, and got dressed. We headed to the food court and then caught the bus to MK. ½ way through the ride was the incident I had previously referred to. But once we were inside it couldn’t have been better timing --- Daisy! She was there and come heck or high water Casey was going to meet her. While they waited in line I ducked inside the gift shop and thank the lord they had a cars jibbit. Of course I couldn’t let on that this was a new one. I had to make it seem like he had found the old one. So right before he got out of the stroller, I casually placed the jibbit in the stroller for him to find. Once he did he was trilled and then the meet and greet with Daisy managed to lift the mood; for now. First ride was the cars. He was been so excited to ride them. He was very specific about going on these first and riding with Daddy. So that’s what we did. In line he started to do the pee pee dance and we ducked out while Dad held our place in line to hit the head. We were back in time to board. Little Avery rode shot gun with me and had a very confused look on the whole time. It was quite funny; she’s been such a good sport on this trip. We’ve taken her to the craziest place on earth (not the happiest for us) and uprooted everything she knows and plopped her on crazy ride after crazy ride. All the while she was mostly happy as a clam. She’s an angel. And I don’t mean to give Casey a hard time. I don’t think it’s personal. I think it’s the age. Many other families were dealing with the same thing we were. So I know in a couple years he’ll be different and she’ll be Stella. Anyway, after the cars I wanted to make sure Jim got his Space Mountain ride. So I suggested he run over there while I took the kids to the pooh play area. That worked out great. They both really enjoyed that place and would have stayed for hours. When Jim returned bright eyed, we moved on to the rockets. Neither of us had remembered this ride nor do we think we rode it before. So it was a new experience for everyone. Wasn’t too crazy about this one. First the tight hot elevator with strangers brings you up a level. All I kept thinking was what if this broke down; they must have done millions of trips in this bad boy. It’s bound to bust. We’d be stuck in here for hours, hot, and with small kids! Thankfully we reached the top in only a few moments. We rode our rockets in just enough time to get us a little nauseous and then back down the hot, dark chamber we went. Phew, made it down okay. Avery was lookin’ pretty darn tired by now and we thought we could squeeze in one more ride before lunch. Carousel of progress was right there and show time was in 4 minutes. Perfect timing; plus Casey loves the song from that ride. He loved it and Avery fell asleep in Jim’s arms. It was really cute. She transferred great to the stroller and off to lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern we went. Casey was bottoming out. Again, the sleep/hunger monster was rearing its ugly head. We had a few minutes to kill before our rez, and took that time to purchase our traditional Christmas Disney ornament much to Casey’s resistance. I was seriously losing patience by now with him and if ever there was a desire to hit him, it was now! Of course it took everything in me not to; we don’t believe in that, but I deserve a metal for resistance. He was in tears as we were seated, and Avery was still asleep. Thankfully they let us bring our stroller up to the table so she could continue her snooze. Once lunch was served moods improved a bit. Boy was it freezing in there though. Food was good; really good. I’d eat there again. Jim had the best dessert of the whole trip in my opinion. Some ooey gooey cake. Yum-o! We agreed there really wasn’t much left to do in this park and rather then go back to the hotel and return; we’d just finish it up and be done. Tikki was on the list but the boys spotted the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and did that 2 times in a row while Avery and I chilled out. Note this was an exception to Casey’s non-repeat policy. He would have gone a 3rd time, but Avery was starting to grow impatient and so was I. Tikki and then done. We walked right on; the ride started and then broke down. How fitting for our final Disney world ride! We led Casey to believe that was the end, but you could tell he was a little unsatisfied. To the exit we marched. I took particular note of my surroundings. I always get a little choked up when leaving. Even though we are SO ready to go home and this place isn’t going anywhere, and I know we’ll be back in a couple years, it still gets to me. I took a few last photos on our last stroll down Main Street USA and some video of the family. Our last bus ride back to the hotel (I shed no tears over that) and we were in the room ready for naps. Casey and I slept, but Avery was fresh as a daisy from her previous nap so Jim killed time with her touring the surrounding Music resort. At 430p we got up and were met with a VERY cranky, groggy Casey. Lovely; just what we need. We had a very had time with him up until we finished dinner. We had to show him some tuff love which hurt me to do, but realized it was necessary. He needs to understand his actions affect others and certain behavior is unacceptable. Avery chowed her dinner down and would have kept going. We did hit the pool afterwards and everyone enjoyed this. We swam till about 7p and then put the kids to bed. They were still awake though watching us and talking to us as we packed the suitcases. Casey was particurily cute and sweet. I think he just wants our undivided attention. He doesn’t have a need at this age for theme parks and ride after ride. He is very simple with his needs and likes. I honestly believe his happiest moments this week were the times we spent with our undivided attention; the pool and play areas. Anyway, shortly before 8p, it was lights out though. I headed to the gift shop to pick up some souvenirs for the kids back home and made some calls. Magical Express is picking us up tomorrow at 845a and off to the airport we go. Not looking forward to the trip home, but we’ve got to do it. Hopefully we’ll still have an empty seat for Avery and I won’t be charged again for my bag. Keeping my fingers crossed everything goes well. Until then ….


In conclusion …
So before we fly home and I may or may not make an entry about that, I wanted to comment on the trip as a whole. I would say we had a very good trip, but there were a lot of highs and lows. Disney is a really hard vacation with small children and I couldn’t have expected it to be this hard. Since we consider ourselves Disney pro’s, we were confident this trip would be a breeze. We have 2 laid back kids who enjoy spending time with us and the back drop of the happiest place on earth. This sounds to me like a recipe for success. BUT, what we didn’t anticipate was the effects this place has on your kids. We don’t always see it, or we have the ability to tune it out. But they feel it, and they see it, and it affects them. I sometimes wish Disney would tone it down a bit. I understand they have a product to sell, but it’s over load. Every ride exits into a gift shop, every walk way is channeled with loud music, every wall has a TV going, and there is no place to just unplug from it all. There is just merchandising and advertising, and stimulation coming at you from all directions all the time. It’s a lot on little ones. It changes them I think. I have to say my 4 year old was not the same 4 year old that I know. He’s a great kid and always will be, but he wasn’t himself this trip. We are practically to blame too. Since we are such Disney freaks, we want them to see everything and experience it all. But what we learned is ---- they don’t want to see everything and they don’t want to experience it all. That is our dream, not theirs. At 1 and 4, they don’t know what their missing if we don’t tell them. They don’t have a need or desire to keep a fast pace through the check list of rides we have. They just want one on one quality time with their parents, and a few rides here and there ---oh, and the pool. We’ll have to take this trip as a learning experience and do things differently the next time around. That is one of the main reasons I kept a journal. I don’t want to forget the good or the bad. I do think our kids had a good time and I do think they will look back on this trip fondly if they remember it. But I’ve learned a lot about choices and making the right ones for your kids. I also learned if you truly want to make a Disney vacation enjoyable for your kids, you need to slow down, limit park time, and understand you will not do everything, see everything and ride everything. And despite these truths, it will actually be better in the long run. Disney isn’t going anywhere …. I’ll be taking my grand kids here god willing. It’s certainly not our last trip either. I wish I hadn’t believe doing every ride would make them happiest. That’s simply not true.

[Disneyfun]

Great trip report! I feel your pain as we took a trip with some friends that have children that are about the same age as yours - they definetly do not have the same schedule desires as we do. Live and learn - right?!?

In your final thoughts, you mentioned that you felt a need for quiet spot. MK has a few that I have found - the walkway from the train station in Toontown to Tomorrowland, the area below the old Skyway from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland behind the restrooms, and the shaded area to the left of the walkway from the hub to Liberty Square (just don't get too close to the smoking area that is back there.
EPCOT - the area by the old Odysey restaurant from Futureworld to Mexico, the walkways from JIYI to Canada, the courtyard in Italy, the area outside of the Yakatori House at the top of the hill in Japan just to name a few.
AK and Studios don't have a lot due to their layout. AK has such tight walkways that it is almost impossible to find a quiet spot and results in the park feeling crowded on the least busy days - although Conservation Station can be a bit better than the rest of the park.
Hope that helps for your next trip!

[justice11]

wow i really enjoyes that report, we went last year when my twin grandkids were 3 and we had our ups and downs, they were scared of the rides and everything was so loud. but they loved the pool and blizzard beach. this year we are taking a vacation to st. petersberg after disney to relax. LOL!! thank you.

[Lizzie]

Thanks for the report.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the report! :smickey: