Epcot

Since we managed to do Disney World in just one (very full) day, we had to decide what other park we wanted to do. After a bit of discussion we decided on Epcot. We didn't figure this would take an entire day, which was perfect since Uncle A would have to leave early to catch his bus back home.

All happy even after visiting all of the "countries" and riding every ride they were tall enough for.

Many of the rides and attractions were dark so we don't have a lot of great photos. This one is classic though.

So after a great day at Epcot, we drove Uncle A to the bus station. Only the bus wasn't there. Turns out the bus had issues and wouldn't be coming for many hours. This would mean Uncle A wouldn't get home in time for work the next day. While we were trying to figure out how to solve this problem, the kids needed a place to play. The car has car seats and no room. The parking lot has cars driving around (the grass was behind a fence) and we were right by a street. So, we let them play in the trunk. I stood right next to them the entire time and the trunk was open. The kids LOVE playing in the trunk and still ask almost weekly if they can play in the trunk of one of our cars. Strangers often give us looks, but it's really not as bad as it sounds. Eventually, Uncle A found a car he could rent and drive back home.

Disney aracter Meet and Greet

When we spent our long day at Disney World we didn't do any of the character meet and greets. They had long lines and our kids don't really know the characters since we don't watch much tv. I did read Disney books before we went so they knew a few of the major ones though. When we went to Epcot we got there early - we actually waited outside the gate for a bit until it opened. As we were standing there we noticed there was a "Mickey and Friends" meet and greet in Epcot. We decided to head straight there just to see how long the line was. When we saw the lack of a line (I think 5-6 families were in front of us), we decided to go ahead and do it. This was one of the best decisions we made on the trip.

As soon as they saw Mickey they held out their arms and went to him. AWWWW

Then they hugged.

It was a long hug, captured from multiple angles.

Eventually we did get a picture. They look just a bit excited, don't you think?

Mickey's first friend was Minnie. She was a bit quieter and more reserved and the kids are still excited.

Then we saw Goofy. He bent down and opened his arms, so of course the kids ran into them.

We all made it into the picture with Goofy. The hard part was getting the kids to leave.

Wordless Wednesday

Disney World - 3/3

Remember the idea of doing Disney World in 2 days so we weren't rushed and could do everything? In the middle of the afternoon we stopped for lunch and mapped out our plan. The kids weren't tired at all and we realized that at that pace we could do everything in one day. That assumes the kids could make it the rest of the day though - though the fireworks. That seemed like a lot for 4 year olds. Never underestimate kids.

Sweet Daughter had been talking about going to Disney for weeks. Her teacher specifically told her to hug Goofy so when Goofy came close in the parade, she jumped up and gave him a big hug. He was so kind and stopped and gave her a hug and him a high five. She talked about it for weeks. Unfortunately we were a bit slow with the camera and being so close to them couldn't get a great photo.

Riding in a rocket

She is with Uncle A again.

Remember when the kids get to be a bit too much, you can always find somewhere to contain them. haha

Sitting and waiting for the Electric Light Parade - notice our glowing bracelets and necklaces from home.

So, what was the final verdict? Did we make it? We did every thing except the People Mover. We did the play grounds, the parades, the shows, and all but 1 ride they were tall enough for. We also saw the fireworks before leaving the park. From a few minutes after opening to after fireworks, we only had one meal in the middle of the day and snacked the rest. The kids walked the entire time only asking to be held after the fireworks. It was amazing and exciting and while I still wouldn't plan to do it all in one day, it did end up working for us.

Disney World - 2/3

Continuing our day at Disney World we got to the one ride I used to beg my parents to take me on over and over and over again. It's so popular they now have two of them built side by side. They have also come up with an extremely unique way to make you forget the long wait.

This is the waiting room for the Dumbo ride. That's right, you wait in line and then they give you a pager and let the kids go wild in a giant playground inside a circus tent. The kids run and climb while the parents sit and rest. Though to be fair, most of the seats were taken and trying to keep a general idea of where the kids were in this mess required some walking around. However, the 30 minute wait was over too quickly as the kids complained when it was time to move on to the ride. That's some impressive crowd management.

The boys in their Dumbo.

The girls in our Dumbo. (It's really nice to have an extra adult to take photos.)

Race cars! The kids were excited and I eagerly agreed to sit this one out.

Sweet Son and Wonderful Husband in the red car.

Uncle A and Sweet Daughter in the yellow car. They are both convinced they won the race.

Come back tomorrow for the last in the Disney World series of posts.

Disney World - 1/3 post

So I had a Disney World plan. I didn't want to feel rushed or miss anything. I knew it would take us 2 days to do and see everything at DW. We wanted to see 2 parades and ride everything they were tall enough for - which is almost everything. We had a backpack with snacks and no stroller. The kids literally walked everywhere, only being held for photos.

We got there just shortly after it opened. This was the first walk into DW. The kids have no idea what they are in for at this point.

A magic carpet ride is fun. A bit dizzying for Wonderful Husband, but you can't resist kids asking politely to go on a ride. No whining here. :)

Many of the lines had activities for the kids as you wait. Watermelon drums are right up her alley. 

Doesn't he look like a naughty bunny hiding out in a "cabege" box? He can really get into character. There were times the kids were upset the line was moving quickly because they wanted more time to play.

The Little Mermaid ride was fun for everyone - even kids who don't know who the Little Mermaid is.

This was early in the day, but when she decided Uncle A was her best friend. She would always ask to ride with him.

More Resort Fun

The resort wasn't just multiple fun pools. It had peddle boats (closed when we were there because of the cold and high winds), multi-passenger bike rentals, fishing, a sand beach, and art activities. The bike rentals and art activities cost extra so we didn't do those. We did a few other activities though.

A playground was perfect and never crowded. On our resort days we would often start here right after breakfast. It was way too chilly to start at the pool and it gave Uncle A a chance to sleep in a bit more before having to get up. He's not used to spending so much time around energetic 4 year olds.

Mini golf was a favorite activity. We did wish we had brought more long sleeve and warmer clothes, but we made do. They both enjoyed being told to hit something. One of them also loved the competitive aspect (the other didn't care one way or another).

The biggest challenge was the wind. Sometimes the ball would stop then a wind gust would come up and move the ball - always away from the hole. It was a cute course and anything active is perfect for our family.

One day we got back from the playground and Uncle A was still sleeping so we did something we had never done before (or since). We all laid in bed and watched cartoons. Kids who don't watch much tv get very excited about this concept - for about 15 minutes. Then they wanted to get up and do something.

Wordless Wednesday

Resort Pools

On our down days between parks we explored the resort our condo was at. Remember the photo of the heated pool out our balcony window? That was the heated pool. None of the other (fun) pools were heated. That means you are about to see a lot of photos of Wonderful Husband and Uncle A shivering as they play tirelessly with the kids in the cold water.

If you don't want to jump into the cold water, how about entering by the small slide? It worked. After this she was hooked and didn't want to do anything other than go down slides over and over.

He tried the same trick and while he wasn't as excited about the slides, he wanted to stay in the water and keep playing.

Here she is coming out of a march faster slide.

See the black twisty slide? Uncle A walked her to the top and she went down fearlessly. Wonderful Husband was at the bottom to catch her. Nothing like a fast, dark, water slide for our dare devil 4 year old.

This was the little kids pool. It wasn't heated, but since it was only a few inches deep it wasn't as cold. However, there was no slide.

A picture of the 5 of us in the heated pool. Yes, I managed to get out of having to go in the cold pools and still get credit for swimming with the family.

Orlando Florida Trip

The first thing to decide when planning a trip to Orlando is where to stay. We knew we would be doing 2 days at Disney parks, but we also wanted to do Legoland and Islands of Adventure. We also knew our kids would need some "down days" when we weren't doing theme parks or they would melt down.

After much consideration, we decided to rent an off property condo. It had 2 bedrooms plus a fold out couch. This was perfect. We took the master bedroom, the kids took the room with two twin beds, and for a few days Uncle A joined us and stayed on the couch.

The resort had many activities which I will be covering in other posts. This post is just about the condo itself. The kitchen was perfect! We bought basic breakfast supplies and always ate in the condo. We also stocked up on snacks that we carried into the parks. We literally filled a backpack every day with a variety of single serving snacks - dried fruit, high protein granola bars, chips, chex mix, popcorn, dried veggies, etc. We didn't forget to bring water in bottles that we refilled as needed. Every night we repacked the bag for the next day and this ended up saving us a ton of money and time. Every time we were in a line we would let everyone pick a snack bag.  Since most of our snacks were healthy the kids were getting all of their nutrition from snacking. This also meant when everyone else stopped for lunch, we stayed on the rides. We would sit down for a meal in the middle of the afternoon when it wasn't crowded. Not only did only having to sit down for a meal once a day save us money, it saved us a lot of time by not eating at the busy times.

The kids discover their own room. It's what we call a fancy room with beds (including bed frames), a dresser, a night stand, a lamp, etc. This was exciting in and of itself.

They were insistent those were supposed to be used as drums. I mean what would decorative pillows really be for? 

The view off our balcony. This was only one of the resort pools. It was heated which we were grateful for as it was a bit chilly in the other pool.

Another money saving tip - we brought souvenirs from home. These stuffed toys were from Grandma before we even left, but the kids found them on their beds the first night. They also got small plastic characters that they played with on the plane. The other item we brought were glowing necklaces and bracelets. When waiting for the electric light parade, people come by trying to sell so many great light up things. I brought out the pack I had bought at home and the kids had their pick of many (we also wore some). I spent less than $5 for the entire family and they were happy.