And the luck didn’t run out, as we began our Disney adventure. Of course any family of 5 deciding to spend 5 days touring the various lands of Disney World is going to have their share of tears, and frustrations. But we along with what seemed like a million other families, we were doing the best we could and having a fun time doing it. Robbie did not run away and get lost which was my main goal. Charlotte did not beg for every princess doll she saw, which was bonus. And Mae pretty much took in the sites and sounds of Disney, falling asleep when she felt the need. The house we stayed at was huge, well equipped and close to Disney so we could nip home for supper or a nap, and it had a pool Yippee! There was just one problem with the trip… we didn’t have enough time. We tried to strike a balance between time in the pool and time at Disney.
Here is a quick synopsis of our days at Disney.
Day 1: Monday and apparently the busiest day in Magic Kingdom. Yikes! At first we were so lost and confused, there were so many people zigging and sagging everywhere. I didn’t know what we were doing. We slowly got our feet under us and got the swing of things. We came home early afternoon for a swim, nap and lunch. And headed back for the evening parade and fireworks AMAZING. After the fireworks everyone was leaving. Since Mike and I both hate crowds we stepped off Main Street and found out that there was no need for the mass exodus. The park was open for another 2 hours. Since the kids were rested and fed we ripped around the park going on rides and not ever having to wait in line.
Charlotte’s highlight was meeting Rapuzel. She waited over an hour in the Florida sunshine and didn’t complain once. Robbie’s highlight was going on Buzzlightyears Lazer Shoot!
Day 2: Tuesday we stayed home in the morning and swam. We headed to Disney in the afternoon, at 4pm Charlotte had a dinner date with Cinderella. We certainly had a much easier time getting around the Magic Kingdom this day and took in more shows, more rides and met Mickey Mouse.
Wednesday: This was a bad day. The kids were tired, and we decided to go to Hollywood Studios. I was once again confused as what to do first and we ended up wasting some time, missed the Toy Story show. We got the muppet show and the kids did enjoy playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Even Mae could get out here and run like crazy. We took in a car stunt show thinking Robbie would be interested in all the cars. Well we were mistaken, however in our defense Robbie wasn’t interested in much on Wednesday. It turns out now that we are home, Robbie did enjoy the car show as he re-enacts it daily. We also took a 'spaceship', pilotted by none other than C3PO, into space. It was the kids first introduction to StarWars and I see a fan (Robbie) in the near future. I think he would have given his left arm to get one of the Stormtroupers guns. The last thing we did was see the Little Mermaid Stage Production, I don't think we would have gotten our of Hollywood Studios without a fight if we didn't stop for the show. She of course loved it.
Thursday after a good nights sleep to recharge and a quick swim in the morning we went shopping for about 2 hours. We aren’t big shoppers but got a few things. We then headed back to the Magic Kingdom. Our plan was to rip around Magic Kingdom while everyone else was busy lining up and watching the parade. Worked like a charm, since everyone was watching the parade, we got to go on nearly any ride we wanted without having to wait in line. Each kid got to pick their favorite ride. Charlotte picked the Teacups, Robbie picked Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and without even having to ask we knew Mae loved the Carousel the best. We planned to end day in Magic Kingdom with the fireworks, because those are worth watching over and over. After the awe of the fireworks we were making our way to the exit. Charlotte and I were talking about all the wonderful things we saw and did. The one thing she wished was that she could have seen Tinkerbelle. At the Fairy Hut you never know which Fairy you’ll see, when we went we saw Terrence. A perfectly good Fairy… but not Tinkerbelle. Looking at my watch I was doubtful we would be able to get all the way to the Fairy Hut from where we were. But we decided to try. Mike waited with Robbie and Mae as Charlotte and I took off running. We ran and ran and got to the Fairy Hut just as they were shutting the doors. I shouted to wait and explained that this was our last day in Magic Kingdom. The man was so nice, he snuck us in. We couldn’t see which Fairy was there, as they try to keep it a surpise. But I caught a glimpse of green and knew it was Tinkerbelle! I guess wishes do come true. That moment when I saw Charlotte’s eyes land on Tinkerbelle and her smile break from ear to ear made the trip all worth it.
Our final day in Disney was spent in the Animal Kingdom. We made a big mistake as it was Veterans Day in the USA and everyone was off work, which meant Disney was a busy place to be. It was unfortuante as manouvering around was difficult and waits for rides were long, so we didn't stay much past 2pm. But still we managed to see some fantastic stage productions, 3-D movies and even took the kids on a white water raft. The ride was fun and it is totally random which seat in the raft gets a waterfall dumped on them. Well I was the lucky victim and got completely drenched, the kids just laughed at me. Luckly it was warm and I dried quickly.
That was the end of our Disney adventure, but not our trip. From there we ventured to Tampa and spent 3 days in a condo on the Gulf of Mexico. Beautiful is the only was to describe the place we were. The beaches, the sun, the water, the pool... it was so wonderful. The perfect end to a hectic week. We lounged and spent 99% of our free time in the pool. The kids were excellent and I think enjoyed the pool as much as Disney and I know for a fact they were better behaved in Tampa. We had an excellent time.
So as you can imagine I have 1000+ photo's I've posted some here, but if you want to see more I've put about 200 on facebook. I don't think blogger would be able to handle that many photos.
Robbie driving his first race car.
A perfect photo of the fireworks
Robbie on a tow truck
