Disney World Day: 4

For our 4th day at Disney World we visited Hollywood Studios.  This is Disney's movie themed park.  The weather today was a lot better than yesterday as the humidity was lower.  There was some smoke blowing in from the east but it eased up after a little while.

The first thing we did was to go have breakfast with the characters.  This dining experience was a lot better than yesterday.  We got right inside without waiting more than 30 seconds.  At no time during breakfast did the restaurant fill up.  This was probably due to the fact that the characters in attendance were B level characters.  However, for us they were A list celebrities.  Walking around were Leo and June from Luke's and Alyce's favorite show Little Einsteins and also Handy Manny and Secret Agent OSO were there.  We scored some major points with Leo and June because Luke was watching an episode of Little Einsteins on our phone when they came over.  Leo even stopped to watch for a few minutes.  During breakfast they played some music over the speakers and Alyce and I got up to dance with them.  It was a good time.

After breakfast we attended the Disney Junior Live on Stage show.  This was a live action show with all of our kid's favorite characters.  The characters were puppets with a few live people on stage.  There were the Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and his tools, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and the cast of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Our kids ate this up. They were riveted the entire show.  The one problem for me was that we all had to sit on the floor and after 20 minutes with a kid in my lap my leg and foot fell asleep.

After the show we crossed the park for the Toy Story Mania ride.  I grabbed Fast Passes earlier while Mom was heading towards breakfast.  It was probably a good thing too.  When the park opened there was a mad dash to this ride and there was even a line for Fast Passes! By the time we reached the ride the Fast Pass times were up to 6:00 that night. The thought occurred to me to try and sell our passes as I bet there were a few not so prepared families out there with more money than sense. I quickly dismissed the thought and we hopped on the ride.  It was a cool ride but needed 3D glasses so Luke didn't get a lot out of it as he wouldn't wear them.  Alyce needed some help aiming her gun at the screen too.

Following that I left the party for a bit to go ride a ride by myself while Mom hung out with the kids at a playground.  When I caught back up with them Alyce and Luke were red in the face from running around but still seemed in good spirits.  Rather than take a break for lunch we got a snack of ice cream sandwiches before we went on to our last ride of the day.  As part of the meal plan we had at the resort we each got a single snack a day.  A snack could be a soda, bottled water, piece of fruit, candy, and most importantly ice cream! It is pretty cool getting $15 in ice cream and not having to pay for it.  We really did pay for it when we booked the trip, but at the time you are surprised to see $0.00 on the receipt.  We had a bottled water and 3 ice cream sandwiches between the 4 of us. As the temperature was increasing they went down very easily.

Our last ride of the day was the Rock n Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.  On our honeymoon this was our favorite ride and now having ridden it again I'd say it is the best ride out of all of the parks.  Like Expedition Everest Mom and I had to take turns with the kids while the other rode.  Mom went first and I had dad duty for the next 20 minutes.  Luke was busy watching Dora and Alyce made a friend by sharing the Road Runner cartoons playing on my phone.  It was really neat seeing the two strangers laugh and giggle in such close proximity.  By time my ride was over Alyce's friend was gone; sadly never to be seen again.

That evening after naps we took a quick trip over to EPCOT.  We knew there wasn't a lot there for kids but we did have a few things we wanted to see.  The first thing on our list was the Leave A Legacy sculptures.  On our honeymoon we bought two squares; one with our picture and one with the date of our marriage. These two squares will be there for a total of 30 years and we are already 9 years into those 30.  It's crazy how time flies.  Once we found the pictures it was pretty amazing seeing ourselves from so long ago.  We were so thin!

Next before the fireworks we took a quick trip over to the Finding Nemo ride.  We thought this would be an easy win as it is a slow paced ride where you get to see lots of fish.  Amazingly even Alyce was afraid of this. She was afraid she'd see the big shark from Finding Nemo and she did.  The sharks didn't do anything aggressive so her panic was unwarranted.  Luke on the other hand kept cheating by looking at the next scene ahead rather than the scene we were on. At least he sat down for the entire ride.

When the fireworks started up both kids flipped out.  Both of them had sat through fireworks displays in the past so their fear this time was surprising.  Alyce got into the stroller and closed the top so she couldn't see the display and Luke dove into my shoulder and whimpered at each explosion.  We took an early leave of the show so we could hit the buses quickly and as we got further away the kids relaxed enough to finish the display. Perhaps they were just too close?

What's That Smell?

On the 4th day as we exited our room there was a smell on the air.  No it wasn't "that" smell Luke hadn't messed his diaper yet.  We'll have more on that later.  No, the smell on the air was the smell of a campfire.  Both Mom and I thought it was kind of strange but didn't dwell on it.

When we got on the bus heading for Disney's Hollywood Studios the bus driver gets on the p.a. and tells us that there is a wildfire 30 miles east of the park and that in the morning the winds come in from the east and that is why we were smelling the smoke.

Disney World Day: 3

Our third day at Disney World took us to the Animal Kingdom. We needed to get there early as we had a reservation for breakfast with the characters at the Tusker House Grill.  To get to the restaurant by 9:30 we had to wake up at 7:30 and be out the door by 8:30. Even though the kids stayed up late the night before they got moving without much prodding.

Our reservation was for 9:25 and we got there in plenty of time. Enough in fact for me to grab a fast pass for the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. I'm not sure why we even had a reservation as it took them another 20-30 minutes for them to get us to our table. That would be ok except the waiting area was outside and the humidity was worse than normal that day. In the few minutes we waiting our kids were already wilting. There was whining, thrashing and generally unhappy behavior. They didn't get a great pre-breakfast as we were expecting to be eating relatively quickly so empty stomachs and a late night were the culprit. How do you get 30 minutes behind schedule when the park has only been open 25 minutes?

Breakfast when we finally sat down to it was very good. It was buffet style so we didn't have to wait for table service. While we were eating Mickey, Daisy, and Pluto stopped by our table for pictures and autographs.  The kids seemed to get a big kick out of this.  Even though the pictures were a little rough due to some bad lighting we managed a few decent shots for the kid's autograph books.  It's no surprise that Goofy was the most animated of the characters.  He was also the character that noticed that Luke was watching the competition on our iPhone; he was watching Nikelodeon's Dora the Explorer.  Oops.

The drink of choice here was what they called Jungle Juice and it was a combination of passion fruit and guava. Luke hasn't even had orange juice let alone something exotic but we gave it a shot and Luke loved the stuff!  Breakfast was pretty good. It was the first great breakfast we had on vacation. Up to this point we ate donuts, cereal, and milk we ordered online and had delivered to our room via the Garden Grocer.  Alyce ate enough to be considered full but I thought Luke didn't eat enough to fill him up. That was kind of an ongoing thing with him all week. He never really chowed down at any meal. Because of that we were feeding him smaller amounts throughout the day.  On that note I grabbed a banana on the way out for a snack later.

After breakfast we hit our two to-do items.  First off was the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. This was big on Alyce's to-do list.  For a while she had been asking to go on a safari.  She saw a blurb about it on one of the promotional DVDs Disney sent us before our trip. The animals were pretty cool and a few of them were quite close. That being said we didn't see anything we couldn't have seen at the local zoo. Riding in the safari bus is what made the ride cool.

After the safari Mom and I rode Expedition Everest the one and only roller coaster in the park.  It wasn't there when we vacationed here last on our honeymoon.  It was pretty cool but not the best coaster we rode on.  Because it was a coaster the kids couldn't ride so Mom and I had to take turns.  First I rode the ride while she was with the kids and next I was to watch the kids while she rode.  However, whenever I got off the ride I couldn't find Mom and the kids.  I looked were I left them, called her phone, left text messages and she couldn't be located.  I even went to our next scheduled stop to see if Mom had to take the kids for some reason.  After 30 minutes of searching we managed to touch base and she finally got to ride. Mom was in a gift shop where the coaster exited and there wasn't any cell signal in there.  We must have missed each other as I exited ride and we didn't have a meeting place specified. There was a lesson to be learned; you can't always trust technology. Nothing beats having a predetermined meeting place if we got lost or separated.

After our little debacle it was approaching noon and the humidity was sucking the life out of us.  We took an early leave of the park with the understanding we'd come back some other day.  We had some dinosaur bones to dig up.

Following a much needed nap we decided to stick around the resort for the rest of the night.  We hung out at the big pool at the resort and had a great time. The big resort pool has a kid area and a big pool. The kid area has water slides, water shooters, and a pirate theme and the adult pool has a small water slide and a few water fountains.  Luke was gung ho about the water slides and would have gone down those the entire time had I not pulled him away from them.  He was to do just about everything himself however there was a big curtain of water separating the steps from the slides that he wouldn't cross without holding my hand.  Alyce on the other had would have nothing to do with the slides.  Just like at our neighborhood pool she want's nothing to do with something that will get her face wet.

After the pool Mom took the kids back to the room while I grabbed a cheese pizza and some dessert.  While eating our pizza on our beds we watched the Disney movie Cars.  Alyce was particularly exited about eating pizza on the bed.  She set out a sheet on her bed, set plates down, sat her animals down, and had a picnic right there.

This was a great night for me.  We didn't have anywhere we needed to go, we were cool, and the kids weren't whining.  It felt like vacation.

Tools of the Trade

A trip of this magnitude is not possible without some help. Two things specifically have made this trip easier or even possible, our iPhone and stroller.

Our iPhones have been useful in countless ways. Using the Undercover Tourist Disney World app that show maps of the parks, ride locations, up to the minute lengths of lines, restaurant menus, and parade times. Beyond that movies and shows for the kids have kept them entertained and away from the path of oncoming busses. Instead of screaming, wiggling, and overtired children on a bus we have quiet contained little ones. Lastly pictures and blogs. Without this device we'd have another piece of gear to manage on our trip. The iPhone takes great pictures and video too. With Internet access at the resort costing $9.99 a day we are forgoing Internet for our computer and instead I'm posting the blogs from my phone. Typing on this small screen is slower and more prone to errors but I'm managing.

The above tool is a convenience but this next tool is a necessity, our stroller. We didn't want to have to check our stroller on the plane plus we wanted one with the ability to seat two. At the recommendation of www.mousesavers.com we rented a stroller from an off site company for $100 for 6 days of use and that price included $25 loss and theft insurance.


For just that bit we got a double wide stroller delivered to our resort, that we can use at the resort, with seats that fold flat, and has three drink cup holders. When we are done we pack it back in it's bag leave it at the front desk and we are done with it.


Whereas if you were rent one from the Disney parks it would run us $31 a day for this hard plastic nightmare that doesn't fold flat and can't be used at the resort.

Even though we have a great stroller the kids sometimes won't use it. Luke especially has a dislike for it when he needs it most. In the morning he is all about the stroller but as the day wears on he uses it less and less. We try to let him walk but if we have a long way to go sometimes we have to buckle him in against his will and go.

Disney World Day: 2

The second day of Disney got off to a slow start as we all slept in until 8:00 or later. Nearly 11 hours of sleep for all of us!


We visited the Magic Kingdom again to hit the spots we missed the day before. we rode the notable rides like the Tea Cups and Dumbo (more on that later) and we tried some new attractions such as Mickey's Philharmonic and the Winnie the Pooh ride.


Those two "new" rides deserve some ire. I guess it's just a Disney thing but what is with all of the peril on their rides and in their movies? There were some legitimately scary scenes in the Philharmonic show that made both a 4 and 2 year old cry. At least warn us it's coming! Next the Winnie the Pooh ride. That's right Winnie... The... Pooh... Was scary. That takes some effort right? On the ride there were a few scenes where it looked and sounded like a tornado was coming through. Then toss on a few scenes where everything was flooding. Mix that together and we have another set of crying kids. The only redeeming quality of those rides were the Fast Passes.

Fast passes are Disney's way of getting people to maximize their time in the park. You can show up early for a ride grab a ticket and come back later. When it's your turn to ride you come back and are placed at the front of the line a godsend for those with kids who can't handle lines on hot days.





Cue the Dumbo ride. The one ride Alyce wanted more than any other was the Dumbo ride. It's a pretty short ride. You get in, you go in circles, you go up, you go down, and you're done. The problem is that the ride holds at best 20 people a shot and there is no Fast Pass for one of the most popular rides in the park. Mom and I steeled ourselves for the suffering that was to come from the 45 minute line, in the sun, and on a 95 degree day. Things go well for the first half but the second half is when the wheels fell off the bus. Any rational thought Luke had went out the window. He'd start running into other people, laying down on the ground, and pretty much ignored or did the opposite of what we'd ask of him. By the time we got on Dumbo we were done and so were the kids.

Speaking of lunch Mom and I were kind of surprised. With the kid's meals they came by default with grapes and carrot sticks instead of fries. Even more surprising? The kids ate them and left our fries alone! They did however eat our dessert.

To finish up on Dumbo I have to give Alyce a gold star. She handled herself very well in line and enjoyed the ride. Only when she's past tired, extra hot, or super hungry does she step out of line. You can't ask for much better.

Looking back on it I don't blame Luke for flipping out. It was just too hot for too long for a two year old. If the weather were nicer or he was older we would have had a different result. Sorry little guy.


Following the Magic Kingdom and a nap we went out to dinner at Downtown Disney. At the recommendation of the Disney Reservation person I talked to on the phone we tried the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. I'd say his recommendation was right on. We had front row seats to live music and Irish dancing. The music was a bit loud but they were on break for most of our meal and the dancing kept the kids entertained. Mom had a chicken salad for dinner and I had a seafood chowder. Seriously, when did we get so old? In hindsight I should have stayed away from the seafood as I'd never eaten half of the stuff in it. Who knows if I would have been allergic to some unknown shellfish.


Following dinner we stayed out waaayy too late shopping. I got a cool Lego set, Luke got two Mickey Mouse dolls, Alyce got a Cinderella doll and pink Minnie Mouse ears, and Mom got a set of Minnie Mouse ears.

By the time we got the kids to bed that night it was pushing 11:30. They passed out from exhaustion but we knew we were going to pay for it the next day. Cue the ominous music.

Disney World Day: 1

After the bus ride from the airport we got into our room to find it was missing the pack n play we requested. Our plan was for Luke to take a nap before we ventured out but without a proper bed there was a slim chance for that to happen. So we forged on into the abyss and hopped on the bus to the Magic Kingdom with a boy that was up since 4:00 a.m.


Whether it was luck or magic we saw Princess Cinderella, Mickey, and the gang first thing. Right in front of the Enchanted Castle a show was just starting titled "Dreams Do Come True". It had dancing and signing and everything a little girl in love with princess could want.

Following the show we headed behind the castle for some rides. Our first ride and the one with the shortest line was It's a Small World. Showing my exhaustion I just about fell asleep on the ride. Those little happy singing dancing kids are hypnotic.





Following that we took a few trips on Prince Charming's Carousel. This is when Luke finally broke down. Just getting him off the horse would evoke screams. Part of you would get frustrated with him and the other would feel sorry for the guy.


We called it a day and on the bus back Luke fell asleep on Mom. After the bus ride he slept through dinner in our stroller. This was a welcome relief because we didn't really have a clue on how we were going to feed ourselves. By him sleeping through Mom and I had an enjoyable quiet dinner.

Showing how old we are getting. Mom and I ate roast turkey, potatoes, and broccoli instead of burgers and fries for dinner.

After dinner we headed back to the room to call it an early night. However our pack n play was still not yet delivered! One angry call and 20 minutes later we were in business and asleep by 9:30.

Airplane

Even though we are still up in the air as I write this the trip has been going ok so far. The trip though airport security was stressful. We were two people trying to get 4 pairs of shoes, carry ons, and a car seat through security. If we bad been there when they were busy I'm guessing we would have had our fair share of eye rolls.


Moving through the airport was easy enough. A coworker let us borrow a rolling car seat that we used to strap Luke into. Moving through the airport was easy getting the car seat on the plane no so much. The seat fit and we got it buckled in. However it put him too far forward so much that he could push on the seat in front of him. Mom was sitting with Luke and was a miracle worker at keeping him happy and not kicking.





Alyce has been a gem the whole time. At six in the morning she's skipping through the airport. Disney World can do that. Sitting on the plane she looked out the window quite a bit and eventually started watching some shows on my phone. Before we even got off the ground we did have a funny moment. She pulled out the emergency pamphlet and started to look it over. She looked so grown up.


Our flight to Orlando had a layover in Atlanta. Our plane landed on time but took a while getting to the gate.

A Rough Start

Today we left for our vacation to Disney World! Every trip starts with a first step and ours began at home.

To get to Disney World we are flying. Better 3 hours in the air than 16 by car. We wanted the kids to be on their best behavior so we got an early flight. By early I mean the plane took off before 7:00. To get ready for all of this Grams spent the night so she could take us to the airport in the morning. We were planning on waking the kids around 4:30 - 4:45. Every good, right? Wrong!

During the night a huge storm blew through. Mom and I were up getting ready while the tail end was overhead. Right as Mom was sitting down to put on her makeup the power goes out. From that moment to when we left we had to use flashlights and iPhones to move around the house. Alyce and Luke both had flashlights in the dark and they were having a blast with them. Mom finished packing, Grams got the kids ready, and I packed up the van. Surprisingly we were only 20 minutes late leaving the house.

We had planned a lot of extra time to get on the plane and we needed it. Our experience at the airport was orderly but we didn't have but five minutes to spare.

Geo Trax, Fight!

There is a downside to having a really cool toy; everyone wants to play with it.  That cool toy in our house is our Geo Trax train set and it has become a source of confrontation between our children. Geo Trax first showed on the scene a bit ago and since then there has been some ebb and flow with their interest in it.  If we have them hidden they don't notice they're gone and they don't play with them much.

When we have them out and I build a track then it becomes a free for all.  One child could be playing along nicely and then the other comes in and wants to run a train themselves.  The problem is that a lot of times the trains share the same track and sometimes the same space (read crashes into each other).  When they block each other out either intentional or by accident is where the problems start.  Mom and I understand there will be conflicts but when Alyce and Luke get into it they get loud.  The usual example is Luke knocking Alyce's train off the track as he crawls around.  Alyce then yells "Luke, you are always messing up my stuff!".  Luke responds with a long high pitched scream you could hear a block away.  If they both want the same train, track piece, or anything it only gets worse.  They will both be pulling on it screaming at the top of their lungs.

The whole thing is maddening.  The best way I've found to combat their combat is to create two tracks and make them play by themselves.  Of course if the tracks aren't identical there there is still some room for jealousy.

Oh kids why are you so kid like?

Hair & Makeup

For Alyce's recital she needed to have her hair and makeup done. Leading up to the rehearsal Mom wanted to do a trial run. Mom picked up some curlers from the store and set to work.

The first attempt at Alyce's hair didn't go so well. The finished product seemed ok but Alyce wasn't too happy with the steps needed to get there. The day before the rehearsal Mom tried again and Alyce was a much happier participant. She even went to bed to bed with her hair up.





The day of the rehearsal Mom applied Alyce's makeup. Alyce was very into this and did a good job sitting on the stool as Mom went to work. Alyce was very pleased with the final result. It was cute seeing her all gussied up but I'll take my little girl any day.