"Don't cry over spilled milk" Sept 2009-1st family trip w/ a 4 and 2 year old

[mommyof2Pirates]

to my first ever Trip Report. For all the newcomers you may view my pre-trip report by clicking the link below:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2245374&page=16
To skip over the lengthy planning and get right to the nitty gritty here is a quick over view of the cast of our dream vacation.

There is me....
Lindsay (30) hard working, fun loving, disney fanatic, and best wife and mother in the world. (That comes straight from my dh's mouth on our disney vacation) All my planning and obsessions really paid off and made our vacation run so smooth even with a Pre-ker and a Toddler.

Next up is my DH.....
Mike (31) who wanted to relax on this vacation. He did not make one decision about our trip. When asked he would reply with "whatever you think". Surprisingly he came around on this trip and really carried his weight. He had a wonderful time and thanked me immensly for all the hard work I put into our trip......This has now given him the title of "Best husband and father in the world". Ive always thought that about him but in the weeks leading up to our vacation, I could have given him some other titles that werent as nice.

Now onto the main characters of our trip....
Ryan (4) will be five in a few weeks. This trip was mainly designed with him in mind. He loves everything disney. Currently his favorites are star wars, phineus and ferb, and power rangers. He also loves the playhouse disney shows too. He loved this vacation and is already talking about going back with his memaw and pop pop.

Nick (2 1/2). Although we werent sure how nick would be on this trip we knew he would just go along with the flow. He has such an easy going personality. We were surprised how much he really loved this trip and how much he really understood about it. He had a blast and was amazingly well behaved too.

My husband and I Disneymooned in Oct. 2003 and stayed at the AKL. We said then that our dream would be to come back one day when we have 2 children and let them experience the happiest place on earth......

So thats what we did!

9/20 - 9/26 at All Star Sports on the deluxe dining plan.

So grab your snacks and drinks of choice and enjoy our journey as we saw it through the eyes of our children!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

All morning I was preparing for our trip. Cleaning, packing, dh was mowing the grass. We had put on the last sticker on our count down chart. The kids were all psyched to go. The mail man arrived for our last delivery before vacation and what did he bring.................

Mickey Mail for both of the boys!
The boys were so excited that Mickey sent them special postcards saying he cant wait to see them real soon! (Thank you so much again Jana for the wonderfully planned out surprise)

Here is a picture of them in front of our countdown calendar holding their cards.

Well we were all packed and ready to go by 1:15 pm. Off to the renissance hotel in philadelphia. Here are the boys anxiously pulling their luggage to the car.

We were expecting a 90 minute drive and had planned to stop at Walmart along the way for a pack of boxer shorts for mike. He thought he would have enough but waited until the last minute to check out how many pairs he really had. Well it was a good thing we were planning on stopping because 10 minutes into the drive I realized I had forgotten my sunglasses. Yeah and I thought I had it all together. oops!

The GPS was taking us a different route that we had in mind and it turned out we would not be passing a walmart or anything similar along the way. We thought not a big deal we would just find a place in philly near the airport when we go out to get dinner.

The ride was good and the kids were excited. They only slept a for a few minutes on the way which was fine with us because we wanted them to go to bed early anyway. Here they are with their special mickey's in hand.

We arrived at the hotel at 2:30pm. Earlier than check in but it wasnt a problem. We got our room on the 7th floor. The lady who helped us out was very nice but took a phone call while getting our information together. We no longer seemed to be her priority. She gave us our keys and told us the elevators were to the right. No other info about the shuttle to the airport or where to park your car or anything. Before getting on the phone she was nice enough to give us directions to a kmart. Real easy she said. Go out of the parking lot and make a left then turn left on Island Ave. We thought that sounded easy enough to remember. We headed up to check out our room.

Room 713 overlooking the indoor pool. How cool! So we thought...........
We got our swim suits on and took the kids to the pool for awhile. 1st accident of the trip. Ryan gets out of the pool and tries to run over to the other side to jump in and slips and falls directly on his back. I thought oh no here it comes a broken arm for disney. Luck was on our side and he was fine and swimming again in minutes. 1st disaster averted.

After swimming we got changed and headed out for dinner. Ryan kept asking if someone was going to steal the hotel. Meaning our room. He was so worried about our stuff. He didnt quite understand that it was locked and ok to leave our things there. He must of said that 20 times. "No one is going to steal our hotel right?"

We thought we would go to the kmart first. We went out of the parking lot but you could only make a right or go straight and make a left. So we did and we drove...and drove.....and drove.....no Island Ave.
So we turned around and went the other way and that drove us straight into the airport. Easy directions huh! I said I have an idea why dont we turn on the GPS. Duh! We did and it got us to a kmart on Island Ave. No where near the directions that were given to us. There was a McDonalds there as well. So we decided to eat first.

It was crowded and only 1 person was working the register. I waited in line for 20 minutes. Everyone was either complaining about the food or getting the wrong items. I just started giggling thinking I hope this is not a sign of how our vacation will be. I finally did get our food and we ate it quickly.

We then headed over to the kmart which was a little scarry. It was a mess inside but all we needed was boxers and sunglasses. It served its purpose. As we are driving away Mike asks me if I packed his belt. I said "NO you didnt tell me you needed a belt" He gets all mad saying there is no way he can wear the shorts he bought without a belt. I told him to turn around and I would go in and get him a belt. He didnt feel like doing that so he just keeps driving. Now at this point I am absolutely irritated with him. I said what are you going to do and he said he would just buy one in disney. Yeah cause there is so many belt choices in disney right? I finally got him to agree that we needed to get a belt tonight and not wait.

We already made it back to the hotel by this time so I searched in the GPS and found another shopping center. After many turns and traffic stops later we come across a strip mall with no store that would sell a belt. There was a dollar general and I nicely offered to check it out just in case and I got the dirtest look ever. I was just trying to see the comedy in this situation. We then searched again and followed directions to the Macdade Mall. I prayed that there would be a kmart or something in there. The kids were getting ansy and I could tell my husband had been pushed to the limits. We followed the GPS through many turns and stop signs and what does it do.....Bring us to the back side of the mall with no street leading into it. At this point I can see my husband fuming out of his ears and all I could do was laugh which just made it worse. It was easy enough to get around to the front and low and behold there was a much nicer kmart. I ran in and purchased a nice belt for 12.99. Mission Completed.

We headed back to the hotel. I checked back in with the front desk at the hotel about the shuttle. It ran every 20 minutes. The guy recommended us take the 5:40am shuttle...our flight leaves at 7? He said we would have plenty of time. I decided to still go with my instinct and we planned to take the 5am shuttle. I also asked what to do when we return. He gave me a number to call when we get our bags and that they will have a driver come pick us up. Well its a good thing I asked. Then my husband said "where should I park my car" They said "just put your parking pass on the mirror and park in the long term parking lot". What pass....we didnt get a pass.....Good thing we asked cause otherwise our car probably would have gotten towed.

After that we gave the kids a bath. And had them in bed by 7:45pm. Ryan kept saying how much he loved the hotel and we said oh just wait until you see the hotel tomorrow. They both slept well. Mike and I did not. We heard people yelling and screaming in the pool until 10:30pm. Yeah that nice view wasnt so nice anymore. Then at 1:00am the people next to us were laughing and talking loud for like what seemed to be an eternity.

The wake up call came at 4am. I got showered and dressed then mike did the same. At 4:30am we woke up the kids. Here is ryan.

now realizing what we are saying. He yells to his brother to hurry and wake up cause its time for disney world.

Here is nicks reaction

I never saw ryan get dressed so fast. We were soon out the door and loaded onto the shuttle.

We arrived at the airtran check in at 515am. They did not have curb side check in so we had to wait in line even though we checked in online. We were checking in one bag. We waited for 50 minutes in that line. The kids were getting whiny and miserable. Not the way I planned on starting the trip. We talked with people around us, got lots of compliments on our Eagles Mickey shirts, and prayed that our suitcase would pass the normal size of 61 inches or under rule. It did by 1/2 inch. No extra fees We finally were on our way to security. This always makes me so nervous. We went through with no troubles. There was no one waiting and it only took seconds to go through. By this point I was a nervous wreck. I hate flying and all things involved with it. It wasnt long before we boarded the plane. Its a good thing I went with my instincts and took the 5am shuttle huh? While waiting the kids were growing more and more miserable. Not a good sign. Nick ended up having a crying fit right before we boarded. The first of many. The good news was our 2 carry ons for mike and I turned out to be too big. They recently just changed the size limit and they said it was no problem they checked it in with no extra charge. Now we had 2 bags less to carry. Great!

We made our way to our seats and settled in..........

Up next................. Plane Ride and Arriving in Disney

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Joining in!
Your sons are too cute!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hey chickie!!! Great start!!! I was literally laughing out loud about your journey around Philly and the suburbs! I should have PM'ed you my number in case you needed anything! The MacDade Mall is 2 minutes from my house, and yes, the KMart on Island Ave. is a scary, scary place. My doctors office is in that area. I try to avoid it at all costs!

Can't wait to read more! I too was alittle annoyed that they did not have curbside check in when we left! I wonder if it has something to do with all the construction that is going on in the terminal?

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Joining in!
Your sons are too cute!

Thank you and thanks for joining along.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

We boarded the plane and got into our seats. Ryan got the window. Nick was in the middle, and I was on the aisle seat. Mike sat in the aisle seat directly across from me. This worked out great. The kids were very excited. The airplane started to drive to the runway and nicholas started going "pat..pat..pat...pat..." Then Ryan put his arms in the air and said "BLAST OFF". Too funny. That got a few laughs from the very nice people sitting around us. I think we had a full plane of eagles fans. All of which by the way commented on our awesome t-shirts. I should have brought a pile of them with and I bet I could have made some extra disney money!

Here are the boys getting ready for take off:

While on the plane they were very well behaved. They played with their action figures and colored for awhile.

Ryan fell asleep for a short while. Unfortunately Nick did not.

Then we landed after a very smooth flight. I told the kids we were finally in disney world Here was there reaction.

Nick kept asking "where disney world". All that he could see was an airport so he was a little confused.

It was very easy and everyone moved quickly to get off the plane. We made a quick bathroom stop. The kids both insisted on pulling there own suitcases so we moved slower than I would have liked to the ME area. This is when I realized this trip would be a little different pace this time around.

We finally made it to the ME check in. There were alot of people there but the line went fast. While checking in this gentleman asked where I got my shirt. I told him I made it and he asked if I sell them. I am telling you I could have made a fortune! I told them I got the design off the disboards. I told him If he wanted to give me his email address I would email him the design and told him what he had to do to make the shirt. He shortly came running after me with his email address. Mike thought this was hysterical and said I should start a website. I told him there already is one! disboards.com. Anyway there was a long line to wait for the bus but it only took about 10 minutes and a mears bus pulled up. We got on and were on our way. 1st stop All Star Sports.

Mike and Ryan on the ME bus:

Me and Nick on the ME bus: (at this point nick decided he no longer wanted to pose for pictures)

The boys loved the video. Nick stood up when he saw the characters and started yelling HI to them. It was really cute and I knew he was going to love this trip. Pretty soon we saw this sign!

I again announced to the kids we are in disney world! Nicks reply was "where". "where disney world". Poor kid just didnt get it.

We arrived to ASSports around 10:30am. Only an hour after landing. Awesome! The lobby was very crowded. We got in the online check in line. I am so glad we did this because there was a long line for regular check in. In minutes we were being helped. We got our folder. We got the 1st visit buttons. Our room was ready!!!!!!! but did we get the room/building we wanted?.......................................................................................



Why sure we did! We got the surf's up building. 3rd floor. Facing away from the pool so it is nice and quiet. PERFECT! Room 6346. Here is a picture of the building we were in.

Our room was perfect. Nice and clean. Close to the elevators and the pool/food court/bus area. We could not ask for anything better from a value resort. Here are some room pics.

This is what was there when we arrived. I was the only one excited by this!

Here is a picture of the room and ryan destroying the mickey head towel arrangement.

Our tv and table for the week.

UP NEXT: DAY ONE- LUNCH AT FOOD COURT- MAGIC KINGDOM- DINNER AT THE PLAZA!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Hey chickie!!! Great start!!! I was literally laughing out loud about your journey around Philly and the suburbs! I should have PM'ed you my number in case you needed anything! The MacDade Mall is 2 minutes from my house, and yes, the KMart on Island Ave. is a scary, scary place. My doctors office is in that area. I try to avoid it at all costs!

Can't wait to read more! I too was alittle annoyed that they did not have curbside check in when we left! I wonder if it has something to do with all the construction that is going on in the terminal?

I even said to mike that I should have asked you for your cell #. The area around the macdade mall is very nice. I was assuming thats where you lived. I was glad to have made it out of the kmart in one piece. I am used to some crazy places where we live too so it didnt bother me that much, but when your in a place you dont know its a little nerve racking. Thanks for joining in! I am off from work still today so I am trying to post a bunch now. Once I start back to work tomorrow reality will take over again.

 

[crocko]

Hey there! I had been following your PTR and am now looking forward to following your Trip Report. We were there the same time so will be interesting to see how everything went that week for your family.

 

[jana616]

I'm here and LOVING it so far! I'm so glad those cards got there when they did, and that they liked them. We still have the ones our fairy godmailer sent us on our fridge. I'm loving all of your pictures, esp. of the boys. You can see the excitement on their faces! I can't wait to read more!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

I even said to mike that I should have asked you for your cell #. The area around the macdade mall is very nice. I was assuming thats where you lived. I was glad to have made it out of the kmart in one piece. I am used to some crazy places where we live too so it didnt bother me that much, but when your in a place you dont know its a little nerve racking. Thanks for joining in! I am off from work still today so I am trying to post a bunch now. Once I start back to work tomorrow reality will take over again.

Loving the update!!! That's too funny, that you were right around the corner from me!!! I love the little area I live in, it's so close to everything! Can't wait for the next update! hoping to gey mine started soon. Trying to get out of vacation mode... It ain't easy! Lol!!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Once we got our room situated we headed down to the food court. It was 10:50am so we waited until 11 to order so we could each lunch food. Meanwhile I purchased our 3 refillable mugs which came with the deluxe dining plan. I couldnt believe the total was like 41$ wow! For 3 mugs. If we were not on the deluxe plan 2 would have been enough for us but since it was included why not! I filled them up and poured the kids juice into there own sippie cups. Or at least I tried. Ryan whined that he wanted to drink from the mug and then nick started to cry when I told him he would need to use his sippie cup. Quick thinking on my part I used the mickey stickers that the CM gave them when we checked in. I put them on the sippie cup and nick was now happy! You definitely need creative thinking to help in these situations.

By this time it was 11. I got back in line and waited about 15 minutes while they made a grilled cheese and chicken breast nuggets. Then I had to go into a seperate line to get mike his chicken wings. That was another 10 minutes. Uhh! I was starting to get irritated. This was not a good start to the trip. The food court was so crowded. Once I got all the food to the table I felt better. Here is what we ate.

Mike- Buffalo Wings and choc. swirl cheesecake
Lindsay- Chicken breast nuggets, and fries
Ryan- Grilled Cheese, fries, and choc pudding
Nick- Shared my nuggets, fries, grapes and choc pudding. (yes I gave up my dessert for him)

The food was good and mike said the wings were the best he ever ate. He thinks that may be because he was starving. We hadnt eaten anything all morning.

Mike and Nick took the mugs back to the room and Ryan and I went to get the stroller we rented. It was a double stroller from Orlando Stroller Rental. I have to say this was the best 85$ spent the whole trip. The stroller was comfortable, easy to use and close, and plenty of storage space. The only downfall was no cup holder but we dealt with that.

Once we got the stroller we met mike and nick in the lobby. I decided to call my parents and check in on how donovan (our dog) was doing. I couldnt get a hold of them anywhere. Even their cell phone went to voice mail which is unusual. I called my Nana since thats where my family congregates on a sunday. She tells me they had to take my pop pop to the ER the night before. He was really confused and couldnt walk. He had fallen a few times during the day. It turned out they admitted him and he had a horrible Urinary Tract Infection. His kidneys are just about to shut down. He has an infection in his eyes. Ok I tried not to panic. Now for all of you who read my PTR you would know that a few days before we left Mikes Nana was in the hospital for a blood clot in her leg. She is doing well and was sent home the day we went to philly. Now I had to worry about my pop pop. He is 90 years old and has been frail for a few years now. He has melanoma pretty bad and had 2 aortic aneurysms repaired a few years ago. So he isnt the healthiest of the bunch. All I could do is pray.

After that news I tried to stay positive and move on. We got to the bus stop for MK. We waited about 15 minutes which I felt was long and it was scortching hot outside. The bus finally arrived and we were on our way.

Our first bus ride. Nick as you can see is not wanting to cooperate for pictures!

We arrived at MK about 12:25pm. Right on schedule.
We walked in and I said to Nick we are finally in disney world. His reply...I bet you can guess...."where". He's so cute. So we headed in and turned the corner and yes we see it. THE CASTLE!!!!!

Now this was the emotional moment Ive been waiting for. I say "kids there it is the big castle" Ryan's response: yep! and Nick says "where". I say "right there nick straight ahead" he responds with "oh yeah". Well thats all folks. No emotions behind this one.

We moved along into tomorrowland. Ryan has been saying for months the first thing he wanted to do was ride Buzz Lightyear. I told him it may be too long of a wait and we may have to do it another day. I was crossing my fingers as we turned the corner. BINGO....5 minute wait. Yahoo!!!! We got right in line. Mike and Ryan rode together and I rode with Nick. Here are some pics.

I was surprised how much nick enjoyed this ride.

You can see the fear in ryan's eyes. He got a little scared of Zurg

Ryan wouldnt even go near this. Nick could care less.

Nick was having a blast taking these pics.

As we came out of the ride. We saw buzz light year himself. We got in line. The kids were so excited. We waited for about 5 minutes and buzz had to leave. They said he would be back shortly but we decided to keep moving since we only had a few hours planned to be at MK. Next up......................

This was our first time doing this attraction. We couldnt think of a joke fast enough to text in so we just waited and watched the cute show they play in the waiting room. Here is Ryan waiting by the cool bubble tube.

That show was so funny. Ryan really liked it too. They put mike on the screen in the very beginning saying this guy could really use a hug! We cracked up at that.

We then headed over to fantasyland. Everything was at least a 30 min wait or longer so we decided to do Mickey's Philharmagic which was only 10 min. That was so awesome. It was our first time doing that as well. Nick kept trying to grab at the everything. Then he would take his glasses off to try to figure out what was going on. He really liked it. Ryan was a little freaked out by some of the squirting but otherwise enjoyed it. He kept his glasses off most of the time.

We had a about a 1/2 hour left before we wanted to get to a spot for the parade so we hopped in line for It's a small world.... It said 10 minute wait. While we were waiting the boats stopped for like 10 minutes. Once they started up again it moved fast but it did take us about 25 minutes to get on the ride.

We then headed to a spot to watch the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It, street party parade. We stood right in front of the castle. Great spot although there was no shade anywhere. We were roasting and sweating buckets standing in the sun. I could not believe how hot it still is in Sept. What was I thinking? Anyway while mike waited with the kids I went to find some refreshments.

I did call my parents on the way and updated them on how the kids were doing. They also said my pop pop should be ok. He was started on 2 different antibiotics and they are thinking he will recover Ok. I was happy to hear that report. It helped me not to worry to much about him and just enjoy the trip.

I stood in line at Enchanted Grove to get a frozen lemonade which looked so good. About 3 or 4 people got them ahead of me so by this point I was probably salivating. I ordered 2. What happens....................................
The darn machine freezes up. I couldnt find anywhere else close by to get a frozen lemonade so I had to settle for 2 waters instead. Boy was I irritated.

Anyway I got back to my family and nicholas had fallen asleep in the stroller. Here is a picture of the boys while we were waiting. Notice how hot and sweaty they are.

The parade started and we thought ryan could just sit in the stroller under the shade and enjoy it but no......Some disney crazed women with no kids squeezes in between our stroller and the people next to us and blocks ryans entire view. Unless he only wanted to see the parade as its passing him. That annoys me more than anything about people. So mike housted him up on his shoulders to watch. Which was great for Ryan but not so good for mike. Given the fact that the sun was beating down on us. I think he excreted about a gallon of sweat during that parade. The things we do for our children!

CONTINUED ON NEXT POST

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Here are some parade pics. Ryan did get to Hi Five Pluto and Mr Smee which was awesome. Nick slept through the entire thing.


After the parade we walked through the Emporium to cool down. Ryan tried on some hats. Here is a goofy one.

Ryan also saw a buzz lightyear shooter gun. He said this is cool and put it back on the shelf. This will come into play in a few minutes.
Nick finally woke up and we decided to go to the baby care center to change him. I got him all changed around and he went pee on the potty. This he did alot this trip so once he gets back on his BM routine I am going into potty training boot camp mode! I get back out to the stoller and there is ryan having a meldown. I asked what he is screaming about. Mike said he is crying that he wanted the buzz lightyear shooter gun. We told him we can get it after dinner and this caused a huge commotion. Ryan usually does not act like this for things so we knew the fatigue was setting in.

We made it over to the plaza to checkin early it was 3:50 and our ADR was for 410. We got nick a powerade because I thought he was looking a little dry in the mouth and boy did he gulp that thing right down. I guess all the sweating during his nap took everything out of him. He sure perked up after that. Mike walked over while we waited and got the buzz lightyear gun. This now made ryan a happy camper.

Our buzzer went off at 410pm. We got a window seat! Here is our beautiful view!

Our waitress was from philly so she loved our shirts and was happy to wait on us. Even thought the eagles lost Her name was Maryanne. She was so nice to the kids. We told her we were on the deluxe dining plan and that the kids would be sharing a meal. She told ryan he could choose an appetizer either salad or tomato soup. Ryan answers in a very grown up manner. My brother nick over there will have the salad w/ ranch dressing and I will have the tomato soup. We almost busted out in laughter. Not only from the way that he answered but the fact that he wanted tomato soup. This kid never eats anything but grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and cheeseburgers. We told him he could only pick one but the waitress said not to worry he could have both. She also gave nick a drink and a seperate dessert for no extra charge. She was the one and only waitress with the disney magic. We loved her.

So here is ryan eating....yes eating his tomato soup. We couldnt believe it. It had croutons in it and he kept saying "I cant wait to tell my meemaw I am eating tomato soup with french toast in it"

and here is nick with his salad. This was the funniest picture. I laugh every time I look at it. He is such a silly character.

Mike got a bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms and fries.

He said it was good but the burger was a little dry.

I got the tuna croissant with fries.

This was awesome. The best tuna croissant I ever had.

and now for the report title.......while we were eating nick kept fiddiling with the lid on his cup and oops...there it goes. It fell right on the floor and chocolate milk splashed everywhere. I cleaned it all up myself and just told the waitress about it so they could scrub the floor later. I think a little splashed onto the guys legs behind me. This is only the beginning of the many spills that we had on this trip. Not only drinks but glasses and bodies as well. Stay tuned for more interesting stories. It only gets better.


Here is the kids dessert.

and we got cookies and cream ice cream. yummy!

overall we gave this place a 9 out of 10. If the burger wasn't dry we would have given it a 10.

After our meal we headed out of the park. Here is the exit. So cute and festive.

As we were leaving we stumbled across these characters.

Nick calls them "chicken dale".

We waited for about 15 minutes for the bus again. We got back to the resort about 600pm. Mike and Ryan played in the arcade a little. Nick and I refilled our mugs at the food court and looked around the resort. We got the kids baths and were in bed by 8pm. Ryan and Nick fought over who they were sleeping with. In the end Ryan won and got to sleep with me and Nick slept with mike. They fell asleep quickly. Mike slept well too. As for me....I must have been so excited for the upcoming days, I tossed and turned all night.

Overall we had a great and pleasant first day.

Favorites of the day:
Mike- Parade
Lindsay- Philharmagic
Ryan- Parade
Nick- giving "chicken dale" a Hi five.

UP NEXT: DAY 2- HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS AND SKIPPING A NAP....SEE HOW THAT TURNED OUT!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Seems like you all had a great first day!!! Even at the age of 7 1/2 Devon still had a meltdown or 2 or 3 or 4! Think it was a combination of the heat and the long days!

 

[jana616]

What a great first day!!! I love the story about Ryan ordering at the Plaza and then actually eating the tomato soup...so cute! That parade looks fun-the only daytime parade we saw was the one at the AK (which was really good), and of course parts of whatever parade it is at the MK that happens every 20 minutes-we could not escape that one!

Good for you guys for getting to bed early. I really wish we had done it your way instead of trying to nap and stay for Spectro. Don't get me wrong, Spectro was really cool, but I don't know that it was worth the late night after such an early start. I think you had the right plan!

 

[lbuzz52]

Soundslike a good start. Your title reminded me of my nephew who drops everything he touches.

 

[crocko]

Good 1st day....that kids' dessert at the Plaza looked mucho yummy.

 

[pamjb]

So glad I found your TR. It has been a loooong time since I traveled with little ones, trust me.....it will get better. But there will still be spillage.
Living vicariously through your report since I had to postpone my Sept trip due to my son's surgery.
I have to give you credit on trying to find a Kmart near PHL. My knowledge of Philly is limited to the airport, Citizens Bank Park, and Children's Hospital. Your telling of the story reminds me of when we tried to find any kind of store between WDW and Port Canaveral to find Duct tape to repair a suitcase. That was before GPS. From now on, we travel with duct tape. Come to think of it, duct tape would of corrected your DH's belt situation.
And I always, always, always forget my sunglasses. Never fails. I consider my Disney sunglasses my "souvenir"
I made DH and my best friend's DH Drinking around the World shirts for our trip in June. I collected 5 emails addresses to send them to.

 

[Charlefours]

We are taking our daughter for the first time next September and I am enjoying reading you and Jana616's PTRs and TRs--we are heading down around the same time as you both did.

Good to know how hot it might end up being--for some reason I thought September would be decent but I guess not! I just won't pack up DD summer clothes as early as I do.

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Seems like you all had a great first day!!! Even at the age of 7 1/2 Devon still had a meltdown or 2 or 3 or 4! Think it was a combination of the heat and the long days!

even at 30 I felt like having a meltdown somedays. I don't blame them at all. I was hoping if we take them back in a few years when ryan is 7 we would avoid the meltdowns but I guess not huh?

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

What a great first day!!! I love the story about Ryan ordering at the Plaza and then actually eating the tomato soup...so cute! That parade looks fun-the only daytime parade we saw was the one at the AK (which was really good), and of course parts of whatever parade it is at the MK that happens every 20 minutes-we could not escape that one!

Good for you guys for getting to bed early. I really wish we had done it your way instead of trying to nap and stay for Spectro. Don't get me wrong, Spectro was really cool, but I don't know that it was worth the late night after such an early start. I think you had the right plan!

Well at least you got to see spectro cause if you didnt you may have regretted not doing it. I too thought it wasnt worth the hassle we went through to sit and watch it. (more of this will be told on my day 5 report to come in the future). I love spectro but I think maybe after seeing it so many times it may be getting old. I remember before it seemed like more characters walked in it and shook hands and give Hi fives and stuff. The kids seemed to enjoy it but not as much as the others. The day parade at MK was great. We caught all the parades. It was one of the things the kids love to do. This was the last night we got to bed early too. After that I came to the conclusion that there was too much to see and do. The kids did well overall but I am glad we made the first night an early one.