Family trip 2008
What an awesome trip we had this year, I think our best family trip yet. The large family ones seem to be improving each year, probably due to us knowing more how to handle things and the kids getting older. This year we really slowed things down, partly due to finances and several kids only having a few or no days left on their tickets so we only planned one big commando park day.We left out Sunday morning with seven of us in the Jeep towing the Little Guy full of our junk, and got in to Orlando by 11:00AM. Traffic wasn’t bad at all despite being Memorial day weekend but I guess by Sunday everyone that was traveling was already where they were supposed to be. Getting in that early to the resort, we were staying at Disney’s Old Key West (OKW), our rooms weren’t quite ready so we went and dropped the trailer off in front of the building we would be in and went back for our usual arrival day lunch at Olivia’s. We took our time since we didn’t have a room but when we were done we still didn’t have a room so we went back to the trailer and got our bathing suits and headed to the OKW pool. I had decided to try going the week of Memorial Day for a few reasons, like saving a vacation day, but I knew that it could possibly be a little busier than our typical second week of June and the busy pool reflected it. Fortunately we were only there for a few hours and our room was ready and everyone was ready to get cleaned up and ready to eat. Nana made the kids something to eat while Kriss and I ran to Goodings for some groceries and while we were out we decided to pick up a Pizza at Pizza Hut. They were a little slow but we did get a free 2L Coke for our extra wait and headed back to the room. Nana had taken the kids to another pool and when Kriss and I got back they wanted to swim some more so we went back to the main pool for a bit before heading to bed.
Monday is usually our first day in the parks but due to the expected busy holiday and ticket shortage, we decided to just chill at the resort all day and hang at the pool. We got there mid morning and still got our favorite spot and even went back to the room later and made sandwiches for lunch later. There were lots of activities around the pool that day and the older kids had a ball dancing to YMCA, Chicken Dance, and High School Musical songs but by 4:00 we were getting hungry and ready to get cleaned up so we headed back to the room. Everyone was kind of itching to do something so we took the boat to Downtown Disney which lets out in front of the Rainforest Cafe and I can get a discount there so I went up to see how bad the line was. Right as I approached the podium and about to put in the seating request, a manager walked out and asked if there was a larger party of 5-6 that he had availability as long as we didn’t mind sitting in the bar and I said I had 7 and he said that would work so within 5 min of stepping off the boat we were sitting down at a table despite my overhearing the people in front of me at the podium being told there was an hour+ wait. After dinner we wanted to walk around Downtown Disney a bit but by the time we got to World of Disney we were all feeling the day’s pool activities and with a water park day planned for a few of us on Tuesday, we went back to the dock and headed to the room for an early night.
Tuesday is traditionally the day I get to go to the water parks with just the two oldest kids, Marc and Alyssa and since we had been to Blizzard Beach for the past two years we went to Typhoon Lagoon. I was a little worried because of how busy the pool was Monday that the water park would be too but I was pleasantly surprised that we never stood in line the whole day more than a few minutes, Alyssa got to swim in Shark Reef 4 times and never waited for more than one bunch to get through ahead of her. Since it’s just us we travel pretty light, high speed low drag. We always get a locker and shove our shoes, shirts, wallet, and a towel in and we take off until lunch time when we just eat there in the park and keep sliding. After eating I decided to get some video of the kids so they headed to the wave pool while I got the camera and in that little bit of time they made a friend, Taylor from Alabama. She kind of stuck on to us for the rest of the afternoon and by the time we left, she and Alyssa were telling each other their goodbye’s through tears.
When we got back to the room the rest of the crew had already cleaned up from their day at the pool and shopping in Downtown Disney so we hit the showers and headed up to the Hard Rock. This is usually a fun night and it’s typically on my birthday but since we were here a few weeks earlier we just had dinner, it was definitely our calmest trip to Hard Rock, and we were back in the room fairly early since Wednesday was our big park day.
Animal Kingdom was the Extra Magic Hours morning park that day so we were there right at rope drop and got to hit Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Tough to be a Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids, and Kellie’s favorite, Triceratops Spin 2 times before eating early lunch at Pizzafari. We wanted to try and squeeze in at least Magic Kingdom and EPCOT too so we drove to EPCOT and went inside for a Soarin’ fast pass but it wasn’t for until after 6:00 that evening so we decided to jump on the monorail to Magic Kingdom. Alyssa, Marc, Erin, and I got to ride up front so I got some video of that too. Magic Kingdom wasn’t crowded too bad either and the kids wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean but I knew with the heat that Splash Mountain would be busy so while they rode POTC I went for a Splash Mountain fast pass for everyone. By now it was 3:00 because ironically the 3:00 parade was starting (ha, ha, inside joke) so Kellie rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets while we waited for the parade to clear, and then we headed to Haunted Mansion. It was closed last year when the kids came and Kriss and I came back later when it reopened in the fall and loved the changes the made so the kids were dying to see it. Afterward we rode Its A Small World (probably the longest line we stood in the whole trip,) and headed over to Space Mountain. Kriss, Nana, and I were getting a bit warm so we let Marc, Alyssa, and Erin go stand in line while we headed to Cosmic Rays for some ice cream and drinks. By the time we were done they were off and it was time for our Splash Mountain fast passes so we headed over there. Nana and Kellie weren’t riding so the five of us went to ride and I mistakenly gave the guy only four fast pass tickets and when I got off the ride to tell the kids that I had two tickets left and fearing which two would get to ride, I was pleasantly surprised that I had three in my pocket so they all rode again while I recorded. Afterwards we decided to head back to EPCOT so we caught the monorail and again got to sit up front so Kellie, Erin, and Marc rode with me. At EPCOT we were starting to get hungry so we swooped through Test Track to see if there were any fast passes and they had distributed them all so we went to Mexico to try and get in the San Angel Inn without reservations, which was probably my only mistake the whole week, and we ended up eating outside at La Cantina De San Angel, which despite being a HUGE P.I.T.A ordering from them, turned out to be pretty good food. We then went to Test Track and Nana, Marc, Alyssa, Erin, and I stood in the standby line while Kriss and Kellie went to the Kidcot stop there and colored. By the time we got off EPCOT was closing at 9:00 so we didn’t even get to ride Soarin’. Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) was the late park that night but we were all pretty tired from the long day so we were back in the room by 10:00 and hit the sack.
Thursday we all slept in late, I don’t remember the last time I slept ’til 8:30 even when I had the chance, and we casually got ready and headed to the pool for our last day. We really didn’t do much at all that day other than chill at the pool and at some point in time Kriss made a deal with Nana to keep the kids for a few hours so I called and made a reservation for dinner in Morocco and Kriss and I got to go on a mini date. Back to EPCOT we went and we were even there a little early so we just strolled around a little bit enjoying the wonderful weather before heading to eat. EPCOT was the late park and we got out after the fireworks but we didn’t feel like walking to the front of the park so we went through the International Gateway and had even discussed going to Jelly Rolls (dueling piano bar) but we went back to the resort and stopped at the Gurgling Suitcase for a quick drink and found a secluded spot away from the pool and just sat for a few minutes before heading back to the room.
Friday was the dreaded going home day so we all got up and started getting things ready to leave and shuffling things back downstairs to the trailer and got it loaded before making our way back home.
Kriss and I have mentioned several times since the trip that this really was the most enjoyable trip so far. Usually by Thursday we are both wishing that we had cut the trip shorter by a day but this was the first year we didn’t want to leave. I got to spend a LOT of time playing with the kids and we all actually had a non stop great time without any arguments, crying, fussing, or threats of throwing anyone off the top of Tower of Terror. I can’t wait to get back to Disney soon but I really am looking forward to when we can all go back as a family and do it all again. I had F-U-N!
