Anyway, the trip was amazing. If you've never been to Disney World, you must go at least once in your life because it is just so much fun! The attention to detail of the Disney Imagineers really makes everywhere you go in any of the parks or resorts so special.
We did "Disney Magical Express" to get from the airport to our hotel. This meant that all we had to do when we deplaned was walk down to the Magical Express area and sign in. They directed us to the appropriate area for our resort and we hopped onto a bus and were whisked away. Seriously. And the TVs on the bus gave us a taste of all the things that were waiting for us in the parks, and in our resort. Our luggage was picked up by DME and delivered to our hotel room that evening. So nice to not wait at baggage claim and lug all those cases around ourselves!
We were a little late getting to Orlando thanks to the lovely (ahem) winter weather that was hitting the south that day. But we made it in time to make our dinner reservation that evening at our resort's restaurant called Boatwrights. The food and service were excellent! Kevin and I had amazing filet mignons and he had apple crisp with hard vanilla sauce for dessert and I had fresh berries. The kids were thrilled with their food which was served on plates shaped like Mickey with the ears holding their fruit and veggies. We later discovered that these plates are at all of the sit-down restaurants in WDW.
We got the kids in bed by 8 p.m. and once they were asleep, we unpacked and got settled in. The next morning we were up and at breakfast by 7:30. Again, the quick service restaurant at the hotel was fabulous with 6 different stations to choose from. The kids all opted for the Mickey waffles, Kevin got french toast, and I enjoyed the oatmeal bar where you could mix in all kinds of fresh berries and grains. We were at the bus for Disney Studios (used to be MGM Studios) by 8:15, and arrived there right before they opened.
We quickly discovered that Tour Guide Mike was spot on in his advice to be at the parks before they open. Number one, you are treated to some fun with the characters to celebrate the park opening. Number two, there is almost no one else there! We would spend the first hour and a half hopping on one ride (I mean "attraction") after another with little to no waiting. Number three, FASTPASSES rock. It was so cool to get a FASTPASS, then after your FASTPASS time arrives, you pop over to the next big thing you want to do, pick up a new FASTPASS, then go back to the ride where you have a current FASTPASS and breeze past all the people waiting in lines. Then we'd ride something else or see another show, or take a potty break, or enjoy the sites, or grab something to eat, and then our next FASTPASS would be ready. I know that part of the reason we had practically no waiting was the time of year we were there, but there were still some pretty big crowds by the afternoon. We never waited in a line for more than 15 minutes.
We also took the advice to rent a double stroller for the full week. We saved $2 a day by doing it this way, and it was so nice to just pop into the park each morning, show your voucher and pick up a stroller. Breezed right past all the other people waiting in line to fill out the paperwork to rent a stroller each day. And if you went to a different park, or to Downtown Disney later in the day, you just show your voucher and get a new one. The stroller was awesome for carrying drinks, jackets, blankets, towels (for after water rides), snacks, etc. And all three kids spent time throughout the day riding in the stroller--it is a LOT of walking.
Katy got pulled up to participate in the High School Musical 2 performance. She was pretty excited! And a little bit nervous.
While Kevin, Ryan and Katy rode the Star Wars ride, Olivia and I went to see the 3-D Muppet Movie. It was one of the best 3-D movies I've ever seen! Livvy was reaching out to try to grab the little bugs and other things that appeared to be floating right in front of us. It was so good that we took Kevin, Ryan and Katy to see it when they were done with Startours. Livvy wanted to pose by the Muppet fountain. Fortunately her smiling for pictures got better as the week progressed!
Katy and Livvy's friend Mason from preschool was at Disney the same time as us. We ran into them on our way to see the Beauty and the Beast show and all sat together. They kept the giggling to a minimum.... Unfortunately Katy chose this week to begin experimenting with a new way of smiling with what I can only describe as "bunny teeth." Just wait til you see more of the photos.
We had a terrific dinner at Hollywood and Vine. It was a buffet and we soon discovered that the buffets at Disney are outstanding! The food selection is really eclectic and the foods are all delicious. And there's always a kid's buffet area with things like pizza and nuggets and spaghetti and mac'n'cheese. Oh, and the desserts rock. After dinner, we went to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground filled with HUGE grass and mushrooms and flowers, etc. for the kids to climb on. Then we headed over to Oscar's for our backdoor entrance to Fantasmic--our amazing seats were reserved so that we only had to get there about 20 minutes before the show (folks who didn't do the Fantasmic dinner package had to get there nearly an hour beforehand to get comparable seats!).
The night was quite chilly (upper 40s)--the coldest of all the nights we were in Orlando. The kids were in their jackets and new fleece sweatshirts, but we still ended up buying a fleece blanket to snuggle under. The kids were troopers, but it was pretty chilly sitting there and there was a strong breeze at times.
I can not do justice to the Fantasmic show with words. You really have to see it--it is such a spectacle of lasers and lights and fountains and boats and characters and music and, and...
We got back to our hotel around 9 p.m. and we all tumbled into bed. It was a great day, but we knew that Monday was going to be even more full....
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