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We left for Orlando from Greensboro, NC last Sunday the 23rd. It took 10 hours with stops. I took my mother and my two oldest children ages 4 and 3. We
checked into the Holiday Inn Sun Spree. This is the first time I have stayed off Disney site. This is my 6th or 7th trip to Disney. I decided to stay off site
because of the kids. The room cost $66 per night. We got two queen beds and a kitchenette area. It was a good experience and I do recommend the hotel. The
kids were wound up from the long drive. I took them to dinner at Chevy's Fresh Mex then to Winn Dixie for supplies.
DAY 1 5/24
We started out our day with breakfast in the room. The kids did not want to get dressed and get out the door. Even my mother was pokey. We were going to
Magic Kingdom. I knew that we needed extra time to get there since we had to drive to the transportation center then take the Monorail or ferry over. We got
into the park about 9:20am. I hate being late!! I packed our stuff in clear a tote and clear backpack. We got through security quickly. I got comments all
week from security about our clear bags. It makes their job much easier!
It was a great day! The kids had a blast. It was 90 degrees but I was not uncomfortable. The humidity was low. The crowds were manageable. We did have to
wait almost an hour to meet Ariel and we did wait 50 minutes for the Jungle Cruise. I had planned to leave midday and go to the pool but we ended up staying
till the end and seeing Wishes-the fireworks show. We did have a character lunch at 1pm at the Crystal Palace. Two years ago DD and me had breakfast there
and loved it. This time is was just Okay. The food was good but the service was horrendous. It took 10 minutes for our server to greet us. It took another 10
to get drinks. She never brought my mothers drink. Anyway I own a restaurant and it was a very bad experience for me.
DAY 2 5/25
We got out of the room earlier and got to Animal Kingdom early. My mother insisted on waiting for the tram. We were close enough to walk to the park
entrance. The lines park entrance and security were together and very long. We didn’t get in the park until 9:15am. The first thing we did was to see the Lion King
show. It was incredible! We spent half a day in the park. After lunch at the Tusker House (excellent)! We left and went to the pool.
We headed to MGM after dinner at Bennigans. We got there too late. We missed the last Beauty and the Beast show. We missed the last Playhouse Disney show.
We did see the Little Mermaid. I thought it was lame compared to the other shows we had seen. MGM is my least favorite park. Actually we only went there to
see the shows we ended up missing. Then we missed out on the 9pm Fantasmic show because it filled up so quickly. I was not sticking around till 10:30pm for
the next one. We left and went to Downtown Disney.
DAY 3 5/26
This was our relax day. I did laundry, we went shopping, and we went to Typhoon Lagoon. TL was awesome!!! We were there from 12pm-6pm. The kids loved it!! I
will add it to my must do list for next time. I like it much better then Blizzard Beach for little kids.
DAY 4 5/27
Today is our last day at WDW!!! I was very excited because we were going to my very favorite park- EPCOT! We got there early. We arrived to Minnie, Mickey, etc.,
opening the park. There was a long line at guest services so I decided to skip getting the lost child tag for DS since I had no problems with him all week. He
is a very hyper, impulsive child. DD is almost 5 and very calm and well behaved. Anyway, it was a great day, until DS ran off. We were in Canada waiting
to hear a band play. My mother was sitting with the children on a bench. I walked over to a trashcan to throw away my gum. Within those 30 seconds my son
was gone. He was nowhere in sight. After two minutes I panicked. He has never totally disappeared. He is usually running in circles, chasing a bird, or
looking at something nearby. It was 95 degrees and I was running around screaming his name like a crazy women. It was so scary!! The first thing I did was let a
cast member know he was missing. Someone did turn him in and I picked him up at the baby care center. All the cast members were so nice and helpful! I really
wanted to spank him but I bought a wrist leash instead. After a beer, and separating from my mother for an hour, I was Okay and we enjoyed the rest of our
day at Epcot. We did have a character lunch at the Garden Grill. The food and service were excellent. The atmosphere was OK. I did not like the "isolation"
of the tables.
DAY 5 5/28
Reluctantly we drove home. This is one of the best vacations I have ever had in WDW. I won't go again until 2006 when my babies will be old enough
to go and my husband won't have to sit at home.
TIPS & CHOICES I MADE
- I am glad I brought my own double stroller for my children.
- Clear bags made it faster to get through security.
- I bought fanny packs in the park for my children. I did get a princess fanny pack at party city but it was too small to fit anything in.
- I gave my children their own disposable camera to take photos.
- I used my Disney reward points for shopping. It was nice to have "free money."
- I let my children set the pace to and see what was important to them.
- We ate breakfast in the room, packed snacks and bottled water to save money.
- My children shared a kid’s meal most of the time. They are not big eaters.
- I wore sandals, for a change, and was very comfortable.
- I am very happy with my choice to go in May. We got to see the Epcot flower
and garden festival. The heat was not horrible and the crowds were manageable.
CHARACTERS
We saw plenty of characters except for princesses and daisy duck. This is the first trip that we have not seen a princess except for in a
parade.
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