|
The Colmenares Family go with the Brown Family to Walt Disney World Trip, October 8-13, 2004
Cast of Characters: Max (DS, 7), Erica (me, 40), Megan (sister, 42), David (BIL, 42?), William (DN, 7) and Ian (DN, 3.5)
Day One, October 8: The Colmenares Family Goes to WDW
I think I started planning this trip in Feb 04, and finally it's here. DS and I were supposed to leave tomorrow with my sister's family. Then American Airlines moved up the hour of our flight departure to 6 AM, which was too, too early for me, so we switched to a 10AM flight a day early, and got a jump on the rest of the family. Turned out to be great. We got to Orlando around 7 PM, grabbed our bags and got our rental car. We walked by the HUGE line at Alamo to our non-existent Budget rental line (turned out that a Virgin Air flight had just arrived, with block reservations for Alamo- don't panic if Alamo's your choice, 'cause on Sat when we returned to MCO to get my sister and family, there was no line at Alamo. Also no car, but that's another story). We got groceries at Albertsons, checked in at ASMo (our connecting room request had been honored!) and turned in more-or-less early. We ate at the food court, which we found to be cheerful, not too crowded at 8 PM, and with plenty of choices.
Day Two October 9: The Brown Family Joins Us
Max's wake-up call sounded at 7:40 AM- it was the vultures from Splash Mtn! A little strange, but an original way to start the day. We were out of the room by 8AM, as we had to check-out and in again. We didn't have to pack up or anything, just get the second room, etc. That was quick, and off we went in our rental car to Epcot. Epcot wasn't crowded at the entrance, but we weren't up close enough to hear what the CMs were doing up by the rope. I wish they'd had mikes or something- people were having fun, and we weren't in on it! At the rope drop, we followed the crowds to Test Track (DS still declines Mission Space), had a great ride, picked up FPs then explored the Imagination pavilion while we waited for our FP return time (and for Ice Station Cool to open- we love that place).
Then it was time to go get my sister and her family. I've been worrying about how we were going to do as a group for quite awhile, and now we were going to find out. It's a long boring story, but Max
and I had to go to MCO to get a different rental car, so we met my sister at the airport. We hit our first snafu there, as the car rental reservation I made for my BIL was for Sept 9-13, not October
9-13. Oops! I swear it was an accident, really! After lots of discussion, my BIL decided to take Mears, and the five of us remaining squeezed into our compact rental. Half an hour later, we were happily situated in our connecting rooms at ASMo. We swam, we explored, then took the bus to MK and the monorail to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's. You'll be surprised to hear that fun was had by all. Lots of characters were out front during our dinner- Donald when we got there, who was joined by Daisy, then by some McQuack character- Chip wrote down his name on a napkin for us, as we had no idea who the guy was. Characters rotating to the tables: Mickey, Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale.
After dinner we had planned to go on the monorail around the Epcot loop, then back to the resort loop for a drink and Wishes at the Polynesian beach. But there was no way. Exhaustion was setting in all around, so we did a quick resort loop (with four of our party up in front!) and then headed for the bus and "home".
Day Three October 10: AK-rest-MGM becomes AK-no rest-MGM
Wow, did we love Animal Kingdom! It was a first visit for all of us, and we loved it all (OK, little Ian wasn't crazy about ITTBAB, but besides that . . ). We'll definitely spend more time here, next visit. Primeval Whirl was a hoot, and we dorked through Kali River Rapids, the only poncho'd family among the guests (ah, but who laughed last when we came out more or less dry? Eh?) Oh, and we happened upon DeVine as we were going through Asia. How fun! She is so funny, and original. We only caught about 5 minutes of her show, and are so glad we did.
We took longer doing things than we expected, so were running late for the 1 PM show of Festival of the Lion King. We hadn't had lunch yet, but came up with a quick solution- Mickey bars for lunch. It's cheap, it's filling, it's 100% Disney World. And the kids were incredulous and ecstatic!
Of course we loved FOTLK, but we wilted a bit after that. It was an awkward time- do we go back to the hotel and "rest" when we really only have about 1.5 hrs before we have to be at the Studios for our very early Fantasmic! package dinner? We decided to slowly leave the park and go directly to MGM. This is when we began our slow descent into the world of shopping, character autographs and have I said shopping?
I should admit here, so those of you who are NOT commando park guests, that I am. I hate to be waiting around, pin-trading before noon, smelling the roses as the lines are increasing. So I was a little impatient with some of the lolly-gagglers in our group. But I'll just leave it at that.
Disney-MGM Studios
When we arrived at MGM, I realized I had misplaced (aka lost) my annual pass. I was mildly panicked, mostly because I didn't want to go back to the hotel for my copy of the back, but they were able to re-issue one with my ID and a couple questions. It was v. easy (although the time lost probably equaled the shopping time "wasted" at AK, so I was properly chastised).
We had our early, yummy Hollywood and Vine dinner, then went to Who Wants to be a Millionaire (I love that show!), Muppet 3D, and Star Tours. All without lines. Then in for the Fantasmic! show, which was better a second time. Ian, the three year old, spent the whole show on the cement floor- poor kid. I never did figure out what scared him- he loved Haunted Mansion, which flips my 7 yo, but he wouldn't go on Splash Mtn. He loved Test Track, but said Dumbo was scary. Hmmmm.
Anyway, we stumbled home post-Fantasmic! and went right to bed. No more days without breaks, please!
Day Three October 11: And the Rain, Rain, Rain came Drizzling Down . . . (MGM and MK)
This was day two at the Studios. It pretty much sprinkled on and off all day, which helped with all the lines. We were going to tackle the MGM thrillers for the first time, while BIL and Ian went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid (BTW, its first show was 9:05, BIL Dave sprinted there from the rope drop, and the door was already closed- with maybe 10 people inside. . . . what's that about?). So, we lived through TOT (eyes closed) and R&RC (yeah!) then met Ian and BIL at HISTK movie set. It was supposed to be closed, but ta-dah, we were lucky.
But Ian wasn't. He slipped on the wet floor and whammed his chin into a "rock." It broke the skin, but barely. Although the CMs there didn't seem too concerned, one of the many clip-boarded managers who were swarming everywhere came and arranged to have someone look at it. He was very concerned, and wanted to arrange for us to get reserved seating at a show or something. We were planning on leaving, so declined, but my sister kept hoping maybe they'd arrange for a free cruise instead. She's still waiting.
After our lunch and rest in the hotel (Ian valiantly fought off a needed nap), we headed to MK. The rain continued, so everything had pretty reasonable lines- PhilharMagic, Mad Tea Party, Jungle Cruise, PoTC, BTMR, Splash. The longest line was in Toontown for autographs. Our biggest mistake in Toontown was letting Ian get anywhere near Donald's Boat. Who knew he could get so wet so quickly. He ended up wearing an extra oversized tshirt and underwear for the rest of the evening. With his fanny pack, he had a bit of a Robin Hood look about him. You're only three once, right? We had a relaxing dinner at Cosmic Rays, and ended the evening in Tomorrowland with CoP, TTA and Buzz. I still get abysmal scores at Buzz- I can never see where my laser is hitting. I think I got 800 this time. Any hints?
We left the park as the crowds were lining up for SpectoMagic. We had planned on staying for this, but they changed the time from 8PM to 9PM, which felt too late for our guys. So off to ASMo and a good night's rest. Tomorrow, MK in the AM, IllumiNations at night.
Day Five October 12: Magic Kingdom Revisited, A Future World Afternoon and World Showcase Evening
We were at MK for the opening ceremony and the rope drop. I grabbed FPs for Buzz while everyone else ran for Dumbo. They were getting on the ride as I trotted into Fantasyland (I told you I was a commando tourer, right?). We then did Winnie twice, Peter twice, and Mickey's PhilharMagic, all before the rope drop in Mickey's Toontown. We were able to ride the barnstormer twice then took the train to Frontierland. Revisited the mtns, then braved Haunted Mansion. It was my first visit since 1975, and it's funny how it came back. As we entered we were able to see the headstone with the eyes that opened, that was cool. I loved the stretch room- I definitely remember that.
The rest of our MK time is a bit blurry for me, as I hit a wall. OK, so there are downsides to the commando method! But we saw Tiki, Swiss Family treehouse, then split up (Ian and BIL to Buzz for three rides with our FPs, the rest of us to re-revisit BTMR). The thing we missed that I most regret was Cinderella's Surprise Celebration. Ian would have loved it! The show we planned on seeing was cancelled, and the next time was too late for us.
I went by Epcot on my way back to the hotel, and grabbed FPs for us all to Test Track. That worked out perfectly- we probably would have missed this attraction otherwise.
Future World Before Dinner
After rest-time at the hotel, we took the bus to Epcot. I'm glad that Max and I had already had a morning there, but we still didn't have enough time. I must slow down and give time to World Showcase next time. I've only seen a few of the street performers (the drummers in Japan, and the Beatles band in UK). This visit we did Spaceship Earth, Ice Station Cool, Test Track, then hurried to make our PS time in Germany. The place was mobbed! It dawned on me that I'd read that the Beach Boys were performing- which turned out to be part of the problem, along with the Food and Wine festival crowd. The Biergarten was busy (but I covered that in my restaurant review). After dinner we were graciously invited to share a bench area by Japan with a nice British family, and we had a wonderful view of IllumiNations. The post-IllumiNations bus-ride home was less than amusing, but we arrived to our rooms by 10, and fell asleep forthwith.
Day Six October 13: Breakfast at Animal Kingdom Lodge and An Uneventful Trip Home
We had a 10 AM PS at Boma, which allowed for a fairly unhurried pack-up and trip over to AKL. What a beautiful resort. We are saving to stay there (or Wilderness Lodge) in the future, but it is hard to think of the extra $1000 or so it would cost. We'll see. Anyway, we enjoyed our meal and the whole AKL experience.
Then we had the sad trip back to MCO, and two easy flights home to Madison, Wisconsin. We were back in our respective houses by 7 PM. And I started planning immediately for January!
Trip Wrap-Up: Things Learned
This was, in a way, a stressful trip for me. I was the trip instigator, the organizer, and the tour guide. At times, I got tired of being the one that people looked to for direction (although honestly I wouldn't have it any other way- I'm such a control freak!). I am
also used to just having my only son around, so the addition of two kids, 24 hrs/day, was hard for me at times. It made for a much more enjoyable trip for Max, however. He loved having his 7 yo cousin to share The World with. On the other hand, he was constantly trying
to keep from sitting next to Ian (cooties?) which was annoying and hurtful. I am not sure how I could have done things differently- I think it's just my nature to worry and fret, and maybe therapy is needed
The other thing I learned is that the squeak-squeak-squeak of balloon twisting is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Let me explain. My BIL is a balloon twister. Not by profession (he's an architect) but as a hobby. He twists balloons to relax. And he does nothing half-heartedly, so he's quite good. For this trip, he learned to twist most of the princesses, as well as Nemo, Goofy, and I don't know who else. He made these fantastic sculptures that he attached to our Disney strollers each day, making it very easy to find them. All good, right. Not if you are me, the one who needs therapy, remember? I got so I just hated that squeak-squeak noise. I could even hear it through the door/wall of our connecting rooms, and would have to go out on the outside walkway. I am not sure what we'll do when we share a suite at a Wisconsin Dells waterpark next month!
I guess what I learned is that traveling with extended family is rewarding, but also can be hard work. Worth it, though.
|
