Travel dates:May 10-17, 2008
Travel method:Southwest Airlines/rental car
Resort:Offsite (Westgate Vacation Villas)
Accommodations:2 bedroom condo
Ages Represented in Group: Me (25), Bill (29), Mack (5)
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group:Me and Bill had been a few times as kids, neither one of us had been more than twice, Mack was a first-timer
Comments:Taking our daughter for her first trip, only doing Disney parks
Cast of characters:Me (Mom/trip planner), Bill (Dad), Mack (5 y/o DD)



Day 1:
We left our house in VA between 5 and 530 am for the airport. Our flight left on time at 7 am. We arrived in Orlando around 850. We were off to a good start:) I was happy and ready to hit the ground running.

As soon as we got off the plane, Bill wanted to stop and eat, I wanted to get our luggage and GO! I said fne, stay and eat and I will go and wait for our bags. I left him behind and made pit stops at Starbucks and The Disney Store (I wanted to get an autograph book and mouse ears before we got to a park). By the time I walk out, Bill and Mack were already walking up and we reached baggage claim at the same time. Everyone else was gone, we were almost the last ones there, so no crowd was nice...hehe. Start off to get rental car.

Had to take a shuttle to get car. Arrive at Thrifty (I made reservations through carrentals.com). Bill and I do not have/use credit cards other than a few store cards. I get to the counter and need a CC. Don't have one, they can't rent to us. The reservation that I booked online was supposed to cost $100. The people at the counter are nice enough to call around to find a place that will rent me a car with cash. We go to a place and they are supposed to be charging us $126.99 + tax. By the time I walk out with keys in hand I have paid $400. It brought me down a little, but I wanted to forget about it and get on with the trip:)

We headed straight to HS, Mack fell asleep on the way. We went in and were very excited:) But, I did have the feeling of beingoverwhelmed. I had never been to HS and hard a hard time understanding where I was and where I was going. We saw Muppets 3-D without a wait, no bad. We had done our first thing at Disney and were excited! We headed toward the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area. Mack had fun and didn't want to d anything else in the park....boo. We had snacks at that eating area by the play area. As we were leaving the park we stopped in the shop in the Hat and Mack bought a lanyard and, starter pins, and a pressed penny book. She was excited to start tading and pressing pennies. We headed out of the park to check in, maybe we'll hit another park later. We left by 230 and didn't get to see the parade.

We went to Westgate Vacation Villas to check in, the drive was short:) Headed to check in and was bounced around to a few different counters. Same problem no CC for deposit, so instead of $50 on CC, $200 cash:( I was brought down a little more, but still happy to be on vacation. Wetgate tried to get me to do a timeshare presentation:eek: I didn't want to waste the time, I am here for Disney and have taken the tour at a different Westgate property. We are taken to the room, were some things in thre I didn't care for, but we starte to get settled, Mack and Bill slept for a few hours, I hit the grocery store. Came back and took Mack swimming, had a blast:D

Hit the sack - busy day tomorrow:D

More to come.....

I woke up early because I had spotted a large bug in the condo during the night and couldn't sleep because I was afraid it would be crawling on me. I was up by 7 and saw it again and I smashed it....blah. Called the front desk and complained so they said they would switch our rooms while we were out AND move all of our stuff....GREAT! Mack got up by 730 and we started to prepare for our day and the surprises I had in store for her BBB and Akershus.

The three of us headed out on our way by 10, her appointment at BBB was at 1155 in MK. We arrived at MK by ferry, which was wonderful! I was soooo excited to see the castle.

I made my first mistake by buying one of those darn $10 balloons as soon as I walked in, the one with the Mickey head inside....we were stuck with the stupid balloon hitting us ALL day. *Note* If you want to buy your child a balloon do it on the way OUT!!!! For the rest of the day we were miserable and thought about letting it loose several times and for the rest of the trip we pitied every family with a stroller with a balloon tied to it, and we laughed a little on the inside:p

We headed to BBB for mack's first surprise of the day, she obviously figured it out as soon as we got there and was thrilled. We battled a little because she wanted to be Jasmine and I did not approve...haha. Bill tried to tell her it was Mother's Day and that she should pick one that I liked, I ended up telling her the ones I liked, but told her that it was her choice, she could be whatever she wanted. She chose Jasmine, BUT when she put it on she felt uncomfortable, so no Jasmine. Next she chose Snow White:D She put that on and then changed her mind again because Snow White did not have her own shoes. Then it was on to Cinderella....YAYYYYY!!!! She stuck with that:D Then she chose the fairytale up-do....YAYYYYY!!!! I was hoping she would, but SHE felt it would look best since she was dressed as a princess:D her Fairy Godmother In Training was AWESOME!!!! She talked to Mack the whole time and made over her so much and she actually seemed happy to do it unlike some of the grumpier Fairy Godmothers. The end result was FANTASTIC!!!! And, Mack looooved it. She never even squirmed like she does when I do her hair. I'm surprised I didn't cry at the results. She got to take home her make up, polish, and a few other little things. She also got an extra tiara, one came with the outfit, the other with the up-do. So, since it was Mother's Day, I wore the Cinderella tiara ALL day. So if you were in MK or Epcot on Mother's day and saw a Mom with a Cinderella tiara accompanied by a little princess it was me!

We left BBB for The Expostion Hall and the photo shoot. I am not a big fan of those boring back drops and got tired of the pics...he took a lot. I was ready to get out of there. And, for some reason I thought the pics were taken at the castle....nope. She finished her pics and we said we'd be back to look at them the next day.

We jumped on the monorail and headed to Epcot. Once in Epcot, we still had plenty of time before our 255 ADR at Akershus (which was another surprise, but that little booger guessed it), so we headed off to do Nemo, it was a cute ride and our first ride since we got to WDW. We were able to walk right on with no line:) After Nemo we started our trek to Norway, Mack traded some pins along the way with two very nice CMs. The first CM she did not have her pins in hand and he gave her the one she wanted and told her he'd be there whenever she had her pins. I'm sure he probably did not think we'd come back, but we came back promptly with the pin she chose to give him. Then on our way to Norway, we stopped another Cm to ask a question ans she wanted to trade with him, but could not decide which one to give up, so he told her since he had a lot more than she did he would give her one if she could answer a trivia question correctly, which she did:D That was probably my "YOMD" moment. It made me sooo happy for her and it seemed like a magical Disney moment. Oh, and of course everyone stopped us on the way to say hi to the princess, she was in her glory.

We got to Akershus around 240, they were running behind. We chatted outside with some friendly families and other little princesses. We were finally called in around 320ish. Mack had her pick with Belle. Inside she met Cinderella, Sleeping Beaty, Jasmine, and Ariel. The princesses were wonderful. The food and the price I could do without, but it was worth it for the experience. And, Mack made friends with the other princesses sitting by us....it was cute:) Oh, and our server was AWESOME!!!! And, Norwegian people are BEAUTIFUL! Flawlessly beautiful.

We left lunch and were kind of ready to call it a day. But, Mack actually wanted to stay a little longer so that she could enjoy the princess treatment a while longer. So, we headed back to Nemo and did Turtle Talk with Crush, we had to convince Mack, she was kind of blah and didn't want to do anything. Anyway, we all LOOOOOVED Crush! I was amazed by the technology! It was just sooo cool. We didn't have to wait for that show either...bonus:)

We hung a little longer then headed out. We got back to the condo around 7, headed towards check in to find out where our new room was. They gave me the keys, but did not move us to the type of room I asked for and had not moved our things. :rolleyes: They acted like it was unheard of for someone to tell me that they would move our things, but that's what I was told. I was even told how to prepare our room for the move. After a sequence events that frustrated me, I walked out with the keys to our old room and the new one, which was across the street from the old one. Keys to the old did not work anymore and our stuff was still in there. FINALLY, I spoke with a manager and he said someone would come and bring my things. We got our stuff somewhere between 8 and 830. Headed to the pool, then hit the sack.

Big day at MK tomorrow.

Sorry I am sooo long winded:D

Meisha-We got our Fairy Godmailer today! It is awesome to have something from Mickey himself. You picked out a great postcard too! I haven't started your trip report, I'll wait 'til it's done and then read the whole thing. Glad you loved your trip!
Thanks again,
Michelle

Meisha-We got our Fairy Godmailer today! It is awesome to have something from Mickey himself. You picked out a great postcard too! I haven't started your trip report, I'll wait 'til it's done and then read the whole thing. Glad you loved your trip!
Thanks again,
Michelle


I'm so glad you got it and that it was a hit! Yay! I actually had a hard time finding good postcards in Disney, so I got it at one of the souvenir shops, but I thought it was cute!

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!!!

Oh yay! I'm so glad to read your report after all the planning you did! What fun suprises for your daughter - I'm so glad you had a fun Mother's Day! Isn't it funny how making our kids happy really makes us the happiest? Sorry to hear about the hotel, the car and the "need" for credit cards. It seems silly, huh?

Can't wait to read more!

Great report so far, Meisha B! :)

Thanks for the great trip report Meisha:) Can't wait to read more.

Sorry you had problems but when you're at WDW they are easier to take in stride since you're having so much fun.

Thanks for the great trip report Meisha:) Can't wait to read more.

Sorry you had problems but when you're at WDW they are easier to take in stride since you're having so much fun.

I'm really not a calm person and I stayed calm the entire trip...lol...vacation mode....aaaaaahhhhh....it was the life.

Day 3 - MK

Its Monday morning...our first weekday. We had ADRs at Chef Mickey's at 945. I was sooo excited to take the monorail because we hadn't been on it yet....I don't think. The monorail was one of the things I remember from when I went to WDW when I was little and the main thing I remembered was going through a resort, so you better believe I was excited to be getting off at THAT resort! As we got off the monorail and started walking, I could see Chef Mickey's....I was so excited! I think this was one of the most anticipated parts of the trip for me and the first ADR I booked. I was wearing my Minnie hat and ready to go. We walked up got our pager, had our pic taken, and were called to be seated. Awesome! I loved e way it looked in there. We sat down and I had some much needed coffee, I wasn't sure if that was coffee or syrup in the pot...duh...we actually poured it on a plate to see. We loved the food and thought the characters were awesome. We missed Donald though because we were so stuffed and just wanted to get out of there, so we left without meeting Donald. And, actually we missed Donald ALL week! We saw him a million times, but as we walked up they were always getting ready to break or Mack just wasn't interested, so we'll have to catch him next time.

We did see so many more characters than I had expected during the trip, we didn't go up to all of them, but before I forget here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Chip and Dale, Genie, Aladdin, Rafiki, Wendell, Snow White and some dwarfs, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Jiminy Cricket, and Pocahontas...maybe more. They might be slipping my mind.

After breakfast we got some pressed pennies...I thought Mack would fill up her book, but she was so choosy that she didn't just get them for the sake of getting them. We brought rolls of pennies and quarters, which I think was a good idea. Actually I feel like I did awesome with what I packed and how I packed each day. All we took was a book bag, regular size from Old Navy and that was just enough.

Next we were off to MK:) We walked in and rode the train all the way around (geez, I really wish I wrote notes during my trip like I said I would) then headed down Main St towards Advetureland. As soon as we got into Adventureland we stopped to see Rafiki and Wendell with no lines. It was hilarious because Wendell and his goofy face was kind of going in circles trying to figure out where Mack was since he couldn’t see her. Then we went onto Swiss Family Tree House, it wasn’t as exciting and big as I remembered…lol. But, still cool. Then we headed towards Aladdin, which Mack loved. I like how you don’t have to share a carpet with another family. Mack got to sit in the front and “drive” and I sat in the back and tilted us up and down. We tried to do Jungle Cruise, but it was closed…boo. Pirates were a no go for Mack…boo times two. Let me say that the last time I was at Disney 15 years ago, I was a chicken and missed out on all of these rides too. And, I missed out on them again as an adult…boo times three.

Bill got a Dole Whip, I was happy for him since I read so much about them on here. I wanted a chocolate swirl, no chocolate.

Then it was on to Frontierland, we got FP for BTM RR. We went to Tom Sawyer’s Island, another thing Mack loved and wanted to spend more time at. I wanted to head back to see the afternoon parade, but we didn’t make it back in time and we had to cut short Mack’s time on the island.

We headed towards BTM RR, Mack told us she didn’t want to do it, but I thought she would or we could get her to and she would be ok. Boy, was I wrong?!? She watched and even saw how mild it was, but NO, she was NOT going on. We got her into the car and had the bar down (bad parent alert coming…..) and she way crying, but I still thought she’d be ok. Well, crying turned into convulsing and she was kicked off. It was horrible! I was wrong for trying to make her, but looking back I find it comical that she got kicked off. I really thought she would do it and get over it and love it. I thought wrong. Her and Bill got off, I rode. It was NOTHINING exciting at all.

Before I rode alone and felt like an idiot, we got FP for Splash Mountain. After the scene we skipped Splash Mountain and got back on the train and headed to Mickey’s Toon Town Fair. Well, there was nothing to do there either. No need to meet characters we met in the morning and she was NOT riding the Barnstormer. The only thing I can say is the houses were cute.

After that we headed towards Fantasyland and got frozen cokes and cookies. We took a break in that Pooh play area and then I think the three of us were ready to call it a day.

Oh, and mix in some more pin trading…Mack did a lot of that and it was a hit and a highlight of the trip.

She probably passed out in the car and we probably went to the pool again, but it was kind of cold.

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, but those damn lovebugs were HORRIBLE especially in the parks.

I felt defeated at the end of the day. Mack was not having the time I expected her to have and we were nowhere near on schedule. I was almost becoming anti-Disney. I started thinking that maybe this isn’t a trip she would want, maybe I wanted it and envisioned being the family on the commercial. I was a little down. So, I started to give up and decided that the next day we would take it easy at the resort and then head back to MK for the next evening against Bill and Mack’s wills. Haha.

Day 4 – Relax and have fun

I realized on Tuesday morning that maybe I had over planned and that my expectations may have been too high. I should know that Mack is not able to go go go, but I thought she would tough it out. She likes being a bum and swimming and just hanging out.

We headed to the pool around 11 or 12. We met another nice family and spent a few hours in the pool. After the pool we ate in the room and headed to play putt putt at our resort. It was hot, but Mack enjoyed it and I almost beat Bill. We played foosball for a little while after golf. Mack was really having a good time. FINALLY! Then I had to be the downer and tell her we were headed back to MK…hahaha!

We are headed out and I could tell Bill was dreading it because Mack was dreading it, so I told him he could stay home if he wanted…I wanted my time with Mack anyway. So we were off. I told her in the car that I would not be bringing the stroller, I acted like it would be too much for me to handle on my own. I prepared her to walk and do what I wanted to do (we told her earlier we were doing what we wanted since she never wanted to do anything). Even though I was determined to get her on rides and do what I wanted, I did it in a relaxed way and we had a nice evening.

We got to MK around 5, hopped on the tram, and headed over to MK. I told Mack that we would be there just in time for Dream Along With Mickey and that I wanted to see it. Of course she did not. So, we stopped in the candy store on the corner of Main St and I got a drink and Mack got Mickey suckers. We headed toward the castle, I was wrong on time the show was 20 minutes later than I thought. Mack and I parked ourselves on a bench under those little shelter things to the sides of the castle. She ate her sucker and we chatted. When people started coming for the show, we moved to a front spot and she parked her little behind on the ground.

The show started and I looooooooved it and so did Mack!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY! First thing done and it was a success!! I hoped we could last through Spectromagic. Sadly, no Spectromagic that night. I thought it was every night, but it’s only like 3 nights….looks like we’ll be heading back to MK on Thursday.

After the show we headed to Tomorrowland. Took some pics on the way with Photopass. I love Photopass!!! Mack already decided she needed to take a break, fine, I’m calm and going with the flow, I want us to have a nice evening. I told her we were coming up to Monster’s Inc and Stitch and they were both shows so she could rest inside. She chose to do Monster’s Inc, I told her one of her friends did it in Dec and it was one of her faves. We waited in line and were able to get into the first show…not long at all. But, a family did cut us. I started to let it annoy me then I realized they weren’t going to make that much of a difference, but they were one of the people that ended up on screen during the show. While in line we text one of Mack’s jokes. We headed in and she was sooo excited. We sat close to the front and the show started, we both REALLY enjoyed it. I would recommend it with or without kids. They even used Mack’s joke before the end, she was thrilled! Two things down and both were a success. Woooohoooo!!!!

After Monster’s we headed to get FP for Buzz Light Year. We got them, but there wasn’t a line so we went on. I had told Mack the tips I learned in Birnbaum’s….hold the trigger the entire time, shoot at small, far, and moving targets. We went in, she loved it. She steered and shot at the targets. She scored 11000 and I got 27500…Woooohoooo!!! We left there and went on The Carousel of Progress, one of my faves as a child…remember I was a chicken. I explained what was going on to Mack and showed her that’s the first radio, light bulb, fridge, etc. She understood and we both really enjoyed it. What a pleasant evening. I’m back to enjoying Disney and started thinking maybe we will do this again…haha…maybe just me and Mack.

After the carousel, we rode Buzz Light Year again, but for some reason our scored were horrible, but still fun. Oh yeah we saw Buzz by Carousel but we didn’t go up to him either.

We bought some more pins, put them on, and bought a Balzac. We then headed to Speedway. It was probably the longest line of the whole trip and it was about 30 minutes. She drove and it was a WILD ride! I had a blast watching her. She was the same child I see everyday at home. She was really enjoying the trip and her time with me I took a video of her driving and laughing hysterically because she wasn’t really steering so we kept hitting the track and she loved it. That laughter had to be one of my favorite moments of the trip. After the speedway we ran to the restroom in Mickey’s Toon Town. She even had fun running to the bathroom.

This is the best NIGHT EVER…lol.

She was getting hungry. We were going to eat at Cosmic Ray’s, but it was about 820 and since there wasn’t a parade I wanted to get out before the fireworks crowd. So we hurried along and went back to the candy store. I got stuff to bring back to the office and Mack got stuff to take back to her class. And, we were on our way, BUT in perfect time to see fireworks from the ferry….YAYYYY!!!!

After we got off the ferry we made it to the tram and the car. We succeeded in having a Disney good time. And, Mack never said anything again about resting the entire night. We just had a good old time. It was the best. I’m so glad we did it! I definitely recommend one on one time with your child at Disney to anyone. As we were leaving I already knew her and Bill would not have that, I didn’t want to miss out…hehe. I did want alone time for myself, but was always so pooped I quit when she quit.

We got back to the hotel to find a bored Bill, I guess he didn’t realize how much he would actually miss going with us. We ate and hit the sack. I went to bed happy with the trip starting to go the way I envisioned.

I have already decided that Mack and I will go back alone within the next 2 years, maybe for 4 days. Do Sea World and MK. I would like o take her frequently now that I have figured things out (I think). This way we can slowly and calmly accomplish everything we want.

Oh, we missed Fantasyland. We ran out of time. At least we are going back Thurs for Spectromagic. Another lesson learned….if you have kids that are not going to do many rides, it may be better to spend most of the time in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. I was trying to follow what I read and go left first on Sunday and other than Tom Sawyer, I don’t think that was the right choice for me and my fam.

More to come later. I’m sleepy and talking too much, but even a week later this is nice for reminiscing

We slept in…aaahhhh! That’s what I thought vacation was about…haha. We had ADRs at Coral Reef in Epcot at 1200. We got there a little early, maybe 1140. We had to wait until about 12. We were seated in the fourth row of tables from the aquarium and all the way to one side, definitely nowhere close to the best seats. We could see the aquarium, but not all that great. The hostess was friendly, when she saw that Mack was a pin trader she went and found some pins to see if Mack wanted to trade.

Our waitress was very friendly as well, the service was good. The food was not what I expected from reviews I read. I had the steak and was pretty disappointed. It was overcooked, tough, and dry. Mack had Mac & Cheese and Bill has some type of salmon sandwich. He ate everything so it must have been pretty good. Mack got a sundae with her meal, I thought it was cute they bring all the toppings in individual containers so that you can make it how you want it.

Overall, it was ok, but once was enough at Coral Reef. The atmosphere and décor is nice, but I could do without the food.

After Coral Reef, we got FP for Soarin. Stan by was over an hour and our return time wasn’t until 330-430. Should have gotten FP before lunch. We never made it back. I really wanted to do that, too. Another thing to do next time I guess. After getting FP, we headed to Canada and hit the Kidcot station. Bill, Mack and I all made masks; I thought that was fun and cute. We had the CM take a picture of the three of us and our masks. I think I did a really good job on mine….haha. We then went to ALL Kidcot stations in the other countries to get charms/stamps added. It was fun and took about 3 hours. We saw the juggler in Italy and acrobats in Japan. And, if you are interested in doing this it’s free compared to doing the Passport, which costs about $10. It was a good free souvenir. And, it was like a mission we had to complete.

Here is my take on the countries….Being in Morocco made me want to go there. And, I looooved Mexico!!! It was so pretty inside of there. I think it was my fave. I have been to the real Mexico, only Tijuana and it looked nothing like that. They also had some good stuff I would have bought in Mexico, just really pretty stuff.

By the time we finished, it was about 5. We had plans to meet a friend’s brother and his fam at DtD at 6. So we headed out of Epcot. Headed over to DtD, which we had not planned to visit, but wish we would have. We planned to eat at Rainforest Café at 6. Well, we parked by Cirque De Soliel. And, Rainforest is on the opposite side, thankfully they had the water taxi, we hopped on that which was fun in itself. We sat outside at Rainforest….no wait. We should have sat inside for the kids, but I didn’t want to wait….next time. We had a very nice dinner with them the pita quesadillas were awesome and different and the volcano was DELICIOUS!!!! Pizza was a little disappointing. After dinner, we walked through for the kids and it was better than the one I had been to before. I really wished we would have waited for inside, but oh well. We walked through and took some pics.

After, the 6 of us walked through DtD. Mack got a tattoo of Ariel, which thankfully she was ready to have removed the next day. We parted ways when they got to where they parked and we walked the rest of the way to where we parked. It was a nice night and day and a nice walk. There some neat things to see. Oooohhhh, they had an Italian Ice stand…yummy, but the person who worked there was too busy talking on his phone to come over and help me, so no ice for me.

We got to our car and headed back to our resort and got lost for our first time, not bad, we made it without getting lost until the 5th day. What would Bill do without me? I was driving and we couldn’t figure our way back, so I used my clever detective skills;) and called a restaurant near our hotel to get directions to the restaurant and BINGO lead us back to the hotel. Mack was passed out and stayed passed out. We got back around 10 and called it a night.

More to come on days 6-8

I'm SOOOO glad you didn't do Stitch - that one is a bit much for a kid who doesn't like scary, and the Laugh Floor is so much better! I'm glad they used her joke!

Even though you may have over planned and over estimated what you could do, I think all the information you gathered while doing your planning, once you chucked it out the door, did help you have a successful rest of the trip (well, so far!)

Your report kind of reminds me what I tell people when they're going with kids for the first time - You HAVE to go at the kid's pace - AND the heat and humidity can really sap your energy!

Our plan was to do AK in the morning right away then MK. Mack slept in until sometime after 10, so I let her. By the time she got up, I figured we'd pass on AK since we wanted to get there early, have downtime then hit MK.

We took our time getting up, having breakfast, eating lunch, going to the pool. We spent a few hours at the pool. After the pool we headed back to shower and get ready for the day. As, I turned on the water to the big tub for Mack, another huuuuge bug scurries around. I get freaked out and pissed again. The exterminator comes and she says it will take 48 - 72 hours for that damn bug to die(we'll be home by then) and that they fly(GREAT!!!! If we take one of those freakin things home with us, I'll die). So, I get Mack in the other tub, then shower after her.

We head over to putt putt at the resort. It was fun! I almost beat Bill. I think he beat me by one stroke! We always get competetive. Mack had something crazy like 110 strokes....haha...she prob could have finished at 75, but it almost turned into lets see how many times I can hit the ball. We all had fun and that was the point. Then we payed a few games of foosball...took turns having Mack on our team. She had fun and so did we.

It was about 4 or so, maybe later, so we headed over to MK to finish off the day and hopefully see the night parade and fireworks. We walked in and went towards Fantasyland. It's been 2 weeks now so I can't remember the EXACT order of events, but here is the jist of them. We rode Mad Tea Party and it was wonderful!!! Mack had so much fun! the pics were awesome...her face was priceless. Those are the moments that made the trip worthwhile. After the Tea Party, Mack and Bill rode Dumbo, their elephant was stuck in the air so I wasn't able to get any good pics. Then we did Pooh, which we thought would be kind of stupid, but we looooooved it! The line was a little long compared to the other lines we stood in and there were times where we didn't seem to move for long periods of time, but I would def do the ride again. If the line is over 20-30 minutes get FP. Next we headed to SMALL WORLD....YAYYYYY...FINALLLYYYYY!!! Can you tell I was excited. Got FP for Peter Pan, FP weren't until 945-1045(it was prob 730)...hmmm....:confused: We get in line for Small World and just being in line I was so excited!!! It was everything I'd remembered and MUCH MUCH MORE!!! To my understanding it had recently been redone. It was so beautiful and vibrant! I loooooved everything about it. I took so many pics. I could have gone on 10 more times just to make sure I saw everything. Anyway, it was awesome and I will never do MK without it. After that we headed to Philharmagic. Mack started saying that she was scared of Peter Pan....here we go. We did Philharmagic....WONDERFUL!!! Don't miss!!! Mack loved it! I loved it! It was just wonderful and the perfect length of time. By the time we came out it was time to head to the parade (820).

We got a pretty decent parade spot behind a large group sitting on the ground(wishing I would have taken my spot 20 minutes earlier). I read and didn't listen enough, but if there is one thing to stress about the parade, get your spot EARLY and let the rest of your fame get a snack. I got the spot, Bill and Mack went for ice cream. The closer the start time was, people were crowding me baaaaddd!!! I was starting to lose my patience and was getting very very very annoyed. I'm sad to say, I allowed the people around me to ruin the parade for me. I shouldn't have let that happen. It was the only parade we saw and the one I was dying to see. Even looking back it kinda makes me sick how pissed I was during the parade. On the bright side, the jump rope and bubbles and all that was a nice touch. I didn't get as many pics as I'd like, the stupid lady that cut in front of me as the parade started was blocking and my battery kept flashing(both things happened a lot throughout the trip). Mack eventually started whining so as soon as the parade ended we were those people practically running out of the park. So, no Peter Pan:(

We hopped on the ferry and again caught a little bit of the fireworks happening behind us. Got in the car and went home.

Tomorrow is our last full day and finally AK. The trip seemed to drag in the beginning, but at this point, I'm starting to be sad that it's over:( Almost anyway.

Ah, you met a palmetto bug! It is SUPER freaky when they fly!

Day 7 - headed to AK on our last park day:( We got there around 12. We stayed until closing at 6, thought that would have been plenty of time. All we did was the Safari, which we loved, and Rafiki's Planet Watch Area.

We ate at Yak & Yeti without ADRs and we loved it, probably one of our favorite meals during the trip.

I think we should have gone earlier, but it was almost the end and we were probably getting burnt out.

We didn't see any shows:(

Day 8 - All we did on our last day was get some souvenirs and head to the airport extremely early. The day was uneventful, thank goodness. I think we had mixed emotions about leaving.

Looking back - We have been back from WDW for a month and a half, but it already feels like it's been a year:( We are ready to go back. Bill said looking back it was a good trip and the things that took a toll on us while there seem minor now and that it really was successful:) There isn't much I would change. Maybe a little more planning in the beginning of each day so that we could have seen some of the shows and parades (we only saw Spectromagic and no fireworks) that I heard so much about.

The one thing that I strongly recommend is using the Times Guide that each park has for the entire week and the night before or morning of a park, REALLY PLAN! We really missed out on shows and parades:( They will be must sees next time around!


But, I loooved it and don't have much more to say, it's already a fading memory, which is why my last part of my trip report is so short and missing details.

We really missed out on shows and parades:( They will be must sees next time around!

So now you need to get another trip planned so you can do those "must sees"! ;)

What a wonderful trip report!! Oh the memories you made. Those are things that money can't buy and you will have forever.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Ellen