Kathleen O'Neill - April 2005 - Port Orleans French Quarter

Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Plane, Rental car
Resort: POFQ
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Infant, Toddler, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Kathleen is a Walt Disney World veteran but it just now finally writing her first trip report. For this trip, her annual visit to the in-laws at Daytona Beach turned into a big family gathering at Walt Disney World. Can't complain about that turn of events.


Kathleen O'Neill -- April 2005 - Walt Disney World (POFQ)

Who:

Kathleen: 31, trip writer, veteran (7th trip)
Kevin: 40, husband, veteran (5th trip)
Katie: 2 and ¾, daughter of Kevin and Kathleen, veteran (3rd trip)
Kira: 9 months, daughter of Kevin and Kathleen, rookie 1st trip (unless you count last year when I was pregnant with her)
Papa: Kathleen’s Dad, veteran (7th trip)
Nana: Kathleen’s Mom, veteran (7th trip)
Molly: Kevin’s Stepmother, veteran (lives in Daytona Beach and has an annual pass)
I have never written a trip report before but I have always wanted to. I love reading them on Mouseplanet, sometimes they make me feel like I am at Walt Disney World! I’ll do my best to keep things interesting and hopefully provide some of the magic that other reports provide for me.

Background:

This trip came about as Kevin and I usually travel to Daytona Beach in January to visit his Stepmom, Molly. Since Daytona Beach is so close to Walt Disney World, we usually spend a few nights there as well. Kevin and I are also lovers of all things Disney and had taken many trips together before we had children. In fact, we got engaged at Disney World in 2000. Since Katie was born in 2002, we have visited Molly first in Daytona and then gone onto Disney for 2 winters in a row. My parents live 5 minutes away from Kevin and I and we plan our trip so they meet us for the Walt Disney World part of our vacation. This year, we had added Kira to our family and decided that a Disney trip would be much too difficult with a baby and a toddler. Well, that theory didn’t last very long; especially as winter hit and the snow piles grew. On our past trips with Katie, we had only been to Walt Disney World for a few nights. Now that we were a family of 4, Molly’s condo in Daytona Beach was too small to accommodate all of us so we decided to spend the entire week in Walt Disney World and have Molly come see us. Being another huge lover of all things Disney, Molly was very excited about this. We asked my Mom and Dad to join us as well, they are not quite the Disney fanatics Kevin and I are but they enjoy visiting and especially wanted to see Katie’s reaction to the rides and characters. So we went back and forth about whether or not to go, it was too late to use the codes on Mousesavers and March was considered peak season. We always go in off season (fall, January) and had never been in the spring before. I suggested the last week in April because rates would drop back to regular and spring break would be over. Also, living in upstate New York, the weather is still generally pretty bad that time of year. My parents were still hedging, thinking March would be a better time but when I showed them the price differences they agreed a trip in April would be fun. I called WDW travel and booked 7 nights at Port Orleans French Quarter. With the AAA discount, the cost per night was $128. Not bad, but last year we stayed at Coronado Springs at a rate of $83 per night using AAA and mousesavers codes. I was convinced that Disney would release new codes and when they did we were planning on upgrading to the Wilderness Lodge. The codes never came (I was really surprised) and we kept our reservation.

Travel
I started checking flights and got a great rate with AirTran. We live in Rochester, NY and AirTran was the only airline to offer non-stop service. This is important with small children. The flights were only $176 round trip which is a great price. The only caveat was we had to leave on a Monday. To fly out on Sunday the cost went up to $350!!! I work part time and am home on Mondays and Fridays so this was fine with me. My parents are retired so every day is a Saturday for them. Kevin has plenty of vacation so we booked the flights for Monday, April 25, returning on Monday, May 2. I also used some codes for National I found on the dis boards and we were able to rent 2 full size cars for the week for only $99 each.

Admission
Each of us had two days left on our park hoppers from last year’s trip. After reviewing the new tickets and the prices on MousePlanet we decided the best deal was to get the 10-day park hopper passes with no expiration. Katie would not be 3 until July so she would still be free. This was around mid February and we were getting so excited. I printed out many of the menus on Deb’s site and we would plan and discuss where to eat sitting in front if the fireplace at my Mom and Dad’s house. My parents would be celebrating an anniversary, as would Kevin and I while we where there so we planned where to eat those nights we well. Finally all the meals were booked and I made an excel spreadsheet detailing our trip (I am a project manager, I can’t help it). Since I was pregnant with Kira on our last trip I could not ride my favorites (Test Track, Tower of Terror, Splash) and I could not try Mission: Space. I was looking forward to all of these and seeing Illuminations, Spectro, and Wishes. Katie had been too small to stay up before so hopefully she is ready now. Before our trip we would show Katie Mickey’s Beach party and Mickey’s Campout sing along tapes so she would have an idea of what to expect. She had been to Disney at 6 months and 18 months and loved the characters then but she is more aware now and starting to become afraid of things that never bothered her before.

I just want to take a minute here to talk about bringing children to Disney World. Kevin and I had two trips to Disney World together, before we had kids. We got engaged there in 2000 and went back in 2001. I swore I would never bring kids until they were at least 7 years old. I always saw small children over stimulated and screaming with stressed out parents. Then, Katie was born and we went when she was 6 months old! I realized that when children come we still take vacations and why not continue to go to the place we love? Kevin and I are not commandos so we had no problem leaving for the afternoon nap. I also focused on doing things there that Katie would enjoy and making sure there was enough down time to do things like swim at the resort, play in the shooting fountains at Epcot, and play on the playgrounds. I think when parents push their kids to see it all and do too much a meltdown is inevitable. Disney World is stimulating for me; I cannot imagine what it is like from a child’s point of view.

General Plans:

Monday 4/25—Fly out of Rochester 1:15, arrive in Orlando 3:55. Pick up rental car, check into Port Orleans French Quarter, Katie and Kevin swim, dinner at the food court, early bedtime
Tuesday 4/26—Animal Kingdom, meet Molly in the park, nap at the resort, meet Molly for PS at Brown Derby 5
Wednesday 4/27—Magic Kingdom, nap at the resort, PS seating at Tony’s Town Square at 5:15, Spectromagic and Wishes
Thursday 4/28—Kevin and Kathleen’s anniversary! Character breakfast at Cape May at 9, swim at resort, PS at Artist Point at 6:15 for Kevin and Kathleen while Nana and Papa babysit
Friday 4/29—MGM, nap at resort, Epcot, PS at Restaurant Marrakesh at 6, Illuminations
Saturday 4/30— Kevin go to Vero Beach to golf with his friend from West Palm, relax and rest at the resort, dinner at Boma at 5, meet up with Molly and her son Stephen back at the resort
Sunday 5/1— Spend the morning at the MK, go to Epcot dinner at Living Seas
Monday 5/2—Check out and fly home at 10:05, arrive in Rochester at 12:45

Sorry this intro has taken so long, I’m sure I must have lost 75% of you by now!! Ok, on to the trip…

Day 1, Monday April 25
Plan: Fly out of Rochester 1:15, arrive in Orlando 3:55. Pick up rental car, check into Port Orleans French Quarter, Katie and Kevin swim, dinner at the food court, early bedtime

Actual: We had been having awesome weather prior to our trip. It had been in the mid seventies which is unheard of in April in Rochester NY! However, the weekend before we left, it dropped to the mid forties, which is more our usual lovely spring weather. The day before the trip we went to church and as is usual routine, we went to breakfast afterwards (we meet my parents at church every Sunday). Katie kept saying at breakfast she was “going to Mickey’s house” and wanted to see “10 giraffes”!

Monday we woke up around 7 AM, everything was packed so I cleaned up the house (I hate coming home to a messy house) and my Mom and Dad came to pick us up at 11:15 for our 1 PM flight. The weather was rain and 45 degrees, a perfect day to be going to Florida! We managed to fit everything into their Odyssey and we were on our way. 25 minutes later we arrived at the airport. Papa dropped us off at the curb and went to go park the van. Kevin got a porter who was very helpful getting all our bags checked. Check in went smoothly and we all got through security without being stopped. As we sat waiting for our flight we ate the lunches my Mom had packed, granola bars, apples, nuts and raisins. Except for Kira, of course. She had a jar of baby food and some cheerios. We let Katie run around and get out some energy so she would be ready for a nap on the plane. She kept telling everyone she was going to Mickey’s house and when she saw him she was going to give him a big hug and a kiss. We boarded our flight and it left on time. Both Katie and Kira did great, they slept for most of the flight and I nursed Kira as we landed so her ears wouldn’t bother her. We arrived at the Orlando airport and practically skipped off the plane. Everyone waiting to board our plane looked tired, I am always so happy my vacation is just beginning!

We boarded the monorail and were off to retrieve our luggage. I love the Orlando airport; I think they do a great job of making you feel like you are on vacation. Everything is lush with plants and flowers and the monorail is like a ride! I love feeling the warm breeze when you step outside for the first time. Our baggage came out quickly and Kevin got a cart because we couldn’t carry everything and push two strollers! We proceeded to the emerald aisle- I love bypassing the counter- and picked out our cars. Kevin and I got a silver Pontiac G6 and Papa and Nana got a gold Pontiac Grand Am. We exited the airport and got on 417 South to take us straight to Disney World. It’s fun to drive this way every year and see how much they are building. Kevin read an article on the plane that said Orlando was the #1 city for entrepreneurs. I would only move there though if I could live in Celebration! We drove under the welcome sign and Katie was so excited. Poor Kira had no idea what was going on but she was very good about all the changes.

We arrived at the French Quarter and I checked us in while Katie and Kevin ran around the lobby. We were in building 1 right by the river. It was a perfect location, the only problem was I had requested connecting rooms and they gave us 2 rooms next to each other but not connecting. Our rooms were newly remodeled and very nice. All the rooms have refrigerators, which is great! I also like the double sinks with the shelf above them for storage. There was also a curtain between the sink area and the room, making it easier for Kevin and I to get ready for bed at night without waking the kids. We were on the first floor, which made using the strollers so easy. We could go outside and sit in the grass while the kids napped and we had a perfect view of Illuminations. We got settled and housekeeping brought a crib for Kira and bed rails for Katie. Kevin and Katie changed to their swimsuits and headed for the pool. I went to the food court with Papa and Nana for dinner and to give Kira hers. The selections were not that great, especially for healthy fare. Oh well, it’s only one night! I had chicken quesadillas, Papa had a chicken club wrap, Nana had a bowl of minestrone soup and when Kevin and Katie joined us they both had chicken strips and French fries. Dinner was a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, about what I expected.

We went back to our rooms and got the girls ready for bed. I nursed Kira and she was out like a light. Katie took a little longer to fall asleep, she is not used to such a big bed and the new surroundings. Kevin, being the wonderful man that he is, suggested I go sit in the hot tub while he stayed with the kids. I jumped at this and changed very quickly into my bathing suit. I only stayed in the hot tub for about 1 minute and decided I would rather take a walk and get some exercise. I took off down the path for Riverside, enjoying the balmy evening and soaking in the atmosphere. I have stayed at almost all the Disney hotels, the Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian, Contemporary, All Star Movies, and Coronado Springs (Wilderness Lodge is my favorite) but I think Disney does an awesome job at the moderates. Port Orleans is beautiful and we also enjoyed Coronado Springs last year. The theming is great and the rooms are the same size as the ones at the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I walked to the pool at Riverside and then turned around and headed back to the French Quarter. After my walk I took Kevin’s refillable mug to the food court for some cold water and bought a cookie for us to share. It had M&M’s in it and it was still warm from the oven – soooo good! We eat really healthy at home but this week we are on vacation! Besides, with all the walking we do, my weight usually stays the same after a trip to Disney, despite all the yummy treats. I showered and got ready for the next day and we had lights out at 10 PM.

Highs: Going to WDW! Walking around the resort at dusk, our room location

Lows: Not having connecting rooms, the dinner selection at the food court

Day 2, Tuesday April 26
Plan: Animal Kingdom, meet Molly in the park, nap at the resort, meet Molly for PS at Brown Derby at 5

Actual: As we have small children we need no alarm clock, Kira was up at 6:30 wanting to nurse. Katie awoke shortly after that and we all got dressed and headed to the food court for breakfast. We ran into Nana and Papa there and wished them a happy anniversary; they had been married for 36 years! Considering the divorce rate today, that is quite an achievement. Nana had oatmeal and Papa had a banana muffin. I had oatmeal, a banana, and juice, Kevin had coffee, oatmeal and toast and Katie had a croissant with some of my banana. Kira had her usual Cheerios with a few bites of my banana.

We headed to our cars and made our way to the Animal Kingdom. We parked and skipped the tram, walking to the entrance and arriving at 8:45. They were already letting people in and we made it through the gates at about 9. I thought the crowds were pretty heavy, never having been in the spring before. I sent my family on to the Maharaj Jungle Trek while I went to get fastpasses for the Safari. As I got into Africa I was shocked at the line for the safari, it stretched all the way back to the Tusker House! I got us fastpasses and headed off to the Jungle Trek.

My walk from Africa to Asia was awesome; there was no one around but me! It was beautiful taking in everything with no other people around. I love the Animal Kingdom; I think it is a beautiful park, with all the plants and trees. It is so lush and green. I caught up to my family where they were looking at the bats. Again, no one was on the trail, we had the whole thing to ourselves!! It was as if they had closed the park and reserved it for us! Katie loved the bats, she was pointing at them and Kira was fascinated. We spoke with cast member Shari. She was working Flight of Wonder at 11:30 and promised to get us front row seats. Katie loves birds so we were excited about seeing this show. Kevin and I had never seen it before and were looking forward to it. I have read so much about it in Sheri’s trip reports; I knew it would be good. We moved on to the tigers and Katie went berserk. She was so excited, screaming, “A Tiger Mama, I see a Tiger”! One was walking around licking her fur while another was fast asleep. They really are interesting to watch, I am always amazed at how mammoth they are. We next saw some of the deer from India and Katie enjoyed this as well. We saw more tigers and birds on the way out and began to make our way back to Africa to go on the Safari.

It was 9:45 at this point and more people were beginning to make their way into Asia. We met up with Molly in Africa as she had just arrived. After saying hello we got to the Safari and standby time was 45 minutes! I don’t understand why more people do not use fastpass. As Molly did not have a fastpass she offered to take Kira on the Pangani Forest Trail and meet us after the safari. It was time for Kira’s nap so this worked out perfectly. We walked right past the giant line and right into a truck and were on our way. The safari was great; we saw all the animals, including a few baby elephants. They were adorable, playing with their Mama’s and each other. When we saw the lions, the guide told us that the male lions sleep 18-20 hours per day leaving the hunting to the female lions. There might be a joke here somewhere but my husband works very hard! Katie was so cute on the safari, she was shrieking with excitement at all the animals and was especially fascinated with the giraffes, zebras and elephants. After the safari we went on the Pangani Forest Trail and it was somewhat crowded, not like the empty Maharaj Jungle Trek! The gorillas were out and Katie got to see them walking around. She was fascinated by them and was waving, saying “Hi gorillas”. We met up with Molly and a sleeping Kira at the end of the trail.

We had 30 minutes before Flights of Wonder and it was time for Kira to nurse so I took her over to the baby care center with plans to meet the group at Flights of Wonder. The baby care center in the Animal Kingdom is located over by the Tree of Life. I had never been there before and it was nice and cool inside. They have private nursing rooms with changing tables. I nursed Kira and gave her a dry diaper and she was happy. I met up with everyone 5 minutes before the show started and just as CM Shari promised everyone was seated in the front row. The show was great; I can see why Sheri and Rich are such big fans! We really enjoyed seeing all the different birds and learning about them. Katie and Kira were in awe and stared at all the birds. Katie enjoyed it when they flew over us. This is my 5th trip to WDW since the Animal Kingdom opened and this is the first time I have seen Flights of Wonder. There is always something new to see at Disney, no matter how often you go. Thank you Rich and Sheri!

After the show Katie seemed to be getting tired so went back to Africa for lunch at Tusker House. Kevin and I shared the half rotisserie chicken, Nana and Papa shared a vegetable sandwich, and Molly had a vegetable sandwich. Kira had a jar of apples and mangoes and Katie shared with everyone, the food was really good. The chicken came with garlic smashed potatoes and green beans. The green beans were cooked perfectly, they were nice and crisp and not mushy. While eating, a man came through dressed in African clothing and playing an African instrument (it looked like some sort of guitar). He stopped by our table and smiled at Katie and she gave him a huge smile in return, it was very cute. While eating we discussed our afternoon plans. The girls had to take afternoon naps so they needed to go back to the resort. Molly, Papa, and Nana were going to stay at the Animal Kingdom and Kevin offered to take the girls back by himself so I could stay with Molly and ride some more rides. Have a mentioned what a wonderful husband I have?? Kevin could not push 2 strollers to the car (we never bought a double) so I walked out with him, making plans to meet Molly and my parents at the entrance to Dinosaur. We walked out to the car and I promised to back at the room by 3:30, when Kira would be ready to nurse. I walked back into the park and over to Dinosaur – my feet were getting tired but I was happy to get the exercise. I made it the entrance and the ride was a walk on. Papa and Nana were enjoying Mickey bars and they shared with me. After looking at the fat and calorie content we decided we could only afford one Mickey bar for each Disney vacation! We walked onto Dinosaur and were off in our car. What a great ride! Molly and I were laughing and screaming the whole way, it was so much fun. I love to suspend reality and pretend the rides are real; it makes them even more entertaining.

After Dinosaur we were forced to go into the new area, Din-o-Rama, by the way the ride exited. I had never seen this area of the park and was I very curious to explore. Well, after seeing it I thought it was horrible!! It looks exactly like a carnival and I know that was the intention but I cannot understand why. As Molly said, I go to Disney for what the rest if the parks are, not this. I agree, Kevin and I went to 6 flags last year, we had not been there for about 10 years and after been spoiled by Disney we were shocked. We thought it was terrible, dirty, poor rides, long lines, bad food, no atmosphere, etc. That is what Din-o-Rama reminded me of. I can only imagine Walt’s reaction; he wanted his parks to be places where parents could take their children to, with no tacky carnival rides. I even rode Primevil Whirl and I thought it was awful as well. You could tell it was not created by imagineers, the queue reminded me of 6 Flags. We could not get out of there fast enough! I think that the people who created the concept for Din-o-Rama should be fired, I am sure they could have a lucrative career over at 6 Flags! Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox…

Back in the Animal Kingdom we felt much better once again enjoying the beautiful scenery and atmosphere. At this point Papa and Nana decided to head back to the resort to rest for a bit and get ready for their dinner at Artist Point. Molly and I headed over to see ITTBAG in the Tree of Life. We had a nice walk through the queue, enjoying all the animal carvings on the tree. The show was great, as usual. I love the exiting bugs! After the show it was time for me to head back to the resort to nurse Kira. Molly was going over to MGM and we would be meeting up with her for dinner at the Brown Derby.

Molly dropped me off at Port Orleans and Kira had just woken up and was waiting for me. I brought her over to my parent’s room so Katie could continue her nap. As I was nursing Kira, it started to rain very heavily, a typical Florida downpour. It stopped as Katie was getting up and we headed out to MGM. We parked in stage Mickey and walked to the entrance, skipping the tram. Just as we entered the park, it started to pour again and we walked down Hollywood Blvd through the shops to stay dry. We raced over to the Brown Derby and had trouble trying to get into the restaurant as people were huddled under the canopy. We were pushing 2 strollers and people just stood there staring at us. After saying, “excuse me” about 100 times, we made it in were Molly was waiting. Our seating was for 5 PM and the place was packed. We found a couch and sat down were Katie entertained everyone with her dancing.

While we were waiting a couple came in and judging from their accents they sounded as if the were from England. Well, the man started yelling at his girlfriend/wife and using the f word. Soon, she is crying quietly in the corner looking miserable. I never, ever swear and I think it is a disgusting habit. People are free to do what they want but when my daughter who is a parrot in repeating what she hears is standing there I expect adults to act like adults. If Katie had repeated what this man said I would have said something to him, even though I am pretty shy and quiet. When your children are involved it is amazing how much you change! I felt very bad for his wife/girlfriend who was still crying when their pager went off. Disney World is the happiest place in the world; I wish people could just enjoy their vacations. I can’t imagine Kevin ever talking to me that way, especially in front of all those people.

Our pager finally went off at 5:50 and we were seated. Our waiter was very friendly and put Katie’s order in right away. Katie and Kira exceeded my expectations; they were so patient while we had to wait for our table. In fact, on the whole trip they behaved so well, with being off their schedules and in an unfamiliar place. For dinner, we all had appetizer’s, Molly and I shared the cobb salad and Kevin had the crab cakes. For our main entrees, I had the tuna steaks (seared and cooked rare), Molly had the grouper, and Kevin had the cobb salad. We love the cobb salad, it was the only reason we wanted to eat at the Brown Derby! They do a great job, everything is cut up very small and they mix it together at the table. It reminded me of tabouli, the way they chop it up. Katie had a grilled cheese and French fries (I keep reminding myself we are on vacation and she will get back to healthy eating next week) and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with gummy worms. Kira had some baby food and cheerios. Total came to $120 with tip. After dinner we ran over to the Great Movie Ride as it was still raining and got the gangster side. I was a little worried about Katie but she enjoyed it and was not fazed by the Alien part of the ride. It was about 8 PM after the ride so we decided to call it a night as tomorrow was the Magic Kingdom. At home, Kira goes to bed at 7 and Katie follows at 7:30 so they were pretty tired.

We said goodnight to Molly (she would be back on Saturday) and drove back to the resort. We put the kids to bed and I went next door to see how my parents enjoyed their dinner. They had a nice time and took the boat over to the MK but it was still raining so they came right back. Kevin went to the food court and got another M&M cookie and made a mocha (decaf coffee and hot chocolate) in his refillable mug. Lights were out by 10 PM.

Highs: Seeing Katie’s reaction at the Animal Kingdom, Flights of Wonder, using Fastpass to walk on rides, having Asia and the Maharaj Jungle Trek all to ourselves, seeing Molly, my parents being married for 36 years.

Lows: Chester and Hester’s, rude people blocking entrance to Brown Derby, awful man fighting in Brown Derby.

Day 3, Wednesday April 27

Plan: Magic Kingdom, nap at the resort, PS seating at Tony’s Town Square at 5:15, Spectromagic and Wishes

Actual: The baby alarm woke us up at 6:00, which worked out because we had to get up and at em for our day at MK. Kevin went to the food court and brought back breakfast for us, which was a croissant for Katie, assorted fruit, and 2 blueberry muffins along with orange juice and coffee.

We drove over to the ticket and transportation center and took the tram to the monorail over to the MK. We got there at 8:50 and they kept everyone outside under the train station. The opening ceremonies began and they let us into the park at 9. We made our way under the bridge and out onto Main Street and Katie saw the castle. She had seen pictures of it before and she got very excited saying, “Mama, I see the castle”! It was such a wonderful feeling, bringing my daughter to my favorite place and seeing her reaction. I remember coming here for the first time in 1981 with my family and now here I am with my husband and daughters, I have to admit I got a little teary eyed!

We headed right towards Fantasyland and onto Peter Pans ride (I got fastpasses for the Winnie the Pooh first). My parents sat together in one ship and we sat together in another, with Kira on my lap and Katie sitting between Kevin and I. Katie was enchanted and sat quietly staring at everything. After Peter Pan, we walked over to It’s a Small World. It looked really beautiful with all the rework they had done. I was really looking forward to this ride, Katie and I sing the theme song every Sunday on the way to church (she hates the car and we sing songs to keep her occupied). When we told her we were going to WDW she kept telling us, “I want to go on It’s a Small World”. We got in our boat and started off and as soon as Katie heard the music she started singing along. She loved seeing all the dancing dolls and each of the rooms. Kira was fascinated as well, staring and pointing at everything. After IASW, we went over to Pooh and used our fastpasses. This ride was a big hit as well.

It was almost 10 AM and we wanted to get to ToonTown early so Katie could meet the characters so we went over and waited for the rope to drop. As soon as the rope dropped we walked right over to the judges tent and into the line for Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore, where we were first. We walked into the room and Katie froze and sort of hid behind my leg. I told her it was ok, and she walked right over to Pooh and gave him a big hug. Pooh was great, getting down on one knee and wrapping his arms around Katie. I brought Kira over and I thought she might cry but she didn’t, she just stared wide-eyed and grabbed Pooh’s nose. We saw Eeyore and Tigger next and Katie got over her reservations and jumped into both of their arms. We walked out and around to the front and got right back in line to see Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. We waited for about 5 minutes and were let into the room and again, Katie was thrilled to meet the characters. Kira was curious about them; she stared at all of them and allowed them to get close to her. After meeting the characters we decided to let Katie blow off some steam and let her run around Donald’s boat and the playground next to it. Kira fell asleep in the stroller and Kevin went back to Fantasyland for fastpasses for Mickey’s Philharmagic. None of us had seen this attraction yet and we were all looking forward to it. Katie played for a while and we decided to take the train around the park before our fastpass time. Also, it was getting time to nurse Kira and I thought the train would be a somewhat private spot. We climbed on and Kira woke up so I was able to nurse her. We had a relaxing trip around the park; it’s fun to see everything from this view.

We got off at ToonTown again and walked over to Fantasyland for Mickey’s Philharmagic. I was so looking forward to this; I had read many good reviews about it in trip reports. We got in and Katie sat between Kevin and I with her glasses on. The show started and she was fine at first, but then she got frantic and started screaming when things began flying towards her face. I pulled off her glasses and put her on my lap and she clung to me pretty tightly but was ok without her glasses for the rest of the show. I felt so bad; I never would have brought her in if I had known she was going to get scared! I guess I didn’t realize how scary it could be for little children to have things flying towards their face. I remember on my first trip in 1981 when we were in line for the Haunted Mansion and this mother was dragging her little boy towards the entrance. He was about 6 and his face was bright red and streaked with tears as he screamed, “I don’t want to go, no please”. That really disturbed me; I cannot imagine forcing a child to ride something they didn’t want to. Everyone else loved the show; I thought it was a great attraction! It’s nice to see Donald Duck and the computer animation was incredible.

After the show it was almost noon so we decided to split up from Nana and Papa, get Katie some lunch and head back to the resort. Nana and Papa headed off towards Frontierland and we planned to meet them at Tony’s Town Square for dinner at 5 PM. The rest of us walked over to Pinnochio’s Village Haus since it was so close by. I had a salad with peaches, walnuts and chicken, Katie had the children’s pinwheel meal and Kevin had some French fries with a coke. The food was much better than I expected and my salad was really good! We will definitely consider Pinnochio’s again for future trips. I felt even guiltier as Katie kept saying at lunch, “I just got scared”. We gave her a lot of hugs and kisses and told her it was ok. We headed out of the Magic Kingdom, got to our car and back to the resort quickly. Katie and Kira were absolutely exhausted and fell asleep quickly. Kevin went for a run and I took a nap. Kira got up at 3 PM and I nursed her in my parent’s room so I would not wake up Katie. We woke Katie up at 3:30 and left to go back to the MK. We parked in the Grand Floridian and decided to take the boat over to the MK. Kevin and I stayed in the GF in a concierge room in 2001 and we were not impressed. I enjoy the theming of the Disney resorts, like the Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian. To us, the GF was simply a fancy hotel, one you can find in every city. The staff did not seem to have the magic that the staff at the other resorts display. Of course, it was nice to sit on our balcony and overlook the lake while hearing the sounds of the MK (the railroad and the haunted mansion).

We got on the boat and went to the Poly before heading over to the MK. It was a nice ride and Katie and Kira enjoyed it. We got to Tony’s right at 5 PM and enjoyed a performance by the Dapper Dans inside by the podium. We had never heard them before and these guys were great! After the performance, our name was called and we headed back to our table. Papa and Nana showed up a few minutes later. They had gone on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder, the Liberty Belle, enjoyed the parade and visited some shops. They had a nice time but said Frontierland was so crowded they could barely walk. I did not think the crowds were too bad, we had always visited in the off-season of fall and winter and we did not know what to expect in the spring. I think the MK is always crowded, no matter what time of year you go.

We were starving so we ordered some calamari to start off with. For dinner I had the Osso Bucco, Kevin had the strip steak, Papa had chicken, and Nana had the salmon. Katie had a cheese pizza that was pretty bad. All our food was just ok, Tony’s was very pretty inside but I don’t think we will be eating there again. Also, our server was not friendly and seemed put off by children. Don’t work in the MK if you do not like kids! Papa picked up the check so I do not know how much it cost.

We decided to head over to Adventureland to get Dole whips for dessert. We decided to do some attractions first and walked right onto Jungle Cruise. On our last trip, Katie was 18 months and her favorite ride was the Jungle Cruise. She thought all the animals were real and we have video of her pointing with huge eyes and smiling. We were excited to see her reaction this year and sure enough, she loved it! She thought the animals were real again and got very excited, especially when she saw the elephants. We had a good guide also, I know the jokes are corny, but my family always laughs and has a good time. We wanted to do Pirates next so my parents took Kira and arranged to meet us by the Dole whip stand. It was a walk on and Pirates was wonderful as usual, another Disney classic. On the way back from Pirates, Chip and Dale were out with no line so went over. There was a 6-year-old girl and an 18-month-old boy with them. Well, the boy took one look and panicked! He turned bright red and let out a scream I think they heard over in the Animal Kingdom. He took a deep breath and let another shriek, he was so terrified! Kevin and I were giggling, as were his parents as they whisked him away from Chip and Dale. Katie walked up and gave both of them hugs and we took her picture. We met Nana and Papa by the Dole Whip stand and got pineapple and vanilla Dole whips for everyone except Kira. We got some great pictures of Katie sitting on the bench enjoying her treat.

It was almost 7 PM and we trying to decide what to do next. Spectromagic started at 9 and Wishes at 10. I had not seen Wishes yet and I really wanted to but it was up to the kids to see how they handled being up late. We have them programmed at home and they thrive when they know what is coming next. Kevin took Katie over to ride Aladdin and I took Kira to the baby center to nurse her and change her into her pajamas. My parents stayed at the bench to relax and enjoy the warm evening (I warned them to not be such commandos). We met back in Adventureland and decided to head over to Main Street to stake out a spot. We got a really good spot right on the curb, across the street from the Crystal Palace.

It was 7:30 and too long for Katie to wait so I took her over to Tomorrowland to ride the TTA. She loved it and I enjoyed it too, it is one of my favorite rides. Afterwards, we headed over to Fantasyland to ride IASW. I’m glad I work out because the princess had to be carried all the way to IASW and my arms were aching by the time we got there! It was really special to ride IASW with my daughter, to hear her sing along and watch her face light up. More Disney magic! Afterwards, it was about 8:40 and we had to get back over to Main Street for the parade. We squeezed through the crowds and somehow managed to make it back to our spot on the curb. Kira was still awake and somewhat delirious but she was being good. Katie entertained herself, along with several hundred people by dancing in the street. After each dance she would throw out her arms and yell “ta-da” to the crowds of people; she definitely does not get her personality from me! The castle was so beautiful as it changed colors. Finally it was time for the parade and we squeezed some more so a 10 year old girl named Taylor, who was standing behind us, could sit down and see better. The parade was wonderful, Katie was thrilled and Kira was wide eyed with awe. Afterwards, it was about 9:20 and we decided we would be pushing it to stay for Wishes. I really, really wanted to see it but I put my children’s needs first (although I selfishly pouted a little) and we headed out (Nana and Papa did stay and they said it was great – I will be sure to see it next time). I have seen what happens to overtired children at Disney and it isn’t pretty so I know we made the right decision. Part of parenting is putting your children’s needs ahead of your own and our children needed to go to bed! We hopped on the monorail and headed to the GF and made our way to the car. We could see the fireworks overhead and Katie got excited again. We made it back to the room and got the kids in bed around 10 PM and were soon asleep ourselves.

Highs: Katie’s reaction seeing the castle, Katie meeting the characters, being able to spend some alone time with her at the MK, riding the boat to the MK, the Dapper Dans

Lows: Tony’s Town Square, missing Wishes

Day 4, Thursday April 28

Plan: Kevin and Kathleen’s anniversary! Character breakfast at Cape May at 9, swim at resort, PS at Artist Point at 6:15 for Kevin and Kathleen while Nana and Papa baby-sit

Actual: The exhausted kids actually slept until 7 this morning (I cannot believe I think sleeping until 7 is sleeping in)! Kira was up first demanding her milk so I nursed her and Kevin and I exchanged cards for our anniversary. Katie woke up around 7:30 and we relaxed for a while before heading over to the Beach Club for our breakfast. Our seating was for 9:20 and we got there at 8:50. There was a huge line and the lobby was packed. Katie went over to watch the Disney movie with the other kids and I checked us in. I took the pager and almost fainted when it went off 5 minute later! I guess a lot of people without priority seating come to see if they can get in.

We got to our table and Minnie came right up to Katie. Katie was a pro by now and gave her a big hug and kiss. In the pictures, Katie is beaming. Kira did her usual wide-eyed stare and checked out Minnie. We made our way up to the buffet and filled up some plates of fruit for us to share. I almost collided with a man and he let me go first saying, “beauty before brains”. I am shy and not too quick with the comebacks so I just smiled. He said, “your supposed to say you’re not that old”, to which again I could think of nothing and just smiled. I have great respect for those who do improv comedy (in fact I just finished reading Richard Kellar’s trip report and it had me laughing pretty hard)! Goofy came to our table next and Katie gave him more hugs and kisses while Kira checked him out. Chip was next and this was the one character that Kira actually smiled at. She was laughing and cooing at Chip, it was very cute. Breakfast was delicious; we ate eggs, sausage, waffles, and tons of fruit. I decided since I was on vacation to treat myself to a glazed donut filled with white cream. With my out of control sweet tooth, I love these. However, since they are so bad for you, the last time I had eaten one of these was about 12 years ago!! (I know I have a problem). I was just getting to the really good part, with all the white cream, when Kira grabbed my plate with the half eaten donut on it and threw it on the floor! I guess she did me a favor, but I was really enjoying my donut! Oh well, I won’t wait 12 more years before I have another one. They have a new yogurt bar at Cape May and we didn’t try any yogurt but we did get bowls filled with the fresh blueberries and raspberries they had. We cleaned them out of blueberries and they would refill the bowl and we would empty it again! It was so nice to eat summer fruit, it is very delicious and I think I could live on it. Katie and Kira got their fill as well. We waddled out of the restaurant feeling like we were going to explode.

At the resort, Katie and Kira got their swimsuits on and we headed over to the pool. Papa and Nana took the boat to Downtown Disney. We had a nice time; Katie wore a life jacket and went down the water slide all by herself. Kevin caught her at the bottom of course and she probably made about 20-30 trips down the slide. Kira really enjoyed the children’s pool and I took her in the big pool several times as well. It was another perfect day, the temperature was in the low 80’s and there were no clouds in the sky. It was perfect.

We decided to eat lunch outside by the pool so Kevin went to the food court while I got the kids ready. Katie ate a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, and some French fries. Kevin and I shared some French fries, we did not want to eat too much as we were still full from breakfast and were planning on our anniversary dinner. While we were eating, a squirrel kept coming up to us and taking the food we threw to him. Katie and Kira loved watching him and the squirrel even took food right from Kevin’s hand. Kira was really sweet, pointing at the squirrel and cooing. It was really nice to just relax at Disney with my family.

We brought the girls back to the room for their naps and Kevin and I sat outside the room, talking about our evening plans. We decided that our time would be better spent going to parks rather than going to a nice dinner. Last year on our Disney trip I was pregnant with Kira and could not ride my favorite rides, nor could I try Mission Space. We decided to hit MGM for Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster and then go to Epcot for Mission Space and Test Track. We would eat dinner at Yorkshire Fish and Chips, walk around World Showcase and watch Illuminations. We got engaged at the Wilderness Lodge in 2000 and as much as I love the Buffalo steak and berry cobbler at Artist Point, I was really excited about spending some child free park time with my husband. Kira woke up at 3, I nursed her, turned her over to Papa and Nana and Kevin and I were out the door like two giddy teenagers!

We parked at the Beach Club and walked to MGM. The park was not crowded at all; we headed down Sunset Blvd holding hands and I got us fastpasses for RNR after we saw TOT was a walk on. We walked into TOT and got right into the library. There was a small wait in the boiler room but we were soon loaded into the first row of our car, I love the first row. The ride was awesome and we were dropped many times. Afterwards, we had some time before RNR so we got frozen lemonade to share. It was really good and we had a photographer take our picture. We walked right onto RNR with our fastpasses and got into the loading area. By chance we were in the second car from the front and had a great ride. TOT and RNR are two fantastic rides; the themes really add so much to the rides. We stopped in some stores on the way out and Kevin bought a hat with Mickey in it drawn in different ways throughout the years. I bought a pair of earrings shaped like Mickey’s head with sapphire stones in them, which is my birthstone.

We decided to walk to Epcot from MGM so we wouldn’t feel so guilty about eating fish and chips later! We enjoyed another very pleasant walk over to the International Gateway, although we were quite warm when we got there.

Once inside Epcot we made our way over to Mission Space, which was a walk on. We checked out Test Track along the way but the line was over an hour and there were no more fast passes. I was getting nervous about Mission Space. I love thrill rides but I had heard some things about MS that scared me. I do not like small spaces and I was concerned I would panic, being confined in the small capsule unable to move. As we made our way out of the pre show and into the line for our pod, I got more and more nervous and thought about leaving. However, I remembered all the trip reports I had read and everyone seemed to love MS, I knew I had to ride it. Plus, Kevin was making me laugh and that was helping my nerves. We made it to Mars and I have to say it is a really cool ride! I don’t think I will ever do it again, but I am so glad I experienced it. The small space did not bother me at all, but I was a little nauseous when I exited the ride. I even took a bag with me, just in case (but I did not use it). I am glad they pumped cold air in your face that helped also. I just stared straight ahead and even managed to push the buttons at the right time! After the ride we decided to head over to Ice Station Cool so I could settle my stomach. I love the Kinley from Isreal I think it is the best. I don’t usually drink soda but if I could buy Kinley I would!

We went over to the fish and chip place next and I got in the huge line while Kevin went back to the gardens to get us a seat. There was a family behind me with a little girl and a six-week-old baby! The baby was really sweet, sucking on the Dad’s finger. Kira used to suck on my finger when she was little, now she sucks her fingers (rather than a thumb or a pacifier). The line moved quickly and I got us two orders of fish and chips, a diet coke for Kevin, and I bottle of water for me. I found Kevin on a bench and we had perfect timing because as soon as we started eating the British Invasion started playing. These guys were wonderful, I had never seen them before and they really sounded authentic! It was a fabulous, magical Disney moment: sitting with my husband outside in “England”, enjoying our dinner and listening to a band. Happy people were everywhere, singing and dancing along. Have I mentioned how much I love Disney? I feel sorry for people who think Disney is only for kids. Kevin and I will be coming here long after our kids are grown, and then we will come with our grandchildren, like my Mom and Dad! We ate about ¾ of our dinners and threw the rest away as we had to get dessert in France! We headed over to France and I sat on a bench overlooking the water in the flower path while Kevin went for our treats. He came back with a chocolate mousse and a napoleon. Apparently, they stopped making my favorite, the marvelous. Oh well, these two desserts were marvelous! We sat on the bench and enjoyed our treats and just being together. Of course, we talked a lot about our children, how much joy they bring us and how thankful we are.

We asked a man to take our picture and it turned out really well. It was twilight now and absolutely beautiful so we decided to take a walk around world showcase, heading towards Morocco. We stopped in some countries and looked in some shops and again had our picture taken on the water, with Spaceship Earth in the background. We lingered in Norway and really liked the clothes; too bad they are so expensive! I also loved the hand lotion, Laila, which Krista mentioned in her reports. Kevin was going to buy some for me but I told him to wait a few years, I don’t like wearing strong scents when I am holding my kids. Krista was right however it smells beautiful! We went to Mexico next and looked in the shops. We also decided to eat here on our next trip (again thanks to Krista for all her good reviews). It was getting close to Illuminations so we stopped at the front of WS to watch. I ran over to the ladies room and on the way back I tried to take a shortcut. Well, people were sitting and I had on a skirt so I got out of there quickly. Illuminations was beautiful. Kevin and I hugged while we watched it; it is such an amazing show. I have the soundtrack at home and I listen to it a lot.

After Illuminations, we made our way to the International Gateway and back to the Beach Club. Back at the resort, we thanked Nana and Papa for taking the kids and letting us have a wonderful time. They had eaten dinner in the food court and taken a walk over to Riverside with Katie and Kira. I woke Kira up just enough to nurse her and then Kevin and I were in bed by 10:30. I can’t think of a more perfect anniversary.

Highs: Celebrating 4 years with my wonderful husband, the blueberries and raspberries at the Beach Club, Kira laughing with Chip, the kids being awed by the squirrel at lunch, spending time with my husband and riding some fun rides, Illuminations.

Lows: None.

Day 5, Friday April 29

Plan: MGM, nap at resort, Epcot, PS at Restaurant Marrakesh at 6, Illuminations

Actual: Kira and Katie must be getting tired because they did not wake up until 7:30 this morning! I nursed Kira while Kevin went to the food court for breakfast. He saw Papa and Nana there and confirmed meeting in Morocco at 5:50 for dinner. For breakfast Kevin and I shared a blueberry muffin, Katie had a croissant and we all shared some fruit.

We got to MGM right before opening and had a short wait. As the rope dropped we went over to see the times for Playhouse Disney and the Little Mermaid. Playhouse Disney did not start until 10 and the Little Mermaid started earlier but we wanted to see the first Playhouse Disney show. We decided to walk around the park so we headed back by Star Tours and went back to the Muppet area. Again, we had the whole park to ourselves. It was a great picture opportunity and nice to walk freely. We got back to the Playhouse area and let Katie run around to let out some energy. I could tell she was tired, we decided to do the two attractions we came to do and leave before a meltdown. We were eating dinner at Marrakesh tonight and I wanted her to be well rested so we could all have a nice dinner. I am very sensitive to how my kids behave in restaurants; no one around us should ever have their meal ruined because of my kids. I have not hesitated before to pull Katie out if she misbehaves and because she has learned that throwing a fit gets her nothing, she is now really good when we go out. However, it helps if she is well rested! It was finally time for Playhouse Disney and we were right in the front. This attraction was a first for Kevin and I and it was great! Katie and Kira loved it too and Katie danced the whole time. Disney does a really good job gearing this to kids. Katie loves Bear in the Big Blue House and she really enjoyed the show.

Afterwards, I took Kira to the baby care center to nurse her and Kevin took Katie in the Little Mermaid. The baby center was right by guest relations and I could hear people’s requests while I nursed Kira. I was surprised at how many people did not have priority seating and were trying to find something. By this point everything was booked, I can’t imagine coming to a Disney vacation without planning it out!

I met Kevin after the show and he said Katie was ready and had had enough. We started to leave but Katie was saying she wanted to meet Mickey as she had not met him yet. I remembered when we were walking around the park seeing a place to meet Mickey on Mickey Ave so we headed over there. There was no one in line and no one came in behind us, so we got Mickey all to ourselves! Katie saw Mickey and she ran into his open arms, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big kiss! It was another magical moment. She was so thrilled, and sat on his lap for a while. We had the photographer take a family picture and it turned out great. We bought the 8x10 when we got home and it is in a wooden Mickey frame hanging in our dining room, we get a lot of compliments. I was so glad we went back to meet Mickey! After Mickey we stopped for a picture with Donald Duck also and then it was time to leave.

We got back to the resort and headed to the food court for lunch. Normally Kevin and I would not eat 3 meals a day while on vacation but kids do not do well skipping meals! Kevin and I shared a grilled chicken sandwich and French fries; Katie had a peanut butter sandwich, macadamia nuts, a banana and a granola bar. Her weight is only in the 12th percentile and she eats like a horse. We headed back to the room for naps and everyone fell asleep.

Kira woke up crying after only being asleep for 1 hour so I put her in the stroller and quietly left so Katie and Kevin could still sleep. I knew she would fall back asleep in the stroller so we set out for Riverside. I ended up doing an in depth tour of the whole place, it is really pretty! I started out going over the Alligator Bayou and exploring every walking path possible. It is so lush back there; it really gives the illusion of being in the south. Then I headed over to the mansions and explored them, they are beautiful as well. Riverside is a nice resort, I would not mind staying there on a future trip. On the walk back to the FQ my feet were getting tired, I had been walking for over an hour (plus all the walking yesterday) so I stopped and sat on a bench on the river while Kira slept in the stroller. It was very pleasant, sitting in the shade and relaxing. A CM on a golf cart stopped and asked if everything was ok. I told him everything was fine, I was just taking me daughter for a walk. He asked me where I was staying and how my stay was going. I told him we were having a wonderful time. He went on his way and I thought it was perfect example of outstanding Disney customer service! Other companies should benchmark Disney customer service.

It was almost 3:30 so I headed back to the FQ, stopping at the pool bar for a strawberry smoothie. Kira woke up as I was almost in the room so I nursed her, and Katie and Kevin woke up. We got ready and headed over to Epcot. We felt very relaxed, as we had done all the big things we wanted to do on this trip, we decided to not rush things and let Katie set the pace and do more things for her. We first rode one of my favorites, Spaceship Earth. I hope they never take this out as I really love this ride. Next we went into the Living Seas and Katie had a great time running around and looking at the fish, especially on the second floor. The dolphins were out and we watched them for a while. Kevin and I did the Dolphins in Depth tour in our 2000 trip and it was awesome! We got to get in the water with the dolphins at the end and it was so cool. We got a video of us playing with the dolphins; we had such a great experience. I highly recommend this program to everyone; you will learn a lot about dolphins and get to interact with them.

We left the Living Seas and headed over to the shooting fountains between Future World and the World Showcase. We had already put a swimmy on Katie so we just took of her shirt and shorts and let her go crazy in the water. She had a great time; I think we stayed for about 40 minutes. She got absolutely soaked and loved running through the spraying jets of water. I snuck over to Ice Station Cool and had some Kinley while Kevin was videotaping Katie. Of course I brought some back for him, what kind of wife do you think I am? We decided to get Katie dried off so we could have a relaxing stroll around WS before our dinner in Morocco.

We started in Mexico and walked onto the El Rio del Tiempo. I know it is a cheesy ride, but I really enjoy it and Katie and Kira did too. They particularly enjoyed the fireworks. After Mexico we walked over to Japan to watch the drummers. Katie and Kira were mesmerized and we all enjoyed listening to the drums. The drummers are incredibly strong; it looked like they were getting quite a workout while drumming! We made our way over to Morocco just as Papa and Nana were arriving. They had spent the day at Epcot and had a nice time.

We walked into Marrakesh and were seated right away at a nice big table on the second tier. We had a great view of the whole restaurant; it is so beautiful inside. Everything smelled great and we were starving. We ordered appetizers, Papa and Nana shared a Jasmina salad and Kevin and I shared the beef brewat rolls, layers of thin pastry stuffed with seasoned minced beef, fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The server also brought out warm wheat rolls, everyone shared and it was fabulous! Our entrees came next; Papa, Nana and I all got the same thing, the lamb shank with couscous. It was out of this world, it had fresh rosemary and the lamb was so tender it fell right off the bone. There were lots of fresh vegetables mixed in with the couscous; it was perfect. Kevin had the Mediterranean Seafood Platter, which is shrimp ragout, broiled salmon and seafood bastilla with couscous. We shared with each other and his was outstanding as well. Katie, of course had chicken fingers and French fries, while Kira had a jar of organic apples and raspberries. We were so stuffed after the meal; everything was delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant, we have eaten here several times and the food is always wonderful and the service is fantastic as well. Everyone who works here is so friendly, all the servers and hostesses kept coming over to smile at Kira and play with her, of course she loved the attention! Also, they have a belly dancer at Marrakesh. She came out onto the dance floor and I took Katie up to see her. One of the servers took Katie onto the dance floor and Katie got to dance with the belly dancer! It was so cute, we got some great video and pictures, and Katie looked adorable trying to imitate the dancer!

We decided to head over to France for dessert, Kevin got some benches by the water with Katie and Kira and Papa, Nana, and I headed into the Boulangerie Patisserie for some treats. I ordered a chocolate mousse and a caramel dessert for Kevin and I and Papa and Nana ordered the same thing. Everyone got decaf coffee as well and we got an elephant ear for Katie. I nursed Kira after my dessert and we talked about whether or not to stay for Illuminations. We decided to stay and headed over to the bridge between France and Great Britain to stake out our spot.

Kevin and I took turns running around with Katie to keep her occupied. While I was going through the maze garden in England with Katie I missed a satellite launch from Cape Canaveral. Kevin, Nana, and Papa had a great view of it and they said it was really cool to watch it. I was sad that I missed it but I had fun hanging out with Katie. We got back to our spot at 8:55 and they announced Illuminations was delayed. It ended up being delayed for 20 minutes but it was worth the wait. The show was amazing and Katie and Kira were frozen in awe, staring at the fireworks. We made our way out of the park with the crowds (hard to do pushing two strollers) and got back to our resort quickly. Kevin got Katie ready for bed and she watched a little bit of a bedtime story while I nursed Kira. Everyone was asleep by 10:30.

Highs: Meeting Mickey, the Living Seas, Katie playing in the fountain, eating at Marrakesh, seeing Illuminations with my family, playing with Katie in the English gardens

Lows: None

Day 6, Saturday April 30

Plan: Kevin go to Vero Beach to golf with his friend from West Palm, relax and rest at the resort, dinner at Boma at 5, meet up with Molly and her son Stephen back at the resort

Actual: Kevin stayed for breakfast; we had the usual fruit bowl, muffin and croissant for Katie. He left to meet his friend after and I got Katie ready to swim. Nana stayed with Kira for her morning nap and Papa and I went to the pool with Katie. We got her a life jacket and of course she headed for the slide. She must have gone done it about 20 times in a row, I would wait at the bottom and catch her. Nana and Kira arrived and I took Katie to the children’s pool and played with her and Kira. Nana and Papa swam for a while and Nana went back to the room to get some food for lunches. We ate outside by the pool again, everyone shared nuts, bananas, apples, and granola bars and drank water except for Papa who had diet coke in his refillable mug. We enjoyed feeding the squirrel and some birds, Kira was pointing and wide eyed. We headed back to the room and I got both of the kids ready for naps and Papa and Nana took the boat to Downtown Disney. I feel asleep also and Kira woke up crying at 3. I nursed her and then took her outside to play in the grass while Katie slept. Papa and Nana came back, Katie woke up and we got ready to head out for our Boma dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I love this resort, Kevin and I stayed here in 2001 and we loved watching the animals from our balcony. The room décor is really nice and there is so much to do! We were early for our reservation so we headed out to the Savannah to see some animals. Katie was very whiny and crying, I thought she was still tired. It was a little stressful without Kevin there because I didn’t want to burden my parents but they were great. We went down to Boma and checked in and were seated within 5 minutes. I got Katie some food and she perked up right away, I think she was hungry before and that’s why she was so upset. She is getting better at vocalizing her needs since we have been back and she is older now. Boma is a favorite for my family; there is so much good food here to try! I didn’t write down what I had, but I tried a lot of things, starting with some spicy seafood soup that was incredible. I also really enjoyed the nut crusted salmon and some of the cold salads. We all shared plates of fruit and plates of hummus and toasted pita. Everything was wonderful. We saved room for desserts and we gorged on the Zebra Domes and chocolate mousse. We finally left and walked around the viewing area by the pool to get a little exercise.

Katie saw the playground and had a good time running around and going down the slide. We went over to see the Flamingos and Kevin called my cell saying he was parking at the Lodge right now. He ran down to meet us and we were all happy to see him! We had a great time enjoying the balmy evening and watching the animals. Molly called and said her and Stephen were just finishing up at Epcot and would meet us back at the resort. We headed out to our cars and poor Kevin had to walk by Boma and he was starving! This is one of his favorites as well and he had missed it. Oh well, his choice to golf!

We made it back to the FQ and Papa and Nana set out for a walk. Kevin and I got Katie and Kira ready for bed and Katie was watching bedtime stories when Molly and Stephen arrived. Katie gave Molly a huge hug and told her everything we did today. I told Kevin to go to the food court and eat with Molly and Stephen while I put the kids to bed. We would meet out on the lawn by our front door to hang out and talk. Katie watched bedtime stories while I nursed Kira. Then I lay down with Katie until she fell asleep. I went outside and enjoyed the warm balmy night. Molly, Stephen and Kevin came back with some beignets. We shared them while sitting on the grass and they were sooo good, still warm! Papa and Nana came back and we chatted while we waited for Illuminations to start. We had a great view of the fireworks and I could hear the music in my head. After the show, Papa and Nana said goodnight and Kevin and I stayed outside talking until 10. Then we said goodbye to Molly and Stephen and made plans to see Molly again when she visits us in July for Katie’s birthday. Kevin and I were asleep by 10:30.

Highs: Swimming with Katie, Boma, Katie playing on the playground at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, seeing all the animals, seeing Molly and Stephen, eating beignets, watching Illuminations

Lows: Katie getting cranky before our dinner at Boma

Day 7, Sunday May 1

Plan: Spend the morning at the MK, go to Epcot dinner at Living Seas

Actual: We completely abandoned our plan today. We decided to let Katie and Kira have another day of relaxing rather than pushing more park time. The girls had done so well all week but we thought more parks might be pushing it. We knew we would be going back to Disney so we decided to save the day on our tickets, meaning we would go home with 8 days! We decided to eat dinner at one of the resorts so we would not waste a day on our tickets. I called Priority Seating and tried for Whispering Canyon, Ohana, and many others. All were booked and I thought of Spoodles when the reservation agent suggested Boma. They had something available at 5:30 and this meant Kevin could enjoy his favorite place! We really enjoyed the previous night at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and this seemed like a great way to and our wonderful vacation.

That done we went to breakfast and had our usual fare. We then drove to Downtown Disney because the boats were not running yet and went to the World of Disney where I bought a polo shirt and some gifts for our friends at home. We took Katie to the Lego playground where she played for awhile while Kira napped in the stroller. We let Katie ride the carousel and then decided to have lunch at the Earl of Sandwich. The line was long but moved quickly; Kevin found a table while I waited. Kevin and I shared the caprese sandwich, and a yogurt with granola. Katie had a yogurt with granola also. The sandwich was ok, I can make something very similar that tastes better at home. Downtown Disney was getting crowded so we left for the resort and got girls ready for their nap.

Kevin decided to go for a run and I wanted to go for a walk. Nana and I took Kira in the stroller while she slept and Papa sat outside the room and read while Katie napped. We walked over to Riverside and I showed her the bayou where I had walked before. She had only seen the mansion section and she thought the bayou was beautiful. While we were walking Kevin ran by and slapped me on my behind. I nearly had a heart attack; I jumped and let out a yell! We walked over to the mansions and enjoyed the flowers before heading back to the FQ. Kira slept for a while and I nursed her when she woke up. Katie woke up early around 3:00 and we decided to let her swim one last time before going home. Kevin took her to the pool and Papa and I got some great pictures and video of her going down the slide. She had a blast and I am glad she got to go swimming one more time. We got ready quickly and took off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge early.

We headed out to the Savannah and the animals were so close, it was awesome! We saw giraffes and zebras; I had never seen them so close before. We also saw a little bunny that was very cute. The cast member was very friendly and took some great family pictures of the six of us. In fact, one of the pictures is the wallpaper on our family pc. We went down to dinner and again it was fantastic! We started with fruit, soup and salads and they were delicious. I got more of the fish and tried some of the watermelon rind salad. Another great thing about Boma is the chefs are so friendly; they come up and talk to you while you are at the buffet. I was talking to one of them and he convinced me to try the watermelon rind salad. Well I am glad I did because it was delicious and it’s something I would not have tried on my own. Again we gorged on the desserts, I ate 6 zebra domes! My family all acted shocked but I said we were leaving tomorrow and I would not get to taste another one for at least another year and a half! We went back out to the playground and let Katie run around. We went back to the lobby and took a path down the hall and stopped at another viewing area. We got some more pictures and headed back to the lobby and into the gift shop. This is a fun shop with lots of different merchandise but we did not buy anything. Nana bought a pair of binoculars for my nephew (her grandson) Kyle.

We headed back to the resort and put Katie and Kira to bed (after Katie watched another bedtime story). Kevin began packing while I went to Jackson Square for some gifts for Katie’s birthday in July. We got her a Mickey cup and a giant Pooh pillow that is very soft. I also bought a charm bracelet for our neighbor Rachel who is 10 years old and our future baby sitter. Right now she is a great Mother’s helper with Katie. My last purchase was a set of two clear mugs with Mickey heads on them for Kevin and I. I walked back to our room and Kevin had the car all loaded up, ready for our early morning. We were asleep by 10:30.

Highs: Enjoying a walk with my Mom, Katie getting to swim one more time, going back to Boma and having a wonderful evening at the Animal Kingdom Lodge

Lows: Packing

Day 8, Monday May 2

Plan: Check out and fly home at 10:05, arrive in Rochester at 12:45

Actual: We were up at 7 and there wasn’t too much to do as Kevin had done everything the night before. I went to the food court and got our usual breakfast to go (we decided to eat it once we got to the airport). We left Disney at about 7:45 and got to the airport quickly. Our flight home was uneventful and we arrived in Rochester to the same nasty weather we had when we left (chilly, rain, 45 degrees). It was good to be home though and it was nice to have the rest of the day to do laundry and buy groceries.

Final Thoughts:

This was a wonderful trip. It was the first time any of us had ever been to Walt Disney World in the spring and now we have a new favorite time of year to visit! It only rained on one day, and the temperature was sunny and in the low 80’s every day. Nights were balmy and we did not need to wear a jacket. The crowds were not too bad, in my opinion the MK is always crowded, no matter when you go. Still, Katie and I got to walk on the TTA and IASW and Kevin and I walked on many popular rides including TOT and Mission: Space. We did not encounter a single negative Cast Member; everyone was magical and kind. The restaurants were all great with the exception of Tony’s Town Square. Katie and Kira exceeded our expectations, they were so well behaved the whole time we were there. The one time Katie got close to a meltdown was before our first dinner at Boma and as soon as she got some food in her she was fine. Seeing their reactions was very special, do not listen when people tell you your children are too young, there is no such thing as too young for Walt Disney World! (In fact, someone said to me upon our return that they hoped Katie would remember the trip. I said I didn’t care if she did, Kevin and I would remember and we have great pictures and video). It was awesome to spend the trip with my parents and to see Molly and Stephen. I am very lucky that Kevin really enjoys my parents and vice versa. I know many families that are not so fortunate.

Our next trip will probably not be until the fall of 2006 or the spring of 2007. Kevin is starting a rigorous MBA program in September and in 1 year he will have his MBA. Due to the tough schedule, we will not have room to take a vacation until he is done in August of 2006. It will be a rough year for us but it is a great step forward in his career. We are already planning the next trip and I would like to rent points so we can all stay together in a 2 bedroom villa (Kevin and I are planning on joining the DVC in 2010). We’ll see if we make arrangements for fall of 2006 or if we hold out until spring of 2007. It’s so much better to go when the weather is awful at home! Also, we are planning on having 1 more baby and if everything goes to plan it will arrive in the fall of 2006 so a trip may not be possible then but we’ll see! Until then, I’ll keep reading all the great trip reports that make me think I am there!

Kathleen O'Neill