Family: me-age 49, DVC owner and veteran of multiple WDW trips in the past 5 years, with my husband and two children, and two with my husband, pre-kids
DH-age 51, same as above
DD-age 9, first trip at age 5, several since then
DD-age 6, first trip at age 2, several since then
my DF-will be 84 in May. First trip to WDW
my DM-age 77, also first trip

Yes, we know it's spring break, but my parents can't tolerate a lot of heat, and the kids have off that week.

Resort: Saratoga Springs, two-bedroom villa

Transportation: Southwest Airlines, to and from Philadelphia; Magical Express to and from airport; Disney transport during trip.

Sunday, March 16: day before travel. At about two minutes prior to our 24 hour mark on Southwest, I get on my computer to check-in, and was too early to check in, so I went back a screen, went in again, and must have been within seconds of opening of check-in for our flight. Southwest does not assign seats. You board in order of check-in, and are either A, B, or C, and are assigned a number within that group. We were in the “A” group, and all numbers were in the 20’s. Later that day, I picked up my parents at their home. They are in excellent condition, physically and mentally for their ages, but rarely travel, and this trip is a big thing for them. We had decided to stay near the airport to make it easier to catch our flight in the morning. My husband had done quite a bit of business travel, and had accrued sufficient Marriot rewards points for us to get two rooms at a nice Marriott near the airport. When we got there, we were treated very well, as my husband’s frequent stays got us upgraded in their system. We had access to the concierge lounge. My parents ended up with a King suite (we actually wanted the standard room, with two double beds, with the kids). My husband had some vouchers that covered our dinner at the hotel. We had arranged to leave our car at a car dealership that also provides off-site airport parking, and would get our minivan detailed while we were gone. So far, so good.

Monday, March 17: We were up and dressed by 6AM, and found my Dad waiting in the hall for us. He’s a really great guy, but, with age has grown a bit more neurotic about getting to places on time, and without getting lost. I’ve given him maps of Disney World (he loves maps), and he just could not get a handle on the scope of the place, and seemed intimidated that he would not be able to figure out just where he was all the time. We went up one floor to the concierge lounge, and had a light breakfast. We got a shuttle at about 7, and, got through security and luggage check-in with no problems. Our flight went well. No problems catching Magical Express, and we are at Saratoga Springs within an hour after we checked in for the bus. Our villa was ready, and, after we checked in, Bell Services took us over. I had described the accommodations to my parents, but I don’t think it really sank how spacious and nice the villas are. I wanted to go to Downtown Disney, so that we could purchase new Annual Passes for my husband and kids, and also get our Disney Dining Experience card. My parents were able to buy their three-day park hopper passes at the concierge desk at SS, but they don’t sell AP’s at the resort. I had looked into discounted passes for them, but for a three-day the savings are minimal, so they decided to just buy them there. We were in a different section from our last stay, which had been close to the pathway to Downtown Disney, and got a little confused along the way, and just grabbed a bus over (a very short ride). We went over to Guest Relations and my husband went to buy the passes, with the DVC discount, and the DDE card. We grabbed a snack, and walked back to the villa, on the path from the Marketplace. While we were at DD, we got a call from Gardengrocer that they had our order, and we had Bell Services bring it over on our return. We had a dinner ressie at Ohana, and took a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then the monorail to the Poly for dinner. It went over very well with my parents. We all liked the food, except that the bread pudding dessert was too heavy. I really enjoyed the shrimp, which was a recent change on the menu, but would have preferred the old pineapple with caramel sauce at the end of the meal. Back to the hotel, and early to bed.

Tuesday, March 18. The Magic Kingdom was open at 7AM, and we all got up around 6, and were on a bus before the sun even came up. We pulled up at 7. For some reason, my AP would not work, so everyone else went to a shop, while I stood in line at Guest Relations. They replaced my AP, and I picked up to “First Visit” pins for my parents. We went on several rides, with basically no waiting, before 8AM. First Buzz Lightyear, then the race cars, then Haunted Mansion, then Pirates was open at 8 so we did that. At 9 we had an AR for breakfast at the castle, always a hit with my two princesses. My younger daughter was tired from getting up so early, but, after breakfast we did Philharmagic, basically as a walk-in (which my mom clearly enjoyed a great deal), then my parents and husband decided to head back to the hotel for a rest, with my little one. My older daughter and I decided to stay on, and were very glad we had gotten all our favorites in so early. The Spring Break crowds hit late in the morning, and we spent some time at Tom Sawyer’s Island, used our fastpasses to do the Peter Pan ride, did the people mover, then left around 1:30. By then, it was a sea of people moving into the park. We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian, and the rest of the family met us there for our reservation for tea at 2. After tea, we went back to the hotel, to relax and swim for a while. I was a bit surprised that my parents had the energy and interest to do another park, so we headed over to Epcot. We grabbed burgers for dinner, and stayed through Iluminations. My parents did not understand why we made such a point to pick a spot facing the lagoon, and why so many people were doing the same. We sat on a bench near Morocco, which turned out to be a decent viewing spot. They were impressed with the show, and my mother was surprised when I told her that they do this every night, and described the other nightly fireworks/multimedia shows at the other parks. There were extra hours at Epcot, which slowed the crowds leaving the parks, so we had no problem getting a bus back to the resort, and getting seats on the bus.

Wednesday, March 19. Back to Epcot. We got there relatively early, and my husband and older daughter went to get in line for Soarin’. I took my parents and younger daughter (who is very petite and too short for the rides with a height requirement, she is also too timid for a lot of rides), to the Seas, and we did the Nemo ride, and then saw Turtle Talk with Crush (the parents were amused). We walked over to the Land, and grabbed some fresh fruit for a snack at Sunshine Seasons, then met my husband and daughter. The World Showcase was open by then, so we walked over to France, and treated ourselves to some pastries. My parents really try to watch their diets, and rich pastry is a real treat for them. My dad clearly relished the Napoleon, and said they he can never find one at home that has it quite right, but that one was “pretty good.” We walked over to Japan, and my girls used their own Disney Dollars to get pearls. We walked back to the Land, for the Behind the Seeds tour, which I had reserved, thinking that it would be nice to get out of the crowds. That tour was a real hit with the whole family. We thought it was so cool that we were “inside” the ride, and all the people in the boats just stared at us, wondering how we got in there with the CM’s. My girls were given vials with ladybugs in them, to release at the end of the tour. My older daughter asked some good questions, and we suggested that she do a science fair project, based on what she learned on the tour. My dad is a retired college professor, and was very interested in the part about the fish farming, which he had read about. The CM was from Hawaii, and that is his area of expertise and career interest, and they had a discussion about that aspect of the tour. This turned out to be my father’s favorite part of the whole trip, being something he never expected to encounter at Disney World. The Flower and Garden festival started that day, so we also enjoyed the special exhibits. Philadelphia has an amazing Flower Show every year, but they don’t design exhibits with play areas and craft tables for the kids. We had an early dinner at LeCellier, which was wonderful. My little daughter fell asleep early in the meal, and I had her meal packed up to take back to the hotel. She woke up when my husband picked her up to leave, and she had a rare meltdown. I can’t remember the last time she had a tantrum like that, but we almost always have more downtime during the park days, and I think the crowds and stimulation got to her. All the way out of the park, she screamed and cried, out of control, and my poor mother was the target of her ravings. When a child gets that hysterical, it just has to run its course, but, it’s not fun to have people stare at you, as though you are abusing the kid, when, if they bother to notice, you are holding her and speaking quietly to calm her. Of course, 15 minutes later, she is her usual sunny self, as though the tantrum had never happened. My husband and I took the kids swimming, and we watched some of the movie they showed at the main pool, to wear the kids out, and to give my parents some peace and quiet. The girls had a nice bath in the big tub, and we all had a good night.

Thursday, March 20: We went to Hollywood Studios, and started with one of our favorites, the Muppet 3-D Movie. We then did the Backstage Tour, grabbed some snacks, and lined up for the stunt show (my older daughter and I had seen it, but my husband and younger daughter had not). My younger daughter really enjoyed it. When we left the show, the park was getting really crowded, and I suggested with take a boat over to Epcot. While on the Friendship, I suddenly remembered that our 24 hour mark to check in for our flight home was rapidly approaching. I had meant to write down the confirmation number and take it with me that morning, but forgot, so I could not just go over to Guest Relations and check in from the park, or another hotel. I asked my husband if he had saved the itinerary on his Blackberry, and he had, but… he left his Blackberry in the room. I know my parents were concerned about boarding the plane, and getting seats together, although, if it was up to me I would have probably just waited to check-in till we got back to the resort after dinner. This, however, was one neurosis I had to address if we were to have a nice day. I got off the boat, rushed back to give my husband my kids’ passes, which I had in my wallet, then walked to Epcot, went through security, walked from the International Gateway to the front of the park, grabbed a bus back to SS, went back to the villa, and got my trip binder with the information, grabbed a bus and got off at the last stop before leaving the resort, which is right next to the main buildings. By the time I got to the concierge desk, it was about 30 minutes after the opening of check-in for my flight. Ironically, my Dad’s boarding number was the very last “A,” and my mother was the very first “B.” I knew it would not make any difference, but could assure them I got them as close to the front of the line as I could. I walked back to the villa, freshened up a bit after that sweaty excursion, grabbed a can of diet soda from the frig, and caught a bus at 4. My husband and I had been back and forth on our cells, and my parents were clearly very concerned that I, somehow, would have difficulty getting back to the resort on my own, getting the plane thing taken care of, and getting back to Epcot in time for dinner, and they were driving my husband a little crazy. I called him from the bus to tell him I was on my way, and would meet them at the restaurant. Of course, there were long lines at security, long lines at the turnstiles, and it took a long time to navigate through the crowds. I stopped at France and bought a little plastic glass of wine, and sipped as I walked, and met them outside the Biergarten, about 15 minutes before our reservation time. We all were more relaxed at dinner, and even my parents, who rarely drink, had a beer. We took our time walking back through the park, and stopped at a couple of the Flower Show play areas and let the girls enjoy themselves. We went back to the resort, and my husband took the girls to a quiet pool, while I started to get us packed to leave. I had purchased a membership in Owner’s Locker, and was planning to leave a lot of the stuff I had packed for our next trip, so I had to figure out how I was going to organize everything to fit into the bin. We had done well with all the walking, even my parents had no problem walking four or five miles a day, but that day after walking so much, my Achilles tendonitis was acting up, so I needed to rest.

Friday, March 21. I was glad my mother and I had decided to cancel the appointments I had made for us to get pedicures at the spa that morning. I just did not have time for it, with all the packing there was left to do. We got everything organized and Bell Services picked up our bags at 10, and gave us a lift to the lobby. The girls were able to do a craft in the kids’ area, and we played air hockey in the arcade for awhile. Our Magical Express bus came at noon, and we were at the airport in plenty of time. The flight home was uneventful (and yes, even with my “late” check in we were seated just as we were on the flight in, my parents sat together in one row, since Dad “saved” Mom a seat, I sat with both kids in another row, and my husband sat by himself. the only difference is that my husband and I were farther back in the plane). We got the car back, drove home, avoiding the area of I-95 that we knew was closed, thanks to a text message from my older brother, stopped for a nice dinner, dropped my parents off at home, and drove the 15 miles back to our house.

In summary, it was quite an experience, introducing my parents to Disney World, but we all had a great time, despite the slight annoyances to be expected when you get three generations on the same trip. I am so glad my children will have Disney memories that include their grandparents. I will not soon forget “catching” my mother giggling and reaching out during the 3-D movie, just as her young granddaughter did the first time she sat through Philharmagic. Mostly, it was wonderful to do my part to pay back my parents for everything they have done for me, and my siblings. In many ways, this was one of our most special trips

Glad to here you had a good time even with the crowds of Spring Break.
We are booked at SSR in a 2 br villa for our trip in November what did you think of the amount of space you all had? We will be the same size group as yours, our ages ~DH & I are in our 30's and IL's are just getting into their 60's,DD will be 12 & DS will be 9. Do you think it was a good fit or do you think you would have been better with a little more space at Old Key West? We will use the master bedroom with kids on the couch in the living room and give IL's their own room in the 'studio' side. I think that with as late as we usually get back to the room it won't be a problem with having the kids in the living room as every one will probably be going to bed soon after we get back. I keep toying with the idea of switching to OKW at the 7 month mark if possible for the extra space (1075 sq. ft. vs 1,392 square feet).

Glad to here you had a good time even with the crowds of Spring Break.
We are booked at SSR in a 2 br villa for our trip in November what did you think of the amount of space you all had? We will be the same size group as yours, our ages ~DH & I are in our 30's and IL's are just getting into their 60's,DD will be 12 & DS will be 9. Do you think it was a good fit or do you think you would have been better with a little more space at Old Key West? We will use the master bedroom with kids on the couch in the living room and give IL's their own room in the 'studio' side. I think that with as late as we usually get back to the room it won't be a problem with having the kids in the living room as every one will probably be going to bed soon after we get back. I keep toying with the idea of switching to OKW at the 7 month mark if possible for the extra space (1075 sq. ft. vs 1,392 square feet).

The amount of space was just fine. We had a true two bedroom, not a one-bedroom with a studio, although I explained to my parents we could get either. The only issue you may have is whether both your kids will be comfortable sleeping together on the fold-out couch. My kids are both girls and relatively small, and they both fit on the fold-out couch. My daughter complained about the mattress on the fold-out last time, so I brought an air mattress, which we put on top of the fold-out couch, and they liked it better. I'm keeping the air mattress in an Owner's Locker bin. With all the stuff I brought along going down to Orlando, we had more suitcases than we usually bring, without packing a lot of clothes. I left a lot of toiletries, a first aid kit, and things like that in the Owner's Locker, so we don't have to pack nearly as much next time. You might want to bring a single air mattress down, so that one of your kids can camp on the floor, if they feel that they don't have enough room on the fold-out, especially if one is a restless sleeper, but, in a SS living room, there would not be a lot of extra floor space for an air mattress, although I think you could squeeze it in. You could try for a unit at OKW, but you should be fine at SS.

Thanks for the info. We have the dedicated 2bdr booked as well. My kids did pretty well in the fold out in a studio (SSR) last year although they did complain by the end of the week that it wasn't big enough. The fold out in the 2 bdr is bigger (queen vs full) though so I think we might be able to get a way with it for a few more years.
I think I am going to look into the owners locker thing too. Do you love it, is it as easy as they make it sound? Can you fit a bunch of stuff in there? Maybe not for this year as I am pretty tight already. I think in the near future I would do it for things like an air matress and the beddding for it plus toilitries and a few clothing items for DH & I (kids still grow to fast!). We have done the studio before but I am not sure how much longer that will fly plus DH likes the idea of a seperate bedroom for us in the one bed room villas so I think we will be doing them soon. Plus I like the idea of the laundry facilities in the room, I have certain shirts I only wear there that I could leave in the locker and we could pack less in general.
So much to think about!

I am so glad my children will have Disney memories that include their grandparents. I will not soon forget “catching” my mother giggling and reaching out during the 3-D movie, just as her young granddaughter did the first time she sat through Philharmagic.

What a beautiful image - x

:cool: IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT FAMILY. JUST 2 DAYS LEFT TILL PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS & THE HAPPYIST PLACE ON EARTH

I loved, loved your trip report. Really reminded me of the first time we took my Mother. These memories are never to be forgotten. My Mother passed away 2 years ago and the memories we have are priceless.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Ellen

I can compeltely relate to the melt-down story with your daughter! We were in Disney with some friends back in November and on our last night (happend to be in Epcot during the food & wine fest.), my youngest daughter (2.5 at the time, probably too young to be at Disney at all) had a TOTAL freak-out/melt-down in front of the China Pavillion. I can't even remember what started it, but I think that 5 days of Disney had completely saturated her and she just lost it.

What I do rememer, though, is a teenage girl looking at me and then her mother and saying, "was I ever like that?" I wanted to respond with an obnoxious comment but I held my tongue. There is nothing worse than dragging your child out of a park kicking and screaming and having to deal with all of the stares and whispered comments from people. And, just like your daugher, 10 min. later she was fine, smiling and laughing. Oh well, the life of a parent...

Thanks for letting me vent; I'll be back to the World in 17 days, ALONE! Can't wait!