Walt Disney World Vacation with Four Kids – Part V – Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and a Return to Epcot

May 28, 2011

And now, the final installment in my riveting Walt Disney World vacation recap.

Day Five – Animal Kingdom
Our fifth day at Disney World had us going to Animal Kingdom. I knew the least about this park going into it, and found its look and feel to be a little unexpected. I had imagined it would be like a zoo, but when you first enter the park and go left, which is the way we headed to get to our morning reservation at Tusker House, they’ve built the street and area to look like an African city (which makes sense, as the Tusker House is in the “Africa” section of Animal Kingdom. Amazing how the engineers and masterminds at Disney can make something new look old and weathered.

Anyway, we had reservations for a character breakfast at Tusker House. It was a cold morning (into the 40s, and we hadn’t really brought much with us to deal with colder weather!) and when we arrived the hostess said their reservations were running about 45 minutes behind. She theorized it was due to the chilly temperatures, people were staying inside the restaurant longer. So we grabbed some tables at their outdoor waiting area and my father in law tracked down some coffee. While we waited I went to get fast passes for the Kilimanjaro Safari.

When we finally did get into the restaurant, we found a huge and delicious buffet breakfast. There were the Mickey waffles that seem to be present at every Disney breakfast, but also fresh fruits, meats, and other dishes like frittatas and cheese-filled crepes. We all ate a ton of food and the kids got to meet Daisy, Mickey, Goofy and Donald.

After breakfast we headed to the safari, which only Grant would go on with me and Zachary’s parents. I was a little disappointed, but during the safari the tour guide stages some fake scary moments, like chasing poachers, which I imagine would have frightened Isla, so in the end it was probably best she didn’t go. She and Miles were worried the animals would be very close, even though I assured them it would be like going to the zoo (and it was, though we were in a mock-rickety safari bus). We saw elephants, hippos, giraffes and more.

My memory is a little foggy about the day, and it was a slow-paced day so we didn’t pack as much into the park as in others, but we walked two trails – the Maharajah Jungle Trek and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, the highlight of which was the super cute baby gorilla.

It might also be good to note that in case one of your children has a bathroom accident, we found a kiosk selling Mickey underwear, which I believe was near the entrance to the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

As we made our way around the park we stopped for ice cream in Asia, and then passed the roller coaster Expedition Everest. The wait WITHOUT a Fast Pass was only 5 minutes, which I guess is nearly unheard of for that ride. I asked if anyone would go on it with me and was met with “No,” all around until Zachary’s mom said she’d go on it with me. Success! I haven’t been on a roller coaster in years, and unlike some other riders, I was not prepared for it to go backwards at some point, which was scary in the way only a roller coaster can be. We screamed a lot and enjoyed the ride! Here’s the view from the top of the first hill.

We then made our way to Dino Land, U.S.A, where the kids rode the TriceraTop Spin. Zachary’s parents watched the kids while he and I went to find something to eat. We ended up at a nearly-deserted restaurant called Restaurantosaurus. I even took a photo to show we were the only ones in the place – the people working there were perplexed I was taking a photo of a mostly empty room.

After that we walked around some more and then realized that the park was near closing – Animal Kingdom closes the earliest of the parks most days and that day it was closing at 5, so we had to go straight to the exit so we wouldn’t wait too long for a bus.

Day 6 – Hollywood Studios and Epcot
Our last day at Disney! Reading online message boards and blogs, you’d think Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios was the only attraction worth riding in all of Disney World. So I was determined we would ride it, of course. We had a bit of a late start that morning and didn’t get to HS until close to 10:00, if I remember correctly. I immediately made my way to Toy Story Mania to get Fast Passes. As the line inched forward a cast member announced there were only a few left. I was ready to have an internal tantrum, but managed to get some of the last passes before the closed the line about twenty seconds later. They weren’t until 7:30 that night, though, a long way off.

Looking at the attractions at Hollywood Studios, we quickly realized they weren’t what our kids would enjoy, so after eating enormous cupcakes and candy apples at a bakery/treat shop we hopped a bus back to Epcot, their favorite park for attractions, and walked more around the World Showcase (and of course did the Tres Caballeros boat ride again). We’d originally had lunch reservations for HS at their 50s diner, but had to call to make reservations at Epcot. The only place available was their Chinese restaurant, and quite late for lunch (like 2). But it worked out fine because of our enormous snack earlier and the time it took to get back over to Epcot, anyway.

I will say that the allergy information at the Chinese restaurant (Nine Dragons) was the least impressive of all the places we went. The waitress didn’t seem to know what was in everything, and no chef came out. My options were limited as most food was prepared on the same surfaces as used for shellfish, or used with the same oil, or made with oyster sauce. I tried a bit of Jonah’s sweet and sour chicken and the waitress panicked, saying, “That is fried in the same oil we use for shellfish! Why would you try something if you didn’t know what it was? I could lose my JOB!” I had been confused, because I thought she said the sweet and sour chicken was safe, but all was well, no anaphylactic reaction for me.

We rode the boat across the lake in the middle of the World Showcase, and I think we did Soarin’ again, too. Then made our way back to Hollywood Studios for some chilly time-killing before our Fast Passes. Ate dinner at a quick service outdoor restaurant, I tracked down funnel cake, Zachary’s parents bought us some souvenirs, and then we headed over to Toy Story Mania.

The line for the attraction was pretty quick and colorful and kept the kids interested. Isla had decided she did NOT want to ride it, though, despite encouragement from me, Zachary, her grammie and granddad, and about ten strangers in line with us. So Zachary ended up having to sit the ride out with Jonah and Isla, and unfortunately there wasn’t enough time for us to do a rider swap since the park closed at 8 that night.

And on that note our Disney vacation came to an end! The next morning we woke and packed everything we came with (plus souvenirs and photos) back into the suitcases and had breakfast at a counter service restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge (not enough seating there – we had to wait a while to find a table for us, and watched many others do the same). Disney’s Magical Express came for us and we hopped on board and the bus whisked us off to the airport as we bid farewell to Florida.

Zachary and I both agreed later that the trip was a huge success – things could have gone horribly awry with the weather, the kids (Jonah, especially, was a big question mark because of his age), crowds, etc., but it ended up being a fun and not-too-stressful vacation (which, when you have kids, is really all you can ask for). We originally planned for it to be the one and only trip to Disney ever, but because it went so well we’re considering going again when Jonah is 4 or 5 years old!

Walt Disney World Vacation with Four Kids – Part IV – Magic Kingdom

May 23, 2011

Finally getting around to writing about the last three days we spent at Walt Disney World with our four children and my husband’s parents. Only six months after the trip.

Day Four – Magic Kingdom
I think I can safely say that this day was truly the most magical of the entire vacation for the kids. And because they had so much joy during the day, it was my favorite day, as well.

Months before the trip we made an appointment for Isla at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which is basically a beauty spa for the princess-obsessed set. Like most other areas of Disney, the cast members at the boutique are fully in character, treating each girl as if she is a member of royalty. After a brief wait Isla was ushered inside the boutique where she was able to choose which hairstyle she wanted (she chose the traditional princess look of a bun with a tiara, to go with her Cinderella dress that we brought from home) and they also do some lip gloss, glitter in the hair, and nail polish. The entire time Isla was facing away from the mirror – not until the transformation was complete did she get spun around to see her new look, not unlike some makeover shows.

I wish I could adequately describe Isla’s reaction. She saw herself and started smiling and didn’t stop for two days. She carried herself in a way that made me think she was acting a little more regal than normal. I wanted to cry it was so cute, and I’m not normally one to be excited her daughter wants to buy into the princess craze.

After the princessification, Isla and I visited some characters outside of the castle for photos, such as the evil stepsisters and stepmother and the Fairy Godmother. I told Isla she could choose one souvenir from the shop next door and she selected a magic wand. Everywhere we went, people complimented her princess attire, and cast members would greet her with a sincere, “Hello, princess!” Honestly, her reaction to being treated like a princess just made my day. Was it attention for something superficial? Yes. But she loved every minute of it and I loved that she was so happy to be a princess for a day.

Our next stop was Cinderella’s Royal Table for lunch, another popular character meal that books up quickly. We stood in line outside waiting for our seating, then went inside the castle for a photo op with Cinderella before being shown to our table.

We were right by a window, so had a great view of the courtyard outside of the castle and inside the dining hall. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was a little surprised by how truly castle-like it was on the inside. I wish I could remember her name, but we had a wonderful waitress who said she’d worked at Disney for nearly as many years as it had been open (if not as long). I had the niçoise salad and a crème brûlée, both of which were great. Isla had cheese pizza, I think, and then a make-your-own sundae dessert.

Cinderella’s Royal Table does accept the Disney Dining Plan, but because of the experience it is worth two dining credits instead of just one. For this reason just Isla and I went, but the boys were off having their own adventure.

Which brings me to the boys’ part of the day – they went to The Pirates League, where they were treated to fully in-character cast members speaking in pirate tongues, teaching them to swashbuckle and talk like a pirate. Miles and Grant both had their faces expertly done up to make them look like they had days-old stubble and some injuries to their faces, like any good pirate might have.

Fewer kids go to the Pirates League than to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, if the number of kids we saw in pirate costumes vs. princess gowns was any indication, so the boys got a lot of attention with their costumes (bought on eBay and brought from home, to avoid paying more for Disney costumes). Grant was particularly in character, growling at passerby. At one point we had a group of people stop and give Grant a pin because he was the best pirate they’d seen all day (they gave the other kids pins, too, which was very nice of them).

So all day the kids got positive attention in their outfits, a lot of cast members and strangers interacting with them and talking to them because of how they were dressed up. And they ate it up! Even Miles, who is naturally more reserved, enjoyed the spotlight for small moments.

Zachary and his parents and the boys ate at Liberty Tavern Inn while Isla and I were at CRT, and they said it was really good food. We had a beautiful day and did the Jungle Cruise (which scared Isla with the faux savage animals), tried PhilharMagic (scared Isla, so we had to make a quick exit, during which she lost her wand in the dark, meaning we had to stay outside until the show ended to go back and find it), and the Swiss Family Treehouse (which scared me, because for some reason I failed to remember I am scared of heights until we got to the top).

Dinner that night was quick service at Pinocchio Village Haus, which was very big and overlooked It’s A Small World, but the food was underwhelming.

Then it was back to the hotel for some sleep! Seeing the castle all bright with the holiday lights on our way out was pretty spectacular.

Orlando-Bound

Sep 2, 2010

No turning back now – today we bought our airline tickets for our trip to Walt Disney World.

The last time we flew as a family, we only had two kids.

This will be fun.

Right??

The Secrets of Our Travel Success (or Maybe We Just Got Lucky)

Jul 23, 2010

So the trip is over. We arrived back home Wednesday evening while it was still light out. There are a good many more weeds in the backyard than before, but the sheets were clean and ready for us to go to bed after two long days of travel.

Our fridge was pretty bare when we got back, though. “Good morning, kids! Would you like jalapenos or hummus for breakfast?”

We’ve made this trek once before, back when we had only three kids. Before our 2010 trip, as in 2007, we got a lot of, “Wow, that is going to be hard,” and “Better you than me!” comments when people heard we’d be driving cross-country with young kids.

I’m feeling pretty good about the fact that not only did we survive the trip, but it went well. I will knock on every bit of wood around me in the hopes I didn’t just jinx all of our car travel for the rest of our lives by saying that.

I’d like to think my fabulous preparation and other-worldly mothering skills played a significant role in our success, but I think it’s just as likely we got lucky, both with easy(ish)-going kids and with weather and catching everyone on good days.

That said, here are some things I think we did that helped tip the scales in our favor:

1. Lists, lists, lists. I am a big-time procrastinator. As I mentioned before, I did the bulk of our packing the day we left. That might seem insane to some, but it works for me – when I do it all at once I can see whether I have everything or not. I had an Excel spreadsheet with areas for each person, plus the family as a whole, spelling out exactly what we’d need to bring. As I put things into one of three suitcases or the camera bag or the diaper bag, I highlighted them to show it was packed. I did forget Grant’s beloved blankie, though, and business cards. Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that.

2. Be flexible. When we’ve taken road trips before we made hotel reservations in advance and talked about where to eat. This can be good (especially if you’re planning a stay at a hotel in a busy town and/or on a weekend), but with kids it helps to be flexible. You just can’t plan gas station breaks for when the car runs out of gas – someone always needs to go to the bathroom, or snacks need to be eaten, or you realize you can either not go another mile before you need a hotel or you discover the kids are asleep and you can drive 100 more miles. We used our handy GPS device (the Garmin 765T, if you’re wondering) to search for upcoming gas stations, restaurants and hotels and it was a fabulous resource, even if the Garmin did direct us to a closed gas station in the middle of nowhere, where we ended up at a seriously sketchy service station with only one working pump. But that’s another story. Where was I? Oh, yes. Be flexible. Don’t say no as often to the kids. If they need drinks, to pee, to play another game on the Leapster, let them.

3. Be firm. And by this I mean, lay out your expectations for the kids weeks before you go on the trip. I don’t agree with telling kids that vaccinations don’t hurt, and I don’t agree with white lies telling them “We’re almost there, honey!” when you’re still 400 miles away from your destination. We told the kids months in advance that we were going on a long car trip and that it would be boring. Someone else gave me the great advice to tell the kids in the morning that we wouldn’t be stopping until bed time, and I think that really cut back on how often we were asked, “Are we there yet?”

4. DVD players are awesome, but use movies sparingly. Our first road trip we broke out the DVD player before we were even out of the driveway, we were so nervous the kids would flip out and be bored. But the kids soon grew weary of cartoons, and so did Zachary and I. This time we came more prepared. Leapsters for each kid over a year, a Doodle Pro, books, a magnetic puzzle thing, etc. We’d start out with each kid playing something like that, and when they started getting squirrelly, BAM!, on with the movies to work their hypnotizing magic.

5. Stay away from McDonald’s. Okay, yes, my kids eat fast food. And yes, they get Happy Meals from time to time, probably more than I care to admit right now. And McDonald’s is, like, THE sponsor of the American road trip, judging by how many of them dot the exits of every major freeway. But there’s only so much grease and salt you can ingest before you start to feel like a chicken nugget yourself. We brought a loaf of bread, peanut butter and honey to make our own sandwiches. We sought out other places to eat. And once when we took a wrong turn on our way to a rest stop we let the kids get McDonald’s and Happy Meal toys.

6. Pack wisely. I would say “Pack lightly,” but I am not very good at that. If I’m going somewhere for five nights, chances are I’m going to pack eight shirts, just so I have some options. But I really did try harder this time. After all, there’s only so much room inside a minivan already full with six people. Chances are there will be laundry facilities at or near where you’re going, so if you’ll be gone more than a week, pack enough clothes to get you through 6-7 days and plan on washing stuff. It was so much easier to pack just six shirts for each kid instead of twelve.

7. Relax. This can be hard, especially when you have little kids. But remember this is a grand adventure for them even if to you the travel is just a means to an end. They are loving that they have so much of your attention, with everyone in the same close quarters and away (usually) from household chores, grocery shopping, work schedules, and the time suck of the internet. Tickle your baby’s feet and play peek-a-boo. Gush over your daughter’s drawings. Point out semis carrying race cars to your car-loving boys. Play “I Spy,” even if your kid gives hints like, “I spy with my little eye… something TRUCKY!”

In a couple of years your car trips might be quieter, yes, but that will be because your kids are engrossed in their iPhones and think you’re embarrassing.