At the beginning of October we took a trip down to Walt Disney World. Chris was asked to be a groomsmen in a wedding of an old college friend of his. The bride and groom are Jill and Erich and they live in the Chicago area. Erich was a groomsman and our wedding (we recently celebrated our 7th anniversary!) and Chris was delighted to be able to stand up in Erich wedding. And as a bonus the whole family (including Grandma) gets a vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth, Where Dream Do Come True, WALT DISNEY WORLD in Orlando, Florida. For the past year we've been saving up for this trip and it was well worth it. This was our first time ever there.
Our trip started on Tuesday. The flight down to Orlando went better than we could have expected. This was Jake's second time flying (though he doesn't remember the trip to San Diego when he was 11 months old) and it was Casey's first time getting her wings. We purchased a seat for Jake and Casey sat in our laps (well mostly mommy's lap)). We met Grandma Wes (Chanley's mom) at the Detroit airport (she flew in from Madison). Jake ran the halls of Metro Airport looking for Grandma and when he found her gave her a big hug and kiss. During the flight Casey took a 50 minute snooze in mommy's arms while Jake played with his Elmo aquadoodle pages, books, cars and lacing. The flight was just over 2hrs. Once we landed our Disney vacation started.
We signed up for the Disney Magical Express service and this included a shuttle bus that took us to our Disney Resort (Port Orleans Riverside, see photo in collage). We didn't have to hassle with baggage claim for our luggage they took care of all of it and got it directly to our rooms. There is FREE Disney transportation (bus, boat or monorail) provided so there was no need for a rental car (BONUS!). Jake loved the bus ride to the resort and watched out the window for the 30 minute drive. Casey was wiggly and because she wasn't in her carseat (Florida law allows children to ride in shuttle buses without one) she wanted to get around the bus and walk. But that was dangerous while moving, so we had to restrain her to our laps or her own seat and that was challenging.
It such an amazing feeling when we walked out of the airport in Florida. You feel like you've transported to a different world. Sunny warm weather, PALM TREES, people in t-shirts and shorts, it's the best! Especially after leaving Detroit (and Wisconsin) with a forecast of snow coming the next day. Thank goodness for vacations to Florida at just the right time.
Port Orleans Riverside is the resort we chose and it was gorgeous. It has a marina area with a boat docks, bike & boat rentals, 1 large swimming pool w/ slide, a kiddie pool, hot tub and 4 smaller/quieter pools scattered throughout the rest of the resort. We were in heaven. And the most amazing experience about Disney World is that everyone who works there always has a smile on their face, say hello, and are very courteous. It was like that everywhere we went no matter what time of day. I'm not sure what kind of bonuses they give their employees, but whatever they are doing, it's working.
We reserved 2 adjoining rooms. One for the 4 of us and one for my mom connected by a inside door. Jake & Casey loved being able to slip into Grandma's room anytime they wanted. Casey started walking only a week before our trip so this was the first chance Grandma got to see her taking steps. It's so fun watching a little one check out all the new things in a hotel room. Her favorites were the ice bucket, the phone book inside the bedside table (she knew how to get into it), the little shampoo and soaps in the tub, the air/heating vent, just to mention a few. We had to make sure after housekeeping was in our room that we promptly removed the shampoo/soap containers out of their reach because we too quickly learned that Casey can eat through the paper wrapped around the soap bar (yuck!) and Jake learned how to open the shampoo bottles and dump them into the tub.
We arrived just in the late afternoon on Tuesday and spent that day exploring the resort, getting dinner at the cafeteria and unpacking our bags. The kids were exhausted from the traveling so we had them in bed by 8pm. Chris and I went to the lounge and watched the Tigers play while Grandma listened for Jake and Casey. Not a peep from them. Yeah!
Wednesday was a busy day and started with swimming in the pool. Casey wore her new Minnie Mouse swimsuit that we picked up from Walmart before leaving Detroit. It was perfect. We could ask her where Minnie Mouse was and she would look down and point to her belly (see photo). We did lost of swimming in the kiddie pool. Both Jake and Casey enjoyed splashing, walking and swimming in the pool made just for their size. Mommy and Daddy joined them as well, and occasionally would take breaks and one of us would hop over to the hot tub for a warm relaxing soak while the other watched the kids. And then switched places. Grandma enjoyed watching everyone swim.
After lunch and afternoon naps we took a trip to go see Erich and Jill so Chris could pick up his tuxedo for the wedding on Friday. To get to the resort (called the Grand Floridian) we traveled on the Disney transportation. First we sat at a bus stop to hop on a bus that took us to Magic Kingdom. It was a 25 minute wait for the bus and then a 20 minute ride to Magic Kingdom. Again Jake was thrilled to be in the bus and sat nicely in his seat. And I'm sure you can figure out what Casey wanted to do. We got smart and brought snacks with us on the bus to keep her busy. After arriving to Magic Kingdom (we got to see the entrance to the park), we walked over the the Monorail station to hop on the monorail to the Grand Floridian. This was the HIGHLIGHT of Jake's vacation. He loved the train and wanted to ride it all day. It was a short 10 minute ride to the Grand Floridian.
We saw Erich and Jill and enjoyed the great views they had outside their hotel window. This was the first time I had met Jill and she is a charming young lady. Chris tried on his tux to make sure the sizing was right and then after chatting for a bit we headed back to the monorail and bus stop to get back to our resort. It was a fun adventure and it provided us views of the entire Walt Disney Park.
Wednesday night we got the kids ready for bed and headed out early to go meet some friends for dinner and drinks. Grandma babysat Jake and Casey for us. Thank you mom, for coming down and being able to let Chris and I have some time out together. We hung out with our new friends Khristi and Bill. Khristi is Erich best friend and is also standing up in the wedding). They are from Rockford, Illinois. We met at the ESPN Club (at another Disney Resort called The Boardwalk). Just a note: All the resorts we saw (6 out of 15) were fabulous. Tigers won that night and after the game we headed to Pleasure Island. An adult club area in Downtown Disney. We enjoyed listening to music of a live band playing at a Irish Pub. I made the mistake of having beer before liquor and I paid for it the next day. Yuck!!
On Thursday we went back to Downtown Disney but visited the shopping/marketplace area. It was filled with all kinds of Disney stores with trinkets, souvenirs, apparel, everything. They also had a Lego Land area with different animals & characters built out of thousands (maybe millions) of Lego's. Our day ended short with a rainstorm during lunch. Later that evening we were invited to the rehearsal dinner. It was at the Polynesian Resort (gorgeous!) and it was a Luau celebration. Dinner was served while a Luau show was performing. Jake loved the entire show while Casey wanted to walk around the lobby area. It was a fun filled evening.
Okay, now we are at the big day. The wedding day. Chris was up early and over to the Grand Floridian for pre-ceremony photos. Jake and I took a cab to the ceremony while Grandma and Casey stayed in the room so Casey could nap. The ceremony was lovely. It was a fairytale wedding. I made the mistake of letting Jake take a photo before the ceremony and that led to him fighting me for the camera during the ceremony. Note to self: Do not do that again!. The reception was held at the Contemporary Resort, atop the highest floor in the resort (14th floor) in a restaurant called The California Grill. We enjoyed breathtaking views of the entire resort while up there. We could see Magic Kingdom and Epcot, plus 4 other resorts. It was a fancy and beautiful reception luncheon. Little to fancy to be bringing a 2 and 1 year old to, but the bride and groom love kids so much they insisted that everyone bring their kids. There were about 15 in total. It was still difficult making sure Jake and Casey were not touching things they weren't supposed to touch (wine glasses, water goblets, flower bouquets, etc..). The best part came during the wedding reception and Mickey and Minnie came running in and joined the dance. It was wonderful, (this was our FIRST Mickey sighting since arriving and our only sighting). Jake was cautious and didn't want to go up to hug or touch them. Casey loved it she walked around them and danced with them. They stayed for 3 dance songs, then went with the bride and groom for the cake cutting and photos. I'm glad Jake and Casey got to see Mickey and Minnie.
Saturday was a fun day with more swimming and a tandem bike ride. We rented a 4 seater bike with Jake and Casey sitting in a basket in the front (see photo that my mom took). It was alot of fun pedaling around the resort. Those tandem bikes are tricky and you really have to work hard to get up the hills. Jake had a blast ringing the bell above him and Casey enjoyed sitting in front and then looking back at all of us. It was well worth the $20 we paid for a 30 minute ride.
Later that evening Chris and I got the courage to take Jake and Casey to a sitdown dinner at Downtown Disney. Our plans were to eat at Rainforest Cafe. To get there we took a 35 minute boat ride. The evening quickly took a wrong turn and this is how it happened. We were on the boat at around 5:30 hoping to get to a restaurant by 6:00 and not have a long wait to be seated. The boat wasn't crowded yet so that was good sign. While 1/2 way into our boat ride I realized that I forgot the DIAPER BAG!!!!. Much needed diapers, wipes and bottles are in that bag back at the resort room (and not with us!). We can't just turn around and go get it. We have to wait till we dock and that meant another 1/2 hour boat ride for the bag and another 1/2 hour to get back to dinner. So instead, we sent Daddy back on the boat to get the bag, while Mommy stayed in Downtown Disney with Jake and Casey. I had about 1 hour to entertain them. We headed for Legoland because they had a small play area. The kids did great for about a 1/2 hour, but now it was going on 6:30 and they needed some food. Unfortunately I had only $5 in my wallet (Chris has the rest of our vacation loot) so I got a milkshake to share with them. Now it gets bad, in the next 10 minutes Jake AND Casey decided to fill their pants (the big #2). YES, BOTH OF THEM! I'm sitting there with no diapers to change them. Chris should be about another 15 minutes so I call him to make sure he's on his way. He tells me that he has the bag, but the boat was filled to get back to Downtown Disney and he had to wait for the next one (a 15 minute wait!). He decided instead to hop on the bus transportation. At 7:20 Daddy arrives back with diapers and we change the kids. We head to the restaurant and they are all booked and now have 45 minutes wait. Same thing with all the sitdown restaurants in the area. We couldn't manage that long of a wait with the kids, so we opted to get a quick dinner at McDonalds. Not our first choice, but with the circumstances given that was the best we could do. So much for our last night at Disney World and eating at a McDonalds.
Sunday we flew home and the kids again enjoyed the plane ride and this time both took naps (at different times) during the flight. We arrived back home early enough to unpack almost everything. Even though we were no longer in sunny Florida anymore it was good to be home. Jake and Casey enjoyed being back to their familiar surroundings and bedrooms as well.
All in all we loved our trip. We advise anyone who is planning a trip down there to wait until their children are 3 years and older if you have plans to visit the theme parks. If you want to go just for the resort then any age works and they are so much fun. We have already been discussing our next trip down (2-3 more years) and look forward to seeing all the other attractions they have.
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