Well, first off, We survived a week at WDW with three generations, including our twin toddlers. If that doesn’t deserve a few days off, I’m not sure what does. TT Dad survived running more than 45 miles over the course of FOUR days. Impressive feat, no doubt. Nonie & Pops survived a two day drive down to Florida, and a week with us! We survived two flights with newly turned two year olds! High-fives all around!
We were all ready for another vacation.
Only Nonie & Pops would get it.. they were driving to Cocoa Beach to finish up their R&R.
The rest of us would be making our way home in the wee hours. Luckily, the kids were tired enough that they slept from the minute they got in the car until around 7am. TT Dad and I always try to get most of the bags and miscellaneous vacation stuff out of the car and back into the house, at the very least, as soon as we get home.
Time to pick up the pup from his cousin’s house (Thanks, Uncle M, Auntie L, G & E!) and get back into the swing of things.
TT Dad was back to work in the morning, but the kids and I were able to have a lazy day, which we mostly spent wishing we were back in the kingdom.
As usual, we did find some time to process our trip; patting ourselves on the back for the things we nailed, and laughing at ourselves for the ways we failed.
So, without further ado, here you go!
The GOOD
- The Planning process. I took the lead (surprise, surprise.) No one else seemed to have much interest, so it worked out well. I asked everyone to let me know if there were any restaurants, or rides they wanted to make sure we fit in. Without much input, I feel like I did a pretty good job of setting up a framework that pleased everyone, without going crazy and over scheduling.
- Wilderness Lodge, 2 bedroom suite, Atrium room.
Keeping in mind that we didn’t actually know we were requesting an Atrium Room, I’m glad we did. We requested a room near the elevators, which is, in effect, an atrium room. It worked perfectly for our family dynamic. The living area was a better shape/size than a typical room, considering we had two toddlers who needed a little more space to burn off energy at times. We also lucked out with the view. We could see the lake, but also had a birds eye view of the construction zone below. - Plans were made, FastPass+ times were scheduled, and Reservations were booked. But in the end, we were flexible. Staying flexible, and doing our best to accommodate the needs of all six of us, was a big factor in the success of this trip. We communicated well, allowing for all of us to take the alone time we needed, while also making sure we had plenty of time together, as a family.
- Orlando Stroller Rentals.
Same-Day rental, delivered to our hotel once we realized ours was in need of repair. That stroller was perfect, and the free cooler came in handy, too! - Our flight seating arrangement- The kids had the window and middle seats, I was on the aisle, and TT Dad was across the aisle. I was able to pass the kids over to TT Dad when they needed to stretch their legs a bit, and they were also able to stretch over the two seats they did have. They had a little more room by putting them next to each other, and TT Dad and I could handle them alone, meaning we could take turns on kid duty, if necessary.
- Cooler weather day in MK. We were able to enjoy a lot of the rides without waits, and the park was pretty empty, which was a nice break.
- Pool Day! The afternoon spent at the pool was a perfect break from our crazy days on the go. The kids love the water, and it was their first attempt at a water slide. I think we all needed a little quiet time, and absolutely will agree with every recommendation to take a day off of the parks during a longer stay. Some families have found that coming back in the middle of the day for a little pool time works best for them. We didn’t have any issue with making it through the day at the park, but after a few days of constantly on the go, we needed that day.
- Backpack Packing. Each morning, I made sure to pack the kids’ backpacks with plenty of snacks, small cars, toy animals, books, and more snacks. They loved to carry their backpacks around, and because there wasn’t anything too valuable in there, we could leave them with the stroller whenever we went on rides, or into shows. The only downside to the backpacks were that they needed to be checked every time we entered a park, and those were the longest lines we ever encountered. We made it work, anyway!
The MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
- Our flight to FL. So many things we would have done differently. The timing was poor, to begin with. In addition, there was a delay, which didn’t help things. We ended up spending a very long time in the airport, and BDL does not have a play area like some other airports do.
- The Express Transportation Option. You can now add this option to your Park Hopper, or Annual Pass. With Express Transportation, you can go from park to park (Park Hopper) without having to competely leave the park, and go through security at the new park. The time that this will save people is very valuable, and is absolutely worth the cost- $19 for single days use, and $29 for multi-day (up to 7 consecutive days). Sadly, we didn’t even know about this until we were leaving- Planner fail.
- We never did get to see any fireworks! Looking back, I’m pretty sure the kids would have handled it at least once… but I was never brave enough to try.
- Sometimes, reservations weren’t exactly timely. I didn’t realize this when planning, and sometimes set us up with ADRs later than we would have liked, only to find that they ended up being much later than we would have every chosen. This led to tired and hungry kids, which is only a recipe for disaster.
- We’ll bring car seats next time. Expecting newly two year olds to sit still, with their seat belt on, when necessary, is just a ridiculous idea. On top of that, for safety, car seats are just a much better idea.
- The Kids Race did NOT go well. I think it was a combination of tired, and hungry kids- and to be honest, I think it was probably the only time they were overwhelmed, and it showed.
- We never made it to Animal Kingdom. We would have loved to get there, but because we were trying to keep everyone from being overwhelmed, some things had to be cut from our itinerary, and unfortunately, AK was it.
Alas, it was back to real life.
We had a little downtime before our next trip… But we weren’t going to let that stop us from having fun!