Where Dreams Come True

Well we finally made it to Disney World.  Four and half months after we were scheduled to go we finally got rescheduled and flew out to Orlando for a much SHORTER trip but at least we got to go.  This time I had to plan for things that I never even thought about the first time I booked the trip.   I had to pack water that I could drink because the bottled water they sell in the parks I can't drink...too acidic.  Then there is the whole making reservations at restaurants that serve unseasoned fish.  But I got us all scheduled with a lot of help from Disney and honestly from a lot of friends.

Bling Equals Terrorist

We started the trip out with Sarah setting off the security alarm on the scanner at the Little Rock Airport.  Evidently the bling on Sarah's pants leg set off the sensor and TSA procedures had to be followed then.  Rick feeling bad for Sarah patted her on the shoulder and said, "It's okay Sarah."  Well that set off other alarms because now he has TOUCHED the potential terrorist.  So obviously they were in cahoots!  So TSA had to talk to both but only Rick got the patting down.  Evidently he looks much more dangerous than Sarah.  Luke, Jonah and I went over to a bench and sat down and watched the whole episode.  I wanted to take photos SO bad but I was afraid that the TSA agents would think I also was in cahoots with these two criminals.  So I refrained but the boys and I giggled a lot watching this all.  After the TSA agents finished with them they told us from now on to have our younger kids walk through only the metal detectors not the large scanners.  They aren't as sensitive evidently.

Blowouts Aren't Magical

We landed almost 30 minutes early in Orlando.  We were thrilled.  We got our rental car which we had rented because we were told the Disney bus rides might be very painful for me.  Then we headed towards our Disney resort, the Art of Animation.  We were 5 minutes outside the airport on HWY 417 when we had a blowout.  I was driving.  I pulled off to the side of the rode and Rick got out and said the tire was completely flat.  So I called Alamo who Disney had booked as our car rental.  I told them what happened and asked that since we had just left the airport that they bring us a new car.  They claimed that would take hours and that someone would call us in 20 minutes to set up changing the tire for us.  So Rick changed the tire while I tried to warn cars to get into the other lane rather than hit us.  I called Alamo back and told them we changed the tire ourselves and that we would NEVER use their rental cars again.  It was a polite but direct conversation.  After reaching the Art of Animation Disney resort we told Disney what had happened and how Alamo acted.  They helped us return the car and handled making Alamo reimburse our money for the remaining days with the car which Alamo had refused to do.

Just Keep Swimming

We stayed on Disney property at the Art of Animation Resort.  We had a family suite with a Nemo themed rooms.  It was so nice.  Our kids had their own room and bathroom and Rick & I had our own room and bathroom.  So nice since our 13 year old spends far too much time working on his hair swoop these days!  The kid's room had two double beds one of which folded into a table during the day.  Their room also had a microwave, refrigerator, TV, dresser and armoire.  Really was a great room.  You don't spend a lot of time in your room when you vacation in Disney but having two bathrooms and bedrooms was so nice with our 3 kids.  The pool with the resort was also great.  Although I didn't swim Sarah told me that you can hear music under the water of the pool.  You can't hear it when you are just sitting by the pool but once you go under water they have the music from Disney movies playing.

And They're Off

After "vacationing" at Disney World I can't figure out why anyone would describe this as a vacation.  Disney is a marathon.  You are up and out of bed before the birds even think about chirping and then you are racing to a theme park to beat everyone else to the list of the best rides or at least the most popular ones.  Don't misunderstand me....Disney is fun in a weird sort of masochistic way.  It has so much to do and see that you spend the first day in a state of overwhelming shock....or at least the first time you go you do.  I was trying to soak everything in and at the same time see more and more. 

My kids rode almost all of the most popular rides in the parks except for Animal Kingdom which we skipped this trip since we weren't there long enough.   We got to the parks at 7 a.m. and ran around riding what they could and I ran and got fast passes for the the next rides.  I was one exhausted momma after all the running.  I'm not 100% healthy with my bladder disease.  So I don't have the energy that other people have anyway but I did better than I thought I would.  I asked my kids what their favorite rides were  Star Wars, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Rockin' Rolling Roller Coaster....?  They all agreed that they were ALL great.  So they just aren't a picky group.

Rick got "chosen" to be one of the extras on the Indiana Jones Stunt show.  He kept yelling, "ME...ME...ME!" until they called him down onto the stage.  He had to put on a costume and act like one of the crowd in Cairo during one of the explosion scenes.  Quite entertaining to watch Rick's acting debute.  He may have found his next career!

People Watching Can Be Scary

I rode some of the rides in Disney....mainly the slow rides but I did ride a few popular ones....like Toy Story Mania, Buzzlight Year, etc.  But a lot of the time I would people watch while Rick and the kids rode a ride and I rested from running and getting them another fast pass.  I learned 5 things from watching people in Disney:

1. Photos - When a family is taking a photo they are ALL smiles and deliriously happy looking.  The minute the cameras get put up everyone looks like they haven't slept in a week and that is because they have NOT.
2. 4 Inch Heels - There are actually some crazy women in Disney World wearing 4 inch heels to walk around a theme park all day.  These women need counseling.  I'm pretty sure they are already medicated because NO one could walk all day in Disney in 4 inch heels and not be on heavy medication.
3. Bras, Short Shorts, and Belly Rings - Bras, short shorts and belly rings are very popular attire at Disney.  I was stunned at the number of girls my 13 year olds age that had on a bra, short shorts and a belly ring and NOTHING else.  These girls were with their moms.  It was cold while we were there.  So these girls were freezing but I guess sending the wrong message about themselves was more important than comfort.
4. Parental Supervision - Keeping an eye on their kids was not a high priority for many families in Disney.  I saw many kids running around Disney without parental supervision.  I even saw parents leave 3 and 4 year old in bench areas and run over to a snack bar.  Incredibly sad to see such poor decisions being made.
5. Bad Behavior - Disney can bring out the best in people but obviously it can bring out the worst too.  I saw a woman actually ram her stroller into a guy's ankle on purpose because he wasn't walking fast enough for her.  He screamed out in pain and she said, "I tried not to hit you but you stepped in front of me."  Which was so not the truth. 

Disney Takes Care of You

Disney has their act together.  I'm somewhat of an organized woman.  So I appreciate people and organizations that are also organized.  They understand that everything runs smoother with a plan.  We rode the Disney transportation while we were there and for the most part had a great experiences.  We also ate on the Disney Dining Plan and had a good experience.  I won't say GREAT experience because evidently there is a gross shortage of baked potatoes in Orlando, Florida.  My limited diet would test any one's patience and menu.  So I gave them a pass on this but I am going to write them and ask them to correct this horrible oversight.  I eat fish, baked potatoes, and steamed veggies.  They were great at making me salmon with no seasoning and steaming broccoli
and green beans for me but I would have just about paid anything for a baked potato! We did take a ferry from Magic Kingdom over to the Fort Wilderness Campground area and eat at the Trail End Restaurant which had a buffet with a baked potatoe bar on our last night there.  So I did find at least one Table Service restaurant on property that served baked potatoes!

They also need to branch out on offering other fish without seasonings.  Everywhere I went when I met the chef and explained that I could only have fish with no seasoning they only offered me salmon.  Now I like salmon ...so much so that my Omega-3 levels are AWESOME but throw in a little tilapia or mahi mahi or sea bass please!


Disney Knows Parades & Fireworks

We spent an entire day at Magic Kingdom only leaving the park for about 2 hours and that was to return the defective Alamo rental car.  We were exhausted by dinner time but stayed for the Disney Electric Parade and fireworks display.  It was incredible.  It made me feel like I was in a Disney movie.  I loved it.  Just when you thought it was over they were shooting out more fireworks.  Just beautiful!  I was also amazed at the start of the celebration how they had this giant hand appear on the side of Cinderella's Castle and start drawing cartoons that later came to life.  It was freezing cold that night while watching the parade and fireworks and we had to stand on a rock wall to see but it still was an awesome experience.

Rick has decided he wants to run a marathon at Disney for his 50th birthday.   So that should give me a few years to recover before we go back!   I only had 1 day that was a really bad pain day while we were there.  So I felt very blessed.  Hopefully in time I won't have any pain days and Disney truly will be a place where Dreams Come True for me too!