Not really reporting trip report

Now that my next Disney trip is closer than the last one I took, I suppose it's time to give a quick recap of our June vacation. I know, it's almost September, and I hate that I'm so behind but because I go so often (I know, poor me), that I feel like I'm a broken record. This trip was a little different in that it was just the girls, their Auntie Kelsey and myself...off on an adventure to Walt Disney World. So at the very least I need an abbreviated story about the fun we had and the highlights of our trip!As usual, we flew on Southwest Airlines...I know it's no frills, nothing spectacular but it is NON-STOP which ranks above frills any day in my book. Typically we fly out first thing in the morning, so our evening flight was the first "new and different" for me, and I liked it! The plane unfortunately was full, so Kelsey and I each took a kid and split up.


The next "new and different" Southwest is testing Wi-Fi on it's airplanes! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my laptop this time....but my iTouch worked great (as did Kelsey's) so we were able to text via vtext.com and Facebook which was fun. With the magic of wi-fi I was able to keep Kelsey updated regarding my row-mate, a crazy air-guitarist (he listened to ipod and played air guitar the entire flight), although I decided he probably isn't crazy...he was probably totally famous but since I'm out of touch with the rock guitarists these days I most likely offended him by not acknowledging who he was. Anyhow, one of the cool features of the in-flight wi-fi was the ability to see where the plane was on the map. The landing page of the web-access had your plane eating up dots like Pac-Man to show you how far you had to go. That certainly kept my kids amused.Who am I kidding? I said that this would be a brief recap, yet I rambled on about the AIRPLANE for a full paragraph. Sorry about that, but thanks for indulging me.


So we flew in on Sunday evening, and I had booked a room at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport. My little tip for you: to get a better rate, I purchased one of their "stay certificates" off their website...same room, cheaper price (Hotwire deals are typically even better, but none were available). After a quick bite at Sbarro and a trip or two on the moving walkway we were tired enough to finally turn in for the night. We enjoyed the balcony and the view of the runways/pool for all of about 2 minutes...it was HOT in the city tonight!

The room was beautiful, clean and comfortable but unfortunately I didn't get to enjoy it for long. My night was spent comforting my miserable 6-year old who had come down with a terrible ear infection. How did I know that? Is that what you are wondering? One of the things that I have learned to never leave home without (on vacation at least) is my otoscope. I'd wasted prior vacation hours in a clinic only to find out my kid had swimmers ear...and from that day on I vowed never to do that again. So thankfully I was able to determine that she did indeed have a nasty ear infection - but since the clinics weren't open late on a Sunday night, she toughed it out on ibuprofen and snuggles from Mommy.

First thing Monday we snagged ourselves a great Dodge Charger off National Car Rental's "Emerald Aisle" and we were off to get Maya's ear infection treated. It was just a minor glitch in our plans, but worth dealing with A.S.A.P. because my little girl was in pain and we needed to get her taken care of so the fun could begin! Before we knew it we were enjoying the palm trees and warm sultry weather at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

It only took minutes before "warm and sultry" turned into hot and yuck so we got back on track and headed for Blizzard Beach. I hadn't been to Blizzard Beach since I was on the college program, so this was another "'new and different" in my book because it was something my children had never experienced. It was as fun as I remember, actually more fun....everything is more fun when you're watching your kids experience it! We stayed at the water park a lot later than I had originally anticipated we would. The initial plan was to head out and go see Spectromagic, but as the day went on the crowds diminished, the heat remained, and with a magnificent iced cold mocha latte (a real one, fresh pressed coffee and all) extending our stay was the ideal option for everyone.

Our Tuesday was to be spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and in true June fashion...it was HOT. We had our obligatory meal at Pizza Planet, and a ride on visit to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. We baked in the bleachers for the Extreme Stunt Show and cooled off in the theater as we watched The American Idol Experience. Looking back I realized we packed quite a bit into the few hours we had there, we walked on to The Great Movie Ride, and had a short wait for the Backlot Tour. Thanks to the Fast Pass system we were able to enjoy Toy Story Mania before heading out for the day. Would you believe that I didn't take one picture this day? I think I was a little too hot and melty, and was saving my photo opportunities for that evening.

Our evening was spent at the Spirit of Aloha dinner show. This was a first for me, and although the menu didn't thrill me (I'm not a fan of eating meat off the bone) I really wanted to try this dining experience. We get a lot of questions on the Moms Panel about this show vs. the Hoop De Doo Revue so I wanted to be able to give an educated and honest opinion.

So...In my now educated and honest opinion, I would probably vote for the Hoop De Doo over the Luau in 9 out of 10 situations. I don't know if it was the rain during the Luau, or the kid (other than my own) hanging/swinging on my chair the entire time but it was not my favorite dining experience.

The sky cleared by the end of the show, and although we had fun...I think the highlight of the evening was the fantastic time we had roaming the resort grounds and watching Wishes from the beach afterwards.

I really fear sounding like a Debbie Downer....and and more frighteningly a terrible Disney Moms Panelist, but considering my "job" is to give advice I feel that it was important for me to try things I've avoided for years...and determine if I was smart in doing so. Cinderella's Royal Table is tops on my "I know I've avoided this for a reason" list. This was our first stop of the morning, and being a self proclaimed morning person I was ready to be open, honest and fair with my judgements. The best parts of this experience, easy...they were:

1) Entering the park before it opens - all is quiet, peaceful and simply magical2) Dining INSIDE Cinderella Castle. Seriously, I think one of the biggest disappointments to any child visiting the Magic Kingdom for the first time is the Castle. You have this grand expectation of seeing a living room, a parlor, a kitchen, a bedroom....yet you see none of that. You technically don't even get to go "in"you walk through it (if there isn't a forecourt show in progress). So to be able to have the opportunity to go upstairs is a dream come true for any kid (or adult).3) The character interaction makes it all worth it. I may have told you before that I am not a fan of waiting in lines....well I'm especially not a fan of a waiting in lines to meet a character. That is why I LOVE character dining. To have the opportunity for my kids to see their favorite Princesses' not only in the same room, but to talk with them for a few moments on a personal basis is priceless.
Now I don't want to say "worst" because it certainly isn't the "worst" place to dine (I don't think WDW could possibly have a "worst"), but I preferred our experience at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Not only did I prefer the family style dining (over the pre-plated), the cost is lower. The Princess experience was just as great, so for me my budget-concise inner self would recommend Akershus over Cinderella's any day.

Once our meal was finished, we enjoyed the entire day at the Magic Kingdom. The weather was still incredibly hot, so I took my own "Moms Panel Advice" and we headed back to the resort for a nice afternoon swim. Recharged and ready to go, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for some night time fun. There is something truly special about nighttime touring of the parks with my girls. Just about every trip we have had the opportunity to venture out at night to explore and have a little fun, and I always find that some of the best memories are made at this time. I don't know why, but every ones moods are lighter, maybe we're a little punchy...maybe it's the fact that we're all out past our bedtime and eating ice cream and popcorn, I don't know. Whatever it is, these are some of my most cherished times in the parks...and this night was no exception.

I can't tell you why....or even explain how come it was soooooo funny but my little Pixie Maya Grace made the evening, if not the entire trip by assigning herself and her Aunt new names. Not sure why, maybe it was the extra trip on Big Thunder Mountain...but Maya proudly proclaimed to Auntie this evening that "I'll call you Buddy-Boy and you can call me David"

Buddy-Boy and David.

Hysterical.

Okay, maybe not to you...but if you know Maya you would know how out of character it would be for her to say something like this.

From that point on, they were Buddy-Boy and David and for some reason, I swear that after this the majority of the male cast members we encountered were named David. Coincidence?

Our evening of course wouldn't be complete without Spectromagic and Wishes!

My favorite spot for watching Wishes, do you recognize where we were?

So now that I haven't really reported the first half of my trip....I think I'll continue on and not really report on the rest of my trip. I'll hit just the highlights, okay?

Stay tuned!