Day 1
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Getting there had its adventures. Once checked in, we were ready to play. We made our schedule around the early 'magic hours' at each of the parks. As a rule, vacationers prefer staying up late to getting up early. Though we would have preferred this to some degree as well, it was so wonderful being in the parks before all the crowds. Hollywood Studios was pretty quiet for the first couple of hours we were there. The weather was chilly all week. Especially in the mornings before the sun was fully in the sky.
First stop, Star Tours
Though we hadn't really planned on it, we made a few stops to take photos with characters. Grant and Eden were surprisingly keen on it.
This happened. I may have cried a little.
We learned early to mention the size of our group when entering shows. We showed up for the Indiana Jones stunt show right as it was beginning. The stadium was packed. I approached a cast member (as they call themselves) at the top of the stairs and mentioned that we had 7 in our group.
"VIP?" asked she.
"Oh, no. Not VIP." said I.
"Yes, VIP. Follow me." said she with a wink.
So we did. And she sat us right up in the front row. After the show was over, Grant really wanted to shake Indie's hand. Grace was waiting by his side. When the moment of truth came, Grant lost his nerve and let his shyness get the best of him. But Indiana gave him a big hand shake anyway and pulled him up to the stage for a photo.
Grace went on all the roller coasters. She loved it. Honest.
"Oh Toooooooooodles!" Eden at Disney Jr. Live!
The first of many naps taken in the stroller...
One of the first things we did with our early hour was to sign Grant up for Jedi training camp. We explained to him that he would be asked to do things in front of a large group and that he would be facing either Darth Vader or Darth Mall. He can be so shy, we didn't want him to have a bad experience with it.
His timidity was nowhere to be found (except when he ducked behind a fellow padawon when old Vader showed up).
Grant faced him anyway, and made it clear he would never go to the dark side.
Day 2
EPCOT
Our day at EPCOT was down right cold and the crowds were pretty oppressive. We made the best of things and travelled around to rides and shows that peeked our interest most. We didn't make it onto Soarin' - we were excited for Dad to try it. He reminded us that he has a plane and gets to do the real thing pretty often. Poor Cori was coming down with the flu and wasn't able to enjoy the day as much as he might have. Otherwise, it was a fabulous day!
In line for Finding Nemo.
A diversion found as we made our way around the World Showcase.
Grant asking me for the 200th time if he can play on my phone. Just like when he was a babe, he has a very low tolerance for noisy situations. By about 10:30 every morning, Grant was ready to head back to the hotel. We worked hard to keep him calm and happy- Angry Birds and Temple Run helped a bunch.
Cori, Dad, and the Gs designing and test driving cars on Test Track.
EPCOT was having a spring festival. This included little games and easter egg hunts throughout the park. Eden played once while we were waiting for big kids to finish up on a ride.
The spring fest also included the International Flower and Garden Festival. There were Disney themed topiaries all over the park. We thought the burlap-faced princesses were a little creepy. But on the whole, they were pretty amazing.
Me and Cori in 'France' with Cogsworth and Lumier. Cori was starting to come down with the worst of his flu symptoms and I was feeling a little pregnant...
Cori took Grant and Eden back early that night. Grace, Grammie, Papa, and I stayed for dinner and the night show. My mom found out that Tokyo Dining has window-side tables with a view of the fireworks. We were so grateful that she made the reservations weeks in advance. We had dinner and didn't have to stand out in the cold and the crowds to see the show. Dad told us all about the time his family spent living in Japan when he was a kid. Grace remembered all of it and talked about it for days. I'll never forget this night either!
Day 3
Taking it easy
After 2 full days in the crowds, we were all ready for a little respite. And poor Cori was super sick by this point. So we slept in, played games, went swimming and recouped. Cori and I were increasingly grateful that my parents came along. When we first got into our room, it was immediately evident that it was the smallest double queen hotel room we had ever shared. My parents' room had more space. And a pull out sofa- and a murphy bed. So every night I packed up an overnight bag and Grant and Grace slept in Grammie and Papa's room. It was also nice to have somewhere to go and play while Cori was sleeping off his aches and fever.
That night, the G's and I went back to Disney Hollywood with Mom and Dad for dinner and to play a little and watch Fantasmic.
Days 4 & 5
Magic Kingdom
Having two days at Magic Kingdom was a good plan. It was the most crowded of the parks. We were there for the 7AM early gate open each day and clocked out around 3 or 4 in the afternoon when the people really started streaming in. We didn't see any of the night shows, but it was worth it to relax in the evenings back at our rooms and the pool.
Some of our early morning departures meant I was fixing Gracie's hair at the park... Her morning hair has ever been a site to be seen! On this particular day we did three or four rides before I got the spray bottle and rubber bands out. :)
Me and Eden on Astro Orbitors. Eden wanted to go on everything, poor baby girl. It is hard being little.
Being there early every day made it easy to do all the things we wanted to and even try some new things. None of us had ever been out to the Tom Sawyer's Island in California. So we tried it here.
Grant finally agreed to try Splash Mountain.
It is always worth a wait in the line for some Dole Whip!
Day 6
Animal Kingdom
This was Grace's most favorite day. She is not very interested in princesses- but animals! Watch out! Any other zoo experience we have now will pale in comparison.
On the Kilimanjaro Safari. Seriously, Grace was in Gracie heaven.
An elephant by a real baobab tree.
At Rafiki's Planet Watch the kids ejoyed some hands on fun.
We went to all of the shows. Again, mentioning the size of our group as we entered the Finding Nemo show paid off and we sat right up front. It was a super cute show.
Playing around the bone yard. And a booboo.
Eden had had enough vacation magic by this point.
Our very last stop was the Festival of the Lion King. Once again, we mentioned our group of 7 on the way in and were seated up front. The kids got asked to help teach the crowd a hand jive as we were waiting for the show to start. Grant started up with the girls, but decided that kind of attention was not for him.
But the girls continued around the theater in the round. Poor Grant was so conflicted. He didn't want to be in front of everyone, but it broke his little heart to be missing out.
Dad had just finished consoling Grant - telling him how he didn't like being in front of people like that either - when he got called up to be part of the show too.
And then, when Grant had finally calmed down about everything, the kids got invited back up to dance around in the finale. Grace and Eden jumped right up to participate and Grant jumped right back into my lap, sad fellow. He and Cori had a good little talk about taking courage afterwords. And we made a big deal about showing him the pictures from his Jedi training at the beginning of the week. It is so hard sometimes- the things we can't do for our children!
The girls had a blast though.
It was quite a week and we were grateful for the magical moments sprinkled in throughout. Cori and I decided that we would love to make this trip again when our youngest is Grant's age (Or maybe Gracie's). And we won't go during the Spring break rush next time either.
Our return home marked the end of our planned travel for a while. 6 more weeks until school is out. And just 9 more weeks until baby comes!
