Last year, Kevin and I entered some sort of contest at a Lumineers concert. They must have sold our information to someone, because a few months later they called us to let us know that we won free tickets to Disney World, including airfare and hotel accommodations. All we had to do was go listen to a time share presentation. It seemed too good to be true, so I declined the offer. They called Kevin, who expressed interest, so I called them again to get more details. I asked a thousand questions because I knew there had to be a catch, but they confirmed over and over that we only had to pay the taxes ($240 total), and the rest was completely free. The only stipulation was that you couldn't travel within 7 days of a major holiday. That seemed reasonable, so we attended the presentation and received our free trip. Kind of, haha! We had to mail that form in, wait 30 days for them to mail it back, then mail in a deposit, wait another 30 days to receive it back, then pick potential dates. This was where the first major lie came in. You had to pick a Monday or Tuesday to fly out, and your first choice had to be at least 60 days away, and the other dates had to all be at least 30 days apart. I mean, it was a scheduling nightmare. Once we made it through all those steps, we were told that we would'd hear back about the date we got until November. We were selecting the dates in the summer, so it seemed ridiculous that we wouldn't hear anything until November.
We eventually heard that our January dates were approved, so we then waited for our flight times and details about accommodations. When the representative called me, I honestly thought I was on one of those Punked shows. She was SO rude, and as she told me about the multiple stops and layovers I would have, the low-end economy motel I would stay in, how I would have to drive far away to pick up my Disney tickets, and how I would have basically half a day at Disney, I asked her if she was joking. She was super defensive, and said, "No, I'm just telling you how it is. You knew all this when you signed up." I challenged her rudeness, and it didn't help because she acted as if she could care less. I think it was all part of her plan, because she then presented the chance to upgrade my trip (for $500) to get better flights and hotel accommodations. I was so frustrated, and told her I would get back to her. She was very flippant and made comments about how she didn't know what I was expecting when I only paid $240 for the trip. Considering it was supposed to be a free trip, I thought it was ridiculous that I was already paying that much, not to mention needing to upgrade in order to get what I was originally promised.
It makes my blood boil just thinking about it, but in the end we told her that we weren't interested in upgrading, that we would make the best of the trip. A week later, someone else called to give me flight information, and as she read all the nonsense about 3 flights to get to Orlando, she finally said, "I don't understand why they did this! You're traveling with children." I explained the rude lady, and in the end, I got the upgrade the other lady tried to sell me on, but for just over $100. She was super nice, and I was happy to pay a little extra to get direct flights, have more time in Orlando, have our Park passes mailed to us, and stay in a nicer hotel.
With all that nonsense aside, we were ready to make the most of our 3 day trip to Orlando and I can definitely say that we did! It was such an amazing 3 days, and it honestly felt like longer because of everything we were able to do and see.
We left our house at 5 AM on Monday morning, and despite being tired, the kids did amazing as we parked, shuttled to the airport, and made our way through Spirit airlines. They are really at such an easy age for travel! We had three seats on one side, and one on the other, so I designated Kevin to sit with the kids :)
The kids found a place to rest while we waited for the concourse to take us to baggage claim, haha. Do you think they were tired?
As soon as we had our bags, we took the shuttle offsite to get our rental car. From there, we headed to the Noodle Company for some lunch, and Colby napped on the way. It was already shaping up to be a fun day as we palled around as a family. After lunch, we headed to Disney Springs, which wasn't't exactly what I was envisioning, but the kids loved the Lego Store...
Colby made his very own Lego car to race down a track with other children's creations. His car didn't roll well, but he still thought it was great.
They couldn't believe that this water monster was made entirely of legos. Colby was disappointed that I didn't take a picture of the knight riding a huge fire-breathing dragon since they were also made of legos!
We checked out the Disney store, but really the kids just kept asking for ALL the things, so I wanted to leave. I told them that we weren't there to buy a bunch of stuff, but to have experiences! I get that it's hard to see the big picture when you're a kid, but I really just wanted to get out of there. As we left, Colby gave Buzz the sweetest hug of all time, and I was able to catch a picture. He really loves Toy Story, and especially Buzz.
Since we didn't stay at Disney Springs for long, we decided to drive out to the beach. It took an hour to get there, but we were excited to check out Cocoa Beach Pier and take the kids on the Ferris wheel. Only that they actually didn't have a Ferris wheel :( I swear we saw pictures of a Ferris wheel on the pier, but we were misled. It was way colder than we anticipated, so before we walked out to the beach, we layered sweatshirts on the kids. They were oblivious to the cold, and were so excited to run on the beach and collect shells.
The sunset was so gorgeous, and the smiles on my kids made that drive totally worth it.
We threw rocks and shells (and handfuls of sand) into the ocean, and loved every minute of it.
Kevin wanted to get a picture with the kids and pier in the background, but it turned into a hilarious feat since the kids were running and moving so much! We were cracking up by the time we actually accomplished it :)
Once the sun went down, we dusted ourselves off, and headed inland towards our hotel. As we drove, we listened to all of Brookie's favorite songs, including "Meant to Be", which I want to always remember. The lyrics say, " ride with me" over and over, but Brooke sings, "ride Lilly" and won't be corrected. It is really hilarious to me that she is so sure of herself, but she sings those lyrics loud and proud.
The kids surprisingly stayed awake for our late night dinner at Fuddruckers, but then it was time to crash at the hotel. Brooke went right to sleep, but Colby took a bit longer. Brooke really wanted to sleep in the same bed with Colby, "since it would be their first real sleepover together", and Colby was finally convinced. They both slept great together, which surprised me.
I took this picture right before waking them for our full day at Disney World.
Our hotel didn't shuttle anyone directly to Magic Kingdom, so we had to catch the Monorail from Epcot over to the park. We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for getting to everything on time because Kevin turned off our alarm that morning and we had a later start than planned.
We were all excited for our first experience at Magic Kingdom!!
We headed down Main Street for the opening ceremony (Let the Magic Begin) at the castle.
Colby watched intently from my arms, while Brooke watched from atop Daddy's shoulders. All the princesses were there, and the Fairy Godmother made a special appearance at the end to help us say the magic words to set off the fireworks. It really was so magical, and was the perfect way to start the day.
We tried to get one more picture in front of the castle, but the sun was SO bright and Brooke was nearly crying in every picture because of the sun. It didn't seem that awful to me, but then again, I was wearing sunglasses, haha.
Based on recommendations from friends who have done multiple Disney trips, we selected our Fast Passes and it worked like a charm! We checked out the Swiss Family treehouse, rode the Aladdin carpet ride, then waited in line for the Jungle Cruise.
Colby was a total Daddy's boy, which I loved to see. He asked Kevin to hold him quite a bit, and he was always willing to snuggle his little buddy.
They loved seeing Pooh's treehouse, and we used a Fast Pass on this ride which was perfect because the park was getting packed. Everyone told us that the park would be empty during this time of year, but I was surprised at just how busy it was. During lunch, we shared a table with a lady who has been coming to Magic Kingdom for the last 20 years and always comes mid-January. She commented on how busy it was, so this year must have just been busier than normal.
We missed the boat on making dining reservations, but that left us kind of wandering around at lunchtime. The quick service places were packed, and also only served burgers and fried chicken, which was exactly what we ate the night before. I eventually just bought the kids this super sugary Wonderland Slush from the Cheshire Cat cafe while Kevin went on a hunt for something yummy. Just look at those straws!! So cute, but Brooke's was totally nonfunctional :/
Colby busted out all sorts of dance moves while we waited :)
Then Kevin texted a menu from The Friar's Nook and came back with Loaded Buffalo Chicken Tots, Creamy Bacon Mac and Cheese Tots (my fav), a bratwurst, and a fried twinkie, The tots were amazing, but the twinkie wasn't really my thing.
We were stuffed by the time we finished our lunch, then headed back out to do everything else on our list! We using the Disney Experience app a ton to track wait times for each ride, but as we headed to the Ariel ride, something was amiss. The app showed a wait time of 30 minutes, but the sign above the ride was showing a 60 minute wait. Since we didn't feel like waiting an hour, we decided to go see Ariel in her grotto instead. We had asked Brooke earlier in the day about which princess she would MOST love to meet, and Ariel was at the top of her list, with Merida close in second. As we waited (30 minutes), I asked the kids what they wanted to say to Ariel. They seemed excited and I was hoping that they would have a cute interaction with her. I told Kevin that he could approach with the kids because I wanted to hang back and take pictures. Well, it did not go down as I had hoped, haha. As we walked into the room, both kids were hiding behind me like we were about to do something terrifying. They wouldn't even approach her, despite our attempts to coax them forward. The photographer finally said something about having a family picture, so we all went and sat in Ariel's giant clamshell. She said a few things kinda of "Ariel-ish", but didn't actually try to interact with the kids. Basically, I thought it was super lame. As we walked out, I told Kevin that it was a total waste. I couldn't believe that the kids couldn't even say hi or something. Kevin is nicer than me and said that it wasn't a waste because they still liked the experience. I just didn't see it, and was not inclined to do any more character experiences. But of course, both kids say that meeting Ariel was one of their favorite things, so go figure!
We didn't see Rapunzel (except in the parade), but we did use the bathrooms in this beautiful courtyard designed to look like the one from the movie. It was so sweet to see how excited Brooke was to be there and feel like she was on the streets where Rapunzel walked.
We were able to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade that afternoon, and the kids both enjoyed the view from atop our shoulders. This was the perfect chance to see all the princesses up close, and although it was super crowded, we all enjoyed the parade.
One of the highlights of the trip (for me) was riding the Barnstormer with Brooke. This was the first roller coaster that her and Colby have been on, and it was everything I hoped it would be. I don't really think they knew what they were getting into, but as we went up that first incline, Brooke kept saying, "Oh my word" repeatedly, haha. Something I try to tell her NOT to say! Her face was priceless, and I wish I had a video of her reaction throughout the whole ride. Such a riot! As we finished the ride, I got a video of Brooke saying, "I told you I was gonna die! I was gonna die." I have watched that video a hundred times at least. Her smile and laugh are my favorite.
And don't get me started on the adorableness of Colby holding his hands up and looking at his Daddy! This was the perfect age for this trip :) He loved the ride and is a total big boy.
After our big roller coaster, we went on It's A Small World, followed by the tea cups.
Since we were in the back of the crowd during the parade, we decided to arrive early for the Move It! Shake It! Mousekedance It! Street Party with Minnie and Mickey. Brooke and I found a spot right in front of the castle, and we held our ground (literally) while the boys went to find a bathroom and some ice cream. I loved the one-on-one time with Brooke, and took some cute pictures of her in front of the castle. I could tell that she was getting a little bit tired, so she snuggled on my lap for a bit while we waited for the boys.
They barely arrived before the party started, and Colby walked up carrying a completely melty ice cream cone. Kevin was holding an ice cream sundae, but of course Colby had asked for his very own cone.
It's a good thing I had a big stash of baby wipes, haha.
The dance party was high energy and totally fun! We saw Minnie and Mickey up close and personal, and Colby and I even went into the street and danced with everyone at the end. Brooke was more hesitant and wanted to stay back with Kevin.
But Kevin still managed some cute selfies with Brookie :)
When the parade was over, we made our way over to the Seven Dwarfs mine train. Thankfully, we had a Fast Pass because the wait was 180 minutes!! I don't know how that works because the park wasn't even open for another three hours, but I was SO grateful that we were in and out in 30 minutes. It was pitch black when we made it onto the ride, which made everything more exciting in my opinion. This was another big roller coaster for the kids, but the fact that it was so dark took things up a notch, haha. They take your picture on the ride, which I would have LOVED to see, but since we didn't have magic bands, we missed out. But we all loved the ride, and I thought it was so cool that we could see the castle all lit up in the distance.
From there it was time to find souvenirs and head to the Happily Ever After fireworks show! We intentionally didn't buy souvenirs till the end, but it was a little hectic trying to find something that late in the game. Colby knew that he wanted a pirate sword, and had been asking about it ALL day. We ended up getting him a hat as well because it was just too cute. I justified it by saying that he could be a pirate for Halloween. Brooke wanted a princess fan she saw at some point throughout the day, but we were having a hard time finding it. When we finally did, I was very underwhelmed. It was a paper fan with princesses on it, but I knew it would end up ripped and for $18, I wasn't impressed. We asked her if she wanted to find something else, and when she agreed, I was relieved. We headed to another store, but as we passed the castle, we saw that we were missing a super cool laser show. But since our girl didn't have something yet, we hurried into the store so we wouldn't miss the fireworks as well. She finally settled on a plush Elsa doll which was really cute and something I knew she could love for a long time. Kevin also bought her a Minnie light-up pen for all the love notes she writes to our family on the daily. Mission accomplished!
The streets were full of people ready to watch the fireworks, so we parked ourselves right along the pathway, but outside the roped off area. More people started crowding in, but the crowd control lady tried to get them to move along, but said that as long as we were within certain columns, we were fine. At the last moment, a different crowd control lady came over and started shouting at everyone to move. It was really crazy and all of a sudden we were being forced to move along the path, but there was literally nowhere to go because it was so packed with people. I was so upset because the show was starting, and we were in a mob of people, trying to figure out what we could possibly do. I looked over and saw a small gap in the crowd in the roped off area, so I went and asked a man if we could squeeze in with his family. He was nice enough to say yes, so we enjoyed the show from our tiny spot. Despite the frenzy, the fireworks were everything I hoped they would be, and definitely the perfect ending to our packed day in Magic Kingdom.
When it seemed that the show would be ending soon, we made our exit and beat the crowds out of the park. In the 2 minutes it took to leave the park and get to the monorail station, Colby was already asleep. I don't blame him, haha! That was a long day for a little guy. He slept through multiple monorail exchanges, getting on our tour bus back to the hotel, and up the elevator to our room. I sanitized his hands, removed his shoes, and placed him right into bed and he did't bat an eye.
I thought he was out for the night, but he woke up an hour later throwing up. It seemed like he was choking on drainage, so I thought it was a fluke, but he woke up a few more times during the night to throw up. He soiled the sheets in the bed he was sharing with Brooke, so we had to wait for fresh linens from midnight to almost 1 AM. He then slept with me in a double bed, while Kevin slept by Brooke. Although he was awake several more times, he wasn't throwing up anymore and was able to go back to sleep quickly. He even fell out of the bed, but he doesn't remember it. Brooke slept through everything that happened during the night, so you know she was tired, haha.
Although we planned for a beach day on Wednesday, we decided to let Colby sleep in as much as he could before we traveled that evening. We weren't even sure how he would feel when he woke up. Thank goodness for hotel blackout curtains because our sick boy didn't wake up until almost 11 AM, and he seemed to be doing much better. He had no appetite, but he was in good spirits. We still wanted to head to the beach, but we knew that it would be for a very brief visit. As in, we only had about 20 minutes there. You may not think it was worth it since it took an hour to get there, but it was SO worth it.
My girl was made for the beach! She had the biggest smile on her face the entire time, and she radiated pure joy. When I asked her what she loved most about the beach, she said, "Everything!!"
When asked what he loved about the beach, Colby said, "We get to use our shovels, and put sand in our buckets and make them really heavy." And that was exactly how he had filled his time :)
I was seriously sad to leave this place! The beach was beautiful, and although it was a bit chilly, I loved the sights, the smells, and the laughter coming from my littles. Brooke rolled her pants ALL the way up so that she could run deeper into the water, and of course she fell on her bum just as we were about to leave. She didn't have any other clean clothes, so she traveled home in her fleece pajamas :) She was pretty concerned that people would think she was weird in her pajamas, but I assured her that kids could wear their pajamas, and that it didn't matter what people thought anyways.
I was helping Colby wash his hands since he was in his last clean sweatshirt, but to no avail because he plunged his arms completely in the water and his sweatshirt was soaked. His shorts were also obviously wet, so I flew them out the window on the drive to the airport to dry them up. He ended up wearing a mismatched (dry) sweatshirt, and Daddy's sweatshirt on top of that because he was chilled. He also seemed to have a fever at the airport, so I bought some Motrin for him and he seemed okay on the flight.
Overall, it was such a wonderful three days with my people and despite all the drama over the "free trip", I would say it was all worth it!
