Disney World

A couple of weeks ago we got back from our first ever trip to Disney world with kids. It was so fun, yet so different from our previous visits there. When we were married over 9 nears ago, we went there for our honeymoon. I am still teased about it, but the fact is…we were kids…and it was fun. After returning from this last trip, I stand by my decision. The place is gorgeous. It’s endless. We stayed in the Polynesian and it just doesn’t get much better than this view. Plus, the monorail (which could be a tourist attraction all on its own) stops right at the hotel. Other perks include getting lei’d and greeted with Aloha at every corner (or ‘Alohi’ as Davis put it).

The lines were short. The service was amazing. And the weather was fantastic! I made a special trip to Wal-Mart before our big vacation for the sole purpose of purchasing ponchos. And I made a special trip to Wal-Mart when we arrived back in Dallas to return those ponchos. We didn’t need them. Not one single day.

Let me hit the highlights:

• As far as the plane goes…I am not a member of the mile high club, but I am now officially a member of the moms-who-have-to-take-their-kids-poop-on-the-plane club. Those bathrooms are approximately 4 square feet. Add to that me, a toilet, a sink, and Davis “trying” to poop, and there’s not a lot of room left. He had to go twice on the way there and once on the way back. Not easy, I tell you. Not easy.

• We have been planning for this trip for a long time, and in preparation, we have been talking about the characters and reminding the kids that they are not scary. They are friendly, and the goal would be to try to get as many pictures as possible with each character. I would ask which character each wanted to meet the most, and their responses would always crack me up. Davis (always the ladies man) wanted to meet all of the princesses, and Hayden would always name a different character…always one of the most obscure characters from a movie (Al, the owner of Al’s Toy Barn from Toy Story…or Incredi-boy, the kid with a 2 minute role in The Incredibles).


• But then we got there, and when it came right down to it, Hayden (at age 5) was already too cool to take pictures with the characters. We really think he was just shy, but covering for his shyness by acting like he was too cool. Davis, on the other hand, loved every single character…even if he had no idea who they were.



• We wore those boys out. There was more than one occasion where both boys were out cold...on a boat...on the monorail...sprawled out between two chairs in a restaurant. It's hard to slow down when you are at Disney World.


• Mimi and GrandDad went with us, which was nice, because it meant we could occasionally sneak off and ride some big-kid rides. Like this one at Animal Kingdom. Best. Roller Coaster. Ever!

• Hayden’s favorite ride was Splash Mountain. He rode almost all of the rides he was tall enough for, which in hindsight might not have been the smartest thing. When we left the alien encounter ride, he was mad. At me. At Jeff. At whoever got him on that dang ride. He exclaimed, “I am NOT riding that ride again until I am 13.”

• Jeff’s favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. On the Space Ranger spin, you were supposed to aim the lasers at moving targets to earn points. Obviously, Jeff took this very seriously. He supposedly earned over 500,000 points. The rest of us were under 20,000. So this is where I officially congratulate Jeff for his high score ..GOOD JOB JEFF!

• The rest of the adults (Mimi, GrandDad and I) really enjoyed the new* Soarin’ ride (*when I say new, I mean it wasn’t there 10 years ago. We referred to anything that wasn’t there in 1999 as “new”). If you ever go to Epcot, I highly recommend it.


• Davis was too little for most of the rides. He primarily just watched the shows and went on the baby rides…which, as it turns out, is a good thing because he is a SCARE-DY CAT! Seriously, I think he was even a little frightened on It’s a Small World.

• Our favorite show was Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Hayden LOVED being “shrank”. Davis hated it…thought it was “too cary”.


• On the toy front, we brought home more toys than we’d care to admit. One Evil Zurg. One squirting water-bottle-slash-fan that Davis insisted on soaking everyone with. Two pirate swords. Two giant suckers. Two matching Buzz Lightyears, Two tiny dinosaurs with removable extremities that we nearly lost on every boat, train, and plane we went on. Oh, the headaches! We also left one Bionicle toy for the maid.


• Overall, we only had one major meltdown. Which is either a major blessing or a complete lie since my mind is too filled with Disney World bliss to remember the rest. But one I remember ever so clearly. Typically, I can understand about 99% of the words Davis says. But on this one particular day, he whined and whined and moped and cried that he wanted his “binesore”. This went on for almost one full day. Tears and shouting ensued. None of us knew what a “Binesore” was. Was it a dinosaur? No! Did he want to wear boxers? No! Did he want to eat his giant lollipop? “Nooooooooo”, he’d moan…clearly annoyed that not one adult could understand him. Finally, only minutes before we all jumped from that second story window in complete desperation we had him describe what his “binesore” looked like. “It was red,” he said. And about 2 inches long. And alas, we found his Buzz Lightyear missile and the day was saved. (Red Missile seen in this picture).


• We ate our way through Disney World. We had the “free” dining plan, and if you know Jeff and I at all, you know that we had to get every last counter meal, snack, and drink we had owed to us…because come on, we all know TINSTAAFL (there is no such thing as a free lunch). I think we went to almost every character meal available, and the best was definitely Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary…which ironically, was the best 20+ years ago when I was a little girl.

• The favorite part of the whole trip was the beach outside the hotel. The kids played there for hours, making sand castles and getting dirty.

Honestly, the boys have not stopped talking about it. Hayden has already started planning the next trip. When I told him it may be awhile before we get to go again because we have to save lots of money….he quickly came up with a solution. We could just “Get some more money. Change them in for dollars. And go again.” So, there it is. Simple as that. Financial wisdom from an almost 5 year old. I would blog more, but I’m off to change in my money for dollars.