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Robert Kennedy -- November 2005 - Walt Disney World (Offsite)

Who:

• Poppi (69) – 5th trip
• Nonni (64) 5th trip
• Bob (41) 12th trip
• Denise (37) 8th trip
• Braden (5) 3rd trip
• Kaylee (3) 2^nd trip
• Tanner (11 mo’s) rookie
• Dee Dee (37) 12th trip
• Carl (38) 2nd trip
• Carter (10) 2nd trip
• Cooper (8) 2nd trip
• Hogan (5) 2nd trip
• Andrea (35) 12th trip
• Ryan (2) rookie
• Me- Rob (35) 10th trip

Trip Planning:

This trip was a sequel to our 2002 Trip we took with the whole family. We had such a great time we decided the whole clan needed to return to Orlando for a second big family trip. On the last trip we rented an off-site vacation villa that we loved but we are 15 strong now (15 ½ with my wife due in April 2006) and will need a bigger house. After some “Googling” we found a great house called St Andrews. It had the number of beds, amenities, pool and proximity to Walt Disney World that we required. We contacted the owners who live in Scotland and made the reservations. They were quite pleasant to deal with and we would recommend them to anyone. My father in law paid for the house as his treat. I believe it was in the ball park of $3700 for the week. The house has 7 bedrooms, 5 with en-suite baths, a huge well apportioned kitchen, game room, pool with Jacuzzi spa and all the amenities one would need. We kept our eyes out for airfares and scored a $178 round trip fare with Southwest direct from Harford to MCO. I surfed around and with the help of mousesavers.com I got a mini van for a weekly rate (including taxes etc.) of $298. We sent for the free WDW planning video and I got the latest versions of the Birnbaum’s and the Unofficial guide. We signed Ryan up for a swimming class at our town pool so he wouldn’t be afraid of the water. It worked out great and he now loves the pool. This trip took a lot more planning for my wife and me because it was the first time in our lives we would be taking our son with us. I read the chapters in the unofficial guide about WDW with kids, I read Brian Bennett’s guide on Walt Disney World with kids and I read many trip reports with parents taking children to the parks that were close to my son’s age. We bought a new lightweight foldable Combi stroller (which turned out to be the best 80$ we have spent in a long time) and I arranged for the rental of a crib and booster seat for the week to be delivered to our rental home by a company called Baby’s Best Friend (which cost around 70$ for the whole week including mattress, bumpers, sheets and blankets). We made Priority Seating arrangements for our first day at the Crystal Palace for the Pooh Character Breakfast and an adults only dinner for two at the California Grill mid week.

November 4^th- Friday (Travel/Arrival)

My son, my wife and I are traveling with my wife’s parents. My brother in law Bob and his family are already in Florida as they flew down 2 days earlier and my Sister in law Dee Dee and her family decided to drive the 22 hours from Connecticut to Orlando in order to save money on airfare and car rental. I have done that drive four times during my twenties and it was rough. I don’t know if I could survive in a car with 3 young boys 22 hours straight. We checked in at Bradley with no problem. I wasn’t worried about our boarding group on Southwest as we got to pre-board with our son and I arranged for a wheelchair for my mother in law because of her bad ankle (she broke it in 3 places over the summer). On a tip from a co-worker we gave Ryan some Triaminic to help his ears on the flight and hopefully help him sleep. Well, it worked! He fell asleep while we taxied and didn’t wake until about 20 minutes from touch down at MCO. When we arrived, we quickly put him in some shorts and headed for the airport monorail where he began to yell, “Mickey where are you?”. Ahh… the innocence of a child! We waited in a short line to pick up our car rental. At the last minute yesterday my father in law decided to get his own car so at 1am last night I down sized to a small SUV for $259 from Budget. When I was waiting for my budget representative I noticed the gigantic line for Disney Magical Express. There were maybe 100-150 people in line and it wasn’t moving very fast at all. It sounds like a cool program but I don’t know how “magical” I would feel waiting in that kind of line for a free ride to my hotel. I lucked out and no SUV’s were available so I got the mini van for the cheaper price. The van was brand new and had a DVD player and TV which my son loved all week long. We headed over to route 192 and hit the Publix and bought some supplies and then proceeded to Formosa Gardens to get set up at the house for the week. Turns out we are the first to arrive. The house was better than advertised. Really well kept, top of the line furniture, plasma screens in every room and just overall really awesome. We are first to arrive so, of course we choose the room with the biggest bathroom and put our stuff away. The crib and booster were waiting in the pool area as planned and the crib was very simple to put together. I would recommend Baby’s Best Friend to anyone headed to Orlando for a vacation. The crib was sturdy and safe with very cute, very clean Disney sheets and bumpers. They dropped it off right when they said they would and saved us from a lot of hassle and sleepless nights for the next week. The rest of the family showed up slowly but surely and we all went swimming and enjoyed being together in this great big home. On a side note I totally over packed…again! Why do I pack so many things to go away for one week? One day I will learn. We crashed out early after a long travel day and fell asleep dreaming of Mickey Mouse.

November 5^th- Saturday (Magic Kingdom)

We were up at 6am and out of the house by 7:15. My In laws are spending the morning with us and meeting some of the other family members later in the day. My brother and sister in-law’s families both arrived late last night (one family just drove 23 hours) so they were sleeping in. Not us! We have an 8:15 PS at the Crystal Palace for some breakfast with Pooh and friends. When we went out our front door we noticed 5 or 6 hot air balloons in the sky. There must have been some sort of show going on. But it was really cool on our first day on vacation to wake up to that. We loaded up the mini van and headed to the entrance to “the world”. The house is so close to the Walt Disney property. I clocked it at 2.3 miles. We were headed under the purple arch in no time and getting very excited to enter the MK with our son. We paid the parking fee (9$ now …ouch!) and used our Diamond parking pass from AAA. We met my in-laws at the TTC and headed on the monorail over to the MK. Ryan was very excited to be on the monorail and I got a little giddy, as usual, when I was told to “please stand clear of the doors”. After a nice trip via the Polynesian and Grand Floridian we could see Cindy’s Castle and Space Mountain. Oh no! Stitch is on the monorail PA announcement. I am here only 5 minutes and annoyed by him already. Am I the only one? We passed thru security with no problems (even though we had a lot more to carry than usual with the little guy) and soon we were inside the turnstiles. I wonder out loud to my wife if they are going to sell my finger bone scan to the FBI. She shoots me one of those looks only a wife can. We had to go to the far right entrance because the ECV (scooter) rental is located over there now during the Main Street Railroad Station rehab. The neat thing about the rehab that the tarp they use to block of sight lines of the construction workers had a mural of the train station on it. I thought that was very cool. My in laws both dropped $40 on scooters for the day but with the both of them into their 60’s now and combine that with the Florida heat I am glad they rented them. The cast member Rose was very friendly and gave my wife’s parents driving lessons. We passed under the train station and once again entered the Main Street area to an almost empty park. I love to experience Main Street this way. The Christmas decorations were already up and they were playing holiday music. I know I will probably never have a Christmas Vacation at WDW so I was thrilled to experience the holiday decorations. We got down to the Central Hub and stopped for some photos. The cast member photographer took our pictures and gave me my Photo Pass card. This is a great addition to their photo service. I used the card throughout the trip. We went right over to the Crystal Palace and had to wait a few minutes for our table. We sat outside and enjoyed the warm sunshine. As usual we loved our breakfast. The food was fresh and delicious and the restaurant was not too busy. I especially loved the breakfast lasagna and the puffed French toast. Ryan was a little leery of the characters. It took almost 30 minutes before one came over. When they did Ryan got a little anxious and clingy. We thought to ourselves, “Oh no he hates the characters”. The problem was that he was really tired and cranky. He was not about to pose for any photos so I shot a little video. He was getting antsy so I volunteer to take him outside. As I am carrying him his diaper is leaking and he wets himself and of course all over me. I try the doors at the baby care center but they don’t open until 9am. Ryan is having a full blown “screaming mi-mi” telling all within earshot, “I peed! I peed!”. Luckily all the men’s rooms at WDW have changing tables. I calm him down and change his entire outfit… socks and all. Now what to do about me? We walk over to Main Street and I buy a very cool Mickey baseball t-shirt to replace my wet one. We walk back to meet my family and I say “what’s different about this picture?” My wife laughs as she has already guessed what has taken place. Ryan is cool now so we head over to Fantasyland. So far the crowds are fairly light. Ryan picks It’s a Small World to go on first. He loved it. I was looking forward to seeing it myself as I hadn’t been on it since the rehab. The old girl looked great. The colors seemed brighter, the ride looked fresh and we all enjoyed watching Ryan sing along to the famous song. We crossed the street for a ride on Peter Pan’s Flight. Another hit with the little man. So far so good! We backtracked for a showing of Mickey’s Philharmagic. I was pumped to see this show, as the last time I was there in 2003 it was just being built. What a great show! We all loved it. Ryan was yelling out the name of each film and loved the 3-D effects. While my wife stopped for a bathroom break and some ice cream and a bit of a sit down, I took Ryan onto Cinderella’s Golden Carousel. I asked the cast member which one was Cinderella’s horse by the said it was out for refurb. My son is a big fan of Carousel’s and horses in general, so this was a favorite attraction of his. I had never been on this attraction before and ride itself is very short but we had fun and I got some great photos and video. We decided more animals were in order so we headed to Adventurland to check out the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. The line for JC was about 30 minutes so we got our first fast passes of the trip. We then walked on to Pirates which is a family fave. After we took our traditional family photos of us in silly hats. I also bought my first pressed penny. I ended up getting around 10 of them at various points around the resort and will save them for Ryan. It’s a great souvenir and all for 51 cents! We still had some time to kill so Ryan and I went on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (another first for me). It was a fun ride and we liked the spitting camels. We went over for our fast pass time at JC. Like I said before my son is nutso for animals so he really enjoyed this as well. The skipper had some new jokes along with some classics. My personal favorite, “I would like to point out some of my favorite plant life”. At the end of the ride they were a little backed up so the skipper had to stretch a little. He talked about the parades and the new attractions etc. Nice job Eric! In accordance to our plan we made prior to the trip, we knew if we went any further we would be pushing our luck with Ryan. That coupled with everything we read prior to the trip we left the MK and headed home for lunch, a swim and a nap. My in-laws hung around and waited to meet the rest of family who had yet to arrive at the MK. Ryan was out like a light before we even left Adventurland and we strolled toward the front entrance to head home. We stopped off in the shops on Main Street to try and find a baseball hat for Ryan and maybe a sweatshirt. We really only browsed and headed to the exit. We took the ferry back to the TTC and we stopped off at Walgreens to pick up a few supplies. Naps were had, swimming was enjoyed and lunch was eaten. We were home alone in the giant house for about four hours. We packed up again and headed back to the MK to go on a few more attractions and see the Spectormagic Parade at 8pm and Wishes right after. When we arrived back at the MK the entrance was not crowed at all but once inside we were surprised on how many people had arrived since we had left earlier in the day. We caught up with our family by chance in front of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Half of the family was there and two of the kids were asleep in their strollers. They had told us how crowded it was since they had arrived and that they only had gone on a few attractions. I am glad we got up early. We walked onto everything this morning and along with fast pass waited in no lines. It doesn’t pay to arrive late to the MK! We got a FP for Buzz and walked right onto the Carousel of Progress. My wife and I love this attraction and Ryan seemed to tolerate it ok. He liked the dog Rover. After COP we cruised over to Buzz. My wife kicked my butt on Buzz and Ryan was saying, “not today Zurg”as we got our picture in front of the jailed Toy Story bad guy. We walked over to Frontierland to see the Country Bears Jamboree (it has animals in it!). It had been switched over to the Christmas version and was really great. The music was fun and the crowd was into it. I loved that I got to experience a taste of the “world” at Christmas, even if it was only a small taste. We decided to stake out a spot for the parade as it was about 45 minutes away and the ropes were already up. We got a spot in front of Frontier Hall. I set up my wife and Ryan and then I walked over to the Columbia Harbor house for Chicken Fingers and fries for everyone. We chowed down picnic style and waited for the parade. The parade was brilliant as usual, but as with most of the day, I enjoyed it much more because of my son. He loved the floats and clapped along to all the songs. Even though I didn’t get to experience my favorite attractions at the MK (Splash, Space, Hall of Presidents etc) this was my most enjoyable visit to the MK ever. Having children rules! I am having the best time of my life being a Dad and we are so glad we choose to go even though he is so young. We bought some ice cream and casually walked to the exit. We took the ferry back to the TTC, while Ryan slept on my shoulder and walked the short distance to the AAA diamond lot. We went home, I had yet another swim some an ice cold Stella Artois in the jacuzzi and called it a night. Tomorrow… Animal Kingdom!

Best of the Day: Early Entry to the park, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Country Bears Christmas, The Holiday decorations and our four hour break.

Worst of the Day: Diaper leaking Screaming Mi-Mi

New Experiences: Mickey’s Philharmagic, Cindy’s Carousel, Aladdin’s Carpets, Country Bears Xmas.

November 6^th 2005 Sunday- Animal Kingdom

Plan for today was to hit the Animal Kingdom. We got up early knowing that if we wanted to see Lions on the safari we had better arrive at a decent hour. After another short commute to the world and into the Animal Kingdom lot we parked in the AAA diamond lot and walked to the park entrance. They had a beautiful African themed Christmas tree out front and lots of great holiday decorations. The front of the park was fairly congested but we managed to get past security, pose for some photos (thank you photopass) and were on the other side of the turnstiles likity split. Once past the Oasis we again posed for some more pictures and made our way over to safari. Stand by was already about 35 minutes so we opted for a fast pass which was only a twenty minute wait. We decided some baked goods were in order and went over to the tusker house to enjoy a little breakfast nosh. My son who was trying to be as patient as he could was too excited to wait any longer and finally asked “can we go to the Animal Kingdom now???”. Feeling guilty we ate quickly and took him through the Pangani exploration trail. He loved looking at all the animals. We also liked the fact that there is only one clear trail to walk on in this attraction so we liberated him from his stroller and let him run around a bit. He really liked pressing his face up against the glass and pointing out the animals. Although the gorillas were tough for him to see he did talk about them afterward so he got something out of it. After we completed the trail it was time for our fast pass at Kilimanjaro Safari’s. Stroller parking was a little weird but we soon walked past the huge standby line which was now 45 minutes and climbed on board. The driver was very good and seemed to like her job. My wife and I got “corrected” by the driver at one point because we were passing Ryan back and forth trying to show him the various animals on either side of the truck. We felt bad as we don’t like breaking Disney rules so we stopped what we were doing. Lots of animals out today but no big surprises and they were not as close as on other trips. Needless to say Ryan loves all kinds of animals and the noises they make which made the Kilimanjaro Safari a big hit. We looked at our map and schedule and figured we could catch the next showing of The Legend of the Lion King show over in Camp Minnie Mickey. When we arrived we were early and we spotted short lines at the character meet and greet trails. We walked right up to Mickey and low and behold Ryan was thrilled. After freaking out yesterday at the Winnie the Pooh character breakfast, Ryan was very happy to see Mickey and gave him hugs and kisses. We took a ton of pictures and my wife even teared up a little. Another of many magical moments on this first trip as a family. After Mickey we went over and saw Donald. Ryan wasn’t scared of Donald but just not as enthused as he was for the mouse. Next to Donald we got a surprise visit from Koda of Brother Bear. Brother Bear is hands down Ryan’s favorite movie. I don’t think Ryan was prepared for Koda being so big but we were all excited to see him standing there. He was a little overwhelmed but we got a few quick pics and joined the standby line for the Legend of the Lion King. We sat in the front row of the Giraffe section and we hand jived whole we waited for the show to begin. As usual the Legend of the Lion King did not disappoint. The music, songs and dancing were first rate. We took a quick break at the baby station in the Oasis. The baby stations were a terrific place to take a time out and really refreshed all of us. We then walked over to Asia to experience the Tiger trails for the first time ever. The three of us loved the themeing of the area and the up close and personal look at the beautiful animals. It was one of the highlights of the day. While in Asia I took a few minutes to takes some new pictures of Expedition Everest. I am jealous of all the folks who will be riding it come spring time. It really is massive and very impressive. Ryan got a little cranky so we decided to take in Its Tough to be a Bug and then call it quits. The little guy was asleep on my shoulder before we even sat down. ITTBAB is one of my favorite theatre attractions and we laughed, got poked, squealed and got wet. Now it was time to head for the turnstiles and back to the mini van. We arrived home and Ryan and my wife had a nice snooze. I took a drive in search of a swim tube for Ryan but found nothing. I got some supplies and when I arrived home the rest of the family had returned. We had made plans for all of us to hook up in MGM tomorrow. As part of my birthday present my wife made arrangements for the two of us to eat at the California Grill atop the Contemporary Resort. My wife was not very happy about the clothes she chose to bring with her to go out with. She also wasn’t crazy about the menu and the prices at the California Grill. It’s supposed to be a 5 star restaurant but Andrea and I just weren’t in the mood for froo froo food and dressing up. I really wanted to see wishes from up there and have a few adult beverages. However with my wife being pregnant and not able to have a few cocktails herself, I figured we could save this experience for a future trip. I have always wanted to stay in the Contemporary and maybe if we save out pennies we can make it happen. We called the reservation desk and cancelled our PS and made a new one at Raglan Road the new Irish pub and restaurant that opened up in Downtown Disney. It turns out that reservations were totally not needed as the joint was empty. The décor, food, service and ambiance were top notch. We shared and Irish sausage appetizer. My wife had the Pie in the Sky and I had the Planxty Pork dish. Everything was fresh and delicious. The downfall of the night was that we were there on a night when nothing was going on. No entertainment, no music and no people! I bet this place rocks when is packed and there is a band playing. We finished up and checked out the gift shop. I collect Pint Glasses and I even had one from their sister restaurant in Vegas called 9 Fine Irishmen. The staff member told me they don’t sell Raglan Road pint glasses. I was a little disappointed for sure. On our next trip I look forward to some great “Craic”. (look it up). Maybe we should have kept our California Grill reservations?

Best of the Day- Meeting Mickey, Donald and Koda and not being Scared. Seeing Expedition Everest under construction. Legend of the Lion King.

Worst of the Day- Getting “spoken to” on the safari. Not being able to take a quick ride on Dinosaur!

New Experiences- Tiger trails. Character Trails in camp Minnie Mickey, Raglan Road.

November 7^th Monday- MGM Studios

Keeping with our plan we were up early and on the road to MGM so we could make rope drop. Our rental home was particularly close to the MGM entrance. We did the “Diamond” and walked the short distance to the turnstiles. Our plan was to see the Bear in the Big Blue house at the Playhouse Disney live show first and then see where the day takes us. We checked the schedule and we had a few minutes before Bear. I suggested Starring Rolls for a quick bite and my wife quickly agreed. On the way we declined on the photo pass picture figuring we would get one later in the day. We had some juice, bagels and croissants and we sat under the umbrella enjoying the sunshine and doing some people watching. We strolled over to the PHDLOS stage and saw Tiger signing autographs so we waved and blew kisses from afar. Tiger returned the love. Before the show I spotted a cart selling Bear souvenirs as this is one of Ryan’s favorite shows I figured I would take a look. The least expensive thing they sold where these great plastic toy figurines of all the Bear characters. The cost was only $4.99. I bought the set of five and this became a trend as we found these figures for almost every ride. Ryan loved them and the price was right.

We lined up in the Bear queue which reminded me of the old Universal Studios queue areas (lots of stanchions and TV screens in the corners). We got inside and I was pleasantly surprised that we got to sit on the floor. As this is our first child we had never see the PHDLOS show. Ryan was in awe. The show was great. The way the story book opens and then the characters come to life was really well done. The host was really selling it and Ryan couldn’t get over the fact that Bear was really there live on stage. We clapped, we laughed, we popped bubbles, we yelled and we had a blast. I think this was Ryan’s favorite attraction by far. We exited Bear’s show and strolled along Mickey Ave on our way to the Great Muppet Ride. At the star trailers across from Millionaire we got some great photos of us with Donald and Jo Jo with Goliath. Ryan, being two years old, didn’t ask how come we just left the Playhouse Disney Show and Jo Jo is already down here posing for pictures. We then noticed the line to see Mickey was very short. We had a nice visit with Sorcerer Mickey and posed for some great pictures via photo pass and my own digital camera. The rest of our clan had finally arrived here at MGM and had agreed to meet us at the Miss Piggy fountain in front of the Great Muppet Ride. They were only just arriving in the parking lot so we took a side trip to the Great Movie Ride. This is still one of my favorites even though our driver was a big time nerd. I guess being a cast member on this attraction is no longer requires ability to be a public speaker. We found the rest of the family (all 15 of us!) and we enjoyed the Great Muppet Ride. I even showed my nephews the key under the mat at the entrance. Afterwards some of the family wanted to see the different attractions so again we split up. We will meet up again later. We decided we are a little hungry so we try the Pizza Planet, another first for us. We enjoyed the pizza and salads. We will be back to pizza planet. We then walked back across the park to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Just like the day before we 2 minutes inside a dark theatre Ryan was out like a light. Ariel sang very well and we enjoyed the show. I am glad to see the performers giving their all because even though the show is a little old it is still very well done and worth multiple viewings. With Ryan asleep I called my brother and sister in- law and asked if they wanted to go on Rock N Roller Coaster. She said she was waiting outside Star Tours and would I want to ride with them. Now, I am a big Star Wars fan and I am responsible for making my nephews fans of the movie as well as I had forced them to watch the originals with me. We ran over to Star Tours and took a nice ride to Endor with my nephews. It was fun experiencing this with the boys. We browsed at Tatooine Traders for a few minutes when Bob called and wanted us to ride Rock N Roller Coaster with him. The said they would meet us out front. Stand by for RR was only twenty minutes so I grabbed two fast passes for later on the Tower of Terror, you know just in case. After a long ice cream break Dee Dee, Bob and myself got in line to get Aerosmith to the concert on time. My wife waited with the sleeping child. We took a limo ride with the gang from Aerosmith and really enjoyed it. It’s a great indoor coaster. My sister in law while waiting for us outside RNRC got the whole family a priority seating for the 50’s Prime Time Café. Pretty impressive to score a sit down meal reservation for 15 at a moments notice. We walked the sleeping children across the park to the Prime Time. The rest of the group had just gotten out of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. While we waited we watched the Stars and Motor Cars Parade from across the little pond. We were soon seated and our “Aunt” was serving us and telling us to take our elbows off the table etc. I enjoyed the décor and the food very much. Our server did a fine job she just wasn’t “into it” as some of the other servers. As we were finished some of my family wanted desert. Not for me! I had a fast pass for The Tower of Terror burning a hole in my pocket. I asked my sister in law Dee Dee if I could take my god son Cooper. She hesitantly agreed. Now I think if Cooper knew what the ride was all about there would be no way in hell that he would have gone on with me. He was very proud of himself afterwards for surviving the drops. I even took his picture out in front to mark the occasion. That was it for us today at MGM. On the way out we took a family photo with our photo pass card so we could have on at each park. As we walked out, in front of the fake pharmacy that holds on of the MGM gift shops was a non working horsy ride. Its one of those things you put a quarter in, that’s out in front of every grocery store in America. This one is a prop and didn’t take quarters or move in any way. Ryan really wanted to sit on it. So we obliged him and I obliged myself to a chipwich. We went home and enjoyed some nutritious Taco Bell (come on we are on vacation). When I asked Ryan his favorite part of the day he replied that “horsy ride”. We fly to Florida and spend thousands for a Disney vacation and his favorite is the “horsy ride”. Oh well! The kids pretty much stayed upstairs playing video games and my wife and her sister played some scrabble. I went online and checked my email, I read a little and I ran out to find Ryan a swim tube so I won’t have to carry him the entire week while in the pool. . Plan for tomorrow is to start in the MK and then hop to another park when we feel the moment is right.

Best of the Day- Bear in the Big Blue House, Pizza Planet, Tower of Terror and the Horsy.

Worst of the Day- Lame host for the Great Movie Ride.

New Experiences- Playhouse Disney Show, Pizza Planet and 50’s Prime Time café, “horsy ride”.

November 8^th- Tuesday Magic Kingdom, Epcot

The rest of the family was going to Universal Studios today. Andrea and I decided too many parks would be too much on us and our budget. We are sticking to the Disney parks. The plan for today was go to the Magic Kingdom and see where the day took us after that. We did not leave the house early today. We hung around for breakfast with everyone else had a swim and took our time. We didn’t leave until about 11:30. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Our timing put Ryan at the MK just in time for when he normally takes a nap. We ride the boat over from the TTC and clear the turnstiles without much hoopla. I had the idea to take the Walt Disney World train over to Toon Town so Ryan could go on some of the kiddy rides. I haven’t been on the train in years, in fact I was in high school still. It was really a nice ride and I will totally make it part of every trip. My wife on the train notices Ryan is a little pale and lethargic. She thinks he may be feeling sick. We arrive in Toon Town and begin to look around. Before we do anything Ryan has the meltdown of his life; screaming, thrashing and crying. We were that family that people pointed to and said, “thank god that’s not me”. On top of this he wets his pants. Not once but twice! We get the situation in hand. I buy some milk, pop it into a sippy cup and he is so tired from freaking out he falls asleep. My wife and I are edgy and miserable at the happiest place on earth. Welcome to parent hood Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy! We walk slowly from Toon Town to the Hub. I make my wife grab a park bench out in front of the castle and I buy a couple of chipwiches hoping to turn our day around. We decide to leave MK and hop to Epcot and maybe out luck will change. Ryan sleeps all the way from MK to Epcot and past the turnstiles. We are headed to Soarin’ to see if there are any fast passes left. No dice! Ryan wakes up and he is feeling much better thanks to a nap and some children’s Tylenol. Time to hit the Imagination pavilion and introduce Ryan to Figment. He seemed to like Journey into your Imagination and even sang the “One Little Spark” a little. We then criss-crossed the park again to the Universe of Energy. He is not big into Dinosaurs yet but I figure he will enjoy this. I was right. He loved it. He was bored at the end part with the long film but it was still fun. We headed for the exit but detoured to ride Spaceship Earth. This was fun for all of us but I was really disappointed at the lack of post show. What? Disney can’t find a sponsor for this attraction? Let’s get on the ball people! In an effort to not push our luck any further we decide to head home. Another monorail trip to the TTC and we were home bound. My mother in law had put together a huge meal of pasta with home made sauce and we enjoyed each others company for the evening. I had bought Star Wars Episode three on DVD to watch with boys. The swim tube hunt continued with no luck. I hit the sack after an adult beverage and we planned on trying our luck at the MK again tomorrow.

Best of the Day: Childrens Tylenol, Universe of Energy, Home cooked meal.

Worst of the Day: The “Melt Down in Toon Town”

New Expereinces- none today 

November 9^th 2006 Wednesday- Magic Kingdom

Ok back to the original routine. Up early and at the parks at opening. We arrive to a very un-congested TTC and take the Monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. So far, no luck riding up front on the Monorails on this trip. We head right for the Carousel thinking it will put Ryan in the right mood. It did. He loved it even more the second time around. While Ryan and I were going up and down and in circles Andrea scored some fast passes for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. After the carousel was my very first ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. I was prepared to wait in a long line but it wasn’t too bad. I have often looked at the attractions in this area of the park and wondered why anyone would bother with rides you can experience at a carnival or local Six Flags. Again…WRONG! This was probably the best day of our trip. He was happy, he loved the rides and we ate up every little moment. I loved going on Dumbo with him and listening to him laugh. This is exactly why people take their kids to Walt Disney World. We had some time to kill before our fast passes so we took a look around at Pooh’s Playful Spot. The playground was a lot of fun however some of the other kids were a little pushy and aggressive. We strolled over to Winnie’s dark ride and took a spin in our Hunny Pots. After the ride we again bought the 5$ set of figurines for Ryan to play with. He was in heaven. He requested another tour on It’s a Small World so we obliged. When we got out of IASW he spots Peter Pan’s Flight and wants to ride that one again so he can see Nana the Dog and the big Crocodile. Of course we follow our orders and go see Nana. We know now not to try and extend him too much farther (especially after Yesterdays debacle in Toon Town) so we decide to have lunch over at Pecos Bills. I was craving cheese fries and while in college I had played Pecos Bill in a children’s musical so we always try and stop over there. It was very crowded and tables were scarce. We got Ryan some chicken and Andrea and I enjoyed some Burgers and gooey fries. We bought and ice cream from a street vendor in Frontier land and walked at a leisurely pace towards Main Street. …Me strolling? I hope no one reports me to the commando squad. I may lose my ranking. The smell of cookies draws me in like a moth to a flame and we stop at the bakery for chocolate chip, sugar and oatmeal cookies. We find a bench and the Dapper Dan’s start their show. Ok… Disney “In the Zone” moment. Totally happy. Enjoying being outside with my family, feeding my fat face full of cookie and enjoying a great show in the Magic Kingdom. It doesn’t get much better people. We get in the car the little man passes out and we put him and my wife down for a long nap. I chill by the pool and read a little. We decide to hit the Outback tonight and most of the family is up for that too. In Formosa gardens where we rented the house, there are plenty of restaurants, and fast food places for us to choose from. It really is a great spot. So close to “the World”, but convenient to everything else and not too over populated with “lousy tourists”. We had a great meal together and everyone was in great spirits. On the way back I stopped at the grocery store we have been going to all week and on a whim I checked out their toy section. Low and behold a swim tub for Ryan! It was only 5 bucks too. Too bad I didn’t have it for most of the week. Oh well we can bring it home. We had a Dairy Queen Night cap and head for bed to get ready for our last day on vacation at Epcot.

Best of the Day: Everything. Best day of the trip. A good eating day too; Gooey fries, big burgers, cookies, Australian Steak and Ice Cream. …nice!

Worst of the Day: Ok I’ll go with not enough tables at Pecos Bill’s

New experiences- Dumbo, Pooh’s Playful Spot, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and an entire Dapper Dan’s set

November 10^th 2006- Thursday Epcot

Today we are going to Epcot which is rapidly becoming my favorite of the four parks. We get up nice and early and have plenty of time to arrive at opening. Formosa Gardens is really close to Epcot and the AAA Diamond lot is very close to the front gate. We get there so fast we get to see rope drop. Mickey and friends are on the double decker character bus welcoming us to the park. I had never been at an Epcot opening as we usually go later so we can stay right through to Illuminations. Like most people we head left in search of a fast pass for Soarin’. We get on for about forty five minutes later. With fast passes in our pocket we get in touch with Nonni and Poppi who asked to spend the day with us again. They are on their way over to the Land Pavilion which is perfect for us. Now Andrea and I can ride Soarin’ without having to do a baby swap. To kill some time we experience Living with the Land. I hope Epcot keeps the “educational’ attractions. I find it to be part of the charm of the place. It seems like they are getting away from these types of rides lately. My in laws arrive like a geriatric motor cycle gang on their scooters, and we sit down for a little breakfast snack. Our fast pass is ready and Andrea and I leave Ryan with his grandparents. I loved Soarin’. Everything was so well done. The queue, the cast member uniforms, Putty and the attraction itself all just awesome. I just thought it was wonderful. It’s now on my “don’t miss” list. After Soarin’ we head over to the Imagination Pavilion to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Sorry, I just have to say it once again; I miss True Colors. Anyway we all enjoyed the show but it is starting to show its age a little. I think the shelf life on this show is probably another two years or so. After getting shrunk and re sized I want to finally go on Mission Space. I was last here in 2003 and it had not opened yet. I seem to time my WDW trips to be just before a huge new attraction opens. (I missed Expedition Everest this trip by 2 months). The plan is for me to run ahead get my fast pass and catch up to my family as they make their way (counter clockwise) around world Showcase. I get my fast passes and after a lot (I mean a lot) of walking, I find them arriving in the Great Britain section. It turns out I missed a great magical moment. As my wife and son passed Canada, Kenai and Koda from Brother Bear were out front. As I mentioned earlier Brother Bear is Ryan’s favorite movie. He is so excited and he runs over to them. My wife gets some great pictures of the three of them dancing around as Ryan sings “I’m on my way” at the top of his lungs. Damn me and my space exploration thrill seeking! Oh well, hopefully there will be more magic. We walk over to the Italian pavilion and get priority seating for 5 at L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante for later in the evening. My wife wants to see if she can get Ryan to take a nap so we take another long walk around World Showcase to try and wear him out. He is having too much fun. I remember there is a baby care station in the Odyssey center. What is the Odyssey center anyway? Is it just an empty building? Anyway, we find the care center and it is huge. Once again no one is in there. My wife decides this is a good place for her to rest and get Ryan to chill out for a few minutes and avoid another “meltdown in Toon Town”. I have the fast pass in my hot little hand for mission space, so I hustle on over back to future world and get in line. The queue line for Mission Space is in my opinion the best since Tower of Terror. It really immerses you in the experience. The way the Disney imagineers want to make you think you are really training for space is really well done. I had heard the ride makes some people sick but I just loved it. I really felt like I was experiencing all of the sensations of space. Wow! Two additions to the “don’t miss” list in one day! I made my way back over to Andrea and Ryan. They are resting and enjoying the quiet of the Baby care Center. It has a huge room of changing tables and even a couple of private rooms for Mom’s who need to breast feed. There is a TV room with toys and books. Ryan was reading some books with my wife when I got back. There is also a store to buy diapers, formula and just about anything a person would need in pinch for a little one. They also sold toys and they had the $5 figures from finding Nemo which I immediately bought for Ryan. After their rest we stopped in China as my wife wanted a snack of some Chinese food. I have never gone into the China pavilion and the architecture was really detailed and impressive. As I strolled around China, looking at the buildings, Ryan finally went to sleep in his Combi Stroller. On a side note the Combi stroller was the best thing we bought for this trip. It holds all we need for Ryan and it folds up very small and is really lightweight. Headed on vacation with a toddler? Do yourself and your back a favor and get a Combi. We walked slowly from pavilion to pavilion and we caught up with my in laws in front of Maelstrom. The three of us took a trip to the Fjords and I showed them the hidden Mickey on the mural in the loading area. We walked to Mexico where my wife had been sick of sitting out attractions and wanted to go on El Rio De Tiempo. So the three of them experienced It’s a Small World, Mexican style, while I waited with the sleeping Ryan. I love the Mexico pavilion and I definitely want to eat here again as my wife and I loved the last time we where here. It’s the food and wine festival here at Epcot right now. All around the World Showcase are food stands from many different countries. We were saving our appetites for our upcoming Italian dinner so none of us tried any of the food. However, I decided to enjoy a few beers from around the world. I enjoyed a Norwegian amber, and Belgian white and a Mexican lager as the day progressed. When we got close to Germany Ryan woke up happy and refreshed. My father in law who is a model train enthusiast wanted to check out the model trains. Ryan rode over there with him on his scooter. I got some great pictures of the two of them in front of world showcase lagoon. They are best pals; a 2 year old and a 69 year old. Its great fun for me to watch the two of them interact. We by passed the American pavilion without going in. I haven’t been able to see the American Experience in almost five years now. I need to go to Disney with more patriotic people! No Hall of Presidents, no American Experience for me. It’s down right un-American! There is a mime/juggler out in front of Italy so we sit down to watch. The street performer did a wonderful job and was very funny and very talented. Dinner at L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante was great as usual. We had a great server named Valentina who made our dining experience warm and friendly. We gorged ourselves with pasta and chicken and a little seafood and we even had some dessert. I also partook in some Italian beer which was quite tasty. This was about all my wife was able to handle today so it looks like this is the end of our time at the parks for this trip. We made out way to the front to the park in great moods. Ryan rode on my shoulders most of the way out. We stopped for a lot of pictures along the way. As we passed by the fountain in future world the water show began. I love the music for this show. It was a great way to end our day and our trip. We went home to pack up and clean up before we left for home in the morning. We had a really long swim and the kids played and we just hung out knowing we were all going back home in the morning.

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