Well I'm back from another fabulous Disney World vaca!! And for all my know everything about Disney vacationing I have to eat some of my words!! First off, even though this was my 22nd visit with most of those being in the fall, mother nature in Florida surprised me. The first four days were hot (no biggie) and humid (BIGGIE). Now, slight humidity can be expected this time of year but, this was the muggy, entire body covered in sweat at 9 am , don't touch me kind of humidity. Add that to the busiest Fall Break crowd we have ever experienced and your zippity doo dah attitude can head south (more south) quickly. Torrential (yes, torrential) rain storms complete with lightning that could rival the fireworks display the first two afternoons and evenings topped off the first few days like a big ole cherry on top.
The large fall crowd seemed to be a combination of Florida residents, Overseas visitors, ( I heard the phrase "where is the loo" a lot!) and events out the whazoo. There were tons of kids in competitions of all kinds. Fast passes for favs were gone by mid morning and average wait times for popular rides were 65-75 minutes. Yikes. We have been spoiled. If we have to wait longer than 5-10 we normally pass it up!!
With all that being said we still made it fun. The rain was warm and ponchos were out of the question (too muggy). If it wasn't lightning we swam in the rain. Hung out at Downtown Disney, took advantage of our Free Disney Dining Plan, and generally relaxed. It actually worked out since we were well rested by the time the weather changed for the better! Day 4 of 8 brought sunshine, low humidity and we were on our way. The crowds stayed the same while we were there but with a park hopper if one park was just too busy we would hop on over to another. This year was our first year to try the water parks and Disney Quest. It was fabulous! Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are phenomenal and Disney Quest was great for my teenage boys while I shopped nearby. And we got to catch the Not So Scary Halloween party on one of our last nights!!
So, to everyone that I have blabbed endlessly about vacationing at Disney World in the fall, it still is a great time to visit. Just be prepared for anything!!
Whoop Whoop! Disney Vacation has finally arrived!! Leaving at 6 am tomorrow!! I'm packed, everything taken care of (Don't forget about your pets, mail and paper!) I am always on the fence on Disney's online check in. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't. My check in time upon arrival never seems to change either way.
Moms and Dads, sometimes we get so stressed over family vacations and want everything to be fantastic and for everyone to be ecstatically happy. We want the whole family to rave on what a marvelous time we had and praise the fabulous person who planned and worried about, and got it all together!! Little note: It will never happen. You will have moments of all of those things but never all and never all at once. And please please don't let me see you being one of those screaming shrew Moms or Dads in the park. Not cool. No matter every ones ages there is plenty to do. If the youngest ones are screaming loudest get their part over then maybe they will nap in their stroller and you can relax!
And, don't get upset if the resort pool is the only place that the kiddies want to be. They are cool pools!!! And if that's the case you can lounge and have an adult beverage. The lifeguards at Disney resorts are the best!!!!
I have known Moms to work themselves up into a anxiety attack upon arrival and miss half of their vacation. I myself have learned my lesson and always keep a little vino and xanax on hand. (hey! whatever works!)
Breathe deep. The time is here. There is nothing more you can do. Enjoy your time with your family and most importantly enjoy yourself!!!
Ahh, crunch time. Those last few days to get everything done before you leave on a vacation. No matter how early I start it seems the list gets longer those last few days. The hubs has to be in Orlando for business a few days before us. So, in a couple of days he'll get up get dressed and walk out the door and tell us "see you guys in a few days"! Then he'll hop on a plane and stay in a swanky resort and have catered food, drinks and entertainment. Must be nice. While I on the other hand will be a frazzled mess getting my teenage boys to pack (seriously, last year one of my precious angels packed 1 pair of underwear, 3 socks, and 6 shirts, no pants) study for final exams, haul around to various last minute school dances, concerts, sporting events, stop the paper, stop the mail, make sure my pet sitter hasn't skipped town, remind my parents for the 17th time that I will be out of town, get the oil changed, crap, get the side mirror fixed where I took out a mailbox on my way home from taking boys to school and the list goes on. Then drive 8 hours with hopefully a maximum of 2 stops (bahhhh, who are we kidding?!) 3 arguments, Me, singing songs they hate (my personal perk :) to arrive at our resort where my husband will hopefully be waiting to unpack the car and have a drink in his hand for me. Hasn't happened yet but I hope every year! While this is my favorite yearly vacation these last few days are sometimes frantic. For those Moms who do this every year as well. I feel your pain.
Ahh, that felt good. Venting all that has renewed my vacation excitement! Ok, while I'm looking out my kitchen window at the rain it reminded me. While at Disney World you may experience a brief shower or 2. No biggie, they usually don't last long. I always pack (well, actually leave them in the car year after year) several cheapo ponchos. They are tiny and can fit in a pocket, or bag and will save you $$ from buying them in the parks. I'm not a fan of wearing them because they make me hot and sweaty. (and not in the fun way!) But, for those of you that don't like to get a little wet they are handy to have.
Well, after all that ranting I'm off to pack my clothes. Crap, I hope my swim suit still fits........
Only 20 more days til our Disney World Vacation!! Yay! I don't know about others but getting ready for a trip and getting there are part of the anticipation. My suitcase is already out (I hate packing last minute cause I ALWAYS forget something important like um, underwear, hair products, MASCARA!!) Yes, I have left all that at one time or another. And as much as I love to shop at Disney paying $25 for 3 pairs of panties or 10.99 for mascara is not my idea of a souvenier!!
The big thing I always have a hard time packing for is the Halloween costumes for Mickey's Not So Scary Party. There is always one in my family who doesn't know what they want to be and teenagers don't want to do the family theme stuff any more! (those were fun times, badgering your family and using every threat and bribe to get you all dressed like The Incredibles or anything else together!!) Plus, you want to make sure whatever you dress up in is comfortable for walking around Magic Kingdom as well as riding rides. And someone always wants to wear a creepy mask. I'm all about creepy but I am downer Mom pointing out how hot and sweaty masks can be as well as visual impairment......Yeah, call me Mommy Dearest.
But, before you say "forget it, we'll just go without costumes" you will instantly regret it when you see how many families and people are in costume. The mood inside the park is charged with extra excitement. You feel somewhat special as you watch other park goers without special event tickets (we call it the golden ticket) being herded out of the park. Definitely makes you feel special.
So, take the time and get costumes together. Even just getting your faced painted at Downtown Disney (done that) and throwing on some wings will give you that magical feeling. Don't forget comfort issues! Bummer if your feet hurt in your Snow White shoes the whole time.......
This party is not to be missed. It is only offered 23 nights out of the whole year and if you love slightly spooky fun it is worth it!
Oh, and one other note. A fun tradition is dressing up your resort room window. We have done it for years and it doesn't matter what time of year it is. We have seen some creative windows!
Have you ever had someone casually ask you a question about a Disney World Vacation?? And you turn into the psycho DIsney lady????? Gahhh, That happened to me Sunday in the church parking lot. A family I know asked a question about where to stay in Disney. Where to stay????? My poor little brain kicked into overdrive. Well, first start with your budget, then there are the themes, are you looking for rest and relaxation or a little busier activities yadda yadda yadda. After 20 minutes of me extolling the virtues of every Disney World Resort I have stayed the wife asked "what about dining" Gahhhhh, have these people done any homework???? You can't just throw any old Disney restaurant at them. Do they want sit down dining? In a park or one of the resorts? Characters? Help me! Throw me a bone!!! This poor family had no clue. After about 30 minutes I told them I would email my favs along with what I consider the best blogs and reviews on all of that. They all had a wide eyed glazed expression when I left them and hurried to their car. Newbies.
Great, now I'm going to be known as the crazy Disney lady.......
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