Orlando Trip

So, we went to Disney World back in May. It turned out to be such a good trip. We were a bit nervous about the 16 hour drive (more like 18-20 hours with stops - you have to also remember you lose an hour going there and gain a hour coming back home). But we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Audrey did fabulously!!! And Rachel's always easy in the car... We headed out on a Saturday - drove for 2 days, went to the parks for 4 days, and then took 2 days to drive home. I thought I'd put together a few thoughts that might help others who are planning a similar trip.

TIMING. It was hot in May. No rain the whole week, which was a blessing. But it was hot. If I could pick any time of the year (which is pretty much impossible with Andy's job) I would go late February or early March. I think the weather would be decent and all the Spring Break crowds wouldn't be there yet. We did usually go to shows in the afternoon, which helped being able to avoid standing in line in the heat of the afternoon. We did have good timing though. The parks weren't especially busy. Thursday was our busiest day, but luckily that was our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom and it was the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.

FLYING VS. DRIVING. Believe me, it was tempting... However we saved around $1500 driving. Even with high gas prices, flights were ridiculous as well. I'm sure if you planned your trip more in advance you would be able to get better deals. We're kind of bad about last minute planning... Plus driving added it's own adventure. We got to drive through 5 states, neither of us had been in Alabama or Mississippi, or seen the Mississippi River before. We also got to drive through a lot of swamp land in Louisiana - never done that before!

We took this picture as we stopped at a rest stop on our first day of traveling:

This picture was taken on our last day of traveling on our way home. In Louisiana you can access Lake Charles right off the freeway. There's an area right along I-1o. We grabbed some Wendy's and enjoyed a picnic lunch at the beach. Unfortunately Rachel was the only one who got to enjoy building a sandcastle (Audrey wouldn't finish her lunch). And a good FYI - disgusting bathrooms, walked in and walked right out. However, if you drive to the end of the beach there's a beautiful, clean tourist information building. That's where we went!

LODGING. We didn't bother with reservations while driving. We drove until we were ready to stop each time, which worked out just fine. In Orlando we chose to not stay at the Disney hotels. Even the cheapest was more expensive than anything else. And then you had internet charges, refrigerator charges, and no free breakfast. So, even though we had to pay $14 a day for parking, it saved us at least $60 a day. We stayed at a Marriott Village. Very nice! They do have a shuttle, but they charged $7 a person. Doesn't make sense unless you fly and don't have a car. Anyhow, the hotel was fabulous. Breakfast was great! Our room had 2 double beds, 1 couch bed, a fridge, microwave, and internet access. We liked! There was even a food court at the Marriott Village so when we got in Sunday night and couldn't imagine getting back in the car to find some dinner, we just walked to the food court. Very convenient! They also had a nice pool with beach entry which we enjoyed twice. From our balcony each night (as long as we were home) we could watch the Epcot fireworks show at 9 PM, which was fun. Our last night there we got a combination lightning/firework show. It was pretty cool!

RIDEMAX. This was recommended from a friend who went several years ago. Definitely worth the $16. It's a program that plans your day for you efficiently. Great for us, since we weren't familiar with the parks. The longest we ever stood in a line was 30 minutes and that was because our girls loved the Dumbo ride, so we went on that ride several times each day. If you're more tech-savvy than we are I believe you can even have it on your phone... We're a bit old-fashioned.

FOOD. You can take food in to Disney World, which I had planned on doing. However, Andy looked at me Sunday night when I told him I needed to make a run to the grocery store and told me not to bother!!! :) So, we ate breakfast at the hotel every day. Then we bought lunch and dinner in the parks. Since our girls hardly eat anything, they always shared a kid's meal. And since adult meals are usually always big portions, Andy and I just shared a meal. So, it wasn't that bad. I was actually pretty surprised at the prices. Usually the kid's meal was around $5 and our meal was around $8. Not bad... We also packed lots of snacks, juice boxes, and water bottles (frozen).

CHARACTERS. Our girls aren't really old enough to really care about the characters. I know some kids go around and get autographs and pictures with all of them. I don't think my girls know what an autograph is. So, we got off easy with this one. If we happened to be walking by and the line was short, we'd do it. However, we did discover that Epcot and Animal Kingdom were easier parks to get pictures with the characters. It's just a bit crazy at Magic Kingdom. Also, something I kind of do wish I had noticed before our last night at the park at 7 PM as we were heading back to the hotel... At the entrance of Magic Kingdom there's a fast pass option to get pictures with the princesses. Next time we'll have to make sure we take advantage. When we walked by it was a 45 minute wait - no thanks! And you can dine with characters. An FYI though, if you are considering princesses, book a few months in advance. We were a bit late for that... It is expensive, but I think it would be worth it for my girls. Next time...

PARK TICKETS. We just bought ours through Disney. It seemed like the only way to get a deal was to pay for a package, which we didn't need. Because of the ages of our children we didn't do the park hopper option. It wasn't needed. We had plenty to do each day in each park. If you're going with teenagers, it might be nice. But we were fine without and it saved quite a bit of money.

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD. The most important thing we learned is that you are never to old for Disney fun or for the use of their rental strollers (we did not obtain permission for this picture from this unsuspecting, sleeping tourist):
More pictures and fun adventures to come...