A Magical Trip

So what happens when Granddaddy Rob is going to be in Orlando for a work conference? And Gammy's going, too? In July? And Frontier Airlines flies direct from Cincinnati to Orlando? You guessed it...we're going to Disney World!!

Because we knew that the news of a Disney World trip would be a very big deal to Sammy and Brie, we waited until the day before we were scheduled to leave to tell them.  (Otherwise, we'd likely be peppered with questions like, "Are we going today?" for weeks before the actual trip!)  They knew we were planning a special vacation, but not where.  We surprised them during breakfast with a little 20 Questions...they guessed Florida and then ultimately the Magic Kingdom after we gave out a few clues...and the rest (i.e. major excitement) is history!  Watch out, Orlando!

Our kiddos have the airplane thing figured out! The big kids watch cartoons while Sebastian and I read the "menu" of food and drinks that Frontier sells, snuggle and look out the window. This works well for short flights!

We arrived around bedtime, so the evening was pretty quiet...but first thing the next morning, the kids knew just where to go...

The hotel's mini water park!

The weather was warm and sunny, so we got to spend a lot of time at the pool...

And then we chilled out with some cool treats...

and long naps.

On our second full day in Orlando, we woke up a little earlier than usual, ate some breakfast and hopped on our shuttle to...the Magic Kingdom!!

This was our first trip with the kids to any Disney theme park, as well as the first time that Tony and I had been to one together. SO exciting!

Ready for an awesome day!!

In advance of our trip, Tony read multiple blogs, scouted out FastPass+ times and even had the perfect route mapped out, so we could hit the ground running. And it worked; we got in A LOT of rides before we stopped for lunch! And the best part was how impressed Sammy and Brie were with every ride. Given that modest Coney Island in Cincinnati is what they think of when it comes to amusement parks, even Disney's oldest and least high-tech rides thrilled them! We would exit the simplest of rides and Brie would say over and over, "That was so much fun! Sooo much FUN!" It brought Tony and me immense happiness to see the kids so gleeful!

One of the coolest "rides" we did was called Enchanted Tales with Belle. It was an intimate walk through Belle's castle and uses pretty sophisticated technology to tell the story of "Beauty and the Beast." The best part is that every kid (and some parents!) gets to play a role in the story. Brie portrayed Belle's (shivering, cold and imprisoned) father Maurice, and Tony and Sammy were knights!

Here's Belle comforting Maurice when he's in jail...

And a handsome knight!

I took two short videos during the show. Check out Belle's entrance and Sam saying, "We know you from Disney." Ha!

And check out Brie's acting skills as Belle's dad Maurice! She only breaks character briefly (with a giggle) when Belle approaches her, but hey, wouldn't you?
Thanks for the fun, Belle!

My first trip to Disney World was at age two and my parents have fond memories of my excitement in meeting Dumbo. I'm glad Brie wanted to ride him, too!

Part of Tony's detailed planning included a "character lunch" with Winnie the Pooh and friends. We got to enjoy a delicious meal in the air-conditioning (phew!) and with some beloved friends! We worried a bit that the kids might think it was a little juvenile, but they loved it!

Here's Sammy hugging Piglet. Wouldn't you?

Brie was on the shier side, but Sammy told the characters sweet things like, "We have your movie at home," and "We love your movie!"

Another way we cooled down? Splash Mountain! It was just as fun as I remembered as a teen...

and wouldn't you know it? 

I got the most soaked out of all of us!

The kids also loved the 3-D movie we watched...

The silliness that ensues when it's REALLY hot out...

And the slap-happiness that "It's a Small World" inspires. Never. Again.

What a perfect day. We'll be back!!

(Ten minutes later.) Zzzzz...

Tony put a pin at all 16 rides we enjoyed. We figured that over 2 rides/hour is excellent since some rides can have a 90-minute wait...yay, for the rookies! And Disney World is quite large, so we have lots to look forward to on future visits!

Were you wondering what Sebastian was up to while we were at the happiest place on earth??  Well, he had a wonderful day with Gammy and Granddaddy Rob, including lots of time at the pool!

And then the kids brought him a souvenir: toys from "The Little Mermaid," including Sebastian the Crab! They were a big hit. :-)

The kids were excited to tell Granddaddy Rob all about their big day!

And then we spent our last vacation day at the pool...

Modeling our new swag...

Laughing about packing three pairs of the same shorts!

And enjoying yummy Japanese food and local beer...

"Give me that sushi!" (I assure you that Sebastian got plenty!)

While we had a relaxing dinner, Sammy and Brie went to the Raymond James party that was just for kids (think All-Night Grad Party for the age 3-12 crowd)! Sam was all about the Legos and ice cream...

And we all know that Brie cannot resist a good face painting!!

She chose a cat...how very Brie!

Later that evening, the kids went to bed, and then Tony and I "stepped in" for Rob and Ann Krebs at the conference dance party! The musical guest was Liquid Blue, a cover band from San Diego with a very broad repertoire, including the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift and Pharrell, to name a few...

We had a great time dancing to their music and doing a little people watching, too...hehe.

And then it was time to head back to Cincinnati and rest up! Sebastian even snoozed all the way home since he knows nap time better than the rest of us!

Thank you, Granddaddy Rob and Gammy! Good bye, Disney! We hope to see you all (together) again one day!!

P.S.  Speaking of Disney, this gave Sammy and Brie a good laugh yesterday! Hehe.

P.P.S. Of course, no vacation is perfect. I would be remiss if I did not mention that the tap water in Orlando tastes awful and smells like sulfur. Made us wonder if it's a Disney ploy to get you to buy bottled water instead of refilling bottles at the water fountains. Poor alligators.