Pike Family Vacation 2016 (Part 2)

On our second day we attempted to visit two parks. It didn't quite go as planned. We were an hour late getting started in the morning and it threw off the entire day.

In the morning we went to Epcot! I was personally really excited about it because I don't think I'd ever been before. We went in without a plan, which was another mistake on our part. Our Fast Pass selections were all for the evening. We luckily stumbled on the Mickey and Friends meet and greet! And it only had a 20 minute wait!

After that we started exploring the World Showcase. I couldn't believe the amount of detail that went into it! I really wish we could have had more time to explore. By this time it was late morning and it was hot. So unbelievably hot. And not a breeze or shade. We were dying. The poor babies were so hot! Oliver just kept crying. We made it half way through before we had to turn around and head back for our lunch reservation.

Okay, so we're literally on the other side of the park, as far away from the restaurant as we could be. At that point we only had twenty minutes to get across the park. Majority of you don't know this about me, but I walk really fast. I'm pretty quick for someone with short legs! Anyway, I'm pushing the double stroller, Jordan is carrying Finley, and Story is trying to keep up. She's almost in tears because it's so hot. Jordan is mad at me because I'm going so fast. And the poor babies just pass out from heat exhaustion. But you best believe we made it to our reservation on time! 

We had lunch at the Coral Reef restaurant. It was a neat experience because one whole wall was just an aquarium! We were able to watch the fish (and sharks!) swim while we ate. After lunch we headed back out for a boat ride to Hollywood Studios!

There were several shows we wanted to watch at Hollywood Studios but was only able to make it to Indian Jones. Indiana Jones is Finley's favorite. We watch the third movie at least once a week. She was really excited to see the stunt show.

It started raining very early on in the show. They had to end early so we didn't get to see the entire production. During the rain our stroller was completely soaked! It was crazy. I knew it could rain at anytime in Florida but it never got cloudy. The sun shone the entire time! Luckily all our stuff was fine because it was in plastic bags. We really wanted to make it to the Disney Junior show but didn't make it. We were able to do Star Tours and Story was able to build her own light saber. We finished the day by riding the Rock n' Roll roller coaster.

Story said it was her favorite ride of the entire trip!

Pike Family Vacation 2016 (Part 1)

After years of planning, rescheduling, and two extra babies, we finally took a family vacation to Walt Disney World! We had an absolutely amazing, and dare I say Magical time!

We decided to drive because it was a lot more affordable. Since Finley is two, we would have had to get her a seat. I don't know if you've checked airline prices lately, but four round trip tickets are pricey! It's 990 miles from our house to the resorts. We left around 10:00 p.m on a Saturday and made it to our room by 4:00 p.m. the next day. It was a looong trip... Oliver still nurses every two hours so we had to stop a lot to feed him. The girls slept pretty well considering. Finley woke up around 4:00 a.m. and stayed awake for about an hour before going back to sleep.

About thirty minutes out, the air conditioner in our van quit working! We were so bummed, and dreaded the thought of having to deal with it after our vacation was over. We just rolled down the windows and tried to enjoy the swamp smells, ha. The kids liked the wind. 

We stayed at the All-Star Music Resort. When I booked the trip I wasn't too concerned with the room. I knew we weren't going to spend a whole lot of time at the resort. We stayed in Country Fair 6, which was like a mile away from the lobby and buses. I didn't take a single photo of our room, but it was a standard hotel room.

We unloaded everything and went to the cafe to eat an early dinner. We had the Disney Dining Plan, so we had a quick meal service for dinner. I'm sure I'll say it multiple times, but Disney has amazing food! I'm gluten intolerant and have to be very careful about what I eat and where my food is prepared. The cafe at the resort was a bit overwhelming at first. It was busy, there were multiple lines and stations, we'd never used to dining plan, and really didn't have a clue what to do. I went to the first station and asked the cook about gluten free options. She was very friendly and went to get a chef who would talk to me about it. He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Turns out Disney takes gluten free very seriously and has several options available. I ate some really good food! Things like bread, bagels, waffles, pasta. pizza, and desserts. Anyway! While we're eating Story starts panicking and says she's going to throw up (which means she's going to literally throw up right at that instant). We race to the restroom and she spends the rest of the evening/night with an upset stomach. Thankfully it was only the one night and she woke up feeling just fine the next day!

We got up bright and early the next day and boarded a bus to the Magic Kingdom! It had been almost ten years since I'd gone to Disney and twenty-two years since I'd gone as a small child.

This is totally a photo of the Polaroid photo

It was every bit as awesome as I'd remembered. Even Jordan had to stop and say "wow" when he saw the castle. We had purchased Memory Maker so we made sure to stop and get photos! 

This photo cracks me up because both babies are trying to get Story's hat

We also had matching shirts for the first day! I looked online and just couldn't justify spending close to $100 on t-shirts. At the last minute I decided to make them myself. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought matching gray tees and then iron on transfer paper. I designed the front and printed it onto the paper. I followed the directions but the transfer didn't go so well. The images were burnt and didn't go on evenly. Finley's turned out the worst and I actually had to go over it with a Sharpie to make it look okay. Funny story about her shirt : she spilled a bunch of water on it and stained her chest because of the marker. It took several days to get the stain off of her. Next time I will make shirts for each day we're there! 

We already had Fast Passes lined up (thanks Maria!) so it was pretty non stop from open to close! First up was Peter Pan's Flight. What a cute ride! The babies really enjoyed it! It was a great way to break in our vacation. We headed over to It's A Small World after that.

 From then on it was super crowded! That's what we get for going in June.

Since we had the babies, we were able to do rider swap. That meant Story got to go on every ride twice! The over protective mom in me panicked every time we were on a ride. She passed all the requirements, no problem, but I was still terrified the entire time.

We went to the Crystal Palace for a buffet character lunch with Winnie the Pooh. We booked our trip sort of last minute. Because of that, we didn't get the greatest reservations. Now, don't get me wrong. All of the food was great, all of the characters were amazing. But there were some top tier restaurants I wish we could have eaten at.

I really wish they had Disney photographers for the character meals. It would have been nice not to worry about taking photos.

After lunch, my phone died. I was really sad.... Jordan got a few photos, but it was such a fast moving day.

We stayed all the way to closing! The evening parade was canceled due to the weather. Luckily they still had the fireworks! It was a long, long day, that's for sure!

Stay tuned for parts two and three of our Disney vacations!