Our First Night Back: Mexico, Morocco, and a Meltdown Too!

Just two hours after our arrival at Orlando International Airport, the kids had settled into our beautifully-appointed room at Disney's impeccably-themed Beach Club Resort.  To clarify, when I say "settled", I mean "burst open the door and tumbled over each other through the room like a pair of crazy hyenas".  Jack and Sadie had been running on varying levels of adrenaline for nine hours, and I could tell that they were heading toward an imminent energy tailspin.  Nevertheless, we were eager to begin our vacation, so after spending a few minutes exploring our new digs, we were ready to "hit the World"! 

The Beach Club Resort is a short five-minute walk away from Epcot's World Showcase, so we decided to begin our second Disney-vacation adventure there.  Epcot is separated into two sections: Future World in the front and World Showcase in the back.  The World Showcase is divided into eleven different pavilions, each representing a nation of the world.  From Mexico to Morocco, each pavilion offers unique opportunities to explore its featured culture through inspired shops, authentic restaurants, talented street performers, and replicas of famous landmarks.  Even kids get caught up in the spirit of World Showcase: little ones will love the KidCot spots in each pavilion where they can create an art project and collect stamps from all the different nations; older kids will have a blast on Agent P Missions for which they borrow a Disney-issued F.O.N.E. and join Perry the Platypus (from Disney's hit TV show Phineas and Ferb) on a quest to save the "World".

On our first trip, we'd only spent one short evening at the World Showcase, and I couldn't wait to get back and really explore all of the details that we'd missed.  To recover from the stress of traveling, we were looking for a laid-back vibe on our arrival night, and I thought that World Showcase would be a perfect fit.  When we strolled into the World Showcase from the International Gateway (the entrance in the back, closest to our resort), we were once again completely in awe of the level of detail in each pavilion.

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at Epcot's World Showcase

"Let's get a F.O.N.E.!  Let's get a F.O.N.E!!!!!" my son implored, the intensity of his voice shattering my brief moment of serenity.  Over the next few hours, my son raced around World Showcase with his communicator, helping Perry the Platypus save the world from the Evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz while my daughter trailed behind him in a frantic effort to keep up.  Realizing that this was a recipe for a Sadie-induced disaster (not unlike the last time we'd visited Epcot: see "A Magical Meltdown"), we took frequent breaks to meet characters, savor delicious snacks from the various nations, explore shops, and enjoy some street performances. 

Tip Time: One of the best features of Epcot's World Showcase is its street performers.  The sheer number of performances makes it impossible to attend each one, however, so do a little research before you go.  Once you've read about each pavilion's entertainment, pick two or three performances that you'd really like to see.  When you arrive at Epcot, check the Times Guide for performance schedules and work them into your day accordingly. 

Finding the perfect pearl in Japan

By late afternoon, the kids were trudging through World Showcase like zombies, staring straight ahead and barely noticing the magical details around them.  In an prophylactic effort to prevent a meltdown, we decided to escape to our hotel for dinner and a swim while everyone was still mentally stable.  It had truly been a magical afternoon: we'd met some characters, Sadie had found the perfect pearl in Japan, and Jack had saved "the World".  From experience, we'd learned that it's best to end a day at the parks on a high note.

Tip Time: On their arrival day at Disney World, many people  feel the urge to hit the parks right away.  It may be best to resist this impulse, however, especially if your kids had to wake up early to begin traveling that morning.  On most days, the parks are hot and crowded in the afternoon, and attractions will have long waits.  Settling in to your room, exploring your hotel, and taking a dip in the resort's pool is usually a more relaxing way to begin your trip.  If you simply cannot wait to visit a park, Epcot's World Showcase is a great choice due to its low-key vibe and the fact that it hosts very few attractions (which means no waiting in line). 

New pajamas from Minnie!

Within a few minutes of our departure from Epcot's World Showcase, we realized that we'd made the right decision by leaving.  Sadie had degenerated into a grumpy mess, and Jack had become a whiny puddle as he tried to fit his six-year-old long-legged body into our stroller because he JUST COULDN'T WALK ANYMORE!!  Fortunately, our spirits were lifted and the magic was restored when we opened the door to our hotel room and discovered that Mickey and Minnie had visited while we'd been gone.  Best of all, they'd left welcome baskets full of surprises for the kids!



Tip Time: To add a little extra magic to your arrival day, consider leaving a "welcome" gift for your kids at your hotel from their favorite character(s).  You can accomplish this in several ways.  First, you can mail a package to your resort (or give it to the front desk staff upon arrival) and they will discreetly place it in your hotel room for you.  Alternatively, you can order a surprise through Disney Floral and Gifts (check them out at http://www.disneyflorist.com); keep in mind, however, that they cannot deliver your gift to your hotel on your arrival day.  Finally, while your kids are distracted with all of the amenities of their new hotel room, you can surreptitiously unpack the surprise yourself and place it in the hallway, bathroom, balcony, etc.    

As the kids dug into their baskets with huge grins on their faces, I leaned back against the bed and smiled.  Although nothing could ever compare to the pure wonder that the kids had experienced on our first Disney vacation, the magic was definitely still all around us.  I glanced at my mom (who was experiencing the magic for the first time); as she helped the kids unpack their trinkets, the look on her face said it all.  She'd had her first taste of Disney Kool-Aid, and there was no going back.

Meredith McCutcheon
Ginger's Getaways: http://mm-gingersgetaways.com
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyMadeEasy

Announcements

To my readers: As a mother of a seven-year-old and a five-year-old, my heart continues to ache for the families who lost their babies in Newtown, Connecticut last week.  Suddenly, planning family vacations to Disney World seems so unimportant, and blogging about our trips seems self-serving at the moment.  In light of the tragedy, and with the holidays quickly approaching, I have decided to postpone this week's blog post.  I plan to publish one more post this month between Christmas and New Year's Day and then return to my regular weekly posts during the week of January 7th.

In the meantime, I have decided to donate at least 10% of the proceeds from my Disney vacation planning services during the months of December and January to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund set up by the United Way of Western Connecticut.  They have pledged to forgo any service fees that would normally be applied to donations; in other words, all funds will go directly to the people of Newtown in an effort to help them rebuild their school and heal their town.  If you are interested in donating, you can find them at https://newtown.uwwesternct.org/.

As always, thank you for reading, and Happy Holidays. 

Warmly,

Meredith McCutcheon

Stay Away, Isaac!

With our return to Disney World quickly approaching, our house had transformed into "vacation-prep central".  Clean clothes were piled high in laundry baskets, waiting to be folded into open suitcases.  Water toys and sunscreen and coloring books (crucial for downtime) covered virtually every surface in our home.  Dining reservation numbers and airport tickets were neatly tucked into a binder, just waiting to be confirmed.  I was so happily consumed with last-minute preparations that I had almost forgotten that we were traveling to Walt Disney World during peak hurricane season.  That all changed two nights before our departure when I heard my husband mutter "uh-oh" as he checked the weather forecast for the Orlando area.

Here he comes! (CNN Tracker)

"What-oh???" I demanded, feeling a sense of dread rising in the depths of my being.

"Well, it's not a big deal...yet.  There's just some sort of tropical depression in the Atlantic.  It might hit Florida.  It might not.  It's still a few days out," he responded.

OK.  Not a big deal.  Not a big deal.  I forced myself to think positively as I continued folding and packing.  No matter how many times I repeated this mantra to myself, though, I was far from convinced of its validity.  Still, I knew that I had to push forward, as we were going on this trip...tropical depression or no tropical depression.

Tip Time: In the event that the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for the Orlando area seven days or less prior to the arrival date of your Disney World vacation, you may cancel or reschedule your vacation without incurring any fees.  Keep in mind, however, that this policy only applies if a hurricane warning is issued (which is very rare for the Orlando area since it is so far inland).  If a tropical depression or tropical storm threatens Orlando (both are less severe than a hurricane), no special cancellation policy applies.  Your best bet in this case is to continue your trip as planned.  If a tropical storm is severe enough to require theme park closures (a very rare occurrence), your hotel will issue instructions on how to proceed.  In most cases, theme parks will remain open (even during torrential downpours)!

For the next two days, I closely monitored the tropical depression's progress.  By the morning of our departure, it was almost universally predicted that the depression would strengthen into Tropical Storm Isaac.  Beyond that, the computer models were somewhat conflicted about the storm's path and landfall date, although most models showed it slamming into one of Florida's two coasts.

Nevertheless, our departure day had arrived, and I forced myself to refocus my energy.  At the very least, the Orlando weather forecast for the next few days was beautiful: sunny and warm with only a slight chance of afternoon rain.  In the best interest of our entire group, I decided to take our vacation one day at a time.  And today was the biggest day of all!  We were going back to Disney World!

We had booked the earliest flight possible out of Detroit Metro Airport with a departure time of 8:30am, so we needed to arrive at the airport by 7:00am.  We'd planned to pick up my mom on the way, so we needed to leave our house at 5:00am.  Consequently, we found ourselves waking our two groggy kids up at the ridiculously early time of 4:45am. 

Jack and Sadie leaped out of bed and each broke their personal-best records for dressing and teeth-brushing.  Pure adrenaline propelled them to the car and kept their spirits high for the entire car ride.  By the time we arrived at the airport, however, the adrenaline had worn off and they'd become "emotionally fragile" (as my mother likes to say), especially my daughter (who places an extremely high value on her sleep).  They were experiencing a volatile combination of sleep deprivation and intense excitement, and the grenade was about to explode at any minute.

Tip Time: When booking a flight to Disney World, it's important to not only consider how early you will have to arrive at the airport but also how early you will need to wake up.  If you will have to rouse your children much before their normal wake-up time, it may be best to opt for a later flight.  Remember, nobody is going to have much fun on your arrival day if your kids are on the verge of an exhaustion-induced meltdown.    

Fortunately, I'd brought an arsenal of activities to occupy the kids in the airport, and the time passed quickly.  Before we knew it, we were boarding the airplane and we were officially on our way!  After an uneventful flight, we touched down at Orlando International Airport.  As we strolled through the terminal on the way to claim our rental car, I took a moment to glance around at the palm trees outside.  I could hardly believe that we were back! 

Within an hour, we were walking through the front door of Disney's Beach Club resort, our home for the next five nights.  The piped-in scent of the ocean hit me almost immediately as we entered the airy lobby.  "Welcome home," greeted a Cast Member as she whisked us to the check-in desk, motioning for bell services to take care of our luggage.  Bursting with excitement, my kids chattered away to my mom, who was simply in awe of the hotel's decor.  I glanced at my husband, and a big smile spread across his face.  Hurricane or no hurricane, this was going to be the best vacation ever!!

  

Next Up: Our First Evening at Epcot, Mary Poppins and a Meltdown, and Isaac Heads Our Way.

Ginger's Getaways: http://www.mm-gingersgetaways.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyMadeEasy

We're Going Back, Part Three: Isaac on the Horizon

Ready to meet her favorite princesses again!

After many revisions of my "pros and cons" list, numerous cross-checks of flights, hours of searching for the best deals and discounts, and countless groans of frustration from my husband (as I announced, changed, and re-announced our vacation dates several times), we'd finally settled on late August as the best time for our second Disney World vacation.  Now, I was able to focus on my favorite parts of planning a Disney trip: itinerary development and restaurant selection.  And this time around (unlike our first vacation), I had the knowledge and experience to help me with these tasks. Considering factors like predicted crowd levels, park hours, and special events, I created a balanced itinerary for our trip, complete with daily touring plans for each theme park.   

Tip Time: Planning all of these aspects of a Disney World vacation can easily become time-consuming and overwhelming.  A travel agent can help you narrow down your vacation options; best of all, they get paid commission from their suppliers (not their clients), so their services are usually completely free.  Furthermore, some Disney travel agents will design a personalized itinerary and daily touring plans for you (for a nominal fee).  When I plan a trip for a client, I handcraft unique itineraries and touring plans to fit the needs and preferences of that client's traveling party.  Then, when my clients arrive at Disney World, all they have to do is follow the steps in their plan to ensure that they are always a few steps ahead of the crowds.  When everyone else is waiting in lines, they are making memories!  Especially when planning your first Disney vacation, seeking help from a travel professional can help you make the most of your trip. 

Then, I turned my focus to our dining reservations.  We'd chosen to add the Disney Dining Plan to our vacation package.  On this plan, each person in our group would be entitled to one quick-service (fast food) meal, one table service (sit-down) meal, and one snack per night of our vacation.  Guests are able to book Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) for their table-service meals 180 days before their trip, so I needed to make some serious dining decisions before my window opened.  Making these decisions, however, is no small feat.  Approximately 70 full-service restaurants operate in the Walt Disney World resort!  From character meals to gourmet dining experiences, these restaurants offer high-quality food and top-notch service.  Furthermore, since my mother was accompanying us on this trip, I was determined to make it the MOST MAGICAL VACATION EVER (warnings on the perils of this goal in my next post).  So, for several days, I pored over all of our dining options, narrowed them down, and made my final selections.  And I was waiting at my computer to make those dining reservations at precisely 7:00am on the 180th day before our arrival date!

Tip Time: When we are planning a family vacation to Disney World, we like to involve our kids in some of the decision-making.  An easy way to do this is to let each child pick one restaurant at which they would like to eat while on the trip. 

Once all of our reservations were in place, the only thing left to do was to build some excitement for our vacation!  So, during the summer, we shopped for Disney t-shirts to take with us on our trip, watched the Disney vacation planning DVD a few times, and downloaded Disney songs to listen to in the car on the way to the airport.  I also purchased a children's Disney World travel guide for my son, and I took my daughter to see the stage version of "Beauty and the Beast" when it came to our city. 

Our Countdown Calendar

Tip Time: If you decide to tell your kids about your Disney vacation, there are lots of fun ways to involve them in trip preparations.  On this trip, I created a "Countdown to Disney" calendar that began 100 days before our vacation.  Each night, the kids took turns crossing off a day.  At the end of each week, they decorated the calendar with a sticker of their choosing.  On the last week, each day was dedicated to some sort of "trip preparation activity": gathering friends' addresses for postcards, throwing a Disney dinner party, making lists of "must-do" theme park attractions, etc.  Anticipation is part of the fun of any trip, and pre-trip activities make a Disney vacation even more magical!  Be careful, however, that you don't trigger a "Disney Overload".  Balance is key!

Before we knew it, summer was coming to an end and our vacation date was quickly approaching.  The anticipation of our return to Disney World was reaching its pinnacle.  Sadie was donning different princess outfits every hour and calling my mom daily to sing a "countdown song" that she composed to the tune of "Happy Birthday To You."  Jack was spending almost all of his free time reading about the different theme park attractions and intently researching the eleven nations represented in Epcot's World Showcase.

In the meantime, I was keeping a close eye on the weather forecast.  August is smack-dab in the middle of hurricane season.  Fortunately, Orlando is far enough inland that hurricanes rarely cause much damage in the Walt Disney World resort area, and resort closures due to hurricanes are highly unusual.  Nevertheless, a hurricane near the Florida coast can still bring torrential downpours and high winds to the Orlando area.  When I booked our vacation for August, I was fully aware of the potential for a hurricane to impact our trip, but the possibility of this happening was SO remote that I pushed this concern right out of my head.

About two days before our departure, this concern returned with a vengeance.  I'd just started packing for our trip, and I was knee-deep in suitcases and clothing, so I asked my husband to check the Orlando-area forecast in the kitchen for me.  I was happily folding nightgowns and swimsuits when I head him mutter "uh-oh" under his breath...

Next Up: Our Departure Day Arrives as Isaac Approaches!!

Find Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyMadeEasy
Ginger's Getaways: http://www.mm-gingersgetaways.com
My Touring Plan Website: http://themagicminusthemayhemonline.vpweb.com/ 

     

We're Going Back: Part Two

I stared blankly at my "pros and cons" list of several possible dates for our next Disney vacation.  Over the past two days, I'd revised the list three times, added and deleted potential dates, cross-checked flights, and crunched numbers...all to no avail.  Choosing a date for our first vacation had been a snap.  I knew that September (with its lower rates and lower crowds) would be a great time to visit.  Of course, that meant pulling my children out of school for a few days, but since they were so young (preschool and first grade), I was not conflicted at all.  This time around, the decision was much harder. 

Even though the weather would be pleasant and the prices would be reasonable, I'd quickly eliminated late spring (even though they were young, I personally couldn't justify pulling the kids out of school TWICE in one year).  I also ruled out the month of July; no part of me was interested in battling the giant mid-summer crowds in the blistering heat and stifling humidity.  Early fall was also out of the question; my mother is an administrative assistant for a school district, so the beginning of the school year is a busy time for her at work.  

Grandma's Coming, Too!

Then, it hit me.  I remembered a conversation that I'd had with an airline desk clerk several years earlier when we were returning from a mid-August trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  I commented that the airport seemed strangely empty for summertime, and he responded that, for much of the country, school had already begun.  Being Michiganders, our kids don't return to school until after Labor Day, but that's not the case for many other states (including Florida).  Late August was starting to look like a viable solution to my scheduling predicament!
 
Tip Time: Now that I am a travel professional, my clients often ask for my advice on the best time of year to visit Disney World.  Although the answer is somewhat subjective, depending entirely on how the client is defining “best”, I can offer them some guidelines.  First, I would recommend avoiding the weeks before and after Christmas, the weeks before and after Easter, and the entire month of July.  These are some of the most crowded, most expensive times of year to visit Disney World.  The weeks before and after President's Day in February are also often crowded, but they are more tolerable than the previous weeks that I mentioned.  My favorite time of year to visit Disney World is late September/early October when crowds and prices are low and the parks are decorated for Halloween.  Another great time to visit is during the week after Thanksgiving and the first two weeks of December.  Crowds are bearable, prices are reasonable, and festive holiday decorations adorn the entire resort.  In early January, crowds and prices are at their lowest, but park hours are often shortened and ride closures are likely.  If you can't (or don't want to) pull your kids out of school for a vacation, try visiting Disney World immediately after school lets out in June or during the last two weeks of August.  The weather will be hot and humid (and it's hurricane season) and crowds will be above average (although not as bad as July), but discounts are often available.

Countdown to August 22nd!

I selected a few potential dates in late August, found some available room discounts, and discovered that flights were reasonably priced for that time period.  Before I knew it, I'd zeroed in on a departure date of August 22nd.  On our first trip, we'd spent four nights at Disney World, and we felt like that was just a little too short.  This time, since the kids weren't missing school, we were able to devote an entire week to our trip, but my husband also had expressed a strong desire to visit the ocean while we were there.  As a result, I settled on a seven night vacation, spending five nights at Disney's Beach Club Resort in Disney World and two nights at Disney's Vero Beach Resort (approximately 90 minutes from Orlando, located right on the Atlantic Ocean).  

With the trip officially booked, I was able to focus on the really fun aspects of Disney vacation planning: deciding on dining reservations and designing our itinerary and daily touring plans.  As I excitedly set to these tasks, a nagging feeling of dread refused to leave the deep recesses of my mind.  Although I was confident that mid-August was the perfect time for our vacation, I'd read that late summer is peak hurricane season in Florida.  Still, the chances that a hurricane would actually hit during our vacation were very slim, right?  Right???.......(to be continued)


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