Magic Awaits

This was a vacation YEARS in the making...so many years.

We had told the girls when they were really young that we would take them to the happiest place on earth when our oldest was 7 and youngest was 5, and then it was when they were 8 and 6, and then it was 9 and 7, and then it was...okay, we need to just figure this out because if we don't, they'll be in college before we actually make this vacation happen!

The summer / fall of 2020, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and book a vacation to Disney World - a Christmas present to be redeemed at a later time. We needed to work out the details...and we needed to coordinate all kinds of schedules! But we at least knew that it would be the main Christmas present for the girls, and we could figure the rest out later.

Eventually, we chose the dates for our vacation (unfortunately, it was the same week as our annual Minnesota trip...so we that was kind of a bummer to have to miss that trip) - the middle of June! It isn't hot in Florida in June, is it? Anyway...we booked the flights, and then needed to decide on our hotel.

There were a LOT of options as far as accommodations were concerned, but we knew we wanted to stay at one of the Disney resorts for simplicity's sake....early entry into the parks, transportation to and from the parks, onsite dining. We finally decided on Disney's Contemporary Resort for our stay. It was a tough choice...but I had always been fascinated by the hotel with the tram that went through the middle, and it was....well....contemporary! Plus, Jake and the girls thought it was pretty cool, too!

Another key component to our vacation besides flights and the hotel was getting in touch with Jake’s cousin, Linda, who happened to work at the Hollywood Studios – one of the Disney parks. She is a proud team member of Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land of the park. It had been years since we had seen her, and we were excited to reconnect! So we let her know of our travel dates, and made plans to get together while we were there.

The six months leading up to the trip were long…but then again….before we knew it, we were shopping for fanny packs and looking for sunscreen to pack for our adventure. Oh fanny pack, oh fanny pack…you really do come in handy.

Our flight to Orlando had to be adjusted as we got closer to our departure date. Given the current Covid conditions of the world we live in, we had realized our original flight had been changed to now have two stops, and we were really hoping for only one. So we did cancel and rebook. It worked out – we had a perfect layover in Atlanta to and from Orlando. And fortunately, we didn’t have to leave too terribly early – thank goodness! We are NOT morning people. Just an FYI! It’s fun to remember how stinking excited we all were to FINALLY be going. Everyone was smiling and happy. And can I just say again how much I love Omaha’s airport. It’s a piece of cake to get through security. Small is nice folks!

When we arrived in Orlando, Jake had a surprise planned for the girls. We collected our luggage and then waited for our “Uber” driver….or so the girls thought. We stood where we had been told to wait, and soon, a limo pulled up. Traveling in style!

The limo was fun – all decked out in lights and music. I think the girls were a little overwhelmed…not quite sure what to make of it all. But I could tell they thought it was pretty special.

We could finally see the hotel come into view…..Ahhhhh! We had made it. We unloaded the limo, and headed inside….it was kind of late. Certainly after 8:00. We were starving. It took a long while for Jake to get checked in. The man at the front desk was extremely informative…giving Jake all kinds of information about what appeared to be everything possible. We patiently waited for the conversation to be over so we could finally see our room and get this party started!

Of course, our hotel was being remodeled so the “main” building’s rooms didn’t appear to be available….so we had to go to one of the “side” buildings to our room….which wasn’t a big deal at all. Fewer rooms available meant fewer people. Which meant “yay for us”! Our room was located on the top floor of our three-story building. The rooms were definitely contemporary….not overly large, but it was really pretty. We had a Juliet balcony that had a view of the garden, pool, and Bay Lake. Not too shabby!

We dropped off our luggage and quickly tried to figure out the best place to find some grub. Our hotel had a restaurant that was still open – Contempo Café. We ordered online, and then went to pick it up….we weren’t exactly sure what we were doing…how does all of this work? It wasn’t exactly clear…and we’re not the sort of people who just ask questions. The man at the lobby neglected to tell Jake anything about the online ordering process. Ha! We figured it out though….and finally got some food in us.

Mural by Contempo Cafe

We noticed there was a restaurant next to the Contempo Café (Chef Mickey's), where the characters come out and greet the guests. Kamryn informed us she would NOT be eating there. It would make her REALLY uncomfortable. It made us laugh, but we decided not to push it. There was no reason to give her an anxiety attack! So we never did eat there. ;)

Park 1 - Hollywood Studios

The next morning, the girls were SO unbelievably excited to go to their first Disney park. They had their Disney shirts and mouse ears on, and our shy Kamryn was eagerly waiting at the door…..”Let’s go!”. :)

We grabbed a couple of coffees at the little coffee shop in the lobby of the hotel and a couple of muffins and danishes for breakfast, and we took an Uber to Hollywood Studios. We were dropped off in what felt like no-mans land and walked to the entrance where we had to wait with the rest of all of the excited folks. It was magical….until our e-passes didn’t work. We had to go to guest relations to see if we could get everything straightened out.

When we arrived at the office (just a short walk away from the gate), there was another family (with adult children mind you), experiencing the same issue we were. The dad was irate! He “spent a lot of money to take his family to the park and they arrived early so they could get there before it became super packed and expletive expletive expletive.” ;) That does NOT seem very Disney like.

We waited patiently…a young polite woman came out to help us, and a few minutes later, we had our physical cards to use instead of the digital passes, and we were on our merry way. Whatever happened to Mister Grumpy was no longer our concern, but I’m glad we saw him though. It was a great example for our kids….who NOT to be. Don’t be like that man. Ever.

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And maybe now is a good time for me to give you MY TIPS for doing Disney:

• Don’t be in a hurry.

  • If you’re going to be impatient, don’t bother going. The lines are long. Patience is a choice. Choose it. Disney is worth it.

• Don’t think about how much anything costs.

  • Sure you’re going to spend a ton on this vacation, but what price can you put on happiness? That’s a rhetorical question…don’t answer.

• If you think you’ll only be able to go to Disney World once (see bullet point above), don’t take your kids when they’re infants or even toddlers, if you have a choice (I know certain opportunities arise or Covid made a mess of your plans so do what you need to do). But if you have a choice, don't go until your kids are a little older. It's waste of time and money.

  • Babies obviously won’t remember a thing, and how much extra work is it to have to take care of a baby in general??

  • Sure toddlers will have fun, but they aren’t going to remember anything (and if they do, it won’t be much). And toddlers are prone to meltdowns....out of their routines, stuck in sweltering hot lines, and over stimulated. Don't do this on purpose if you have a choice.

  • Wait until your kids are at least 5 years or older. They won’t have outgrown that child-like innocence and awe, but will remember and appreciate the efforts of this vacation for years to come.

  • If you will have the privilege of taking your kids multiple times, then go right ahead and bring the little ones. Take pictures. And good luck to ya.

• Don’t think about how hot you are.

  • It’s hot in Florida. Especially in June. And that’s just the way it is. Thinking about it will only make you grumpy. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

• Make sure you bring water with you (or buy it right away at the park to have on hand)

• Don’t worry about fixing your hair (the humidity and afternoon rainshowers will ruin any efforts)

• Make it a point to enjoy every second

  • Stop and smell the roses. Take the time to really appreciate the efforts the imagineers put into these parks.

  • You might not see everything, but if your biggest concern is rushing from one ride to the next, and this reservation to the next, you won't have the chance to soak in the experience.

  • Don't worry about scheduling every second out. Life will happen and go messin' up your plans. So just roll with it. Pick out a few important "things" at each park and just fill in the rest as you go.

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We finally made it inside the park, and we were overwhelmed. Or maybe it was ME who was overwhelmed….the nostalgic feeling of joy that I felt at that moment was indescribable! Every detail….every visual effect, every sound, every scent was so well planned and thought out. I couldn’t help but just stand there for a moment and soak it all in…I probably embarrassed our kids, but I didn’t really care. It was Disney World, and I was standing in the middle of it.

We hit up The Tower of Terror first…..the line seemed short enough. It was the PERFECT first ride. A little spooky! A little thrilltastic. After we got off of the ride, Kindrey said, “Why did we keep falling? Was it broken?” HA! She had no idea it was SUPPOSED to do that. I sure do love that kid.

Then we stood in line to go to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Rail ride. We were behind a family with very friendly and talkative children. I thought maybe we had gained at least one new child in our family by the time we almost got on the ride, but the parents finally noticed the intrusion and took back their kids, only after we learned all about the “pins” on their daughter’s mask lanyard, and who knows what else she told us.

Oh…did I mention we arrived two days before the mask mandate was lifted? Yah….the first two days of our trip we had to have a mask on in the hotel and at certain points in the attraction lines in the parks (but always inside the buildings). It was SO hot. I thought I was going to suffocate. But the last two days, we didn’t have to have our masks on….it was wonderful!

Anyway….we rode the ride, and it was adorable, and then we went to Kamryn’s FAVORITE ride, “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster”….featuring Aerosmith. This ride is probably the most intense roller coaster at any of the Disney parks at Walt Disney World. It’s in the dark…it’s fast…and you go upside down! ;)

When we came out of the roller coaster, Jake’s cousin and her friends, Susan and Chris, greeted us outside. Linda became an instant “favorite part of our trip”. She made us shirts, “Keep moving forward,” from Meet the Robinsons. Like awesome. She gifted both girls a sequin backpack with coordinating sequin mouse ears. She gave them candy and gift cards to use in the gift shop. I mean….come on. Best cousin greeting ever. But it wasn’t just the gifts…it was HER. She was so fun and friendly. The girls were immediately drawn to her and wanted to go wherever Linda was going. They still talk about her. “I miss Linda.”

Linda had taken time off of work to spend her vacation with us…where she worked. Lol. She hooked us up any chance she could. Fast passes had been "retired," and the new Lightning Lanes weren't up and running yet. Everyone had to just wait in the line, unless you knew someone or were a Club 33 member. ;) But there were several rides that would have been nearly impossible to get on or at least take HOURS to get on that we were able to just “hop” on. Linda, Susan, and Chris’s connections made for the best way to experience Disney. :)

After the girls checked out their goodies, we immediately found drinks and snacks. :) Jake knows how to make people feel comfortable! And Baseline Tap House did not disappoint – pretzels and beer. :) I had Ace Space Bloody Orange Hard Cider. It was so good – especially considering how steamy it was outside!

One of the highlights of the first day was our experience at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Again….the attention to detail is phenomenal. You can’t even begin to understand how amazing it is until you experience it for yourself. You feel like you have been transported into the movie. Unreal.

This is one of the experiences that we wouldn’t have been able to…well….experience, if it hadn’t been for Chris. He works in this area of the park and totally hooked us up. There was no WAY we would have been able to get on the Rise of the Resistance ride and the Smuggler’s Run ride.

And we also got to go into the bar…Oga’s Cantina. Another place we wouldn’t have been able to go in. Oh my gosh. SO awesome! The snacks and drinks were ridiculous! We of course had to also try the famous green and blue milk….and the Ronto wrap while in that part of the park. Delicious! All of it.

We did have an amazing adventure in Toy Story Land, also – Linda and Susan’s domain. On our way to Slinky Dog Dash, we experienced the ever-common Floridian afternoon thunderstorm. We sought shelter under a giant umbrella and made the most of our wait by telling stories and getting to know another couple who had also found their way to the umbrella. But before long, the rain had ended, and we got in line for the roller coaster. So fun!

We also got to go on Toy Story Mania a couple of times – an arcade style ride – Linda kicked our butts on this arcade attraction! And then Linda and Susan took Kamryn to the Alien Swirling Saucers ride….a ride that Jake and I definitely couldn’t go on…we’ve gotten a little queasy in our old age.

Somewhere along the way we went to “Walt Disney Presents.” I’d describe this as a history museum of Walt Disney. Different artifacts were on display, and we got to watch a documentary describing Walt’s Dream. I think Kindrey was most moved by the video, “He never gave up, and kept trying.” And look what he created, sweet girl!

We didn’t want our Hollywood Studios adventure to end, but after riding on Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster one more time (skipping the line this time around!), it was time to go back to the resort.

We waited for what seemed like forever for the bus to come and take us back to our hotel, and when we did finally get back, we were exhausted. Day 1 of the parks was in the books.

The girls were eager to get their swim on at the resort pool….where we met the resort’s ducks. They had moved in during Covid, and decided to stay…and so the water fowl made a few new friends.

Kamryn's favorite ride: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster / She also liked the colored milk in Galaxy's Edge

Kindrey's favorite ride: Tower of Terror

Jake's favorite ride: Rise of the Resistance

Lindsey's favorite ride: Tower of Terror

Park 2 – Epcot

We had breakfast at the Contempo – Mickey Mouse waffles for the girls…of course. ;) And then we took the bus to the park. Epcot was going to be Epic. ;)

It was sweltering that day. I remember walking into the park, and it just felt like we were walking onto a griddle…..definitely a scorcher.

We hit up the The Seas with Nemo and Friends attraction first….and then we found Linda, and then we searched high and low for Dramamine because I left ours in our hotel room. We had to go to a Baby Care Center to finally find some. The center was basically a small clinic with a tiny pharmacy. We found what we needed and carried on. I needed it. I can’t handle the motion like I used to. Anyway….

We waited in line for I think two hours for Test Track. It was definitely NOT worth the wait, in my opinion. No offense, Disney, but this just wasn’t that great. And it is probably the ONLY ride we went on that I had anything negative to say about. Maybe if you really liked cars you'd appreciate this attraction?

I know we didn’t see everything there was to see, partly because not everything was open (thank you Covid), but luckily Linda knew what we would really enjoy and made the most of the time we had available at Epcot.

I thought the park was great! Getting to see the different “countries” and a ride or two (and cocktail) in each was pretty fantastic….the attention to detail is just awesome. I could go again just to LOOK at everything.

Some of the highlights included: Frozen Ever After, Grand Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land (amazing - Did you know a couple of Disney restaurants serve fresh produce and seafood Disney grows themselves?), Spaceship Earth (inside the iconic giant ball!), and I’m sure there was even more I am not remembering right now!

Linda had made dinner reservations for all of us at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria for some AMAZING pizza and wine flights! ;) It would be so worth just going back to Disney World to try all of the cuisine at all of the parks, too….

Kamryn's favorite ride: Frozen Ever After

Kindrey's favorite ride: All of the rides except Test Track and The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Jake's favorite "ride": The beer tour ;)

Lindsey's favorite ride: Living with the Land

Park 3 - Animal Kingdom

Linda had made breakfast reservations for us at Steakhouse 71, located in our hotel. As we walked into the restaurant, it felt like we were walking through a tunnel of waves! Very cool. When you exit the tunnel, you walk inside a pretty swanky bar, but after a left turn, you quickly find yourself in a family friendly restaurant. The girls ordered more Mickey Mouse waffles. When in Disney World.

We headed to Animal Kingdom after our filling breakfast. :) Animal Kingdom isn’t a very large park, but it is pretty amazing. We immediately headed to the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Someone had given us the tip that the animals would be most active early in the morning, and they were right! We saw many of the animals on the tour. :)

Then we found Linda, and she led the way to another amazing day. If it hadn’t been for her, there was no way we would have been able to take part in the Pandora experiences. :) We got to ride the Avatar Flight of Passage (where Jake and I about lost our cookies), and we also got in on the Na’vi River Journey – a beautiful bioluminescent relaxing journey! And the girls walked away with a couple of banshees!

We had lunch at the Satu’li Canteen – and enjoyed some delicious Asian cuisine. And I know I had a Mo’ara Margarita with Passion Fruit Boba Balls. Yum!

Some other highlights from this park: Dinosaur, It’s Tough to be a Bug, Tree of Life, Expedition Everest (this roller coaster made all of our top rides!). We did end our day early – there was a relentless afternoon storm. We decided we had seen all we needed to see, and headed back to the resort for a nap, and of course some pool time once the weather finally cleared up.

Kamryn's favorite ride: Expedition Everest

Kindrey's favorite ride: Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris and Avatar Flight of Passage

Jake's favorite ride: Expedition Everest

Lindsey's favorite ride: Expedition Everest

Day 4 - Magic Kingdom

We saved the best for last – Magic Kingdom. We took the monorail to the park, and boy were we excited to finally ride it!

When we walked into the park, we remembered I had purchased the Memory Maker so that we could get pictures throughout the parks, and they’d automatically be uploaded to our account. Nothing like waiting until the last park to remember this…or maybe it was that I just didn’t care much. But Magic Kingdom was certainly magical, and we were going to get our picture taken there gosh darnit.

After the pictures at the entrance, we headed straight to Tomorrowland. I knew I would love it – considering how much I love Midcentury Modern design. AND I remember going on Space Mountain in Disneyland when I was little. I had been so scared at the time, I only opened my eyes for a second - in time to see what looked like a cookie in space. ;) I was eager to see the entire ride as an adult...and find that cookie (which I never did see...I was probably hallucinating as a kid).

Getting to the park early and hitting up this section of the park first thing, we had very short lines to navigate and got to ride the infamous roller coaster right away! Then we got in line for Splash Mountain (I think this was the family’s favorite ride) – and we wished my mom a Happy Birthday while we waited in the long winding line.

We found Linda, and took in all of the things: It’s a Small World (“Mom, these dolls are creepy.”, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, Haunted Mansion (Kindrey’s favorite attraction), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress (I feel like this might have been Linda’s favorite), Enchanted Tiki Room, Swiss Family Treehouse, and A Pirates Adventure.

There were SO many things to see in this park. Definitely the traditional, what you think of when you think of Disney, rides. I loved every second of it. And I think the rest of the group did, too.

We finished our evening with dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. It was a colonial family style meal. You know, meat and potatoes and vegetables and dessert set in the middle of the table so you serve yourself. So fun and delicious!

We took some fun pictures in front of Cinderella’s Castle (all lit up!), and then bid farewell to Linda. If you’re going to go to Disney World, I hope you have your own “Linda”. She was a not only a terrific tour guide, but she was so much fun. Our girls thought she was the “coolest”. They definitely idolized her immediately. We could never begin to tell her how much it meant to us that she took the time off to spend it with us.

Kamryn's favorite ride: Splash Mountain

Kindrey's favorite ride: Haunted Mansion

Jake's favorite ride: Splash Mountain

Lindsey's favorite ride: Splash Mountain

We had one more day in Florida, and we were planning to spend it at our resort…..just hanging out by the pool and drinking some amazing cocktails….and so we did. Nothing overly exciting, but definitely absolutely perfect.

I don’t really remember the journey home. I do know it was really hard to leave…it was such a magical vacation. Our kids seemed….changed. They were completely happy. Totally comfortable. Like they had finally found “home”. There wasn’t a care or worry to be had on that vacation. It didn’t matter how tired or hot we were. It didn’t matter how long the line was. It just didn’t matter. We were at the happiest place on earth with the most important people in our world.

It was definitely worth the wait.

Things we'll never forget

• Butter Water

• Pretzel Cheese on Kamryn's shirt

• When Kindrey came out of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster crying

• The ducks at the pool

• When we waited in line for SO long at Test Track and the ride was kind of a bummer

• The surprise drop at Pirates of the Caribbean

• Getting stuck in the Peter Pan ride at the "top"

• When we were under the umbrella next to Slinky Dog Dash for what seemed a long time while it down-poured, and we were all soaking wet.

• Swimming in the pool and going head-first down the waterslide

• Getting to skip the lines at several rides

• Splash Mountain's haunting story

• The Piña CoLAVA at the pool bar (best drink I've ever had in my whole entire life)

• When Jake saw a really tall guy at Epcot, and nonchalantly walked over to him to see how tall he actually was, and as Jake walked around the guy, the guy said, "Hi. Are you wondering how tall I am?" He said he was 7 feet tall.

• Learning about "Hidden Mickeys".

• The 8th World Wonder: "The backside of water"

• The excitement of the girls that first morning

• Linda and her friends