Okrzesiks Take On Orlando!

The impetus for this trip was an offer from Keith's uncle to let us use his timeshare free of charge (thank you Uncle Fred and Aunt Cathy!!). We ended up with a very nice three-bedroom condo (one bedroom for Grandma and Grandpa, one for Keith and I, and one for the kids) in Kissimmee about a 15 minute drive from Magic Kingdom.

We left Columbus on Sunday, January 3rd and flew Southwest direct to Orlando.  It was the first time on an airplane for Julia and Caroline.  Colin hadn't flown since he was about 20 months old so it was the first flight he could remember.  Everyone was excited to fly in an airplane.  Despite the excitement, we armed them each with a device so that they could watch shows or play games if the excitement started to wear off!  They did really well.  Caroline was a little bit impatient in the security lines but other than that they did great.  We had no travel issues (besides our rental van not being in the right parking spot and Keith having a heck of time installing our two car seats in the new van once we finally got assigned to it).

Caroline looks pretty content on a plane!

Julia and Daddy sit together

Colin gets to sit by Grandma and the window...lucky boy!

On Monday we headed to Legoland which is about an hour from Kissimmee.  It was really cool there and super kid-friendly to younger kids especially.  The park has lots of rides, stores, Lego models and food.  It also has places to build Legos and even play Lego video games but we didn't have time for those things.  It started out a little rocky when Colin complained of a bad stomachache that was making him bend over in pain.  I thought we were done for!  But it worked itself out in about half an hour or less and then we were off and having fun.  They have several rollercoasters that Colin was hesitant about but then at the end of the day the girls said that they wanted to ride their signature coaster called "The Dragon."  At that point Colin didn't want to let his sisters seem braver than he was so he was kind of stuck!  We all rode it and they kids absolutely loved it, including Colin.  I knew that was a good sign for our upcoming trips to Magic Kingdom!

Legoland still had their Christmas decorations up like this huge tree

Colin is ready to joust!

Riding a tractor in Duplo Village

The girls found a friend just their size

On Tuesday we went to Magic Kingdom for the first day.  I had a plan all mapped out with what to ride when including all of our Fast Passes thanks to the coaching from Keith's brother who gave us a recommendation on the book and app to use to plan our route through the park.  We spent Tuesday in Fantasy Land and Tomorrowland.  That day ended up being more crowded than expected (our app predicted it would be a 6 out of 10 but it seemed more than that) but the longest line we waited in was 45 minutes and that only happened once.  Our planning and use of Fast Passes definitely helped us. Still the park felt very crowded in certain parts. We started the day riding The Barnstormer which is Magic Kingdom's mildest roller coaster.  It was so empty that we were able to ride it twice in a row with no waiting (getting there early in the morning at opening time is a must to take advantage of the smaller crowds at that time of day).  It was chilly in the morning but warmed up in the afternoon to a high in the upper 60s. Some highlights of Day 1 was the carousel for the girls, I liked the Little Mermaid ride, and all the kids liked Enchanted Tales with Belle where you get to help act out the story of Beauty and the Beast and talk to Belle.  We were in the park from 9 until 5 and were exhausted by the end of the day!

Ready to leave the condo for a day at Disney.  These kids are hyped!

Our obligatory Disney shot!  Check out the awesome shirts Grandma made us!

Meeting Belle after helping perform the story of Beauty and the Beast at Enchanted Tales with Belle (a really cool attraction!)

Selfie with Julia on Dumbo

On Wednesday we had planned a down day.  We didn't think the kids (or possibly us) could keep up with the pace of theme-parking for 4 days in a row and I'm glad we had made that plan because we all needed some rest.  We had been getting up early in the morning and everyone was glad for the opportunity to sleep in.  It was drizzly weather with the sun peaking out every now and then.  We headed out to play some miniature golf in the morning (a first for the kids).  Everyone had fun doing that and we almost had the whole course to ourselves.  After golf and lunch at the condo we took the kids to the resort pools.  They were really nice pools with an outdoor bar and activities but unfortunately the weather was drizzly and chilly.  The pools were heated so Keith and the kids still swam for awhile but the girls couldn't take it for very long so we headed back in to take a warm bubble bath in the huge jetted tub in Grandma and Grandma's room in the condo (this tub was definitely a highlight for the kids).  After getting cleaned up we went to Downtown Disney (now called Disney Springs) for a little more Lego shopping (they have a huge Lego store there) and dinner a the T-Rex Cafe which is an experience in and of itself.  The kids enjoyed walking around Downtown Disney and taking in the sights, music, and treats that Grandma bought them!

Mini-golfers!

Colin finds a friend at the Lego store

Dinner at T-Rex Cafe

Thursday was our second day at Magic Kingdom.  We were a little wiser on Day 2 and got there even earlier, early enough to see the Rope Drop welcome ceremony put on by many of the Disney characters which was really cool.  As soon as we got in the park we rushed to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train which is the newest roller coaster in Magic Kingdom and is still very popular.  Despite rushing right there, we still somehow had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to ride.  Luckily they have things to entertain the kids in parts of the line so that helps.  It was worth the wait!  We all really liked it.  I sat with Caroline and she had a big smile on her face the whole time.  Another highlight of the day was riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which the girls were just tall enough to ride (40 inches is the requirement).  This was the most intense roller coaster of the three we rode at Disney and by far the most fun.  Everyone agreed it was the best!  The girls met Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Tinker Bell on Thursday and Colin met Goofy and Donald.  That was more fun for the girls than it was for Colin.   We caught the afternoon parade that day where we got to see ALL of the characters.  It was a very impressive parade that everyone enjoyed. Day 2 at Magic Kingdom was another long one.  We were in the park until almost 5.

Julia and Grandma on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Colin and Goofy

Minnie!!!

Tinkerbell

The next day we flew home!

All in all it was a great trip.  Keith and I were a little worried about taking three kids (two of them 3 years old) to Disney World in January (the height of illness season) right after all of the hubbub of the holidays.  But it actually turned out better than we expected!  No one was sick besides a little sniffle or cough.  Colin was really the perfect age for the trip.  Everything excited him and he rarely complained about walking or waiting.  He could have stayed even longer in the park.  The girls did mostly great.  They were not big fans of riding in the stroller and at times we really needed them to because of the crowds.  They got a little tired and impatient at times but we found having lots of little snacks helped.  We bought a bag of Gummie Lifesavers for Day 2 and giving them these at frequent intervals in between bigger snacks definitely helped!  We were really happy that they wanted to ride the roller coasters and didn't get overly scared by any of the rides (even The Haunted Mansion which admittedly is a little scary).  Next trip to Disney World?  Maybe when the girls are 6!