What a great trip! Everything was perfect from start to finish, starting with a huge Edmonton Eskimo win over bitter rivals, the Calgary Stampeders, in the annual CFL Labour Day Classic. I was lucky enough to attend the game the day before we left thanks to my wife being so amazingly cool and dealing with the last minute packing and a cranky baby without me. I know she hated me being gone but I was so grateful to get the chance to head to Calgary for the game. I was all packed and ready to go a few days before we were ready to head out, but, thanks to someone, I had to re-pack everything that I had neatly folded and readied for the trip.
You know, it didn’t even dawn on me that I would be surrounded with 5 women of varying ages for the next 9 or so days until my mother in-law brought up the ratio at airport when we were getting ready to board our first plane. I guess I was just too excited to get back to the World after a few years absence that I didn’t really care who I was going with. All of the sudden the thought of banging my head against the wall, looking at my watch while waiting for them to get their hair just right in the morning kept flashing through my head! What did I get myself into?
Day One - September 6
Anyway, back to the trip. Our trek to the World started bright and early on September 6. We were up and at ‘em at 3 am to ensure we were at the airport by 4:30. That meant waking up Ella way before her we should have but surprisingly she was very well behaved. Me, my wife Kelly, her cousin Britt and Ella met my mom (Ally) and Kelly's mom (Deb) at the airport a little after 4:30 to get through customs for our 6:45 flight. A smooth process at that time in the morning so it was nice not to have any glitches. We had time to feed Ella before the flight which was really good for her.
Our first flight was to Houston. I was in a row with Kelly and the grandmas, while Britt was seated ahead if us with a mother and teenage son from Texas. The son caused some stress as he told Britt it was a 5 hour flight to Houston, in reality it was only 3 and a half. Not good to get the heart racing at that time in the morning. Flight was pretty full so I was a little nervous that Ella would turn into a bear at some point and make the early flight a tad tougher for everyone. Thankfully I was wrong. She was great...for the most part. She couldn't sit still and had a tough time figuring out who she wanted more, mom or dad. She slept for about an hour which helped pass a little time. We landed in Houston around 11:30. Kelly remarked how quick the flight seemed to which I responded "that was the fastest 5 hour flight I've ever been on" which drew a quick look back by the teenage son in front of me.
After a quick layover in Houston, we boarded our flight to Orlando at 1:30. This flight was golden. Ella slept the entire 2 two hours and before we knew it we landed at MCO.
A relatively quick cab ride to the Wilderness Lodge was all that separated us from the World! We arrived and were blown away by the resort before we stepped outta the cab. The detail is incredible and the grounds are amazing. We were checked in by a fellow Canadian who was most helpful. She gave Ella a 1st Visit badge upon learning it was her first time at Disney. We made our way to the rooms, which are cozy but very nice, and got things set up and unpacked. A few pictures of the grounds...
The view from our balcony
We were all pretty tired from a long day, especially Ella, but we had a reservation booked at Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner so relaxing could wait a little longer and I'm glad it did! What a fun place to have a meal. Bob (or as many call him, Geppetto) was our server. He was great right off the bat. He was playful with Ella and she loved it.
We ordered drinks and food and sat back and soaked in the atmosphere. A few tables asked for ketchup which is clearly an event in itself! Just before our food arrived, Bob noticed Britt's pop was empty so he ensured she wouldn't run out for the rest of the meal.
The food arrived and we all dug in. I wasn't overly hungry so I just ordered the pulled pork spring rolls. They were outstanding as was everyone else's meal; at least they said it was. Unlike a lot of people who post reports, I didn’t take a look of pictures of our food, though looking back on it I wish I had, so I apologize for the lack of food pictures. We wrapped up dinner with a few pictures to remember the visit and Bob gave Ella a Mickey plate to take home as a keepsake. We asked if we had to pay for it and he said with a wink “I don’t know nothing about it!”
The beds were calling after that so we called it a night to get ready for the Magic Kingdom and Ella's first Disney experience.
You know, it didn’t even dawn on me that I would be surrounded with 5 women of varying ages for the next 9 or so days until my mother in-law brought up the ratio at airport when we were getting ready to board our first plane. I guess I was just too excited to get back to the World after a few years absence that I didn’t really care who I was going with. All of the sudden the thought of banging my head against the wall, looking at my watch while waiting for them to get their hair just right in the morning kept flashing through my head! What did I get myself into?
Day One - September 6
Anyway, back to the trip. Our trek to the World started bright and early on September 6. We were up and at ‘em at 3 am to ensure we were at the airport by 4:30. That meant waking up Ella way before her we should have but surprisingly she was very well behaved. Me, my wife Kelly, her cousin Britt and Ella met my mom (Ally) and Kelly's mom (Deb) at the airport a little after 4:30 to get through customs for our 6:45 flight. A smooth process at that time in the morning so it was nice not to have any glitches. We had time to feed Ella before the flight which was really good for her.
Our first flight was to Houston. I was in a row with Kelly and the grandmas, while Britt was seated ahead if us with a mother and teenage son from Texas. The son caused some stress as he told Britt it was a 5 hour flight to Houston, in reality it was only 3 and a half. Not good to get the heart racing at that time in the morning. Flight was pretty full so I was a little nervous that Ella would turn into a bear at some point and make the early flight a tad tougher for everyone. Thankfully I was wrong. She was great...for the most part. She couldn't sit still and had a tough time figuring out who she wanted more, mom or dad. She slept for about an hour which helped pass a little time. We landed in Houston around 11:30. Kelly remarked how quick the flight seemed to which I responded "that was the fastest 5 hour flight I've ever been on" which drew a quick look back by the teenage son in front of me.
After a quick layover in Houston, we boarded our flight to Orlando at 1:30. This flight was golden. Ella slept the entire 2 two hours and before we knew it we landed at MCO.
A relatively quick cab ride to the Wilderness Lodge was all that separated us from the World! We arrived and were blown away by the resort before we stepped outta the cab. The detail is incredible and the grounds are amazing. We were checked in by a fellow Canadian who was most helpful. She gave Ella a 1st Visit badge upon learning it was her first time at Disney. We made our way to the rooms, which are cozy but very nice, and got things set up and unpacked. A few pictures of the grounds...
The view from our balcony
We were all pretty tired from a long day, especially Ella, but we had a reservation booked at Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner so relaxing could wait a little longer and I'm glad it did! What a fun place to have a meal. Bob (or as many call him, Geppetto) was our server. He was great right off the bat. He was playful with Ella and she loved it.
We ordered drinks and food and sat back and soaked in the atmosphere. A few tables asked for ketchup which is clearly an event in itself! Just before our food arrived, Bob noticed Britt's pop was empty so he ensured she wouldn't run out for the rest of the meal.
The food arrived and we all dug in. I wasn't overly hungry so I just ordered the pulled pork spring rolls. They were outstanding as was everyone else's meal; at least they said it was. Unlike a lot of people who post reports, I didn’t take a look of pictures of our food, though looking back on it I wish I had, so I apologize for the lack of food pictures. We wrapped up dinner with a few pictures to remember the visit and Bob gave Ella a Mickey plate to take home as a keepsake. We asked if we had to pay for it and he said with a wink “I don’t know nothing about it!”
The beds were calling after that so we called it a night to get ready for the Magic Kingdom and Ella's first Disney experience.
Love how she hams it up with all the characters!!! 
