Trip Report Completed - Shaky the Elevator, and other Disney World Tales

Disney World...

Big...Wide...and very, very cold!

Ok, so that last part might not be 100% true, but for the first couple days of our recent December trip, it certainly felt true. Here is visual evidence. Pay no attention to the sunshine, it was a very cold day.

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Welcome to our latest Disney Trip report. We visited WDW from Saturday, December 9th through the 16th. It was COLD!!:cold: VERY COLD!!! :cold::cold::cold:. Yes we were wearing coats in Animal Kingdom (all except for my wife Sara, but that is a different story).

Our trip began on Thursday, December 7th. That afternoon Sara and I loaded up our car (with way too many things) while our daughter Makayla, who is three, took her nap. Once our son Luke, six years old, came home from school, we all jumped in the van and were on our way from our Pennsylvania home.

We quickly learned that Luke is the perfect age for asking "Are we there yet?" over and over and over. Not 30 minutes into our trip the questions started raining from the back seat. -"Are we at our hotel yet?" -"No, we're not even out of Pennsylvania yet." -"How much longer?" -"About six hours, enjoy your movie" (the kids were watching "Mickey and the Roadster Racers," a favorite of Luke's. 15 minutes pass... -"Are we there yet?" And on and on.

About two hours into our trip we made a stop at a Moe's Southwest Grill for dinner, the continued on our way. We stayed the night at a Hampton Inn south of Richmond, VA. The kids had actually fallen asleep for the last hour or so before we arrived at the hotel, but they had no problem falling back asleep once we were settled in the room. Sara and I also had no problem getting to sleep. It had been a long day.

The next morning the kids woke up and watched some cartoons while Sara and I got ready. Here they are looking super enthused...

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After a quick breakfast, we were on the road. This was Friday, December 8th. Areas around Atlanta, GA will likely remember this day as the day they got several inches of snow. A cold front was pushing through, which would bring arctic air all the way down to Florida. Brrrr. Thankfully, no snow for us as we were traveling on I-95 this day, just a heavy dose of rain.

We made several cold, wet stops along the way. Lunch was at a Pizza Hut in South Carolina, and at the Georgia Welcome Center we got to meet Forrest Gump.
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Makayla posed for a picture, Luke refused. In the year since our past trip to Disney, Makayla has gotten slightly more comfortable with characters. She still doesn't like them, but she doesn't necessary go running and screaming away from them anymore. Her character interactions this trip would be very hit or miss depending on what mood she happened to be in.

They did both enjoy the trolley car at the visitor center however.

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Once we were south of Jacksonville the rain finally relented, and the temperature rose from about 40 to 70 degrees in the two hours between Jacksonville and Orlando, at least according to our car's gauge. We had made it in front of the approaching cold front, but a quick glance at the forecast let us know that the warm weather wouldn't last. When we arrived at our hotel, we felt the warmest temperature we would feel that week. But with the warm weather was a steady north wind that we knew was bringing the cold air.

We stayed at another Hampton Inn in Orlando for the night. Luke and Makayla had loved the suite we stayed at the year before so much that I decided to splurge and get another one for the night. This one didn't come with a separate room, just a very large room. Can't complain though. It was very nice.
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The next morning we were headed to Epcot!!!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Your report brought back memories when my kids were smaller. Plenty of time logged at the Boneyard, jumping off things just because, B&tB stage show. Great stuff!

thanks for taking the time to post and share! And big YES to the Eagles' 2nd Super Bowl !
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great wrap up to a wonderful trip
Thank you for sharing
It is great to see the progression of you your two children through Disney experiences
Keep in touch and please do a PTR when your 2019 plan become more solidified

Max

Thanks Max. Looking forward to go back in time as the kids continue to grow up and read these again.

Really enjoyed reading this year’s trip report...so fun to see how much your kids have grown....so happy you are raising them with Disney love!

Thank you, yes, they don't really get a choice when it comes to Disney.

Loved your report, thanks for sharing!

Thank you!

Your report brought back memories when my kids were smaller. Plenty of time logged at the Boneyard, jumping off things just because, B&tB stage show. Great stuff!

thanks for taking the time to post and share! And big YES to the Eagles' 2nd Super Bowl !

If there was a sport or competition for just jumping off things for no reason, Luke would be the winner hands down. Thanks for following.
 

mouse_luv

Well-Known Member
I just binged read your trip report and loved it!! So much fun and your children are adorable! :)
Just a note about going end of January: depending on the week you have to watch for high crowds during the week leading up to probowl weekend. We did our trip then last year w/o knowing and was unhappy with the crowd levels. Just something to think about. :)
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I just binged read your trip report and loved it!! So much fun and your children are adorable! :)
Just a note about going end of January: depending on the week you have to watch for high crowds during the week leading up to probowl weekend. We did our trip then last year w/o knowing and was unhappy with the crowd levels. Just something to think about. :)

Thanks for the kind words. Right now we may arrive the weekend of the pro bowl, which isn't ideal, but honestly WDW seems to be crowded all the time nowadays so we'll make the best of it. Maybe I'll get a picture taken with an NFL star. ;)
 

mouse_luv

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the kind words. Right now we may arrive the weekend of the pro bowl, which isn't ideal, but honestly WDW seems to be crowded all the time nowadays so we'll make the best of it. Maybe I'll get a picture taken with an NFL star. ;)
You're welcome. If you actually arrive the weekend of then the crowds should be better, it will be cold though! Have fun! :D
 

MomofPrincessGrace

Well-Known Member
We saw Belle and the Beast pass by and waved, and then came the moment that Makayla still remembers fondly to this day. Near the rear of the first float was Anna and Elsa. Anna was looking to our side and saw Makayla wearing Elsa's dress. She reached over and got Elsa's attention and pointed Makayla out to her. Elsa then waved at Makayla and did some sort of let it snow hand motion. And Makayla was just in love! The whole rest of the week we heard -"Elsa saw my dress." -"Elsa saw the picture on my dress." -"Elsa saw my dress and waved at me." This was clearly the most magical moment for Makayla. She might not always remember it, but I'm sure Sara and I will.

Just now catching up, but one of my absolute favorite memories from our trip last May was when we were watching the FoF parade and one of the seven dwarves saw that my daughter had an Ariel barbie doll and came to her and took the doll and started playing with it. Snow White came up and told him that it wasn't very nice to take toys from our friends. She loved it and that is a memory I will forever remember.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You're welcome. If you actually arrive the weekend of then the crowds should be better, it will be cold though! Have fun! :D

At the least fans should be heading out after the pro bowl on Sunday.

Just now catching up, but one of my absolute favorite memories from our trip last May was when we were watching the FoF parade and one of the seven dwarves saw that my daughter had an Ariel barbie doll and came to her and took the doll and started playing with it. Snow White came up and told him that it wasn't very nice to take toys from our friends. She loved it and that is a memory I will forever remember.

Such a great memory, it's what makes WDW so magical.
 
I have stumbled on this report after reading one of your bewest trip reports and I have found some very useful tips! Thanks for sharing!
Your kids are adorable and it sounds like you had a great trip!
i will definitely remember to buy BOTH kids a bubble band - I though about getting just one for my almost-3-year-old daughter and not for my 5-year-old son but your report convinced me otherwise! Of course he will want one too and I want to avoid fights between brother and sister!
I will also try to bring earmuffs - great idea!
I will definitely try Bon Vouage Breakfast... sounds like a lot of fun!
Thanks for sharing you trip report - I will be going through your other TR in the next few weeks!
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have stumbled on this report after reading one of your bewest trip reports and I have found some very useful tips! Thanks for sharing!
Your kids are adorable and it sounds like you had a great trip!
i will definitely remember to buy BOTH kids a bubble band - I though about getting just one for my almost-3-year-old daughter and not for my 5-year-old son but your report convinced me otherwise! Of course he will want one too and I want to avoid fights between brother and sister!
I will also try to bring earmuffs - great idea!
I will definitely try Bon Vouage Breakfast... sounds like a lot of fun!
Thanks for sharing you trip report - I will be going through your other TR in the next few weeks!

Thank you for the compliments. I hope you have a great time when you go. The bubble wands are definitely winners.
 

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