The Larson Traveling Circus -UPDATED! 5 & 6 About This Page:

[angelalar]

Well I have dubbed this the Larson Traveling Circus because that what I have nightmares about.

Here are the cast of Characters:

Myself – 32 I am a huge Disney fan and going down there. I am happy to say I have converted others….

DH (John) – 32 He was one of my first “converts”. He likes going down there however has this annoying habit of not saying much about planning. Occasionally he will get opinioeated about something which throws my plans for a tailspin until I re-group and re-organize.

DS (Luke) – 11 My oldest son. He loves it down there but is scared to thrill rides. My rule is he has to try it once because you never know. (He was afraid of test track and that is one of his favorites now)

DD (Kate) – 2 Well she is almost three (trying to get her in there before the age change) She has already been there once already.

DS (Jack) – 1 (about 22 months when we go) I am unsure of how he will re-act

MIL (Doris) – 73 She is the one who wanted to go on this trip. People really don’t believe me when I tell them that either, but it is the truth. She also lives with us so I see her all the time.

Dates: December 8th – December 15th

Why: Doris wanted to go see the Christmas lights

A little background I think is necessary for you to fully grasp the situation here…..
In 2002 we planned a 10th anniversary trip to WDW. My daughter was born and we thought that would be a nice gift to ourselves if we took Luke and Kate with us. Our anniversary is in September, so being the over planner I am, I started planning in April. Saving money and such. Well we just made our deposit when Doris asked if we would go to her mom’s 100th birthday in June in Sarasota. To be honest I wasn’t that excited about going down there when were planning our deal for September. The money wasn’t in the bank for that one. Well then Doris said the key words that would change everyone’s mind. “How about we go and stay at Disney World and I will pay.” So needless to say I was now excited about this birthday party.

I was really sick about two weeks before the June trip and couldn’t shake the flu. Well just for kicks I took a pregnancy test the day before we left in June. (Please keep in mind that my princess Kate is only six months old at this point) Anyway, it came back positive. I was relieved to know why I was sick but OH MY GOSH!

That trip was a blur. It was by far the worse I had going to WDW. Everything from being so sick I had to take a taxi back to the hotel (POFQ) to getting in fights with the staff and the rain every day. Even by WDW standards it was a lot. It was horrible.

Anyway we went back in September, now I was use to the whole pregnancy thing but I was so limited as to what I could do. So I ate my way around the World. That was fun. A much better, more relaxed trip. We stayed at WL for that trip.

Now for the present trip…..After the last two trips John has decided that we will be a Traveling Circus no matter where we go while we are getting there and throughout our stay. We have separate strollers for each of the kids and Doris will be renting an ECV from Walker. Nothing we do looks graceful in my mind. I laugh at the thought of us in the airports….and on and off the busses….

We are staying at Coronado Springs. I am looking forward to that. We are currently 17 days out but there is so much to do… I was in search of the “perfect strollers” for the trip. This was John’s idea. With all the getting on and off the buses and the fact we will probably need to hold at least Jack so he doesn’t get into trouble, we had a long list of wants and features we were looking for. I picked two up at a garage sale and I lovethem. One is a Combi and the other is an Aprica. Both fold nice and small, have sun shades, recline, and have baskets. But they fold quickly and I can carry both without a problem, they each weigh less than 10 lbs.

We have direct flights. We leave MSP at 7:30am and get to MCO at 11:30. Not bad. It just means a very early start from us because we are at least an hour from the airport. I called on our flights and they are empty so far! A little happy dance because Jack will have his own seat…..And there are less people to curse our name after the flight. I am praying and hoping Kate and Jack sleep on the flight. Otherwise I will have to try the Benadryl trick. Although in 2002 it didn’twith Kate, so I am not banking on this. Toys are the back up.

My current dilemmas:

Food Vouchers: I know I am agonizing needlessly over this but I am trying strectch my Disney Dollar further. I currently have six Quick and Casual and I am thinking six more along with three sets of Breakfast vouchers. I don’t know. This will have to be solved today because I have to order them soon.

Packing: I have this in the back of my mind. John doesn’t want a ton of suitcases and especially not a lot of carry-ons. (Looking like a pack mule in the airport is something he wants to avoid.) I haven’t done anything with this issue yet, but I will have to address it soon. Along with what to pack. Especially with the kids…..whew!

What to bring verses what to buy: This one is huge for me. We have a grocery stop but with two kids we need everything and the kitchen sink. So I am debating on buying diapers down there, we go through a jumbo pack a week. Snacks, how much do I bring and how much do I buy. I walk into a store and have the urge to buy stuff but I have to control that…

Money: Ah yes, the almighty dollar. I am trying to pay everything ahead of time so John’s paycheck before we leave all goes to Disney. (Should they have some form of direct deposit straight into a Disney account?)

Then all the activities between here and there. Thanksgiving, school, church, kids. I also take care of John’s uncles so there is a lot to do with them as far as appointments and such.

Requesting rooms preferences: We have two rooms but we need them connecting. Non smoking, preferable first floor with the ECV and strollers. Near the bus stop and food court….basically in my opinion the moon and the stars, and if they have enough left over throw the galaxy in as well….

And the big one: I got a call from my son’s church group leader. Someone in his class came down with the Chicken Pox.. Luke has never had them, nor has Kate or Jack. And well neither have I. This was on 11/17 he was exposed. SO if my math is right and things go according to the books, if he breaks out it would be on 12/1 and the babies would be exposed then and they would break out 12/15. The day we get back. So please keep us in your prayers on that one. I would feel awful if they got sick while we were there. I know there are arounds but still, it’s Disney.

Anyway. I am now officially counting down and getting ready. I am so exciting I can not wait. Anyway, I hope you will hang in there with me throughout the journey. I think it will exciting, if not just laughable at our exploits.

[Jennifer2003]

Great start! Cna't wait for more!

that no one gets the pox!

Jennifer

[luvnwdwgal]

Sending some pixie dust so that everything works out for you!!

[Colexis Mom]

I hope you have a great trip, and everyone doesn't get the chicken pox

[Annabel]

A great start Am sending lots of love and pixie dust and hope the kids won't get sick with the chicken pox!

Annabel

[jakenjess]

Here's some pixie dust that no one gets those chicken pox! I'm also one of those few people who have never had them, and neither have my kids (although they were vaccinated when they were about three). Good luck, and have a great trip!

[whoSEZ]

Angela -- lots of no-pox coming your way!!

[pluto_n_goofy]

Lots of pixie dust, prayers, and wishes that those chicken pox vaccines work(if they've had them...sorry not up on my vaccine knowledge) good luck on your trip and may I suggest...buy a lot of your stuff at home(Supertarget and Superwalmart have excellent prices and snacks at Cub..well living around Minneapolis and having parents who are avid savers shows me these are the common good places to get good deasl) and then mail them to your resort. Speak with the postal service about when to mail them so they arrive the day of your stay. Postal service is realible. Also, at your grocery stop you may want to grab a small bag of diapers or something just in case your package did not arrive, also good to grab a few snacks and such. Can't wait to hear about your trip. You have my prayers for your kids and all of you.

[angelalar]

Well, as of today, no chicken pox yet... We are still crossing our fingers. However....I am happy to report that we have one suitcase shipped down there! And I am gearing up to start packing the others. My current last minute jitters are as follows:

I ordered Breakfaast and Q&C vouchers over a week anf a half ago and they still have not arrived!

Anyway, all is happy here. I am in a pre-trip land of happy!

[wdwlovers]

WOOHOO! You are down to less than a week! Hope the chicken pox stay away!

[angelalar]

Day One – Wednesday 12/8

Well, you have all heard of the rooster that crows in the morning, well we got to wake him up for a change! Our day started at 4:00 am in Minneapolis. (Just north of there actually) But it was early. We got the kids up and going along with my MIL. About 4:30 am my BIL called, he lives next door, to tell us he doesn’t need a wake up call. By 5:00am we were headed for the airport. Got there by about 6:15am and had time before we boarded our plane. I forgot a basic rule of travel, when going with small kids, the less you need them to sit still the better….But our plane took off and the children did fine…

After battling on the plane with Jack, 21 months, to sit still and keeping Kate, 3, occupied. My saving grace was found when the pilot said “In Orlando the Temp is 79 degrees.” I was thinking “thank goodness we left the jackets in the car!”

TTC picked us up and we checked into CS without any major incidents. Got to our room 8525 and 8526. I was a little disappointed that we weren’t closer to El Centro but in retrospect is was close to the bus stop, which was key for my MIL. My husband was itching to get the box we shipped down there as it had all of his shorts in it. Alas, it came and we were all shorts, looking very much on vacation.

Off to EPCOT to catch the CP. Nothing too great to report. Doris was getting use to her ECV. Which she drove as slow as a snail all week. We kept looking behind us to make sure we hadn’t lost her. Then we had to tell Luke (11) to slow down with the strollers or we would lose him. This was a theme all week. Telling Luke to slow down and telling Doris to speed up.

The CP was wonderful, what we saw of it. The kids couldn’t sit through more than 15 minutes of it, So John and I went off with them for a diaper change….Thank goodness for two way radios! About the time we were getting comfortable with them, we thought we left one on the tray with dinner which got thrown away. However, if you saw a woman looking through the trash with a CM, YEP! That was me. Then John came up with the second 2-way and all was fine. (Thank goodness I had the camera because that would have made it into our book for sure!)

We decided to head back early, 8:00 pm since we had been up so long. After all, on Thursday the temp was to be in the high 70’s and Typhoon Lagoon was open!

[angelalar]

Day 2 – Thursday

We decided not to set any alarms or wake up calls as the kids are early risers and we were relying on them,. About 9:30 am we all woke up, got ready and head to the Pepper Market for breakfast and then to Typhoon Lagoon.

I stayed with the babies while John and Luke hit the wave pool. The John snatched me and we went on MayDay Falls. I couldn’t go on it last time, but I had so much fun! We attempted the lazy river with the family but Doris didn’t bring her suit and the kids didn’t last more than 5 minutes.

At about 2:00 pm we packed it in and headed back to the hotel. We had MVMCP and 5:30 PS at Crystal Palace to make….

We went straight to our PS and it took a little while to get seated. But we all had fun. The Food was great! I loved the desserts. Jack looked like a bomb had exploded underneath his highchair. You could tell everything he attempted to eat. I was surprised at his reaction to the characters. He really liked them. He didn’t cry at all. Kate was enthralled by them. She would get very shy when they would come over. Luke had the attitude of “been there, done that” so he was indifferent to CP”

The Christmas party was fun. We rode Stitch’s Great Escape. I personally like the Alien Encounter better, but I know others loved the ride. We rode Buzz and Tea Cups, Dumbo, Pooh. Caught the show in front of the castle and then sat for Wishes. I had expected wished to be higher up in the sky so we lost most of it because we were too close to the castle. However Tinkerbell was there with all of her glory! And the parade was great. When we made our way out I stopped at the Emporium for some MVMCP stuff, I was VERY disappointed that they had nothing but really unattractive shirts. I found out later they sold out of all the good ones early. Hindsight is 20/20.

But yet it was another wonderful, magical day. Tomorrow is MGM, one of my favorite parks.

If by chance you are wondering why there isn’t a ton of detail….we have spent most of our time looking for someone, feeding someone, changing someone’s diapers and not to mention the parks have been very busy. MVMCP was a zoo. I thought it would compare to an e-ticket night….Not by any means. We had the longest waits during the party.

But there is much more to come!

[whoSEZ]

Angela -- great start! Looking forward to hearing more of the Larson Traveling Circus adventures ... especially Saturday!!

[luvnwdwgal]

Looking forward to more Angela!!

[angelalar]

Day Three – Friday

After the late night I decided not to have a wake up call. So we stumbled out of bed at about 9:30. I went and grabbed rolls and brought them beck to our room. Today was MGM day. The weather was…Rainy and cloudy….

So off we went looking at the sky every few minutes. We managed to take the 100 or so steps to the bus stop and it had started to drizzle. DRAT I was hoping to avoid a poncho purchase this trip. On the short ride to MGM It down poured! I mean buckets of water came down. Now you have to realize what is going through my mind. Not only am I not looking forward to getting drenched, as there is no place to buy ponchos until you get inside the park but I have two strollers along with an ECV. (As Stephanie Plum says, “my eye started twitching”)

However, as soon as we got to MGM, the sky cleared and the rain stopped. What a relief! We went in and walked buy the hat, we had just about 20 minutes to kill before our PS at 50’s Prime Time. So off to the Indiana Jones Store. As soon as we stepped inside, guess what….another down pour. This one wasn’t as traumatic for me since we were in a place to buy ponchos and 50’s was right next door. So I opted to buy 2 ponchos, just to cover the strollers and ECV while we were in for lunch. After lunch I would survey the situation and deicide then.

At lunch we had a blast! Much better than the last time I went. Out “babysitter” was a stitch. And he had a friend tagging along with him, who was “Learning to baby-sit”. I was laughing so hard by the time I left. My favorite line he used was when he called after a lady who asked where the restroom was “If the ‘sink” seems too low, you may be in the wrong restroom” But she was like a room and a half away.

Up next – The afternoon where we loose everything!