Eckhoffs Do Disney 2015: Part 1

I wasn't going to do a trip review for Disney, but figured what the heck. I'll try to condense as much as possible. It will still probably be a novel.

Day 1: Saturday, January 3, 2015

We woke at 2:30 am, loaded the car, and arrived at the Saxton's around 3:15. We pack the car and start the drive to Midway; roads are slushy and it's snowing. We arrived at Park, Ride, and Fly a little after 5 am and got on the shuttle right away. We got to Midway to check in, and the process maybe takes 15 minutes. We bypass to the "family" security which was super fast and we got to our gate probably around 6:15? We all grabbed something small for breakfast before loading the plane.

Take off was on time, but with the weather being poor, the flight was turbulent. I really thought we were going to die and I am usually a calm flyer. I finally take a short nap and we land just a few minutes ahead of schedule. We're safe! We didn't need to get baggage, so we search for the Magical Express station. After some confusion, we find it and board. Thankfully our resort is the first stop! We arrive at Old Key West about 11:30.

Check in was chaotic as the lobby was busy. We finally get checked in, but our room is not ready. We head to Allyson and Eric's room and catch Tissieres on the way. Perfect timing. We sort through groceries and quickly refresh. Our room opens just before we head to the park! The bus takes forever, but we get to Magic Kingdom about 2:00 maybe. It is crazy busy. We catch the dance party right as we walk in and separate to find lunch. Saxtons, Andy and I head to Tomorrowland Terrace and get burgers and chicken fingers. We quickly walk around before using our FP+ for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. It is pretty much awesome. Tissieres decide to head back to the hotel while the rest of us check off a few rides.

We walk right on to Peter Pan's Flight with FP+. That's a good start, so we head to Haunted Mansion. The wait is probably 30 minutes, but goes fairly quickly. Andy and Eric head next door to use FP+ for Splash Mountain, while Allyson and I go to the baby center so Landry can eat. It was nice to sit in the quiet for a bit. We meet up with the guys and head back. It's maybe 5:30 at this point, but we are all wiped and the park is really busy, so we take the bus back to the hotel. I think I just eat what's in the room, while Andy gets food at the grill station by the pool. We stay down there chatting for a while before hitting the hay.

Day 2: Sunday, January 4, 2015

We wake early to get ready for our 7:30 am reservation at Olivia's with the Saxtons, while Tissieres do characters at Hollywood and Vine. Thankfully Olivia's is right at Old Key West, so we don't have to go far :) There was probably only 3 other tables there, but for some reason service is a little slow. I ordered scrambled eggs and pancakes, Andy got biscuits and gravy, Eric got some crab cake thing, and Allyson got an Olivia's sampler (I think). It's all good. Our bus mojo still isn't that great, but we load the bus for Hollywood Studios and get there right at 9 am for park opening. It's much better crowd levels than MK yesterday. We meet Tissieres and the boys try to catch Rockin' Roller Coaster, but it's closed. They go on Tower of Terror, while the girls walk around. We go in to see Buzz and Woody, which is a hit. Then we move to the Disney Jr. show. Barrett is on energy steroids but loves seeing the characters.

We meet up with the guys again and get on Toy Story Mania with our FP+. The wait is short and the ride is quite enjoyable. I don't remember who got the most points but it was nice that we could all ride together. Next, we head to meet Mike and Sully - another big hit for Barrett, who gives them hugs and high fives. They stop to see the Lightning and Mater cars. Tissieres head back for nap time, while Saxtons and Andy use the Star Tours FP+ for 11:30. I sit at a table outside with Landry since I can't do this one anyway. I get a lemonade smoothie thing and Andy gets some popcorn. Allyson gets a chocolate shake and Eric tries the pulled pork mac and cheese at Min and Bill's. Then we head to the bus station where we wait for about 20 minutes - still no bus mojo. We get on the bus about 12:30. Eric and I head to the pool since the weather is perfect - about 80 and sunny. Andy joins after a bit. I soak for a few hours before quickly showering. We head back to HS about 5pm. Barrett and Joe stay in to catch up on rest.

First on the list is dinner. We try Brown Derby, but the wait time is too long. So we head back to Backlot Express for more burgers, chicken strips, and fries. It's dark by now so we check out Osborne Lights. It's definitely a cool display and we easily spot the not-so-hidden black cat. We mosey over to the academy and take a drawing class - Piglet! Then it was time for the 8:30 pm Fantasmic show.

The show is great, of course. Even with the mad dash of people afterward, we somehow manage to stay together and land in a bus immediately - score! We are all ready for bed. Mom and Dad have arrived at this point, so we figure our plans for tomorrow and head to our room.

I'll leave you with that for now :) Will update more soon...