Spring Break 2012!

We took a little break from school and headed to Orlando, Florida!  It was a surprise for the girls and a business trip for my husband.  The girls didn't know where we were going until the plane was landing and the pilot announced we were in Orlando.  I tried to get their reaction on video, but didn't push record.  Bummer!  Their reaction was priceless.  They were beyond excited.  I was also excited to just have a break from everyday tasks at home.

The first full day we were there I woke up at 5am (Central Standard Time) and got the girls up shortly after that and headed to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.  I wanted to be there right at 8am and it is a long process of getting into the park...so we had to rise early!  My husband thought we were crazy...but we weren't.  He didn't quiet get it.  We had a plan...more about that later. 

Today was ranked as a 10 out 10 day at the Magic Kingdom....that means...it was going to be the busiest of busiest days of the year.  Apparently other people spring break down there too!  My plan was pretty much flawless.  The girls and I rode on all of the rides that we had on our list.

The girls on the tea cups!

 We got fast passes when we needed to and they met all of their favorite characters with the exception of Pocahontas and Mulan.  If I would have known they wanted to meet those characters I would have built it into the plan, but had no clue until we got there...and it was too late to rearrange things!  I kept reminding them we had a PLAN!!:)

So what is this plan?  I knew that we would have a limited time at this park.  So I studied...and read...and studied some more.  I asked a lot of questions to the pros.  I had never been to this park with little ones.  We went to Disneyland in September...but it wasn't very busy.  Since the park was going to be VERY busy...I need a plan so I built a customized Touring Plan.  I was able to tell this program what time we were planning on being there and all of the attractions that we wanted to see.  It was able to tell us exactly what time we needed to be at an attraction and when we needed to get fast passes.  It also told us how long of a wait we would have, how long the ride was, and how long of a walk we would have in between attractions.  It was WONDERFUL! 

We even had a little time to spare before the mid day parade!  I would highly recommend using some sort of plan if you are going to be going on a busy day.

Strollers!  Oh yes I did!
Another little thing that I read about and baulked at was it was highly recommended that you either rent or bring your own stroller.  My little girls made it all day at Disneyland (Kate was even sick and walk most of the time)...so surely they could make it through 1/2 a day at the Magic Kingdom.  Then I started thinking about it.  It is going to be way hotter.  The crowds are going to be 10x as heavy and I am going to be by myself.  EEEKKK!!  My girls are slow and like to look at things, most of the time in different directions.  So the first thing I did was rent a double stroller.  I was able to plow through the crowds like it was nobodies business. It was THE BEST decision (besides my plan).  The girls were still tired after riding (probably from having to be up by 5:30am).  They didn't want to ride at first, but after they realized it was kind of fun when mommy would go fast...they were all for it. Plus it provided them with shade! We were even able to rent the same type of stroller at Hollywood Studios that evening by just showing our same day receipt!

Me being a cheapskate!
Another thing that I did...that was NOT recommended by anyone it seemed like...was I bought my tickets in advanced from a cast member.  We were able to get into the parks for less than 1/2 price and if we wanted to we could go to all 4 parks in one day.   It was a huge risk on my part...but it worked and I was pretty happy.  Cast members have access to so many free tickets each year.  I even had one offer to meet us at the park and get us in...but it ended up being a black out day.  Bummer!  Getting into the parks is extremely expensive, so if you do go sometime...research cast member connections.

The girls in our hotel playing with their souvenir-- polly pocket princess sets

Some more money saving advice!
Another money saving thing that I did was I refuse if at all possible to buy food or souvenirs at the parks.  Food is outrageously overpriced at the parks.  We brought in our own snacks and drinks and left at lunchtime and ate at McDonalds.  I promised the girls we would go shopping the next day and they could each spend $20 on a souvenir of their choice.   I broke down in the evening and spent $7 on ice cream bars for the girls.  We had to get to a show and I realized it wouldn't be until 10pm until we could get somewhere real to eat.  Ooops.  So if you can suck it up and tell your kids no and mean it....you can really save a lot of money.

Too young to remember!
Last but not least...we left our boys behind:(  We tried really hard to get Easton plane tickets at the last minute but our flight coming home booked up fast.  I still believe he is too young to really enjoy and remember the park.  My husband says he is done with Disney and will never go back...so if the boys have an interest I might have to take them on his own.

Here are a few more pictures and videos from our trip!  Enjoy!

Rosetta-- one of Tinkerbell's friends

Rosetta teaching the girls a dance!

My sweaty little girl drinking a juice box!

We spent the evening at Hollywood Studios and watched a few shows including: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Disney Junior Live on Stage, and Fantasmic!  All were WONDERFUL!  Couldn't get pics of them all because I just had my phone and lighting was crazy!

Beauty and the Beast production!

and videos:

The girls talking about the park.

Part of the parade!  My girls LOVE the parades!

and this last video was from the end of Fantasmic...totally work the wait of 90 minutes to get a seat for the show....leaving was horrible...10,000 people leaving all at once and 10,000 more lining up in the park to get in.  What a mess!  But LOVED the show!