The Fun-Old-Fashioned Family Vacation 3.0 About This Page:

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I love how Cullen keeps calling you Momacita lol! I was so glad the trip down went so well. Your details are fantastic. Your breaks were perfectly timed, and I was so glad to hear the kids were good. Great deal on the hotel!

[cubfancolleen]

Sounds like an easy drive! I'm with you in not driving in Atlanta. We were there for a wedding and after getting helplessly lost (pre-GPS days) we had a few not so nice thinks to say about all the streets being named Peachtree something - St, Ln, Dr, Cir, you name it. Still makes me break out in a sweat to think about it.
Too funny about the goggles! Love how kids' minds can work!
Are your boys that good at traveling, that there was nothing about them fighting over space?! no 'he's on my side' or 'he's looking out my window!' (Seriously, that was a quote from our backseat when our kids were little!)

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by KimandMark

Closing his eyes in the goggles!! Love it!!

Mine won't wear googles correctly as he says they are too tight, but then complains that water gets into the GIGANTIC gaps around his eyes. There's no reasoning with them, is there?

Mine all put the goggles soooo tight that they have massive raccoon eyes when they take them off

Originally Posted by Hugmonster

Signing in to follow along. I cannot believe how old your boys are!

I know, this is just going by way to fast. In a few weeks they will begin 5th grade, 2nd grade and Kindergarten

Originally Posted by chezp

It sounds like the drive down went really well.

It did go really well - I think in part because they slept for the first 6 hours, and then we had a backpack stuffed with sticker books, activity packs and car games. They barely remembered they had DVD players or an iPad

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Sounds like a smooth drive. I can't imagine doing such a long drive with my boys. They are older than yours but I can imagine the 2 youngest fighting for every little thing and the oldest being bored and annoyed.

The secret to our trips? Space. You'll see in the next update, but we give them room to spread out so we don't have to constantly hear "he's touching me" or "get off me" or "move over", etc.

Originally Posted by SharonK0527

Great drive so far. Sounds like you drive down the same way we do. The last few trips, we have stayed in Forsyth, GA for the overnight portion. Last time we stayed at the Comfort Suites in Forsyth - found a good rate on Hotels.com and it was a nice hotel with breakfast in the morning. You guys should have a nice short drive the next morning to get to Orlando!

I used hotels.com on our way home, as you'll see the drive back wasn't as smooth.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Your drive o Florida sounded so smooth. How nice to make it all the way to Ocala, too. Love the George bird story and the goggles story.

Thanks! The more the little guy talks, the funnier he is.

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

I love how Cullen keeps calling you Momacita lol! I was so glad the trip down went so well. Your details are fantastic. Your breaks were perfectly timed, and I was so glad to hear the kids were good. Great deal on the hotel!

The Momacita knickname came about from Brian - he kept calling me that when Nolan was little because he found it if he referred to me as Melissa, so would Nolan, plus it's a reference to my gigantic height of 5'1 (according to my driver's license).

You heard about the return trip as it happened

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Sounds like an easy drive! I'm with you in not driving in Atlanta. We were there for a wedding and after getting helplessly lost (pre-GPS days) we had a few not so nice thinks to say about all the streets being named Peachtree something - St, Ln, Dr, Cir, you name it. Still makes me break out in a sweat to think about it.
Too funny about the goggles! Love how kids' minds can work!
Are your boys that good at traveling, that there was nothing about them fighting over space?! no 'he's on my side' or 'he's looking out my window!' (Seriously, that was a quote from our backseat when our kids were little!)

Oh yes, the city of Peachtree...it even confuses the navigation. My poor parents had a tough time navigating the city when they were there last fall.

My boys are pretty good about traveling, but as I told Mayra, the secret is space. Until this summer, we'd always traveled in a mini van and each kid had "an island to themselves". With the Flex, once they were awake, we split them up. One car seat in the 3rd row, and one in the 2nd and the younger two swapped seats with each stop. My oldest sat in the 2nd row and kept the activity bag between him and the car seat. There's a TON of room in the flex. We can actually seat 3 full size adults in the 2nd row, so they didn't complain about space.

[mfirst]

I didn't intend to post an update this quick, but we've decided to head to my in-laws tomorrow for 2 nights for a final visit before I head back to work (why does summer have to go so quick).

So, we stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Ocala and had a "One Room Deluxe" suite. The hotel itself was very quiet and we all slept through the night until the youngest woke us up at 6:00 wanting to know if it was "Disney time". I did forget to mention that Brian had an allergic reaction to something in the pool - we aren't sure if it was the salt water pool OR the chemicals used in the pool towels I'd given him a dose of benedryl and after showering, he applied benadryl to his hives. Thankfully, by the morning they'd cleared up. It was odd because the rest of us were fine.

While I showered and dressed, taking our time to repack our bags, Brian went and took advantage of the fitness center. It was only when Nolan came out of the bathroom holding a white bottle with a puzzled look on his face.
"um, Mom, I hate to tell you bad news, but I don't think you used conditioner on your hair this morning."
"What do you mean? I used the conditioner that is in the bathroom. It should still be on the side of the tub."
Patrick then ran to the bathroom, and burst out laughing. He brought me the bottle of "conditioner" that I'd used. Turns out, I'd put 1/2 a bottle of LOTION on my hair thinking it was conditioner. No wonder my hair felt greasy and kept slipping out of my hair clip! Here I thought I'd just used too much for the softer Florida water.

We headed down for breakfast, and what a breakfast spread it was! The boys were ecstatic because Fresh Florida orange juice was available, and the eggs were dairy free They had a create your own pancake station with a ton of fruit that could be put in your pancake (yummy!). They also had two large bowls of fruit salads made from fresh, local fruit. Nolan had his fill of doughnuts, fresh fruit, pancakes and bacon. Patrick ate several helpings of bacon and eggs, with a lot of fresh fruit. Cullen was happy to find oatmeal this kid has NEVER eaten oatmeal until this morning, and it became a constant staple in his Disney diet. I had scrambled eggs, bacon and several glasses of fresh orange juice and a big bowl of fruit. Brian had several pancakes, whole milk (again from a local dairy farm) and bacon.

By now it was a little after 8 and our bellies were full. While Brian reloaded the bags into the Flex, I typed in the address of the Poly into our Navigation, which showed a short 65 minute drive. The Navigation had us taking the usual Florida Turnpike to Western Way, then World Drive. The AAA triptick? Had us taking a boulevard all the way to a back entrance to WDW and then a castmember road? We decided to trust the navigation as highways would always be faster than 35 mph boulevards.

For those of you that wondered about the boys getting along in the car, I snapped this picture just before we got onto the Turnpike:
[IMG][/IMG]

We pulled out of the parking lot of the Comfort Suites at exactly 8:45 a.m. The boys were REALLY anxious to finish the drive this morning, and every two minutes kept asking the familiar "Are we there yet?" After a short lived round of the alphabet game, I broke out their iPad. Cullen is watching an episode of his favorite Miles from Tomorowland in the 3rd row in this picture. Nolan is leaning toward Patrick, and Patrick is leaning toward Nolan. They'd been playing Pokemon cards.

Meanwhile, I'd gotten some great advice about a New Super Target located just off the Disney property (Thanks again Kim!). After a google search, the Super Target seemed the easiest to navigate to so we decided to stop there to replace the goggles I'd left at home.I'm not sure if I found the exact one, but it was one exit past Western on I-4 and it had a HUGE Disney section right as you walked through the doors. We quickly located goggles and the boys ended up with the SAME exact 3 pack we'd left at home It did make it easier though because they couldn't squabble over who had which goggles. We also picked up a few items for the room - a flat of 8 oz water bottles, a couple of bottles of Gatorade, a 12 pack of Adult beverages, a loaf of bread, and a few comfort snacks the boys like to have around.

We had everything loaded in the car, and I'd dug out our Magic Bands and then began the discussion -
"The navigation wants to me to turn right? Is that correct?"
"I don't know - why don't we go back one exit north to Western and go the way we always go. I'm not sure where 192/I4 go (famous last words).
We tried to consult our Florida map and a google map (PP book was packed away in the back of the Flex). Finally, Brian decided to take my advice and hop back on the turnpike to go one exit north to Western Way.

Ouch! The toll costs 1.50 for going less than a mile?!?!?!? We turn onto Western Way and soon see our familiar sign:


We quickly navigated to World Drive, then to the right lane at the toll gate for resort guests. At this point, we got a text from my Dad reminding us to "tour the World via the parking lot" as he'd gotten lost in the parking lot to the point where the Disney Auto Care workers finally stood with a handmade sign reading "Ohio car, please stop!" My Dad told them he was trying to get to the Grand Floridian, so they told him to get into the FAR right lane and follow the clearly marked purple signs. Dad's response? "Why would I go right when I need to be left, isn't it on the LEFT side of the lake" After much assurance that the CM's indeed knew the property well enough to get him there, Dad finally followed their directions and got us safely there.

Luckily, we didn't need to "tour the world" Once we let the CM know we were checking in to the Polynesian, he gave us directions and reminded us to "look for the big purple signs" The same signs my Dad missed almost 25 years ago. I did snap a picture of the sign and sent it to Dad. We pulled into the Polynesian at exactly 10:30. The guard at the gate had a parking pass ready and lectured us to make sure we have it visible at all times, or our car would be towed. He also told us we'd need the visible pass and a MB to scan for re-entry should we take our car anywhere.

At some point during the guard lecture, I received a text from Disney stating that I needed to speak with the front desk about my room assignment. I guess we weren't going to be able to take advantage of direct to room check in. We pulled up in the portico and waited for our turn (there were 3 cars in front of us). Finally we moved up and were told "Aloha Firstenberger family, and welcome home!" We were presented with Lei's though Cullen refused to wear his, he put it on Olaf instead. I grabbed the stroller from the back, while Brian and a gentleman from Bell Services put our luggage onto a rack. A CM, Chris, quickly greeted the boys and I and escorted us to the front desk the attention!

My first impression of the new lobby? It's gorgeous and Chris was quick to point out that Cinderella's castle can be seen from the lobby. He also mentioned they pipe in the music nightly for the fireworks and it's a great place to watch them, in the air conditioning.

I mentioned that I was worried because instead of getting a text about a room assignment, I got a text stating to speak with the front desk. With a wink, he told us that "tinkerbell had sprinkled some extra magic on our trip". Julie was our CM at the front desk and she pulled out a resort map to show we were going to be on the 3rd floor of Samoa in a room facing the Nanea Volcano Pool in close proximity to a stairwell where the MK fireworks can be seen nightly. The boys were so excited, until we learned that our room wasn't quite ready yet. We'd get a text, and it would be before 4 pm.

We were faced with "what to do" because I hadn't scheduled a park visit that day not knowing when we'd make it to the resort. We were still waiting for Brian to come in from parking the car, so I had the boys take a quick picture for me

When Brian joined us, it was now a bit after 11. The boys were asking for food, and rather than fill them on junk, we decided to investigate Captain Cook's, and possibly pick up our Refillable Mugs. We were hoping we'd hear about our room soon because we'd been told Mousekeeping was "on that section of our floor"

Up next: figuring out the QS meal on the DP, and will we EVER get our room?

[chezp]

Oh boy, that's too funny about the conditioner! You did make great time and I'm glad you like the new look of the Polynesian, although it doesn't sound promising about the room...

[MayraLR]

I can see the boys had enough space between them. My SUV, even though it has a 3rd row, it hardly gets used because it isn't that spacious. Lets face it, my oldest does not fit back there and there's always a war between the other 2 because neither of them wants to be in the 3rd row. I can't win with them. I'm seriously considering a minivan.

How great you got an upgrade on the room location!

[Cam22]

Oops! Lotion doesn't work quite the same way as conditioner. Too funny! How neat to be at the resort by 10:30. I'm little concerned though about when your room will be ready.

[cubfancolleen]

Hooray for the upgrade!
That's my big fear with those hotel toiletries - especially since I don't wear glasses in the shower!

[lauriep]

Upgrade!! Pixie dusted right at the start!

[dutchdisneyfamily]

The lotion thing still cracks me up. And that story about your dad is priceless!

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by chezp

Oh boy, that's too funny about the conditioner! You did make great time and I'm glad you like the new look of the Polynesian, although it doesn't sound promising about the room...

My poor hair stayed well lotioned for about 2 days The room....was a bit of an ordeal

Originally Posted by MayraLR

I can see the boys had enough space between them. My SUV, even though it has a 3rd row, it hardly gets used because it isn't that spacious. Lets face it, my oldest does not fit back there and there's always a war between the other 2 because neither of them wants to be in the 3rd row. I can't win with them. I'm seriously considering a minivan.

How great you got an upgrade on the room location!

I remember you saying that about your 3rd row. I originally looked at several SUV's with 3rd row seating, but felt the space just too cramped. I can fit in the 3rd row of the Flex, and my Dad (who is 6 feet tall) was able to sit back there too. There's actually a bit more legroom in the Flex than the minivan which is surprising. The trunk space of the Flex is smaller than the van though.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Oops! Lotion doesn't work quite the same way as conditioner. Too funny! How neat to be at the resort by 10:30. I'm little concerned though about when your room will be ready.

We had quite a wait for the room...

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Hooray for the upgrade!
That's my big fear with those hotel toiletries - especially since I don't wear glasses in the shower!

I should probably start wearing my glasses in the shower I can't believe I mixed it up. When we got time to swim later that day, water beaded on my hair and ran off

Originally Posted by lauriep

Upgrade!! Pixie dusted right at the start!

It was quite a welcoming surprise!

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

The lotion thing still cracks me up. And that story about your dad is priceless!

You can see where I get my goofiness from....like forgetting you're an hour behind and texting you at 6:00 in the morning

[nursemom]

Glad you got your Samoa Lava pool room request granted! I'm anxious to hear how you liked it! We had requested the same view but first floor, arriving on July 18th. We ended up in Figi again, which was fine, very quiet with a view of the Grand Floridian and Poly 'quiet' beach near Luau Cove. I noticed cherry pickers outside Samoa almost every day power washing and painting and hope it didn't cause any difficulties for your family.
We also liked the new lobby a lot and spent lots of time in there relaxing when it was raining in the afternoon. Bruno checked us in and was wonderful, a young man from Spain.
Looking forward to the next update!

[cattailmarsh]

Loving your TR thus far. Has me smiling as I wait for word on Mom's surgery. Glad to have some pleasant distraction.

[SharonK0527]

What an awesome story about your Dad touring the World in the parking lot! So glad you have arrived and can't wait to hear what you guys decide to do for Day 1!