Disney World: Day 1
Today we got up at 3:00 to get ready for our flight to Disney World. We were all ready and out of the door by 4:00. Even Michael was up and ready for a full day of work. (Michael dropped us off at the airport and then went straight into work at 5:00).
Finn woke up in a very enthusiastic mood - he was so excited about the flight. We arrived at the airport at 4:30. Dad was waiting for us at the outside drop off. We said our goodbyes to daddy and went inside. After dropping off our luggage, we went through security. Finn was good as gold. He stayed right next to me the entire time. Since I was traveling with Finn we didn't have to go through the scanner machine. Once we were through security Finn got really excited - he started skipping through the airport. Since it was so early in the morning there was a lot of open space to move around.
I got Finn a banana and an apple for breakfast and then we boarded the plane (this may very well have been the most healthy food he ate all week).
Finn and I found two seats together right in front of Grandad and Gigi. The look on Finn's face when the plane took off was priceless. His smile was huge and he said many times, "this is awesome!" Once we plateaued, Finn kept asking when we were going to go faster.
Finn didn't seem to have any issues with the air pressure. I made him eat Skittles as we were ascending. Finn also ordered a Dr. Pepper as his in flight beverage. For the most part he sat quietly in his seat, ate his apple and his pretzels and watched his Kindle. Flying with Finn was a great experience.
Midway through the flight Grandad got up to go to the bathroom - as he was walking back to his seat, Finn spotted him and decided that he no longer wanted to fly with me.
We landed in the Orlando airport at around 8:45. This airport is awesome - case in point.
The only negative part was that Finn couldn't help but ask over and over for a Disney stuffed animal - they were absolutely everywhere.
Next we boarded the Coronado Springs Shuttle and headed to the resort. By this time Finn was so ready to be at the park that he could hardly stand it. Unfortunately for Finn, this was a 30 minute ride.
Once at the hotel, we checked in and then headed to the gift shop. Finn tried on every hat in the shop. We could have actually gone home after the gift shop - Finn thought he was in heaven.
Once inside we decided to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride first - a sort of a warm up, so to the speak. It was only a 40 minute wait - so hopped in line. Finn really didn't like waiting in line - but really, who does. The problem for Finn is that he is not mature enough to keep these extremely negative feelings to himself. Literally every minute, he would ask "when will we be on the ride" - or some derivative thereof.
Well, Finn really liked the Buzz Lightyear ride. During this ride you sit in an oscillating seat and shoot laser guns at bad guys. This was right up Finn's alley. Finn rode with Grandad and I with Gigi. Finn insisted that this get competitive and challenged Gigi and I to "a challenge." Well, my performance was abysmal ergo Finn and Grandad cleaned our clocks.
Next we met us with Brenda Prince and her daughter Rachel and headed off to the "Seven Dwarfs Mine." This is a brand new roller coaster where you ride through the mines where the dwarves work. You even a get a glimpse of them working, singing and heading home. It was really cute. The ride went pretty fast and Finn loved every second of it. He yelled "this is so awesome" the entire time. We learned pretty quickly that Finn is going to be "rider." We had a Fast Pass for this ride so we were in and out in 10 minutes flat.
After the Seven Dwarves ride Gigi had to go work the HOSA convention, so Finn, Dad, Brenda, Rachel and I went to ride the "Winnie the Pooh" ride. This was a 30 minute wait that felt more like a 5 minute wait because there were little activities for the kids to do throughout the entire line. First Finn stopped at "Pooh's" house. Then he stopped by Rabbit's garden. He also spotted Tigger and Pooh. The Pooh ride was really cute - it follows the original movie. Finn liked the ride, but clearly is more drawn to the thrill rides.
Finn's first siting of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. He couldn't understand why they didn't come over and see him.
Next Finn wanted to ride the go-cart. He and Dad took one, while Rachel and I drove another.
Then we went back to ride Buzz Lightyear again. We had a Fast Pass for this ride so we rode pretty quickly. This time I smoked Finn! I am ashamed to say that I concentrated really hard and tried to win. I must be a really sore loser if I am actually trying to beat my four year old.
Then we stopped for quick bite to eat. The heat had zapped mine and Finn's appetite - but we ordered a slushy and some water and rested in the air conditioning for a few minutes.
After lunch it was time for our "Space Mountain" Fast Pass. We were still 20 minutes early so we stopped in "The Carousel of Progress." Both Finn and Grandad fell asleep.
Next it was off to "Space Mountain." Finned was super pumped to ride this roller coaster. I explained to him that it went really fast, it was really loud, and that it was entirely in the dark. He was on board through about half of it. After a few sharp turns I heard him yell, "I don't like this ride." Grandad reached over and put his hands on Finn's shoulders which apparently gave him enough comfort to get through the rest of the ride quietly.
When we were done, Finn was shell shocked. He didn't cry and he wasn't really upset, but he plainly told us that he would not ride that ride again. I think that some of the issue was that Finn had to sit in a seat by himself. If he had been able to sit next to me or Grandad, I think he would have done better.
Next we went to ride "Splash Mountain." It was a 70 minute wait. I neglected to tell Finn the projected wait time. He really struggled during this wait. It was closing in on 5:00 and he was hot and exhausted.
We could tell that "Space Mountain" had really messed with him because every few minutes he would ask, "mom, do you promise to hold on to me tight." I carried him through at least half of the wait - which really helped in attitude. When he saw the logs being loaded, he must have gotten a shot of pure adrenaline because his mood improved significantly, and he was pumped to ride.
Well, the wait was long, but as they say, 'it was worth the wait.' This was Finn's favorite ride of the day. He loved the big drop and he loved getting wet. His face during the Brer Bear/Brer Rabbit animatronics was priceless. He emitted pure joy. He told us that he definitely wanted to ride this one again.
Since it was close to 7:00 we decided to go on back to the room. After all. we have all been up since 3:00 a.m. I let Finn ride on my shoulders all the way out of the park. Once on the shuttle, Finn was wild as a buck. He was so excited about his big day that he couldn't sit still for a second. He stood up most of the time, but also climbed the poles, ran up and down the aisles, and crawled on his knees down the seat. Before anyone scolds me for my parenting skills, we had the whole shuttle to ourselves.
When we got back to the resort, we went to find our room. Finn had a message from Goofy welcoming him to Disney World. He was so happy. He told us that "Goof" called him. He explained that he called him "Goof" because that is what his friends call him.
We stayed at Coronado Springs Resorts in room 1477. The resort is really nice and our rooms were very comfy.
We decided not to get back out that evening. Instead, Dad, Finn and I then went to get a hamburger and to check out the weight room. By the time I had worked out, Finn was zonked out. He looked so precious.
We had a "day to remember." Sappy, yes - but true. I just love Finn so much. He willing held my hand the whole day. I will miss this day when he is a teenager is too embarrassed to be seen with me. It is definitely worth taking little children to Disney World just to see their faces light up.
Finn woke up in a very enthusiastic mood - he was so excited about the flight. We arrived at the airport at 4:30. Dad was waiting for us at the outside drop off. We said our goodbyes to daddy and went inside. After dropping off our luggage, we went through security. Finn was good as gold. He stayed right next to me the entire time. Since I was traveling with Finn we didn't have to go through the scanner machine. Once we were through security Finn got really excited - he started skipping through the airport. Since it was so early in the morning there was a lot of open space to move around.
I got Finn a banana and an apple for breakfast and then we boarded the plane (this may very well have been the most healthy food he ate all week).
Finn and I found two seats together right in front of Grandad and Gigi. The look on Finn's face when the plane took off was priceless. His smile was huge and he said many times, "this is awesome!" Once we plateaued, Finn kept asking when we were going to go faster.
Finn didn't seem to have any issues with the air pressure. I made him eat Skittles as we were ascending. Finn also ordered a Dr. Pepper as his in flight beverage. For the most part he sat quietly in his seat, ate his apple and his pretzels and watched his Kindle. Flying with Finn was a great experience.
Midway through the flight Grandad got up to go to the bathroom - as he was walking back to his seat, Finn spotted him and decided that he no longer wanted to fly with me.
We landed in the Orlando airport at around 8:45. This airport is awesome - case in point.
The only negative part was that Finn couldn't help but ask over and over for a Disney stuffed animal - they were absolutely everywhere.
Next we boarded the Coronado Springs Shuttle and headed to the resort. By this time Finn was so ready to be at the park that he could hardly stand it. Unfortunately for Finn, this was a 30 minute ride.
Once at the hotel, we checked in and then headed to the gift shop. Finn tried on every hat in the shop. We could have actually gone home after the gift shop - Finn thought he was in heaven.
And the Grandaddy of them all - the Mickey Fantasia Hat.
Then it was off to the park! By noon we were at Magic Kingdom. Finn was greeted by a Captain Hook/Peter Pan sword fight on the steps of the Cinderella Castle. Here is Finn using his armband for the first time. These armbands are great - all of our tickets, fast passes, room keys, etc. were saved to the chip in this band. I also put my credit card information on the band so that I didn't have to carry around cash or cards. By the end of the week, Finn was a pro at "Mickey to Mickey" as they say.
Finn's first view of the Castle. At the hotel they gave Finn a "First Time" button. After getting no attention whatsoever, Finn decided that he didn't want to wear it. I asked him why and he said, "because no one is looking at it."
Once inside we decided to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride first - a sort of a warm up, so to the speak. It was only a 40 minute wait - so hopped in line. Finn really didn't like waiting in line - but really, who does. The problem for Finn is that he is not mature enough to keep these extremely negative feelings to himself. Literally every minute, he would ask "when will we be on the ride" - or some derivative thereof.
Well, Finn really liked the Buzz Lightyear ride. During this ride you sit in an oscillating seat and shoot laser guns at bad guys. This was right up Finn's alley. Finn rode with Grandad and I with Gigi. Finn insisted that this get competitive and challenged Gigi and I to "a challenge." Well, my performance was abysmal ergo Finn and Grandad cleaned our clocks.
Next we met us with Brenda Prince and her daughter Rachel and headed off to the "Seven Dwarfs Mine." This is a brand new roller coaster where you ride through the mines where the dwarves work. You even a get a glimpse of them working, singing and heading home. It was really cute. The ride went pretty fast and Finn loved every second of it. He yelled "this is so awesome" the entire time. We learned pretty quickly that Finn is going to be "rider." We had a Fast Pass for this ride so we were in and out in 10 minutes flat.
After the Seven Dwarves ride Gigi had to go work the HOSA convention, so Finn, Dad, Brenda, Rachel and I went to ride the "Winnie the Pooh" ride. This was a 30 minute wait that felt more like a 5 minute wait because there were little activities for the kids to do throughout the entire line. First Finn stopped at "Pooh's" house. Then he stopped by Rabbit's garden. He also spotted Tigger and Pooh. The Pooh ride was really cute - it follows the original movie. Finn liked the ride, but clearly is more drawn to the thrill rides.
Then we went back to ride Buzz Lightyear again. We had a Fast Pass for this ride so we rode pretty quickly. This time I smoked Finn! I am ashamed to say that I concentrated really hard and tried to win. I must be a really sore loser if I am actually trying to beat my four year old.
Then we stopped for quick bite to eat. The heat had zapped mine and Finn's appetite - but we ordered a slushy and some water and rested in the air conditioning for a few minutes.
After lunch it was time for our "Space Mountain" Fast Pass. We were still 20 minutes early so we stopped in "The Carousel of Progress." Both Finn and Grandad fell asleep.
Next it was off to "Space Mountain." Finned was super pumped to ride this roller coaster. I explained to him that it went really fast, it was really loud, and that it was entirely in the dark. He was on board through about half of it. After a few sharp turns I heard him yell, "I don't like this ride." Grandad reached over and put his hands on Finn's shoulders which apparently gave him enough comfort to get through the rest of the ride quietly.
When we were done, Finn was shell shocked. He didn't cry and he wasn't really upset, but he plainly told us that he would not ride that ride again. I think that some of the issue was that Finn had to sit in a seat by himself. If he had been able to sit next to me or Grandad, I think he would have done better.
Next we went to ride "Splash Mountain." It was a 70 minute wait. I neglected to tell Finn the projected wait time. He really struggled during this wait. It was closing in on 5:00 and he was hot and exhausted.
We could tell that "Space Mountain" had really messed with him because every few minutes he would ask, "mom, do you promise to hold on to me tight." I carried him through at least half of the wait - which really helped in attitude. When he saw the logs being loaded, he must have gotten a shot of pure adrenaline because his mood improved significantly, and he was pumped to ride.
Well, the wait was long, but as they say, 'it was worth the wait.' This was Finn's favorite ride of the day. He loved the big drop and he loved getting wet. His face during the Brer Bear/Brer Rabbit animatronics was priceless. He emitted pure joy. He told us that he definitely wanted to ride this one again.
Since it was close to 7:00 we decided to go on back to the room. After all. we have all been up since 3:00 a.m. I let Finn ride on my shoulders all the way out of the park. Once on the shuttle, Finn was wild as a buck. He was so excited about his big day that he couldn't sit still for a second. He stood up most of the time, but also climbed the poles, ran up and down the aisles, and crawled on his knees down the seat. Before anyone scolds me for my parenting skills, we had the whole shuttle to ourselves.
When we got back to the resort, we went to find our room. Finn had a message from Goofy welcoming him to Disney World. He was so happy. He told us that "Goof" called him. He explained that he called him "Goof" because that is what his friends call him.
We stayed at Coronado Springs Resorts in room 1477. The resort is really nice and our rooms were very comfy.
We decided not to get back out that evening. Instead, Dad, Finn and I then went to get a hamburger and to check out the weight room. By the time I had worked out, Finn was zonked out. He looked so precious.
We had a "day to remember." Sappy, yes - but true. I just love Finn so much. He willing held my hand the whole day. I will miss this day when he is a teenager is too embarrassed to be seen with me. It is definitely worth taking little children to Disney World just to see their faces light up.
SO precious!!
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