First of all, let me point out, that I'm saying 'Disney 2014' with the hope that there will be a 'Disney 20...' trip in the future. I totally get that I'm doing that.
So, we did it. We took the trip of a lifetime with our family- Uncle Matt, Aunt Dina and Cousins Ryan and John. It was... AMAZING. I will do my best to try to do it justice and put it into words here. I will be hard, but I will try. There is no way I will be able to recreate the smiles on the kids faces (I tried to capture all that I could on camera), the sounds of their laughter and the joy in our hearts celebrating the 'magic' together as a family. Aghhh! I can not wait to do it again!!!
Friday, February 14th, DAY 1
We started our day early in the morning by getting packed up into the car. Katie and Mikey got special Mikey and Minnie bags (one from Mom and Dad and one from Nana Pat and Papa Joe!!) full of fun new prizes and treats for the ride down to Florida. The kids did amazing on the car ride, really. We made it to Tampa in the early evening and met Uncle Matt, Aunt Dina and Ryan and John!!! We checked out our hotel rooms, went for a quick swim and then went out for a nice Valentines dinner!
Giving her boy a valentines kiss goodnight!
Saturday, February 15th, DAY 2
We packed up from the hotel and headed out to Orlando. We stayed at a resort near Disney called Summer Bay. It was awesome. We had a house with an indoor pool and jacuzzi. The kids were in heaven! They immediately went for a swim to christen the pool where we played all afternoon! For dinner that night, we went to Medieval Times where we saw real Knights, a King and a Princess! The Knights put on a real show and a battle and Kaitlyn was thrown a flower from our knight (our princess!!)! She thought that was the BEST. The boys liked the battles and the swords (duh!).
'Our' Knight- the Red Knight!!
Cheers!!
Sunday, February 16th, DAY 3
We woke up early and headed over to Disney's Hollywood Studios! Our first real Disney experience!! We started the day by watching the Disney Jr. show which the kids - LOVED! Mikey danced and danced! It was Mickey's Clubhouse, Sophia the First, Doc McStuffins and Jake and the Neverland Pirates (and ME!). Quite the lineup for the kids! After that, we decided to ride the Movies of Hollywood ride. Then it was off to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show- SOO good!! Bubbles floating down from the sky- neon fish, and Ariel in the flesh!! We took a break, came back home for some lunch, a swim and a nap and then headed back for more fun. Next was arguably our favorite ride of the trip- Toy Story 3D. Mikey and Kaitlyn got to shoot targets and try to get a high score. Uncle Matt said he got the highest score! For dinner we scored big time! Daddy got us a table at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. No elbows on the table!! The food was amazing and we had a impromptu birthday celebration for Mikey! He got to build his own birthday sundae! It was so much fun. After dinner, we watched the most amazing night time show- Fantasmic! Mickey was AMAZING!!
It's pretty sunny in Florida
Just in case you didn't know it- Mikey is a member of the 'Princess Protection Agency'
Meeting Venellope von Schweetz... no I did NOT have to look that up...ahem.
Wreck it Ralph!
Afternoon snooze...
...or coma?!
Auntie Dina and Johnny on the Toy Story ride!!!
Happy Birthday Mikey!!!
Photo Bomb!
Monday, February 17th, DAY 4
Today was pool day fun day. While mommy and Aunt Dina went to get their 'nails did', the dads and kids swam and played (I'm sure some horse play was involved!). Then in the afternoon, we went to the waterpark at the resort to see how much fun that would be... well, not very. The water was FREEEEEZING! Our kids braved it anyway-- I couldn't believe it! Mikey even went down the waterslide...once! After about an hour or so, we decided to go back to the heated pool at the house! After a wonderful dinner out we had a sweet birthday surprise for Mikey- Uncle Matt surprised Mikey with a Lightning McQueen birthday cake and we all sang happy birthday!!
Fun girls time (right, Auntie Dina? They really 'nailed it'!)
Tuesday, February 18th DAY 5
Magic, Magic, Magic Kingdom!!!!!!!! We saw the castle this morning!! The very first thing we did was ride Thunder Mountain! Kaitlyn was the only one to ride it TWICE! Once with Mommy and once with Daddy!! She said she likes when it goes 'up, up, up but not when it goes down!' From there we went on Aladdin's Carpet Ride where Kaitlyn controlled the ride--up, up, up and down, down, down!!! She LOVED it and wanted to do it all day! But it was time to go meet some people and we found the best! Tinkerbell and her best friend Rosetta. They were SO good! Rosetta loved Mikey's red hair (it's the same as hers). They both wished Mikey 'Happy arrival day!' Rosetta asked Mikey if he was going to have pumpkin muffins- that's her favorite. Mikey was fascinated and gave her the biggest hug! Tinkerbell showed Mikey how to 'crow' like Peter Pan! Then we all took a ride on 'It's A Small World' where we all made wishes and threw pennies in the pool too. Then Katie, Mikey, Daddy and Mommy went to Cinderella's castle and met Rapunzel and Snow White. Ms. White gave Mikey a big smooch and left big red lips on his forehead! After a snack of Mickey ice creams, we went over to listen to storytime with Belle! We were all pretty worn out so we went home for a nap and another dip in the pool. Back to the Kingdom in the afternoon for a spin on Buzz Lightyear's shoot out and a visit to Monster's Inc. Laugh Factory (Mike Wazowski!). After dinner and the beginning of the electrical parade, we headed home (Mikey and Kaitlyn were both passed out!)
We were there when the gates opened!
The 'Before' shot of Thunder Mountain!
And the 'After'!!! She loved it!!
Riding Aladdin's Carpet Ride
Meeting Rosetta!
Rosetta was asking Kaitlyn about her dress. In her thick southern accent, she asked Katie if she was the princess that lost her shoe? No? Was she the princess that slept a lot? No? How about the one with all of that pretty, long hair? No? Was she the one that ate the apple? Yes? Oh!!
Tink is showing Mikey how to crow like Peter Pan
Mikey is making a wish and dropping a penny at 'It's a Small World'
Rapunzel and Kaitlyn's dresses are alike!
Rapunzel likes Katie's hair
Rapunzel asked if Kaitlyn thought she needed more flowers in her hair- Kaitlyn said no
I love how Kaitlyn is really admiring Snow White's dress- she was really comparing the two dresses!
She had just given her a kiss-- I missed it!!
Mikey got a big smooch from Snow White!
Enjoying a Mickey Ice Cream!
Belle!
Maybe a bit excited?!
Mommy and Mikey shooting on the Buzz Light Year Ride!
Wednesday, February 19th, DAY 6
Happy Happy Birthday Mikey!!!! It's your 'real' birthday! Before breakfast, Kaitlyn brought out the present that she brought from home. She picked it out, wrapped it all by herself along with the card- picked it out and all signed by her! The present was Jake and the Neverland Pirate 'guys'- Mikey loved them (and so did Ryan and John!!). We packed up the house and said goodbye to the pool (boo hoo!) and drove to Cocoa Beach to a new hotel suite. We had a nice birthday lunch and then headed out to the beach! The kids had a blast! They played in the water and ran races on the sand (and showed off dance moves!).
Thursday, February 20th, Day 7
Amazing Vacation Part 2 begins: The Cruise!! We woke up early and drove to the dock. The kids saw the boat in person for the first time and the oohs and aahhs started! As soon as we walked on board the magic began- we were announced with fanfare! 'The Burke Family' and they they led to our special part of the boat. Daddy and Uncle Matt booked us a special VIP room on the concierge service part of the ship!! It was so super duper cool! We had a connecting balcony. We went and checked out the pools and the Finding Nemo splash pad! We checked out the kids club too- all of the kids loved it. There was Andy's Room from Toy Story, a Monster's Inc Room and a Tinker Bell Room (Kaitlyn loved that!!) Then there were TWO dance floors for Mikey! Speaking of dance floors, we went to the deck and had a great send-off deck/dance party. Mikey LOVED it!! That night we checked out a spectacular show- The Golden Mickeys! Then it was off for a wonderful dinner and then bed. Katie found that our room had transformed and she had a brand new bunk bed! The ceiling had stars and she could see Peter Pan and Wendy in the sky!! She got to sleep in the top bunk and was so excited!!!
Friday, February 21st, Day 8
We had breakfast as a family as we pulled up to Nassau, Bahamas! We had decided to stay on the boat and explore and have fun. Katie and Mommy went off to find some princesses and Daddy and Mikey went off to the pools! Kaitlyn found Princess Anna from Frozen and had a wonderful talk with her right away! Then we saw Belle, Tiana, Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel!!! We got autographs from everyone (and Snow White even asked Kaitlyn for HER autograph!!!). Then Kaitlyn was ready for a swim so we went to find everyone at the pools. Kaitlyn swam and swam!!! She even got to watch a movie right in the pool!!! That afternoon we all got a private meeting with Goofy! Later that night it was another show- Villains! a yummy dinner and then a super surprise for our girl: Benny, our room steward, had made her bunk bed with princess sheets and a princess pillow!!! Needless to say, she was SO HAPPY!!!!! There were sweet dreams in that bed that night!! And to top off the whole night, there were fireworks off of the ship that we were able to enjoy from the comfort of our balcony! It was amazing. Sweet dreams for everyone!
Watching a moving in the pool!
Saturday, February 22nd, Day 9
Up and at 'em bright and early this morning and off of the ship! We docked at Disney's own island- Castaway Cay! It was amazing, really amazing. So beautiful and the weather was perfect. We found a great spot on the beach. Kaitlyn and Daddy went right to the BIG waterslides- and she went down them... TWICE! Such a big, brave girl! Mikey and mommy built sand castles and played in the water. We all had a wonderful morning playing and splashing. Then we had a special lunch BBQ on the island. So super yummy!! We made our way back to the ship in the afternoon and then settled in to watch a 3D showing of Frozen. Then the kids had one last romp at the Kids Club before we headed out to watch the last show- Disney's Believe (which Kaitlyn and Mikey made it through about 15 minutes of before falling asleep!). Then we had one final family meal together before heading to bed. Kaitlyn had one more sleep in her princess bunk bed!
Kaitlyn and Daddy at the top of the water slides!
View of Castaway Cay from our balcony!
They boys having a Dance-off at the Kids Club
Sunday, February 23rd, Day 10
Boo-Hoo!!!! We had to say our Good-Byes to everyone this morning- to Mickey, Minnie, the ship, Uncle Matt, Aunt Dina, Ryan and John!! So sad. Mikey and Kaitlyn did NOT want to go. We made it to our car and drove home (the kids slept most of the way- exhausted from the vacation!). It was nice to get home, but it was the most WONDERFUL vacation and family fun time EVER. We can't wait to do it again!!!!!!!!
