The Joys of Traveling with Three Kids RPR Club Level 8 nights! 7/2018

[jenrose66]

Wanted to post one more update before the pre trip report turns into an actual Trip Report.

Less than 24 hours to go and everyone is so excited

DH and I are both working (he’s got day shift and I’m working till midnight) wish I would’ve taken a day off but paid time off is precious. I think I mentioned earlier that packing for 5 is daunting and I wanted to pack over the course of many days... not a thing is packed...though laundry is done at a furious pace so all I gotta do is dump out some clean baskets I suppose.

I love how the kids look forward to our travel and what they look at as “traditions”. One is coloring books. We always get a new coloring book and crayons...myself included to use on the plane...granted I think they color about one page on the actual plane before the lure of the ipod takes over...but they look forward none the less. I’m thinking since we have a cabana day planned they may color by the pool a bit as well.

Candy is also an important tradition. As well as “fancy” chewing gum...ie the cubes or whatever they threw in the cart. Apparently a stick of gum isn’t fun.

I think the most beloved tradition of all is the early morning flight. It’s loved by me and the kids and loathed by DH This year I tried to be considerate and had booked an early afternoon flight; however the flight I really wanted went on sale a couple months ago and I couldn’t help myself You know...cause of the kids lol. So now we will be touching down in Orlando at a time when most people are just getting the first cup of coffee...but seriously that’s all my kids are talking about. They said they are going to help pack today and just sleep so the “middle of the night “ comes sooner and we can leave! Granted it’s not the middle of the night when we leave...but it’s still dark out.

Upon our return we are looking forward to sharing all our travel adventures. The goal is to share a lot of pics as well..I do need to figure out an easier picture hosting solution though because when I try to upload from my phone I usually get a file too big error...

On the Itinerary this trip is ...of course... lots of park time. We will be enjoying all three parks as well as lots of down time at the hotel. Be on the lookout for a club level review as well as a poolside cabana review. We also have a full Legoland day planned. I decided to do the legoland shuttle so we will taxi to and from the pickup spot. I’m excited to share our day with everyone there since there aren’t too many legoland reports...relatively speaking of course. I was poking around the website for I 360. It looks so nice. I think we are going to have dinner there after Legoland and do some shopping. I kind of wanna try the scary looking swings but no one else seems keen.

So that’s all for now! Can’t wait to catch up with you guys next week

 

[pattyw]

Have a great trip! Can't wait to hear the details!!

 

[jenrose66]

We are back! Actually we have been back 6 days but with 3 kids and being back at work immediately...I’m still not completely unpacked

We had a blast. Even at 8 nights it went by way too quick! I hope to start my installments tonight, however, here is a teaser from our arrival in Orlando:


That’s my brand new suitcase....bet that wouldn’t have happened with quality luggage

Luckily the misfortune did not continue on our trip and after a 25 minute detour to the luggage damage area at Southwest we were ready to continue our vacation.

I think there will be some surprises In this trip report. Maybe, DIS Friends, you have found the one family who liked the Jimmy Fallon ride? I also have a full review of our day at Legoland and some thoughts on our Cabana rental. Of course we also celebrated DS’s 12th birthday and got a chance to experience an attraction or 2 we never did before.

Stay tuned

 

[pattyw]

Can't wait to hear all the details! Eek- on the luggage! Good that Southwest remedied!

 

[schumigirl]

We are back! Actually we have been back 6 days but with 3 kids and being back at work immediately...I’m still not completely unpacked

We had a blast. Even at 8 nights it went by way too quick! I hope to start my installments tonight, however, here is a teaser from our arrival in Orlando:
View attachment 340494

That’s my brand new suitcase....bet that wouldn’t have happened with quality luggage

Luckily the misfortune did not continue on our trip and after a 25 minute detour to the luggage damage area at Southwest we were ready to continue our vacation.

I think there will be some surprises In this trip report. Maybe, DIS Friends, you have found the one family who liked the Jimmy Fallon ride? I also have a full review of our day at Legoland and some thoughts on our Cabana rental. Of course we also celebrated DS’s 12th birthday and got a chance to experience an attraction or 2 we never did before.

Stay tuned

Oh no on the suitcase...…….glad it was sorted though.....

Looking forward to reading all about your trip.....and someone who enjoys Jimmy Fallon Interesting!!!!

I`m tuned!!!

 

[macraven]

That’s a sorry looking piece of luggage

Hope the replacement one you got held up better

 

[Lstar311]

I'm following along! Great pre report so far! I think you have inspired me to try to write a trip report as well. My family loved Jimmy Fallon as well!!

 

[wdwplanner13]

Can't wait to hear about the trip!

 

[AussieBritTraveller]

Alright so here are some introductions. We are having a snow day today which means I don't get my quiet before work respite. Heavy snow too:
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Anyway, since the kids are *ahem* being spirited I will introduce my fur children first. Darwin is 2 and he's our cockapoo and Milton is 1 and he's our goldendoodle. I am allergic to dogs so we made sure to get poodle mixes and it's been wonderful. My inlaws have pugs and I feel like death after being in their house for 10 minutes...but my dogs have never bothered me. Aren't they cute:
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So besides the dogs there is Me (Jen). I'm 36. Just got back from a December trip to Disney with my mom. We had a good time but I ran myself ragged and came home with a really bad cold. I used to be a Disney or bust kind of gal, however, as things have changed and gotten more expensive we decided to explore other options. The last Disney vacation we took was in 2012. The kids were so young!
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It was a fun trip, but there was a lot of waiting in line and walking and riding and waiting for busses. DH said no more family trips to Disney for a bit, but he doesn't begrudge me going with my mom so it's all good.

The next family trip we took to Florida was in 2015. It was our first stay at Universal. We stayed 7 nights at RPR and had a great time. The Express Pass was a revelation. I was worried we'd get bored spending so much time there, but we didn't. We had a great time. It was fun to have a relaxed pace vacation and be able to re ride our favorite rides and go to a sitdown restaurant that we didn't have to book 180 days before. Plus we are huge Harry Potter fans so seeing the movies come to life was just amazing.

Our first Universal trip:
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But I digress. So yeah, me...hard for a mom to talk about herself. I'm kind of a nerd. I love NPR and podcasts. I also crochet and am fascinated by true crime. I have a favorite podcast that I listen too...I got themed jewelry for it. I'll post a pic and see if anyone can guess what the podcast is!
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Next is DH (Jake) he is 36. We have been married for almost 14 years and if I were the type of person to gush I'd say something sappy right now.
Isn't he handsome:
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Jake likes craft beer and people. Really, one of the nicest people I know, I call him the goodwill ambassador of our relationship. We can't go anywhere without him running into someone he knows. We are both busy renovating (very slowly) the dream house we moved into this past July, it had the space and location we wanted...but nothing else! No worries, that's how we afforded the neighborhood.

Finally, we have the kids. When I pictured being a mom, I pictured an only child. DH grew up with lots of sibling and he felt different. So we compromised on two and after what we will call the epic birth control failure of 2009 (I'm talking about you IUD) we have a family of 3. Now I couldn't imagine my life any other way...but 3 kids in 4 and a half years made for some challenging times. Now that they are getting older things are calming down. I value silence so sometimes it gets a little overwhelming, but they are good kids. And truly the best of friends. They genuinely like each other (even though they bicker like all siblings do). The regularly ask to have sleepovers, so even though they each have really nice bedrooms, on many weekends and vacation days they ask for "sleepovers" and all bunk together in one room. They enjoy all things Florida because I trained them young!

Jack is the oldest, he is 11. He loves reading...especially non fiction. He also loves him some video games...maybe a little too much. But he makes good grades in school and shuts them off when I ask him too (for the most part) so who am I to judge.

Ben is 9. He's the classic middle child. A people pleaser who wants to keep the peace. He loves animals both real and plush and he has an affinity for pretty girls. He has found his future wife no less than 3 times and he wants to be a professional lego designer and dad when he grows up. Unlike, Jack, who has proudly proclaimed that he's going to be a bachelor and devote his life to scientific discovery.

Then we have Emma. She is 7 and she is the princess. She has her own fashion sense and ideas and I've learned that it's not worth the battle of trying to tinker with an outfit. She has lots of friends and loves music. We are going as a mommy daughter date to see Taylor Swift! When I got the tickets Emma wept with joy and my American Express wept for another reason entirely...but hey...memories right?
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Hello from another cockapoo parent, our guy just turned one going on 16

 

[jenrose66]

Oh no on the suitcase...…….glad it was sorted though.....

Looking forward to reading all about your trip.....and someone who enjoys Jimmy Fallon Interesting!!!!

I`m tuned!!!

Yeah, the suitcase really wasn't a big deal. I mean, it was obviously destroyed, but nothing came out of it and the only thing inside the suitcase that got damaged was a pair of my husband's lounge shorts and it was just frayed along the edge a little. He actually really liked the shorts and didn't want to turn them in cause they were still wearable (he only sleeps in them). So the girl was like, I can't give you money for them if you don't turn them in, but I'll give you a $50 travel voucher...I'd say that was more than fair. We were keeping the shorts so I wasn't expecting anything for them.

I felt bad for the poor people that work in that department. So many people being very unpleasant to them. It's not like they personally wrecked anybody's luggage; they are there to help. They thanked me for not yelling at them...I told them I take insurance claims for a living so I understand the nature of the job, then I thanked them for my new suitcase and was on my way.

My kids were obsessed with the Jimmy Fallon ride...we rode it everyday we were in the park...for real

 

[jenrose66]

Hello from another cockapoo parent, our guy just turned one going on 16

I love my cockapoo! I have allergies and needed a poodle breed. He's great...though not overly loveable. We joke that he's our cat dog. He will cuddle and look for love on his terms and isn't one to come up and greet you. My Goldendoodle is the complete opposite, he's never met an enemy. When neighbors come outside he runs up to the fence, barks to get their attention and waits for a pet thru the fence.

 

[jenrose66]

That’s a sorry looking piece of luggage

Hope the replacement one you got held up better

Well, it made it home...that's a start

 

[macraven]

Well, it made it home...that's a start

That's a good intro for a trip report.......

 

[schumigirl]

Yeah, the suitcase really wasn't a big deal. I mean, it was obviously destroyed, but nothing came out of it and the only thing inside the suitcase that got damaged was a pair of my husband's lounge shorts and it was just frayed along the edge a little. He actually really liked the shorts and didn't want to turn them in cause they were still wearable (he only sleeps in them). So the girl was like, I can't give you money for them if you don't turn them in, but I'll give you a $50 travel voucher...I'd say that was more than fair. We were keeping the shorts so I wasn't expecting anything for them.

I felt bad for the poor people that work in that department. So many people being very unpleasant to them. It's not like they personally wrecked anybody's luggage; they are there to help. They thanked me for not yelling at them...I told them I take insurance claims for a living so I understand the nature of the job, then I thanked them for my new suitcase and was on my way.

My kids were obsessed with the Jimmy Fallon ride...we rode it everyday we were in the park...for real

That was fair of them.

Yes, you hear some very nast reports about how folks yell and shout at these people who are only trying to help you.......no need at all, love your attitude to it.

I’m always amazed when we’ve been in similar circumstances and the staff thank you for not shouting at them and understanding..........really!! Thanking us for not shouting at them! Never in a million years........

Every day......Jimmy Fallon....................

jk..........

I’m glad they enjoyed it so much............

 

[AussieBritTraveller]

I love my cockapoo! I have allergies and needed a poodle breed. He's great...though not overly loveable. We joke that he's our cat dog. He will cuddle and look for love on his terms and isn't one to come up and greet you. My Goldendoodle is the complete opposite, he's never met an enemy. When neighbors come outside he runs up to the fence, barks to get their attention and waits for a pet thru the fence.

Oh Jackson is almost needy, he LOVES human contact. He looks at us to say "why have you stopped patting me?"

They are great for allergy sufferers and no hair in the house!

 

[pattyw]

I really like Southwest- we use them exclusively. There will be bumps in the road, but Southwest does a good job of making it right!

While Fallon isn't a favorite ride or a must do on every trip, I do enjoy it! I like the preshows and all the Tonight Show memorabilia. The ride is fun- I guess I don't get some of it because I'm not an avid Tonight Show viewer. My son understands it more as he stays up later!

 

[jenrose66]

Tuesday 7/17

Vacation Day had finally arrived! We were up bright and early for our 6:20 am flight. I think everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed but me.

I worked until midnight and then spent another 2 hours packing so I slept about 2 hours. I'm a bit of a nervous flyer, I find going thru security and the entire airplane experience stressful. Once settled into the tiny tube with all the other people in it smushed like sardines I think about what a terrible way that would be to die...but I digress (gee maybe I should title the thread of this trip honesty...). Considering, it was a fine flight. It left on time and we made it in one piece to Orlando 2 hours and 20 minutes later. I'd consider that a good news day.

We were very happy to see our driver Tony waiting for us as we got to the baggage claim. I learned about him on the boards and he is just the best, as are the drivers that work with him. This time Tony went above and beyond because, as teased in my post above, although we made it to Orlando intact our one piece of luggage did not:

Tony knew right where to take us (he must see this happen often enough). He then proceeded to occupy my kids for the next 20ish minutes while I dealt with repacking a new suitcase and filling out claim forms. According to my husband they shared their life story and asked him a bunch of questions and he took it in stride. I will say that while it isn't pleasant to have your luggage wrecked the claim process isn't terrible. They gave me a choice of luggage color and brought one out within a couple minutes, albeit slightly smaller than my ruined suitcase. They took my license and filled in a sheet with my information and then emailed me a claim form. Besides the new suitcase, they will pay in full for my ruined one and they gave us a $50 travel voucher since DH had a pair of shorts that got damaged.

We arrived quickly to the hotel and had a very quick check in. Our room wasn't ready but it was only 10 am so no worried. We were given leis which my kids loved and we took our bags to luggage services for storage. By this time we were hungry and had just missed the club lounge breakfast so we went down for one of our many visits to Island's Dining Room. They have a really nice breakfast buffet that we remembered enjoying on our last trip to RPR. Again, it did not disappoint. In sticking with my new found trip report theme of honesty I will say that within a minute of having his drink, my 9 year old soaked himself in lemonade . We couldn't let him eat like that...well if you talked to my husband we could have...but I could imagine how uncomfortable it is to sit like that. So before I had even enjoyed my first sip of coffee we were back up to luggage services to request our suit case back. Luckily there wasn't a wait and I think we were all cleaned up and back to breakfast in under 10 minutes. Even though it was late in the morning the buffet was well stocked and fresh. We enjoyed our meal.

After eating we decided to take in the hotel grounds for a bit. Since DH wanted to get settled into the room before hitting the parks and the room still wasn't ready we figured this would be a good time to explore.

I love Spanish Moss. You can call it an obsession. If it is there I will take a picture of it. It doesn’t grow in Buffalo so to me it’s special


Such a pretty hotel:



And I’ve reached my picture limit but have more to share!

Coming up: a stroll to Sapphire Falls and some poolside fun! To be continued...

 

[schumigirl]

Lovely pictures!!!

It is so lovely to see RP pics.......and poor little guy with the lemonade! Yes, it wouldn’t be fun sitting in wet clothes.....

Glad you enjoyed the buffet breakfast, it is fabulous!

 

[macraven]

I have a thing for elephants......glad to see many pics of them in your report.

Your pictures are so clear and colorful, they really capture the hotel.

 

[Lstar311]

Your poor suitcase, that stinks but great that it seemed like the airline made it right!