Disney World Wrap Up

We had a great time at Disney World and I'm glad we were able to have a family vacation. I think that's the first family vacation we have taken since Drew was born. The kids did great on the plane flights, I'm so proud of them. Disney amazes me each time I go with how big they think. Nothing they do is too much, too big, too hard. They have big shows, big parks, big fireworks, and thus big crowds. They really do a great job and make you want to come back for more. We might head to Va Beach one weekend this summer, but otherwise I think we are done with family vacations for awhile. I'm glad I got to spend so much time with Drew, Jordan, and Velvet. If we do go back next year I'll have to remember these facts:

1. Go back to Magic Kingdom, Jordan loves it.
2. Don't go back to MGM Studios, it was fun, but not good enough to do two years in a row.
3. Make reservations at Cinderella Castle for dinner at least a month in advance.
4. Rent from a car rental place at the airport, not Hertz or Thrifty. (Hertz was great, but too hard to get on and off the bus.)
5. Caribe Royal is a great hotel, easy check-in, easy check-out, great pool, easy parking, but don't order the room service, very expensive and the food just wasn't that great.
6. Eat at Smokey Bones again.
7. Buy souvenirs at Wal-Mart in Orlando, nobody will know the difference and they are 1/10th the price.
8. Don't try to stay until close for the fireworks, the kids could probably make it, but I can't.
9. The "park hopper" option isn't worth it.
10. 10:30am is a perfect flight time, both ways. Connect in ATL at 1:30.
11. Mother's Day weekend is a good weekend to go because there is no baseball.
12. Jordan's favorite ride is the tram from the parking lot to the park, so ride it around a few times.
13. Jordan's favorite part of the trip is the plane ride and the pool, so take a trip to the beach with a Cinderella DVD and save some money. :)
14. Bring your own map of Orlando, the one from Hertz might as well been created by Jordan on the airplane ride down there.
15. Bring your own band-aid's so that you don't get weird looks from the first-aid people when Jordan gets a scratch on her leg.
16. Don't leave the diaper bag unattended next to the Haunted Mansion again, the next time someone might think it's a bomb and you don't want to be the one responsible for shutting down Disney World.
17. Invite some family so that you can go golfing while they take the kids to Disney World.