So with the hour time difference, we arrived around 6 pm (Eastern). We went straight to the hotel and let the boys run around the room. I unpacked some while Brian got take-out from Chili's (we didn't want to force the boys to sit through a meal after being stuck in the car for so long). After dinner we took a walk around the block and then hung out in the hotel a little. In an attempt to keep the boys on Central time, we put the boys to bed at 9 pm. We stayed at a Homewood Suites so that the boys could sleep in the living room and we could have a bedroom. We put both the boys in playyards (though this was probably the last time Carter will fit). They did really well in the same room though I think Carter is happy now to have is own room (and quiet) back. It was fun listening to them talk to each other but I don't think Carter liked Rylan's screaming his name or for me in the middle of the night and early in the morning.
On Monday, the boys didn't get up until 6:30 am (which was sleeping in for the week). We got ready, had breakfast at the hotel, and headed to Magic Kingdom at 8 am.
We parked and took the monorail to the gate (we gave Carter the choice of the boat or "train" and he chose the "train", of course).
We were at the gate about 10 minutes before it opened and could tell that it was definitely more crowded than when we went in February 2010. However, it definitely wasn't terrible.
We headed to Tomorrowland Speedway (when we described some of the rides to Carter, this was the one he got stuck on and was set on riding). Both boys were tall enough to ride (Rylan made it by 1") so Rylan rode with me and Carter rode with Brian. Carter was SO EXCITED to get an orange car!
Rylan cried (actually just fussed and whined) the whole time but when we got out of the car, he was super happy and said "yes" when I asked him if he had fun.
This was the start of Carter only wanting to do rides with Brian. I never rode with him except for the couple of times I did rides on my own with the boys. Carter would rather not go on a ride that he really liked than ride with me. I guess that's what happens when I stay home with the boys and they don't have enough "Daddy Time".
Next we did Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Again Rylan was not a huge fan while on the ride but super happy after it. Carter really liked it though (he became obsessed with Buzz Lightyear during this trip - he's liked him for awhile, but not this much until now).
The line for Space Mountain was short so Brian went on it and I got a Rider Swap Pass (which I could use like a Fast Pass but it has no time restrictions). While Brian rode that, I took the boys back on the Buzz ride. Rylan was a little better this time.
I rode Space Mountain next. I didn't get to ride it the last time we were there because I was pregnant with Rylan. I didn't remember it very well either from when I was at Disney as a child. It was fun but obviously an older roller coaster.
Next we did the Mad Tea Party. Somehow we picked a cup that didn't spin. Brian was happy about that (since he gets motion sickness so easily) but Carter and I were disappointed.
Then came Carter's favorite ride - The Barnstormer (or "Goofy's Roller Coaster", as Carter calls it). I was nervous about how Carter would do (I kept expecting to see Brian and Carter walking out the exit without having gone on the ride). Brian did an amazing job though of preparing Carter while they were in line. They got to sit in the first car and Carter put his arms up some! What a big kid!
Carter was so happy when he exited the ride!
Our next ride was on the Walt Disney World Railroad from Fantasyland to Frontierland.
We did Pirates of the Caribbean first in Frontierland. At this point there was still no line for the ride and we walked right on. Rylan was a little upset at first but then really seemed to like looking at all the pirates and everything else.
Next up was lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. We ate lunch at one of the cheaper restaurants in the park everyday. We packed lunches for the boys though and tons of snacks so it kept our food cost down. I brought food from home so we didn't have to stop at the grocery store in Orlando either.
After lunch we went and got a Fast Pass for Peter Pan's Flight. We didn't get any Fast Passes when we were at Disney a couple of years ago (it was that "empty") but we used them a lot this time and it was really nice to avoid so many lines. As we walked, Rylan fell asleep so I took a break with him while Carter and Brian did the Swiss Family Treehouse.
When Rylan woke up, we did The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (we had to wait about 15 minutes and that was a long wait for us for the day).
Rylan HATED it while we were on the ride but again said he liked it when we got off.
Carter got to control us going up and down. He really liked that and kept us up most of the time.
We planned on riding Jungle Cruise next, but the line was moving much slower than the predicted wait outside the ride so we got out of line and got a Fast Pass instead (it was so slow because all the Fast Pass riders were getting on and none of the standby line).
We saw Goofy outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride so we waited in line a few minutes to meet him. Carter kept telling me for the week before we left that he wanted to see Goofy and Pluto (no idea why those two) so he was stoked about meeting Goofy.
Rylan wasn't too sure about Goofy though and was only okay as long as he wasn't next to Goofy.
We did Country Bear Jamboree next which Rylan also loved. He was much more into the shows than the rides.
When that was over, it was about 20 minutes before the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade so we got a seat on the curb and waited for that. Unfortunately it wasn't in the shade so it was hot but we survived. We had highs in the mid to upper 80s most of the week with a descent amount of humidity so we were hot but definitely knew it would be worse in a few months.
Both boys were very into the parade.
After the parade, we rode Jungle Cruise. We got right on with our Fast Pass and were very happy that we hadn't waited in line before. Rylan was very pouty at first (especially since the boat driver talked to him and he is still going through his super shy phase) but he got over.
For some reason the waterfall you go underneath was brown and the boat driver was extremely confused by that. He said he'd never seen that before and all the boat drivers kept giving each other inquisitive looks. We have no idea what happened. When we went on the ride later in the week, it was back to normal.
Next we used our Fast Pass for Peter Pan's Flight. We all fit into one car this time so I got to ride something with Carter. It was hard for the boys to see the scenes below us so I don't think either one really knew what was going on.
Then we did Mickey's PhilharMagic, which is a 3-D show. Both boys did excellent keeping on their 3-D glasses.
Carter just sat there like we were watching a regular old cartoon. Rylan though got scared a few times about things coming at him and responded to the air and water that got shot at us.
We decided at this point to head out before we pushed it too long and the boys started to melt down. One the way out we got a group photo in front of the castle.
We left around 5 pm and took the monorail back to the car (Carter's choice, again). Both boys passed out while we were walking through the parking lot.
We went to dinner at Moe's and had to wake them up - bad idea! They were not happy. And they barely ate. They got out of their funk when we got back to the hotel. We played there for awhile, all took showers and baths, and got the boys to bed at 8:30 pm. They both fell sleep pretty quick after such a long day.
