We woke up at 3.45am with the intention of leaving the house at 4.30am. I normally struggle to sleep the night before travel day, but after so much illness in the house in the lead up to Christmas, alongside two sleepless nights with over-excited girls, I didn’t have a problem. We almost had an issue as Steve has a new car and we didn’t realise the boot was a lot smaller, so it was a bit of a wriggle to get the cases in, but we managed and got to the airport in plenty of time.
Check in and security were easy, we had a bite to eat and then headed to the gate as we were asked to be there early with it being a full flight. It was a pretty long journey but perfectly fine. We all managed to nap (Steve and I were both out before we even took off…great parenting!!!) and between sleep, meals and a few movies it didn’t seem too bad. We were straight through immigration with our Global Entry (although the camera struggled to detect Steve’s face for some reason?) and our cases were off in no time, which was good as the belt stopped shortly afterwards for a mechanical issue.
We got an Uber XL to Animal Kingdom Lodge which was really easy as you pinpoint the door you are waiting at which makes it simple for the driver to find you. It cost $50 plus tip and meant we were at the hotel just over an hour after landing. I’d checked in online and had a notification to say the room was ready, so we headed straight up. We are staying in a DVC value room for the first part of the trip and got really lucky to get a partial savannah view.
We don’t normally go to the parks the first evening as it’s always felt too much for the girls, but as it was a bit chilly for swimming, we decided to risk it. A quick change and we were on our way.
The plan up until NYE is just to focus on the Christmas extras, so we hoped to do one of the Christmas shows tonight (once the parties end you get to see them as a regular park guest). We got a few photos on Main Street when we arrived whilst Steve got a coffee, before heading to the castle stage. We were about 10 minutes early and got a spot right at the front. The show was lovely and the perfect way to start our trip.
We then headed to Tomorrowland for the next show. Crowds were big moving around the park, but definitely manageable. It was about 7.15 by now so we decided to find somewhere to perch and grab a snack. We sat on the curb outside Main Street Bakery in the snow, and mobile ordered from Casey’s, which took a while but we were in no rush.
We then stayed out for the majority of the fireworks (not too crowded at all) and timed leaving timed to perfection to be at the exit just as they ended.
A quick dash to the bus stop and in bed by 9pm ready for a full day tomorrow!
Doodle & Peg Do Disney 