First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #6 Downtown Disney

Wow. We really did four parks in four days! After that whirlwind, it was nice to sleep in a bit. And did I mention that Andrew got sick in the middle of the night? I guess it was just too much excitement. He hadn't eaten anything weird. Just more sugar than normal combined with less sleep and lots of excitement. Brian cleaned him up in the bathtub while I stripped the bed. Mousekeeping arrived with new sheets and mattress pad, and we tucked him back into bed. And wouldn't you know, he did it again! Another call to Mousekeeping; another bath. We finally all got back to sleep around 3am.

So it was especially nice to sleep in. We ate a low key breakfast in the room, and packed our things. I called to accept the bounce-back offer we were given for free dining next year. But much to my panic, there was a problem with the computerized reservation system. I spent the better part of an hour on the phone, as they wrote all our info down by hand. You have to book a bounce-back before you check out of the property. I had a really bad feeling about this...

Andrew seemed to be feeling back to normal, so we headed out to Downtown Disney around 11:30am. (After leaving a fat tip for the wonderful Mousekeeping staff.) We went first to the Lego store. It's set up with all these building and racing stations for the kids. The boys could have stayed here all day. We did settle on Andrew's souvenir: he spent his $10 of allowance he saved up, combined with the $10 Grammy gave him to purchase a Lego Creator set. It could be built into a jet, hovercraft or helicopter. It was a really big set to be priced at $20. Score!

Brian - the Lego pushover - also sprung for Andrew to build 3 Lego men, choose a large cup of random specialized pieces, as well as an Lego Advent calendar. That was one happy kid :)

From there, we went to Earl of Sandwich. They have indoor seating & loads of yummy sandwiches. My club panini was outstanding. The kids didn't eat much of their grilled cheese, so we may try Wolfgang Puck Express next time. The Maurers raved about the amount of food they give you there. Anyway, we headed over to Once Upon a Toy to shop for Lauren. We played with the ponies, the crowns, the light sabers, the potato heads, etc. She finally landed on a Cinderella crown and a plush Tinkerbell.

Truth be told, I was beginning to get cranky myself. I was over the shopping. Ready to get on the road. But, I knew we needed to hit Goofy's Candy Co. We had lots of snack credits we needed to spend. And, had I been able to muster the energy, I would have gone to guest relations to convert our CS credits to snacks to spend at Goofy's as well. But did I mention, I was over it?! Especially when we had to wait 25 minutes for BDV's custom rice krispie treat. I know that's the best snack on the DDP, but next time, order it first thing!! The store was crazy busy. The kids were whiny. Brian was taking way too long. But we did finally get out of there (w/nine free DDP snacks!). I took the kids into Rainforest Cafe for a bathroom break, and we hit the road.

I was texting with Andrea en route back to Atlanta, and she told me the reservation system was back up. I called back & finalized everything (hey, it's 8.5 hours home... when else will I not begrudge another hour on the phone?), and we both re-upped for free DDP 2009! We're pushing it back a week, hoping for cooler weather. And we booked All Star Music Family Suites. It's a value, so no waterslide. But it's twice the room: 2 bedrooms (a queen bed for us!), 2 bathrooms, 2 tvs, a kitchenette, etc. At the same cost as a moderate. We booked a suite for us and for the Millers. The kids are already talking about showing their cousins around Disney next year! Loren & Sharon will probably come for part of the time too. And of course, we're stoked to be with the Maurers again as well. You know I'm already planning our ADRs :)

Bottom line: it was a huge win for our family! We had fun with our kids, our friends, and with each other! The Volks love the Mouse.