A Day In The Life Of...: Characters, Hurricanes & Cocktails

Winds in the east, mist coming in.

Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin.

Can't put me finger on what lies in store,

But I fear what's to happen HAS NEVER happened TO US before.

When we embarked on our trip to the most magical place on earth we could never have imagined the memories we would create and the new experiences the wind would blow in. Eight days, seven nights, 3 hotel rooms, hurricanes and hula hoops and a takeoff home with the "Danger Zone".

We were all smiles as we set to jet off into sunny Florida. Last time we flew we were the family that everyone who boarded the plane wanted to avoid. Bennett was only one and was very vocal until he fell asleep. Luckily this time, flying as a family of 5 was a great experience.

We arrived and headed to hotel #1 in Disney Springs area for the night. We got dinner, much needed post traveling drinks for Mom and Dad and the kids enjoyed a dip in the pool.

The next day we headed to hotel #2, which proved to truly be a home away from home for six days. Walking into the Yacht Club you were greeted by a distinguished Captain. A slightly different experience from the previous night at the Holiday Inn:)

While we waited to get a room and for Nan and Papa Hutch to arrive, we decided to click on our bands and let the magic begin.

EPCOT

Epcot was the first, last and most visited park by us on this trip to Disney. Maybe it was because of the convenience of being able to walk right in and out of the park from our hotel grounds, or maybe it was because Epcot's Food & Wine festival was going on and this is the only park that serves adult beverages. Ben probably did not enjoy the walking as much as everyone else. The double turned triple stroller with our kids this trip almost blew the back tires out. We decided it was time to part ways and donated it to Disney when we checked out:)

We got on every ride we wanted, with the exception of Frozen. Even with the eye of the hurricane on Orlando, there was still a 105 minute wait. The reduced crowds did allow us to take flight on Soarin, which is now, hands down my favorite ride in Epcot. Bennett's favorite ride, on the other hand was Journey Into Imagination with Figment; primarily because during the ride they test our smelling sense with a big puff of skunk stench.

We went from England, to Norway, China to Italy, Japan, to Mexico and then circled on back. The adults relished in tasting the cuisine and cocktails while the kids explored what other countries and cultures are like.

We even managed to snag a sort of free performance from one of Moms favorite bands. It was fun to see Corynn dancing away to the music.

Luckily we were able to attend our Sparkling Dessert Illuminations party. The sky was clear, the company was outstanding and the Prosecco was flowing. We had an amazing time at Epcot and think this park was a fan favorite for all.

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

We spent a short amount of time at Hollywood Studios too. Just enough to tackle a couple Toy Story midway games and for Corynn to conquer Tower of Terror with her Dad.

MAGIC KINGDOM

We started our day with a trip to Beast's castle. Everything inside was decorated to a tee with a ballroom, a rose room and hallways lined with talking suits of armor. The breakfast was wonderful with plates piled high with pastries. We were too full to eat the much talked about "grey stuff" as they call it. Unless you are a cupcake aficionado, I recommend taking a pass on this dessert.

And then! Oh, the Lines! Oh, the Lines! Lines! Lines! Line!

With the emergence of preselected and management of fast passes online, the lines were incredible. Even for a "slower" time of year. We didn't let the lines dampen our spirit though. We still were able to see a parade, sail with Pirates and Peter Pan, roll down Goofy's roller coaster and float through Ben's all time favorite ride, 'It's a Small World'. Just look at the excitement on his face.

Boardwalk & Pool

When we weren't at the parks, we enjoyed the sand bottom pools and strolled along The Boardwalk. The kids got to swim in the rain one day and Corynn got her hair wrapped on the beach for the first time.

The Boardwalk is filled with restaurants, carnival games, and the dreaded photo booth. I'm not sure if the heat was attributed to the calm before the storm, but the day we were on The Boardwalk was a scorcher. Then someone had a bright idea, "Why don't you go in the photo booth and take pictures like the last time you were in Disney." Little did my Mother know that sitting in a small box with 5 people, draped by a heat absorbing black curtain, trying relentlessly to figure out how to not only work the machine(swipe band, swipe card, pay first, pay last, which background, did it take a picture), but also pay for the pictures when your wallet is in your pocket under a pile of people. After about 10-15 minutes, a quart of sweat and almost fainting, we got the pictures. This boardwalk establishment will now forever be nicknamed 'The Photo Booth of Death'. Funny thing is, when we went back to the hotel that evening, we found the same booth inside an air conditioned environment.

AND SO IT ENDS AS "IT" BEGINS

Thursday, our last official day at the parks. We started the morning with increased hurricane warnings and cancelled flights for our return trip home the following day. Everyone in the area, including us, needed to figure out how and where we were going to brave Mathew and how and when we were going to get home. After our flights were rebooked and hotels were secured, we donned our ponchos and headed out to the parks.

As the warnings increased, so did the precautions at the parks and hotels. Tie down procedures happened everywhere we looked; sandbags were being made, everything that was loose or possibly could become loose was secured or moved into storage, all glass light posts were wrapped for protection, flags and banners were removed, even the entrances were tied down allowing us to walk right in, and finally the notice of park closures came. Since the parks were to close early at 5:00, we decided to have our dinner we had planned for lunch. Nothing like a last supper in Italy to calm your mood. After all the pizza and pasta it was time for dessert and to celebrate Papa Hutch's 65 birthday. There is nothing better for Papa than a plate full of sugary goodness to ring in the new year. I don't think the apples fell far from the tree in regards to his grandsons. Doesn't everyone enjoy drinking ice cream?

As soon as lunch was over, the rain started. Once the rain started it didn't stop until the next afternoon. We sang in the rain, danced in the rain to a Canadian band who kept playing as guests exited the park and, of course, splashed in all the puddles.

And so it began. Our once prim and proper hotel was transformed into a full service experience complete with characters, crazed people and cocktails; lot's and lot's of cocktails. Boxed lunches, board games, beer and not getting blown away was the take away of being sequestered in a hotel for almost 24 hours.

Pluto was the first character to visit the hotel. He came off the elevator around 9:00 Thursday evening just in time for the kids to take a picture in their PJs. You have to commend Disney, especially how they react to situations such as these. Even with limited staff including restaurants and housekeeping, they made, what could have been an extremely miserable experience, a very memorable one. Connor felt so at home watching cartoons in the lobby that even having Minnie sitting next to him wasn't enough to break his intense TV concentration.

Once tie down preparations were complete, Operation Lobby Party commenced. The lobby was filled with games, coloring pages, and of course a hotel full of people. The stores were bustling with children searching for souvenirs to play with, while the bar was bustling with parents searching for the perfect cocktail to consume On Friday morning, a complete activity itinerary was distributed. Events included: Simon Says with Donald, Red Light Green Light with Chip n Dale, and many more including eating Mickey ice cream treats at the soda shop. Papa Hutch even took a turn with the hula hoops.

And then the rain finally stopped and we could walk outside the resort!! Needless to say we all were pretty excited.

Even though the hurricane had now passed us, the wind remained and all theme parks and most establishments were still closed. Once again this diversion didn't dampen our spirits. We walked around to other hotels, played with the fallen palm tree leaves and pretended to be on scene weather reporters.

Even though we had wind blown hair, we managed to capture a few family pictures. Ben decided he wanted to be a part of both pictures, apparently:)

The day after the hurricane was the most beautiful day of the trip, as most people who have been through them pointed out to us. We spent the whole day at the pool before checking out and heading to hotel #3 for the last night of our trip.

Two days after we were supposed to leave, we made it to the airport and on our return flight home, which our head flight attendant made very entertaining. As we boarded the plane, he gave the kids a chance to meet the pilots and look in the cockpit. How cool is that! Once we were all buckled with our carryon luggage safely stowed and on the runway, he blared Danger Zone, from Top Gun, through the airplane speakers until we were well in the air.