We have had our Disney World trip planned since January. It seemed so far away then! As summer approached, I knew I had to do some research and get a plan together for each day. Wayne and I don't like to overly plan where we feel like we can't be spontaneous, but there is definitely a science to doing Disney so that you don't waste time waiting in lines and backtracking. But the summer quickly took up a bunch of my time with other trips, planning Charlotte's birthday, Nathan's birthday, and all of the other camps and activities. Pretty soon, I was thinking, "We leave for Disney World in 4 Days!" Not only do I have to get everything packed and do a little shopping, butI also have to plan out the order of the attractions we want to do.
So, I started researching everything, trying to figure out what the must-do's were, which rides have the longest wait times and when is the best time of day to do them, which rides we need to get fast passes for, etc... While I was doing my research, I found out that they changed their fast pass system. The last time we went, you got your fast passes the day you were there. Now, you can schedule 3 fast passes 60 days in advance. AND fast passes are used for the popular character greetings too. It's kind of confusing but basically, it's like making a reservation for a ride/attraction so that you're guaranteed a spot and don't have to wait in line too long. You wouldn't want to waste a fast pass on something that usually doesn't have long lines. Then I find out that the Frozen characters, Anna and Elsa, are now at Disney World, and are almost impossible to meet if you don't get your fast pass at least 30 days in advance. Great, we leave in 4 days, and Nathan and Charlotte would LOVE to see them. Everything I read online said that if you can't get a fast pass, you'd have to wait in line for over 4 hours. I immediately tried to get a FP for them, but had no luck. I went ahead and scheduled our other fast passes for each day and was pretty much able to get what I wanted. I was disappointed about Anna and Elsa but thought I'd just keep trying in hopes that someone cancels.
So we got up bright and early Saturday morning. Helen came over at 5:45 to pick us up and off to the airport we went. This was Charlotte's first time to be on a plane so she thought it was really neat. They were both really good on the plane and played on their IPads, and even took a nap on the way there. When we landed, Charlotte and I put on a little lip gloss (this is an important part later in the story) and got off the plane. We went to the rental car place, which was a mad house, so Wayne took care of that while me and the kids found a seat. The first thing I did when we sat down, was try for a fast pass again. I tried as many times as I could before Wayne finished. Once we got into our car, I kept trying, and FINALLY, it was accepted!!! I couldn't believe it. Plus, I got a good time...5:00 pm, not something crazy like 10:00 pm. I was so relieved and so excited!!! We were heading straight to Magic Kingdom and checking into our hotel that evening. As we were driving to Magic Kingdom, it started to rain. Wayne and I were glad though because that meant that everyone would be clearing out! And we were prepared for rain with rain jackets for everyone. We stopped at Chick Fil A first for some lunch and then entered the big gates to Disney World. Nathan and Charlotte were so happy!!! By this time, it was noon so we pretty much had a whole day ahead of us.
We pulled into the parking lot and started getting organized. Wayne was packing our backpacks from the trunk...in the rain. And I'm getting Nathan and Charlotte's shoes on. Then Wayne comes to my side and says, "Ashley, where's your wallet?" and I'm like, "It's in my backpack." and he's like, "No, it isn't. Did you have it out at lunch?" And I say, "No, I didn't have it at lunch. I had it on the plane when I was putting my lip gloss on. I put the lip gloss back in my wallet...and I'm sure...I mean pretty sure that I put it back in my back pack." In my mind, I'm thinking HOLY ****!!! I put it back into my backpack didn't I?! Surely I did, because Wayne told me to make sure I had everything packed up before we got off the plane, and I told him I did. I am such an idiot. So I go to the trunk, in the rain, and search my back pack and the trunk...like Wayne hasn't already done that. Nope, no wallet. So we both go sit down in the car. He's staring at me. I start crying and admit that I must have left it on the plane. He says a few bad words. The kids are just staring out the window. And I am wishing this was a dream. Wayne tells me to start calling the airport, airline, lost and found. Every number I call has an automated answering service so I'm leaving message after message, and just wanting to talk to someone in person. Wayne is thinking out loud of all the scenarios. What if someone found my wallet but didn't turn it in. What if no one found my wallet and it's on the plane, headed to another state somewhere. How long is it going to take to locate it and what if it's never located. Does he cancel the credit cards??? If so, that's going to screw everything up. So we've been in the car for and hour and a half now, and FINALLY, I get a hold of someone...a REAL person. Wayne told me to find the number to baggage claim of American Airlines at Orlando Airport. I did. When I tell them I've lost my wallet. The guy cuts me off and says, "Are you Ashley Parnell?" And I'm so excited and say "YES! YES!" He says he's got it right there. Thank you LORD! Wayne is now so relieved that it's been located that we start laughing and are both so happy. We pull out of the parking lot and head back to the airport. Now Nathan and Charlotte are sad because we're leaving, but Wayne and I are so happy! They both lay down and go to sleep while we go get my wallet. Luckily, the airport is only 15 minutes away, not a huge deal. So once I retrieved it, we head back to Magic Kingdom...3 hours later. But that's ok. Wayne gives us all a pep talk before parking. He says Mommy made a mistake but that's ok, we are all going to have a great time and not get mad at anyone. Then Nathan says that Daddy needs to stop saying bad words (he said a few choice words hours earlier but who could blame him) and Wayne agrees and says that he's going to pay us all $1 for any bad language. Deal!
So we head into Magic Kingdom and take our time just looking around. We all get ice cream and then head to our first character greeting: Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Ariel. We ride a few rides and then go to our Anna and Elsa meet and greet. It was so cute to see Nathan and Charlotte so excited about the characters. Especially Charlotte. I think they both thought they were real, but Charlotte was really fascinated by them and was so in love with all of the princesses. It was really sweet to see. They each had their autograph books and neither of them was shy about talking to them. So our first day was a little stressful in the beginning but turned out to be a great day.
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