Disney World

Although our vacation started and ended on rough notes, we had a delightful time at Walt Disney World. Reagan was certainly old enough to enjoy the trip, even if she's not old enough to remember it for years to come. That's okay, too, since we took enough pictures and video to help her remember.

We opted to drive, and we stopped in Atlanta at my brother's house both coming and going. On the evening we arrived, we had eaten at CiCi's Pizza. Reagan had both cousins, Matt and Melanie, on either side of her on the drive back from eating, and they were giggling and playing. We got all the way to Dave & Sharon's street when Reagan began projectile-vomiting! It lasted less than a minute, but I didn't realize that much puke could come out of a child that size. We got the other two kids out and gently removed Reagan from the vomit-soaked seat.

Scott got to clean the car seat, while I took Reagan in for a bath. Within minutes, she was back to her normal, playful self. (The car seat, however, was not. Even after a thorough washing, we caught occasional whifs of throw-up throughout the drive to Florida.)

With that little bump in the road, we ventured on our way. Our drive was relatively uneventful until we got close to our destination. Our mapping program took us off the beaten path, eventually directing us to a closed road. We used our instincts and eventually found our way onto Disney property and then to the Pop Century.

Check-in was a bear, but the Pop Century was fun and active. (It's good for families with kids, but I don't recommend it for a relaxing childless vacation.) We got into our room with just enough time to freshen up for dinner with my friend Nori at Bahama Breeze. It was great seeing her, and she made instant friends with Reagan when she brought her a belated birthday gift that included a princess book, DVD, and magnet.

The next day we headed to meet my friend Conny at the Disney's MGM Studios. Conny, who works as an entertainment manager at the Magic Kingdom, wasn't scheduled to work that day, but she met us to walk us into the park with her ID. I hadn't seen Conny in over 10 years, and she looked exactly the same--as youthful as ever!

At the studios, we went straight to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, then the Playhouse Disney show. (Those were probably Reagan's favorites at that park.) After hitting some other rides/shows, we hopped over to the Magic Kingdom for our Fairytale Lunch with the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle.

The lunch was a bit of a splurge, but since we got into the parks free and got a deal on our hotel (thanks, Conny!), we decided to go for it. It did not disappoint! There were half a dozen princesses there, and each one visited our table for autographs and photos. We fully expected Reagan to be beside herself with excitement, talking up a storm in her little Snow White costume (yes, she--along with nearly every other little girl there--was in costume). We were soooo wrong. Reagan was so awe-struck that she completely clammed up! What's more, she wouldn't even smile for the photos--and she's normally quite the poser. Furthermore, she refused to eat even one bite of her lunch. (Fortunately, we didn't have to pay for her meal, since she's just two.) Despite her backward reaction, we know that she really did have a grand time. She's been talking about the princesses ever since.

We cranked through a few of the kiddie rides at the MK, then went back to the Studios to finish off the night. Reagan actually fell asleep on the way back over, and she stayed asleep through the entire Great Movie Ride. (FYI, there's a gunfight in that ride! And she didn't even budge.)

The next day, we took a break from the parks and had brunch with Conny at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (very yummy!) and I had tea at the Grand Floridian with Nori (very fun and girly!). Scott had the priviledge of dealing with a little constipation issue with Reagan (she hadn't gone in 5 days!) while I was away. That evening we went to International Drive and had dinner at pizzeria Uno.

Our second day in the park was spent with Conny at the MK. I didn't understand how great knowing an "entertainment manager" at Toontown would be--but it really was! She walked us up to most of the characters and princesses. She had even told the princesses we were coming, and they welcomed "Princess Reagan" as we walked in. We also had the Pooh characters entirely to ourselves! They even allowed us to come back later--without standing in line--and see Piglet, who was MIA at our morning greeting.

We saw pretty much everything at the MK that we wanted to by evening, so we hopped over to Epcot to let Scott ride a couple of grown-up rides. We also strolled through the World Showcase and saw some of the performers (the Chinese acrobats were Reagan's favorite!).

Then came our "rough ending." That night, Scott got violently ill. Since we were all in a rather small hotel room, none of us got much sleep, although Reagan got the most. He was still pretty sick the next day, so I did most of the driving back to Atlanta. Once we arrived at Dave & Sharon's, he went straight to bed.

Scott got sick exactly 4 days after Reagan had. When we returned home, I got sick exactly 4 days after Scott. Coincidence? I think not!

Barring the illness, we had a very good--and incredibly affordable--vacation. If Conny is still working at Disney in a few years, we'll definitely plan another visit with Mickey and the gang!