In the middle of our vacation planning I learned that Walt Disney World was changing the features of their long-standing FastPass system.  As off-site visitors our options to enjoy their most popular attractions were limited at best and non-existent at worst.  For the amount of money it takes to get a group this size to WDW, we were unwilling to gamble with the possibility that we would not be able to experience our favorite attractions.  We had already booked our vacation house and our 4-night cruise.  Switching to a longer cruise was cost-prohibitive, but no one wanted to shorten our Florida stay.  Our answer to this pickle was to replace our would-be WDW touring days with days at other theme parks.  We were able to purchase passes that allowed us unlimited admission to Aquatica Waterpark, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld over a 14-day period.  These lovely passes cost roughly 60% of what we would have paid for WDW passes.  Yay!  What is more is we purchased John an annual pass from a sister park, Sesame Place (hmmmm – why does that sound familiar?) for $30 more than what the rest of us adults paid and it allowed us free Preferred Parking and 10% off all purchases. 

 

SO – after we slept off the long drive we woke ready to don bathing suits and sunscreen.  (Anyone want to guess how much sunscreen we used in two weeks?) 

After a quick breakfast we headed to Aquatica Waterpark next door to SeaWorld. 
This waterslide actually goes THROUGH a tank with Commerson’s dolphins!  Daddy and the big four went on this.

The “problem” with waterparks is that the more fun you are having the less likely you are to have a camera handy….

 

After lunch Daddy and the big four hit waterslide after waterslide.  Mommy, Nan, Johanna, & Katriel hit the “beach” by the wave pool.  We had brought along some sand toys and enjoyed a few hours of swimming and playing here.  Johanna thrilled herself by burying me in the sand and washing it off, over and over.  I figured it cost less than professional exfoliation, and I embraced our time together. 

Katriel almost fell asleep in the wave pool with me, so when we hit the shore I wrapped her up and she fell asleep in my arms.  It was the first of many snuggle naps of our vacation. 

It was such a great park.  I wish we could have found a way to spend another day there.  In my opinion it was much nicer than the Disney-owned waterparks. 

We got into town around 4 P.M., but then needed to pick up some KFC, and some groceries.  We met Nan at the vacation house just after the taxi had dropped her off there. 

We were T.I.R.E.D., but excited to see our new digs.  The home exceeded our expectations. 

Kelly had her own bed and bath on the first floor. 

The rest of us had rooms upstairs.  And the six kids shared a hall bath.

The girls had a double bunk room (with a pack-n-play moved in later for Katriel).

Nan had her own bed and bath.

The boys had a small room of their own.

We explored the house a bit.  It was so clean.  The beds, we learned later, were amazingly comfortable.  

Tried out the game area.

And assessed the lanai. 

We ate our KFC and then John and the kids took a swim.  It was only about 74 degrees by then, but they wanted to wash all those states off themselves. 

We had a very loud visitor.

And we were in bed by 8:30 P.M.

Jeremiah 31:25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

I must share that at this point of the vacation I was just in awe that we were THERE.  I had looked forward to and planned for this vacation for over 15 months.  To actually be in a place of playfulness and rest with my beloved family was just awesome to me.  I just repeatedly thanked God for His provision. 

Smile because it happened.

That is what I have been telling the kids myself since we got off the Disney Cruise Line’s cruise ship, The Magic, on Friday, May 9th.

The cruise was, quite literally, a dream come true for me.  In 2001, John and I took Stewart on a three-night cruise on the DCL Wonder.  When we got off the ship we enthusiastically stated we would do it again.  And… 13 years later, we did.  We never dreamt it would take that many years to embark on such an adventure; but as our family grew and other things took precedence the cruise just kept getting pushed off.

In the fall of 2006, I was all but ready to make the down-payment for a cruise for the six of us.  Late one night after I had reviewed the numbers and headed to bed I prayed a prayer that scared me.  It was something like, “LORD, if it is not of Your will, please take the longing out of my heart for this trip.”  I am not exaggerating when I say I did not think longingly about the vacation for YEARS afterward.  In fact, a few weeks after that prayer the LORD led us to purchasing our new home – something that would have been exceedingly difficult to do if we’d had money tied up in a vacation. 

I hope to share a number of vacation stories as time allows.  With our school year all-but-done, I hope to blog a bit each day to both share our trip with folks who stop by the blog, and also to record it for our family’s memories. 

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The old adage that getting there is half the fun is only party right.  For me, the planning and packing IS fun.  but it is far from HALF the fun.  This time around it posed more work than normal as we were essentially preparing for a vacation (the cruise) within a vacation (the trip to Florida as a whole).  We needed dress clothes (and pirate costumes) for the dinners on the ship, AND we needed ample ambling-around-clothing for the parks we planned to visit.

 

Thirty-six outfits for the kids.  

A panorama of all that we needed to somehow get into the van.

We got it into five suitcases, one tote, one bag, one small box, and a very large cooler.  My sister also had two bags to bring with her.  (My mom flew to Florida.)

We realized three days before we were slated to leave that we just were NOT going to be able to fit everything we needed to IN the van. We could not find a store in town with a hitch hauler available for sale.  Amazon couldn’t get one here in time.  Thankfully, friends had one they were more than willing to lend.  John had the adventure of getting it hooked into our hitch.  Two files and two trips to Lowes and we were in business.

At 6:00 P.M. Friday, May 2nd we climbed in the van and headed out.  

Johanna was also with us; she’s just too short for the photo.

Our travel plans were as follows. From 6 P.M. – 9 P.M. John drove and the kids just entertained themselves with stuff they’d packed in their back packs. From 9 P.M. – 4 A.M. it was “lights out.”  I drove while John tried to sleep in the back row. The kids tried to sleep, and my sister sat up front to keep me company.  Sadly, neither Johanna, nor Katriel slept well. Subsequently, John did not sleep well. But he slept some, and was able to take over at 4 A.M. while I went to the back row. I logged in about one hour of sleep between 4 A.M. – 6 A.M. We stopped at a Waffle House at 6:30 A.M. and then didn’t really stop again except for brief bathroom stops the rest of the day. We snacked on muffins, chips, and bottles of water. We made ridiculously excellent time all the way down. From 7:30 A.M. until we got there the older 5 kids watched movies…

Check out the set-up I’d made before we left…

Along the way we played the license plate game…

scared the baby…

found places to eat…

Entertained the baby…

And didn’t fear at all when RAIN welcomed us to Florida at 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, May 3rd. 

We were grateful for God’s protection over us as we navigated the almost 1,300 miles, and for all the loved ones who kept us in prayer.

Psalm 121:8 – The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and for evermore.