Finally posting about our FUN fall trip...On the morning of Halloween, a work conference for Curt took us to Disney World, one of our favorite places to visit. Lucky for us! Also, one of Curt's coworkers attended the conference and brought his family along too. It was so much FUN to do Disney with the Knudson family (Rob, Jill, Jack, and Ally). We've already been plotting another vacation together. The conference was at the Grand Floridian, so we stayed there for the first time. We loved it! It was so nice to either jump on the monorail or take a short boat ride to Magic Kingdom.
DAY 1: HALLOWEEN AT MAGIC KINGDOM
We arrived after lunchtime and learned all about the new MagicBands. We loved the convenience of the MagicBands. They were our park tickets, fast passes, room keys, and credit cards. We weren't thrilled with the new fastpass system because it makes the day so scheduled and kinda discourages park hopping, but we figured out some tips for our next visit.
 |
| Ready to hit Magic Kingdom |
 |
| Took the boat from the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom |
 |
| Cole ready for Magic Kingdom on Halloween |
 |
| Magic Kingdom was very crowded with it being Halloween and a Friday, but we made a beeline to our favorites. |
 |
| Waiting for Kieran's first ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--He LOVED it! |
After a quick trip to Magic Kingdom, we returned to the hotel to change into Halloween costumes and meet the Knudsons for dinner.
Back to Magic Kingdom for the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party...
 |
| Cole, Caden, and Jack on Space Mountain |
 |
| Jack and Cole on Tomorrowland Speedway |
 |
| The dads and the littles on the teacups |
 |
| Kieran and Curt |
 |
| Jack, Caden, Cole, and Ally waiting to go in The Haunted Mansion |
 |
| Cole, Jack, and Caden on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad |
 |
| Jack and Caden on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin |
 |
| Kieran was insistent on riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with Rob |
 |
| We all LOVED Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! It was worth the wait! |
 |
| Love these action shots! |
 |
| Kieran passed out during the Halloween parade. |
We had so much fun at the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! We were able to ride lots of rides with our friends. We watched the amazing fireworks from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We got stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean, which caused us to miss part of the parade, but we saw what we missed as we were leaving for the night. When we returned to our room, the fire alarm in our room was blaring. Supposedly, it had been going off for quite some time according to our neighbor. Why no one came to investigate while we were gone is beyond me? Since we hadn't been in our room long before leaving for the day, we were certain the room wasn't on fire. A safety check would have been nice though! We waited for maintenance to turn it off and crashed in our beds after midnight.
DAY 2: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS & EPCOT
We started out the day at Hollywood Studios. While the big boys rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Kieran and I checked out Wandering Oakens Frozen Snowground.
 |
| Kieran playing in real snow |
 |
| After their rollercoaster fun, Caden and Cole joined us to play in the snow. |
 |
| Star Tours |
 |
| Kieran's first time on Star Tours |
 |
| Playing in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids area |
 |
| Kieran wanted to wait until his brothers were with us to get a photo with a Green Army Man. |
 |
| Rumor has it that the sorcerer's hat is coming down soon, so we had to get a photo with it. |
 |
| Cole will not forgive me when he finds out I posted this photo from one of his rides on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but I could not resist. It is a classic rollercoaster photo! |
After lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe, we met the Knudsons for an afternoon and evening at Epcot.
 |
| Meeting Mickey |
 |
| Photo opp with Goofy |
 |
| Cole (in back) and Curt (in red) on Test Track |
 |
| Ally and Kieran--buddies...Ally likes taking care of Kieran. |
 |
| With Donald Duck in Mexico |
Some of our Epcot highlights include Soarin' (my favorite!), Mission Space and Test Track for the big kids, and Finding Nemo. We ended the night with a special desserts reservation while watching the most impressive Illuminations fireworks. When we returned to our room, it was very chilly. It was a pretty cool night for Florida. We thought the thermostat had been turned off accidentally and did not want another late night service call. Unfortunately, I (no one else seemed bothered) froze ALL night and called maintenance immediately in the morning. Thankfully, it was fixed by the time we returned the next day.
DAY 3: MAGIC KINGDOM
Back to our favorite park for the day...We headed to Tomorrowland first.
 |
| Kieran visited Stitch while the big boys rode Space Mountain. |
 |
| On the Peoplemover |
 |
| Helping Kieran zap the z's on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin |
 |
| It's a Small World |
 |
| In line for Goofy's Barnstormer--super short ride, but always a fun one |
 |
| Watching the afternoon parade |
 |
| Curt, Caden, and Jack in the second row on Splash Mountain |
 |
| Love these guys! |
We left Magic Kingdom briefly to have dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Yum!
After dinner, we returned to Magic Kingdom to finish the night. As we were waiting for our fastpass time on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, two cast members approached us with a ginormous sundae. It was a terrific surprise! We did the best we could, but we were so full from dinner that we could not finish it.
 |
| Seven Dwarfs Mine Train |
 |
| We FINALLY saw the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was worth the wait. Very cool! |
DAY 4: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
We planned to visit Animal Kingdom on our fourth day, but made a last minute decision to change plans. We didn't get moving in time to arrive for the extra early morning magic hours and did not have any fastpasses (since they were already booked for our afternoon at Hollywood Studios), so we feared that the waits would be too long to make the trip worth our time. We decided to just spend most of the day at Hollywood Studios.
 |
| The view from our balcony |
 |
| Kieran and Pluto |
 |
| Kieran having fun in the Animation Studio |
 |
| Toy Story Mania (another favorite) |
After plenty of fun at Hollywood Studios (including more Star Tours, more Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the Disney Jr. show), we enjoyed appetizers in the club level lounge instead of having a big dinner, and then we met the Knudsons for a night swim. The adults decided it was too cold, but the kids had fun as long as they were in the water where it was warm.
 |
| Kieran before he decided it was time to get out |
After swimming, we warmed up and snacked on desserts in the club level lounge, and then headed to bed after another fun-filled day.
DAY 5: MAGIC KINGDOM
Of course, we had to spend our last day of vacation at Magic Kingdom. We were pleasantly surprised that Magic Kingdom had changed from Halloween to Christmas over night. This was such a treat for me!
 |
| Trapped with Zurg after Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin |
 |
| Caden and Cole joined this visit with Stitch. Stitch has been a favorite of Cole's since our first family trip in 2008. |
 |
| Spending some time with Buzz |
 |
| Caden and Kieran on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin |
 |
| Cole and Kieran waiting to board Dumbo |
 |
| Caden and me on Dumbo |
 |
| Winnie the Pooh ride |
 |
| In the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse |
 |
| 51 days until Christmas! (Kieran cracks me up.) |
Leaving Disney is never fun, but flying back with friends made the good-bye more tolerable. We were on the same late flight back as the Knudsons. The kids got along so well throughout the trip, and we had such a fun time together.
 |
| The boys (and their electronic devices) |
 |
| My buddies |
Disney World is always a blast and even more fun with friends! We can't wait to go back again!
