Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho. It's off to the Grand Floridian We Go! June 2014 (Update: Video)

[disney meema]

I love your plans for next summer everything sounds amazing and nothing like a family road trip in the family truckster ( yeah a Chevy Chase Vacation reference ) We love love San Fran as well theres so much to do & see that your kiddos will always remember. Of course Anaheim and the OC area will be the highlight of the trip and with me growing up near Newport Beach it's of course my favorite, but also Laguna Beach has some great shopping, smaller fabulous beach and some of my favorite restaurants. Growing up in California and now living in Utah with once a month trips to Las Vegas can you believe our family has never been to the Grand Canyon ... It's crazy! We have a late spring 2015 trip planned with some of our grandkiddies with a stop in Zion park along the way. ( my husband found out you can get a pass to all the national parks in the US for $10 once you turn 62 and since he recently had a birthday he really is looking forward to visiting a few ... If Stephanie's family has anyone 62 plus coming along on your trip you might want to look into how the pass works for for your family or if it works? )

A big Thank You to both you & Stephanie for a very enjoyable and informative travel report ... The best family vacation report I've ever read : )

 

[jedijill]

Great wrap up!

Your next trip sounds awesome too! My brother and I have very fond memories of our family roadtrips from Missouri. Can't wait to hear all about it!

Jill in CO

 

[SusieBea]

I'm about to cry! Seriously. I hope there's a way in which we can be part of next Summer's trip. You take care over there. (We lived in Evansville, In for 24 years - one of the best things about it was the proximity to St. L! ) God bless!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You did such a great job with this trip report Matt - even just reading I could feel the great time you were having ... definitely a trip full of memories and you video was a great way to put a bunch of them together - I am sure it will be tons of fun watching it over the years

Your plans for next summer sound like so much fun - but definitely would have similar concerns you have about all those people in just 2 mini-vans traveling together and keeping everyone happy, etc. ... you say it will either be amazing or a disaster and I kinda feel like it will be both (or at least moments of both, though definitely hope a higher percentage of the former).

best of luck with the rest of the plans!

 

[MarbleBob]

Really enjoyed your trip report, especially since we will be staying at the GF for the first time this fall. It sounds like you made some great family memories for your kids, keep up the good work!

I am soooo jealous about your road trip next year. We had basically the identical trip planned about 3 years ago (minus the Grand Canyon) but had to cancel as DH went on strike. Instantly put an end to our plans . Thankfully we had not bought our plane tickets yet but I had some of the hotels booked. It was so sad cancelling them. So anyway, have fun planning my dream trip, haha! Would love to read about it next summer!

Thanks melk. I'm glad that you enjoyed the TR and hope you have an awesome time at the GF this fall!

Great trip report!
The road trip sounds great! I love road trips. Keep us updated!

Will do. Thanks!

I love your plans for next summer everything sounds amazing and nothing like a family road trip in the family truckster ( yeah a Chevy Chase Vacation reference ) We love love San Fran as well theres so much to do & see that your kiddos will always remember. Of course Anaheim and the OC area will be the highlight of the trip and with me growing up near Newport Beach it's of course my favorite, but also Laguna Beach has some great shopping, smaller fabulous beach and some of my favorite restaurants. Growing up in California and now living in Utah with once a month trips to Las Vegas can you believe our family has never been to the Grand Canyon ... It's crazy! We have a late spring 2015 trip planned with some of our grandkiddies with a stop in Zion park along the way. ( my husband found out you can get a pass to all the national parks in the US for $10 once you turn 62 and since he recently had a birthday he really is looking forward to visiting a few ... If Stephanie's family has anyone 62 plus coming along on your trip you might want to look into how the pass works for for your family or if it works? )

A big Thank You to both you & Stephanie for a very enjoyable and informative travel report ... The best family vacation report I've ever read : )

Thanks for the tips! Stephanie's parents are indeed over 62. We'll have to check and see if parks pass covers just them, or everyone in the car.

Stephanie and I went on a "parents only" trip to Disneyland a few years ago, and we took a day off to explore. We did one of those "beach bus" tours, where we stopped at Huntington Beach (for a few minutes), then they dropped us off at Newport Beach for a couple hours, then picked us up and dropped us off at Laguna Beach for a couple hours. Laguna beach was awesome with the tide pools and the town was cool, but we really liked our time at Newport beach the best. (We were down by Balboa Pier. Had fun at the beach, exploring Balboa Island via the ferry, a terrific lunch, etc.) It'll be a tough call on which beach to visit next summer, there are so many outstanding choices!!!!

And thanks again for the compliments. Much appreciated

Great wrap up!

Your next trip sounds awesome too! My brother and I have very fond memories of our family roadtrips from Missouri. Can't wait to hear all about it!

Jill in CO

Thanks Jill! Outside of Florida, Colorado is the second most visited place for our kids. Stephanie's parents have a time share in Estes Park and we go up for a visit to Rocky Mountain Park every two or three years. Outside of Disney, RMNP is my favorite vacationing spot!!! When we retire, I either want to move to Florida or Colorado!!!

I'm about to cry! Seriously. I hope there's a way in which we can be part of next Summer's trip. You take care over there. (We lived in Evansville, In for 24 years - one of the best things about it was the proximity to St. L! ) God bless!

Thanks SusieBea.

You did such a great job with this trip report Matt - even just reading I could feel the great time you were having ... definitely a trip full of memories and you video was a great way to put a bunch of them together - I am sure it will be tons of fun watching it over the years

Your plans for next summer sound like so much fun - but definitely would have similar concerns you have about all those people in just 2 mini-vans traveling together and keeping everyone happy, etc. ... you say it will either be amazing or a disaster and I kinda feel like it will be both (or at least moments of both, though definitely hope a higher percentage of the former).

best of luck with the rest of the plans!

Thanks Phil! I think you are right about next summer's trip being a little bit of both! But the good thing, is that we have experience traveling with Stephanie's family too, and we know their vacationing style... so we can set our expectations accordingly

 

[MidnightParade]

I've been offline for a few days do I'm a bit behind! You guys look like you had a lovely last night, and nice that you were able to cap it off with Pickle! Excited to see you watched Wishes from the boat dock and loved it. I was reading an article and they mention of the best spots was to watch it from the dock at the TTC so I'm hoping we'll be able to catch it one night from there as well now. Good to know you liked it as well!

Matt, I loved your video! It was very well done. I know doing music videos is a big thing but you did a great job without. The clips didn't drag on but weren't too short either. It was fun and entertaining and the bulletin board style gave it a nice touch! I'm pretty impressed!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! It was a lot of fun to see it go from PTR to TR and your family is beautiful and a lot of fun!

Your California trip sounds like a whole lotta fun and I hope you end up sharing it!

 

[KelleyK75]

Your trip next summer sounds awesome! I'm sure it will be so much fun! I've always wanted to do a road trip like that out west, and the family has been talking about it. I'm sure we'd all love to see another TR from you, even if it's not all Disney. I've read some "out west" ones here before and really enjoy them.

 

[kgoodb00]

That sounds like a pretty exciting road trip! I would love to take a trip like that someday! We are looking to go out to the West coast next summer. Probably Portland/Seattle. And I am trying to add in a few days at Disneyland

BTW we tried Sugarfire! It was super delicious. I love their bbq sauces. And their brisket was probably the best I had! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[MarbleBob]

I've been offline for a few days do I'm a bit behind! You guys look like you had a lovely last night, and nice that you were able to cap it off with Pickle! Excited to see you watched Wishes from the boat dock and loved it. I was reading an article and they mention of the best spots was to watch it from the dock at the TTC so I'm hoping we'll be able to catch it one night from there as well now. Good to know you liked it as well!

Matt, I loved your video! It was very well done. I know doing music videos is a big thing but you did a great job without. The clips didn't drag on but weren't too short either. It was fun and entertaining and the bulletin board style gave it a nice touch! I'm pretty impressed!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! It was a lot of fun to see it go from PTR to TR and your family is beautiful and a lot of fun!

Your California trip sounds like a whole lotta fun and I hope you end up sharing it!

Amber, thanks for the feedback and nice comments. I look forward to following along with your TR in October

Your trip next summer sounds awesome! I'm sure it will be so much fun! I've always wanted to do a road trip like that out west, and the family has been talking about it. I'm sure we'd all love to see another TR from you, even if it's not all Disney. I've read some "out west" ones here before and really enjoy them.

Thanks Kelley. Hopefully, I'll stumble up on some good tips to share in case you and your family decides to do a road trip to the west too.

That sounds like a pretty exciting road trip! I would love to take a trip like that someday! We are looking to go out to the West coast next summer. Probably Portland/Seattle. And I am trying to add in a few days at Disneyland

BTW we tried Sugarfire! It was super delicious. I love their bbq sauces. And their brisket was probably the best I had! Thanks for the suggestion.

Here's to hoping that you'll find a way to add a few days at Disneyland in your trip next summer I'm glad that you liked Sugarfire! I usually don't go out of my way to recommend restaurants, but I feel like it's "that good".

 

[ThePin Princess]

Hi Matt! I had a great time reading along and following! Sounds like you guys had a great trip! Great pictures! Thanks so much for sharing your trip!!

 

[MarbleBob]

Hi Matt! I had a great time reading along and following! Sounds like you guys had a great trip! Great pictures! Thanks so much for sharing your trip!!

Thanks Grace! I'm glad that you enjoyed it

 

[CrawfordMom]

Great trip report! I've been off the DIS for quite a while but have been down with the flu this week, so I've had a chance to catch up. Your report kept me entertained and I can't wait to read about this road trip you have planned for next year.

 

[MarbleBob]

Thanks CrawfordMom. The flu stinks, but disboards are fun! I hope you are feeling better by now

 

[MarbleBob]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say that I've started a pre-trip report for our trip to Disneyland this coming June. Here's the link, if you are interested:

(PTR) Getting There Is Half the Fun - An Epic Road Trip with 2 Minivans, 11 States, and 5K Miles!

 

[Cira]

All the photos are just breathtaking. You all have created such AWESOME memories. Beautiful for the kids to remember later on life. Just gorgeous! LOVE the storytelling too!



And we can't leave out our handsome Buddy!



Next we thought about trying the fountain over by the Villas.



We weren't really feeling the fountain, so we headed over towards the lagoon.



We decided that this was a pretty good spot, so we snapped quite a few photos here.



I think this was one of the contenders for the photo above the fireplace...



But of course, we took the opportunity to get a bunch of smaller group photos too.



Hey, I know that guy!









My awesome parents!



Hey Pickle!



The oldest grandsons...



And the entire set of loving grandkids.



After photos, we headed back to our rooms to regroup with aunt Denise and her gang before heading over to 'Ohana for our next big family meal.

.[/QUOTE]

 

[Cira]

Thoroughly enjoyed the report, and of course, ADORED the photos. I am thrilled you all seemed to have such a great time and make such wonderful memories!!!!

 

[MarbleBob]

Thoroughly enjoyed the report, and of course, ADORED the photos. I am thrilled you all seemed to have such a great time and make such wonderful memories!!!!

Thanks Cira! I'm glad you enjoyed the report, we sure had a lot of fun writing it and sharing our experiences with everyone.

I'm just getting a pre-trip report started for our trip to Disneyland this coming June. Feel free to join us, if you like

(PTR) Getting There Is Half the Fun - An Epic Road Trip with 2 Minivans, 11 States, and 5K Miles!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[MarbleBob]

Hi DonnaBeeGood! Thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hi Matt! I thought I would have a "quick look" at your TR when I noticed them in your signature over on the DIS Dads board. Well, I was so entertained I ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting! I really enjoyed it and it loos like an awesome trip. I don't know that I will ever have to opportunity to stay at the GF but it looks like a beautiful resort. By the way, I noticed your Pickle was born just three weeks before my DD. Interesting coincidence.

We did the Twinnings Tea Tour there a couple years ago and it was really cool

You mentioned the Tea Tour at Epcot. It's something I've thought about, since I enjoy tea as well. Seems it's only offered during Flower & Garden, though? I guess you would say it's worth doing?