We decided to drive the whole way down in one day instead of splitting it up. We were planning to leave at 6:00 in the morning, but due to some work issues I had to stop by the office and we didn't leave till 7:30 or so that morning. We were driving south so we didn't have to worry much about traffic. Michael, Josh and Kayla travel well (especially since we have movies they can watch) so we drove quite a while before much of a break.
The van was running a bit hot so when we got moving we didn't want to stop much because the van would run really hot when we accelerated. We ate snacks that Heather had brought for lunch. We stopped in Gainesville, FL for dinner at Crackle Barrel.
At Crackle Barrel I wanted to check-in to our hotel room on the internet in case there was a long line at the hotel. I couldn't with my phone so Heather drove a bit so I could try to check-in on my computer. After multiple tries and phone calls with Disney I was able to get us checked in.
We took the back roads to Disney's Port Orleans Riverside resort. Too bad it was dark when we arrived, I most definitely would have liked to seen the houses on this side of Disney. The car was really getting hot. I was definitely glad we made it without any car trouble.
When we arrived we were able to get through the guard gate (we were on the list). We then went on to go to the lobby to get our wrist bands activated. The lady at the front was very friendly. She helped us get set up with our wristbands and answered some questions. The kids sat and watched the movie in the lobby while we were set up.
We were fortunate to be selected to be a test case for the wrist bands. The wrist bands are a new form of tickets that we were able to use as hotel key, fast pass and fast pass plus, meal plan use, etc. Each one of us received a wrist band.
Time to find where to get the bottom less Disney mugs. We were able to receive a free meal plan based on the date we arrived. We found the food court and received our mugs. Everyone picked their drink and we headed to our room to get some rest before tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we are planning to take part in the Disney Magic Hours (Hollywood Studios opens 1 hour early) - 8 am.
Once in the room we got set and were showing off the wrist bands. We have been looking forward to this week since almost a year ago. The week is here!
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| My wrist band says soccerboy... |
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| Mine says bosslady... |
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| Look mine is pink! |
