Disneyworld Day 0: Hoop-Dee-Doin’ It

I’m labelling this “Day 0” because we didn’t actually spend any time at a Disney Resort, but there was still plenty that we did do.
We had a very early flight, leaving just after 7am. We actually try to get to the airport an hour before scheduled departure, because with two kids, we really do need the time. We left the house before 6am, and Ellie didn’t go back to sleep until halfway through the flight to Orlando. It was also Evan’s first plane ride.

Not quite as early as Ellie’s first flight (she wasn’t even two months old when we flew to Miami for the World Series), but still pretty early anyway. We’ll see how long it takes for his first international flight.
Once we arrived in Orlando, we were disappointed to find it raining cats and dogs. Luckily, it turned out to just be a typical Florida thunderstorm which blew right through and cleared up some beautiful weather, perfect for checking out the pool.

Pretty sweet, eh? We were staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter, which is a mid-level resort on the Disney property. We came to enjoy our hotel because it was nice and quiet, as well as having one of the shorter lines for getting on shuttle buses. The pool was pretty cool too, and Ellie was excited to hop right in.

Disney, we soon came to find out, is prepared for most eventualities, like not having a life vest for your kid, so they provided one for us. Kind of important when you’re only 3 feet tall and you want to go down the slide into 4 feet deep water and don’t know how to swim. Unfortunately, it was a little too scary, and Ellie only went down the one time.

My dad was meeting us for dinner, and he said he found us by following the glare of our pasty white skin. Pretty easy to find the tourists, I guess.

Our dinner plans should have been simple. Since we and our extended family were on the Disney Dining Plan, we all needed to check in and get out meal passes. Then we could go to the concierge and “pay” for our meal using our dining plan credits. After that, my dad would be left to pay for the remainder since they were not on a plan. Lisa even called her family when they were on the bus to Disney to remind them what to do. And yet, in what would become a recurring theme, it somehow went awry. They all went straight to the concierge and paid with their credit cards, and called back triumphantly announcing that they had followed the instructions. Clearly not. They ended up spending a good half hour getting things straight later.
Eventually, we all made it to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue dinner show. Our seats were up in the balcony with a great view of the stage. Ellie sat in rapt attention once they sang the opening number, which sounded suspiciously like a Wiggles song. It’s probably an old standard, but it certainly piqued Ellie’s interest.

In another recurring theme, Ellie didn’t eat too much at the show, even though ribs are one of her favorites. I was forced to embarrass myself by volunteering that it was my birthday (a week or so prior actually, but I was getting belated presents that night). The coquetteish blonde performer mussed my hair as I grinned from ear to ear. I was happy to be here.

At least I didn’t have to go up and perform like these poor folks. And that was the end of Day 0, as it was time to go back to the hotel and get some sleep before the first of many busy days ahead.