First day of the second half of our trip was spent in the car, driving from Cincinnati down to Atlanta, with three six year olds in tow. For NINE hours in the car, they did so well and better than we expected. The drive was seamless through Lexington with no traffic, speeding south with that lovely 70 mile per hour speed limit; bumper to bumper traffic didn’t occur until until Knoxville, which sucked up over an hour of slowly moving forward. Once again we then cruised until Chattanooga, and then off and on had traffic delays until we arrived at our Airbnb in downtown Atlanta. With only a few potty and food breaks, a brief run session while we waited for food, and a random playground, we spent the rest of the day in the car. The girls colored, wrote down words displayed on billboards and played with their toys, and watched a couple television shows. That, and a LOT of snacking.
Craig had another surprise in store, unbeknownst to the girls, with Grandma Sue walking in the door that night in Atlanta, to complete surprise and delight. While we traveled all day by car, she traveled by air. She walked in the front door like it was no big deal and they were so surprised! Little did they know that their beloved Disney castle was right around the corner.
Atlanta was not our final destination but a good midpoint on the long drive, so we shoved two major tourist destinations into a one day visit. We walked over to the Atlanta Zoo, first thing in the morning (once we found the front entrance!), and explored all the attractions in perfect morning temperatures and with very few people around. Staying a couple blocks from our morning destination and being able to walk over was a nice touch to the visit.
First stop was the elephants, learning that a couple were older than us! We stopped at most of the penny machines and I towed a huge bag of customized, zoo animal featured pennies back with us. Everyone saw the zebras and giraffes but didn’t get to feed them, as they didn’t wish to cooperate while we stood in line for it. Gorillas were everywhere in several different enclosures, but the girls could care less and were more excited to follow the random squirrels -which are everywhere down there- and collect acorns and pine cones off the ground. We saw snakes and other reptiles, and a variety of different turtle breeds. A few beautiful birds humored us in the bird enclosure while the lone red panda refused to wake up from his nap to say hello.
Turns out the Atlanta Zoo didn’t quite live up to Cincinnati’s vibe, but at least it filled a morning. The real kicker? The live pandas packed their bags and returned to China just a week before we showed up. Reagan took the tragic news like a champ—definitely better than I did. She still strolled around the panda exhibit like they were magically going to reappear, we made panda themed pennies, browsed the still-open panda gift shop, and grabbed some panda merch. Because if you can’t see the real thing, at least you can own the T-shirt, right? And the irony of it all- while we were in Atlanta not seeing the pandas, another pair was refueling in Anchorage on their way to a different zoo—one we weren’t visiting. Talk about timing!
The petting zoo was cute, with goats and sheep enjoying the sun and a little love from kiddos and adults alike. Emerie and Harper insisted on picking off all the straw on them, and stood there talking to the zoo employee while “cleaning” them off. The kid specific area had a little train that looped the section, decked out for Halloween with a candy-themed stretch that looked like sugar rush from Wreck It Ralph. It was basically Halloween eye-candy central, minus the actual candy (thankfully, because the last thing we needed was more candy). The girls enjoyed pointing out the types of candy decorations and yelling echos as we passed through the tunnel.
After the zoo visit we walked back to the house and drove further into downtown, stopping for a quick lunch eating some local barbecue -brisket and pulled pork that took forever and didn’t actually get eaten until hours after our next adventure. We headed to the Georgia Aquarium for our second aquarium of the week, and honestly? I was a bit disappointed. Compared to the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky—which might be smaller but is definitely more exciting and better laid out—this one just didn’t impress.
Harper immediately spotted the seal enclosure -which was tiny by the way- and she happily watched them swim around, talking about them with Reagan and Emerie. For so many seals in one spot, the size of the area didn’t even compare to the Sealife Center here in Seward, but still drew quite a viewing crowd. The adjacent wall displayed paintings of all different types of seals and we had to return later to ensure Harper had a picture with it! The girls weren’t really impressed at all the fish varieties swimming in the many tanks, although I did hear Emerie exclaim look it’s Dory! and later look it’s Nemo! when we passed those species. And in truth there were many beautiful fish- though through the eyes of a six year old, I can see how that is less exciting than all the larger sea creatures swimming around. Another fish coloring activity led the girls to requests to color lots of different fish and see them swimming along a full wall projector, and it took a few minutes to convince them we couldn’t do that section for an hour.
The dolphins and the single, large shark were seen without any big excitement from the three, surprisingly. The kids absolutely loved crawling through the tunnels under the penguins—so, naturally, Craig and I found ourselves down on all fours, squeezing through like giant, overgrown toddlers (kidding not kidding!). We popped up inside the viewing bubbles, face-to-face with those cuties, probably looking just as thrilled (or ridiculous) as the kids. It was a sweet family moment— with a side of mild knee trauma for the parents! Another, more readily accessible spot had a moving escalator below the large fish tank and was met with more excitement than the actual exhibit, and less suffering on the adult knees for that experience. We touched more stingrays in the touch tank, took pictures in front all all kinds of fish, and the girls touched every piece of fake treasure on display throughout the Halloween themed halls.
After a couple of hours wandering around, we ventured back outside and to a nearby playground for a few minutes, then attempted to find ice cream to no success. The place we found was in a large, air-conditioned mall and hotel, but nearly everything was closed. The funniest thing about that stop? The highlight of that stop? Three girls, probably in their early 20s, walked by and asked if we were triplets—a question asked countless times on this trip. Turns out, they were fraternal triplets themselves, sparking a cute conversation about life as triplets, who’s the oldest, middle, youngest, and all that fun stuff.
We ended the evening driving to the Atlanta Airport to swap the rental car for a large model; you know, to accommodate Grandma and our continued shopping excursions. Craig and I managed to find the right location within the city that is the airport, and the rental folks were very nice and helpful. After clearing out one car, loading all the car seats and coloring (so much coloring) into the replacement, we drove home with the sunset dropping across the sky. This time, the quest for a local ice cream spot was successful, with tons of random flavor choices to try.
By the end of the day everyone was tired; no bedtime stories or Tonies were requested, and not even a nightlight to keep the darkness away. The three bedroom AirBnB meant each kid slept in a big bed with one adult, and were off to dreamland in no time, unsuspecting that Disney was right around the corner after one more day in the car. While Atlanta was a bit disappointing overall, I believe we made the best of the stop and still had fun. Reagan found plenty of panda swag, Harper saw more of her beloved seals, and Emerie
Final Travel Day: Atlanta to Orlando
The long awaited trip to Disney World is finally here! After six years as a parent, over a year of saving up funds and buying plane tickets, we finally made the final 400 mile drive to get to Orlando. Some grumbling and complaints were heard with another day in the car, but not enough to give away the surprise at the southern destination. With a fourth “older” kid in tow (Grandma Sue haha), the overall ride consumed less complaints and arrival time requests. Everyone rotated seats, with one in the very back surrounded by luggage and Grandma and the other two in the middle row. Each kiddo spent a block of the ride doing their reading homework with Grandma when seats swapped, time very well spent in the car, and eventually we conceded to allow iPad games for a while too, a rarity all were thrilled about! Nobody napped, everyone snacked and enjoyed the unusual screen time as we made our way to our final, exciting destination.
I will also add, traffic was nonexistent on the drive until outside Orlando, which was MUCH appreciated after the first trip’s challenges. With fewer cities to get through and more rural areas on the one interstate, traffic moved at a fast pace and the 70 mph speed limit kept us moving. We drove through areas affected by Hurricane Milton earlier in the month, with the billboards (or lack there of I should say) torn to shreds and missing on a long stretch of road. Many were blown down, in pieces, or ripped apart, as was the brush and trees nearby. Numerous DOT employees were out clearing trees along the interstate right of way and continuing efforts to clean things up. Once into Orlando area, we couldn’t see any devastation other than more missing signage and areas with high standing water.
The temperature and humidity continued to increase as we worked our way south. Our final rest stop potty break was met with a slap of humidity and the girls finally felt real heat as we coaxed them off the iPads and out of the car. I was surprised we made it more than halfway through our trip before encountering any real humidity—Ohio had been drier than usual, and Georgia only slightly more humid. The girls eyed the palm trees and found other trees dropping pine cones, which were bagged in the back of the car and even made it home to Alaska with some effort, for a flower craft we will do this winter.
First stop after arriving at our home base for the next few days? The pool! After a long day cooped up in the car, all three of them couldn’t get into their swimsuits fast enough. They practically sprinted across the condo parking lot to the pool, which turned out to be the perfect temperature to cool down a bit on a nice day. The only thing that slowed them down? Recognizing dozens of tiny geckos living their best lives along the pathway, each one spotted getting an excited remark from one of the three. They had fun torturing Craig in the water while I relaxed poolside, letting my eyes refresh from a long day of driving. Later, we tried out a local spot for dinner; while the my salad and the rice bowls were amazing, the place could’ve used a few more hands on deck. We gave up waiting for a the kid meal dessert and explored a Publix and a Disney outlet shop (they’re practically everywhere!) next door before calling it a night—a good nights’ sleep was a must!
Everyone chose their parent for the first night and ended up staying in that same room for the rest of the trip. Harper roomed with me in the master bedroom and glorious king sized bed, Emerie insisted Craig bunk with him in a room with two full beds, and Grandma and Reagan were together in the last bedroom. Each bedroom had a fun feature- colored lighting under the bed frames, and a nice way to handle kids’ dislike of darkness in a foreign place; definitely a good set up for families visiting Disney. The condo perfectly fit our group, even though we only really slept there each night, and spent the rest of our time adventuring, meeting princesses, shopping, and enjoying what Orlando had to offer.
Orlando Day I: Disney, Disney, Disney!
We opted to keep the excitement of the day a secret until the very last second. Getting the girls up, showered and fed, Craig and I then walked out in our princess themed t-shirts (Rapunzel for me and Snow White for Craig, the least girly color options!), and handed the girls three more matching ones with their favorite ladies, Sleeping Beauty’s Princess Aurora, Frozen’s Queen Elsa and Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine. They initially took the news a little calmer than I expected, with minimal screaming, but definite excitement that grew once we made it to the park and the realization of the day’s adventures became reality.
It took over an hour to get from our condo to the actual park—despite the fact that we were only 10 minutes away by car! Little did we know, once you find the right parking lot for the right park, you catch a ride to the park entrance, only to then hop on a train to finally get near the actual entrance. This all equals lines in between each transportation stop, and of course, doing this right at opening time meant everyone else was just as eager as we were. Thankfully, the girls were thrilled to ride on both vehicles and managed to stick close to ‘their adult’ in the crowd of equally eager park-goers. Somehow I was also flagged BOTH times we entered the park for security to go through my bag. Not Craig, who wore a backpack himself, just me. The girls kept saying my boobs were setting the censors off…silly kids!
This being my first time at any Disney theme park, I wasn’t expecting the throngs of people that surrounded us. In fact, one park employee noted about one hundred thousand people pass through in a day; in Alaska terms, that is a third of the city we live in, which is crazy! Because of that, each kiddo was reminded to stick with their “assigned parent,” which rotated throughout the day (although Reagan was mostly glued to me for the whole trip). Everyone was handed a Disney card “ticket,” Emerie instantly unimpressed that Elsa was not an option. It took the girls a couple tries to swipe into the park, but we made it. The cards helped with our princess photo pass, the predominant reason for the visit, and will make the memory book at some point later.
The first day of Disney World, at the Magic Kingdom Park, was a big success. Not only that, but we ended our 14 hour day with very tired but happy kiddos and parents, kiddos who exclaimed this is the best day of my life! (Emerie!). No amount of coaxing in the world would have kept all three awake on the short drive home, after such a fantastic day.
We met several characters the first day, including Encanto’s Mirabel, Tiana, Cinderella, Elena of Avalor, Rapunzel, and Ariel; but knew a few others were going to be part of day two. We stopped in many shops, rode the carousel and twirling tea cups, ate popsicles, smoothies and ice cream (anything cool!), enjoyed dinner in Beauty and the Beast’s ballroom and rounded out the day with the big firework show. It was a magical day made extra special by a few thoughtful details. For example, smoothies came with edible chocolate crowns, something small and fun that made it even more enjoyable. You better believe Grandma and I made sure to get three crowns for those tiny humans! New dresses were selected and everyone sparkled in the sun with princess-themed jewelry (jewelry that kept falling apart and making the adults crazy, I might add!). Eventually each kiddo found their mini princess doll (Elsa, Aurora and Jasmine duh) and toted them around like a tiny royal friend. The custom princess t-shirts were eventually traded for tank tops, which felt so much cooler in the direct, afternoon sun.
Another epic find in my mind was the customized parasols, each one hand-painted right there in the park and with their names on them. Emerie, of course, picked a “Frozen” theme, with cool snowflakes and an Elsa and Anna dress against a purple backdrop, while Reagan went for a Jasmine design against blue, full of vibrant colors and the magic lamp. Harper couldn’t resist Aurora’s signature pink, with a touch of fairy tale elegance of her crown and pink dress. A few hours later, we picked up their custom creations—perfect souvenirs for a day spent in their own little kingdom and a keepsake I hope we can keep from utter destruction for a couple of years!
Watching your kids see Disney World for the first time is like seeing pure magic unfold right before your eyes. Their eyes light up with a joy so big it seems to spill over, and each new sight—whether it’s the castle, a fancy dress (or pair of shoes!) or a favorite character—feels like a piece of their dreams coming to life, a small look into what they see as magical and important at this stage of their lives. It’s hard to put into words how wonderful it is to witness them in that pure, unfiltered excitement; in those moments, you realize you’re sharing something they’ll (hopefully) remember forever, just like your bank account will (am I right or am I right?!). I found myself pausing to watch the experience, and so very glad we made the effort to travel across the country to do it, and that we waited until this age.
I could write a book on the adventures of the first day, so in lieu of that here’s a list of some of the highlights:
The goal of the day was simple, to meet as many princesses as possible. Day one consisted of Mirabel, Tiana, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Elena of Avalor, Ariel and Jasmine. We learned that Elsa, Anna, Belle and Aurora would be day two at a different park, much to Emerie and Harper’s dismay. Many assurances continued to remind them all the favorite princesses would be met before we went back home to Alaska. We also spotted lots of familiar sights, like this photo with Rapunzel’s tall tower, which really looks like the real thing!
Seeing the real Disney castle, was a request Craig and I heard on repeat for the past two years or so. The girls didn’t fully comprehend the upcoming day until that castle came into view and were met with shrieks of excitement and awe that it does indeed exist! We took pictures in front of it, watched a couple dance numbers in front of it, walked through it, and explored with three very joyous and excited girls. Watching the magic come alive and their reactions to it was one of the best parts of the entire vacation. The firework show with the castle all lit up was a pretty exciting thing to see as well.
So many princesses to meet, such lines! We strategically decided who to see and when, with Tiana the first stop because her stop had no line. It was pure surprise when we walked in to the Princess and the Frog’s Tiana AND Rapunzel, and the girls peppered both princesses with lots of questions. The best part? The girls explaining they called Rapunzel “Pan” for all their toddler years, because it was easier to say and for her excellent use of a frying pan, which was met with a laugh and smile. Emerie also commented that Rapunzel’s hair was so beautiful, and we have braids too!
The moment they saw Cinderella, the girls made a beeline to ask her the most pressing question of all: what do your shoes look like? With a kind smile, she humored them and lifted her dress just enough to reveal those famous sparkly shoes, and the girls were so thrilled.
I couldn’t resist mentioning to Cinderella that Grandma Sue (and now Craig and I) always say, don’t act like Cinderella’s stepsisters! She actually laughed—a genuine, out-of-character chuckle—as if even she couldn’t help but non-verbally agree that it was pretty solid advice. The girls also asked her about her mice friends, and the prince, and were so fearless and not shy at all!
While rides were not the main focus for the day, we absolutely took advantage of low lines to ensure a full experience. At one point while Craig waited for lunch to be ready, Sue and I caught a quick line and rode the spinning teacups with the girls. We rode the carousel several times throughout the day, Aladdin’s magic carpet, and the girls drove the motor car track and ensured all three adults received minor whiplash from the wild steering. Apparently Harper became a speed maniac and was giggling and screaming manically with Grandma Sue in tow. Sounds about right.
We committed to a very long, winding line in a cave to ride the Ariel clam shells. Waiting in that line with the massive throng of people around us was the most anxiety I had the whole trip, but the ride was pretty cute once we made it. Reagan and Emerie hopped in with me and Harper with Sue and Craig behind us, and off we went. At one point everything stopped and the ride was stuck, which presented more time for the girls to look at everything closely. It was fun and got us out of the elements for a few minutes, not to mention all the creative characters and sets to look at.
Later in the afternoon we finally made it to see Ariel, in another cave. While in line we actually met another set of six year old triplets visiting from Michigan, whose mom is on my triplet Facebook page. It was nice chatting with them as we waited. Everyone was SO excited to talk to Ariel and full disclosure, Harper definitely reach out and touched her boobs. She told me later she wanted to know if her bikini top was made of real shells. So funny.
Last but definitely not least was Princess Jasmine and Aladdin. This was the toughest line of the day, 2 PM in direct sunlight, and we all look as sweaty and overheated as we felt. Reagan was SO thrilled to meet Jasmine and give her a hug; no one even batted an eye at Aladdin there with her, which was pretty funny. After pictures we rode the magic carpet ride, which provided a little breeze and view of the park from above.
It was really impressive that all the characters we visited took the time to listen to the girls, answer their questions as they all spoke at the same time, and just let them bask in the magic of the stories playing out in front of them. Everyone took turns pretty well, getting triplet photos and single photos with each princess, and often loudly announcing we’re triplets! to ensure that message was conveyed clearly to everyone in the room.
After a couple rides we walked through the Monster Inc. scare floor, watching the comedy show. It was cute although no Sully sighting was a little disappointing, but the air condition and momentary break to sit, on the other hand, were great! We rounded out the evening with dinner at the Beauty and the Beast ballroom, with the Beast walking around and waving but unfortunately no Belle sighting. Adults and kids alike had a three course meal and funny enough, Reagan and Emerie both ordered appetizer salads with their meals and quickly devoured them. The food was delicious after a very busy day and the girls received light up cups to pack home (to their delight and our addition of another tote for home). The kid dessert also had fun chocolate teacups that came with paint brushes to paint, so the girls decorated their masterpieces before tasting them.
By the time dinner was over it was dark outside, and we were right on time for the evening fireworks. While we initially planned to leave the park before this to beat the traffic, I’m really glad we found a spot off one path, with a direct view of the castle and sky. The girls oo’d and awed over all the different colors, which lined up with both the music and in relation to the princesses and characters. It was a spectacular show and the girls happily watched, without the “I’m tired” complaints after exploring for close to fourteen hours. It took another full hour to leave the park after the fireworks, along with practically everyone else. It felt like herding cattle, trying to keep my little ones close and with the adults as the crowd shifted to tired kids and sleeping babies in strollers, all of us pushing toward the train cars and the distant parking lot. Once we reached the car, keeping the kids awake was impossible, and the drive was completely quiet. Back at the condo, they instantly climbed into bed, still in their tank tops and shorts, with wonderful memories of the day to dream about.
Since this is apparently the longest blog ever, I’ll wrap up this post here and finish our trip’s highlights in the next one! There’s just so much to capture—so many moments I never want to forget and so many details that deserve their own stories. I’m beyond grateful to be part of this family trip, sharing these magical days with my girls, an amazing mother-in-law who makes traveling so fun, and a husband who’s wholeheartedly embraced his role as a girl-dad, making every moment extra special.
Being here together, watching the girls light up with every surprise, princess encounter, and adventure, has been something I’ll certainly treasure forever. And I can’t wait to share the final leg of our trip soon….when I finish writing it 🙂
❤
The Douglets 
Sounds like such a fun trip! I love how you captured the excitement of heading to Disney. It’s always so magical, no matter how many times you go! I actually stumbled across this post while taking a break from our home renovation project—we just rented a dumpster for all the demo debris. Reading about your adventure has been the perfect escape from the chaos at home. Looking forward to hearing about all the must-do rides and snacks!
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