Jon and Kate Hit the Road: Gosselins Do Disney World

DISNEY WORLD! It's a destination our family loves, and apparently we're not alone. When we recently watched our favorite reality TV show, "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" travel to Disney, we knew we would be in for a treat. How would Jon and Kate deal with 2 six-year-olds and 6 three-year-olds in the massive parks? In the steamy Florida heat? The hour-long episode answers those questions.

Jon and Kate plan to drive their van to Florida, explaining that a flight would be too expensive. They also felt that they needed their van because it is large enough for all of them and has the room for them to take along everything they would need (for the record, they do add a U-Haul trailer to the back of the van for additional storage space).

The Gosselin children are shown excitedly pointing out a "countdown to Florida" chart in the house, where they count down the days until their adventure begins. Kate mentions that this will be the first vacation they have taken since the sextuplets' arrival. They did take the twins to Disney World before the 'tups arrived. We see some cute shots of the kids demonstrating their excitement. My favorite has to be Aaden pretending to be Dumbo: "Me is Dumbo!" Kate tells us that he loves to pretend and has been imagining himself as various Disney characters.

We see the large amount of luggage sitting around the living room, and Mady points the various items out to us. I was amused that she mentioned that they were bringing along medicine, "because we're not going to be eating organic." She shows the various boxes and bags, all neatly labeled, and tells us "When I look at all this, it makes me realize once again that my mom is VERY organized!" Well, she does have a point. No one will ever accuse Kate of being disorganized!

The family plans to hit the road around 5 p.m., and I was impressed to see that they actually got going at 4:45. We are informed that it will be a 19 hour drive, crossing 7 states. They (actually Jon, who does all the driving) travel to South Carolina, where they stop at a hotel at 2 a.m. They all get a bit of rest before rising bright and early to be on the road by 7 the next morning. Kate comments on not wanting anyone to walk barefoot on the hotel floor, as that is "yucky".

After lunching in Savannah, Georgia, the family arrives at Disney's Wilderness Lodge that evening, amidst a van full of cheering children and excited parents.

They arrive in their room, discovering personalized mouse ears waiting for them, as well as a personalized note from Mickey Mouse. I am wondering if this is standard for guests at WIlderness Lodge? When we stayed, it was at a "value" (read "cheaper") resort, but we didn't get any of that. Anyway, the family is thrilled. We also see family friend Beth arriving with her three daughters, who have all volunteered to come along on the vacation to help with the kids. I would call that true friendship!

The next morning, it's another early start with a 6:30 a.m. breakfast at Chef Mickey's. The group appears tired, but they perk up when they get to meet and interact with Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. All is not sunshine and roses; Mady is upset and fussing over having to wear her "itchy Mickey hat."

Then, it's on to the Magic Kingdom. The Gosselins get 3 double strollers, and they love them. They proclaim them lightweight, easy to push, and easy to turn. When you're pushing six children, I can see why those would all be pluses!

The first ride they go on is Dumbo. The kids (and parents as well) love this, and Colin cries when he has to get off so soon. (I must say, I can relate. Compared to the amound of time we had to wait in line, I remember also thinking the ride was over way too quickly!). They head next to the Mad Hatter Spinning Teacups, where the more adventurous family members get in cups to spin and the more sedate ones insist on no spinning.

The family then are shown meeting Cinderella, Snow White and Belle in the Rose Garden. It is quite hot, and they decide to have some ice cream. This is what precipitates the "meltdown" (literally!). Being three years old, and it being summer in Florida, this does not go entirely smoothly. Some of the children spill ice cream down their clothing, and Kate has a fit: "This is really bad!" "She's ruined!" etc.

Finally Kate takes the ice cream and gives the children bites herself, although the kids' patience with this is not great. Kate proclaims the ice cream fiasco "the worst moment", although laid-back Jon immediately counters with, "it was the BEST moment." It made for compelling TV, but I wonder if the incident was blown out of proportion for the show. When the footage for it began Kate commented, "I know this is going to be half the episode." Exaggerated or not? You decide!

The Gosselins then enjoy the afternoon Disney parade - with the exception of Hannah, who sleeps through it. That's alright though; "We'll just have to come back" Kate proclaims.

The family spends 5 days at Disney, although this is the end of what we are shown. We next see them packing up, and Kate lamenting that they need to return. She says she is usually always ready to return home - but this time, she would really like to stay. I understand: it's the "Disney magic"! Mady proclaims the trip "just another life experience for the babies" in her grown-up way.

With that, the Gosselins start the drive back to Pennsylvania, having had a magical time.