Disney World - there and back again

No trip of ours would be complete without a few stories and adventures. Nothing is ever simple with us.
So, we booked our vacation sometime in December or earlier, I don't remember - when a deal popped up - $35 round trip to Orlando. No way! What's the catch? I look into it, and it doesn't include a million fees, but it still adds up to being under $300 (is that right, Chad) for all of us total, bagage and everything. Wow! Not the $35 I was expecting, but still a smoking deal. We grabbed it before it could vanish on us. The time for our trip finally rolls around and we head to the airport at what we thought was a reasonable time before our flight - over an hour early for our small, non-busy local airport. We discover 2 things: 1) the airline we're flying stops check-in 45 min before the flight's scheduled departure. Good thing we were early! And 2) our flight was delayed by an hour. Oh yeah, and 3) no drinks or anything served on the flight. Anyway - everything is still going reasonably well until we land in Orlando.... and discover it's NOT Orlando. At least, not Orlando International Airport, like we thought it was - we were in Orlando-SANFORD International Airport. Who knew there were 2 orlando international airports? We finally got what the catch was - an hour drive to Disney; no provided shuttle to our hotel. That's why the tickets were so cheap! So now it's 11pm on a Sunday and we have 2 kids, no car seats, and no transportation. We thought we would fly in around 9pm, catch the shuttle to our hotel, order a pizza up to our room, and retire around 10pm.  No hassle, no car seats needed, easy peasy. Hahahahahahahahaha We were fortunate (our guardian angel works overtime) to find a car rental place with an infant car seat for Seth and sucked up the cost for a day's rental - $78. Bleh. (Still a good deal. And then of course we had to do it again on the way back - another $50... still a good deal.)  We couldn't find the freeway, so we took the tollroad - more money. When we pulled up to the second toll booth, the lady said "That'll be 75" and it took us a moment to realize she meant cents, not dollars! When we do get to the hotel, they have our reservation wrong, and we have to wait while they find us another room, and wait again while they find us a packnplay for Seth. We didn't make it to our room and get something to eat and into bed until 1:30am. Looooooooong day.
But then Disney was great!!
On the way back, renting a car was cheaper because we booked it in advance - how dumb. Anyway - but we got lost again. On the toll road. Not a fatal mistake because we left at 10:30 am for our 4:30 pm flight, but it did cost us some MORE extra money. But we happened to pass a bronze foundry and decided to stop in since bronze is the traditional gift for your 8th annivesary. Hahahahaha they commission HUGE statues and the like - everything was in the thousands of dollars, and most of it was huge. Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. At least we got a brochure? But it was another loooong day, and by the time we got on the plane, we had 2 screaming kids and 2 tired and frustrated parents. Seth picked up a cold from his Argentine girlfriend and Sakura picked up an attitude all on her own. (oh yeah - ever hear of the group Fifteen? I hadn't either, but apparently they're huge in other parts of the world. The group at our hotel was from Argentina, and Seth was flirting it up with one of the girls - they're all 15 year old girls - think HUGE quincenera - and sucked on her finger, only to wake up with a cold the next day. Which we are still currently dealing with, poor little guy) We got home after 6, had cereal for dinner, and retired before 8. Wow. Whoever invents instantaneous travel will become my all time HERO!