A trip for Mommy and Daddy... ONLY! With more PICS (Okay.. I'm DONE finally! #124)

[Sooze]

Well, I can't wait any longer. After several Disney trips with family, friends, husband, etc.... After lurking around reading (and thoroughly enjoying) everyone else's trip reports... IT'S MY TURN!!! :banana:

But before I begin, I have two questions for everyone:

1. Our trip begins on January 4. Is it too soon to start my pre-trip report?

2. We have a six-year-old who is becoming quite obsessed with trips to WDW. Since this is an adult only trip (just DH and me), we are debating what to tell the DS!! I think we should tell him the truth, even if it means sending him into a depression! DH thinks we should just tell him "Mommy and Daddy are going away on a trip". I'll post later to give more thoughts.. but I was wondering what everyone else thought. What do YOU think? :confused3

BTW.. We joined DVC in 04. We have taken a "family trip" with kids on Labor Day of 05, 06, (and continue to do the same every year). We will then take our "mommy/daddy" trip in January each year. So don't you think the boy just needs to get over it? :rolleyes:

Thanks all! Can't wait to get started!

:hourglass Counting the minutes.....

Susie

[OhMari]

It's never to soon to start a pre-trip report. I think planning is just about as much fun as being there. Hope to see your itinerary.

[Sooze]

Well, since you're my only vote.. I'll go ahead and get started! Look for more after the weekend.

Hopefully, posting a pre-trip report will also help with the planning!

[Sooze]

<<Deep breath>> Ok. Here I go!

First of all, the cast

ME! (33) I am a third grade teacher in Indianapolis. I have been a Disney fan my whole life and can't wait to retire so I can move to Orlando and work at WDW!! I'm also very involved with the pagentry arts (marching band, color guard, drum corps) and THEATER!

DH (34) My husband, Matt. He is a band director here.. and he's FABULOUS at it! State champion marching band 5 years in a row! He also teaches a brass line in drum & bugle corps during the summer. Thank the heavens, he is a Disney fanatic as well.

We joined DVC in 2004 as a way to "force" ourselves to take vacations. We bought enough points (that we could afford... both being teachers... kinda hard!!) to take 2 vacations a year. One for the family... one for just us! I can't tell you what a spark that brought back to our marriage!!!

Anyhoo..

Here are our plans:

Basic facts. 1/4- 1/8 Thursday-Monday trip. Staying at SSR with DDP. We are both AP holders as well.

Thursday 1/4 We have afternoon flights on NW Airlines DIRECT from Indy!! :banana: Let's hope that NW doesn't change this on us at the last minute... which happened to us last year,when they decided to route us through DETROIT :confused:

We are taking ME to our home resort SSR. This will be our first time staying here. Can't wait to tell y'all how it goes! :woohoo:

On Thursday night, we are hoping to run over to EPCOT for Illuminations (if we arrive on time) or else DTD. It will all depend on how our flight goes and how long we have to wait on ME!

Friday 1/5 DH will be running in the 5K this morning at MGM. Go him! I despise running. So it will be great to see him do this, or maybe I'll have to venture over to TOT while he does his thing.. hmm.. decisions...

After that, we will return to the resort for a nap, pool time, or whatever else :rolleyes1

That evening, we have ADRs at Rose & Crown. We are praying we get a patio table with a view of the lagoon. We will MILK our dinner for as long as possible and hopefully enjoy Illuminations from our table. This will all require a bit of ... well.... pixiedust:

Saturday 1/6 We will spend the morning at MGM. Unfortunately, I heard that Rockin' Roller Coaster will be closed due to refurbishing. This STINKS :guilty: I haven't ridden that baby since January 05. After a pregnancy, and a trip with kids (who are too young to ride), I was READY READY READY to get back on this... my favorite WDW thrill ride. bummer....

We have ADRs at 50's Prime Time Cafe. I ate here over 10 years ago on a trip with my sisters and loved it. Looking forward to experiencing my DH's first visit with him.

The rest of the day is up for grabs.. but I'm sure we'll end up back at EPCOT for Illuminations. In case you haven't guessed.. we LOVE ILLUMINATIONS!!! :love:

Sunday 1/7 This is our Magic Kingdom Day. We have spent the least amount of time at this park. For some reason, we have just become an EPCOT family. Our 6 year old DS would rather be at EPCOT than MK... don't know why :confused3 But there are so many attractions we haven't seen. And so many shows our children aren't ready to sit through and enjoy. So we are both super excited to explore MK as two stress-free adults!

We have ADRs for dinner at the Polynesian.. OHANA. My DH has done this one, but I haven't. Looking forward to the big ol' buffet!

Evening plans will probably involve EPCOT again... we'll see what happens

Monday 1/8 I'm already sad thinking about this "going home" day. :sad2: We have ADRs at Restaurantosaurus for the Character breakfast. I'm sure this will be nice, but definitely not as fun without the kids. This may even get me in the mood to get back home and see them.

We hope to experience EE this day. Maybe it will make up for the Rockin' Roller Coaster being down... IT BETTER!!!!! :furious:

We fly out Monday night and return LATE to Indy. Both of us are taking Monday off of school (don't tell our Principals!! :blush: ) So getting up on Tuesday to go back to school will be .... impossible. I will be in total Disney withdrawal.

At least I can look forward to starting my TR, right? ;)

Thanks for reading... any comments would be great!

[Mrs.Reese]

No I'm kidding. I promise not to tell your prince. Your trip sounds great. Can't wait to hear more.

You get to teach the older ones :) Lucky :yay: :yay:

[Sooze]

You get to teach the older ones :) Lucky :yay: :yay:

I was wondering what grade you taught. After hearing about the vomit in "housekeeping", I assumed Kindergarten... or maybe preschool? :teacher:

[Mrs.Reese]

I teach kindergarten. It has its ups and downs but I can be a true goofball. :sunny:

[mlill]

Hi! :wave2: Your plan sounds good to me! We're flying Northwest out of Indy on the 14th. They already changed my afternoon flight, but I caught it in time and was able to get on the morning flight! Just keep checking!!! We stayed at SSR a couple of years ago. You'll like it! It was nice being able to walk to Downtown Disney. Have a great trip! I can't wait to read your TR when you get home!

Happy Holidays!
-Michelle

[Sooze]

Just wanted to let everyone know that on my ticker below... WE ARE DOWN TO DAYS!!!!! :banana: :banana: :banana: :cheer2: :cheer2:

BRING IT!!! :cloud9:

[Sooze]

Well folks, we are into the single digits. I think I better get out the luggage, attach the ME tags, and start taking pictures for my trip report.

I had the big discussion with the DS the other day about Mommy and Daddy going to WDW. I explained that there are "grown-up things" that we like to do that we don't get to do when we have kids. I reminded him that we take a trip every year that is just for Ds and DD and that we do WHATEVER THEY want during that trip...

Long story short, he was totally cool with it. Such a sweet kid!

Hey.. is anyone else having trouble posting smileys.. or seeing all of them?! Ever since that update, I've been struggling...?

[Sooze]

It's so close, I was able to check the weather for our trip. I'm totally excited to see it will be in the mid 80's... pretty darned toasty for this time of year. HOORAY!!:cool1:

The suitcases are out... the Hidden Mickey book is already in the suitcase (I always forget that blasted thing)... all I need to do now is a bunch of laundry to fluff up all of my shorts... poor things, they've been in hiding for several months now.:laundy:

I've been reading trip reports left and right.. my house is a disaster, but I'm so excited I can't get off this darned web site!!:surfweb:

Talk to you all later.

[Sooze]

Hi! :wave2: Your plan sounds good to me! We're flying Northwest out of Indy on the 14th.

Mlill... where are you from in Indiana?! It's great to see more Disney-obsessed Hoosiers on here!

[mlill]

We're in Northwest IN - Valparaiso. We can fly out of Chicago or Indy, but I prefer Indy. We stayed overnight at LaQuinta on Executive Dr. and did the park and fly thing. It was cheaper than using the airport parking lot, plus we didn't have to get up at 2 am for our 3 hour drive to Indy! What kills us is the time change between our area and the rest of IN. :rolleyes:

I bet you guys are getting excited! Have a wonderful time in WDW!!!

Take care,
-Michelle

[PrincessV]

Hi there Sooze :wave2: I'm in! Sounds like a great start, and you're only 2 days away now :banana: :woohoo: :yay:

Have a great trip, and we'll be here waiting to here all about it!popcorn::

[Sooze]

Well, I've already disappointed myself with this TR... but, honestly, it is NOT my fault!!

I have pictures of our "pre" trip ready to go, but I haven't been able to get online from my home computer in OVER A WEEK!! I can't even fathom how many emails are waiting for me...

But I can't access my pictures from school (the only place I can get online now)... so SORRY FOLKS!! Hopefully, it'll be up and running by the time I return from the World.

Oh yes... that's right... I'M LEAVING TODAY!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I just can't believe it's finally here.

If you're the praying type, please say a little prayer for my flights... I don't do very well on airplanes.. I'm a bit of a flight-:scared: wimp

Talk to you all in a few days!

[mlill]

I hope you're having a great time in WDW! :thumbsup2

I'm looking forward to reading all about it when you get home!

-Michelle

[Sooze]

Well.. I'm home:sad1: We had an amazing time and I can't wait to sit down with my little journal book and type it all up for anyone interested in reading!

Unfortunately, the next 5 days are jam packed with stuff to keep me away from my computer... So please don't leave.. I promise I'll be back with my report.

It was really fun experiencing WDW with a TR in mind... I kept a little notebook to write down little things that I knew I'd forget otherwise.

Bottom line... I'm still in love with Disney, even more than ever. Looking forward to sharing with you all!

BTW.. can someone help me move this over to the TRIP REPORTS board? I'm not sure how to do that:confused: THANKS!

[Sooze]

Well, we’re leaving tomorrow. I guess it’s time to get out the suitcases and start packing, eh? Here they are… open and ready to go.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_001.jpg

We bought these lovely red suitcases from the Disney catalog last Christmas. They were on sale.. that’s the only way I can justify paying that much for new luggage, especially luggage that won’t last very long. I love Disney, you know that, but a lot of their stuff from the catalog just ain’t very quality-made. :guilty: In fact, I swore we would ONLY use this luggage for Disney trips. Well, I had to make an emergency trip to PA the week before Christmas… a friend of mine died in a car accident… so sad… but you don’t need to be depressed. Any way, I grabbed the little red Mickey suitcase for the trip. As I’m rolling it through the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton airport, I realize a wheel has already broken off. :headache: Darnit!! Oh well, I still love the luggage because Mickey is on it, and the zipper pulls have classic Mickeys on them!

We have our ME passes secured.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_003.jpg

We have our carry on items ready to go into the red, Mickey carry on bag.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_002.jpg

Notice the Hidden Mickey book. I ALWAYS forget this thing. Now that I’m finally remembering it, half of the darn Mickey’s in there are out-of-date and no longer exist. But I’m bringing it darnit, just to say I used it and didn’t waste $12.95!!

The night before we are leaving has finally arrived. One more night in our own Mickey bed.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_004.jpg

It is hitting DH and myself that we will be leaving our children tomorrow. This BLISSFUL vacation that we have been waiting two years for is finally upon us, and it hits us that we have to say goodbye. Now, the baby will be fine. I’ll miss her little toes and sweet soft skin… but the six year old… He is old enough to make us feel GUILTY. We are not looking forward to it. My husband says it’s going to be “Brutal”.. he loves that word. I reassure him that Tyson knows we are going, and has been fine. But I knew better… I just didn’t expect it to be THAT bad…:sad2:

Stay tuned….

[Sooze]

By the way.. can ANYONE help me move this to the regular trip report section instead of pre-trip reports?!?! I tried to figure out how to do it, but I'm just not that savvy yet!

Thanks!

[daisy_77]

Hi! I am enjoying your report! Thanks for sharing!

I have the same red Mickey luggage and the first time I used it the luggage stap ripped off! Oh, well! They are still cute and work fine for my Disney trips!:thumbsup2

Look forward to reading more!:banana:

[Cinderella16]

Hi! :wave: I love your TR so far and I am looking forward to reading more of it! I think to move it to the regular boards you need to contact the moderator of the TR boards...I thought I read that somewhere else. Anyways, keep up the great work, I'll be waiting for more! popcorn::

[Blaynexox]

Hey! :wave2: Ooh your TR is great so far! Im glad you put pictures of your luggage up because when I got my tags I had NO clue what to do with them! I just got them the other day. I was like what does AK Pop Classic mean? :rolleyes: Now I realize that its our hotel and the "area" its in! Loving the red luggage - I JUST BOUGHT SOME RED LUGGAGE (i am loving my red luggage! :rotfl: ) <--not sure if my ONE SUITCASE counts as luggage, but we can pretend! Okay now Im rambling! Loving the trip report and cant wait to hear all about the adults only trip since I will be going on one just like it in 24 DAYS! :) Oh and one last thing - your bedspread/sheets are AWESOME!

[twinscandc]

We're in Northwest IN - Valparaiso.
Take care,
-Michelle

Another "Disney Lovin' Hoosier here"!! We live in Columbus (south of Indy). Michelle, I grew up in Portage. I miss it sometimes, especially Lake Michigan.

Sooze, can't wait to hear more!! My DH and I are really wanting to take an adult trip to WDW!! I totally understand BRUTAL! That is what it will be for my DD's!!

It this get's moved....please post a link!

Becki

[Sooze]

I had to take a ½ day off of school in order to make our late afternoon flight. This gave me time to go home and pack last minute things. This was especially crucial, because not only was I packing for myself, but I was leaving my kids with 3 different people over the course of the weekend… and that means diapers, formula, and the rest of the baby circus!! Those of you who’ve had little ones know what I’m talking about!:scared:

So DS, at first, is excited to see me home early from school. Then it hits him…”wait a minute, she’s home early because she’s LEAVING ME!!” So he starts the “boo-boo” face.:sad1:

DS: When are you leaving, Mommy?
M: As soon as Daddy gets home baby

30 minutes later, DH pulls up into driveway. DS immediately turns on the waterworks. He knows that now that Daddy is home, the parents are officially leaving. DH walks in the door grinning from ear to ear… we are going to Disney! Then he sees the waterworks streaming from DS’s big, round, cute, pathetic eyes. :sad: What a way to dampen the mood.

We have to leave in a hurry (reason coming up soon)… so we give last kisses and hugs and reassurances that we ‘ SURELY won’t have as much fun in WDW without you….’

DH: We probably won’t even ride Test Track without YOU there, buddy
M: ?!?!?!?!??! ((in my mind)) Says YOU!!

We pull away with DS waving sadly and my DM (who is a sappy, emotional Italian grandmother) hugging and consoling. I know in my mind that she’s probably making it WORSE!

We are in a rush because about a week before Christmas, DH and I realized we don’t have a will. Since we are traveling together on this trip, we figured it would be a good idea to have one in place just in case, heaven forbid!! At least if my plane started spiraling out of control, I could relax, knowing my kids would be taken care of, right?:eek:

So we contact a lawyer, who happens to be a parent of a few of my former students. He hooks us up with a quick meeting and things seem to be on track. Then our computer dies over Christmas break. We don’t receive the emails from him… and things just get backed up. Bottom line, we have to run by his office on our way to the airport to sign our wills!! Nothing like last minute, eh?

The funny thing is, since I’m somewhat of an acquaintance of his because I educated a few of his kids, he feels this need to constantly tangent off into other stories (kind of like I’m doing right now), which is usually fine.. but when we are trying to sign our wills and still make it to the airport in time, I just don’t want to hear any stories! Here is a quick sample of our ending conversation. This took place after we had signed the documents, and the witnesses were taking their turns filling out their information.

Lawyer: So I had this friend…
M: um…. Do we need to be here for this?
L: No.. you’re done..

>>>>>>>>>*******<>>>>>> :car: (That’s the sound of DH and me FLYING out of the door!) Don’t mean to be rude but… DISNEY IS WAITING!!


We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I LOVE living in Indianapolis. It’s big enough to offer big-city entertainment and opportunities, but small enough not to feel over-crowded and unsafe.

Speaking of unsafe… I was so proud of myself for having packed everything so well. DH and I always fly through security because was pack right… we take off our shoes and coats while we are waiting.. we don’t stand there and waste everyone’s time while we figure out what the heck we’re doing. But, alas… I forgot I had put hand cream in my purse. Shoot!! So I had to go see the dude who handed me a plastic bag.. then, suddenly my hand cream was safe. HUH!?! I just don’t get that! What if I had explosive material in that tube?!? Just because it’s now in a little plastic bag, suddenly, it’s fine!? Can someone please explain that to me?:confused3

While we are waiting, I call home to see if DS is calmer. My DM informs me that when we pulled away, in between uncontrollable sobbing, DS said, “ The other kids in the neighborhood are lucky. They all have their parents and I don’t.” :charac2: Are you for real?! What a drama queen!!

So here are a few parting shots from the airport. My husband on the phone, as always. He just doesn’t have the ability to just chill… he is always doing something.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_005.jpg

And I like this shot of our plane.. with the beautiful Indy skyline in the background. So long Hoosier state!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_006.jpg

Next stop.. DISNEY WORLD!!:dance3: :woohoo: :woohoo: :cool1:


Oh.. and GO COLTS!!!

[timandlesley]

WOW! I'm loving this, so many emmotions. My DH and I will take our first trip w/out the kids in 2008 for our 10 year Anniversary, I can't wait, but the story of your DS made me cry because I know it will be us soon. Just the thought of going by ourselves (since we haven't gone by ourselves since our honeymoon) has me so excited but the leaving the kids part will be tough, as you experienced so I can't wait to read more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lesley

[mlill]

Susie-
Why don't you edit your title to say that your back - maybe that will help get this moved to the TR board! I'm loving it so far! Keep writing! :thumbsup2

-Michelle

[Sooze]

I'll try that.. thanks!

And I'm happily enjoying your most recent trip report in between Colts' plays!!

Thanks again!

[Blaynexox]

Loving your trip report so far! Your son sounds adorable! I love the conversation with the Lawyer too :rotfl: Cant wait to read all about your trip! :)

[Twingle]

Oohh, lucky lucky you! I'd LOVE to go to Disney with just the DH (we honeymooned there), but my DM gives me a guilt trip every time I mention it.

LOVING your TR! Can't wait to hear more.

And, can I just say I LOVE your Mickey luggage? And your Mickey bed? And I noticed you decorated your notebook with Mickey stickers!

[PrincessV]

While we are waiting, I call home to see if DS is calmer. My DM informs me that when we pulled away, in between uncontrollable sobbing, DS said, “ The other kids in the neighborhood are lucky. They all have their parents and I don’t.” :charac2: Are you for real?! What a drama queen!!

Oh.. and GO COLTS!!!
:rotfl: Aren't kids the best? I think they come out of the womb knowing how to make us feel guilty! great start - looking forward to hearing all about The World!

And how 'bout those Colts?! Congratulations! Many of us miss the Dungy days here in the Tampa Bay area...

[MA pigletfan]

excellent start..i am in :)...and even though i am a BIG Pats fan..i will say Congrats to your Colts...see the Disney Spirit made me say that pixiedust:

[OhMari]

Sorry I didn't see in your post to move your TR.

Just PM a moderator, we are the only one's that can move around TR's.

Enjoying your report, just PM me when you are finished and no one is posting replies. I sometimes move TR's to soon.

[Sooze]

and even though i am a BIG Pats fan..i will say Congrats to your Colts...see the Disney Spirit made me say that pixiedust:


How kind of you! And as much as I love Peyton, Tom Brady is way hotter! See... the Disney Spirit made me say THAT! :) Even though I really do think so...

[Sooze]

Enjoying your report, just PM me when you are finished and no one is posting replies. I sometimes move TR's to soon.

Thanks so much for helping. I'm still sorta new to this stuff! I'll let you know when this is all done!

[pigletforever]

gotta love those mini munchkins. they really know what buttons to push.

[my4kids2ofeach]

You have inspired me to create my own TR.
My DH and I are taking an anniversary (same lenght as you) trip in August.
We will be leaving home 4 VERY jealous children. (however we are going back during christmas) so I really don't feel that bad!

Oh and how 'bout those Colts?! Congrats, I was happy to see them win.

[Lauralee131]

YAY!! I've been waiting for your TR to come out! I'm just back from a quickie trip to SSR and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip...

I am so jealous - a kid free trip!! LOVE my DS, don't get me wrong, but boy would I love an adults-only trip!!

Looking forward to more!!!popcorn::

[Sooze]

Bad news, y'all.. our computer friend just took our CPU away to work on it... it is slow as ... well... as slow as the Soarin' line on a Saturday night...

Please don't give up on me, as soon as he has it fixed, and I'm able to access my pics and documents, I'll be back! It shouldn't be too long.

And thanks for all of your comments and words of encouragement. It's so fun to share our experiences with you all!

[Sooze]

We are in Orlando! And you know how I know this? Besides the fact that our plane landed after 2 quick hours? Wanna know? Huh? :scratchin Well, as soon as we step off of the plane… SMACK… HUMIDITY!!! AAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhh…. Something we haven’t felt in months. And being from Indiana, we love our humidity!

As we emerge from the “airport monorail” as I call it, we are looking for the friendly ME people with the big, white hands… hmmm.. none around:confused: … well, I guess we can go this way.. um… sure?… Can you believe it? The Disney snobs that we are trying to become.. :snooty: we had to ASK someone where the ME counter was. Unacceptable. Next time, we won’t have to ask. I will get used to that airport eventually. I’m still a rookie, I guess.

The line looks very long at the ME counter, but it moves quite quickly. I think that’s because Disney knows how to do business. Every station has a cast member working it, so people are being taken care of in a hurry. :thumbsup2 Unlike the darn airline counters. I hate those things… one or two employees trying to take care of millions of travelers.. blah!:mad:

After check in, we go the “Festival of Nylon Ropes”… aka, the ME waiting area. It’s hilarious how organized it is.. with all of those rope barriers and stuff. We get RIGHT on the bus.. HOORAY!! If we hurry, we can make Illuminations!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_007.jpg

NOPE! We get on our bus… and SIT… and SIT…. And SIT.. all of the people who were waiting on busses for other resorts eventually end up on our bus. That’s all fine with me, but couldn’t they have just decided that right away? It’s like they are trickling in every few minutes. I’m thinking, “Wait, those people were standing right next to us in the CSR line.. why didn’t they just put them on the bus with us when we walked out here 20 minutes ago?!?” At least I had time to admire the details on the seats.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_008.jpg

We obviously were on DCL busses. But ME was using them. I believe MEARS runs all of those busses anyway.

Eventually we pull away, and leave behind any opportunity to make it to Illuminations. But I do refrain from any complaining. That is our rule at Disney. No griping, whining, or complaining, at Disney. ;) Besides, just pulling away and seeing all of the Disney logos on the sides of the ME and DCL busses make me smile. Anyone else? Do you just have to grin when you see Mickey on the sides of those busses? Maybe I’m just a sap.

The cute ME video comes on and they show Mickey and Minnie getting on the ME bus. I’m wondering to myself if they will show Mickey and Minnie waiting a half an hour to leave… but they don’t. I’m listening very intently to the video (much more so than I listened to the safety procedure on the airplane) when I hear them mention “The Happiest Celebration on Earth”… huh? :confused: That is SO last year!! I guess the ME busses are the last ones to get on board with the Year of a Million Dreams. Oh well.

Luckily, SSR is the 1st stop. Well, that makes up for our half hour wait! We breathe in the resort air when we step off of the bus and make our way into the lobby. All I can say is… WOW!! :goodvibes It’s glorious. Enormous. Magestic. And still decorated for Christmas. Cool!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_009.jpg
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/547/12302207_Disney_January_011-med.jpg


I just can’t believe we’re here!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_010.jpg

The CM that checks us in seems a little over it… not what I expect from a CM… but you know, not EVERYONE can be chipper and happy, can they? :confused3 We are asking about the 5K run that is going to be happening the next morning. We need to be at MGM by 6:30 to pick stuff up, but our CM was having trouble trying to figure out where and when the busses would be picking up runners in the morning. We heard several different versions from her, and the folks my DH talked to on the phone.. but when we leave to go hunt for our room, we are confident that the busses will be running throughout the resort starting pick up at 5 am. So we can catch the bus at our closest bus stop. That really does have importance tomorrow morning, really…

We decide to WALK to our room… even though we are located in the Carousel… which is pretty far from the main buildings, especially when you don’t know where you are going! You know when you are trying to find something for the first time, it just seems so far away!

But we got there, and our room is really close to the bus stop. I am a big, fat loser for not taking pics of the room. But we were just too excited and hungry.. and I forgot. Sorry.:rolleyes1

We considered walking to DTD for dinner, but again, we were hungry. So we went to Artist’s Pallete (The quick-service/gift shop at SSR) for a late dinner. DH had some cheese and fruit (he didn’t want to fill up before the race) and I had a DELICIOUS chicken/artichoke flat bread… awesome!

We dragged ourselves back to the room (which seemed a little bit closer this time) and CRASHED!! That alarm clock was going to go off SOON…

Of course, DH wouldn’t need it…

Stay tuned to find out how HE woke up!

[Sooze]

My DH and I are taking an anniversary (same lenght as you) trip in August.
We will be leaving home 4 VERY jealous children. (however we are going back during christmas) so I really don't feel that bad!



You know, as hard as it was to say good bye to the kids, we feel the same way. They get to take a trip to WDW every year... not many kids can say that! So they will just have to get used to the fact that Mommy and Daddy also get a trip.. alone. In the long run, they will hopefully see what a good thing that is for Mommy and Daddy.. and hopefully carry it over to their own marriages someday, eh?

I hope you stick with my report so you can see how wonderful an adults-only trip is!! We got to do so many things that little ones just don't ever want to!!

Thanks for reading!

[AnninIowa]

Subscribing! :thumbsup2

[anny_c_99]

Hubby and I are also planning a trip alone. I am enjoying reading your trip report so much...can't wait to hear the rest of the story..:dance3:

[Twingle]

Oohhh . . . . I gotta know! How did he wake up? I have my fingers crossed that he doesn't have some kinda tummy bug. . . of course, that's just because I'm thinking that

1) You are either both teachers/work in schools (can't remember for sure)

2) You have small children

3) IT'S COLD AND FLU SEASON PEOPLE!

4) You seem to be having waaayyy to much fun already!

Can't wait for your next installment! :)

[skylilly]

I am really enjoying your report. Me and my DH will be leaving in 8 days for our 7 day adult only vacation to Disney.... :banana: :banana:

Kids are not to happy about staying home in the cold Ohio weather :cold:

[kristinanderic]

subscribing

[Sooze]

Note to self: Next time you sleep at SSR, take the huge, thick, heavy, hot comforter OFF the bed before sleeping.:idea:

I’d love to tell you that my husband woke up to something fun, interesting, or unique… but he didn’t. He woke up to a good ol-fashioned SWEAT!! I roll over and feel he is gone. I wake up enough to realize he is sitting on the couch. I’m also awake enough to realize we have another half hour before the alarm goes off… and that’s pretty darned early!

Me: What are you doing?
DH: sitting
Me: What’s wrong?
DH: I’m sweating my b@!!s off.
Me: Oh. Well, I hope they stay on for the race. ((rolls over and goes back to sleep))

Ah… yes.. the race. The wonderful 5K Family Fun Run at Disney’s MGM Studios. :cheer2: We were very excited to see what this was all about. So we got up, threw on some clothes, and went to our bus stop, The Carousel. Remember last night, when we were told that the busses would be stopping by each bus stop starting at 5am? Remember that? Yeah.. so did we. So at 5:45, we were there… waiting. We happened to see a black cat walk by on the street.:eek:

Me: I have a bad feeling about this. That CM checking us in didn’t really seem to know what was going on today.
DH: Me too. I haven’t seen any busses all morning.
Me: Oh look, a phone (they have these little black phones at each bus stop)
DH: Can you reach the front desk and ask about the busses?

I try the phone. Surely it will work.. this place is brand-spankin’ new. Nope. Nothing. No dial tone, no response when I dial the posted numbers.:confused3

We decide to wait until 6:15. Then I send DH back to the room to get his cell phone. I will run to the front desk (which is no short trip, mind you) to see what’s going on. If I’m gone in the meantime, and the bus comes, he can get on it and I would meet up with him at MGM later.

So I jog to the main building. As soon as I get in and ask, the CM quickly tells me, “Oh. The 5K busses only pick up at Congress Park.” :sad2: Gee, thanks. I’m so glad it seemed like such common knowledge when no one last night seemed to know anything about it. But.. pause… we are at Disney. No griping or complaining. :rolleyes1 I call DH, and he meets me at the Congress Park bus stop, where loads of other runners are waiting. Boy, we felt like idiots. We had been watching DCL busses drive by us for almost an hour. We didn’t even think that they were the ones shuttling the runners around.

While we were waiting, we heard something interesting from the Meares guy that was at the stop monitoring the shuttles. He was talking about how ME got connected with Meares. The story went something like this:

“Disney walked into the Meares’ offices and said, ‘We want to start a free shuttle from the airport and we’d like to use Meares as a partner.’ Meares replies that they don’t think they are interested in offering anything free. Disney rephrases, ‘We are GOING to start a free shuttle from the airport and we ARE using Meares as a partner. If not, Meares busses will no longer be welcome on our property.’” Don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s a great story about the power of Disney, eh?:earboy2:

Bus arrives, we get on board with a bunch of families. I’m proud to see so many parents and so many KIDS running in the race. What a great family thing to do together. As we pull away, I see another black cat! :eek: (Or maybe it was the same one who had made his way to Congress Park as well). Hope that doesn’t haunt us today!

The MGM parking lot is PACKED with people when we get there. They had set up a Pirate ship-themed stage with fun performers up there getting everyone excited about the race. pirate: DH got his number, I pinned it on, then he was off on his way to try to get as close to the start line as he could.

I saw a group of people with LIME GREEN shirts on that said they were from Plainfield, IN. That is 3 miles from my home… so of course I approached them to find out more about them. And of course, I had to wait until DH left me, so that I wouldn’t embarrass him with my abilities to have fun conversations with complete strangers! Turns out they were a whole family running together from grandma/pa to grandchildren. :rainbow: Also turns out that the grandparents used to be music teachers in Avon (which is what my DH does!!) many many years ago. ((Insert “It’s a Small World” music here)). I did ask them about their LIME GREEN shirts, but it had nothing to do with the DIS. Just something bright they picked out so they could find each other.

Here are a few pics from the race.

The Pirate performers:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_012.jpg

The START:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_013.jpg

The Send-Off Crew:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_016.jpg

DH at the Finish:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_018.jpg

DH with his medal:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_019.jpg

The first runners past the finish line ran that race in under 17 minutes. :worship: I can’t even imagine running that fast. DH ran it in the time he wanted. I think he wanted to beat 30 minutes, which he barely did. He gave the race itself a B- score. He said it was great running through the park, especially since it wasn’t open yet. But the starting of the race was rough. There were SO many people, it took a long time to be able to spread out and find a pace. :crowded: Definitely something we will look into, though. Especially as our kids get old enough to participate!

We returned to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes. Hopped on a bus to MGM again. This time, we didn’t have to wait at all. And the bus came right to the Carousel!
We used our DDP for the first time at the ABC Commissary. When the CM at the register handed me my receipt, there was no mention of the DDP on it. I thought it was supposed to tell you how many credits you had left or something. I mention this to said-CM. She tells me it’s fine. The DDP was used. Ok… I’m such a rookie, or am I?:rolleyes1

We enjoy a lovely but really greasy breakfast in a virtually vacant MGM!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_020-med.jpg
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_022-med.jpg

Little did we know, the crowds were coming… and coming… and coming… and coming…:crowded: :crowded: :crowded: :crowded: :crowded:


Note to self: When planning next Disney vacation, try to avoid the Marathon Weekend unless you are participating!

Please stay tuned. Did the black cat bring any bad luck? …

[JJBEAN]

Great TR...looking forward to more!! :wizard:

[kristinanderic]

We happened to be in MGM on the same day! How cool is that? We wasn't there for any of the marathon activities...but I agree with you. Try to avoid Marathon weekend!

[timandlesley]

I am REALLY enjoying your trip report so far. Congratulations to your DH for the run. I have heard Marathon weekend is CRAZY, can't wait to read more about the crowds. TOO funny about the sweating at night comments :rotfl: sounds exactly what my DH would do.
Lesley

[natale1980]

what happens next??? ;)

[Sooze]

Folks, I have the next installment ready to go.. but I am having trouble accessing my pics. :confused3 I uploaded them to the pics area on this site, via the photography section. Now I can't seem to get to them. And with my next installment, it is necessary to add pics! You'll see why when I get this going!

Don't leave. I'll be back as soon as I find them!!:surfweb:

[timandlesley]

Good luck with the pics, can't wait to read more popcorn::

Lesley

[Blaynexox]

Wow! I have never even heard of that run. How fun! Congrats to DH for running it. I wouldn't ever do it, but props to him for doing it! I have this thing about running .. called I CANT RUN! :rotfl: Oh well! Cant wait to hear more about your trip!! :)

[KatInHat]

Enjoying your trip report. I would love to take a mommy/daddy trip. The wheels are in motion. We were also there the weekend/week after the marathon and the parks were very crowded, IMO, all week.
Cant wait for another installment. Melissa.

[Sooze]

Well, I'm so over it with the pics on the DIS site... I'm going to investigate photobucket this weekend and will hopefully get back into this TR as soon as humanly possible. I miss updating it!! Don't leave, folks. I'll be back. I promise!!!!

[tink's girls]

I am loving your TR!!! I am planning a surprise WDW/Cruise Vacation for our 20th anniversary (It's a few years away, but a girl can dream, can't she!!) :banana: Meanwhile we will settle for another fun family vacation next March! :grouphug: Anyway, I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!!

[Sooze]

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the next character to join our trip. His name is Logan. He's the one in green on the left. You know, the one with arms the size of my legs!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary025.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary024.jpg

Everyone say, “Hi Logan.” What’s that? You can’t? His hotness is just too much for you to handle? Well, I agree! :love: Folks, this is the reason why I missed most of the Lights, Motors, Action show. Do you blame me?:confused3

Yes, the LMA show was our first stop after breakfast. One of our major missions this trip was to see as many shows as possible. Even though we’ve seen this one several times, we love it, and were happy to see it again. Even more so when Logan came on the set. :flower3: YUMMY!!!

A few fun things that happened:

They selected a family out of the crowed to introduce the show. I’m sure part of the YOAMD. They were supposed to say “LIGHTS” “MOTOR” “ACTION”.. in sequence from one child to the next. But, they saved the last word for the poor, shy little girl in the front. And boy, did she BLOW IT! I felt bad. She was young enough to screw it up, but old enough to realize she did. So much for that dream!:sad2:

We also witnessed a fender-bender in the opening sequence. It was the very first “ballet” scene, and the red car bumped a black one. It was hard enough to send parts of the car flying. Do you think it was the black cat?! :scared:

And finally, Logan spoke into the mic.. and they had a close-up of him on the big screen. I was too much in awe to grab the camera for a closer shot. But this was the ending of his conversation with the “director”

L: I’m gonna go jump on this…
ME: You can jump on me!!:thumbsup2
:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

See, things you could never say with kids in earshot! My DH got a kick out of my little obsession. We vowed to try to find him a hottie during the trip, too. I think Pocohontas was as close as we got!

Next stop was :tinker: Walt Disney, One Man’s Dream. What a wonderful collection of all things Walt. And we were able to take our time and actually read about everything. When we got to the movie part I was tempted to skip out. I thought I’d seen everything about Walt on all of the different cable specials there are out there. But I was wrong. Almost the entire movie was made up of footage I had never seen. I highly recommend it to all Disney fans out there!

We spent a few moments in the Animator’s Gift Shop.. or as I like to call it, “Cruel and Unusual Punishment Store”. Would I just LOVE to slap down $1600 for a piece of artwork? But… ummmm… not gonna happen. It’s hard for me to imagine having enough money to buy things like that. But a nice dream anyway.:rolleyes:

As one of the biggest Little Mermaid fans, I have always felt a bit guilty that I had never taken the time to see VOTLM. Well, we did this time. We grabbed a fast pass so we could spend some time in the Animator’s shop looking at things we could never afford!

Once in the queue, I had a thought about standing in large groups.

Don’t you hate when people push past you when you’re just standing there? Oh, I’m sorry I was only standing 5 inches behind the person I front of me instead of ½ an inch and you thought you needed to fill that space!!:crowded:

VOTLM was okay. The best part was the black light section. Ariel had a great voice. Ursula was frightening!! I was a little disturbed by the lack of audience etiquette. People were talking LOUDLY all over the place. What ever happened to teaching your kids to be quiet during a show? If you want them to be loud during a show, go see Playhouse Disney!!popcorn::

We meandered over to TOT, and I gave a salute to RNR… I was so sad it was closed the entire time we were there. :sad1: The wait time was almost an hour for TOT. HUH? It’s VALUE season for crying out loud. We passed. We were getting exhausted from the long morning and needed to get back to SSR to freshen up for our ADRs at Rose and Crown. We snuck a little nap, too… hit the pillows and both of us were out!!

We are finally figuring out the layout of SSR. It’s monstrously huge.

See you later for dinner and fun and EPCOT!

[DebIreland]

Great job! I'm really enjoying this. :thumbsup2

[Bee]

The night before we are leaving has finally arrived. One more night in our own Mickey bed.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/12302207_Disney_January_004.jpg



I love , love , love this bedding... Where did you find it.. and did they have King?

Love the report also!!!:thumbsup2

[PrincessV]

Sooze, I don't know what happened - your TR disappeared from my subscritpions list for a while, then just reappeared.:confused3 But I'm caught up now! (And planning a little trip to see Logan, er... LAM next trip!;) )

Good stuff!:thumbsup2

[Sooze]

I love , love , love this bedding... Where did you find it.. and did they have King?

Love the report also!!!:thumbsup2

Hey! Thanks so much. It was a birthday gift from the DH in 2004 right out of the Disney catalog. I don't think they have it anymore, but I haven't looked. I'm pretty sure that they had it in all bed sizes too.

Glad you're enjoying the report. I'm having so much fun reliving it!

[Sooze]

Guess what everyone? I just called DVC Member Services yesterday and booked our Labor Day trip. 4 days at the BWV in a one bedroom villa with the kids, too!:cheer2: :cheer2:

The countdown is on!!!:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Sooze]

After a wonderful nap :cloud9: (we don't get many of those at home), we grabbed a bus to EPCOT. Our room was in a wonderful location for bus-catching and our stop at The Carousel was the first stop when returning home.:thumbsup2

We headed straight for Soarin', one of our most favorite rides ever. After walking into The Land and making our way down the stairs (has anyone else noticed the POOR set-up of this situation? People trying to get off the escalator while others are crossing their path to get down stairs?:scratchin )... we see that there is a ONE HUNDRED THIRTY MINUTE WAIT for Soarin'.:eek: WHAT?!?!?! It's value season for crying out loud!!! Of course, by this time of evening, fast passes have all been distributed, so we decide waiting two hours for Soarin' just isn't worth it.

When we meader outside, we notice the Nemo and Friends exhibit. Oh Yeah, that's open now. Cool. I gotta tell you, those gulls that sit on the rocks outside the building and say "MINE".. just like the movie... Those are GREAT!:laughing: DH and I laughed for a while about that one. The queue for Nemo is wonderful. You feel like you are under water, and even see a "butt" at one point. We didn't have long to admire the queue however, because we walked right onto this ride. I guess since everyone and their mother is at Soarin', the other rides were easily obtainable! It was a very cute ride... one DH and I didn't feel the need to ride again for the rest of the trip, but we sure are looking forward to showing DS and DD this one!

Next stop was Mission: Space... orange side of course!! We didn't experience much of a wait, and were soon in our little tiny space capsule. I just love this ride.. that blast off is incredible, and if you haven't tried the orange side, you MUST!!! I also love Gary Sinese. :love: He's so talented.. even if it's just a pre-show video in Disney World!

We begin the trek to dinner, and took in all of the sights and smells and sounds that are EPCOT. :cloud9: We just love this park. On our way, we were detoured around some CRAZY celebration. There were TONS of people filtering out of some gate and into another area across from our restaruant. There were all kinds of noise makers and screaming people (in celebration) and this went on for a LONG time. Anyone have any idea who they were or what on Earth they were doing?:confused3

Rose and Crown is a pub/ restaurant in Great Britain. We had ADRs but had to wait almost 15 minutes.. not bad. We found a waiting seat on a curb next to a trash can. You would think the smell would bother me..? No. It was the constant stream of kids who felt the need to bang on it... over and over and over...:headache: and parents would never tell them to stop. Am I the only one who's concerned about how my kids' behavior affects other people!?:rolleyes1

Dinner was amazingly FILLING.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary028.jpg

The DDP provides WAY too much food. Appetizer for BOTH of us?! Okay. I'll have mushrooms, DH has onion rings. Entrees for BOTH of us?!? Okay. I'll have steak, and steak for DH as well. We are both A1 users and asked for some steak sauce. All they had was Britain's version (duh) and MAN was it NASTY!:crazy2: Desserts for BOTH of us?!? Okay. The food was pretty good, the desserts were amazing. I left that place feeling more full than I ever had in my life! Yes, even more than Thanksgiving.

We waddled over to find a place for Illuminations. No,we weren't able to milk our dinner for 2 hours, and we didn't really have a table on the lagoon anyway. But we did find a great vantage point. And since we didn't have kids with us to entertain, we were able to wait the 45 minutes and keep our great vantage point for the show, without anyone getting antsy or asking, "When are the fireworks starting"... in a whiny voice. So our wonderful Illluminations started.. popcorn:: .... :confused: HUH?! Where is the music?! That's IT?!?! That's as loud as it gets!:confused3 Well, our great vantage point was in front of the speakers that were turned the other way. UGH!! We LOVE the soundtrack for this show and basically have the whole thing memorized. I play it a TOP volume in my car when I'm at home. So I want it to blast my ears out here as well. Didn't happen. Well, tomorrow night we'll search out speakers to stand in front of!

It was EMH at EPCOT, so we thought we'd try our luck again at Soarin'. Nope. Everyone left IllumiNations and went right to it. It was still packed. Darnit! This was starting to disappoint us, because we specifically come at this time of year for smaller crowds, and in years past, it's always been fairly slow. Guess it's all of the marathon folks...

We found the new character meet and greet area in EPCOT. It's a great set up and it's inside, which will be nice on those terribly hot summer days. We waited for about 15 minutes. Then as we got up to meet Mickey, they pulled the black rope on us. "Sorry guys, Mickey and his friends need to take a break." Darn black cat:sad2: . But when the break was over, we WERE the first ones to every character. We even staged a fun shot with Minnie. Sorry, I didn't buy the Photopass disc or pics, so I don't have it. But we asked Minnie to kiss my DH while I stood here with a jealous stance. It really was cute.:rolleyes:

Mouse Gear was our next stop. We enjoy this store... but tonight it was a madhouse! It was also a MESS:eek: . I spent most of my time picking up merchandise and putting it back where it belonged. Come on, people. If you take it down, put it pack. Simple logic:idea: I also threw away a ton of empty cups that people just left on display shelves. AWFUL!! How trashy can you be?

We jumped in the single rider line for Test Track next. I know, DH told DS that we wouldn't ride this without him, but I just needed to feel that 65 MPH rush just once. You won't tell, will you?:rolleyes1 I found some new hidden Mickeys that I hadn't seen before. DH played games on his cell phone most of the time. The line was actually pretty long. I can't imagine what the standby line was. I don't care who you are, that speed thing is pretty awesome!

One more try for Soarin'
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary029.jpg
DH entertained himself with some MADDEN on his cell phone:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary030.jpg
We ended up waiting 45 minutes at 11:30 at night! Shouldn't these people be back at their resorts putting their kids to bed!?! DH and I just LOVE the pre-show video with Kronk! We have almost the whole thing memorized, and DH can say it just like Kronk!

"Hello and welcome to Soarin'. My name is Patrick and I'll be your chief flight attendant today...." Our favorite part is when the little kid fastens his seat belt and Kronk says, "Nice work, pal!" So great. And luckily we had the video to entertain us, because we had the absolute WORST seats you can get on this ride. (DARNED BLACK CAT:sad2: ) We were on the bottom row in the far right corner. So not only did we have to see feet dangling above us, but we had to see the curve of the screen. Well, we'll try again another day.

The best thing that happened today was our luck with busses. Well, except for the 5K fiasco this morning! Otherwise, we waited VERY LITTLE for busses. I guess our luck wasn't all that bd. We certainly had a MARATHON of a day. Up at the crack of dawn, and closing down EPCOT with EMH. Do you think we should sleep in tomorrow!?;)

BTW everyone... I am realizing that I need to take WAY more pictures. I'll do better next time, I promise!

[Sooze]

Did I lose everyone....?:sad1:

[peacelovemickey]

I'm here! Please keep writing. I guess I lurk more than post, but I am loving your report. I am planning a Mommy and Daddy trip in May (hopefully) a big family trip in November and a quick weekend to run the 1/2 marathon (DH is doing Goofy's Challenge) next Jan. I am loving hearing about your grown-ups trip.

[StitchIsOurHero]

I just found this today, but I am lovin' it! We are going in March (27 days). DH & I don't have kids, but we are going with our friends who are leaving their kids at home. It's great to read about another adults-only vacation! I can't wait to read more!! :surfweb:

[KatInHat]

I'm still here. Enjoying your report. Sounds like you had a great trip so far. Waiting for more. :goodvibes

[Sooze]

Well, after our marathon of a day yesterday, we slept in until 9 am... SOUNDLY!! I don't think I've done that since before children. Sound asleep until 9 am!? I think Lauralee would have a fit that I missed out on so much of Disney by sleeping that late, but it was WONDERFUL!:cloud9: We really exhausted ourselves on that first day, and decided we should slow down a TEENY bit today.

We had ADRs at 50'sPTC at noon for lunch, so we grabbed a few snacky items from the Artist's Palette at SSR main building. This is a pretty neat place with a good selection of over-priced food. My favorite part is that they have little easels set up around the table area. People can doodle or draw whatever they like, then leave it. Someone must come around and collect the good or cute stuff then, because there is always artwork displayed on a large cork board as you enter. Just something fun to add to the atmosphere.

We were off to MGM again. We have never spent so much time at this park, but then again, since we had no children with us, we were able to enjoy the scarier rides and shows, shows, shows.. even the little spontaneous shows that happen in the street. When you have little ones in tow, you often miss these gems! (Or when your husband is impatient and won't let you watch.. but that's another story)

We headed straight for TOT. There was only a 20 minute wait. I just LOVE this ride! There was a foreign gentleman sitting next to me. I didn't understand a word he said, but I knew he was scared when he grabbed my arm during the first drop!:scared1: Where else but Disney can you be grabbed by a foreign man and not think twice about it!?

I was a bit disappointed by the CMs running this ride. This ride, to me, is all about the build-up. And usually, we encounter very talented actors and actresses who really get into their characters (similar to Haunted Mansion). Well, this time, they just seemed like bored college kids. Not ONE of them was being spooky. They didn't even say any last comments to us before the doors closed. I don't know, maybe I've just been spoiled in the past, but I expect the best from Disney CMs and just didn't get it on this ride. Not from any of them.:sad2:

We needed to kill some time before lunch, so we decided to sit and rest and just enjoy being here in the warmth and paradise that is Disney. We parked it by the big hat and watched Pluto iand Mickey interact with guests.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary031.jpg

While we were resting, a CM came up and asked if we would be willing to fill out a questionairre from Disney when we returned home. I've done a few of these before, so I gladly said yes. She spent quite a long time talking to us. At the end of our discussion, she asked "Are you Christians?" I was kind of taken aback by that. I told her we were and she said, "I could tell. I could feel the warmth as I walked over to you". I guess that was all fine and good, being a fellow Christian I understood what she meant, but it still felt a bit awkward. What if we weren't?! Oh well.

Well, the little one is up from her nap. :cutie: I'll continue this next time!!

[2BusyPlanning]

Just found this today, can't wait to hear more! Hubby and I are going alone this September and CAN'T WAIT! Granted, our children are older (1 in HS and 1 in college).

One little OT note - we visited Indy last fall for the BOA Nationals. Indy seemed to clean and safe - people on the streets were very nice. We enjoyed it very much. Glad to hear that your husband is a music teacher. I thank our band directors everyday for the opportunities they give our kids! Thank you to you and your husband for what you do!

[Sooze]

J

One little OT note - we visited Indy last fall for the BOA Nationals. Indy seemed to clean and safe - people on the streets were very nice. We enjoyed it very much. Glad to hear that your husband is a music teacher. I thank our band directors everyday for the opportunities they give our kids! Thank you to you and your husband for what you do!

Awesome! What band were you there with? We are so glad Grand Nats are right in our own backyard. I guess you could say we are quite spoiled!

[2BusyPlanning]

Awesome! What band were you there with? We are so glad Grand Nats are right in our own backyard. I guess you could say we are quite spoiled!

I PMed you. :yay:

[tinawv]

I Am absolutely Loving Your Report. Can't Wait To Read More.:)

[Jubilee]

Just wanted to tell you I am LOVING this trip report! I was sad as I neared page 5 and realized you weren't done because now I have to wait in anticipation between each entry!! :rolleyes1

Can't wait to hear more! :rolleyes:

You guys are brave to go without the kids... I think I am too much of a wuss, but maybe I'll feel different when there's more than 1!

[shellylovesdisney]

Hey sister of mine, what happened to the rest of your story? I guess you could just tell me since you're my neighbor but that wouldn't be as fun.
You're keeping all of us in suspense!!

LOVE YOU!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxox:Pinkbounc

[Sooze]

It was time for lunch. Our ADR's weren't until noon, but we were anxious to get moving after our relaxing time beneath the big hat. So we headed over to PTC. There really was nobody waiting around, so they seated us right away. This place is ALWAYS packed when I've ever stopped by before, so those of you who want to try this place, go for an early lunch!

Cousin Stacey was our server. I didn't take a picture of her, but I'm learning fast that I didn't take NEARLY enough pics. She had to remind DH to say "please"! I saw others around us get scolded for having their elbows on the table, or for not having their chair scooted in, etc. Such a GREAT atmosphere. I've decided that when I retire, I'm going to work here. How much fun would it be to scold people all day long? Oh,wait, I'm a teacher... I already do that. Oh well. If PTC is still open in 30 years, I'm applying!

Lunch was amazingly delicious!! Here are pics of our meals. ( I actually remembered to take pics this time. Even though DH made fun of me for doing so. He just doesn't get it.)
I had the pot roast. Long story short... it's to DIE for. The most tender meat I've ever had. Sorry, mom, even better than yours.:flower3:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary032.jpg

DH had a chicken sandwich and fries.. complete with pickle. He was impressed and devoured it all!
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Next stop was the Beauty and the Beast show. I had seen this before when I was a teenager. Wasn't too into it because, at the time, I was a Little Mermaid fanatic... and B and the B was just not for me. But this time I was ready to be entertained and ready to see all of the great dancing, costumes, sets, and to hear the amazing talent. I was not disappointed!!

It started with these guys:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary035.jpg
Anyone seen 'em before. Oh my GOSH.. you MUST!!!:thumbsup2 They are AMAZING!! We immediately bought their CD afterword.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary039.jpg
Great accapella group. And, of course being a Disney production, they had an entire set-up (as if they were the stage crew that decided to start messing with the mics. It morphed into a full production) that concluded with the guys singing to a couple that had just been married. How awesome!

The show was beautiful. Belle and Gaston had AMAZING voices. Loved the costumes and choreography. I'm once again in awe of how much talent Disney has pooled in one place.

After the show, we hopped on a boat to go to EPCOT to catch some more shows! We decided to get off at the Beach Club for old times sake. We stayed here a few summers ago and loved loved loved it. We sat on the beach to enjoy the unusual warmth for this time of year. I put my feet in the sand and soaked up the moment.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary036.jpg

We walked into EPCOT, once again confirming that the next time we come, we need to stay at the BCV or BWV. You just can't beat that location. Especially being the EPCOT lovers that we are!

American Pavillion was our next destination.
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We have been looking forward to seeing Voices of Liberty since our last visit. We caught them one time, but had the kids in tow, so we weren't really able to absorb their music. The rotunda was decorated beautifully for Christmas.

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Can you find the hidden Mickey? He's orange.. and I don't think he's intentional!
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I just need to go off for a minute... Voices of Liberty.. OMG!!!! I could sit in that rotunda and listen to them ALL DAY. This is one of the most outstanding vocal ensembles I have ever heard in my life! The lead soprano his notes only dogs can hear.. with absolutely no effort. I was moved to tears several times. Oh.. and we immediately bought their CD too!!
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Before the show, we caught Spirit of America fife and bugle corps. They were fine. My husband teaches a Drum and Bugle corps with 168 kids blowing your face off... these guys were quaint and historic... but that's about all. Glad I saw them, probably won't search them out anytime soon.
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We also watched the American Adventure show... eh... I'm glad I saw it, but wouldn't sit through it again until my kids are old enough to understand the history. Needs some overhauling in my opinion. I think it needs to highlight more recent events in our history.... 9/11 anyone?

We stuck around to watch Voices of Liberty again.. it was funny.. we both kept wanting to watch this show again and again...

DH: What do you want to do next?
Me: (((grinning))

We both rush back into the rotunda to catch another VOL show!

Eventually we decided to try some other entertainment. We watched the Matsuriza (sp?) drummers in Japan. They have a great groove.. and I loved standing in the hot sun to watch them. Actually broke a sweat. But I WOULD NOT go to the shade.. not when I knew I'd be returning to Indiana winter in a few short days!

On our stroll through WS, I caught this odd sight:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary043.jpg
That's the bridge being hoisted up so all of the floating platforms can come out for Illuminations. They had to stop all pedestrian traffic for this to happen. .. and there was float after float after float after float... I couldn't believe how much stuff came floating by. Cool thing to see!
We decided to wait again for Soarin'. We got stuck on the bottom... again:mad: We just aren't vocal enough to ask to be on the top... but you know, I spend enough money there.. I should just open my mouth and ask. Next time, Susie, next time!! All was not lost, however. There was some lady on the ride across from us. She was screaming like she was on the Tower of Terror. It was great! She was having such a great time. It made up for the bad seats... well.. kinda...

Our feet were finally beginning to feel the Disney pain. We decided to go back "home" to SSR and soak in the hot tub. Unfortunately, we had to wait FOREVER for a stinkin' bus. We discussed, yet again, that when we come back as a couple, we must stay at the BCV so we have the freedom to walk to EPCOT and MGM. Waiting for busses can really stink, expecially when DH can't stop griping. I know... he forgot the Disney rule.:sad2:

Before the hot tub, we needed some dinner! Stay tuned for my miniscule report on DTD and our quest to find something to eat.

[mlill]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary036.jpg



Now that's just wrong! :sad2: This picture just put me into a deep post-Disney depression again! Way to go! :sad1:

It sure sounds like you guys had a great trip! I love your TR! :thumbsup2

Can't wait for more!
-Michelle

[Sooze]

We got back to SSR and realized we were slightly starving. We had some CS credits to use on our DDP, so we thought we could venture over to DTD to find some eats. I happily took off my sneakers and exchanged them for flip-flops... it felt so good to let my feet breathe. And wearing flip-flops in January is so sweet. :cloud9: Well... not for long...

Although the Carousel section of SSR is nice because it's a bit secluded and it's the first bus stop when returning from the park.. it is WAY far away from DTD. SSR has a "footpath" to DTD... more like a "mile path" if you ask me. Luckily, DH and I are in pretty good shape, and walking a long way doesn't bother us too much, but it was much further than I thought... and by the time we reached the Marketplace, I had lovely blisters on the tops of my feet from the flip-flops. So much for letting my feet breathe!:rolleyes:

We did get to see some beautiful swans on the grounds of SSR. We were able to walk right up to them.. they didn't even flinch! Must be some pretty sweet Disney-Prozac for animals, I guess!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary047.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary048.jpg

We made our way through the Marketplace and stopped at World of Disney. Mistake of the trip... first of all, we were hungry and should've found food first. Secondly, we were beginning to realize how much money we SHOULDN'T be spending. So we got into a bit of a tiff about buying souveniers and/or presents for ourselves. Seriously, if we are going to come to WDW twice a year, do we really need to buy something every time we come!?!? DH just couldn't get it through his head that I would LOVE to buy stuff for us, for our house, for our kids, for everyone... IF I COULD... but I pay the bills in the family. I know the sorrowful state of a dual-teacher income after two kids and a DVC membership:laughing: It's not a pretty sight. So I started getting a bit anxious about spending money. And getting this feeling in the middle of DTD is not a good place for it to happen.

And to top it all off, the place was a MAD HOUSE. It was crazier than I have ever seen it. And I've been here at Christmas before. I'm guessing it was the Marathon folks... that was the only explanation I have. But DH and I were getting miserable. The depressing talks about money, the hunger rumbling in our tummies, and our inability to locate a CS eatery that wasn't bursting at the seams.

We walked all the way to Adventurer's Club before turning back around and settling on Cooke's. Fish and chips... really not my favorite meal at all... and what made it worse was the fish was so soggy...:crazy2: I did enjoy putting vinegar on my fries.. but that was about it. I was starting to get worried that DH and I were NOT having fun at this point. So I said, "Let's go shopping".... I'm such a sucker! And an irresponsible Credit Card owner to boot...

We weren't too crazy. Had to get a few things for the friends and fam that were taking care of our little ones. Oh... would you like to see a picture of them? I just realized I've never shown them to you. How silly of me! Here we are at Chef Mickey's last Labor Day weekend. Tyson's the boy... he's six. Shaelyn's the little princess. She was 6 months old on this trip.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/TheHarloffsloveMickey.jpg

Sorry for the tanget. Bottom line.. we saw some swans, walked to DTD, argued, ate, walked, debated seeing a movie, walked, shopped, felt guilty about spending money, walked, decided not to see a movie, walked and walked and walked back to SSR. My blisters were THROBBING!!!

We did manage to get ourselves into the hot tub. We went to a "local" one, not the one at the main pool. Met several nice people, and relaxed ourselves enough to fall into bed and go RIGHT to sleep. Big day tomorrow... stay tuned!

[Twingle]

Ooh - an update an update!

Thanks for sharing - and beautiful family! Honestly though, my fav is the guy in the middle with the red shirt :)

[peacelovemickey]

Keep it coming!:thumbsup2

[daisy_77]

Just caught up with your trip report! I look forward to reading more. Thank you for sharing!

[Sooze]

Wow... it's been almost 15 days since I updated my TR. I'm so sorry... but hopefully some of you are still interested. Just to plead my case.. I AM a teacher and it's the end of a grading period... so fellow teachers, I could use some back up on that one! Plus, DD is cutting SIX teeth (including four molars) at once! So my sleep is PRECIOUS to me right now. Fellow moms... you can back me up on THAT one!!

Okay... on to the task at hand!

It's January 7, day three, also known as... the day before we leave:sad1: . We slept in yet again.... I know you die-hard hit-the-parks-at-the-crack-of-dawners out there might be upset to know that we slept til nine two days in a row.... but it was pure HEAVEN to be able to do that. And what was even better, we didn't even have to watch Nickelodeon when we got up!!!:cloud9:

Suddenly... good feelings gone.... the Magic Express tag was on our door...:sad:

We pulled ourselves together after our moment of depression and headed to the bus stop to catch a ride to Animal Kingdom. I was very excited to ride EE today!! The ride to the park took FOREVER!! We were actually warned by the bus drivers yesterday to avoid trying to get to the parks before 10 am due to the marathon. It was well after 10:30 and there were some racers STILL RUNNING!!! So traffic wasn't its normal flow.. it just took a long while to get there.

As soon as we made it into the park, we headed towards EE.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary049.jpg
Wouldn't you know it... it was not running...:mad: I think that black cat is still haunting us, don't you? We decided to check out the new NEMO musical instead.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary050.jpg
We had great seats. As we waited for the show to start, we made our own predictions about how they would do the show. Would they have live actors/actress in costumes? Would they use puppets? We thought for sure that black light would be involved somehow (ala VOTLM). We also enjoyed watching the "wall bubbles". Every few moments, Nemo would "swim" by in one of the bubbles. The entire child-population in the audience would yell, "NNNEEEEMMMOOOO!!!" It was great!!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary051.jpg
Our guesses about the show were WAY off! They had live actors/actresses AND puppets! If you've ever seen The Lion King on Broadway, it's very similar. The people were holding the fish, but you found yourself watching the fish, not really the people. Great great great singing, dancing, and amazing props and sets. I LOVE DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT!popcorn:: :thumbsup2 :love:

We decided it was time for lunch and we were craving chicken strips. DH cannot get enough of WDW chicken strips. We began walking towards the chicken strips CS place (or where we THOUGHT it was:rolleyes1 ) We got so lost. We are the ultimate AK rookies. So embarassing!! So we settled on Pizza at Pizzafari instead. Absolutely delicious pizza and tons of available tables... I don't think I've ever seen that place so empty! I guess after you run a marathon, you don't want to shove pizza in your face. But I wouldn't know.. I've never run one before.. nor shall I ever!!

We gobbled down our lunch to make it to the next show of FOTLK. We have seen this before, but I tell you, it is awe-inspiring every time we see it. I need to go off here again and ask... How does Disney continue to put together so MANY professional, full-out, theatrical experiences all over the parks and resorts several times a day, every day?!?!!? From big stage shows to the small acts around the parks and resorts. There is SOOOOO much talent here. I'm in heaven!

We walked on over to the Bird show (can't remember the name... sorry). This is one of those educational shows that the little ones just aren't ready for. So I was happy to be able to sit and enjoy. It was educational and, of course, ENTERTAINING!! "Guano Joe" was HYSTERICAL!:rotfl: It probably would've been any other zoo show if it weren't for him. Here are some pics from the show:
The CM who entertained us while we waited to be entertained;)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary052.jpg
Our host, and "Guano Joe"
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary053.jpg
Guano Joe running away from a scary bird!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary054.jpg
Hawk pictures
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary055.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary056.jpg
Nice mohawk!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary057.jpg
What a beautiful bird!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary058.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary059.jpg

After learning a lot about birds... we decided to save AK rides (like EE and Dinosaur) for tomorrow. We were going to be eating an early breakfast at Restaurantosaurus and thought we could catch those since we'd be there earlier in the day.

We were ready to leave AK and head over to MK. We had reservations at OHANA:thumbsup2 for dinner, so we thought we'd catch some stuff at MK while we waited for our big meal.

On our way out, we ran into our FAVORITE security guard. I'm pretty sure his name is Dave, but if you've ever had this CM check your bags, you will know who I'm talking about. He will sing songs about you and what's in your bag. He's extra friendly and loving. Last time we were here with the kids, he sang all about diapers, since I was carrying a bunch in my bag! Here he is with DH and me, making us sing the POTC song (which I don't know very well, so I just smiled!!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary060.jpg
Afterwards, he called me a nice lady. That just made my day!!!!!

On to MK.... hopefully, you won't have to wait so long for the next installment!

[Sooze]

Well, not to be a party pooper.... but I feel discouraged continuing this report. I think I lost everyone. So I'll try another update and see if anyone's out there:guilty: Really, I'm not a whiner...but it's nice to know you're putting work into something others are enjoying!!

So we left AK and made our way to MK. Can you believe we've been here this long and this was our FIRST monorail ride?! That's un-Disney-like, I know! There was some debate on the DIS about the YOAMD decor on the monorail... and now that I've seen it live, I kind of agree with those folks who say it looks like graffiti. It IS a bit graffiti-esque.:rolleyes:

We entered the Kingdom just as the "Dream" parade was about to start. Our family has never really been big parade-watchers. Not sure why... I guess we find that's a good time to find shorter lines. But since we were on Main Street and there were plenty of spots right along the curb, we sat down and enjoyed the show. It was actually very good! I need to force myself to watch these when we return with the little ones in September. The characters are just so close to you! And I saw several walk right up to kids in the crowd. That would make my DS's day!

Here are some pics from the parade:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary061.jpg
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LOVE this one!!
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Love this one too!
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Yeah, I know... I hardly took enough pictures on this trip, but when that parade came by right in front of me... suddenly, I couldn't get enough! Sorry.. hope you enjoyed them, anyway.

You know, one of the advantages of coming to WDW without children is that you can experience some of the attractions you've never been on before, or haven't been on in a while. So you 'd think DH and I would head over to Adventureland and climb the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. But no.. we are the ultimate creatures of habit and after a quick photo op in front of the castle
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary075.jpg
we made a right turn and headed to Tomorrowland... where we ALWAYS go! We are suckers for the familiar, I guess. DH challenged me to Buzz Lightyear. You know, when you ride with a 5 year old, you don't try as hard to get points because it's much more fun to let them win... but when your DH challenges you to a round... it's every man for himself!! I kicked his but 47,000 to 14,000. He didn't want a rematch... poor baby... he HATES losing. It was almost worse than the 5 year old losing!

We jumped on the classic Carousel of Progress. It's always great to see the classics and remind ourselves of the genius of Walt Disney.

Eventually, we decided to venture to "the other side" AKA Frontierland. We grabbed a snack and watched the big riverboat. This is where the attack of the pooping gulls occurred:eek: As we were walking over there.. I felt a warm, wet sensation on my shoulder... I didn't want to look.. I KNEW what it was... slight glance... don't want to see it.... full turn of the head.... YUP... gull poop!!:scared: GROSS!!! I cleaned myself off as best as I could.. DH laughing at me the whole time... jerk.

Then we are waiting in line to grab our Diet Cokes.... and .. YEP!! DH got it too!! :rotfl: Sweet vengence!!!

Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad... okay... let's ride it. We honestly haven't been on that ride in years. So we did it. Here's a great shot from the ride. I have no idea who the guy in the back seat is.. but I thought the Yeti came over to the wrong ride!! Ha ha ... just kidding!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary076.jpg
I had fun yelling and being immature.. but this was DH's reaction as the ride came to an end...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary077.jpg
The best part was that it was a long ride with a short wait... and some lovely scenery too.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary078.jpg

We weren't having the best of time that we should have due to the HUMONGOUS crowds. Honestly, we come this time of year because of the usual lack of crowds... but this Marathon weekend definitely increased the crowds...to a MUCH larger size. Don't get me wrong, we love Disney and can't help but be happy there, no matter what... but it was harder to enjoy ourselves when we were constantly discouraged with long wait times and bumping into people everywhere we went.

We did a bit more shopping that we shouldn't be doing on Main St. And to make matters worse, everywhere we went, the shops were offering $15 items if you spend $60 or more. We are TOTAL suckers and totally fell for it! But we got a very nice throw and a framed art work with pins:rolleyes1

Well, gotta put the boy to bed. I'll finish here and let you think about OHANA until next time... mmmmmm I can still smell that pork......

[peacelovemickey]

I'm still here, please don't be discouraged. This is a great report and I loved your pictures.

[tinawv]

So glad you made it back. Can't wait to read the rest of your trip report. :)

[2BusyPlanning]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the picture of Mary Poppins! Oh, and the one of your tonsils! :rotfl:

Keep it coming! Now I am even more excited about DH and me going in September without the kids. Yay:banana: !

[JanaJohn]

DH challenged me to Buzz Lightyear. You know, when you ride with a 5 year old, you don't try as hard to get points because it's much more fun to let them win... but when your DH challenges you to a round... it's every man for himself!! I kicked his but 47,000 to 14,000. He didn't want a rematch... poor baby... he HATES losing. It was almost worse than the 5 year old losing!
Let me guess.............You conveniently forgot to tell your husband about all of the hints you received on this board telling about what to aim at for the high scores! :rolleyes1 Of course I doubt my wife will hear of any of those hints....at least from me! ;)

[KimAshton]

I just found your TR. I am thrilled to see it.

[Sooze]

YAY!!! I have readers!!!:yay: I hope I didn't sound too whiny.... I dispise whiners!!

And really, I didn't know about places to aim for Buzz Lightyear... really!! Can someone share!?!

[PrincessV]

Well, not to be a party pooper.... but I feel discouraged continuing this report. I think I lost everyone.
Wait, wait I'm still here! :yay:

DH challenged me to Buzz Lightyear. You know, when you ride with a 5 year old, you don't try as hard to get points because it's much more fun to let them win... but when your DH challenges you to a round... it's every man for himself!!
LOL, just another example of my sometimes-less-than-steller Mommy skills - I think I've beat the pants off my DS every time on Buzz! But he's always been super proud of his 2500 score, so I guess it's all good :thumbsup2

We jumped on the classic Carousel of Progress. It's always great to see the classics and remind ourselves of the genius of Walt Disney.
I LOVE this one! So glad it's still around.

Eventually, we decided to venture to "the other side" AKA Frontierland. We grabbed a snack and watched the big riverboat. This is where the attack of the pooping gulls occurred:eek: As we were walking over there.. I felt a warm, wet sensation on my shoulder... I didn't want to look..
Ewww... I know that feeling...:scared:

Please, please come back with more - we'll be here for you! :cheer2:

[KatInHat]

I'm still here. Enjoying your trip report. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but we were at WDW on marathon weekend and were very surprised by the large crowds. My sister also got the attack of the pooping gulls. yuck!!

I can't wait to hear all about Ohana. We are going back for a quick trip in September and I really want to try Ohana.

[Twingle]

Still loving your TR! Thanks for all the pics - they were awesome! :)

[timandlesley]

I am here, just caught up and LOVING it. PLEASE keep it coming, I promise to post :goodvibes (picture on hands and knees begging for forgiveness:rotfl: )
Lesley

[KimAshton]

YAY!!! I have readers!!!:yay: I hope I didn't sound too whiny.... I dispise whiners!!

And really, I didn't know about places to aim for Buzz Lightyear... really!! Can someone share!?!


LOL I kept shooting the back of my friend's head cause she was in front of me. :)

I am strange like that.

[Sooze]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately, my TR is almost done:sad1: Since it was just the two of us, we did a quickie!! You know how marriage is:rotfl:

I'll have another installment up soon.

And when this is over... I'll get started on the pre-trippie for Labor Day Weekend 2007! :woohoo:

[allie_to_you]

Great Tr

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing

[Sooze]

We hopped on a monorail after leaving Magic Kingdom and enjoyed a quiet ride through the Magic Kingdom Resorts. I have stayed at the Contemporary twice (once when I was way too young to remember, the other as a college kid when our family won a trip to Disney as a consolation prize on America's Funniest Home Videos.. but that's a whole other story!!) but I have never stayed at any other MK resort. Now that we are DVC members, we probably won't have big opportunities to stay at these amazing places, because our points are worth more at the DVC resorts... Maybe someday when we can afford more points, we can give the Grand Floridian or Poly a try... someday.

When we got to the Poly, we were about a half hour early for our ADRs.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary080.jpg
(Sorry bout this... I could not get it upright, even tho' I've done it before... )

I thought we might look around the property a bit, but both of us agreed that our legs were about to give out... so we put in our name at the host/hostess station and grabbed a seat in the bar area. Wouldn't you know it... the TV was showing the NFC playoffs... ugh.. life is still going on while we're on our special little planet down here in Orlando. I don't like to be reminded that there is a "real life" going on... so I buried myself in my little journal and tried to update myself for the day.

We were quickly called in to eat. We had a beautiful table right next to the windows. There were families and kids everywhere. Very lively and fun atmosphere. Then the food started coming... and coming... and coming.. and .. OH MY GOSH.. coming!! :eek: Sorry I have no pics.. I really WILL do better next time. But we divoured everything as soon as it hit the table. My FAVORITE were the glazed chicken wings and peanut sauce... TO DIE FOR!! :love: Cousin Grant took decent care of us, and fed us until all I could do was gasp for breath. Shaka cousin!

We also got to see a few "kid" activities while we were eating. We will definitely come here again with the kids. It's a GREAT place to eat!!!

We had to wedge ourselves out of our seats to make our way back onto a monorail to head over to EPCOT. The night was still young-ish and we had our last:sad1: Illuminations to see...

Next update includes the pixie dust weather phenomenon...

[CHEK]

Great report, and how nice a break with no children :) , but I'm sure you missed them like mad and never stopped talking about them the whole time you were away :love:. And probably spent a small fortune on them even though they weren't with you :rotfl:

[peacelovemickey]

Can you tell the "whole other story"? I am curious to see if I remember seeing your video. I loved that show when I was a kid.

[mlill]

I'm back and all caught up again! Please forgive me for taking so long! It's been crazy busy over here and I haven't had time to post to everyone's TR like I want to! :sad2: I really love your TR! :love: As I read it, I remember how wonderful our no-kids quickie WDW get-away was a couple of years ago! It's great going on vacation with the kids, but it's great going without 'em, too! I really appreciate you sharing your adventure with us! BTW, I thought that guy at the MGM stunt show was HOT, too! :rolleyes1 WhooHooo! You must have your DH trained good! :thumbsup2

I'm sad that your TR is almost over, but I'm also excited that you're starting a new pre-TR soon! :banana:

Take care,
Michelle

[Illuminations_Rocks]

really enjoying your TR and can't wait to read about your - tear :sad1: departing day!

[Sooze]

really enjoying your TR and can't wait to read about your - tear :sad1: departing day!

Thanks.. I'll be getting around to it this week... because I'm on Spring Break!!

And I can tell we should be friends because your username is AWESOME! If my DH ever got his butt on this board, he'd probably pay you to steal your name!;)

[Sooze]

I'm back and all caught up again! Please forgive me for taking so long! It's been crazy busy over here and I haven't had time to post to everyone's TR like I want to! :sad2: I really love your TR! :love: As I read it, I remember how wonderful our no-kids quickie WDW get-away was a couple of years ago! It's great going on vacation with the kids, but it's great going without 'em, too! I really appreciate you sharing your adventure with us! BTW, I thought that guy at the MGM stunt show was HOT, too! :rolleyes1 WhooHooo! You must have your DH trained good! :thumbsup2

I'm sad that your TR is almost over, but I'm also excited that you're starting a new pre-TR soon! :banana:

Take care,
Michelle


Thanks Michelle. I'm honored that such a GREAT trip-reporter such as yourself is taking time to enjoy our little getaway. I'm learning so much from reading your amazing TR. Thanks for checking in!

[Sooze]

Can you tell the "whole other story"? I am curious to see if I remember seeing your video. I loved that show when I was a kid.

OKAY.. twist my arm..:rolleyes:

It was in 1991... at Christmas. The video was from 1978 and it had been transferred from reel-to-reel movies to VHS. My little sister (then 4 yo) was standing in front of the Christmas tree holding a sign that said "1978" .. you know.. since way back then you couldn't just flip a switch or push a button to make the date appear... Anyway.. she was smiling and all cute, then the other sisters, including myself, tried to get into the shot. Well, cute angelic little sis :angel: decides to start throwing punches at us, l:mad: eft and right.. and I get it right in the face at the end of the clip (I was 6 yo at the time). It really was funny, and when they added in Bob Saget's voice, it was even better.:rotfl:

We won a trip to CA to attend the taping of the show and we were told we may be one of the finalist. It turned out that not only were we one of the finalists, but we won the ten grand as well! It was a great experience for my family! They flew us back out for the 100,000 grand prize show. We lost to some boy who was holding a hose, so it looked like he was peeing... dumb... :sad2: or maybe I'm just bitter. :laughing: But instead of a hundred grand, they sent us to Disney World as a consolation! :thumbsup2 hmmm... what's better?!?

Since my family had six people in it ( 2 parents, 4 daughters), and the prize was for a family of four, my parents were extremely gracious and sent the four daughters on the trip. We ranged in age from 22-17. The hooked us up with flights, hotel (Contemporary!) and all of the food we could ever want to eat. Plus passes to the parks (including Typhoon Lagoon). It was a super time!

Wow.. that was fun reliving... thanks for that.;)

Anyone recognize the clip? It WAS 16 years ago!! wow!!!

[Sooze]

I made my ressies today for our 3 day cruise on the Wonder.:goodvibes It's another little getaway for DH and myself in honor of our TEN year anniversary! Yes.. we are leaving the kids behind for this one again. Don't worry, the little Rugrats will get to enjoy Labor Day weekend at the Boardwalk. Then Mommy and Daddy take their first cruise... ever....

I'm so excited. I'll have to start another pre trip report on that one.. there's even more than the cruise too... I'll share later!!

Thanks for listening to my happy dance:cool1:

[timandlesley]

First of all, loving your TR, can't wait for the last installment.
Funny video story, I bet I have seen it, but can't recall off the top of my head. That stinks they didn't pay for your entire family to go.
Disney Wonder, HOW COOL!!!! I'm jealous, maybe someday. . .
Lesley

[jenv]

I just read your TR and have really enjoyed it. My husband and I are going in September for our anniversary without our kids. We are also thinking about purchasing DVC at that time. We are paying cash for it so we are really wary about spending that much cash. I'm pretty sure we will do it though. My husband wants to only go for 3 days and I just want to be there 4 days and he doesn't want to since I travel a lot for business and I will be gone for almost 2 weeks in October. I just showed him your TR and said that these people were jammed up for 4 days we can't do it in 3 days!! Maybe I can get him convinced. We are also going with the kids in January.

Great TR I am a pre-school teacher!

Jennifer

[Sooze]

I just read your TR and have really enjoyed it. My husband and I are going in September for our anniversary without our kids. We are also thinking about purchasing DVC at that time. We are paying cash for it so we are really wary about spending that much cash. I'm pretty sure we will do it though. My husband wants to only go for 3 days and I just want to be there 4 days and he doesn't want to since I travel a lot for business and I will be gone for almost 2 weeks in October. I just showed him your TR and said that these people were jammed up for 4 days we can't do it in 3 days!! Maybe I can get him convinced. We are also going with the kids in January.

Great TR I am a pre-school teacher!

Jennifer

I definitely vote for four days!! Three days just isn't enough!:rolleyes1

And I encourage you to do the DVC thing... especially if you can pay cash!!! That's like having 3 decades of vacations where you won't have to pay for accomodations!!! Plus, you really feel like WDW is your HOME!! We are SOOOO happy we did it... and we have to pay it off for the next 10 years.. ugh.

Let us know how YOUR adult only trip goes, k?

[Sooze]

:love: After rolling ourselves back onto the monorail, we headed over to EPCOT for our LAST viewing of Illuminations. As we were getting ready to pull away from the TTC, a young couple got onto our monorail car. Seeing that the "other side" was less crowded, they jumped off to maneuver to a "better" spot. Unfortunately, the announcement that "the doors are closing" had started, and I guess they didn't realize that "the doors are closing" means.... THE DOORS ARE CLOSING!! They didn't make it back on... the whole monorail car let out an "Awwwwwwwwwww". Pretty funny!:rotfl2: But not for the couple...:headache:

As we walked into our beloved EPCOT, we began to feel a few drops of.. gasp.. RAIN!! We had avoided it all weekend. In fact, the weather had been pretty darned near PERFECT! But... drip.... we kept on .... drop.. walking... and thinking... drip dripp DROP... positive thoughts... to no avail. As we emerged from under SE... the heavens opened up and the rain came a'pourin'!!:eek:

Well, we are here at SE... and, as always, there is absolutely no wait. How bout a 15 minute rest aboard the educational ride that is Spaceship Earth? I've heard people mention the "smell" of the burning of Rome... now that it's been so long since we've been, I can smell it sitting here at my computer. Even though I think SE is a glorified nap sometimes, it IS an EPCOT classic, and I will continue to ride it every trip!

Okay.. ready for the pixie dust?!.... Here it comes....pixiedust:
We get off of SE, 15 minutes later... and the rain is GONE!! The air is refreshed, the park smells GREAT... and we are ready to scope out a place for Illuminations!

This time, we vowed, we'd find a big ol' speaker and park ourselves right in front of it. We found a great location on the laggon in front of a gigantic speaker... bring in on!! We had some time to wait and I was able to just close my eyes every once in a while and take in the EPCOT air. I was feeling a bit sad, when I noticed a little friend..
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary081.jpg
This is another example of the things you are able to notice when you don't have little ones around. My husband STILL makes fun of me for taking this picture. I call it art!!;)

Illuminations began... and I was once again disappointed in the low volume of the music. I SWEAR it used to be louder... or maybe I've just spoiled myself with the volume I play it in my car... whatever the case may be.. if anyone from EPCOT is reading this... PLEASE TURN UP THE VOLUME ON THE MUSIC FOR ILLUMINATIONS. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! We still love it tho'...:love: I get chills every time the ending comes around.. when the sky is filled with white fireworks.. UGH! I can't wait til Labor Day!!

We ventured out of the park with the hoards of other visitors. As we rounded the corner to our bus stop, we saw a SSR bus pull away. Don't you hate that?!?! We wanted to get back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool before we had to go back to the room to... sniff... pack.:sad1:

I shall return with our LAST day.. which included a very early, very unfortunate wake up call!!

[psupple]

Just finished ready your TR.... thanks for sharing your "adults" only trip.

We go to WDW usually twice a year. It's just me and my DH, so I really enjoy reading couples' TR's.

Can't wait to find out how it ends~

[timandlesley]

LOVED LOVED LOVED your report. Can't wait for our 10 year anniversary trip next summer w/ out kids. I personally loved the snail pic, and laughed out loud when you said it was the stuff you don't notice with kids. I definitely would never have noticed that with kids in tow. I agree, they need to turn the music up. I've never looked for a speaker to sit by, maybe now I will. I felt sad with you seeing your trip come to an end. What an awesome report. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!! :thumbsup2

Lesley

[belle8306]

I really loved your report! You have a great writing style!:thumbsup2

[Tinkerbell1013]

Great TR!! Loving it! My Mom and I ran off for a girls weekend last year and it was really great to see WDW as an adult. Although, at 22 and 51 we didn't always act like adults. Ah...the magic of Disney!!

[Mickey'sMainMami]

Great trip report, I am new on here, so I am a little behind in the reading! Gald to hear you had a great trip!

[penguingirlie]

Oh no. I get to read all of it but the last installment!?! Great trip report. We took our last trip as adults only for a while last fall. We just had our first child so lots of child friendly trips coming our way. Hopefully we will be able to take trips like you guys one day. What a great idea!

[ncseric]

I just found this TR and I think it's great! We're from Fishers and are planning an adults only anniversary trip in early December.

We were at WDW from Jan 1-5 this year and I agree about the crowds! We're also DVC members and were thinking that crowds would be light because it's value season! Fortunately, we left on Friday (before the marathon really began). Still, Thursday at MK was horrendous!

Unfortunately, our girls (5 & 3) don't like Epcot much, so we haven't spent much time there lately on family trips. I can't wait to leisurely walk through the World Showcase and watch the performances! I'm also looking forward to going to MK and not having to spend most of the day in Fantasyland!

Can't wait to read more!!!

[CHEK]

Loving your trip report, only wish we lived closer :sad1: , I think my DH & I love it even more than our 2 DD's :rotfl: , everyone we know thinks that we're both obsessed:rolleyes: , YES well they'd be right :lmao:

[Belle_373]

Great Trip Report!

My DC and I went to Disney the same time in January as you guys did. I was shocked by the amount of people there. I didnt realize it was marathon weekend when I booked the trip. Oops!

[Sooze]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your great comments. I hope you'll join me again after Labor Day when I get to do a trip report with the kids involved. I promise to take WAY more pictures... and, or course, with kids, there will be so many more to take!

Thanks again for reading. The last day may take two installments, it was pretty long. But I'll try to get it posted soon!:flower3:

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

[lamagique]

Just found your TR and had a great time reading it (even though I know there's one more installment left)!

Here are some random things I commented on:
I also threw away a ton of empty cups that people just left on display shelves. AWFUL!! How trashy can you be?
There are so many trash cans at WDW (I would know, haha)! I don't understand how people do this! Thanks for picking them up, though!

I didn't understand a word he said, but I knew he was scared when he grabbed my arm during the first drop! Where else but Disney can you be grabbed by a foreign man and not think twice about it!?
Haha... I grab the people next to me, too! I don't even think about it, it just happens! I apologize after, but yeah... Disney Magic. :wizard:

I just need to go off for a minute... Voices of Liberty.. OMG!!!! I could sit in that rotunda and listen to them ALL DAY. This is one of the most outstanding vocal ensembles I have ever heard in my life! The lead soprano his notes only dogs can hear.. with absolutely no effort. I was moved to tears several times. Oh.. and we immediately bought their CD too!!
I know! I finally saw them for the first time this past summer and I was amazed! (I don't know if I even wanted to see them, but I did and was happy!) You have some of the same people I had. Yipee!

We entered the Kingdom just as the "Dream" parade was about to start. Our family has never really been big parade-watchers. Not sure why... I guess we find that's a good time to find shorter lines.
Yeah, when I was little, we didn't really watch parades or fireworks or shows (Actually, it's sort of the same now). We would be like, "There's no line for BTM... LET'S GO!!!!" And we'd ride it over and over again.

Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad... okay... let's ride it. We honestly haven't been on that ride in years. So we did it. Here's a great shot from the ride. I have no idea who the guy in the back seat is.. but I thought the Yeti came over to the wrong ride!! Ha ha ... just kidding!!

HAHAHAHAHA. :rotfl2:

[Twingle]

Somehow I missed your update from the 9th - WHOOPS!

Hopefully your wake-up call isn't too bad, fill us in when you can!

[Sooze]

Hey everyone! I haven't forgotten about my last day, I promise! Just getting to the "end of the school year" crunch.. and can't seem to keep both of my kids healthy at the same time:sad2:

I'll be back !!

[Sooze]

You know... I used to gripe about those TRs that took FOREVER to get an update. I used to think, "How hard can it be to sit at your computer for 30 minutes and type up another installment?"

And here I am... a MONTH after my last installment, and STILL no update?? What is WRONG with me!?! :headache:

I really need to get this done, though, because I'm ready to start my Pre TR for my Labor Day trip. I need lots of help with decision making and TODDLER advice!!:eek: So my last installment will be soon... honest... please come back and check, okay?

By the way... 14 DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL'S OUT!! YIPPEEE!!!!:banana:

[Sooze]

It was tough to go to bed on our last night at SSR. Not only did we know we were going home the next day, we also knew we couldn't sleep in that morning because of our 8:00 ADRS at Restaurantosaurus. Our wake-up call never had a chance to come though.. thanks to some drama at home.

6:00 am... the phone rings... it's my babysitter. She can't get the kids from our weekend sitter because she's sick. :eek: Um... DUDE.... I'm in DisneyWorld... this is ruining all of the wonderful plans and arrangements I had so carefully made to ensure the safety and well-being of my children while we were away... are you SURE you're too sick to come?!?! :sick: CRAP!! Scramble scramble scramble. I ended up having to call the back-up sitter, then the friend my kids were already with to tell her what was going on. She had to drive my kids 20 minutes ONE WAY out of her way to work to drop them off at the back-up sitter. So I had to call another person to pick them up... and ... ugh... just remembering the panic and stress is enough to send me into migraine-mode. All of this happens before 6:30 am.

Of course, I can't go back to rest now.. I'm up. I just got HALF as much sleep as the night before. Let's get going. Our word for the whole day was going to be... unfortunate....:sad2:

We packed up our bags, said goodbye to room 7123 and walked to the main lobby. We had to fix a bad charge on our room (remember that all-knowing CM that worked at the ABC Comissary on the first day? The one who said "Oh, it's on your DDP"... even though I said "It's not on the receipt"...) We checked in for our flight ( I LOVE LOVE LOVE this service!) and stored our carry on bags for the day. We were off to AK by 7:30.

It was an extremely pleasant day, dispite the fact that we were feeling down about our trip coming to and end. We were able to walk right into AK. The rope-drop ceremonies were beginning, but we walked right on to the breakfast.

**Side note*** this is where I stopped taking notes in my little journal, so my report will be vague.. sorry!! I was in denial...

Breakfast was okay. We decided that character breakfasts without kids just aren't as much fun. As the characters were approaching us, I was thinking, "Okay... what do we do?" we didn't have an autograph book, we really didn't need pictures with just the two of us,
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary082.jpg
there was no toddler to entertain.. it was just kinda bizzarre!!:hippie:

Well, ladies and gents... after breakfast, we FINALLY did it.... We FINALLY rode EE!!!! And man, oh man, was it worth the wait! Disney did a phenomenal job with this one!! The queue is set up so wonderfully. I never felt bored. We actually had fun at the "target practice":
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary083.jpg
It's much longer than it looks from the outside, and it is pure fun to ride! The best part for me was when you were FLYING backwards!!! :thumbsup2 I still think RnR is my fav roller coaster.. but this definitely challenges it!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary084.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary085.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary086.jpg
This was the view as you were going up the large hill. You could see the castle, Spaceship Earth, and ToT.. it was far off in the distance, but you could see it!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary087.jpg
My favorite part of the ride happened immediately after this:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/07DisneyJanuary088.jpg

We rode it three or four times! It was awesome. Then we headed over to the Dino area. I convinced DH to ride the Triceratop Spin... thing... ride... whatever it is! It's weird! I haven't decided yet if I like it! But after that, I did decide that I do NOT like the Dinosaur ride. YUCK!!! It was so dark and bumpy... I didn't get ANYTHING out of it. But I did see a family get a "dream" while waiting! I guess they were the "family of the day" and got to ride in their own vehicle and were taken behind the scenes and stuff. cool.

We had ridden everything we wanted and had seen all of the shows for now.. so we decided to spend the rest of our time lounging around SSR. We caught our last bus over to our "home" and enjoyed just relaxing by the pool. I had to take a few mental pictures of it, so when I get stressed back at home, I can close my eyes and go back. Does anyone else do this?!!? I do it ALL THE TIME! Sometimes I do it at school. My third graders will see me just stop and close my eyes. They'll say, "You went to Disney World again, didn't you?" They know me well!

It was finally time to wait for the ME bus back to the airport. Unfortunately, it was late.... WAY late. Some of the others waiting with us were getting fiesty... using some inappropriate language and acting very trashy. I had to walk away. I didn't want it to ruin my last images of WDW!! We still made it in time to get to our flight. It was an uneventful trip home... and then we stepped off of the plane ...:santa: BRRRRRRRRR. We're hooooooommmmmeeee!!

Overall, it was a perfect trip.. weather, tons of food, deluxe accomodations (Thanks DVC!!!) and a chance to reconnect with my man. If any of you are considering a trip for mommy and daddy only.. I highly recommend it. It takes you back to just the TWO of you.. and the magic of Disney just adds the pixie dust you need!!

Hope you enjoyed my very first TR. Next time, I will TAKE MORE PICTURES!!! In fact, I think I'll be starting my Pre TR for our family Labor Day vacation after Memorial Day.. when I'll be OUT OF SCHOOL!!!:yay:

Take care everyone!!
Susie

[KatInHat]

Thanks for sharing your magical trip with us. I really enjoyed it.

I am thinking that a mommy and daddy trip might be just what the doctor ordered..... I'm going to have to start looking for babysitters.

I agree with you about EE .. We love that ride.

I will be looking for your pre-trip report soon.

[Sooze]

Thanks for sharing your magical trip with us. I really enjoyed it.

I am thinking that a mommy and daddy trip might be just what the doctor ordered..... I'm going to have to start looking for babysitters.

I agree with you about EE .. We love that ride.

I will be looking for your pre-trip report soon.

And thank you for enjoying it! Let us know if you ever go on that adults only vacation! And make sure you do a TR!!

Stay tuned... Pre-trippie coming eventually!

[peacelovemickey]

Thank so you so much for a wonderful TR. I am trying to convice my DH to do a couple trip this summer (I am a teacher too). I have gotten him over the "It will be too hot," excuse but right now I am working on the, "Everytime I see kids I will feel bad that ours are at home," excuse. I think it will be perfect because we are looking at July and already have a BIG family trip to Fort Wilderness in November on the books. That way we can tell the kids it will be just a few months until we all go...

[Sooze]

Thank so you so much for a wonderful TR. I am trying to convice my DH to do a couple trip this summer (I am a teacher too). I have gotten him over the "It will be too hot," excuse but right now I am working on the, "Everytime I see kids I will feel bad that ours are at home," excuse. I think it will be perfect because we are looking at July and already have a BIG family trip to Fort Wilderness in November on the books. That way we can tell the kids it will be just a few months until we all go...


And let me just say.. there are times when you definitely feel guilty or you are missing the kids... that's true. But there are even MORE times (like when you see a screaming toddler refusing to get back into their stroller, or when you see a mom carrying an overflowing diaper bag and running into a baby care center, or when you see kids being unruly at a dinner table...) when you just smile at each other and say.. ahhhhhhhhh....

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE coming to WDW with my kids.. it's just a TOTALLY different trip, when it's all about THEM. It's SO nice to enjoy time where it's all about YOU for once!! Again, I highly recommend it!

[lawyergirl]

Great TR! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

[PrincessV]

6:00 am... the phone rings... it's my babysitter. She can't get the kids from our weekend sitter because she's sick. :eek: Um... DUDE.... I'm in DisneyWorld... this is ruining all of the wonderful plans and arrangements I had so carefully made to ensure the safety and well-being of my children while we were away... are you SURE you're too sick to come?!?! :sick: CRAP!! Scramble scramble scramble. I ended up having to call the back-up sitter, then the friend my kids were already with to tell her what was going on. She had to drive my kids 20 minutes ONE WAY out of her way to work to drop them off at the back-up sitter. So I had to call another person to pick them up... and ... ugh... just remembering the panic and stress is enough to send me into migraine-mode. All of this happens before 6:30 am.
UGH, as if the end of your vacay weren’t enough of a downer.

Well, ladies and gents... after breakfast, we FINALLY did it.... We FINALLY rode EE!!!!
Wooo hoo!!!

I had to take a few mental pictures of it, so when I get stressed back at home, I can close my eyes and go back. Does anyone else do this?!!?
Mmm hmmm!

You guys had such a terrific trip – I’m glad you took the time sans kids! Tahnks so much for sharing with us all.

[mlill]

Susie-
I'm so sad that your TR is over! :sad1: Sorry you had the early morning drama on your last day! I'm glad it worked out OK, but it still must have been hard on you. :hug: I think the picture of you two & Mickey is great! :goodvibes Big kids can have fun with the characters, too. I'll admit, it is easier when you have the kids with you. I'm so glad you finally got to ride EE! :banana: It's awesome, isn't it?! I agree with you about Dinosaur - ick! That one makes me sick. Too bumpy for me. Anyway, I think you did an excellent job for your first TR!!! I can't wait for your next one! :thumbsup2

Take care,
Michelle

[Sooze]

Thanks for the comments, ladies! I'm so glad you stopped by!

I'm extremely excited to get going on my next TR. I hope it will be so much better for two reasons... 1. I learned a lot writing this one, especially about taking more pics! 2. We'll have kids with us... I'm sure the stories will be more plentiful and much more interesting!!

[timandlesley]

WONDERFUL TRIP REPORT :thumbsup2 I absolutely loved it. Man, you got to ride Expedition Everest 3-4 times, I'm jealous! You had me going with your "dude, we're in Disney World" and your babysitting dilema, I couldn't believe that happened to you with the babysitter, how terrible. I never thought to take notes in a journal for the TR, the pictures I take just seem to jog my memory, but that is a great idea. Enjoyed your pics tremendously and living vicariously through your trip, thanks for writing, love the writing style, you two are an incredible couple, can't wait for our 10 yr anniversary trip in 08' without kids. Glad you had a great time, thanks for sharing with us!
Lesley

[OhMari]

You took some great pictures. Thanks for sharing your Trip report with us.